Association between the Monthly Visit Behavior and CPAP Adherence in OSAS Patients.

Objective Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) causes multiple breathing interruptions during sleep and increases mortality if left untreated. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy improves the prognosis of OSAS; however, patient adherence is often poor. This study investigated the relationship between monthly hospital visits and CPAP adherence to CPAP therapy in patients with OSAS.

Quantification of caffeine in coffee cans using electrochemical measurements, machine learning, and boron-doped diamond electrodes.

Electrochemical measurements, which exhibit high accuracy and sensitivity under low contamination, controlled electrolyte concentration, and pH conditions, have been used in determining various compounds. The electrochemical quantification capability decreases with an increase in the complexity of the measurement object. Therefore, solvent pretreatment and electrolyte addition are crucial in performing electrochemical measurements of specific compounds directly from beverages owing to the poor measurement quality caused by unspecified noise signals from foreign substances and unstable electrolyte concentrations.

Surface EMG Pattern Recognition Using Long Short-Term Memory Combined with Multilayer Perceptron.

Motion classification based on pattern recognition of surface EMG (sEMG) signals is a promising approach for prosthetic control. We present a pattern recognition model that combines long short-term memory (LSTM) network with multiplayer perceptron (MLP) for sEMG signals feature learning and classification. The LSTM network captures temporal dependencies of the sEMG signals while the MLP has no inherent temporal dynamics but focuses on the static characteristics.

[A Case of Juvenile Cerebral Infarction due to Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome].

A 19-year-old woman had a thunderclap headache, followed by left hemiparesis and left homonymous hemianopsia. Laboratory tests showed no signs of infection and immunological test results were unremarkable. MRI revealed a cerebral infarction in the right posterior cerebral artery territory, and digital subtraction angiography(DSA)showed right posterior cerebral artery stenosis on day 2.

Imbalance in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica: association with deep sensation disturbance.

Abnormality in balance is one of the most important causes of gait disturbance which has a direct impact to disability and medical cost in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO). However, characteristics of imbalance in these two diseases have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree and features of imbalance using stabilography, the degree of deep sensation disturbance using tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), and their association with clinical impairment, in patients with MS and NMO.

[Acute Subdural Hematoma in Snowboarders:A Multivariate Analysis of 79 Cases].

Snowboarding-related head injuries have become less common as the number of snowboarders has decreased;however, severe head injuries, such as acute subdural hematomas, occur every snowboarding season. We investigated the characteristics of cases of snowboarding-related acute subdural hematoma treated at our hospital. A total of 3,632 patients with snowboarding-related head injuries seen at our hospital between the 1995/96 and 2012/13 snowboarding seasons were enrolled in this study.

[Multiple and simultaneous intracranical hemorrhages with homocysteinemia].

A decreased intake of brightly colored vegetables results in increased levels of serum homocysteine, and homocysteinemia is associated with the progression of arteriosclerosis. Moreover, homocysteinemia is a known risk factor for cerebral infarction. Here, we report three cases wherein multiple simultaneous intracranial hemorrhages developed in the presence of homocysteinemia.

Note: practical monitoring system using characteristic impedance measurement during plasma processing.

A method for characteristic impedance monitoring (CIM) is developed for anomaly detection during plasma processing. Advantages of the method include high-sensitivity and real-time monitoring, as well as structural simplicity to install the measurement system in the mass production equipment. To obtain real-time monitoring without time delay, our CIM system consists of a directional coupler and a newly developed vector processing system instead of the conventional high voltage and current probes.

Prediction of the muscle strength by the muscle thickness and hardness using ultrasound muscle hardness meter.

Purposes: The present study investigated whether a combination of the thickness and hardness of muscles without muscle tension can be used to estimate muscle strength during knee extension in adult males and females.

Methods: Seventy-two males and thirty-three females, whose ages ranged from 18 to 35 years, participated in this study. We measured muscle thickness and hardness in the right anterior region of the thigh (rectus femoris muscle and vastus intermedius muscle) without muscle tension using an ultrasound muscle hardness meter, and the maximal voluntary isometric contraction of right knee extension (MVIC).

Differences in clinical characteristics of head injuries to snowboarders by skill level.

Background: Many reports have compared head injuries between snowboarding and skiing. However, detailed studies comparing snowboarding head injuries between beginners and intermediates/experts have been lacking.

Purpose: The authors investigated differences in clinical characteristics of head injuries to snowboarders between beginners (group B) and intermediates/experts (group IE).

A simple and useful coma scale for patients with neurologic emergencies: the Emergency Coma Scale.

Objectives: The Emergency Coma Scale (ECS) was developed in Japan in 2003. We planned a multicenter study to evaluate the utility of the ECS by comparison of the ECS and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).

Methods: Ten medical facilities, including 4 university hospitals in Japan, participated in this study.

Direct visualization of ultrasonic power distribution using mechanoluminescent film.

In this research, a technique for measuring ultrasonic power with a mechanoluminescent (ML) sensing film was developed. A linear relationship was observed between the ultrasonic power and the ML intensity induced by ultrasonic vibration, indicating that ultrasonic power can be evaluated by measuring ML intensity. In addition, the ultrasonic power distribution on the surface of a transducer was visualized by recording ML images with a charge-coupled device camera.

Development of a flexible system for measuring muscle area using ultrasonography.

Muscular strength can be estimated by quantification of muscle area. For this purpose, we developed a flexible measuring system for muscle area using ultrasonography. This method is completely safe and is particularly suitable for elderly people because the subjects are not required to perform any muscular contraction during measurement.

[Cerebral infarction suspected due to dissection of intracranial carotid artery in 2 children].

Intracranial cerebral artery dissection in children is very rare. We report 2 children who were diagnosed as having cerebral infarction which was suspected to be due to dissection of intracranial cerebral artery. Case 1: An 11-year-old girl presented with conscious disturbance and hemiparesis after seizure.

Calibration of cross-sectional images measured by an ultrasound-based muscle evaluation system.

The quantification of muscle volume can be used to estimate muscular strength. Therefore, we developed a flexible measuring system for muscle volume using ultrasonog-raphy. In the measuring process, subjects are not required to perform any muscular contraction, so it is completely safe and particularly suitable for elderly people.

Automated discrimination method for measuring the thickness of muscular and subcutaneous fat layers based on tissue elasticity.

The balance between human body composition, e.g. bones, muscles, and fat, is a major and basic indicator of personal health.

Development of an ultrasound system for measuring tissue strain of lymphedema.

This paper develops a portable measurement system for tissue strain distribution using ultrasonic pulse echo method. A single element ultrasonic transducer attached to a force sensor compresses biological tissue and observes the deformation process of the tissue. The center frequency of the ultrasound pulse is 3 MHz.

Giant plexiform neurofibroma and suboccipital meningocele manifesting as segmental neurofibromatosis.

A 34-year-old woman presented with segmental neurofibromatosis manifesting as a soft lump with a large café-au-lait macule on her occipital region and neck. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a thick skin tumor in the occipital region and posterior neck, and a suboccipital meningocele which seemed to have no association with her symptoms. Biopsy lead to a histological diagnosis of giant plexiform neurofibroma.

[Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis with positive findings on head MRI--case report].

We report a case of Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis (BBE) with positive findings on head MRI. Abnormal lesions on head MRI were detected in approximately 30% cases of BBE. An 81-year-old female presented with disturbance of consciousness (Japan Coma Scale 200), ophthalmoplegia (downward deviation) and tetraplegia.

A recurrent log-linearized Gaussian mixture network.

Context in time series is one of the most useful and interesting characteristics for machine learning. In some cases, the dynamic characteristic would be the only basis for achieving a possible classification. A novel neural network, which is named "a recurrent log-linearized Gaussian mixture network (R-LLGMN)," is proposed in this paper for classification of time series.

Recurrent intracranial solitary fibrous tumor initially diagnosed as hemangiopericytoma.

We describe a case of an intracranial solitary fibrous tumor that recurred three times consecutively in an 11-year period. A 72-year-old man presented with a headache and gait disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a dumbbell tumor at the left tentorium.

Characteristics of helmet or knit cap use in head injury of snowboarders.

The rate of head injury is 1.86-6 times higher for snowboarding than for skiing. Detailed data about the usefulness of a helmet or knit cap for protecting against serious head injuries have not been reported.

A cross-sectional ultrasound imaging for measuring body composition.

We have developed a measuring system to visualize a complete cross-sectional image of the human extremity using ultrasonography. This system uses several ultrasound probes, and these probes measure fragmentary graphical images of one cross-sectional plane which are then transformed into a complete cross-sectional image. The developed system is superior to other imaging devices in many respects because it is portable, safe, and inexpensive.

Impedance estimation of soft tissue using ultrasound signal.

This paper proposes a new impedance estimation method for soft tissue using ultrasound. This method estimates the impedance distribution inside an object. An ultrasound probe, which is attached to a force sensor, compresses soft tissue and observes the deformation process of tissue while measuring reaction force.

A portable measuring system for cross-sectional ultrasound images using spatial compounding and edge sharpening.

This paper proposes a compensation for a blurred image caused by misregistration in spatial compounding. The edge sharpening based on morphological operations is applied to the compounded image. A portable measuring system of a cross-sectional ultrasound image is designed for measuring body composition.