• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.86-93
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• 2024

Unintentional dispersal of organisms has explosively increased due to expansion of human activities. Among introduced organisms, some organisms are categorized as invasive species because of their effects on environmental risk, economic loss, and human health. In 2023, a leopard slug (Limax maximus) was reported in Suwon, Republic of Korea. This slug was designated as a potential invasive species because a wide range of plant species were identified as food sources for this slug in its original habitats. However, it is difficult to investigate the ecological risk of this newly introduced slug in Republic of Korea. Therefore, the potential ecological risk from this newly introduced slug was estimated by meta-genome analyses of its feces. Through meta-genome analyses, 22 Families, 28 Genera, and 26 Species of land plants were identified. Among these 26 identified plant species, six economically important crops - squash (Cucurbita maxima), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), potato (Solanum tuberosum), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), rice (Oryza sativa), and oriental melon (Cucumis melo) - were identified. Therefore, leopard slugs potentially could cause economic losses in Republic of Korea. Further study is required to build a control strategy against leopard slugs.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.112-123
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• 2019

Objective: Based on the results of previous studies, it is necessary to analyze gait and discuss and present the effects of aquatic exercise for chronic stroke. The purpose of this study was to present objective data on the effect of aquatic exercise on the gait of persons with stroke by performing a meta-analysis. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of 23 studies that investigated the effects of aquatic exercise performed between 2006 and 2017. The studies were searched on the basis of the participants, intervention, comparison, outcomes standard. The quality of the research method was assessed using a tool that can assess the risks posed by each study design. A meta-analysis software program was used to calculate the mean effect size, effect size by intervention, and effect size by outcome. We also performed a meta-regression analysis and an analysis of publication bias. Results: The mean effect size of the patients' gait was 0.65 (p<0.05). The largest effect size by outcome was observed at the 6-m walk test, followed by the 6-minutes walk test, 10-m walk test, and the walking equipment test (p<0.05). The meta-regression analysis showed that the effect size increased with increased duration, number, and length of sessions. Conclusions: Aquatic exercise appears to show a moderate effect on the gait of chronic stroke survivors. Meta-analyses on the effects of aquatic exercise in other patient populations are needed. This study suggests standard criteria establishments for the effect of aquatic exercise on the walking ability of persons with chronic stroke.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권9호
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• pp.4403-4407
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• 2012

Background: Glutathione-S-Transferase T1 (GSTT1) gene has been shown to be involved in the development of esophageal cancer. However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, the authors performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association between GSTT1 polymorphism and esophageal cancer risk among Chinese Han population. Methods: Published literature from PubMed, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data were searched. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Results: Eleven studies with a total of 2779 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that GSTT1 null genotype was significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk in Chinese (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.53, p = 0.001). Further sensitivity analyses confirmed the significant association. The cumulative meta-analysis showed a trend of an obvious association between GSTT1 null genotype and esophageal cancer risk as information accumulated by year. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests a significant association of GSTT1 null genotype with esophageal cancer risk in the Chinese Han population.

• 아동학회지
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• 제35권6호
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• pp.153-170
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effects of mother-adolescent communication time on the relationship between maternal meta-emotion philosophy, adolescent psychological adjustment and depression. The participants for this study comprised 181 first and second grade high school students and their mothers, residing in Seoul. The results of the analyses indicated that, (a) maternal disapproving is negatively correlated to adolescents' positive world views, and that maternal laissez-faire is also negatively correlated to adolescents' emotional responsiveness. However, a positive correlation is revealed between maternal emotion-coaching and adolescents' positive self-esteem. (b) It is evident that adolescents' emotional responsiveness is influenced by maternal laissez-faire, and that adolescents' positive self-esteem is influenced by emotion-coaching. It also indicated that mother-adolescent communication time is influenced by dismissing as well as laissez-faire meta-emotion philosophy. (c) It revealed that mother-adolescent communication time, in part, has a meaningful moderating effect on the relationship between meta-emotion philosophy and adolescent depression. Therefore, the present study indicates that even if maternal disapproving, laissez-faire, or dismissing is practiced, adolescent depression levels decrease as mother-adolescent time lengthens.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3483-3488
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• 2012

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated associations between the TERT rs2736098 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to cancer development. However, there are conflicting results. A systematic meta-analysis was therefore performed to establish the cancer risk associated with the polymorphism. Methods: In this meta-analysis, a total of 6 case-control studies, including 5,567 cases and 6,191 controls, were included. Crude odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the strength of associations in several genetic models. Results: Our results showed no association reaching the level of statistical significance for overall risk. Interestingly, in the stratified analyses (subdivided by ethnicity), significantly increased risks were found in the Asian subgroup which indicates the TERT rs2736098 polymorphism may have controversial involvement in cancer susceptibility. Conclusions: Overall, this meta-analysis indicates that the TERT rs2736098 polymorphism may have little involvement in cancer susceptibility.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.3169-3173
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• 2013

Background: Findings from previous published studies regarding the association of the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism with glioma susceptibility have often been conflicting. Therefore, a meta-analysis including all available publications was carried out to make a more precise estimation of the potential relationship. Methods: By searching the electronic databases of Pubmed and Embase (up to April 1st, 2013), a total of nine case-control studies with 3,752 cases and 4,849 controls could be identified for inclusion in the current meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association. Results: This meta-analysis showed the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism to be significantly associated with decreased glioma risk in the allelic model (Met allele vs. Thr allele: OR= 0.708, 95%CI= 0.631-0.795). Moreover, we also observed a statistically significant association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and reduced glioma risk in analyses stratified by ethnicity (Asian) and source of controls (hospital based) in the allelic model. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism may be a risk factor for glioma development, especially in Asians.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.947-950
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• 2013

Background: We performed this meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness and safety of axillary dissection in old women. Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched and all randomized controlled trials of axillary dissection in old women (at least 60 years old) were considered. Meta-analyses were completed using RevMan5.1. Results: Three eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 5,337 patients were considered. There was weak evidence in favour of axillary dissection (AD) in old women. The meta-analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) after 1, 3, 5 and 7 years and the disease free survival (DFS) after 1, 3 and 5 year were not statistically significantly different between AD and no AD groups. However, there was a difference in the 7 year DFS. Conclusions: Axillary dissection did not provide survival benefit to the old women with breast cancer analysed. Therefore, axillary dissection is not well-indicated in old women with breast cancer.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.5.1-5.22
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• 2023

This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to answer the following focused research question: "Does the type of endodontic sealer affect the postoperative pain in patients who received endodontic treatment?" Different databases and grey literature were surveyed. Only one randomized controlled trial were included. The risk of bias in the studies was evaluated by using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to compare the risk and intensity of postoperative pain. The quality of the body of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Out of 11,601 studies, 15 remained for qualitative analyses and 12 for meta-analysis. Seven studies were classified at high risk of bias, and 8 studies raised some concerns. No significant differences between the endodontic materials were observed in the direct comparisons, both in risk and in intensity of postoperative pain (pairwise comparisons with 2 studies: I² = 0%; p > 0.05 and 8 studies: I² = 23%; p > 0.05, respectively). The certainty of the evidence was graded as low or moderate. There was no difference in the risk and intensity of postoperative pain after filling with different endodontic sealers. Further systematic reviews should be conducted.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.475-489
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis designed to investigate the effects of stimulation-oriented interventions for behavioral problems among people with dementia. Methods: Based on the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), a literature search was conducted using seven electronic databases, gray literature, and other sources. Methodological quality was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data were analyzed using R with the 'meta' package and the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA 2.0) program. Results: Sixteen studies were included for meta-analysis to investigate the effect of stimulation-oriented interventions. The quality of individual studies was rated as '++' for eight studies and '+' for the rest. The effect sizes were analyzed according to three subgroups of interventions (light, music, and others); Hedges' g=0.04 (95% CI: -0.38~0.46), -0.23 (95% CI: -0.56~0.10), -0.34 (95% CI: -0.34~0.00), respectively. To explore the possible causes of heterogeneity ($I^2=62.8%$), meta-regression was conducted with covariates of sample size, number of sessions, and length of session (time). No moderating effects were found for sample size or number of sessions, but session time showed a significant effect (Z=1.96, 95% CI: 0.00~0.01). Finally, a funnel plot along with Egger's regression test was performed to check for publication bias, but no significant bias was detected. Conclusion: Based on these findings, stimulation-oriented interventions seem to have a small effect for behavioral problems among people with dementia. Further research is needed to identify optimum time of the interventions for behavioral problems among dementia pateints.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Background: Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is known to have a lower success rate for anesthesia in patients with irreversible pulpitis. This calls for supplementary techniques to effectively anesthetize such patients. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the published literature for determining the success rate of anesthesia induction using post-IANB intraligamentary (IL) injection in the mandibular teeth of patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. The review question was, "What is the success rate of IL injection in the mandibular teeth of patients with irreversible pulpitis as a supplementary technique for endodontic treatment?" Methods: A thorough search of electronic databases and manual searches were performed. The protocol of the review was framed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and was registered in the International Prospective Register of Ongoing Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with a proper criterion for inclusion and exclusion of studies. The included studies were analyzed using the Cochrane Collaboration "Risk of Bias" tool. A meta-analysis that included a comparison of primary nerve block and supplemental IL injection was performed. The success rate was evaluated using the combined risk ratio (RR) with a random risk model. A funnel plot was created to measure publication bias. Results: After all analyses, four studies were included. In the forest plot representation, RRs were 3.56 (95% CI: 2.86, 4.44), which were in favor of the supplemental IL injections. Statistical heterogeneity was found to be 0%. These values suggest that supplemental IL injections provide better success rates for anesthesia. Conclusion: According to the pooled qualitative and quantitative analyses, supplemental IL injections increased anesthetic efficacy.