• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.38-48
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• 2018

This paper reports a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in research on the enhancement of sensing properties for the detection of gases in exhaled breath. Daily health monitoring and early diagnosis of specific diseases via the analysis of exhaled breath is possible. Because biomarkers in exhaled breath are emitted in a very small amount, it is necessary to develop highly sensitive gas sensors. In recent years, a number of researches have been carried out using various strategies for the enhancement of sensing properties such as doping, catalyst, hollow sphere, heterojunction, size effect. We introduced each strategy and summarized recent progress on sensing properties for detection of biomarkers in exhaled breath.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2001.06e
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• pp.89-92
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• 2001

For the diagnosis of arrhythmia in the heart system, the QRS complex of ECG signals is used in many cases. The rejection of the noise in ECG signals is important to acquisition of exact QRS complex. This paper presents some experimental results about instantaneous bandwidth estimation and noise rejection of ECG signals with the purpose of rejection of the 60 Hz power noise and the motion artifacts such as EMG signals and contact noise. ECG signals corrupted by noise are cleaned by using the variable bandwidth filter. For the filtering of ECG signals with noise, the instantaneous bandwidth of the signals is estimated by analysis of time-frequency representation of ECG signal.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.711-725
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• 2018

Most of the practical engineering structures exhibit nonlinearity due to nonlinear dynamic characteristics of structural joints, nonlinear boundary conditions and nonlinear material properties. Hence, it is highly desirable to detect and characterize the nonlinearity present in the system in order to assess the true behaviour of the structural system. Further, these identified nonlinear features can be effectively used for damage diagnosis during structural health monitoring. In this paper, we focus on the detection of the nonlinearity present in the system by confining our discussion to only a few selective time-frequency analysis and multivariate analysis based techniques. Both damage induced nonlinearity and inherent structural nonlinearity in healthy systems are considered. The strengths and weakness of various techniques for nonlinear detection are investigated through numerically simulated two different classes of nonlinear problems. These numerical results are complemented with the experimental data to demonstrate its suitability to the practical problems.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.261-273
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• 2018

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results in high morbidity and mortality among patients nationally and globally. The Korean clinical practice guideline for COPD was revised in 2018. The guideline was drafted by the members of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases as well as the participating members of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korean Physicians' Association, and Korea Respiration Trouble Association. The revised guideline encompasses a wide range of topics, including the epidemiology, diagnosis, assessment, monitoring, management, exacerbation, and comorbidities of COPD in Korea. We performed systematic reviews assisted by an expert in meta-analysis to draft a guideline on COPD management. We expect this guideline to facilitate the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions by physicians as well other health care professionals and government personnel in South Korea.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2009

Urinary bladder cancer is diagnosed through urine cytology and cytoscopy with biopsy. An atypical urothelial cast is often found by voided urine cytology in a papillary urothelial cell carcinoma. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the significance of the evaluation of urinary nuclear matrix protein (NMP22) level and Sure Path Liquid-based cytology (SP-LBC) as compared to the examination of atypical urothelial cast in voided urine sediment for monitoring bladder cancer. From October 2007 to January 2008, we observed 3240 patients who visited the emergency laboratory of urology of Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan Hospital. Both NMP22 measurement and SP-LBC were performed in 31 patients who were positive in an atypical urothelial cast test. In particular, 26 men and 5 women were found to be atypical urothelial cast-positive persons. The average age for both men and women is 61.8. NMP22 test is positive in 23 of 31 cases (74.2%) from patients with atypical urothelial cast, while the test is negative in 8 of 31 cases (25.8%). The percentages of negativity, atypicality, suspicious malignancy, and malignancy in SP-LBC are 25.8% (8/31), 58.1% (18/31), 9.7% (3/31), and 6.5% (2/31), respectively. The relation of NMP22 positivity with the malignant degree in LBC is significant (P<0.01). Two malignant patients resulting from SP-LBC show the same results in histological examination. Overall, the study suggests the usefulness of NMP22 measurement and LBC as well as the examination of atypical urothelial cast for the diagnosis of early bladder cancer.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.299-304
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• 2019

Recently, the development of rehabilitation medical technology has resulted in an increased interest in speech therapy equipment. In particular, research on articulation therapy for communication disorders is being actively conducted. Existing methods for the diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders have many limitations, such as traditional tactile perception tests and methods based on empirical judgment of speech therapists. Moreover, the position and tension of the tongue are key factors of speech disorders with regards to articulation. This is a very important factor in the distinction of Korean characters such as lax, fortis, and aspirated consonants. In this study, we proposed a Korean electropalatography (EPG) system to easily measure and monitor the position and tension of the tongue in articulation treatment and diagnosis. In the proposed EPG system, a sensor was fabricated using an AgCl electrode and biocompatible silicon. Furthermore, the measured signal was analyzed by implementing the bio-signal processing module and monitoring program. In particular, the bio-signal was measured by inserting it into the palatal from an experimental control group. As a result, it was confirmed that it could be applied to clinical treatment in speech therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2725-2729
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• 2015

Background: Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and prostate cancer are the most frequent cancers in the male genitourinary tract. Measurement of biological biomarkers may facilitate clinical monitoring and aid early diagnosis of TCC. The aim of the present investigation was to detect the mRNA levels of S100A12 and RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) in patients suffering from bladder TCC. Materials and Methods: To explore the involvement of S100A12 and RAGE genes, total RNA was harvested from cancer tissues and samples obtained from normal non-tumorized urothelium of the same patients. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was subsequently employed to determine the mRNA levels of S100A12 and RAGE. Results: The results showed that mRNA expression of S100A12 and RAGE was significantly up-regulated in the cancer tissue. Conclusions: According to the results presented in the current study, mRNA expression of S100A12 and RAGE might be as a useful biomarker for TCC. Therefore, this ligand-receptor axis possibly plays important roles in the development of TCC and may serve either as an early diagnostic marker or as a key factor in monitoring of response to treatment. More research is required concerning inhibition of the S100A12-RAGE axis in different cancer models.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2013

Recently, there have been improvements in diagnostic methods for the assessment of early caries lesions. The reason is that dental professionals are seeking methods to reliably detect incipient dental caries and to remineralize them. This review examines the literature on principles, theoretical background, and history of the Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence (QLF) system (Inspektor Research Systems BV, The Netherlands). Furthermore, this paper discusses the potential application of QLF system to clinical practice for educational purpose, enabling dental hygiene students to perform oral health assessment using the QLF system. In addition, the clinical application of QLF system can motivate patients by providing additional visual information about caries and bacterial activity. The evidences on validity and reliability of the QLF system for detection of longitudinal changes in de/remineralization and caries were examined. The QLF system is capable of monitoring and quantifying mineral changes in early caries lesions. Therefore, it can be used to assess the impacts of caries preventive measures on the remineralization and reversal of the caries process. And the QLF system is a very promising equipment to assess educational effectiveness for dental hygiene students in their learning process. In conclusion, the QLF system is the most effective technology for more sensitive staging of caries and treatment without surgical intervention.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.362-370
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• 2006

The wireless sensor network (WSN) based ECG and body temperature measuring system for ubiquitous health-care were designed and developed. The system was composed of a wireless sensor network node, base station and server computer for the continuous monitoring of ECG signals and body temperatures of patients at home or hospital. ECG signal and body temperature data, important vital signals which are commonly used in clinical and trauma care, were displayed on a graphical user interface (GUI). The data transfer from sensor nodes on patients' body to server computer was accomplished through a base-station connected to a server computer using Zigbee compatible IEEE802.15.4 standard wireless communication. Real-time as well as historical, ECG data of elderly persons or patients, can also be retrieved and played back to assist the diagnosis. The ubiquitous health care system presented in this study can effectively reduce social medical expenses, which will be increased greatly in the coming aging society.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.922-934
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• 2008

Developmental language disorder is the most common developmental disability in childhood, occurring in 5-8% of preschool children. Children learn language in early childhood, and later they use language to learn. Children with language disorders are at increased risk for difficulties with reading and written language when they enter school. These problems often persist through adolescence or adulthood. Early intervention may prevent the more serious consequences of later academic problems, including learning disabilities. A child's performance in specific speech and language areas, such as phonological ability, vocabulary comprehension, and grammatical usage, is measured objectively using the most recently standardized, norm-referenced tests for a particular age group. Observation and qualitative analysis of a child's performance supplement objective test results are essential for making a diagnosis and devising a treatment plan. Emphasis on the team approach system in the evaluation of children with speech and language impairments has been increasing. Evidence-based therapeutic interventions with short-term, long-term, and functional outcome goals should be applied, because there are many examples of controversial practices that have not been validated in large, controlled trials. Following treatment intervention, periodic follow-up monitoring by a doctor is also important. In addition, a systematized national health policy for children with speech and language disorders should be provided.