• Title/Summary/Keyword: health outcomes

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Comparison of Bone Volume Measurements Using Conventional Single and Dual Energy Computed Tomography (전산화단층영상검사에서 단일에너지와 이중에너지를 이용한 뼈 부피측정의 비교)

  • Kim, Yung-kyoon;Park, Sang-Hoon;Kim, Yon-Min
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.253-259
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    • 2017
  • The study examines changes in calcium volume on born by comparing two figures; one is measured by dual energy computed tomography(DECT) followed by applying variation in monochromatic energy selection(keV), material decomposition(MD), and material suppressed iodine(MSI) analysis, and the other is measured by conventional single source computed tomography(CSCT). For this study, based on CSCT images taken by using human mimicked phantom, 70, 100, 140 keV and MSI, MD material calcium weighting(MCW) and MD material iodine weighting(MIW) of DECT were applied respectively. Then calculated calcium volume was converted to Agatston score for comparison. Volume of human mimicked phantom was in inverse proportion to keV. The volume decreased while keV increased(p<0.05). The most similar DECT volumes were reconstructed at 70 keV, the difference was showed $35.8{\pm}12.2$ for rib, femur ($16.1{\pm}24.1$), pelvis($13.7{\pm}18.8$), and spine($179.0{\pm}61.8$). However, the volume of MSI was down for each organ; the volume of rib was 5.55%, femur(76.34%), pelvis(55.16%) and spine(87.58%). The volume of MSI decreased 55.9% for rib, femur(80.7%), pelvis(69.6%) and spine(54.2%) while MD MIW reduced for rib(83.51%), femur(87.68%), pelvis(86.64%), and spine(82.62%). With the results, the study found that outcomes were affected by the method which examiners employed. When using DECT, calcium volume of born dropped with keV increased. It also found that the most similar DECT images were reconstructed at 70 keV. The results of experiments implied that the users of MSI and MD should be cautious of errors as there are big differences in scores between those two methods.

Factors associated with the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea (남한 성인의 대북식량지원에 대한 태도 관련 요인)

  • Nam, Youngmin;Yoon, Jihyun
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.53 no.2
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    • pp.215-229
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    • 2020
  • Purpose: This study examines the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea and factors associated with it. Methods: An online survey involving 1,000 adults aged 19-69 years was conducted between September-October 2019. Throughout South Korea, the subjects were proportionally distributed with respect to gender, age, and region, to represent South Korean adults. Results: A total of 44.6% of the respondents agreed (Agreement group), 36.7% disagreed (Disagreement group), and 18.7% neither agreed nor disagreed to food aid to North Korea. Compared to the Disagreement group, the Agreement group had a higher concern of food aid to North Korea and a more positive perception on the effect of it. The Agreement group selected "direct assistance from the government" whereas the Disagreement group chose "support through international organizations" as the most appropriate channel for food aid to North Korea. Logistic regression analysis revealed that South Korean adults showing a more positive perception on the effect of food aid to North Korea were more likely to agree to the aid (odds ratio [OR], 19.32). Moreover, compared to the conservatives, the progressives were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea (OR, 5.94). South Korean adults in their 40-50s were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea than those in their 20-30s (OR, 2.81). South Korean adults with a higher concern of food aid to North Korea (OR, 3.93) and a greater positive perception on Korean unification (OR, 1.88) were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea. Conclusion: The most important factor associated with the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea was their perception on the subsequent effect. As strategies to draw social consensus on food aid to North Korea, we recommend systematizing the monitoring process on the effect of providing food aid to North Korea and informing the public of the outcomes.

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BEREAVEMENT PROGRAM OF SEVERANCE HOSPICE (세브란스 호스피스 추후관리 프로그램의 효과에 관한 연구)

  • Wang, Mae-Ryeon
    • The Korean Nurse
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.51-69
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    • 1992
  • Grief that is not acknowledged and worked through may manifest itself in some emotional, mental or physical problem. In recent years much has been learned about coping with grief which the hospice program can utilize to help family members cope with their grief. This study was carried out to determine the helpfulness of the bereavement care of Severance Hospice and to learm more about the grief response of the bereaved. The tools used to collect data were an assessment form used in the bereavement program and the Grief Experience Inventory developed by Sanders and revised and translated 'by the researcher. Data was obtained from bereaved family members(54 for the final grief assessment and 39 for the grief response assessment) receiving bereavement follow-up, from July 1989 to March 1991. Results of the study were as follows: 1. Final Grief Assessment Regarding the resolution of their grief the majority of the bereaved accepted the reality of the death of their family member, while slightly more than three-quarters were able to express their feelings toward their loss. A large majority had returned to activities of daily living well or fairly well and had reinvested their energy in a person other than the deceased. In addition, the physical condition of the majority was good or fairly good. A majority of the bereaved considered the bereavement care to be helpful and almost three-quarters were not considered to be in need of more follow-up. 2. Grief Response Assessment Age was found to have a modoerately positive correlation to appetite disturbance(r=.41, P<.Ol) and loss of vigor(r=.37, P<.Ol) A moderately positive correlation was found between the number of contacts and sleep disturbance(r=2.38, P<.01) Significant differences were found between men and women in regard to guilt(t=2.38, P<.05), social isolation(t=2.44, P<.05) and depersonalization(t=2.07, P<.05) with men having the more intense grief. Significant differences were found in the grief responses of somatization(F=5.82, P<.001), physical symptoms(F=5.87, P<.OOl), appetite disturbance(F=4.40, P<.Ol), despair(3.79, P<,Ol), anger(Fp2.83, P<.05), social isolation(F=3.61, P<.05), guilt(F=3.62, P<.05) and depersonalization (F = 2.58, P <.05). In the first six of these grief responses mothers scored highest, followed by husbands and then wives, In the grief response of guilt, daughters scored highest and on the grief response of depersonalization sons scored highest. Only one grief response, that of sleep disturbance(t= -2.19, P<.05) was found to be statistically significant, with those family members who died at home having the higher scores. Based on the results of this study several suggestions are presented as follows: 1. Since unresolived grief can have a detrimental effect on the bereaved person's mental and phys. ical health it would be good for the nurse, to include questions related to death of family members and the bereaved person's response to the grief, in her nursing assessment. And in the case of unresolved grief the nurse should encourage the person to talk with a trusted friend or counselor and express their fellings of grief. 2. A study to determine the degree of resolution of the grief of those in the bereavement program could be carried out by use of the Grief Experience Inventory early in their bereavement and again 13 months after the death of their family member. 3. A comparison of the grief response of the bereaved in the bereavement program and bereaved not in the program could be carried out using the Grief Experience Inventory. 4. After bereavement programs have been started in other hospice programs it would be good to carry out a joint study of bereavement outcomes of those in the bereavement programs.

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Surgical Option for Sufficient Safety Margine in Locally Advanced Type II Cardia Cancer - Left Colon Interposition (국소 진행된 Type II 분문부 선암의 절제연 확보를 위한 수술 방법: 좌측 대장 간치술)

  • Yoon, Ho Young;Kim, Hyoung-Il;Lee, Sang Hoon;Kim, Choong Bai
    • Journal of Gastric Cancer
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.97-103
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    • 2008
  • Purpose: Radical surgery is the standard therapy for patients with resectable cardia cancer. In the case of type II disease with esophageal invasion, a transhiatal extended radical total gastrectomy is needed or a gastroesophagectomy through an abdomino-thoracotomy, depending on the extent of the esophageal invasion. We analyzed the indications and outcome of left colon interposition as an esophageal substitution. Materials and Methods: Between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2006, 10 patients underwent left colon interposition after gastroesophagectomy through an abdomino-thoracotomy or the tanshiatal approach for type II cardia cancer at the Department of surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine. The outcomes of these patients were reviewed and compared, with those who underwent a Roux-en-Y, by gender and age matched analysis, retrospectively. Results: There were nine males and one female with a mean age of 52.5 (range, 16~72). The operation time was $449.00{\pm}87.39minutes$. The mean distance between the proximal resection margin and the cancer was $6.56{\pm}3.65cm$; the maximum size of the tumor was $9.90{\pm}3.97cm$. These measures differed significantly from patients who underwent Roux-en-Y. The patients had a double primary cancer in the cardia and esophagus. There were no events of colon necrosis. However, a pneumothorax occurred in one patient (10%) and a proximal anastomotic stricture occurred in one patient. There were no reports of heartburn, regurgitation, thoracic or epigastric fullness, and one patient even gained weight, 16 kg. Conclusion: Colon interposition after esophagogastrectomy was safe and effective and should be considered as an additional surgical option for locally advanced type II cardia cancer patients with esophageal invasion.

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Reliability and Validity of the Fatigue Severity Scale among University Student in South Korea (대학교 재학생에서 Fatigue Severity Scale의 신뢰도 및 타당도 연구)

  • Lee, Junghyun H.;Jeong, Hyeonseok S.;Lim, Soo Mee;Cho, Han Byul;Ma, Ji-Young;Ko, Eun;Im, Jooyeon J.;Lee, Sun Hea;Bae, Sujin;Lee, Yu-Jin;Lyoo, In Kyoon;Jeong, Do-Un
    • Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.6-11
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    • 2013
  • Objectives There are only a limited number of studies on instruments assessing fatigue in university students, although fatigue exerts negative influences on their health and academic performances and fatigue-related complaints are more frequently reported in young adults than middle-aged adults. The aim of this study was to validate the 9-item Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) among university students including both undergraduate and graduate students in South Korea. Methods A total of 176 university students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, including the FSS, the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 version 2 (MOS-SF36v2), and the Inclusion of Community in the Self Scale (ICS). The data were collected from February of 2012 to June of 2012. The reliability, convergent validity, divergent validity, and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to assess psychometric properties of the FSS. Results The mean FSS score was 3.20 (standard deviation = 1.43). The FSS demonstrated an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ = 0.93) and item-total correlations ranged from 0.56 to 0.90. Correlations of the FSS with the BFI (r = 0.71, p < 0.01), BDI-II (r = 0.54, p < 0.01), BAI (r = 0.46, p < 0.01), MOS-SF36v2 physical component summary (r = -0.28, p < 0.01), MOS-SF36v2 mental component summary (r = -0.55, p < 0.01), and ICS (Spearman's rho = -0.07, p = 0.33) showed acceptable convergent and divergent validity. Exploratory factor analysis defined one underlying factor (eigenvalue = 5.67) that explained 93.50% of the total variance. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate reliability and validity of the FSS in university students. The FSS exhibits good psychometric properties for evaluation of fatigue among university students in South Korea. Since the FSS is easy to administer, score, and interpret, it could be a useful tool in research and practice for assessing fatigue among university students.

Investigation on the Frequency and Severity of Common Adverse Reactions of Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines (일본뇌염 백신의 이상반응 실태조사)

  • Kim, Boo Young;Kim, Dong Hyun;Lee, Hun Jae;Jung, Soo Kyung;Li, Xiao Shan;Park, Sook Kyung;Go, Un Yeong;Hong, Young Jin
    • Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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    • v.16 no.2
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    • pp.183-190
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    • 2009
  • Purpose : To evaluate the number and severity of adverse reactions after Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccination in children using different vaccines (inactivated vaccine or live attenuated vaccine) and to determine the ability and safety of the vaccines to provide effective immunization for JE. Methods : From August 2006 to February 2007, we conducted a prospective cohort study of the adverse reactions associated with JE immunization in Korea. We investigated common adverse reactions during the 4 days following immunization using telephone collaborations with four public health centers and nine pediatric clinics. Results : The mean age of children receiving the inactivated vaccines and live attenuated vaccines, respectively, were 1.4 y (range: 1 to 8.5) and 1.7 y (range: 1 to 8.3). The number of children that received the inactivated vaccines was 425 (64.6%). A total of 233 (35.4%) received the live attenuated vaccines. Fourteen children (3.3%) had more than one localized adverse event with the inactivated vaccine, and six (2.6%) had more than one event with the live attenuated vaccine (P =0.607). Systemic adverse reactions occurred in 5.2% vs. 8.2%, respectively, of these groups (P =0.131). Fever was more common in the live attenuated vaccine group than in the inactivated vaccine group on the day of vaccination (P =0.026). Conclusions : The rate of adverse events in our study was even lower than that previously reported. No significant difference in outcomes between inactivated vaccine and live attenuated vaccine was found in JE-immunized children. Fever was more common in the live attenuated vaccine group than in the inactivated vaccine group on the day of vaccination.

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Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Elderly Patients Receiving Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at a University Hospital (한 대학병원 내과계 중환자실에서 장기간 기계환기를 받은 노인 환자들의 특징 및 예후)

  • Han, Min Soo;Moon, Kyoung Min;Lee, Yang Deok;Cho, Yongseon;Na, Dong Jib
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.64 no.6
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    • pp.445-450
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    • 2008
  • Background: As the number of older-aged people increases, the number of elderly patients who receive critical care services is expected to increase substantially. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients who receive mechanical ventilation for more than 30 days in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) at a university hospital. Methods: We retrospectively examined forty-one elderly patients (${\geq}65$ years old) who were receiving mechanical ventilation, from April 2004 to March 2007, for periods exceeding 30 days at the MICU at Eulji University Hospital. Results: The MICU and hospitalmortality rate were 60.9% and 65.9%, respectively. The mean length of the ICU stay was 57.5 days and the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 49.3 days. The most common reason for MICU admission was acute respiratory failure (73.2%), followed by sepsis (12.2%), neurological problems (9.8%), and gastrointestinal bleeding (4.9%). The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores were higher for the nonsurvivors than for the survivors (28.0 vs. 25.0, respectively, p=0.03). The nonsurvivors received more red blood cell (RBC) transfusions during their ICU stay than did the survivors (84.0% vs. 43.8%, respectively p=0.007). The factors associated with hospital death were the APACHE II score and if the patient had received a RBC transfusion. Conclusion: The APACHE II score and a RBC transfusion were predictors of increased hospital mortality for the elderly patients who were on prolonged mechanical ventilation. These predictors may assist physicians to make clinical decisions for this patient population.

Caregivers' adherence factors affecting maintenance treatment in children with well-controlled asthma : A qualitative analysis through in-depth interview (천식 조절 상태 환아의 유지 치료에 대한 보호자 순응 요인: 심층 면담을 통한 질적 분석)

  • Choi, Ic Sun;Cho, Saeng Koo;La, Kyong Suk;Byeon, Jung Hye;Song, Dae Jin;Yoo, Young;Choung, Ji Tae
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.53 no.3
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    • pp.364-372
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    • 2010
  • Purpose : Good adherence of caregivers is essential for successful health outcomes in the treatment of childhood asthma. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors contributing to good adherence of maintenance treatment in children with well-controlled asthma. Methods : Children with well-controlled asthma being treated with a daily controller for at least 3 months in Korea University Anam Hospital were selected. Their caregivers who had good adherence to maintenance treatment were recruited. Qualitative study through in-depth interviews was conducted with 18 caregivers who agreed to the study. Results : The 18 caregivers (mean age, 40.0 years) consisted of 15 mothers, 2 grandmothers, and 1 father. The resulting consensus were identified and grouped into 2 domains: the caregiver/patient aspect with 8 theme factors and the treatment aspect with 4 theme factors. The main theme factors in the caregiver/patient aspect were enabling participation in physical activities and exercise (77.8%), perceptions regarding asthma and the need for long-term treatment (50.0%), and perceived value of the medications outweighing the risk of side effects (38.9%). The main theme factors in the treatment aspect were trust in the physician (77.8%), general satisfaction with the manner and attitude of the physician (77.8%) and verification of the necessity of further treatment by performing tests (38.9%). Conclusion : Efforts to improve caregivers' adherence to the treatment of childhood asthma must include a range of factors related to both caregiver/patient aspects and treatment aspects. Among all of these factors, it may be most important to establish a physician-caregiver partnership.

Present and Future of the Journal of Distribution Science (유통과학연구의 현재와 미래)

  • Kim, Dong-Ho;Youn, Myoung-Kil
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.10 no.5
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    • pp.7-17
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    • 2012
  • The recent announcement of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) to cease journal accreditation operations as of the end of the year 2014 can easily influence the future of many research journals in Korea. Although this plan has not yet been formalized or structured, its facilitation would be the major turning point for the current Korean research and scholarly journals and publications. In addition, the NRF's plan to select and fund top 20 or more research journals over the five year period beginning 2015 suggests that the competition will most likely increase among Korean journals. Each journal would need to develop its unique strategy to improve and strengthen its competitiveness to become or maintain its position as a major research journal in Korea. The association of Korean Distribution of Science (KODISA) and its research journal, Journal of Distribution Science (JDS), has been continuously improving its reputation as a reputable journal in the distribution and related fields since its establishment in 1999. Due to demand, JDS has had to undergo several changes in its publication cycle first from semiannual publication to quarterly, then finally to monthly publications in 2012, and has become one of the major social science journals in Korea. Furthermore, with the redesigning of its webpage with English language in July of 2011, KODISA has made the published journals freely accessible and available to both domestic and foreign researchers, scholars, practitioners, and learners. These changes have resulted in the rapid increase in the bounce rate and the number of journal submissions by foreign scholars, with four research articles having been submitted by foreign scholars just in March of 2012 alone. However, although the changes and outcomes have resulted in a reasonable success so far, the achievement may only become a short-term success without continuously developing, improving, and implementing both effective and efficient strategies through critical, thorough, and frequent examinations and evaluations of both KODISA and JDS. As such, the purpose of this research is to carefully examine both KODISA and JDS to identify problematic factors and to develop appropriate strategies to change or modify those problems for further strengthening and improving their reputation and status. The paper examines and analyzes the past, present, and future of KODISA and JDS and their managerial, operational, and systematic procedures and operations. The narrow scope of research and inefficiencies in promoting the association and the journal and the improvement of impact factors are identified as the notable problems that could hinder JDS from being included in SCOPUS or SSCI in the near future. This type of examination and exploration has not been previously conducted, so the major limitation of this paper can be identified as not meticulously elaborating on the problems nor proving detailed recommendations based on the existing researches. This article asserted that solving the problem of the narrow scope of research would lead to facilitation of resolving other inefficient problems. Inclusion of international academic disciplines to the distribution and their related fields would be the viable initiation of expanding the research area, and this strategy could promote the journal as well as improve its impact factors. The narrow scope of research seems to be a good research topic and merit further exploration as an individual research project, because this kind of research could yield the creation of new understandings or theories.

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Aquatic exercise for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review & meta analysis (무릎 골관절염 환자를 대상으로 한 수중 운동과 지상운동 비교: 체계적 문헌고찰 및 메타분석)

  • Kim, Young-il;Choi, Hyo-Shin;Han, Jung-haw;Kim, Juyoung;Kim, Gaeun
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.16 no.9
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    • pp.6099-6111
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    • 2015
  • This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effects of aquatic exercise and land-based exercise in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. 7 studies (n=449) met selection and exclusion criteria out of 287 potential studies obtained from the literature search via Ovid-Medline, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, CINAHL, RISS and KISS. The overall risk of bias of selected studies using SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) checklist for randomized controlled trials (RCT) was regarded as low. As a result of meta analysis, Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) for pain was -0.26(95% CI -0.49, -0.03, p=0.03, $I^2=14%$), which implies that aquatic exercise groups had significant less pain than land-based exercise groups. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between aquatic exercise groups and land based exercise groups for flexion Range of Motion (ROM) (-0.12, 95% CI -0.51, 0.27, p=0.53, $I^2=0%$), extension ROM (-0.04, 95% CI -0.55, 0.48, p=0.89, $I^2=43%$), physical function (-0.12, 95% CI -0.44, 0.19, p=0.44, $I^2=0%$), Quality of Life (QOL) (-0.15, 95% CI -0.54, 0.24, p=0.46, $I^2=0%$). This study has some limitations due to few RCTs comparing aquatic exercise groups and land-based exercise groups in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, further RCTs should be conducted along with long-term outcomes.