• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to develop a portable and convenient closed-loop contrel type electrical stimulator for patients with foot drop. This system restores walking movement as well as prevents from atrophy or necrosis of lower limb muscles and increases blood circulation in hemiplegic patients caused by traffic accident, industrial disaster or stoke. This system detects the changes of the ankle joint angle during walking, and then controls the stimulus intensity automatically to maintain the programmed level of the ankle joint angle. Also, this automatic system controls the stimulus intensity which is affected by increased electrode impedance resulting from long time use. The system detects the joint angle by an optical sensor and includes modified PID control which adjusts the stimulus intensity if the joint angle deviates from the preset value. Stimulus parameters are 30~80 volt, 40 Hz, and 0.2 ms. The system was applied to five hemiplegic patients for 42 days. Duration of stimulation was 15 min/day for the first week and then the duration was gradually increased to 30, 60, 90 and 120 min/day. The muscle force was increased up to 29.7%, muscle fatigue was decreased compared with the level before stimulation and the pattern of locomotion was improved. These results suggest that the electrical stimulator with closed-loop control type is more convenient and effective in restoration of locomotion of patients with foot drop than open-loop system.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.749-758
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• 2003

The velvet antler of Korean sika deer has been used to the important resources for human health care with ginseng in Korea and Chinese. For studying on biological function of deer velvet being recorded in many ancient literatures, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of powdered velvet antler on growth, feed intake, feed efficiency and intestinal organ development in growing and adult Sprague-Dawley Rats. Experiments were designed by adding amount of powdered velvet antler such as control (non- supplementation), powdered velvet antler I (PVA I, recommended dose) and powdered velvet antler II (PVA II, thrice recommended dose). The recommended dose of powdered velvet in this experiment was calculated with metabolic body weight of rats, which based on the recommended amounts for 70 kg of human. The growths of growing and adult rats generally appeared advantage in PVA supplementation. The final body weight of control, PVA I and II were respectively 470${\pm}$39.00g, 478${\pm}$30.33g and 475${\pm}$22.72g in growing rats, and 485${\pm}$38.50g, 521${\pm}$38.67g and 508${\pm}$34.44g in adult rats. The average daily feed intake were not significantly influenced but the feed efficiency ratios (feed/gain) were improved by PVA supplementation. The feed/gain ratios of control, PVA I and II were respectively 5.99, 5.47 and 5.54 in growing rats, and 9.04, 7.73 and 8.18 in adult rats. In case of developments of liver, heart, kidney and stomach, we obtained favorable results in both PAC I and II, but their results were not significantly different according to amount of PVA supplementation. Because liver and heart are important organs in the circulation of blood, their favorable effects suggest that velvet antler may have factors contributing hematopoiesis. Conclusively, supplementation of powdered velvet antler resulted in an improved growth, feed efficiency and development of some intestinal organs in growing and adult rat. Even if further investigation of dose in human health care are should be performed, this experiment appeared the best desirable results in PVA I, recommended dose of powdered velvet antler.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.643-650
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• 2007

It has been known that Samultang has positive effects on blood circulation and erythrocyte formation. Samultang was composed of four ingredients, Angelica gigas Nikai, Rahmanniae Radix Preparata, Paeonia lactiflora Pallas, and Cnidium officinale Makino. Five types of bread were prepared by replacing water with Samultang for dough proportionally. Control (C) did not have Samultang and the other four experimental bread contained Samultang: S-I (25% of water was substituted by Samultang), S-II (50% substituted), S-III (75% substituted), and S-IV (100% substituted). Moisture, protein, and ash contents of Samultang were $97.34{\pm}0.11%,\;0.42{\pm}0.04%,\;and\;1.40{\pm}0.16%$, respectively. Replacing water with Samultang decreased pH and increased significantly wet gluten content of the dough. Substitution of Samultang for water incremented redness and yellowness of the dough and bread and increased hardness. It also raised the contents of ash and protein. Although it was not significant, in addition, moisture loss of the bread during storage seemed to be lessened by replacing water with Samultang. However, total volume and specific loaf volume of the bread, baking loss rate, and the other textural characteristics except hardness were not affected by substituting water with Samultang. Due to the above results, sensory evaluation of volume and gumminess of the bread were improved significantly by substituting Samultang for water. The bread replaced 25% of the water with Samultang was ranked as the best by the test of sensory evaluation. These results imply that adding Samultang instead of water to dough for bread might bring positive effects on quality characteristics of the bread without any adverse influences. Therefore, it might be worth developing functional bread using Samultang.