Examining the Validity of Fitbit Charge HR \u3csup\u3eTM\u3c/sup\u3e for Measuring Heart Rate in Free-Living Conditions

Optical blood flow sensors (i.e. photoplethysmographic techniques) have recently been utilized in wearable activity trackers. The Fitbit Charge HRTM (FBHR) is one of the widely recognized wearable activity trackers that utilizes Fitbit’s proprietary PurePulse optical heart rate (HR) technology to automatically measure wrist-based HR. Despite its increasing popularity, however, no study to date has addressed the validity of FBHR for measuring HR in free-living conditions. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of FBHR for measuring HR using a chest strap Polar HR monitor (PHR) as a reference measure in free-living conditions. METHODS: Ten healthy college students (8 males; mean age = 26.5 ±5.4 years; mean body mass index (BMI) = 24.5 ±3.23 kg·m2) participated in the study. The participants were asked to perform normal daily activities for 8 hours in a day while wearing the PHR (model RS400) on their chest and two FBHRs on their dominant and non-dominant wrists, respectively. HR was recorded every minute and the minute-by-minute HR data from each monitor were synchronized by time of day. Pearson correlation was used to examine the linearity of average beats-per-minute (bpm) estimated from FBHRs with respect to the PHR. Mean differences in average bpm between the monitors were examined by a general linear model for repeated measures. Lastly, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of minute-by-minute bpm estimated from the FBHRs were calculated against the PHR. RESULTS: Average HRs (mean ±SD) for PHR, FBHR non-dominant, and FBHR dominant were 75.6 ±18.5 bpm, 72.8 ±16.7 bpm, and 73.9 ±17.06 bpm, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) between the PHR and FBHR non-dominant and dominant were r=.805 and r=.793, respectively. MAPE were 9.17 ±10.9% for FBHR non-dominant and 9.71 ± 12.4% for FBHR HR dominant. ANOVA and post-hoc analyses with Bonferroni revealed significant differences in estimating HR from FBHR non-dominant wrist (p=.001) and FBHR dominant wrist (p=.001) compared to PHR monitor. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the wrist-oriented Fitbit Charge HRTM device does not provide an accurate measurement of HR during free-living condition in this study. However, further research is needed to validate these monitors with a larger sample with different population groups. Optical blood flow sensors (i.e. photoplethysmographic techniques) have recently been utilized in wearable activitytrackers. The Fitbit Charge HRTM (FBHR) is one of the widely recognized wearable activity trackers that utilizesFitbit’sproprietary PurePulse optical heart rate (HR) technology to automatically measure wrist-based HR. Despiteits increasing popularity, however, no study to date has addressed the validity of FBHR for measuring HR in free-living conditions. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of FBHR for measuring HRusing a chest strap Polar HR monitor (PHR) as a reference measure in free-living conditions. METHODS: Tenhealthy college students (8 males; mean age = 26.5 ±5.4 years; mean body mass index (BMI) = 24.5 ±3.23kg·m2) participated in the study. The participants were asked to perform normal daily activities for 8 hours in a daywhile wearing the PHR (model RS400) on their chest and two FBHRs on their dominant and non-dominant wrists,respectively. HR was recorded every minute and the minute-by-minute HR data from each monitor weresynchronized by time of day. Pearson correlation was used to examine the linearity of average beats-per-minute(bpm) estimated from FBHRs with respect to the PHR. Mean differences in average bpm between the monitorswere examined by a general linear model for repeated measures. Lastly, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE)of minute-by-minute bpm estimated from the FBHRs were calculated against the PHR. RESULTS: Average HRs(mean ±SD) for PHR, FBHR non-dominant, and FBHR dominant were 75.6 ±18.5 bpm, 72.8 ±16.7 bpm, and73.9 ±17.06 bpm, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) between the PHR and FBHR non-dominantand dominant were r=.805 and r=.793, respectively. MAPE were 9.17 ±10.9% for FBHR non-dominant and 9.71 ±12.4% for FBHR HR dominant. ANOVA and post-hoc analyses with Bonferroni revealed significant differences inestimating HR from FBHR non-dominant wrist (p=.001) and FBHR dominant wrist (p=.001) compared to PHRmonitor. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the wrist-oriented Fitbit Charge HRTM device does not providean accurate measurement of HR during free-living condition in this study. However, further research is needed tovalidate these monitors with a larger sample with different population groups

Reliability of DEXA on Body Composition in Korean Athletes

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of DEXA for measuring body composition in Korean Athletes. METHODS: Twenty-nine athletes (n=29) registered for the college athlete program voluntarily participated in the study. Participants’ height and weight were measured, and BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated before the participants’ body composition was measured. Muscle mass (kg), lean mass (kg), bone mineral density (BMC) (g·cm-2), and total fat mass (kg) of each participant was assessed by DEXA lunar DPX-L (GE Lunar, Madison, USA) for four times within a day to examine the difference by time frames. Four trials consist of ‘early in the morning × 2 with fasting’ with 30min break between two trials, ‘after lunch × 2’ with 30 min break between the two trials. Intra-class correlation (ICC) was conducted for overall reliability (p\u3c0.05) and a repeated measure ANOVA was performed to compare the difference of each trial (p\u3c0.05). RESULTS: The mean ± SD of muscle mass, lean mass, BMC, and fat mass was 56.4 ± 4.6kg, 59.4 ± 5.0kg, 2.3 ± 0.4g·cm-2, and 9.3 ± 4.8kg respectively. Each trail (mean ± SD) of muscle mass were 56.4 ± 4.7kg, 56.1 ± 4.8kg, 56.5 ± 4.6kg, and 56.4 ± 4.7kg, respectively, lean mass were 59.4 ± 5.1kg, 59.2 ± 5.1kg, 59.5 ± 5.0kg, and 59.4 ± 5.0kg, respectively, BMC were 3.0 ± 0.4g·cm-2, 3.0 ± 0.4g·cm-2, 3.0 ± 0.4g·cm- 2, and 3.0 ± 0.4g·cm-2, respectively, and fat mass were 9.3 ± 4.9kg, 9.2 ± 4.8kg, 9.3 ± 4.9kg, and 9.3 ± 4.9kg, respectively. Reliability of the ICC test showed strong agreement on muscle mass (r=0. 994 and p\u3c0.0001), lean mass (r=0. 995 and p\u3c0.0001), BMC (r=0. 995 and p\u3c0.0001), and fat mass (r=0. 998 and p\u3c0.0001). Cronbach’s alpha were 0.99 (muscle mass), 0.99 (Lean Mass), 0.99 (BMC), and 1.00 (Fat mass). No significant difference between each trial was observed in fat mass (p\u3e0.36). However, there was a significant difference in muscle mass (p\u3c0.001), lean mass (p\u3c0.001), and BMC (p\u3c0.04). CONCLUSION: Although all of the variables showed strong agreement on overall reliability from the ICC test, the reliability for the muscle mass, lean mass, and BMC showed significant differences in different time frame

Male-Specific W4P/R Mutation in the Pre-S1 Region of Hepatitis B Virus, Increasing the Risk of Progression of Liver Diseases in Chronic Patients

The issue of hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutations possibly leading to a gender disparity in the progression of liver diseases has not been explored. We aimed to elucidate the relationships of the novel pre-S1 mutations, W4P/R, with the progression of liver diseases and male predominance in a South Korean chronic cohort by use of a molecular epidemiologic study. We developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of the W4P/R mutations and applied it to 292 chronic HBV patients. The pre-S1 mutations from 247 (84.6%) of a total of 292 patients were detected by this assay. W4P/R mutants were found to be significantly related to severe liver diseases (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] and liver cirrhosis, 12.4% [19/153] of patients, versus chronic hepatitis and asymptomatic carriage, 1.1% [1/94] of patients) (P<0.001). All of the W4P/R mutants were found in males only. The novel HBV pre-S1 mutations, W4P/R, may be associated with disease severity in male patients chronically infected with HBV genotype C. The W4P/R mutations may provide in part an explanation for the relatively high ratio of male to female incidence in HCC generation in South Korean chronic HBV patients.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2013-01/102/0000006653/6SEQ:6PERF_CD:SNU2013-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000006653ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077651DEPT_CD:806CITE_RATE:4.068FILENAME:male-specific w4p_r mutation in the pre-s1.pdfDEPT_NM:의과학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM:

A New Steroidal Saponin from the Tubers of Ophiopogon japonicus and Its Protective Effect Against Cisplatin-Induced Renal Cell Toxicity

A new furostanol saponin, ophiopogonin T, was isolated from the tubers of Ophiopogon japonicus. Its structure was established by extensive spectroscopic techniques including 1D ( 1 H and 13 C) and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments (correlation spectroscopy (COSY), heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY)), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS), and chemical methods. Using cell-based assays, this compound was evaluated for its cytotoxic effect on cancer cell lines and its protective effect against anticancer drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in porcine kidney (LLC-PK1) cells was significantly reduced upon treatment with ophiopogonin T, without affecting human hepatoma (HepG2) cancer cell proliferation or tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These results collectively reflect the beneficial effect of ophiopogonin T on the side effects of cisplatin

Optical and microstructural studies of atomically flat ultrathin In-rich InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells

Optical and microstructural properties of atomically flat ultrathin In-rich (UTIR) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well were investigated by means of photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved PL (TRPL), and cathodoluminescence (CL) experiments. The sample exhibits efficient trapping of the photoexcited carriers into quantum wells (QWs) and the effect of internal electric field in the QWs was found negligible by excitation power-dependent PL and TRPL. These phenomena were attributed to the nature of UTIR InGaN QWs, indicating the potential of this system for application in optoelectronic devices. Variation of TRPL lifetime across the PL band and spatially resolved monochromatic CL mapping images strongly suggest that there is micrometer-scale inhomogeneity in effective band gap in UTIR InGaN/GaN QWs, which is originated from two types of localized areas.open141

Coinfection of Viral Agents in Korean Children with Acute Watery Diarrhea

Currently, there are a few reports on viral coinfection that causes an acute watery diarrhea in Korean children. So, to evaluate the features of coinfectious viral agents in children with acute watery diarrhea, we enrolled 155 children with acute watery diarrhea from July 2005 to June 2006. Fecal samples were collected and evaluated for various viral infections such as rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus and astrovirus. The mean (±standard deviation) age of the children was 2.71±2.37 yr. The detection rate of viral agents was most common in children between the ages of 1 and 3 yr. Rotavirus was detected in 63 children (41.3%), norovirus in 56 (36.2%), adenovirus in 11 (7.1%), and astrovirus in 1 (0.6%). Regarding rotavirus, there were 38 (60.3%) cases with monoinfection and 25 (39.7%) with coinfection. For norovirus, there were 33 (58.9%) cases with monoinfection and 23 (41.1%) with coinfection. Coinfection with rotavirus and norovirus was most common, and occurred in 20/155 cases (12.9%) including coinfection with adenovirus. So, rotavirus and norovirus were the most common coinfectious viral agents in our study population with acute watery diarrhea

Developmental endothelial locus-1 as a potential biomarker for the incidence of acute exacerbation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Despite the high disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and risk of acute COPD exacerbation, few COPD biomarkers are available. As developmental endothelial locus-1 (DEL-1) has been proposed to possess beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory effects, we hypothesized that DEL-1 could be a blood biomarker for COPD. Objective To elucidate the role of plasma DEL-1 as a biomarker of COPD in terms of pathogenesis and for predicting acute exacerbation. Methods Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or saline was intratracheally administered to wild-type (WT) and DEL-1 knockout (KO) C57BL/6 mice. Subsequently, lung sections were obtained to quantify the degree of emphysema using the mean linear intercept (MLI). Additionally, plasma DEL-1 levels were compared between COPD and non-COPD participants recruited in ongoing prospective cohorts. Using negative binomial regression analysis, the association between the plasma DEL-1 level and subsequent acute exacerbation risk was evaluated in patients with COPD. Results In the in vivo study, DEL-1 KO induced emphysema (KO saline vs. WT saline; P = 0.003) and augmented CSE-induced emphysema (KO CSE vs. WT CSE; P < 0.001) in 29 mice. Among 537 participants, patients with COPD presented plasma log (DEL-1) levels lower than non-COPD participants (P = 0.04), especially non-COPD never smokers (P = 0.019). During 1.2 ± 0.3 years, patients with COPD in the lowest quartile of Log(DEL-1) demonstrated an increased risk of subsequent acute exacerbation, compared with those in the highest quartile of Log(DEL-1) (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 3.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–12.9). Conclusion Low DEL-1 levels are associated with COPD development and increased risk of subsequent COPD acute exacerbation. DEL-1 can be a useful biomarker in patients with COPD.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2019R1C1C1007918). This research was also supported by funds (2016ER670100, 2016ER670101, 2016ER670102 and 2018ER670100, 2018ER670101, 2018ER670102) from Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

GNPS - guided discovery of Madurastatin siderophores from the termite-associated actinomadura sp. RB99

In this study, we analyzed if Actinomadura sp. RB99 produces siderophores that that could be responsible for the antimicrobial activity observed in co-cultivation studies. Dereplication of high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) and global natural product social molecular networking platform (GNPS) analysis of fungus-bacterium cocultures resulted in the identification of five madurastatin derivatives (A1, A2, E1, F, and G1), of which were four new derivatives. Chemical structures were unambiguously confirmed by HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as MS/MS data and their absolute structures were elucidated based on Marfey’s analysis, DP4+ probability calculation and total synthesis. Structure analysis revealed that madurastatin E1 (2) contained a rare 4-imidazolidinone cyclic moiety and madurastatin A1 (5) was characterized as a Ga3+-complex. The function of madurastatins as siderophores was evaluated using the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans as model organism. Based on homology models, we identified the putative NRPS-based gene cluster region of the siderophores in Actinomadura sp. RB99.The National Research Foundation of Korea, the Postdoctoral Research Program of Sungkyunkwan University, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.https://www.wiley-vch.de/en/shop/journals/234am2023BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Risk of acute exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with biomass smoke compared with tobacco smoke

Background Risk of exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with biomass smoke has not been well addressed, although biomass smoke is similar in composition to tobacco smoke. Methods To investigate whether the risk of exacerbations in COPD associated with biomass smoke differs from that in COPD associated with tobacco smoke, we recruited patients with COPD from two Korean multicenter prospective cohorts. In a multiple linear regression model, the standardized regression coefficient (β) of biomass smoke exposure ≥25 years was most similar to that (β′) of tobacco smoke exposure ≥10 pack-years (β = − 0.13 and β′ = − 0.14). We grouped patients with COPD into four categories based on the above cut-offs: Less Tobacco-Less Biomass, Less Tobacco-More Biomass, More Tobacco-Less Biomass, and More Tobacco-More Biomass. The main outcome was the incidence of moderate or severe exacerbations. Results Among 1033 patients with COPD, 107 were included in Less Tobacco-Less Biomass (mean age: 67 years, men: 67%), 40 in Less Tobacco-More Biomass (mean age: 70 years, men: 35%), 631 in More Tobacco-Less Biomass (mean age: 68 years, men: 98%), and 255 in More Tobacco-More Biomass (mean age: 69 years, men: 97%). The incidence rates of exacerbations were not significantly different between Less Tobacco-More Biomass and More Tobacco-Less Biomass (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.56–1.89; P = 0.921). No interaction between sex and tobacco and biomass smoke was observed. When propensity score matching with available covariates including age and sex was applied, a similar result was observed. Conclusions Patients with COPD associated with biomass smoke and those with COPD associated with tobacco smoke had a similar risk of exacerbations. This suggests that patients with COPD associated with biomass smoke should be treated actively.None declared