• Title/Summary/Keyword: Evidence-based medicine

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Effects of Decompression Therapy for 6 Cases with Lumbar Herniated Disc (감압치료가 요추간판탈출 6(증)례에 미치는 영향)

  • Kwon, Won-An;Lee, Seung-Ho;Lee, Jae-Hong
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.2133-2141
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    • 2012
  • The Purpose of this study was to report magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) changes of six cases of Lumbar herniated disc which was treated with spinal decompression therapy, oriental medical therapy. 'Disc heights' were measured on sagittal view of $T_2$-weighted MRI. Size of the herniated disc was measured by MRI and 'disc herniations index'. The grading system and algorithm for 'disc degeneration' were based on MRI signal intensity, disc structure, distinction between nucleus and anulus, and disc height. Data for disc height, disc herniations index and disc degeneration grade were collected before and after the treatment together with calculation from the MRI. Case studies were showed that decompression therapy for the herniated disc has an positive effect on disc herniations index, disc regeneration, not disc heights. The clinical evidence for the use of decompression in herniated disc remains inconclusive because of limited researches. Further trials, which give attention to these areas, are needed before any firm conclusions may be made.

The Experience of Miners Relocated to Alternative Positions due to Silicosis in the Andean of CODELCO, Chile, 2010

  • Delgado, Diemen;Aguilera, Maria De Los Angeles;Delgado, Fabian;Rug, Ani
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.140-145
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    • 2012
  • Objectives: To understand the personal experiences of mine workers that have experienced job relocation due to silicosis at the Andina Division of Corporaci$\acute{o}$n Nacional del Cobre (CODELCO), Chile. The purpose of the study was to provide useful information for the development of new local, business and public policies for the care of workers with silicosis. Methods: A qualitative study based on a practical case study of 5 workers. The information was collected by means of structured individual interviews. The method of analysis was phenomenology. Results: The corporal axis was the most commented upon. It included awareness of the illness, body pains, fatigue, and antagonistic mood disorders (sadness, or the difficulty in finding meaning in life). As far as personal relationships, there was evidence of strong relationships with family, coworkers and friends, as well as extended family. Over all, the experience of relocation was positive with periods of impatience and uncertainty. The job reassignment provided a new and pleasant context for the relocated workers and in the process improved their perception of their quality of life. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary team should attend mine workers relocated because of silicosis by addressing the mental and physical aspects of their disease, along with the integral participation of close family members. It is suggested that this investigation be maintain over time to record the personal experiences in the medium-term, adding new cases with the intention of shedding more light on the phenomenon being studied. As a preventive measure, continual workshops are needed on the proper use of respiratory protection in addition, a group of monitors is required.

Sero-epidemiology and genetic characterization of swine influenza virus (돼지 인플루엔자 바이러스의 혈청학적 역학조사 및 유전학적 분석)

  • Lyoo, Young-soo;Kim, Lomi
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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    • v.38 no.1
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    • pp.53-63
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    • 1998
  • Total of 1085 swine sera (1996-1997) from nation-wide were tested for the presence of antibodies to influenza A virus. Fifty nine percent of the tested sera showed seropositive by HI test. Positive sera consisted of 24--- of H3, 15--- of H1, and 20--- of the sample had both antibodies, respectively. Sera collected from various region represented 7~27--- seropositivity to H1N1, 15~25--- to H3N2, respectively. Swine influenza field isolate from nasal swab was characterized antigenically and genetically to elucidate its relatedness with other known strains of influenza A virus. The study was focused on the HA gene which is related to pathogenecity and antigenic variability of the influenza virus. By RT-PCR using influenza A/H1N1 specific primers, influenza virus H1N1 specific DNA fragment was amplified from A/Swine/Iowa/15/30(H1N1), US field isolate but not in H3N2 strain. PCR products were sequenced by dideoxy chain termination method to determine nucleotide homology with other strains of influenza A virus. The US field isolate and A/Swine/Indiana/1726/88 strain had 97--- of nucleotide homology and 98--- of amino acid homology. Based on the results obtained from this experiment, the field isolate was genetically related to A/Swine/Indiana/1726/88 and had higher homology with A/Swine/Indiana/1726/88 than with classical swine influenza virus, A/Swine/Iowa/15/30. The field isolate had no amino acid changes at the antigenic site compare to that of the A/Swine/Indiana/1726/88. The proteolytic enzyme cleavage site between HA1 and HA2 had no alteration and the amino acid arginine was intact. There is no evidence has been found that the field isolate has genetic shift or genetic drift which might altered antigenic determinant.

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A Study on the Application of Systematic Literature Review for Post-Market Clinical Evaluation of Medical Devices: Focused on the Ophthalmic Electrosurgical system (시판 후 의료기기 임상평가를 위한 체계적 문헌고찰 활용 방안 연구: 안과용전기수술기 사례를 중심으로)

  • Kim, Byung Gwan;Choi, Young Sook;Kim, Mi Sun;Yang, Seok-Jo
    • Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.35-41
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    • 2020
  • In this study, we examined whether the systematic literature review method used in the field of evidence-based medicine could be used for post-market clinical evaluation of medical devices by modifying them to fit the regulatory perspective of medical devices in Korea. For this purpose, systematic literature review was modified and applied to conduct a clinical literature survey on the ophthalmic electrosurgical system(Trabectome®, NeoMediX Corp) used for the treatment of glaucoma. A total of six documents were finally selected, and clinical safety and efficacy information on the indications of the ophthalmic electrosurgical system were effectively presented. In addition, general safety information and unexpected safety information could be distinguished through comparison with medical device adverse event reporting cases. The method used in this study is expected to be used in various ways throughout post-market medical device safety management system and for the purpose of regulation improvement, especially in the field of ophthalmic electrosurgical system.

Descriptive Psychiatry and the Development of Diagnostic Criteria in the History of Child Psychiatry and Phenomenological Descriptive Psychiatry (소아정신의학 역사 속의 진단기준 발전과 현상학적 기술정신의학)

  • Bahn, Geon Ho;Lee, Yeon Jung;Han, Ju Hee
    • Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2015
  • Phenomenology has been developed by philosophers like Kant and Husserl since the late 18th century. Jaspers, a German psychiatrist, adopted it into psychopathology studies and accumulated data by closely observing and recording the patients' symptoms and signs. Among descriptions done even before the psychopathology or diagnostic criteria of disorders in the field of child psychiatry was established, we can find exact and valuable descriptions matching the autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The diagnostic criteria of modern childhood psychiatric disorders were established based on these grounds. Phenomenological/descriptive methods in various psychiatric fields lead to medical study methods for social phenomenon such as oiettolie, hikikomori, and internet game addiction. Since Romanian orphans were adopted to the western world, descriptive studies along with neurobiological studies on the influence of stimulus deprivation on emotional and physical development are being conducted. While phenomenology, which was adopted by Jaspers to verify psychopathology, was developed mainly by observation and description, recent studies are explaining such descriptive phenomena even at the synapse level due to advances in neurobiology. Although phenomenological/descriptive psychiatry, describing precise and detailed experiences of patients, is less applied nowadays among modern study methods, we must remember that such descriptions may lead to biological studies and provide evidence to improve the accuracy of choosing and applying treatment methods.

Association of Common Vitamin D Receptor Gene Variations with Fracture Risk and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Korean Population

  • Hwang, Joo-Yeon;Lee, Seung Hun;Kim, Ghi-Su;Koh, Jung-Min;Go, Min-Jin;Kim, Tae-Ho;Hong, Jung-Min;Park, Eui-Kyun;Kim, Shin-Yoon;Lee, Jong-Young
    • Genomics & Informatics
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.13-19
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    • 2009
  • Osteoporosis is characterized by impaired osteogenesis. BMD is a major determinant of bone strength. The role of the VDR gene in predisposition to primary osteoporosis has been recognized. However, population-based case-control studies have been reported controversial results for known candidate genes in an ethnically distinct group. To determine the genetic effects of VDR variants on osteoporosis and BMD, we directly sequenced the VDR gene in 24 unrelated Korean individuals and identified eighteen sequence variants. We investigated the potential involvement of eight SNPs in osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (n = 729). Two SNPs (LD) in intron 2, -5294G>C (rs2238135) and -4817G>A (rs17882443) showed the evidence of association with enhanced BMD of the femoral neck ($p_{additive}$=0.031 for rs2238135; $p_{additive}$=0.017 and $p_{dominant}$= 0.019 for 17882443). Moreover, VDR -4817G>A was significantly associated with protective effect on all fracture risk ($p_{recessive}$=0.035, OR=0.2, 95% CI=$0.05{\sim}0.89$), and tended to be higher BMD values at various proximal femur sites. Therefore, we suggest that the -4817G>A may be useful genetic marker for vitamin D-related metabolism and may have an important role in the increased BMD of the proximal femur in postmenopausal Korean women.

The Experience and Intention of Health Food Use among Middle-aged Men in Urban Areas (도시 중년 남성의 건강식품 섭취 경험과 의도에 관한 연구)

  • 송화숙;오세영
    • Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.193-200
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    • 2000
  • This study examined the experience and intention of health food use regarding the different type of health foods among 201 middle-aged Korean men form urban areas. Based upon the results of a prestudy, health foods were classified into 4 groups including Chinese medicine(CM), toner foods(TF), vitamin or mineral supplements(VMS), and other manufactured heath food supplements(MHFS). compared with the4 case of health food experience, the similar proportion of the subjects were intended to use CM( 70%) and MHFS( 40%), yet the smaller proportion of them had the intention for TF(46%) and VMS(52%). Our subjects mainly obtained information on CM and TF from social networks, such as families, relatives, friends and neighbors and VMS and MHFS from mass media. Expected effects of health food consumption were different by the type of health food. The most positive expected effects were found in CM, followed by VMS. However, there was weak evidence for the positive effects of the TF and MHFS. Upon the consumption of health foods, our subject appeared to expect to their body energy to increased and body functions to be improved in general. Multivariate analyses indicated the importance of expected effects of health food consumption and aging symptoms as determinants of future health food use. Experience was rarely associated with intention in health food use. This study suggests that educated middle-aged Korean men may have a rational attitude toward health food use. Regarding different attitudes and behavior toward the different type of health foods, further research should consider the nature of each type of health foods. The limitations of this study are also discussed.

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Features and implication of new physical activity guidelines (새 신체활동기준의 동향과 함의)

  • Koh, Kwang Wook
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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    • v.35 no.5
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    • pp.17-24
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    • 2018
  • Objectives: After many national physical activity guidelines have established, recent changes are deep and rapid. So the major features and implication to reverse worsening Korean physical activity indicator is desprate but related knowledge and informations are few. So review of recent features and implications of new physical activity guidelines have made. Methods: National physical activity guidelines of advanced countries were searched through snowballing methods. Major features were described according to the nation. Implication were drew through discussion for Korean realitiy. Results: New Australian physical activity and sedentary behaviour guideline explicitly included sedentary behaviour. The age in the guideline expanded to early years. Canada also presented 24-hour movement guidelines to early years. The second generation of the physical activity guidelines reflects the extensive amount of new knowledge. New aspects include discussions of additional health benefits related to brain health, additional cancer sites, and fall-related injuries; immediate and longer term benefits for how people feel, function, and sleep; further benefits among older adults and people with additional chronic conditions; risks of sedentary behavior and their relationship with physical activity; elimination of the requirement for physical activity benefits to occur in bouts of at least 10 minutes; and tested strategies that can be used to get the population more active. Conclusions: The most important message from the new guidelines is that the greatest health benefits accrue by moving from no, to even small amounts of, physical activity. Multiple studies demonstrate that the steepest reduction in disease risk occurs at the lowest levels of physical activity. People need to understand that even small amounts of physical activity are beneficial and that reductions in the risk of disease and disability occur by simply getting moving. So various evidence based proven strstegies are needed in Korea including workforce training.

Prevalence and extension of the anterior loop of the mental nerve in different populations and CBCT imaging settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Hadilou, Mahdi;Gholami, Leila;Ghojazadeh, Morteza;Emadi, Naghmeh
    • Imaging Science in Dentistry
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    • v.52 no.2
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    • pp.141-153
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    • 2022
  • Purpose: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and extension of the anterior loop (AL) of the mental nerve in different populations and according to different cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging settings. Materials and Methods: Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest were searched. The main inclusion criterion was ALs evaluated in CBCT images. The quality of studies was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute risk of bias checklist. Subgroup analyses were conducted for sex, side, continent, voxel size, field of view, and type of CBCT-reconstruction images with a random-effects model. Results: Sixty-three studies with 13,743 participants (27,075 hemimandibles) were included. An AL was found in 40.6% (95% CI: 32.8%-48.9%, P<0.05) of participants and 36.0% (95% CI: 27.5%-45.5%, P<0.05) of hemimandibles, in 34.9% (95% CI: 25.1%-46.2%, P<0.05) of males and 34.5% (95% CI: 23.5%-47.4%, P<0.05) of females. The average length of ALs was 2.39 mm (95% CI: 2.07-2.70 mm, P<0.05). Their extension was 2.13 mm (95% CI: 1.54-2.73 mm, P<0.05) in males and 1.85 mm (95% CI: 1.35-2.36 mm, P<0.05) in females. Significant differences were observed regarding the prevalence and length of ALs among continents and for its measured length on different CBCT-reconstruction images, but not between other subgroups. Conclusion: AL was a relatively common finding. The voxel size and fields of view of CBCT devices were adequate for assessing AL; however, a 2-mm safety margin from anatomical structures(such as the AL) could be recommended to be considered when using CBCT imaging.

Toosendan Fructus ameliorates the pancreatic damage through the anti-inflammatory activity in non-obese diabetic mice

  • Roh, Seong-Soo;Kim, Yong-Ung
    • The Korea Journal of Herbology
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.1-9
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    • 2015
  • Objectives : The present study was conducted to examine whether Toosendan Fructus has an ameliorative effect on diabetes-induced alterations such as oxidative stress and inflammation in the pancreas of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model of human type I diabetes. Methods : Extracts of Toosendan Fructus (ETF) were administered to NOD mice at three doses (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg). Mice at 18 weeks of age were measured glucose tolerance using intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. After 28 weeks of ETF treatment, glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and proinflammatory cytokines in serum, western blot analyses and a histopathological examination in pancreas tissue, and on the onset of diabetes were investigated. Results : The results showed that levels of glucose, glucose tolerance, TC, TG, interferon-${\gamma}$, interleukin (IL)-1 ${\beta}$, IL-6, and IL-12 in serum were down-regulated, while IL-4, IL-10, SOD, and catalase significantly increased. In addition, ETF improved protein expression of proinflammatory mediaters (such as cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase) and a proapoptotic protein (caspase-3) in the pancreatic tissue. Also, in the groups treated with ETF (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg), insulitis and infiltration of granulocytes were alleviated. Conclusions : Based on these results, the anti-diabetic effect of ETF may be due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Our findings support the therapeutic evidence for Toosendan Fructus ameliorating the development of diabetic pancreatic damage via regulating inflammation and apoptosis. Our future studies will be focused on the search for active compounds in these extracts.