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Biomedical subjects

A Seo

Publications and source records attributed to A Seo.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Bioelectrical impedance measuring method for standing load evaluation.

A bioelectrical impedance method was used to evaluate the workload in standing jobs. This method is designed to indirectly evaluate swelling of the lower leg by measuring the change in the rate of impedance of the lower leg. In this paper, we studied the relationship between the methods used for swelling evaluation, and studied the measuring conditions of the impedance method by using bioelectrical models. Furthermore, impedance in ten male subjects in three types of standing conditions was measured to check the validity of the model analysis. The results are as follows: 1) The result of theoretical analysis showed that the change in impedance caused by leg swelling is equal to the value obtained by the leg volume measuring method, and twice as great as the value obtained by the leg circumference measuring method. The rate of change in impedance at low frequency is about 4 times greater than that at high frequency. The low frequency impedance measuring method is therefore much more sensitive than the other methods. 2) The results of experimental studies showed that the impedance in the lower legs was reduced as the function of time when quietly standing for 30 mins. The change in the rate of impedance was 6.86 +/- 4.54% (mean +/- SD). This rate is 3-5 times greater than the data reported by other researchers who used volume measurement or impedance measurement at high frequency. This difference fits the results of model analysis, and proved the validity of model analysis and the usefulness of the impedance method as an index of the standing load.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Therapeutic efficacy of lanoconazole, a new imidazole antimycotic agent, for experimental cutaneous candidiasis in guinea pigs.

The therapeutic efficacy of 1% cream and 1% solution of lanoconazole, a new imidazole antimycotic agent, in the model of cutaneous candidiasis in prednisolone-treated guinea pigs was evaluated in comparison with that of comparable formulations of bifonazole. Each preparation was topically applied once a day for 3 consecutive days, starting on the fifth day postinfection, and quantitative culture study wsa conducted on the ninth day postinfection. Both formulations of lanoconazole were much more highly effective in terms of eradication of fungi than the bifonazole formulations.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1994

A simple apparatus using inclinometer for monitoring working postures.

A new apparatus was developed for evaluating a load on the low back caused by working postures by measuring upper body inclination. This apparatus consists of an inclinometer and a portable unit. The inclinometer that uses a magnetic resistance sensor is attached to the upper body of the subject. The portable unit, controlled by a one-chip CPU, is enclosed in a cloth case and carried by the subject on his waist belt. The inclination is measured at a certain interval and recorded in the memory of the portable unit. All the recorded data are later transferred to a host computer and then analyzed. According to the theoretical analysis by using a simple mathematical model, upper body inclination changes according to the height of work places, and one cm difference in height causes more than one degree of upper body inclination. A model work of material handling was carried out to collect sample data. Two male subjects lifted ten boxes onto a platform from a stand in several heights. Both stooped and squat lifting methods were used as the lifting protocol. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the upper body inclination during work decreased according to the lift distance only in stooped lifting. As a practical application, working postures during the task of changing diapers for handicapped people were analyzed with out apparatus. A female subject changed diapers eight times at different height of beds. The mean value of inclination decreased according to the height of the beds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Statistical analysis and prediction on incidence of infectious diseases based on trend and seasonality.

We proposed a prediction methodology for the incidence of infectious diseases using incidence data on measles and influenza for forty years in Japan. We also proposed a diagram that makes it possible to convey information on infectious disease incidence more attractively to a wider audience. This can be a useful tool for health promotion in the community. The obtained results are as follows: 1. It was advantageous to use data transformed by logarithm in statistical analysis of infectious disease incidence. 2. The incidences of measles and influenza exhibited strong seasonality. Measles was most frequent in June and influenza in February. 3. Long-term trends were extracted from the derived data obtained by eliminating seasonal effects from the original data. For measles, a decline was accelerated by the introduction of vaccination program in 1978. Influenza also showed a decline for these thirty years. 4. The observed incidence data were quite well predicted by only the trend and the seasonality. The squares of multiple regression coefficients of measles and influenza were 0.84 and 0.58, respectively. The analysis of the residuals suggested there was a possibility of improvement in prediction. 5. The improvement in prediction was attained by incorporating an autoregressive component of the residuals. As a result, the squares of multiple correlation coefficients of measles and influenza increased to 0.97 and to 0.79, respectively. 6. We finally proposed the TS-decomposition diagram to facilitate practical use of incidence data. In this diagram, current incidence data and predicted values for the near future are plotted on the plane where the trend and the seasonality are superimposed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Forecasting↗
PubMed1993

[Analysis of measuring conditions of surface electromyogram using mathematical model].

To study the measuring conditions of surface electromyogram for work analysis in the field of industrial health, the effect of electrode fixation, electrode distance and electrode-muscle distance were studied using a mathematical model. The results were as follows; 1) The output waveforms of two electrode fixed models, i.e., parallel-fixed model (two electrodes were fixed in parallel to the direction of the muscle fibers) and transverse-fixed model (two electrodes were fixed in transverse to the direction of the muscle fibers) were compared. The maximum output and rectified integrated output of the parallel-fixed model were 2.59 times and 1.2-1.5 times larger than those of transverse-fixed model, respectively. The high output area of the parallel-fixed model was only one round area, but the areas of transverse-fixed model were four round areas which were wider than the area of the parallel-fixed model. The rectified integrated output of the parallel-fixed model was more affected by the location of neuro-muscular junction than that of transverse-fixed model when the electrodes were fixed near the neuro-muscular junction. 2) The rectified integrated output increased by electrode distance, and the changing rate of the rectified integrated output by electrode distance was particularly large when the electrode distance was shorter than 2 cm.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Electromyography↗
PubMed1993

[Electromyogram measuring method for low back load evaluation of handling weight and forward bending posture].

In order to establish a measuring method of electromyogram (EMG) to evaluate the low back load by handling weight and forward bending angle. EMG at Th5-6, Th8-9, Th11-12, L1-2 and L3-4 were measured in ten male subjects. The handling weight was changed at 0, 10, 20 and 30 kg, and the forward bending angle was changed at 0, 30, 60 and 90 degree. The following results were obtained: 1) EMG increased according to the handling weight at all forward bending angles. The increasing rate of EMG at Th5-6 was larger than that at L1-2 or L3-4. Thus, EMG at higher position such as Th5-6 was found to be appropriate to evaluate handling weight-load. 2) The effect of forward bending angle was different by handling weight. EMG at L1-2 and L3-4 increased according to forward bending angle when the handling weight was 0 kg or 10 kg and when the forward bending angle was not greater than 60 degree. However, when the handling weight was 20 kg or 30 kg, EMG and forward bending angle did not show a simple proportional relationship. Thus, EMG at L1-2 or L3-4 could be used to evaluate posture load when the handling weight was light and the bending angle was not so large. However, it was difficult to use EMG to evaluate posture load when the forward bending angle was large or the handling weight was heavy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Sarcoidosis accompanied by pancreatic impairment.

A 64-year-old male complained of weight loss and slight fever. Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and hepato-splenomegaly were observed. Serum ACE level was high, and liver function was impaired. Laparoscopy demonstrated small white nodules on the liver surface. A definite diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made by histological study of the specimen by liver biopsy and noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas composed of giant cells and epithelioid cells were revealed. Various pancreatic enzymes were increased on admission, suggesting pancreatic impairment due to sarcoidosis. Corticosteroid therapy improved liver and pancreatic functions and decreased splenomegaly. He has been followed up for 4 years and 5 months.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

Development of a system for analyzing working postures.

In order to assist in the analysis of working postures which might cause lumbago in the field of industrial health, a system was developed for the synchronous recording and analyzing of postures, work content and physiological data. The system is composed of a portable unit for recording 3 channels of goniometers, 1 channel of inclinometer and 1 channel of surface electromyogram, a video camera for recording work content, a host computer and some peripheral devices for analyzing the data from the portable unit and video camera. In this system, postures are automatically classified from data on joint angles and upper body inclination angle by using a discriminant function. The joint angles are measured by the goniometers using rubber optical fibers. The angle of upper body inclination is obtained by the inclinometer using a magnetic resistance sensor. In addition to the work content and video images, the postures and the electromyogram can be analyzed and confirmed by simultaneous display of the data on the host computer screen. Based on the trial use of this system in a work model of manual baggage handling, it was proved useful for evaluating in detail the workload caused by working postures.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1993

[Current and future perspectives of medical information network systems for community health using personal computers and IC cards].

Recent developments in computer and communication technology were studied in relation to medical information network systems, using computers and IC cards, to solve problems in community health. Trial use of personal computer network systems among physicians and IC card systems for personal health data management are already in existence in some parts of Japan. These trials were studied and analyzed based on a questionnaire survey of physicians and patients. Results of the study produced some useful points that should be considered when introducing these systems. These included: 1) details on expectations and specifications for these systems by physicians and patients, 2) easy access to valuable information is a key point for active network systems among physicians, 3) plausibility of improvement of communication between physicians and patients by using these systems, 4) recognition that an important problem concerns patient information privacy and must be considered before introducing these systems. A study of practical merits of these systems and methodology for realization indicates that participation by active and attractive providers of information can be expected to stimulate frequent use of the network system. The cost of introducing these systems can be partially borne by eliminating the large investment now allocated for processing requests for reimbursement of medical services. Investigation into the introduction of medical information systems provides a good opportunity to elucidate problems in the present medical systems.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed1992

Determination of profiles of non-collagenous proteins from rat bones by sodium dodecyl sulfate high-performance liquid chromatography.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-high-performance liquid chromatographic (SDS-HPLC) techniques for screening profiles of bone non-collagenous proteins (NCP) are described and compared with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) techniques. NCPs were obtained from long bones of neonatal and mature rats by sequential extraction with 4 M guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) and 0.25 M EDTA followed by desalting. Desalted extracts were subjected to SDS-PAGE and SDS-HPLC. The results of the two analyses were comparable. There were differences in NCP profiles between mature rats and pups and between the GdnHCl and EDTA extracts. The methods described can be used for qualitative comparison of treatments and as a basis for further study.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Development of posture measuring apparatus using goniometer and inclinometer. 2. Fixation, precision and calibration of goniometer].

A new posture measuring apparatus was developed for time and motion study in the field of industrial health. This apparatus records working postures by measuring angles of joints and trunk inclination. The angles of joints were measured by the newly developed goniometers which use the bending loss of rubber optical fibers. This paper presents results of studies made on the fixation, precision and calibration of goniometers which are important in the actual application of this apparatus. Six freedoms of five joints were examined, i.e. elbow (flexion/extension), shoulder (abduction/adduction and horizontal adduction/abduction), hip (flexion/extension), knee (flexion/extension), ankle (dorsi-flexion/plantar-flexion). The results obtained were as follows; 1) Goniometers should be fixed according to the characteristics of each joint. 2) The output errors were calculated from the measured data, excluding the effects of flexed angles, subjects and fixations. The mean output error of all joints was 0.189 V (14.3 degree). 3) The output errors by the three calibration methods using logistic curves were calculated. The output errors for 2-point method (calibrated by the data of minimum and maximum angles) and 3-point method (calibrated by the data of minimum, medium and maximum angles) were 1.34 and 1.22 times larger than the output errors (0.139 V) for all-point method (calibrated by all measured data), respectively.

Calibration↗
PubMed1992

[Effect of long-term feeding with tryptophan-free diet on the circadian rhythm in rats].

Effects of long-term feeding with tryptophan (TRP)-free diet on the free running periods of wheel-running rhythm and the central serotonergic neurotransmission were examined in male blinded rats. Long-term feeding with TRP-free diet did not change the periods of wheel-running rhythm calculated from chi 2 periodogram but disordered its pattern, which seemed to be due to masking or entrainment effects. On the other hand, long-term TRP-free diet decreased the concentrations of TRP, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in all brain regions tested; frontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus and pons. The density of 5-HT1A receptor (3H-8-OH-DPAT) binding was significantly decreased in only frontal cortex, while no significant change was observed in the density of 5-HT2 receptor (3H-ketanserin) binding in all regions. Although the mechanism of down-regulation of 5-HT1A receptor in frontal cortex is obscure, it was confirmed that TRP-free diet decreased central 5-HT synthesis and 5-HT neurotransmission. This dysfunction of 5-HT neurotransmission by TRP-free diet is suggested to make the circadian rhythm pacemaker susceptible to subtle environmental factors by lowering its intensity.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Development of posture measuring apparatus using goniometer and inclinometer. 1. Description of the apparatus and its usefulness].

A new posture measuring apparatus was developed for time and motion study in the field of industrial health. This apparatus can record and classify working postures by measuring the angles of joints and trunk inclination. The angles of joints are measured by newly developed goniometers which use the bending loss of rubber optical fibers. The trunk inclination is measured by an inclinometer which uses photointerrupters. The measured angle data stored in the memory of this apparatus are transferred to the host computer and analyzed. Postures are classified automatically and subjectively according to discriminant functions which are calculated from the preliminarily measured data by discriminant analysis. Test measurement was carried out to classify four postures; standing, forward bending, half sitting and sitting. The goniometers were set on the right hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint and the inclinometer was set on the right side of the trunk. The postures were changed in the order of standing, forward bending, half sitting, and sitting every 30 s. The angles were measured every second and a total of 120 sets of angles were measured. All data including data during posture changing were classified correctly by discriminant functions. The measurement during baggage lifting up and putting down was also carried out. Ten baggages (each 7 kg in weight) were lifted up from the floor onto a desk (75 cm in height), put down back to the floor, and again lifted on the desk. In 2 min, baggages were lifted up for a total of 20 times and put down for a total of 10 times.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Discriminant Analysis↗
PubMed1991

[Survey of attitudes among general practitioners regarding the introduction of a personal computer medical network system in community health care].

General practitioners (GPs) play an important part in community health care. Their opinion regarding introduction of a medical information network system using a personal computer and factors influencing the decision to introduce such a system were surveyed among 977 randomly sampled GPs. A response from 727 GPs was obtained. Based on a two stage selection method, 20 factors were selected as effective factors among the 73 factors surveyed, with the following results: (1) Responses to the question concerning the approval of system introduction were classified into three groups: "not necessary + too early to make a decision (DA)" (DA group), "approve (A)" (A group) and "undecided (UD)" (UD group). Each group had nearly equal numbers of respondees. (2) Significant effective factors were "experience with personal computers", "a desire to use a personal computer", "a desire to use a computer-diagnosis-system", "cost", and "a volition to operate a computer by himself". (3) The "A group" had high experience and affirmative opinions, while the "DA group" had low experience and negative opinions. The "UD group" also tended to respond with "do not know" regarding the factors. (4) Approval of system introduction requires providing basic knowledge on computers, opportunities for positive experience with computers, and practical examples of problem solutions in a general practitioner's work.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Transitory abnormal myelopoiesis of the monoblastic form in a newborn infant with Down's syndrome and liver cirrhosis].

A case of 5-day old newborn infant with trisomy 21, who presented a leucocytosis (151 000/ml) with 60% of monoblasts and marked hepatosplenomegaly is reported. Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) was retained. TAM regressed spontaneously. However the baby died at the age of 50 days. The autopsy showed extramedullary hematopoiesis with marked monocytosis and liver cirrhosis of neonatal hepatitic origin. The pathogenesis of TAM in this case was discussed.

Bone Marrow↗