A Case Report on Central Post-stroke Pain in Medullary Infarction Treated with BackJun-pill

Objective: This study addressed a case of central post-stroke pain described as right arm painful with coldness and left lateral medullary infarction.Methods: A patient, 71 years old female with medullary infarction, was treated with a Korean herbal medication (BackJun-pill). The improvement of symptoms was evaluated using the Numeral Rating Scale and reports of coldness and pain in the affected areas. We also measured the body temperature difference between the left and right arms using digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI).Results: After six weeks of treatment with Korean medicine, the patient’s pain and sensation of coldness decreased.Conclusions: This clinical case study suggests that BackJun-pill may be effective for alleviating pain and coldness due to central post-stroke pain.

Thermally Sprayed Coating-Based Heating Systems for Boundary Layer Transition Detection — An Experimental Approach

Boundary layers on surfaces will change from laminar to turbulent flow after a critical length. Due to the differing heat transfer coefficients of laminar and turbulent flow, the point of transition can be detected by heating the surface and measuring surface temperature by thermographic imaging. Locating the transition point is crucial for the aerodynamic optimization of components. In this study, fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) were chosen as the test substrate. Experiments were conducted using the flame spray process and NiCrAlY coatings. Multilayered coatings consisting of an aluminum bond coat, a layer of alumina as electrical insulation, and a heating layer of titania were fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying. Free-flight tests were conducted with a functionalized winglet in order to assess the ability of thermally-sprayed heating elements to detect the location of transition of the flow regime. The results showed that the thermally-sprayed elements heat surfaces uniformly, with sufficient radiation losses for thermographic imaging. It was also shown that the change in temperature at the point of transition was readily observable using thermography.

Infrared Thermography as a Method of Verification in Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is characterized by the episodic whitening of the fingers upon exposure to cold. A recently described thermographic algorithm was proposed as a diagnostic replacement of the currently applied finger systolic pressure (FSP) test. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the thermographic algorithm when applied in patients suspected of having RP. Forty-three patients were examined using thermographic imaging after local cooling of the hands in water of 10 °C for 1 min. The thermographic algorithm was applied to predict the probability of RP. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated with different cut-off levels. A new algorithm was proposed based on patients from the target population. The performance of the tested algorithm was noninferior to the FSP test, when a cut-off level of 0.05 was applied, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 69% and 58%, respectively. The accuracy was 66%. The FSP test had a sensitivity and specificity of 77% and 37%, respectively, and the accuracy was 59%. The thermographic method proved useful for detecting RP and was able to replace the FSP test as a diagnostic test. The alternative algorithm revealed that other thermographic variables were more predictive of the target population, but this should be verified in future patients.

Characteristic Features of Infrared Thermographic Imaging in Primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is characterized by the episodic whitening of the fingers upon exposure to cold. Verification of the condition is crucial in vibration-exposed patients. The current verification method is outdated, but thermographic imaging seems promising as a diagnostic replacement. By investigating patients diagnosed with RP, the study aimed at developing a simple thermographic procedure that could be applied to future patients where verification of the diagnosis is needed. Twenty-two patients with primary RP and 58 healthy controls were examined using thermographic imaging after local cooling of the hands for 1 min in water of 10°C. A logistic regression model was fitted with the temperature curve characteristics to convey a predicted probability of having RP. The characteristics time to end temperature and baseline temperature were the most appropriate predictors of RP among those examined (p = 0.004 and p = 0.04, respectively). The area under the curve was 0.91. The cut-off level 0.46 yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 86%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 69% and 93%, respectively. This newly developed thermographic method was able to distinguish between patients with RP and healthy controls and was easy to operate. Thus, the method showed great promise as a method for verification of RP in future patients. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03094910.

Screening of febrile cows using a small handheld infrared thermography device

Objective As dairy herds increase in size, close monitoring of health becomes a necessity, but this is expensive and labour-intensive. Early detection of febrile diseases is essential for economical and welfare reasons and to prevent the spread of disease. The goal of this study was therefore to evaluate a mobile, non-invasive technique for measuring the body temperature of cows that precludes the need for restraint of the animals. Materials and methods An infrared thermographic imaging camera installed on a smart phone was used to measure the surface temperature of cows. In experiment 1, a metal block heated to defined temperatures was used to obtain infrared thermographic measurements (THM). The accuracy of THM made at different distances from the block and at 2 different ambient temperatures was determined. In experiment 2, non-febrile cows underwent infrared thermographic imaging, and the body regions with the highest correlations between thermographic and rectal temperature were identified. In experiment 3, THM were made in febrile and neighbouring non-febrile cows. Results In experiment 1, the thermographic and true temperatures of the block had the strongest relationships at 0.5 and 1.0 m (r = 0.98). The ambient temperature had a significant effect on the THM, which had larger variations and greater deviations from the block temperature at 14.8 °C than at 23.8 °C. In experiment 2, the maximum temperature at the eye (r = 0.37), THM at the muzzle (r = 0.28) and the medial canthus (r = 0.27) showed the strongest relationships with the rectal temperature. After correcting the THM with the mean difference between thermographic and rectal temperatures of the non-febrile cows, sensitivities of 88, 90 and 82 %, respectively, were calculated for THM at the muzzle, eye and medial canthus in febrile cows in experiment 3. The corresponding specificities were 6, 23 and 32 %. Conclusion and clinical relevance Based on the low specificities of the infrared THM, the thermographic imaging camera has limited usefulness for the mass screening of dairy cows for febrile conditions. Cattle falsely identified as febrile need to be separated, caught and re-examined, which causes unnecessary stress to the animal and increases labour input.