Development of a visual information to auditory information transformation system for ambulation assistance.

Background: Assistant equipment for the visually impaired has a white cane. If the information in the three-dimensional space is transmitted by sound, the blind can draw a three-dimensional space.

Objective: This study developed "Visual System," an ambulation aid/guide for the blind that transforms visual-spatial information into auditory information, and verified its utility.

Enrichment and purification of marine polyphenol phlorotannins using macroporous adsorption resins.

Phlorotannins are one of the most important bioactive polyphenols; however, their purification using chromatographic methods has not been explored. Here, we studied purification of phlorotannins from the crude phlorotannin extract (CPhE) of the brown seaweed Ecklonia cava using macroporous adsorption resins. For purification of phlorotannins, four resins (HP-20, SP-850, XAD-7HP, and XAD-2) were screened.

Depressive effects on the central nervous system and underlying mechanism of the enzymatic extract and its phlorotannin-rich fraction from Ecklonia cava edible brown seaweed.

Marine plants have been reported to possess various pharmacological properties; however, there have been few reports on their neuropharmacological effects. Terrestrial plants have depressive effects on the central nervous system (CNS) because of their polyphenols which make them effective as anticonvulsants and sleep inducers. We investigated in this study the depressive effects of the polyphenol-rich brown seaweed, Ecklonia cava (EC), on CNS.

Isoliquiritigenin, a chalcone compound, is a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors and shows hypnotic effects.

Isoliquiritigenin (ILTG) is a chalcone compound and has valuable pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiallergic activities. Recently, the anxiolytic effect of ILTG has been reported; however, its action mechanism and hypnotic activity have not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, we investigated the hypnotic effect and action mechanism of ILTG.

Hypnotic effects and binding studies for GABA(A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors of traditional medicinal plants used in Asia for insomnia.

Aim Of The Study: Many medicinal plants have been used for treatment of insomnia in Asia. However, scientific evidence and precise mechanism for their sedative-hypnotic activity have not been fully investigated. Thus, we investigated the binding activity of the oriental plant extracts (mainly from Korea and Japan) to the well-known molecular targets for sleep regulation, GABA(A) and 5-HT(2C) receptors.

Evaluation of two mobile telemedicine systems in the emergency room.

Two different prototype mobile telemedicine systems were constructed for use in the emergency room. They could transmit physiological signals as well as video pictures and sound. One device, the mobile emergency bed (MEB), was powered by battery and had a wireless connection to the local-area network (LAN).