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Aerial ozone concentration during the operation of an atmospheric pressure pencil-type plasma jet, a proto type for biomedical applications, is measured as a function of the distance from the jet nozzle. Ozone concentration is below time weighted average (TWA) allowable concentration of 0.08 ppm for inert gases of (He, Ne, and Ar)-jets in the plasma current of less than 10 mA. However, air–plasma jet of a current 20–40 mA, operated with a higher voltage, generates a higher ozone concentration in the air, which exceeds the TWA limitation. Ozone concentration decreases exponentially; proportional to the distance from the area of discharge cavity, where we presume the ozone concentration to be the order of $10^{2}$ ppm. The solutions of the diffusion equation confirm that the concentration diminishes to below 1 ppm at 20 cm away from the growth area of $10^{2}$ ppm without considering the destruction of ozone during diffusion in the air.

The current–voltage characteristics of atmospheric pressure plasma jets with various working gases (He, Ne, Ar, N2, and air) are investigated. Systems of the plasma jets are composed of a syringe needle inserted into a glass tube and are operated by a sinusoidal high-voltage through a dc–ac inverter generating several tens of kilohertz. The various electrode structures with or without the ground electrode are analyzed by using an equivalent circuit model. For the biomedical applications concerning the discharge stability and the electric safety with a low plasma-current and a low voltage operation, the suitable structures of plasma jets for each gas are suggested. For the plasma jets of inert gases (He, Ne, and Ar), the discharge triggered by an external ground electrode seems to be suitable, because the low current of a plasma plume is adjusted readily with a low voltage of 1–2 kV. For the jets of N2 and air, the nozzle of a metal ground electrode at the end of a glass tube is suggested to reduce the operation voltage below 3 kV and to acquire a low plume-current of a few milliamperes exiting the metal nozzle.

Ozone concentration in the air is about 0.01∼0.03 ppm. A perceivable concentration of ozone odor for the human nose is higher than 0.03∼0.05 ppm. Therefore ozone can be easily noticeable at a low concentration so that there will not be reported the ozone poisoning accident by a long exposure to human. However, ozone has disadvantages over a toxicity to induce a chronic addiction to ozone at the level of 1∼2 ppm for 2 hrs. Ozone level of 5∼10 ppm could cause acute addictions such as respiratory distress, heart beat increase, and whole body paralysis.

Background: Moxibustion is an Asian healing method that is able to achieve specific warming effects at acupoints. We discuss a new Japanese needle-moxa-system. Objective: To evaluate the effects of this new system in a transcontinental study using high-tech measuring methods. Design, Setting, and Participants: The study was conducted in 3 centers (Graz, Austria; Beijing, China; and Seoul, Korea). Beside basic technical temperature measurements in Seoul, 9 investigations were carried out in 6 healthy volunteers (3 women, 3 men; mean [SD] age, 27.2 [5.7] years) using different methods (thermography, laser Doppler flowmetry, laser Doppler imaging, and heart rate variability). Four persons were examined in Graz, 2 in Beijing. Intervention: Moxibustion was always applied at acupoint CV 6 (Qihai). In addition, biosignal registrations were carried out in Graz during painless laser acupuncture of acupoint CV 12 (Zhongwan). Main Outcome Measures: Changes in temperature, microcirculation, and heart rate. R...

The signal characteristics of the biophotons from human hands were studied using correlation and δ-value analyses. Three healthy individuals without any history of disease participated in the measurements, six times every Friday for 52 weeks, while staying in a room with dim lighting to eliminate any delayed luminescence caused by the sun or room lights. Two head-on type photomultiplier tubes inside a dark room were used to simultaneously measure the biophoton emissions from the palm and dorsum of the left and right hand with a 100ms gate time. In view of the signal process, a cross-correlation of the long-term data, i.e. the weekly measurements, revealed a strong correlation between the signals from the left and right hand, yet only a very weak correlation between the palm and dorsum. The non-classical light property of the biophotons, that has a quantum coherence nature, was compared with that of the dark counts of the PMTs using a δ- value analysis. The average δ-value for the biophotons was 0.08±0.07. As such, it was found that the palm emissions were very coherent, while the dorsum emissions showed an occasional lack of coherence.

Delayed luminescence of plant leaves was imaged by a 2-D cooled charge-coupled device. We report the delayed luminescence imaging of normal/injured leaves picked ami the leaves intact. The luminescent intensity was lower in leaf veins, scars and edge cut. The intensity of delayed luminescence from intact leaves was higher than that of picked leaves. These results indirectly support the argument that the delayed luminescence of a photosynthetic system is closely related to the electron transfer process of PSII in the thylakoid membrane.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a parameter of the neurocontrol of the heart and is used more and more in recent scientific research and practice, not only in Western medicine, but also in evidence-based traditional medicine. Today innovative research including the latest recording technology and also artificial intelligence techniques are used for data acquisition and data analysis of HRV in acupuncture and herbal medicine research. The scope of HRV is not yet completely clear, but it is known that there are intraindividual and interindividual variances and that heart rate variation depends on age. It becomes less random with the aging process and the appearance of age-related diseases. Apart from age, circadian variations (sleep-wake cycle), physical condition, and mental and physical exertion are important influencing factors. HRV can also be affected by diverse conditions such as age-related diseases and so-called lifestyle diseases like diabetic neuropathy, renal failure, essential hypertension, cardiac disorders, coronary artery disease, or intracranial lesions. In all cases, different medications have to be taken into account. HRV can be used as a globally reliable indicator of the state of health. However, it could be demonstrated in this special issue that in special syndromes like stress or burnout one can counteract this process using different preventive methods like acupuncture. This special issue focuses on the latest innovative aspects concerning HRV and complementary medicine. Altogether, 25 manuscripts underwent a review process. Sixteen articles were accepted for publication. Some of the papers report results of HRV in combination with different kinds of acupuncture (manual needle acupuncture, laser acupuncture, and electroacupuncture). Important topics of this special issue are basic and clinical HRV research in complementary medicine, the development of innovative HRV-related concepts for assessing the state of health, new methods for the quantification of HRV, HRV and practical implications in traditional medicine, and telemedicine and HRV. This special issue contains basic research studies and clinical studies concerning menstrual pain and menstrual distress, burnout syndrome, depression, and insomnia, animal experimental studies in rats and dogs, and a review article.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), moxibustion is one of the main therapeutic tools by delivering heat to specific areas like meridian points. Heat stimulation by moxa cones are varied with their physical dimension such as mass, shape, density, and ingredients. Practically, it is not easy to control temperature or heat amount of moxibustion in clinical settings, which might cause inconsistency of moxibustion treatment. In this study, we measured temperature variation of moxa cones fabricated with two different moxa flosses while changing air flow. The results clearly showed the significant difference between them in terms of max temperature, duration, and the amount of heat generated. Radiation from a burning cone could have some therapeutic effects. Elemental and thermal analysis demonstrated the considerable difference in those components and heat generation. Our results suggest some guidelines for thermal stimuli on the meridian system or primo-vessels with moxibustion. Since the moxibustion has been used for heat stimuli, it could impact the behavior of primo-vessels and Bonghan corpuscle, which requires further study on thermal properties of those entities.

It has become increasingly important for evidence-based medicine to have a proper control for randomized-controlled trials. However, appropriately controlling manual therapies such as moxibustion has proved challenging. Our team designed a novel device based on sensory illusion, and tested its feasibility.A sham moxibustion device was constructed to allow participants to feel moxibustion treatment without actually stimulating the corresponding acupoint. The device consisted of two pieces of aluminum, each shaped like a horseshoe, so that the center of the device would not touch the skin. Participants perceived two heat stimuli as one when the distances of two heat sources were within 15 mm on the forearm. The thermal stimulation of the sham device was adjusted to the lowest possible temperature, but enough to elicit a heat sensation (39°C), while that of verum was set at around 44°C. The subject blinding, tested in 30 healthy volunteers, was successful. With the exception of 1 subject, subjects in the sham group described the sensation as a warm solid circle, unable to differentiate between two-pieced sham moxibustion and verum moxibustion.This preliminary study indicates that this device may serve as an appropriate control for clinical studies of moxibustion, but more research is clearly needed. A validated sham moxibustion device based on sensory illusion may contribute in expanding knowledge of somatosensory studies.

Objectives A non-penetrating sham needle has been considered as a reliable control treatment in the field of acupuncture research. However, some concerns with regard to the credibility of sham needles have also been raised. We investigated whether there were differences in biomechanical properties and acupuncture sensation ratings in the process of needling between verum acupuncture (VA) and sham acupuncture (SA). Methods To quantify biomechanical force during needling in a cross-over design, we used a computer-controlled needling system. Fourteen participants received VA or SA at acupuncture point LI4, with no visual impact. They were asked to complete an acupuncture sensation form, including penetration, acute pain and DeQi sensations, and to identify the needling type they received. Results We found that there was a significant difference in insertion force between VA and SA (68.5 ± 12.2 vs. 27.2 ± 3.9 gf; p < 0.001). Participants clearly distinguished between the two kinds of stimulation and rated higher sensory ratings in the VA session (penetration sensation: 4.9 ± 3.1 vs. 1.7 ± 2.3, acute pain: 4.9 ± 2.7 vs. 1.9 ± 2.6, respectively; p < 0.01). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that differential biomechanical forces such as insertion and pullout force contribute to the sensation of real and non-penetrating sham needles.

Warm needle acupuncture (WNA) therapy combines the effects of acupuncture and heat produced by moxibustion. This therapy has been widely used in Korean traditional medicine to treat a number of health problems. We evaluated the analgesic effect of WNA treatment on formalin-induced pain behavior and c-Fos expression in the spinal cord of rats. Acupuncture and heat stimulation by moxibustion were performed at the Pungsi (GB31) acupoint. Needle insertion without heat stimulation (ACU) and heat stimulation without needle insertion (SWNA) were used as negative controls. WNA therapy was executed by burning 1.5 g of cylinder-shaped moxa on top of the needle that was inserted at the acupoint. We measured temperatures of two different locations on the needle using an automatic temperature-acquisition system. Needle temperatures were overwhelmingly dependent on the distance from moxa while burning and showed a maximum of 44.9 degrees C at the location 7 mm apart from the ground after ignition. WNA treatment was more effective than ACU or SWNA in alleviating pain during the late phase in the rat formalin test. WNA, ACU, and SWNA significantly reduced c-Fos expression in the superficial dorsal horn by 23.5, 28.3 and 19.4%, respectively.

A large amount of evidence suggests that acupuncture stimulation enhances the experimental pain threshold in various animal models. Acupuncture analgesia is mediated by the endogenous opioid system, and the analgesic response to acupuncture shows individual variation. This study identified and characterized the genes that differ between high responders (HR) and low responders (LR) on acupuncture stimulation, using a cDNA microarray. Fifteen participants were stimulated at the LI 4 acupuncture point, and the finger withdrawal latency (FWL) test was performed to classify the HR and LR groups. Total RNA was then extracted from blood samples from each group and used as a template to synthesize cDNA. The cDNA was applied to Code Link UniSet Human 20K microarray chips. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) was also analyzed as a measure of psychological variation. The FWL was significantly elevated in the HR group after acupuncture stimulation, whereas there was little increase in the LR group. The ratio of HR to LR subjects was 9:6. We found that 353 and 22 genes were up- and downregulated, respectively, in the HR group. However, the SCL-90-R profiles did not differ significantly between the two groups. These results suggest that the individual variation in acupuncture analgesia, verified by measuring the FWL in the HR and LR groups, resulted from genetic inheritance rather than differences in the psychological environment.

Yearlong measurements of biophotons from palm and back of hand of three healthy people were performed. The detection of biophoton was done with two photomultiplier tubes whose spectral range was from 300 nm to 650 nm. The measurement was done on a circular area of diameter 46 mm whose centers were at the acupuncture point Laogong (PC8) of a palm and the mid-point of a back, respectively. The emission rates from the dorsa showed strong seasonal dependence which is consistent with the active nature of Yang meridians, while the palm sides show less seasonal dependence as they belong to the passive Yin meridians. This could be quantified simply by the standard deviations from the yearly average: They were 47.6 counts per second (cps), 66.1 cps and 66.0 cps from the dorsa, and 23.8 cps, 29.7 cps and 30.4 cps from the palms of subject 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Biophoton emission revealed qualitative individual tendencies: The subjects 1 and 2 emitted more strongly from the left dorsa, while the subject 3 from the right dorsum. The left-right balance of biophoton emission was well kept for normal people, which is in contrast with the severe imbalance for some stroke patients. Thus biophoton measurement has a diagnostic potential that encourages more studies.

Cell projection e-Beam lithography is one of the technology to increase the throughput capability, which is the demerit of conventional e-Beam lithography. In cell projection e-Beam lithography, Stencil mask fabrication is one of the most essential issue. Particularly, in fabricating stencil mask, both dry etching technique for forming aperture pattern and backside wet etching technique for forming silicon membrane are the most important technologies. With improvements in the techniques, Stencil mask that has low electric resistance compared with that made of SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) wafer and vertical cross sectional profile is fabricated by the use of a (100) oriented silicon wafer. In addition, A device pattern of 0.13 micrometer which is sufficient for fabricating a 1G DRAM was delineated on wafer using this stencil mask.