• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제57권6호
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• pp.587-593
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• 2019

Excavation (2008-2014) carried out under the Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy) led to the discovery of 75 individuals, mostly buried in multiple graves. Based on Roman minted coins, the graves were preliminarily dated between the second half of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE. Taphonomy showed that this was an emergency burial site associated with a catastrophic event, possibly an epidemic of unknown etiology with high mortality rates. In this perspective, paleoparasitological investigations were performed on 18 individuals exhumed from 9 multiple graves to assess the burden of gastrointestinal parasitism. Five out of eighteen individuals (27.7%) tested positive for ascarid-type remains; these are considered as "decorticated" Ascaris eggs, which have lost their outer mammillated coat. Roundworms (genus Ascaris) commonly infest human populations under dire sanitary conditions. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that Florentia suffered a period of economic crisis between the end of 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE, and that the aqueduct was severely damaged at the beginning of the 4th century CE, possibly during the siege of the Goths (406 CE). It is more than plausible that the epidemic, possibly coupled with the disruption of the aqueduct, deeply affected the living conditions of these individuals. A 27.7% frequency suggests that ascariasis was widespread in this population. This investigation exemplifies how paleoparasitological information can be retrieved from the analysis of sediments sampled in cemeteries, thus allowing a better assessment of the varying frequency of parasitic infections among ancient populations.

• 임상간호연구
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.251-264
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the factors related to quality of life in heart transplant recipients. Methods: To identify studies that suggested the factors related to the quality of life in heart transplant recipients, we searched the articles published from 1974 to November 2018 using Six databases, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane, KMBASE and RISS. A total of 22 studies were selected out of 5,234 for the systematic review and meta-analysis on the basis of the PRISMA flow. The quality of study was assessed by assessment tool form the NIH and meta-analysis was performed using the 'R 3.5.2' version to analyze the correlated effect sizes. Results: Factors related to quality of life in heart transplant recipients were categorized into six domains based on the health-related quality of life model introduced by Ferrans: individual, environmental, biological function, symptoms, functional status, and general health perception. In the meta-analysis, 34 factors were used and 17 factors having significant effect sizes were as follows: self-efficacy, demoralization, perceived control, current occupational status, age, marital status, health promotion life style in the individual characteristics; stress in environmental characteristics; physical function status, creatinine level, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in biological function; anxiety, depression, symptom frequency and distress in symptoms domain; coping, self-care compliance in functional status. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the multi-dimensional factors influencing the quality of life in heart transplant recipients and provide the evidence for developing effective interventions for improving the quality of life of recipients.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.19-35
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review which acupoints and meridians are selected to treat visceral pain in articles published in international journals and to investigate quality of reporting acupuncture intervention according to the STRICTA guidelines. Methods : Electrical and hand search were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library for acupuncture studies on visceral pain in human and animals. Reporting quality of intervention was evaluated using the revised STRICTA guidelines. Results : We included 51 articles (7 clinical studies and 44 animal studies) in this study. The most frequently adopted meridians and acupoints were Stomach meridian, Spleen meridian, Conception Vessel meridian, and ST36, CV4, SP6, LI4, PC6, SP9, ST25, ST37 in clinical studies. In animal studies, Stomach meridian, Conception Vessel meridian, Pericardium meridian and ST36, ST37, CV12, PC6 were most frequently used. Animal studies showed significantly lower quality of reporting compared to clinical studies. According to the analysis on the effect of year of publication of articles, announcement of STRICTA guidelines did not improve the quality of reporting for studies on visceral pain. Conclusions : These results suggest that both proximal and distal acupoints based on meridian theory were used to study the underlying mechanisms of visceral pain both in human and animal studies. Guidelines of acupuncture intervention reporting for animal study is necessary to improve the quality of evidence, and it will also allow us the integrative understanding of the mechanisms and clinical effects of acupuncture treatment in human and animal.

• Hip & pelvis
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.260-268
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was performed to assess the clinical and radiological outcomes following one-stage hip reconstruction, consisting of open reduction femoral shortening and pelvic osteotomy, for neglected developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH). Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 77 hips in 65 patients (46 females and 19 males; 12 had bilateral dislocations), operated at a Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital in Pakistan between 2013 and 2015. The average age at surgery was $11.02{\pm}3.43$ years. According to the Tonnis classification, there were 10, 14, 22, and 31 patients in grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The pelvic procedure utilized in this study was triple osteotomy (47 hips) followed by double and Salter osteotomy (18 and 12 hips, respectively). Postoperative evaluations were conducted using the modified MacKay's scoring system (functional outcomes) and Severin's scoring method (radiological assessment). Results: Postoperatively, there were 38 (49.4%), 19 (24.7%), 14 (18.2%), and 6 (7.8%) hips in Severin grade I, II, III and IV, respectively. According to the modified McKay criteria, there were 22 hips (28.6%) in excellent condition, 44 (57.1%) in good condition, 9 (11.7%) in fair condition and 2 (2.6%) in poor condition. Both patients with poor outcomes had an unstable, painful hip with evidence of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Conclusion: Based on the results presented here, we recommend the single stage procedure of open reduction, femoral shortening and pelvic osteotomy for treatment of DDH in older children with good to excellent functional and radiological outcomes.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.60-75
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• 2019

The primary aim of this systematic review was to assess the evidence on periodontal disease progression after treatment in patients receiving supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) and to identify predictors of clinical attachment level (CAL) loss. A protocol was developed to answer the following focused question: In adult patients treated for periodontitis, what is the disease progression in terms of CAL loss after surgical or non-surgical treatment? Randomized controlled clinical trials, prospective cohort studies, and longitudinal observational human studies with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up after surgical or non-surgical treatment that reported CAL and probing depth changes were selected. Seventeen publications reporting data from 14 investigations were included. Data from 964 patients with a follow-up range of 5-15 years was evaluated. When the CAL at the latest follow-up was compared to the CAL after active periodontal therapy, 10 of the included studies reported an overall mean CAL loss of ${\leq}0.5mm$, 3 studies reported a mean CAL loss of 0.5-1 mm, and 4 studies reported a mean CAL loss of >1 mm. Based on 7 publications, the percentage of sites showing a CAL loss of ${\geq}2mm$ varied from 3% to 20%, and a high percentage of sites with CAL loss was associated with poor oral hygiene, smoking, and poor compliance with SPT. The outcomes after periodontal therapy remained stable over time. Disease progression occurred in a reduced number of sites and patients, mostly associated with poor oral hygiene, poor compliance with SPT, and smoking.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.131-150
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the domestic study trends on Korean medicine treatment of Sanhupung. Methods: Case studies applying Korean medicine treatment on Sanhupung were searched through 5 domestic journal databases. General characteristics, interventions, outcomes, and results of the selected studies were analyzed. Also, the quality of the case studies was reviewed based on the CAse REport (CARE) guideline and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist. Results: 11 studies (16 cases) were found to be analyzed according to their general characteristics, symptoms, interventions, treatment period, outcome, and results. The most common complaint of Sanhupung patients was pain, and the most applied intervention for Sanhupung was herbal medicine and acupuncture. The duration of treatment ranged from 9 days to 4 months. All case studies reported that the Korean medicine treatment was effective in treating Sanhupung. According to the quality assessment, 'Timeline of case', 'Diagnostic challenges', 'Intervention adherence and tolerability', 'Adverse and unanticipated events', and 'Informed consent' were showed low reporting rates. Conclusions: Further clinical studies are needed to establish the evidence for Korean medicine treatment for Sanhupung.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권9호
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• pp.273-285
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• 2021

This study estimates the financial value of return on investment (ROI) of research funds. Four simulation estimations are employed to measure ROI finance value that considers the outputs, outcomes, impacts and total ROI from the allocation input received. Research outputs, outcomes, and impacts can be quantitatively measured based on improvements to existing systems. In terms of input, the Malaysian government has allocated MYR301,350,000 for fundamental research in the 2021 budget compared with 2019, up 9.5 percent from 2019. It brings up the question: To what extent does the input of research funds allocated by the government yield a good return in outputs, outcomes, and impacts to the academic community, society, and country? The result of total ROI shows around MYR7 return is generated by researchers for each Malaysian ringgit channeled by the funder. More specifically, for a research project, it is more difficult to produce impacts and outcomes compared to research outputs. The positive return is evidence that all the allocated funds are beneficial to the stakeholders. The government can apply this approach in calculating ROI for evaluation and fund allocation to universities. Furthermore, the positive financial value of research output, outcome, and impact automatically contribute to a positive innovation environment in Malaysia.

• 대한물리치료과학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.11-29
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• 2021

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of virtual reality on gait, balance, and upper extremity functions compared to other independent variables or no variables. Additionally, the possibility of virtual reality for stroke patients was discussed. Design: Meta-analysis. Methods: The search for this study was a search term that combined stroke, virtual reality, and training, and the electronic search was conducted through EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library. As a result of the search, 21 studies satisfying the selection criteria of the target study were confirmed as the final analysis target. This study consisted of 21 randomized experimental studies and 21 randomized controlled trials, and the total number of participants was 642. [Experimental group (n=314), control group (n=328); total 642]. As a result of the study, upper extremity function was assessed using a box and block test, a modified Ashworth scale, and a scale including range of motion. The balance was evaluated by the berg balance scale. Gait was a Timed Up and Go test (TUG), stride length, and gait function. Scales including a walking rate scale were evaluated. The effect size for the intervention of the analytical study was meta-analyzed with the RevMan 5.3.3 program of the Cochrane library. Results: The results of the study showed that the function of walking was statistically significant. Balance showed statistically significant results. The upper extremity function showed no statistically significant results. Conclusion: Through this rehabilitation treatment by applying virtual reality environment to the rehabilitation of stroke patients in the future can be proposed as an effective intervention method for the balance and gait function of stroke patients.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.157-180
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• 2022

Objectives: To perform a systematic review of placenta pharmacopuncture for treating neuropsychiatric diseases, focusing on its efficacy and the safety so that evidence on its clinical use could be obtained, thus contributing to further studies. Methods: Through Korean, English, and Chinese databases (OASIS, Korean TK, KISS, RISS, ScienceON, Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, CNKI, and Wanfang), combinations of keywords (placenta, pharmacopuncture, etc.) were used to select clinical studies published until January 2021 about placenta pharmacopuncture for neuropsychiatric diseases. Interventions included combined treatments. Study design included cases studies, series, and clinical trials. Cohort studies, literature reviews, in vitro and animal experiments were excluded. The primary outcomes involved measurements of symptoms, Visual Analogue Scale, or questionnaires. Data extracted from databases were imported to Endnote X7 to remove duplicates. The quality of the literature was assessed based on CAse REports Guidelines and Cochrane's Risk of Bias (ROB). Results: Twenty-one studies were selected, including ten case reports, three case series, two one-armed clinical trials, one non-randomized clinical trial, and five randomized clinical trials. There were six studies on sleep disorders, five studies on stroke sequela, two on mood disorders, two on enuresis, two on Guillain-Barré syndrome, two on multiple sclerosis, one on neurocognitive disorder, and one on vertigo. The most frequent combined treatment was acupuncture in both the experimental group (n=10) and the control group (n=3). Acupoints were ST36, SP6, BL23, CV4, GB20, GV20, N-HN54, and so on. All studies reported improvement of symptoms. The quality of case studies was relatively high. Assessment of ROBs resulted in low risks. Conclusions: Placenta pharmacopuncture is effective for neuropsychiatric diseases such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, enuresis, and neurocognitive disorders. Regarding insomnia, several studies have reported significant improvements with placenta pharmacopuncture. There was no adverse event associated with placenta pharmacopuncture.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.255-262
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• 2022

In this study, by analyzing the examination time for each procedure, the appropriate workload of radiologic technologist is analyzed based on the actual examination time in the current clinical setting by comparing with the examination time in the radiology field setting of the health insurance review and assessment service. In addition, this result is introduced into the calculation of relate value units; it was attempted to provide accurate and objective evidence in the field of radiology. From May 2020 to December 2021, the study retrospectively investigated the examination times recorded in the electronic medical record and picture archiving and communication system at 5 tertiary general hospitals and 1 general hospital. The total of 16 examination parts are applied in this study, including the head, sinuses, chest, ribs, abdomen, pelvis, cervical, thoracic, lumbar, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, femur, knee, and ankle. The minimum number of images that could be obtained per radiation generator was 3.6 images for one hour, and the maximum was 6.4 images. When 50% median of procedure time is calculated, the minimum number of images that could be obtained was 16.7 images and maximum was 35.3 images; in addition, minimum examination time is 1.7 minutes, and maximum time is 3.6 minutes. In conclusion, it is judged that there will be insufficient explanation time for basic infection instructions such as hand hygiene during the examinations in current clinical practice. It is believed that radiologic technologists will contribute to providing higher-quality of radiation examination services to the public by complying with guidelines for work and setting appropriate workload on their own.