• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.117-124
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• 2011

Objectives : Bell's palsy is the most common acute facial paralysis but its causes still unclear. At present, one of the most widely accepted cause is viral infections, and generally socioeconomic factors influence the viral infections. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of incidence of facial palsy with socioeconomic factors. Methods : Seventeen patients with a acute facial palsy, who volunteered and completed all of the assessment measures participated. Using data on 17 participants, we examined the independent contribution of education, income, and occupation to a risk factor of severe facial palsy. Severity of global facial impairment was assessed by the facial disability index (FDI), the house-brackmann facial nerve grading system, WHO quality of life - bref (WHOQOL-BREF) and visual analogue scale (VAS) about discomfort of life. Results : There was no correlation between severity of facial palsy and gender, marriage, education, or occupation. Age greater than 60 years (p<0.05), and low monthly income(p<0.05), poor self-rated health was associated with greater severity of idiopathic facial paralysis. Conclusions : The number of subjects with facial palsy in our study (n-17) was small, and therefore generalization to larger patient populations might be unwarranted. But according to the outcome, we suggest that socioeconomic factors, especially low monthly income influence severity of bell's palsy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권12호
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• pp.7749-7755
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• 2013

Nutritional status and dietary intake play a significant role in the prognosis of breast cancer and may modify the progression of disease. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of nutritional status on the quality of life of Iranian breast cancer survivors. Cross-sectional data were collected for 100 Iranian breast cancer survivors, aged 32 to 61 years, attending the oncology outpatient clinic at Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. Nutritional status of subjects was assessed by anthropometric measurements, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and three non-consecutive 24-hour diet recalls. The European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life form (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess quality of life. Ninety-four percent of the survivors were well-nourished, 6% were moderately malnourished or suspected of being malnourished while none were severely malnourished. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 86%. Overall, participants had an inadequate intake of vitamin D, E, iron and magnesium according to dietary reference intake (DRI) recommendations. Survivors with better nutritional status had better functioning scales and experienced fewer clinical symptoms. It appears important to provide educational and nutritional screening programs to improve cancer survivor quality of life.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.95-100
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• 2018

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of acupuncture treatment for the management of subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures. Methods: A total of 30 participants who have undergone thoracotomy after traumatic multiple rib fractures will be recruited. Participants will be invited and equally randomised into acupuncture plus usual care and usual care alone groups. A computer-generated random number sequence will be used and concealed using opaque, sealed, sequentially numbered envelopes. Twelve sessions of manual and electrical acupuncture performed by Korean medicine doctors will be provided over a span of 3 months to participants allocated to the acupuncture group. Participants in the usual care group will continue pain medication, exercise and physical therapy as required. Study feasibility will be measured based on the proportion of patients who complete the measurement of pain at 12 or 24 weeks after baseline. The clinical outcomes will include; the average pain intensity over the recent week at rest, movement and cough, quality of life, patient's global assessment of recovery, respiratory function measured by the pulmonary function test and use of pain medication at 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after enrolment. Adverse events will be recorded for all participants. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The local ethics committee has approved the study. This pilot trial will inform further studies investigating the potential role of acupuncture for subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권14호
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• pp.6123-6128
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPCs) for the survival of patients with lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Relevant literature was identified using Medline and EMBASE. Patient clinical characteristics, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) together with CEC and CEPC positive rates before treatment were extracted. STATA 12.0 was used for our analysis and assessment of publication bias. Results: A total of 13 articles (8 for CEC and 5 for CEPC, n=595 and n=244) were pooled for the global meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for OS predicted by pretreatment CECs was 1.641 [0.967, 2.786], while the OR for PFS was 1.168 [0.649, 2.100]. The OR for OS predicted by pretreatment CEPCs was 12.673 [5.274, 30.450], while the OR for PFS was 4.930 [0.931, 26.096]. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to clinical staging. Odds ratio (OR) showed the high level of pretreatment CECs only correlated with the OS of patients with advanced lung cancer (stage III-IV). Conclusions: High counts of CECs seem to be associated only with worse 1-year OS in patients with lung cancer, while high level of pretreatment CEPCs correlate with both worse PFS and OS.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.177-187
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• 2017

Objectives: Medical students represent a primary target for tobacco cessation training. This study assessed the prevalence of medical students' tobacco use, attitudes, clinical skills, and tobacco-related curricula in two countries, the US and Italy, with known baseline disparities in hopes of identifying potential corrective interventions. Methods: From September to December 2013, medical students enrolled at the University of Bologna and at Brown University were recruited via email to answer survey questions assessing the prevalence of medical students' tobacco use, attitudes and clinical skills related to patients' smoking, and elements of medical school curricula related to tobacco use. Results: Of the 449 medical students enrolled at Brown and the 1426 enrolled at Bologna, 174 Brown students (38.7%) and 527 Bologna students (36.9%) participated in this study. Italian students were more likely to smoke (29.5% vs. 6.1%; p<0.001) and less likely to receive smoking cessation training (9.4% vs. 80.3%; p<0.001) than their American counterparts, even though the majority of students in both countries desired smoking cessation training (98.6% at Brown, 85.4% at Bologna; p<0.001). Additionally, negative beliefs regarding tobacco usage, the absence of formal training in smoking cessation counseling, and a negative interest in receiving specific training on smoking cessation were associated with a higher risk of not investigating a patient's smoking status during a routine history and not offering tobacco cessation treatment to patients. Conclusions: Medical curricula on tobacco-related health hazards and on smoking cessation should be mandatory in order to reduce smoking among medical students, physicians, and patients, thereby improving tobacco-related global health.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.8-17
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• 2020

Aim of the study: The objective of this systematic review is to critically evaluate the evidence of the effectiveness and safety of external application of herbal medicines (EAHM) for acne vurgalis (AV). Methods: English, Chinese and Korean language databases were searched up to May 2018. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of EAHM for AV were included and analysed. Results: A total of 10 randomized trials with 656 AV patients were identified. A meta-analysis of two RCTs indicated that EAHM had a significant effect on improving primary outcome 'global assessment' compared with placebo (mean difference (MD) = -2.62, confidence interval (CI) = -4.84 to -0.40, p = 0.02). Furthermore, data extracted from two RCTs showed that EAHM significantly reduce primary outcome 'inflammatory lesion count of acne' (MD = -1.25, CI = -1.68 to -0.83, p < 0.00001) and 'non-inflammatory lesion count of acne' (MD = -1.32, CI = -1.75 to -0.90, p < 0.00001). No significant difference was observed between groups in secondary outcome 'sebum of skin' (MD = -0.21, CI = -0.53 to 0.11, p = 0.20) and 'patient-reported changes in symptom' (relative risk (RR) = 2.56, CI = 0.43 to 15.22, p = 0.30). No severe adverse events (AEs) were found and no treatment was stopped due to AEs of EAHM. Conclusions: EAHM seems to have affirmative effects, but quality of evidence, and non-standardized use of EAHM make our conclusion weak. Our suggestion is rigorously designed RCTs and standardization of EAHM are required in the future.

• 한방재활의학과학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.83-89
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• 2018

Objectives The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Hwangryunhaedok-tang Pharmacopuncture, Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture and Jungsongouhyul Pharmacopuncture on cervical pain caused by traffic accident retrospectively. Methods The retrospective observational chart review was conducted to 52 cases of traffic accident patients who had admitted to Daegu haany University Pohang Korean Hospital from December 1st, 2015 to May 31th, 2017. The patients were classified into three groups by which pharmacopuncture was used as Hwangryunhaedoktang pharmacopuncture treatment group, bee venom pharmacopuncture treatment group and Jungsongouhyul pharmacopuncture treatment group. Additionally, outcomes should include Neck disability index(NDI) and patient's global assessment(PGA) for evaluate the treatment effects. Results Each pharmacopuncture treatment group showed significant decrease of NDI and PGA. But there was no significant difference in NDI and PGA between three groups. Conclusions According to the results, we found out that 3 kinds of pharmacopunctures are considered to be effective and useful for cervical pain patients caused by traffic injury. Further well designed prospective studies are needed.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• 제23권8호
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• pp.17-25
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• 2023

The alarming global prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has catalyzed an urgent need for robust, early diagnostic methodologies. This study unveils a pioneering approach to predicting T2DM, employing the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm, renowned for its predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. The investigation harnesses a meticulously curated dataset of 4303 samples, extracted from a comprehensive Chinese research study, scrupulously aligned with the World Health Organization's indicators and standards. The dataset encapsulates a multifaceted spectrum of clinical, demographic, and lifestyle attributes. Through an intricate process of hyperparameter optimization, the XGBoost model exhibited an unparalleled best score, elucidating a distinctive combination of parameters such as a learning rate of 0.1, max depth of 3, 150 estimators, and specific colsample strategies. The model's validation accuracy of 0.957, coupled with a sensitivity of 0.9898 and specificity of 0.8897, underlines its robustness in classifying T2DM. A detailed analysis of the confusion matrix further substantiated the model's diagnostic prowess, with an F1-score of 0.9308, illustrating its balanced performance in true positive and negative classifications. The precision and recall metrics provided nuanced insights into the model's ability to minimize false predictions, thereby enhancing its clinical applicability. The research findings not only underline the remarkable efficacy of XGBoost in T2DM prediction but also contribute to the burgeoning field of machine learning applications in personalized healthcare. By elucidating a novel paradigm that accentuates the synergistic integration of multifaceted clinical parameters, this study fosters a promising avenue for precise early detection, risk stratification, and patient-centric intervention in diabetes care. The research serves as a beacon, inspiring further exploration and innovation in leveraging advanced analytical techniques for transformative impacts on predictive diagnostics and chronic disease management.

• 정신신체의학
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.78-91
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• 2002

목적: 본 연구의 목적은 신체화 평가 척도를 개발하고자 하는 데 있다. 방법: 일차로 성인 정상인 109명을 대상으로 신체화 평가 척도 예비설문을 시행하여 40개 문항을 추출하였다. 2차로 이 문항들이 포함된 설문을 정상인 215명을 대상으로 실시하였다. 결과: 이 자료들을 요인분석한 결과 5개의 하위요인 즉 심장호흡기 및 신경계 반응, 신체적 과민반응, 위장관계 반응, 일반적 신체반응, 비뇨생식기 눈 및 근육계 반응이 추출되었다. 상기 척도의 신뢰도는 정상인 62명에게 2주 간격으로 검사-재검사를 시행, 분석한 결과 5개 하위척도 점수와 척도 전체 점수 간의 상관계수가 .86~.94로 모두 유의한 상관성올 보였다. 한편 내적 일치도는 5 개 하위척도의 Cronbach's ${\alpha}$가 .72~.92, 척도 전체의 Cronbach's ${\alpha}$가 .95이었다. 공존타당도는 global assessment of recent stress (GARS) scale, perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ), 스트레스반응척도 총점, symptom checklist-90-R(SCL-90-R)의 신체화 척도를 비롯한 하위척도와 전체지표 각각의 총점과 본 척도의 5개 하위척도의 점수 및 척도 전체점수 간의 상관성을 각각 비교한 결과 모두 유의하게 높은 것으로 나타났다. 변별타당도는 환자군 242명(불안장애 71 명, 우울장애 73명, 신체형장애 47명, 정신신체장애 51명)과 정상군 215명 간에 척도의 총점과 하위척도 점수를 비교한 결과 5개 하위척도 점수와 총점에서 각각 유의한 차이를 보였다. 각 장애군이 정상군보다 척도 전체점수가 유의하게 더 높았으나, 우울장애군만이 하위척도 점수 및 척도 전체점수 모두에서 정 정상군보다 유의하게 높게 나타났다. 또한 신체적 과민반응에서는 우울장애군만이 정상군보다 점수가 유의하게 더 높고 일반적 신체반응에서는 우울장애 및 신체형장애군만이 정상군 보다 유의하게 더 높았다. 대상자들에서 여자가 남자보다 척도 전체 점수가 유의하게 더 높았다. 결론: 이상의 결과들은 신체화 평가 척도가 신뢰도 및 타당도가 모두 유의한 수준으로 스트레스 및 신체화에 관련된 분야의 연구에 효과적으로 이용될 수 있는 도구임을 시사해 준다 또한 우울장애 및 신체형장애군이 불안장애 및 정신신체장애군에 비해 더 광범위한 신체화 경향을 보임을 시사해 준다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.3357-3362
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• 2013

The human skeleton is the most common organ to be affected by metastatic cancer and bone metastases are a major cause of cancer morbidity. The five most frequent cancers in Malaysia among males includes prostate whereas breast cancer is among those in females, both being associated with skeletal lesions. Bone metastases weaken bone structure, causing a range of symptoms and complications thus developing skeletal-related events (SRE). Patients with SRE may require palliative radiotherapy or surgery to bone for pain, having hypercalcaemia, pathologic fractures, and spinal cord compression. These complications contribute to a decline in patient healthrelated quality of life. The multidimensional assessment of health-related quality of life for those patients is important other than considering a beneficial treatment impact on patient survival, since the side effects of treatment and disease symptoms can significantly impact health-related quality of life. Cancer treatment could contribute to significant financial implications for the healthcare system. Therefore, it is essential to assess the health-related quality of life and treatment cost, among prostate and breast cancer patients in countries like Malaysia to rationalized cost-effective way for budget allocation or utilization of health care resources, hence helping in providing more personalized treatment for cancer patients.