• Title/Summary/Keyword: empirical medicine

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Clinical Outcomes of Non-carbapenem Treatment for Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli

  • Kim, Eunae;Ahn, Yo Han;Lee, Jung Won;Park, Eujin
    • Childhood Kidney Diseases
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.22-28
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    • 2021
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of non-carbapenem treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) in young children. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children under 2 years of age who were diagnosed and treated for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli from September 2014 to March 2020. Results: Forty-three children under 2 years of age were treated with non-carbapenem antimicrobials for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli without bloodstream infections. The overall clinical and microbiological success rates for empirical antimicrobial treatment were 90.7% and 97.7%. Three of the patients (7.0%) experienced a relapse of UTI within a month. An in vitro susceptibility test showed that two patients were sensitive and one was resistant to the antimicrobial treatments. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the time to defervescence, clinical success, microbiological success, and relapse rate between the susceptible (n=13) and non-susceptible groups (n=30). Conclusion: In this study, the overall relapse rate of patients treated with non-carbapenem antimicrobials was 7.0%. The patients showed high success rates in the clinical and microbiological responses to the non-carbapenems regardless of the results of the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility test. These results provide evidence that non-carbapenems may be viable alternative treatments for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli.

Prospects for the Development of Rehabilitation Medical Robots (재활의료로봇의 발전 전망)

  • Moon, Jeong Eun;Cho, Yong Jin
    • Journal of Digital Convergence
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    • v.19 no.6
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    • pp.393-398
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    • 2021
  • As society becomes more complex and advanced, the risk of accidents is inevitably increased, and this is an opportunity to increase the occurrence of not only congenital disabilities but also acquired disabilities. In this situation, the use of rehabilitation robots, a complex of advanced technologies, is expected to increase steadily in the future. So the authors would take a look the technological trends and future development prospects of domestic and foreign rehabilitation robots. Until now, disability assistive robot technology has been mainly developed in the field of supporting disability with walking disabilities or work limitations rather than cognitive disabilities. However, another issue of population aging is that cognitive impairment has the potential to increase, so development of a disability assistance robot that secures user safety must be actively promoted. It is thought that empirical results should be derived and converged

Evaluation of Usefulness for Diagnosis of Lung Cancer on Integrated PET-MRI Using Decision Matrix (판정행렬을 기반한 일체형 PET-MRI의 폐암 진단 유용성 평가)

  • Kim, Jung-Soo;Yang, Hyun-Jin;Kim, Yoo-Mi;Kwon, Hyeong-Jin;Park, Chanrok
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.44 no.6
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    • pp.635-643
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    • 2021
  • The results of empirical researches on the diagnosis of lung cancer are insufficient, so it is limited to objectively judge the clinical possibility and utilization according to the accuracy of diagnosis. Thus, this study retrospectively analyzed the lung cancer diagnostic performance of PET-MRI (Positron Emission Tomography-Magnetic Resonance Imaging) by using the decision matrix. This study selected and experimented total 165 patients who received both hematological CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) test and hybrid PET-MRI (18F-FDG, 5.18 MBq/kg / Body TIM coil. VIVE-Dixon). After setting up the result of CEA (positive:>4 ㎍/ℓ. negative:<2.5㎍/ℓ) as golden data, the lung cancer was found in the image of PET-MRI, and then the SUVmax (positive:>4, negative:<1.5) was measured, and then evaluated the correlation and significance of results of relative diagnostic performance of PET-MRI compared to CEA through the statistical verification (t-test, P>0.05). Through this, the PET-MRI was analyzed as 96.29% of sensitivity, 95.23% of specificity, 3.70% of false negative rate, 4.76% of false positive rate, and 95.75% of accuracy. The false negative rate was 1.06% lower than the false positive rate. The PET-MRI that significant accuracy of diagnosis through high sensitivity and specificity, and low false negative rate and false positive rate of lung cancer, could acquire the fusion image of specialized soft tissue by combining the radio-pharmaceuticals with various sequences, so its clinical value and usefulness are regarded as latently sufficient.

Diagnosing Balamuthia mandrillaris amebic meningoencephalitis in a 64-year-old woman from the Southwest of China

  • Suhua Yao;Xiaoting Chen;Lian Qian;Shizheng Sun;Chunjing Zhao;Zongkai Bai;Zhaofang Chen;Youcong Wu
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.61 no.2
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    • pp.183-193
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    • 2023
  • Balamuthia mandrillaris amebic encephalitis (BAE) can cause a fatal condition if diagnosis is delayed or effective treatment is lacking. Patients with BAE have been previously reported in 12 provinces of China, with skin lesions being the primary symptom and encephalitis developing after several years. However, a significantly lower number of cases has been reported in Southwest China. Here we report an aggressive BAE case of a 64-year-old woman farmer with a history of skin lesions on her left hand. She was admitted to our hospital due to symptoms of dizziness, headache, cough, vomiting, and gait instability. She was initially diagnosed with syphilitic meningoencephalitis and received a variety of empirical treatment that failed to improve her symptoms. Finally, she was diagnosed with BAE combined with amebic pneumonia using next-generation sequencing (NGS), qRT-PCR, sequence analysis, and imaging studies. She died approximately 3 weeks after the onset. This case highlights that the rapid development of encephalitis can be a prominent clinical manifestation of Balamuthia mandrillaris infection.

Theoretical Study on Structural Properties of Triptan Derivatives (트립탄 유도체의 구조적 특성에 관한 이론적 연구)

  • Chul Jae Lee;Ki Young Nam
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.9 no.4
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    • pp.503-508
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    • 2023
  • Tryptane derivatives are substances that treat acute migraines, and many studies have been conducted on analysis methods such as chromatography, electrochemistry, spectroscopy, and capillary electrophysiology. Recently, analytical chemists have become more interested in drug analysis and solving fundamental problems of biological importance. Therefore, in this study, the chemical properties of each derivative were investigated by calculating the total energy, band gap, electrostatic potential, and charge of Sumatriptan, Lizatriptan, Naratriptan, and Eletriptan using HyperChem8.0's semi-empirical PM3 method. As a result of this study, in the case of Sumatriptan, Naratriptan, and Eletriptan, chemical reactions are expected to proceed centering on oxygen and nitrogen atoms bonded to sulfur atoms. In addition, in the case of Rizatriptan without a sulfur atom, it was shown that the chemical reaction proceeds at the 17th and 19th nitrogens of the 5-membered heterocyclic compound.

Species diversity, relative abundance, and decline of flying insects in a fragmented forest in Futa Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

  • Temitope A. Olatoye;Ohseok, Kwon;Kayode L. Akinwande
    • Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.10-20
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    • 2024
  • The study investigated species diversity, relative abundance, and decline of flying insects and plants within a fragmented forest in the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria. It is known that habitat fragmentation can reduce biodiversity. Thus, it is important to perform comprehensive assessments to understand implications of the habitat fragmentation for flora and fauna. Species richness and abundance of flying insects and plants across fragmented forest patches were quantified using field surveys and taxonomic identification. This study revealed shifts in species diversity, with fragmented areas exhibiting reduced biodiversity compared to contiguous forest ecosystems. Flying insects crucial for ecosystem functioning and pollination services demonstrated decreased species richness and relative abundance within fragmented habitats. This decline was attributed to habitat loss, altered microclimates, and limited movement pathways known to hinder insect dispersal. Similarly, plant species richness and abundance showed decline in fragmented forest due to disrupted mutualistic interactions with pollinators, altered nutrient cycling, and increased competition among plant species. This study underscores the importance of maintaining intact forest habitats to sustain healthy ecosystems and preserve biodiversity. Effective conservation strategies should focus on habitat connectivity, reforestation efforts, and protection of essential ecological corridors to mitigate effects of fragmentation. In conclusion, this investigation provides empirical evidence for effects of habitat fragmentation on flying insects and plants in a forest ecosystem in FUTA Akure, Nigeria. Findings emphasize an urgency of adopting conservation measures to safeguard these invaluable components of biodiversity and ecosystem stability in the face of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation.

The Effects of Combined Exercises of Elastic-Band and Short Foot Exercise on Plantar Foot Pressure, Toe Angle and Balance for Patients with Low to Moderate Hallux Valgus (탄력밴드와 단축발 운동이 중등도 이하 무지외반증환자의 발가락 휨 각도와 족저압, 균형에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Hyoungsoo;Kim, Eunju;Park, Inseo;Bae, Minsik;Shin, Jaewon;Lee, Jiun;Jang, Yoyun;Jo, Honjin;Choi, Kunok;Choi, Harim;Kim, Jangsun
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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    • v.3 no.3
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    • pp.73-88
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    • 2015
  • Objective: The purpose of this study was to further the empirical evidence regarding exercise as an effective alternative to surgery for treating patients with low to moderate hallux valgus. Method: A total of 20 students with low to moderate hallux valgus participated in this study for six weeks. Participants were selected according to foot-print. All participants exercised using a combination of Elastic-band and Short Foot Exercises twice a week for thirty minutes each time. Measurements were taken at week 0 and week 6 for plantar foot pressure, toe angle and balance. The data was processed using a paird t-test. Results: There were significant differences in pretest and posttest measurements for balance. However there were no significants differences in plantar foot pressure and toe angle. Conclusion: Although our study did not support the effect of exercises on plantar foot pressure and toe angle, we did show evidence that exercise was effective for balance. In order to increase the effectiveness of this exercise program, patients need to be more aware of the footwear they use in their daily lives so as to contribute to the contribute to the overall effectiveness of treating low to moderate hallux valgus and offer an alternative to surgery.

Bootstrap estimation of the standard error of treatment effect with double propensity score adjustment (이중 성향점수 보정 방법을 이용한 처리효과 추정치의 표준오차 추정: 붓스트랩의 적용)

  • Lim, So Jung;Jung, Inkyung
    • The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.453-462
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    • 2017
  • Double propensity score adjustment is an analytic solution to address bias due to incomplete matching. However, it is difficult to estimate the standard error of the estimated treatment effect when using double propensity score adjustment. In this study, we propose two bootstrap methods to estimate the standard error. The first is a simple bootstrap method that involves drawing bootstrap samples from the matched sample using the propensity score as well as estimating the standard error from the bootstrapped samples. The second is a complex bootstrap method that draws bootstrap samples first from the original sample and then applies the propensity score matching to each bootstrapped sample. We examined the performances of the two methods using simulations under various scenarios. The estimates of standard error using the complex bootstrap were closer to the empirical standard error than those using the simple bootstrap. The simple bootstrap methods tended to underestimate. In addition, the coverage rates of a 95% confidence interval using the complex bootstrap were closer to the advertised rate of 0.95. We applied the two methods to a real data example and found also that the estimate of the standard error using the simple bootstrap was smaller than that using the complex bootstrap.

View of Nature and Science in Perception of Dreams in the Chosun Dynasty (조선시대(朝鮮時代) 꿈(몽(夢)) 인식에서 나타난 자연관(自然觀)과 과학성(科學性)의 성격)

  • Kim, Seong soo
    • The Journal of Korean Medical History
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.101-118
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    • 2006
  • Phenomena experienced by all individuals and cultural interpretation of such phenomena seem to be irrelevant to the change of time. The subject dream to be discussed in this study is one of them. Nevertheless, people's attitude of understanding dreams in the past is obviously different from the contemporary one, and the interpretation of dreams reveals the science of the corresponding age. Bishop Daveluy, a missionary to Chosun in the mid 19th century, observed Korean people's hardly understandable response to dreams. According to his explanation, Chosun people regarded what they saw in a dream as a fact. It might have been quite long that a dream is regarded as a sign of the future. However, how a dream can be a sign of the future is explained different according to the science of the corresponding age. Many records on dreams since the late Koryo Dynasty and the early Chosun Dynasty did not give satisfactory answers to this question. However, new interpretations of dreams were attempted occasionally in the process that the Sung Confucian view of nature in the Chosun Dynasty was being matured. One of such interpretations is that a dream is obviously a phenomenon of human cognition and there is a rule behind dreams. I t was believed that the rule is a flow of energy defined by reason penetrating through the past, the present and the future and, as a consequence, dreams are future oriented. The view that a dream is a phenomenon with a causal relation is observed more specifically in medicine. I t was understood basically as a pathological phenomenon but, at the same time, a substance in an organic relation with the human body. In addition, it was understood as the results of facts (physiological and pathological processes) experienced by the body in the past and the sign of diseases in the future. However, from the viewpoint of contemporary science based on empirical rationalism, such foreseeability is fundamentally unacceptable. In contemporary science, in which scientific analysis of phenomena has to be of the past tense, dreams exist as the representations of the past. What Bishop Daveluy saw in Korean people was a phenomenon observed when the pre modern met the modern as pre modern people's life and idea were viewed from a modern people's eye.

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THE DEGREE OF EGO IMPAIRMENT IN ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT GROUPS (청소년 정신과 환자군을 대상으로 한 자아기능의 장애정도 비교 - Rorschach검사의 자아손상지표를 중심으로 -)

  • Oh, Youn-Hee;Kim, Zoung-Soul;Shin, Min-Sup
    • Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.178-185
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    • 1999
  • Objective:This study was designed to examine the validity of the Ego Impairment Index(EII) in adolescent psychiatric patients(depression, depressive-conduct disorder, schizophrenia), and to explore the validity of the depressive-conduct disorder as a diagnostic entity. Method:19 depressives, 13 depressive-conduct disordered, and 10 schizophrenics with the age from 12 to 18 were selected based on DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria, and their responses of the Rorschach and MMPI were analyzed. The EII was empirically developed by Perry and Viglione(1991) in order to assess the degree of ego impairment, and was derived from the Rorschach test. Results:It was founded that a single factor, ego impairment, was derived from the principal component analysis and explained 57.18% of total variances. The degree of ego impairment was grater in schizophrenics than in the other two groups, but there were no difference between depressives and depressive-conducts. Conclusions:These results offered support for the use EII as an empirical means of assessing the degree of ego impairment in adolescent patients. And these results suggest that depressive-conduct disorder group is more similar to the depressive group, implying that depressive-conduct disorder might correspond to so called masked depression. The clinical implication and limitation of present study were discussed.

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