• Title/Summary/Keyword: Evidence Analysis

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Effect of Cognitive Improvement Programs for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Korean Elderly: A Meta-Analysis (한국 경도인지장애 노인을 위한 인지기능 향상 프로그램의 효과: 메타분석)

  • Kim, Kyoungyun;Lee, Eunjoo
    • Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.177-189
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    • 2017
  • Purpose: A meta-analysis was conducted to identify the effect of cognitive improvement programs for the elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Korea. Methods: Five databases, as well as relevant reference lists, of studies published from 2000 to 2016, were searched. Fourteen studies were identified. Quality assessments of included studies were conducted using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklist. An R program was used to analyze effect sizes and to identify possible sources of heterogeneity among studies. The potential for publication bias was investigated using a funnel plot, Egger's regression test and sensitivity analysis. Results: The total effect size was large (Standardized Mean Difference [SMD]=1.44, 95% CI: 1.11~1.77), with cognition based intervention (SMD= 1.77, 95% CI: 1.26~2.29) and exercise intervention (SMD=1.13, 95% CI: 0.82~1.44). Statistically significant moderators were identified intervention type by meta-ANOVA analyses. Finally, no significant evidence of publication bias was found. Conclusion: There is clear evidence that cognitive improvement programs can greatly enhance cognition in elderly with MCI. Future research should examine the effects of non-pharmacological interventions targeting elderly populations with mild-to-severe cognitive impairment in order to develop and enhance the effectiveness of cognitive improvement programs in Korea.

A Meta-Analysis of Factors Related to Adolescent Problem Drinking (청소년 문제음주와 관련한 영향요인에 대한 메타분석)

  • Chung, Sulki;Kim, Ji Seon
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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    • v.31 no.1
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    • pp.71-83
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    • 2014
  • Objectives: This study examined the trend of alcohol-related research, with a specific focus on adolescent problem drinking, to provide evidence for prevention and intervention for adolescent alcohol problems and alcohol policy in Korea. Methods: A total of 17 studies examining adolescent problem drinking were included for meta-analysis. Using CMA (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis) 2.0, the effect sizes of correlation coefficients of variables related to adolescent problem drinking were analyzed. Results: 176 variables were extracted under 4 higher categories and 20 sub-categories. Variables were extracted using the four higher categories, namely individual, family, environmental, and demographics, as the theoretical framework. Results showed that most studies on adolescent problem drinking focused mostly on individual factors followed by family factors. Variables including drinking motivation, drinking expectancy, and peer relations showed relatively higher effect size. Conclusions: Study findings suggest the importance of balance between individual and environmental factors in examining problem drinking among adolescents. In order to provide evidence for alcohol policy, more attention should be given to macro environment that are known to influence adolescent drinking.

Evidential Analytic Hierarchy Process Dependence Assessment Methodology in Human Reliability Analysis

  • Chen, Luyuan;Zhou, Xinyi;Xiao, Fuyuan;Deng, Yong;Mahadevan, Sankaran
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.49 no.1
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    • pp.113-123
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    • 2017
  • In human reliability analysis, dependence assessment is an important issue in risky large complex systems, such as operation of a nuclear power plant. Many existing methods depend on an expert's judgment, which contributes to the subjectivity and restrictions of results. Recently, a computational method, based on the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory and analytic hierarchy process, has been proposed to handle the dependence in human reliability analysis. The model can deal with uncertainty in an analyst's judgment and reduce the subjectivity in the evaluation process. However, the computation is heavy and complicated to some degree. The most important issue is that the existing method is in a positive aspect, which may cause an underestimation of the risk. In this study, a new evidential analytic hierarchy process dependence assessment methodology, based on the improvement of existing methods, has been proposed, which is expected to be easier and more effective.

Frame Rearrangement Method by Time Information Remarked on Recovered Image (복원된 영상에 표기된 시간 정보에 의한 프레임 재정렬 기법)

  • Kim, Yong Jin;Lee, Jung Hwan;Byun, Jun Seok;Park, Nam In
    • Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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    • v.24 no.12
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    • pp.1641-1652
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    • 2021
  • To analyze the crime scene, the role of digital evidence such as CCTV and black box is very important. Such digital evidence is often damaged due to device defects or intentional deletion. In this case, the deleted video can be restored by well-known techniques like the frame-based recovery method. Especially, the data such as the video can be generally fragmented and saved in the case of the memory used almost fully. If the fragmented video were recovered in units of images, the sequence of the recovered images may not be continuous. In this paper, we proposed a new video restoration method to match the sequence of recovered images. First, the images are recovered through a frame-based recovery technique. Then, after analyzing the time information marked on the images, the time information was extracted and recognized via optical character recognition (OCR). Finally, the recovered images are rearranged based on the time information obtained by OCR. For performance evaluation, we evaluate the recovery rate of our proposed video restoration method. As a result, it was shown that the recovery rate for the fragmented video was recovered from a minimum of about 47% to a maximum of 98%.

Herbal Medicine for the Treatment of Non-Erosive Reflux Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol

  • Minjeong Kim;Chaehyun Park;Jae-Woo Park;Jinsung Kim;Seok-Jae Ko
    • The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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    • v.44 no.6
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    • pp.1176-1185
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    • 2023
  • Introduction: Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) is the most common subtype of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aims to synthesize evidence on the efficacy and safety of various herbal medicines for the treatment of NERD. Methods and analysis: Ten electronic databases will be examined: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Citation Information by Nii, Korean Medical Database, Korean Studies Information Service System, National Digital Science Library, and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System. All randomized controlled trials published from inception to May 2023 that meet the eligibility criteria will be selected. Two independent researchers will extract data, such as publication year, study design, intervention details, outcome measures, main results, and adverse events. The risk of bias and quality of evidence will be assessed, and subgroup analyses will be performed according to the type of control intervention and herbal medicine. The analysis process will be conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software. Discussion: This review will present a summary and rationale for herbal medicine's effectiveness in treating NERD. The findings of this review can help those who want to apply herbal medicine to the treatment of NERD.

Safety and Effectiveness of Food Allergen Immunotherapy (Oral): A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis

  • Mo, Jin-A;Joo, Yea-Il
    • International Journal of Contents
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.39-45
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    • 2018
  • Purpose: Food Allergen Immunotherapy (Oral) is a form of immunotherapy administered to patients who are allergic to foods such as egg, milk, and peanut. The food allergen is orally administered to the patient in an escalating dose for desensitization or tolerance development. The safety and effectiveness of the therapy were assessed using a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Methods: For a literature search, 8 national databases and a number of international databases including Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were used; and 13 articles (all from international databases) were selected. The target of Food Allergen Immunotherapy (Oral) included patients with food allergy, and the intervention was food allergen immunotherapy without limiting the food type. The safety and effectiveness of Food Allergen Immunotherapy (Oral) were assessed by reviewing all the articles reporting on the therapy. The control group received standard therapies including aversion therapy, no treatment, anti-histamine treatment, and placebo. Safety was assessed through the incidence of complication and emergency medication. Effectiveness was assessed based on therapy success rate, symptomatic improvement, and quality of life. Results: Although Food Allergen Immunotherapy (Oral) was shown to have successful desensitization in patients with food allergy, the safety of the technique has not yet reached an acceptable level; the possible reason is due to the high rate of complication and frequency of emergency medication. Also, each study employed varying protocols while relying on a small number of participants and a short monitoring period. Conclusion: The results of assessment suggest that the level of evidence from current literature review is low and further research is necessitated for the verification of the safety and effectiveness of the therapy (Grade of Recommendation: A; Level of Technology: II-b).

Surgical Perspective of T1799A BRAF Mutation Diagnostic Value in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

  • Brahma, Bayu;Yulian, Erwin Danil;Ramli, Muchlis;Setianingsih, Iswari;Gautama, Walta;Brahma, Putri;Sastroasmoro, Sudigdo;Harimurti, Kuntjoro
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.31-37
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    • 2013
  • Background: Throughout Indonesia, thyroid cancer is one of the ten commonest malignancies, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in our hospital accounting for about 60% of all thyroid nodules. Although fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the most reliable diagnostic tool, some nodules are diagnosed as indeterminate and second surgery is common for PTC. The aim of this study was to establish the diagnostic value and feasibility of testing the BRAF T1799A mutation on FNA specimens for improving PTC diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This prospective study enrolled 95 patients with thyroid nodules and future surgery planned. Results of mutational status were compared with surgical pathology diagnosis. Results: Of the 70 cases included in the final analysis, 62.8% were PTC and the prevalence of BRAF mutation was 38.6%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for BRAF mutation analysis were 36%, 100%, 100% and 48%, respectively. With other data findings, nodules with "onset less than 5 year" and "hard consistency" were proven as diagnostic determinants for BRAF mutation with a probability of 62.5%. This mutation was also a significant risk factor for extra-capsular extension. Conclusions: Molecular analysis of the BRAF T1799A mutation in FNAB specimens has high specificity and positive predictive value for PTC. It could be used in the selective patients with clinical characteristics to facilitate PTC diagnosis and for guidance regarding extent of thyroidectomy.

Chuna Manual Therapy for Functional Dyspepsia : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (기능성 소화불량증에 대한 추나요법의 효과 : 체계적 문헌고찰과 메타분석)

  • Heo, In;Shin, Byung-Cheul;Hwang, Eui-Hyoung;Hwang, Man-Suk;Kim, Byung-Jun;Kim, So-Yeon;Heo, Kwang-Ho
    • The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.1-14
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    • 2015
  • Objectives : To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy for functional dyspepsia. Methods : We conducted search across the 3 electronic databases (Pubmed, CAJ and Oasis) to find all of randomized controlled clinical trials(RCTs) that used Chuna manual therapy as a treatment for functional dyspepsia. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : Thirteen RCTs met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed positive results for the use of Chuna manual therapy combined with medication treatments in terms of the efficacy rate when compared to medication treatments alone. Positive results were also obtained, in terms of the efficacy rate, when comparing Chuna manual therapy combined with medication plus specific electromagnetic therapy to medication treatments alone. Conclusions : Our systematic review found encouraging but limited evidence of Chuna manual therapy for functional dyspepsia. However, to obtain stronger evidence without the drawbacks of trial design and the quality of studies, we recommend sham-controlled RCTs or comparative effectiveness research to test the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy.

Chuna Manual Therapy for Adult Constipation : A Systematic Review (성인 변비에 대한 추나요법의 효과 : 체계적 문헌 고찰)

  • Kim, Byung-Jun;Hwang, Eui-Hyoung;Heo, In;Lim, Kyeong-Tae;Cho, Ju-Chan;Shin, Byung-Cheul
    • The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.23-33
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    • 2016
  • Objectives : This study aimed to determine the evidence of effectiveness and safety of Chuna manual therapy for adult constipation patients. Methods : We searched 10 electronic databases(Ovid-MEDLINE, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, Oasis, KISS, NDSL, KMBASE, KISTI) and related 2 journals up to October 2016. We included randomized controlled trials(RCTs) of testing Chuna manual therapy for adults constipation patients. The methodological quality of RCTs related assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results : Nine RCTs were eligible in our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of 6 studies showed positive results for the use of Chuna manual therapy for constipation. Conclusions : There is favorable evidence of Chuna manual therapy for treating adult constipation with meta-analysis. However, our systematic review has limited evidence to support Chuna manual therapy for constipation because of low quality of original articles and further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

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Efficacy of topical interventions for temporomandibular disorders compared to placebo or control therapy: a systematic review with meta-analysis

  • Mena, Mariam;Dalbah, Lana;Levi, Lauren;Padilla, Mariela;Enciso, Reyes
    • Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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    • v.20 no.6
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    • pp.337-356
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    • 2020
  • This systematic review focused on the efficacy of topical products in reducing temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD)-associated pain, in comparison to placebo or control interventions. The EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE via PubMed databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using topical interventions in adults diagnosed with TMD. The pain intensity was the primary outcome, and other clinical findings were the secondary outcomes. The risk of bias was evaluated according to the Cochrane's handbook. The search up to February 7, 2020 identified a total of 496 unduplicated references. Nine RCTs with 355 adult patients diagnosed with TMD were included. The meta-analysis did not show a significant reduction in baseline pain intensity in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) group, when compared to the placebo group (P = 0.288). One study demonstrated a statistically significant pain score decrease for Theraflex-TMJ compared to placebo after 10 d of treatment (P = 0.003) and follow-up, 5 d after the last application (P = 0.027). Ping On reduced pain at 4 weeks of application (P < 0.001) but not after 7 d of application (P = 0.136). In one study, cannabidiol (CBD) significantly improved the pain intensity compared to placebo (P < 0.001). However, no differences were found with capsaicin in the two studies (P = 0.465). Evidence was of low quality because the studies were considered as having an unclear or a high risk of bias and a small number of studies were analyzed. The evidence is not sufficient to support the use of topical NSAIDs and capsaicin, and limited evidence was found for Threraflex-TMJ, bee venom, Ping On, and CBD, with only one study reporting for each. Additional studies are recommended to validate these results.