A Method of Generating Real-Time Natural Light Color Temperature Cycle for Circadian Lighting Service.

The light intensity and color temperature of natural light periodically change and promote the circadian entrainment of the human body. In addition, the color temperature cycle of natural light that is unique to each region is formed by its location and geographic and environmental factors, affecting the health of its residents. Research on lighting and construction to provide the color temperature of real-time natural light has continued to provide the beneficial effect of natural indoor lighting. However, lighting technology that provides the real-time color temperature of natural light could not be realized since it is challenging to select a color temperature cycle zone due to abrupt color temperature changes at sunrise and sunset. Such drastic shifts cause an irregular measurement of color temperature over time due to general weather or atmospheric conditions. In a previous study, a method of generating a color temperature cycle using deep learning was introduced, but the performance at the beginning and end of the color temperature cycle was unreliable. Therefore, this study proposes generating a real-time natural light color temperature cycle for the circadian lighting service. The characteristics of the daily color temperature cycle were analyzed based on the measured natural light characteristics database, and a data set for learning was established. To improve the color temperature cycle generation performance, a deep learning (TadGAN) model was implemented by searching for the lowest point of the color temperature at the start and end points of the color temperature cycle and applying the boot and ending datasets to these points. The color temperature cycle zone was accurately detected in real-time in the experiment, and the generation performance of the color temperature cycle was maintained at the beginning and end of the color temperature cycle. The mean absolute error decreased by about 67%, confirming the generation of a more accurate real-time color temperature cycle.

TadGAN-Based Daily Color Temperature Cycle Generation Corresponding to Irregular Changes of Natural Light.

This study to develop lighting is advanced for reproducing natural light color temperature beneficial to humans. Methods were introduced to provide daily color temperature cycles through formulas based on the measured natural light characteristics or real-time reproduction of natural light color temperature linking sensors. Analysis results for the measured natural light showed that irregular color temperature cycles were observed for more than 90% of the year due to the influence of regional weather and atmospheric conditions. Regular color temperature cycles were observed only on some clear days. The color temperature cycle dramatically affects the health of the occupants. However, since irregular color temperatures are difficult to predict and cannot easily generate cycles, only the color temperatures of some clear days are currently used, and the actual color temperature of natural light cannot be reproduced. There is little research on deriving real-time periodic characteristics and lighting services targeting irregular color temperatures of natural light. Therefore, this paper proposes a TadGAN (Time Series Anomaly Detection Using Generative Adversarial Networks)-based daily color temperature cycle generation method that responds to irregular changes in the natural light color temperature. A TadGAN model for generating the natural light color temperature cycle was built, and learning was performed based on the dataset extracted through the measured natural light characteristic Database. After that, the generator of TadGAN was repeatedly applied to generate a color temperature cycle close to the change of natural light. In the performance test of the proposed method, it was possible to generate periodic characteristics of the irregular natural light color temperature distribution.

Association between exercise habits and stroke, heart failure, and mortality in Korean patients with incident atrial fibrillation: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information about cardiovascular outcomes related to exercise habit change after a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the association between exercise habits after a new AF diagnosis and ischemic stroke, heart failure (HF), and all-cause death. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This is a nationwide population-based cohort study using data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service. A retrospective analysis was performed for 66,692 patients with newly diagnosed AF between 2010 and 2016 who underwent 2 serial health examinations within 2 years before and after their AF diagnosis. Individuals were divided into 4 categories according to performance of regular exercise, which was investigated by a self-reported questionnaire in each health examination, before and after their AF diagnosis: persistent non-exercisers (30.5%), new exercisers (17.8%), exercise dropouts (17.4%), and exercise maintainers (34.2%). The primary outcomes were incidence of ischemic stroke, HF, and all-cause death. Differences in baseline characteristics among groups were balanced considering demographics, comorbidities, medications, lifestyle behaviors, and income status. The risks of the outcomes were computed by weighted Cox proportional hazards models with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) during a mean follow-up of 3.4 ± 2.0 years. The new exerciser and exercise maintainer groups were associated with a lower risk of HF compared to the persistent non-exerciser group: the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CIs) were 0.95 (0.90-0.99) and 0.92 (0.88-0.96), respectively (p < 0.001). Also, performing exercise any time before or after AF diagnosis was associated with a lower risk of mortality compared to persistent non-exercising: the HR (95% CI) was 0.82 (0.73-0.91) for new exercisers, 0.83 (0.74-0.93) for exercise dropouts, and 0.61 (0.55-0.67) for exercise maintainers (p < 0.001). For ischemic stroke, the estimates of HRs were 10%-14% lower in patients of the exercise groups, yet differences were statistically insignificant (p = 0.057). Energy expenditure of 1,000-1,499 MET-min/wk (regular moderate exercise 170-240 min/wk) was consistently associated with a lower risk of each outcome based on a subgroup analysis of the new exerciser group. Study limitations include recall bias introduced due to the nature of the self-reported questionnaire and restricted external generalizability to other ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Initiating or continuing regular exercise after AF diagnosis was associated with lower risks of HF and mortality. The promotion of exercise might reduce the future risk of adverse outcomes in patients with AF.

A DNN-Based UVI Calculation Method Using Representative Color Information of Sun Object Images.

As outdoor activities are necessary for maintaining our health, research interest in environmental conditions such as the weather, atmosphere, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation is increasing. In particular, UV radiation, which can benefit or harm the human body depending on the degree of exposure, is recognized as an essential environmental factor that needs to be identified. However, unlike the weather and atmospheric conditions, which can be identified to some extent by the naked eye, UV radiation corresponds to wavelength bands that humans cannot recognize; hence, the intensity of UV radiation cannot be measured. Recently, although devices and sensors that can measure UV radiation have been launched, it is very difficult for ordinary users to acquire ambient UV radiation information directly because of the cost and inconvenience caused by operating separate devices. Herein, a deep neural network (DNN)-based ultraviolet index (UVI) calculation method is proposed using representative color information of sun object images. First, Mask-region-based convolutional neural networks (R-CNN) are applied to sky images to extract sun object regions and then detect the representative color of the sun object regions. Then, a deep learning model is constructed to calculate the UVI by inputting RGB color values, which are representative colors detected later along with the altitude angle and azimuth of the sun at that time. After selecting each day of spring and autumn, the performance of the proposed method was tested, and it was confirmed that accurate UVI could be calculated within a range of mean absolute error of 0.3.

Mobile Deep Learning System That Calculates UVI Using Illuminance Value of User's Location.

Ultraviolet rays are closely related with human health and, recently, optimum exposure to the UV rays has been recommended, with growing importance being placed on correct UV information. However, many countries provide UV information services at a local level, which makes it impossible for individuals to acquire user-based, accurate UV information unless individuals operate UV measurement devices with expertise on the relevant field for interpretation of the measurement results. There is a limit in measuring ultraviolet rays' information by the users at their respective locations. Research about how to utilize mobile devices such as smartphones to overcome such limitation is also lacking. This paper proposes a mobile deep learning system that calculates UVI based on the illuminance values at the user's location obtained with mobile devices' help. The proposed method analyzed the correlation between illuminance and UVI based on the natural light DB collected through the actual measurements, and the deep learning model's data set was extracted. After the selection of the input variables to calculate the correct UVI, the deep learning model based on the TensorFlow set with the optimum number of layers and number of nodes was designed and implemented, and learning was executed via the data set. After the data set was converted to the mobile deep learning model to operate under the mobile environment, the converted data were loaded on the mobile device. The proposed method enabled providing UV information at the user's location through a mobile device on which the illuminance sensors were loaded even in the environment without UVI measuring equipment. The comparison of the experiment results with the reference device (spectrometer) proved that the proposed method could provide UV information with an accuracy of 90-95% in the summers, as well as in winters.

Method of Calculating Short-Wavelength-Ratio-Based Color Temperature Supporting the Measurement of Real-Time Natural Light Characteristics through RGB Sensor.

The characteristics of natural light are mostly collected through specialized measuring equipment, such as a spectroradiometer, and some suggested measurement methods through a small RGB sensor. However, specialized measuring equipment presents difficulty in its high cost, and the RGB-sensor-based method has the limitation of being unable to measure the wavelength characteristics of natural light that are needed to implement lighting that supports circadian rhythms. This paper presents a method for calculating the short-wavelength-ratio-based color temperature of natural light in real time. First, an analysis of the correlation between the characteristics of natural light collected through a spectroradiometer was performed to determine the factors that were needed to accurately measure the color temperature of natural light. Then, the short-wavelength ratio of natural light was calculated through chromaticity coordinates (x and y), which are output values of the RGB sensor, and an equation for calculating the color temperature of natural light was derived through the short-wavelength ratio. Furthermore, after producing an RGB-sensor-based device, the derived equation was applied to calculate the color temperature of real-time natural light that reflects the wavelength characteristics. Then, as a result of the performance evaluation of the proposed method, the color temperature of natural light was accurately calculated within 1% of the average error rate.

Development of a UV Index Sensor-Based Portable Measurement Device with the EUVB Ratio of Natural Light.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are electromagnetic waves that account for about 5% of solar light, and when overexposed, they pose malevolent effects on human skin and health. However, with recent reports on the beneficial effects of some wavelength bands of UV rays, people's interest in UV information has increased. This has resulted in requiring not just simple information, such as the amount of UV or UV index (UVI), but detailed UV information that directly affects health, such as EUVB (erythemally weighted UVB). However, calculating EUVB, which can be done by applying the erythemal weighted function on the intensity value in wavelength, requires specialized optical measurement devices, which cannot be easily accessed by the general public; furthermore, public institutions' UV information services do not offer EUVB information for individuals. Therefore, the present study proposes a UVI sensor-based portable measurement device, with which the general public can have easy access to UV-related information. The proposed device comprises a UVI sensor that can measure the intensity of erythemal UV radiation, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module that supports communication, and a micro controller unit (MCU) for key operations. In addition, it applies the ratio of EUVB by month/time, resulting from the actual analysis of natural light to calculate the EUVB and provides the amount of UVI and EUVB to check if they meet conditions required for outdoor activities through the device and smartphone applications. The applicability of the proposed device was verified by the measurement performance comparison test with the standard device, a spectrometer (CAS 140 CT), which showed an average error of 0.045 for UVI and 0.0014 W/m². The proposed device's offering of UV-related information such as UVI and EUVB to the user is expected to prevent potential damage due to exposure to UV and to support healthy outdoor activities.

Comparative effects of oxygenates-gasoline blended fuels on the exhaust emissions in gasoline-powered vehicles.

This study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of oxygenates such as ethanol (EA), methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), and ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) by fixing the oxygen contents as 0.82 wt% 1.65 wt%, and 2.74 wt% of the fuels on the regulated (CO, NMHC and NOx) and unregulated (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and BTEX) exhaust emissions in gasoline-powered vehicles. The most widely used type of vehicles (light-duty, medium-duty, heavy-duty) in Korea were tested on a chassis dynamometer under the CVS-75 Cycle. When EA, MTBE and ETBE percentage increased, the CO and NMHC concentration decreased. The NOx emission decreased at 1.65 wt% and 2.74 wt% oxygen content of MTBE and ETBE. The emissions of CO decreased by 0.363 g/km, 0.266 g/km and 0.356 g/km for light-duty vehicle when EA, MTBE and ETBE oxygenates blending ratio increased. Increased EA, MTBE and ETBE oxygenates blending ratio demonstrated no specific reducing effect on CO emissions from low-mileage vehicle, but NMHC emissions decreased by 0.011 g/km (medium-duty), 0.015 g/km (light-duty) and 0.018 g/km (heavy-duty). More CO was emitted from MTBE among three oxygenates at same oxygen content. The emitted concentrations of NMHC from three oxygenates at same oxygen content were almost similar, but reduced NOx emissions from EA (10%) to MTBE (20.4%) and ETBE (23.6%) were observed at 2.74 wt% oxygen content. Reducing effect on CO emissions was order of EA > ETBE > MTBE. Formaldehyde emissions increased up to 54.3% as MTBE ratio increased. When oxygen content of ETBE, EA, and MTBE increased from 0.82 wt% to 2.74 wt%, the acetaldehyde emissions increased up to 177.4%, 39.5% and 31.0%, respectively. There was significant formaldehyde concentration difference between high emission vehicle type (light-duty and medium-duty) and low emission vehicle type (heavy-duty and low-mileage) for three oxygenates. Reduction effect of MTBE and ETBE on BTEX was the order of toluene > benzene > ethylbenzene > xylene, and MTBE showed more reduction effect than ETBE at same oxygen content.

Intranasal delivery of Duox2 DNA using cationic polymer can prevent acute influenza A viral infection in vivo lung.

We studied the contribution of Duox2 in mucosal host defense against influenza A virus (IAV) infection in in vivo lung. We found that Duox2 was required for the induction of type I and III interferon (IFN)s and transient Duox2 overexpression using cationic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) leads to suppression of IAV infection in in vivo lung. Twenty mice (C57BL/6J) were anesthetized and challenged by intranasal administration of 213 pfu/30 µl of IAV (WS/33/H1N1), and IAV-infected mice were euthanized at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 days post infection (dpi). Duox2 small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and pCMV-Duox2 formulated with PEI were inoculated to mice to assess the regulatory mechanism between Duox2 and IFN secretion. Following intranasal IAV inoculation, viral infection was significantly aggravated from 3 dpi in in vivo lung and viral titer was highest at 7 dpi. Consistent with this, Duox2 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions were significantly induced from 3 dpi in the lung tissue of IAV-infected mice. Viral titer was much higher in IAV-infected mice that were inoculated with Duox2 shRNA accompanied with lower survival rate and extensive lung pathologies. Interestingly, severe lung pathologies in IAV-infected mice were not observed and viral titer was significantly reduced in mice with pulmonary administration of pCMV-Duox2 formulated with PEI before IAV inoculation. Both mRNA and secreted protein levels of IFN-ß and IFN-λ2/3 were highly elevated in IAV-infected mice with pCMV-Duox2 formulated with PEI. Duox2 is necessary for the regulation of IFN secretion in in vivo lung, and pulmonary administration of Duox2 DNA using cationic polymer triggers the induction of type I and III IFNs resulting in more complete suppression of IAV infection.

Evaluation of the success of obstructive sleep apnea surgery using criteria based on long-term symptoms and incident hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To identify appropriate success criteria, based on long-term symptoms and incident hypertension, after surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: This observational cohort study included 97 adult OSA patients (90 men) who underwent surgical treatment at our tertiary medical center. Subjective symptoms [witnessed sleep apnea and snoring, and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) scores] were evaluated through a telephone survey, and incident hypertension was assessed from medical records. The subjects were divided into success and failure groups according to seven different criteria, and data were analyzed to identify the criteria that could significantly differentiate the success from failure groups. RESULTS: The participants had a mean age of 48.8 ± 11.9 years and a mean preoperative body mass index of 26.5 ± 3.5 kg/m2. The mean preoperative and postoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) values were 36.1/h and 19.4/h, respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 77.0 ± 31.1 months. Postoperative witnessed apnea, snoring, and the ESS scores decreased significantly compared to preoperative scores in both the success and failure groups based on most of the seven criteria. Among the seven criteria, success and failure groups based on a postoperative AHI cutoff of 15 or 20/h differed significantly in witnessed apnea, snoring, or ESS scores. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis based on incident hypertension revealed that no criterion could significantly distinguish between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that some of the success criteria analyzed may be more useful in differentiating between success and failure groups after surgery, in terms of long-term improvement of subjective OSA-related symptoms.

Characterization of odorous gases at landfill site and in surrounding areas.

Concentration levels and seasonal variation of odorous gases at landfill site and in surrounding areas within the city of Incheon, South Korea were investigated. Sampling was conducted at 11 points (5 at landfill site and 6 in surrounding areas). The highest concentrations of odorous gases (complex odor, ammonia, acetaldehyde, and VOCs) at landfill site were found in summer, probably due to fast decomposition of waste in high temperature related with more release of ammonia. In addition, specific weather condition of dominant wind direction, humidity and higher atmospheric pressure with no or lower wind speed caused positive effect of higher aldehyde compounds and VOCs concentration. Similar to other studies, sludge-related sampling site S-2, where a couple of odor generating facilities including sludge mixing and drying treatment process are located, showed the highest concentration levels of odorous gases compared to other sites. Odor generation frequency was in the order of acetaldehyde (68.8%) > ammonia (39.4%) > propionaldehyde (21.9%), which means the main substances generating the unpleasant odor at landfill site was recognized as aldehydes and ammonia due to combined effect of sludge-related facilities and meteorological conditions. Offensive odor was not a big pollution issue in most surrounding areas which are located within a circle of 5 km radius of the landfill except high odor generation frequency of acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde. Relative percentage differences (RPD) of odorous gases between day and night times at landfill site were below 10%, which indicates that the concentration differences in day and night were not severe. The relationship between concentrations of complex odor and designated offensive odor substances was analyzed statistically. At landfill site, the analysis shows that the correlation coefficient between the concentration of complex odor and ammonia was quite high (0.833), but it was much lower (0.129) in the surrounding areas due to considerably lower concentrations of these substances.

Anatomy of the Platysma Muscle.

The aim of this paper was to review the anatomy the platysma systematically.The term "platysma AND anatomy" was used to search PubMed and Scopus, producing 394 and 214 papers, respectively. After excluding 95 duplicate titles, 513 abstracts and 98 full papers were reviewed. Among these 98 papers, 83 were excluded and 5 were added. Ultimately, 20 papers were analyzed.The most common aging-related change of the platysma was shortening (70.7%), followed by thinning (25.2%). The platysma most commonly originated from the upper portion of thorax anterior to clavicle (67.7%), followed by the subcutaneous tissue of the subclavicular and acromial regions (22.6%) and pectoralis (9.7%). The platysma ascended upward and medially (68.5%) or ascended from the clavicle to the face (31.5%). The platysma most commonly inserted on the cheek skin (57.5%), followed by the cutaneous muscles around the mouth (18.6%), the mandibulocutaneous ligament or zygoma (18.6%), and the parotid fascia or periosteum of the mandible (5.3%). The platysma was most commonly innervated by the cervical branch of the facial nerve (38.2%) or the cervical branch and mandibular branch of the facial nerve (60.5%), followed by the cervical plexus (0.6%), the cervical motor nucleus (0.6%), and the glossopharyngeal nerve (0.1%). The most common action of the platysma was drawing the lips inferiorly (83.3%) or posteriorly (12.9%). Four papers classified the platysma into subtypes; however, these classification strategies used arbitrary standards.Further studies will be necessary to establish the thickness of the platysma and to characterize age-related changes of the platysma.

Comparing the Performance of Indoor Localization Systems through the EvAAL Framework.

In recent years, indoor localization systems have been the object of significant research activity and of growing interest for their great expected social impact and their impressive business potential. Application areas include tracking and navigation, activity monitoring, personalized advertising, Active and Assisted Living (AAL), traceability, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, and Home-land Security. In spite of the numerous research advances and the great industrial interest, no canned solutions have yet been defined. The diversity and heterogeneity of applications, scenarios, sensor and user requirements, make it difficult to create uniform solutions. From that diverse reality, a main problem is derived that consists in the lack of a consensus both in terms of the metrics and the procedures used to measure the performance of the different indoor localization and navigation proposals. This paper introduces the general lines of the EvAAL benchmarking framework, which is aimed at a fair comparison of indoor positioning systems through a challenging competition under complex, realistic conditions. To evaluate the framework capabilities, we show how it was used in the 2016 Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) Competition. The 2016 IPIN competition considered three different scenario dimensions, with a variety of use cases: (1) pedestrian versus robotic navigation, (2) smartphones versus custom hardware usage and (3) real-time positioning versus off-line post-processing. A total of four competition tracks were evaluated under the same EvAAL benchmark framework in order to validate its potential to become a standard for evaluating indoor localization solutions. The experience gained during the competition and feedback from track organizers and competitors showed that the EvAAL framework is flexible enough to successfully fit the very different tracks and appears adequate to compare indoor positioning systems.

Acute fatal pericardial effusion induced by accidental ingestion of cigarette butts in a dog.

A dog was referred for collapse and tachypnea after ingesting cigarette butts. Thoracic radiography and echocardiography indicated pericardial effusion, and an electrocardiogram showed tachycardia, variable QRS complexes, and ventricular premature complexes. This is the first description of fatal pericardial effusion associated with cigarette butt ingestion in a veterinary patient.

Effusion péricardique aiguë mortelle induite par l'ingestion accidentelle de mégots de cigarette chez un chien. Un chien a été recommandé pour un collapsus et une tachypnée après l'ingestion de mégots de cigarette. Une radiographie thoracique et une échocardiographie ont indiqué une effusion péricardique et un électrocardiogramme a montré la tachycardie, des complexes QRS variables et des complexes ventriculaires prématurés. Il s'agit de la première description d'une effusion péricardique mortelle associée à l'ingestion de mégots de cigarettes chez un patient vétérinaire.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Corneal plaque containing levofloxacin in a dog.

A 13-year-old castrated male Yorkshire terrier developed a corneal ulcer 2 weeks after intracapsular lens extraction (ICLE) in the right eye. The corneal ulcer was treated with levofloxacin eye drops. A plaque with a white luster developed in the central cornea 2 weeks after treatment with levofloxacin eye drops. The corneal plaque was surgically removed under inhalant anesthesia. The corneal plaque displayed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. Furthermore, levofloxacin content in the plaque was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The corneal ulcer completely resolved 2 weeks after the surgical removal of the corneal lesion and replacement of levofloxacin eye drops with tobramycin eye drops. Although the topical use of levofloxacin is unlikely to lead to corneal chemical deposits due to the high water solubility of the drug compared to other topical fluoroquinolones, this patient developed corneal plaque of the antibiotic drop.

LED context lighting system in residential areas.

As issues of environment and energy draw keen interest around the globe due to such problems as global warming and the energy crisis, LED with high optical efficiency is brought to the fore as the next generation lighting. In addition, as the national income level gets higher and life expectancy is extended, interest in the enhancement of life quality is increasing. Accordingly, the trend of lightings is changing from mere adjustment of light intensity to system lighting in order to enhance the quality of one's life as well as reduce energy consumption. Thus, this study aims to design LED context lighting system that automatically recognizes the location and acts of a user in residential areas and creates an appropriate lighting environment. The proposed system designed in this study includes three types of processing: first, the creation of a lighting environment index suitable for the user's surroundings and lighting control scenarios and second, it measures and analyzes the optical characteristics that change depending on the dimming control of lighting and applies them to the index. Lastly, it adopts PIR, piezoelectric, and power sensor to grasp the location and acts of the user and create a lighting environment suitable for the current context.

Minimization of temperature ranges between the top and bottom of an air flow controlling device through hybrid control in a plant factory.

To maintain the production timing, productivity, and product quality of plant factories, it is necessary to keep the growth environment uniform. A vertical multistage type of plant factory involves different levels of growing trays, which results in the problem of difference in temperature among vertically different locations. To address it, it is necessary to install air flow devices such as air flow fan and cooling/heating device at the proper locations in order to facilitate air circulation in the facility as well as develop a controlling technology for efficient operation. Accordingly, this study compares the temperature and air distribution within the space of a vertical multistage closed-type plant factory by controlling cooling/heating devices and air flow fans harmoniously by means of the specially designed testbed. The experiment results indicate that in the hybrid control of cooling and heating devices and air flow fans, the difference in temperature decreased by as much as 78.9% compared to that when only cooling and heating devices were operated; the air distribution was improved by as much as 63.4%.

Immediate effects of a vibrating foam roller on dorsiflexion rom, balance, and gait in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of vibration foam rolling on dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), balance, and gait in stroke patients. Thirty stroke patients volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to the vibrating foam roller group (n=15) and the foam roller group (n=15). The vibrating foam roller group performed a 30-min foam roller exercise program, with participants subjected to vibration at 28 Hz. The foam roller group performed the same exercise program as the vibrating foam roller group, but without vibration. Dorsiflexion lunge test, limits of stability, and Timed Up and Go were used to evaluate dorsiflexion ROM, balance, and gait before and after each intervention. The results revealed that the vibration foam roller group showed significant differences in dorsiflexion ROM and gait after the intervention, while the foam roller group exhibited a significant difference only in dorsiflexion ROM (P<0.05). In comparisons between the vibration foam roller group and the foam roller group, significant differences were observed in dorsiflexion ROM and gait (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in balance, both before and after the intervention, as well as in the comparisons between the two groups (P>0.05). This study confirmed that a single-session vibrating foam roller exercise program improves dorsiflexion ROM and gait in stroke patients. Further studies with extended exercise program durations are needed to address limitations and explore long-term effects.

In Vivo Evaluation of 68Ga-Labeled NOTA-EGFRvIII Aptamer in EGFRvIII-Positive Glioblastoma Xenografted Model.

EGFRvIII is expressed only in tumor cells and strongly in glioblastoma and is considered a promising target in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Aptamers are synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to biochemical target molecules with high binding affinity and specificity. This study examined the potential of the 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer as a nuclear imaging probe for visualizing EGFRvIII-expressing glioblastoma by positron emission tomography (PET). EGFRvIII aptamer was selected using the SELEX technology, and flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy verified the high binding affinity to EGFRvIII positive U87MG vIII 4.12 glioma cells but not to EGFRvIII negative U87MG cells. The EGFRvIII aptamer was conjugated with a chelator (1,4,7-triazanonane-1,4,7-triyl)triacetic acid (NOTA) for 68Ga-labeling. The 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer was prepared using the preconcentration-based labeling method with a high radiolabeling yield at room temperature. Ex vivo biodistribution analyses confirmed the significantly higher tumor uptake of the 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer in EGFRvIII-expressing xenograft tumors than that in EGFRvIII negative tumors, confirming the specific tumor uptake of the 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer in vivo. PET imaging studies revealed a high retention rate of the 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer in U87MG vIII 4.12 tumors but only low uptake levels in U87-MG tumors, suggesting that the 68Ga-NOTA-EGFRvIII aptamer may be used as a PET imaging agent for EGFRvIII-expressing glioblastoma.

A Survey on the Use of Outcome Measures during Physical Therapy Interventions by Physical Therapists in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of patient care provided by Korean physical therapists (KPTs) in clinical practice by studying the outcome measures (OMs) used in physical therapy interventions among KPTs with experience in treating patients. A total of 225 KPTs with experience in treating patients in clinical settings participated in the study and completed the online questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about the use of OMs and the reasons for using them, as well as the types, benefits, and barriers of OMs. The participants' responses were analyzed and reported in terms of frequencies and percentages. A total of 220 questionnaires were analyzed. The results show that the majority of KPTs in clinical practice used OMs during interventions. The main reasons for using OMs were to check the patient's condition and to determine the direction and effectiveness of treatment. In terms of the types of OMs used, the highest percentage of subjects used both patient-reported OMs (PROMs) and performance-based OMs (PBOMs). They chose OMs that were quick and easy to use and used them voluntarily. Barriers to and reasons for not using OMs were similar, including lack of benefits, lack of time, and problems with patient performance and uncooperative behavior. When analyzing the effect of demographic characteristics on the use of OMs, we found that physical therapists specializing in musculoskeletal and neurological systems, physical therapists with longer treatment times, and physical therapists who valued OMs were more likely to use them. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that improvements in the work environment and healthcare system are needed to enhance the professionalism of KPTs working in the field of physical agent therapy by improving their awareness of Oms and improving the quality of physical therapy interventions.