Development of beat-by-beat blood pressure monitoring device and nocturnal sec-surge detection algorithm.

The nocturnal blood pressure (BP) surge in seconds (sec-surge) is defined as a brief, acute transient BP elevation over several tens of seconds, triggered by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sympathetic hyperactivity. Sec-surge imposes a significant strain on the cardiovascular system, potentially triggering cardiovascular events. Quantitative evaluation of sec-surge level could be valuable in assessing cardiovascular risks.

Nocturnal blood pressure surge in seconds is associated with arterial stiffness independently of conventional nocturnal blood pressure variability in suspected obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Nocturnal blood pressure (BP) surge in seconds (sec-surge), which is characterized as acute transient BP elevation over several tens of seconds is induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and OSA-related sympathetic hyperactivity. The authors assessed the relationship between sec-surge and arterial stiffness in 34 nocturnal hypertensive patients with suspected OSA (mean age 63.9 ± 12.

Nocturnal blood pressure surge in seconds is a new determinant of left ventricular mass index.

Nocturnal blood pressure (BP) surge in seconds (sec-surge), which is characterized as acute transient BP elevation over several tens of seconds, could be a predictor of target organ damage. However, it is not clear that the severity of sec-surge is different between sec-surges induced by sleep apnea (SA) (apnea/hypopnea detected by polysomnography (PSG) or oxygen desaturation) and those induced by non-SA factors (rapid eye movement, micro arousal, etc.), and sec-surge variables associate with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) independently of conventional BP variables.

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Behavior Problem Inventory-Short Form.

Background: The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form (BPI-S), which assesses behavior problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), is a shorter version of the BPI-01. This study investigated the reliability and validity of the BPI-S Japanese version (BPI-S-J) for adolescents/adults with ID and behavior problems.

Methods: The test-retest reliability included participants with ID and behavioral problems who were enrolled in welfare services.

Automatic detection algorithm for establishing standard to identify "surge blood pressure".

Blood pressure (BP) variability is one of the important risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). "Surge BP," which represents short-term BP variability, is defined as pathological exaggerated BP increase capable of triggering cardiovascular events. Surge BP is effectively evaluated by our new BP monitoring device.

Effects of measurement intervals on the values of repeated auscultatory blood pressure measurements.

: For repeated measurements of blood pressure (BP) using the auscultatory method, current guidelines recommend intervals of 1-2 minutes; however, evidence to support this recommendation is insufficient. In the present study, the effects of intervals among repeated BP measurements using the auscultatory method were evaluated.: Systolic and diastolic BPs were measured using the auscultatory method in 37 participants.

Estimating metabolic equivalents for activities in daily life using acceleration and heart rate in wearable devices.

Background: Herein, an algorithm that can be used in wearable health monitoring devices to estimate metabolic equivalents (METs) based on physical activity intensity data, particularly for certain activities in daily life that make MET estimation difficult.

Results: Energy expenditure data were obtained from 42 volunteers using indirect calorimetry, triaxial accelerations and heart rates. The proposed algorithm used the percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and the acceleration signal from the wearable device to divide the data into a middle-intensity group and a high-intensity group (HIG).

Polysomnography-derived sleep parameters as a determinant of nocturnal blood pressure profile in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea causes blood pressure (BP) surges during sleep, which may lead to increased sleep-onset cardiovascular events. The authors recently developed an oxygen-triggered nocturnal BP monitoring system that initiates BP measurements when oxygen desaturation (SpO ) falls below a variable threshold. The association between nocturnal BP parameters obtained by nocturnal BP monitoring and simultaneously examined polysomnography-derived sleep parameters in 116 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (mean age 57.

A longitudinal large-scale objective sleep data analysis revealed a seasonal sleep variation in the Japanese population.

In the contemporary era, when life habits are largely determined by social needs and individual preferences, sleep is nevertheless affected by seasonal environmental changes. Japan has large seasonal and geographical alterations of photoperiod and climate. Japan does not adopt the daylight saving time (DST) system, making it a suitable country for the study of seasonal variations in natural human sleep.

Seasonal variation in home blood pressure: findings from nationwide web-based monitoring in Japan.

Objectives: Our aim was to assess seasonal variation in home blood pressure (BP) among free-living nationwide participants using home BP values accumulated from a web-based healthcare platform established in Japan.

Settings: An observational study. OMRON Healthcare Co.

Effectiveness of a Self-monitoring Device for Urinary Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio on Dietary Improvement in Free-Living Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Reducing the urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio is important for reducing both blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. Among free-living Japanese individuals, we carried out a randomized trial to clarify the effect of lifestyle modification for lowering urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio using a self-monitoring device.

Methods: This was an open, prospective, parallel randomized, controlled trial.

Validation of a new snoring detection device based on a hysteresis extraction algorithm.

Objective: This paper aims to introduce and validate our newly developed snoring detection device to automatically identify the incidence and amplitude of snores using the hysteresis extraction method.

Methods: Thirty patients (16 males and 14 females) with a history of snoring were included in this study. Each patient underwent a conventional polysomnography (PSG).

Novel Triggered Nocturnal Blood Pressure Monitoring for Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Distribution and Reproducibility of Hypoxia-Triggered Nocturnal Blood Pressure Measurements.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes blood pressure (BP) surges during sleep, which may lead to increased sleep-onset cardiovascular events. The authors recently developed a triggered nocturnal BP monitoring system that initiates BP measurements when oxygen desaturation falls below a variable threshold. The distribution and reproducibility of hypoxia-triggered nocturnal BP parameters compared with those of fixed-interval nocturnal BP parameters for two consecutive nights in 147 OSA patients (mean age 59.

Normally Off ECG SoC With Non-Volatile MCU and Noise Tolerant Heartbeat Detector.

This paper describes an electrocardiograph (ECG) monitoring SoC using a non-volatile MCU (NVMCU) and a noise-tolerant instantaneous heartbeat detector. The novelty of this work is the combination of the non-volatile MCU for normally off computing and a noise-tolerant-QRS (heartbeat) detector to achieve both low-power and noise tolerance. To minimize the stand-by current of MCU, a non-volatile flip-flop and a 6T-4C NVRAM are used.

A Wearable Healthcare System With a 13.7 μA Noise Tolerant ECG Processor.

To prevent lifestyle diseases, wearable bio-signal monitoring systems for daily life monitoring have attracted attention. Wearable systems have strict size and weight constraints, which impose significant limitations of the battery capacity and the signal-to-noise ratio of bio-signals. This report describes an electrocardiograph (ECG) processor for use with a wearable healthcare system.

Six random specimens of daytime casual urine on different days are sufficient to estimate daily sodium/potassium ratio in comparison to 7-day 24-h urine collections.

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal number and type of casual (spot) urine specimens required to estimate an individual's urinary sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratio. A total of 48 participants, 25 men and 23 women, aged between 25 and 59 years, was recruited from healthy volunteers. The Na/K ratio in each casual urine and 7-day 24-h urine sample was measured.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation and an ottoman-type seat effectively improve popliteal venous flow in a sitting position.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the sitting posture on the lower limb venous flow and to explore the beneficial effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and an ottoman-type seat on the venous flow. Healthy adult volunteers without a history of lower limb surgery or thromboembolism were recruited, and the flow velocity, cross-sectional area, and flow volume of the popliteal vein were measured using Doppler ultrasound. A posture change from the prone position to the sitting position on the ottoman-type seat decreased the flow velocity and increased the cross-sectional area of the popliteal vein, and the flow volume was not altered over 120 min.