A new method for continuous measurement of blood pressure (BP) via selecting characteristic parameters of pulse wave pertinent to BP is presented in this paper. In order to validate the precision of the measurement, we have developed a Tonometer. The results of the instrument based on this method are precise if the subjects are at rest. This instrument could be used for BP monitoring of critically ill patients and in common medical researches; it might be applied to BP monitoring during spaceflight and in daily life after movement artifact being restrained.
Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Manometry ; Pulse

The objective of this study was to evaluate and validate the accuracy of the Perkins handheld applanation tonometer for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in horses and cattle. Both eyes of 10 adult horses and cattle were evaluated in a postmortem study. The eyes from 10 clinically normal adult horses and cattle were also examined after bilateral auriculopalpebral nerve block and topical anesthesia for an in vivo study. IOP was measured postmortem using direct manometry (measured with an aneroid manometer) and tonometry (measured with a Perkins handheld applanation tonometer). The correlation coefficients (r2 ) for the data from the postmortem manometry and Perkins tonometer study were 0.866 for horses and 0.864 for cattle. In the in vivo study, IOP in horses was 25.1 +/- 2.9 mmHg (range 19.0~30.0 mmHg) as measured by manometry and 23.4 +/- 3.2 mmHg (range 18.6~28.4 mmHg) according to tonometry. In cattle, IOP was found to be 19.7 +/- 1.2 mmHg (range 18.0~22.0 mmHg) by manometry and 18.8 +/- 1.7 mmHg (range 15.9~20.8 mmHg) by tonometry. There was a strong correlation between the IOP values obtained by direct ocular manometry and the tonometer in both horses and cattle. Our results demonstrate that the Perkins handheld tonometer could be an additional tool for accurately measuring IOP in equine and bovine eyes.
Animals ; Cattle/*physiology ; Eye/*physiopathology ; Horses/*physiology ; Intraocular Pressure/*physiology ; Linear Models ; Manometry/instrumentation/veterinary ; Tonometry, Ocular/instrumentation/*veterinary

A newly-developed gastrointestinal (GI) monitoring system based on a smart capsule is presented in the paper. The unprecedented 130-200 hours battery life and smaller size (10 mm x 20 mm) allows the physician to get total pan-colonic measurements of high-amplitude propagating contractions (HAPCs). To test the in vivo performance of the monitoring system, 15 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with slow transportation constipation (STC) participate in this study. The average of HAPCs occurred in patients is significantly lower than in volunteers (12.4 +/- 3.3 vs. 18.5 +/- 3.7 p = 0.013). The system provides a useful tool for STC diagnosis and treatments of patients.
Adult ; Colon ; physiology ; Constipation ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Diagnostic Techniques, Digestive System ; instrumentation ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Manometry ; instrumentation ; Middle Aged

In order to investigate the efficiency of a new quantitative head-band formed ocular compressor to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular compression by this new reducer with 40 mmHg for 10 min was performed on 87 cataractous eyes of 78 cases. The changes of IOP (87 eyes) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were observed. There was a significant decrease of IOP and increase of ACD within 30 min after decompression (P < 0.001). The mean decrease of IOP was 5.62 +/- 2.41 mmHg and the mean increase of ACD was 0.18 +/- 0.09 mm within 5 min after decompression. The IOP 5 min after decompression had no significant difference with that 10 min after decompression (P > 0.05). IOP below 10 mmHg could last for about 15 min. This apparatus had been successfully applied to 80 eyes for extracapsular cataract extraction. It was suggested that this device had the advantages of safety, accurate quantification, reliable effect, casually adjusting pressure according to various demands and time-saving.
Cataract/*physiopathology ; *Cataract Extraction ; Compressive Strength ; Equipment Design ; *Intraocular Pressure ; Manometry/instrumentation ; Preoperative Care

Pan-colonic motility was studied under normal conditions with a novel capsule-style system. A single use telemetry capsule embedded with one pressure sensor was ingested by subjects. It is capable of transmitting colonic pressure wirelessly greater than 130 h. Time of capsule entering segmental colon was determined by ultrasonic detection for tracing the batteries in capsule. The ultrasonic electrodes were mounted on the surface of subjects' ileocecum, navel as well as the junction of left colon and rectosigmoid colon in sequence. They were identified by abdominal X-rays with radiopaque markers. The confirming X-rays showed all telemetry capsules were detected successfully when passing through the key points in colon. A total of 613 h of colorectal recording was obtained from 20 healthy subjects. When compared with the parameters in the time of waking, the number of contractions and the area under contractions were significantly (P<0.05) decreased during sleep (21 +/- 5 vs 15 +/- 4 h(-1); 463 +/- 54 vs 342 +/- 45 mmHg x s x min(-1)). The colonic motility exhibited significant regional variation in the circadian behavior, as well as in its response to waking and meal. The clinical study proved the reliability and non-invasiveness of the system. It may represent a useful tool for the study on physiology and pathology of colonic motor disorders.
Adult ; Capsules ; Colon ; physiology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Manometry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pressure ; Telemetry ; instrumentation ; Ultrasonics ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Important lesions related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are located around the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ). This study examined the distribution of endoscopic findings around the GEJ and elucidated their relationship to each other and esophageal manometric features. METHODS: Endoscopic data were collected prospectively from 2,450 consecutive diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopies. The presence and degree of hiatal hernia (HH), columnar-lined esophagus (CLE), and reflux esophagitis (RE) were recorded. Esophageal manometric data were collected from 181 patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of HH, CLE, and RE was 9.8, 18.8, and 9.9%, respectively. Of all HH and CLE cases, 62.8 and 98.9%, respectively, were of the short-segment variety. Of all RE cases, 95.0% were mild. Younger age, male gender, the presence of HH, and a higher gastroesophageal flap valve (GEFV) grades were associated with the presence of RE. Increased ZAP grades were associated with increased prevalence and grades of HH, CLE, and RE. Higher GEFV grades were associated with increased prevalence and grades of HH, CLE, and RE. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) decreased in patients with HH or RE compared to those without HH or RE. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic findings around the GEJ revealed that a substantial proportion of our patients showed features potentially related to GERD. In combination with other recent reports, our study implies that Korea is no longer a very-low-prevalence area of GERD, although it may predominate in silent or milder forms.
*Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower ; Esophagogastric Junction/*pathology ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux/epidemiology/*pathology ; Hernia, Hiatal ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Manometry/instrumentation ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies

In order to investigate the efficiency of a new quantitative head-band formed ocular compressor to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular compression by this new reducer with 40 mmHg for 10 min was performed on 87 cataractous eyes of 78 cases. The changes of IOP (87 eyes) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were observed. There was a significant decrease of IOP and increase of ACD within 30 min after decompression (P < 0.001). The mean decrease of IOP was 5.62 +/- 2.41 mmHg and the mean increase of ACD was 0.18 +/- 0.09 mm within 5 min after decompression. The IOP 5 min after decompression had no significant difference with that 10 min after decompression (P > 0.05). IOP below 10 mmHg could last for about 15 min. This apparatus had been successfully applied to 80 eyes for extracapsular cataract extraction. It was suggested that this device had the advantages of safety, accurate quantification, reliable effect, casually adjusting pressure according to various demands and time-saving.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cataract ; physiopathology ; Cataract Extraction ; Child ; Compressive Strength ; Equipment Design ; Female ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Male ; Manometry ; instrumentation ; Middle Aged ; Preoperative Care

Non-invasive manometry of esophageal varices is a cynosure of researchers. This paper develops a method based on computer vision. Experiments results reveal that correct pressure value can be got quickly.
Aged ; Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Automatic Data Processing ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Manometry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; Venous Pressure