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Parameters for noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of cardiovascular disease. We developed a new method to measure blood pressure (BP) noninvasively without cuff. In Korean traditional medicine, the degree of the pulse depth is one of the important criteria to diagnosis. We combined this concept with pulse wave analysis. With clinical data obtained from 163 subjects, we selected APm (applied pressure which has a maximum value of pulse wave), elasticity of wrist tissue, depth of blood vessel, cardiac output and h1 as parameters to estimate blood pressure. And with the parameters, we induced multi regression equation of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP). And the probabilities of these parameters to explain SBP, DBP, and MAP were 89.5%, 91.1% and 94.6%, respectively. To estimate PP, we added h1 to the parameters to explain PP was 97.5%. We compared the estimated SBP, DBP, MAP and PP through the multiple regression equations to the actual measured SBP, DBP, MAP and PP through the wrist type BP meter. Differences were (+/- SD) 0.38 +/- 9.95, -1.0 +/- 8.2, 0.02 +/- 6.9 and 0.05 +/- 5.9mmHg for SBP, DBP, MAP and PP, respectively. According to the American National Standard for Electronic or Automated Sphygmomanometers, the mean difference (MD) should be +/- 5mmHg or less with a standard deviation (SD) of +/- 8mmHg or less. Hence, the results of MAP and PP were within the limits for the AAMI SP 10 criteria and the results of SBP and DBP were not within the limits for the AAMI SP 10 criteria. The preliminary results indicate the results are quite reliable and promising.

Background: Non-erosive reflux disorder, which represents more than 60% of gastro-esophageal reflux disorders, lacks objective parameters for diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between non-erosive minimal lesions at the lower esophagus and gastro-esophageal reflux disorder., Methods: Patients were asked to answer a symptom questionnaire. The endoscopic findings were either graded by LA classification or recorded as non-erosive minimal lesions. Patients with minimal lesions were treated with rabeprazole or a placebo and responses were evaluated at weeks 1 and 4., Results: In 8 centers, 3454 patients were screened. In patients with heartburn or acid regurgitation as the most bothersome symptom, 23.7% had endoscopy negative reflux disorder, 40.1% showed minimal lesions, and 36.20% had mucosal break esophagitis. Thirty-four percent of patients with minimal lesions and 39.1% of patients with LA 'grade A' mild esophagitis reported typical reflux symptoms as their main symptom. In patients with minimal lesions, medication with rabeprazole reduced symptoms significantly at weeks 1 and 4, but not with the placebo., Conclusion: Patients with non-erosive minimal esophageal lesions had similar reflux symptoms comparable to those with mild erosive reflux esophagitis, and reflux symptoms were improved with a short-term proton pump inhibitor. Thus, non-erosive minimal esophageal lesion constitutes a great part of gastro-esophageal reflux disorder.