• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.37-45
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• 2022

Purpose: Leisure time is an intrinsic part of the work-life balance that enables people to rejuvenate their energy and provides a platform to maintain their health while sustaining their productivity levels. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of changes in leisure consumption culture on the modern economy through various research materials. Research design, data and methodology: To have completeness in published systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the use of the standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist is essential and the present research selected this research design. Results: This research figured out that individuals who spend most of their leisure time watching TV have been shown to experience lesser satisfaction in their job designation and less happiness overall and also found that Leukocyte Telomere Length is influenced by the type of leisure an individual engages in. Conclusions: Overall, this research points out that the income effect may provide an inverse relationship between work time and labor in that high income from labor makes an individual less inclined to work to make the same money they made before the increased benefits. It is a narrative that may need further research in finding the principles that govern leisure in the labor force.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.16.1-16.12
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• 2022

Various methodologies for the genetic analysis of longitudinal data have been proposed and applied to data from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with traits of interest and to detect SNP-time interactions. We recently proposed a grid-based Bayesian mixed model for longitudinal genetic data and showed that our Bayesian method increased the statistical power compared to the corresponding univariate method and well detected SNP-time interactions. In this paper, we further analyze longitudinal obesity-related traits such as body mass index, hip circumference, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio from Korea Association Resource data to evaluate the proposed Bayesian method. We first conducted GWAS analyses of cross-sectional traits and combined the results of GWAS analyses through a meta-analysis based on a trajectory model and a random-effects model. We then applied our Bayesian method to a subset of SNPs selected by meta-analysis to further discover SNPs associated with traits of interest and SNP-time interactions. The proposed Bayesian method identified several novel SNPs associated with longitudinal obesity-related traits, and almost 25% of the identified SNPs had significant p-values for SNP-time interactions.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2023

Purpose: This research aims to explore the impact of fashion marketing on the sales of luxury brand items and to identify the strategies that can be used to market luxury fashion items successfully, addressing the research gap of how fashion marketing can lead to increased sales, customer loyalty, and satisfaction for luxury brand items. Research design, data and methodology: The present study conducted the method of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) which is a reporting guideline for methodical assessments and meta-analyses. It offers a consistent approach for conducting and reporting these types of studies, which can help to improve their quality and transparency. Results: The findings indicated that fashion marketing can positively impact luxury brand sales. It can significantly increase the number of luxury brand purchases. the presence of the quality label increased the participants' purchase intention and attitude towards the brand, suggesting that the quality label can create a positive perception of the brand and increase the likelihood of purchasing. Conclusions: This research concludes that fashion marketing can have a positive effect on improved customer recognition of the brand. Thus, companies should focus on developing campaigns that capture the attention of potential consumers, creating an emotional connection with them.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8075-8081
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• 2014

Background: The classical inflammatory biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP), has been identified to be related to progression of esophageal cancer. Some research showed that elevated pretreatment serum CRP indicated a poor prognosis, but results have been inconsistent. Materials and Methods: We searched the Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Search Library for suitable studies and a meta-analysis of eleven (1,886 patients) was conducted to examine the relationship between elevated serum CRP level and overall survival (OS) in esophageal cancer cases. Moreover, correlation analyses were conducted to assess links between pretreatment serum CRP level and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage as well as T, N, M grade, respectively. Results: The pooled analysis showed that elevated pretreatment serum CRP level was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (HR 2.09, 95%CI 1.52-2.87, p<0.01). Subgroup analyses were conducted by "country", "cut-off value", "treatment" and "number of patients", and no single factor could alter the result. Elevated pretreatment serum CRP was significantly correlated with more advanced TNM stage and T, N, M grade respectively. Conclusions: Elevated pretreatment serum CRP levels are associated with poorer prognosis in esophageal cancer patients, and could serve as a useful biomarker for outcome prediction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6955-6960
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• 2014

Background: The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay is a standard cytogenetic tool employed to evaluate chromosomal damage subsequent to pesticide exposure. Objectives: To evaluate the pooled levels of total micronuclei (MN) and binucleated cells with micronuclei (MNC) in 1000 binucleated lymphocytes among population occupationally exposed to pesticides and further determine the more sensitive biomarker of CBMN. Materials and Methods: A meta-analysis on the pooled levels of MN and MNC in binucleated lymphocytes among occupationally pesticide-exposed populations was conducted using STATA 10.0 software and Review Manager 5.0.24 in this study. Results: We found significant differences in frequencies of MN and MNC in 1000 binucleated lymphocytes between pesticide-exposed groups and controls, and the summary estimates of weighted mean difference were 6.82 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 4.86-8.78] and 5.08 (95% CI: 2.93-7.23), respectively. However, when we conducted sensitivity analyses further, only the MN remained statistically different, but not the MNC, the summary estimates of weight mean difference were 2.86 (95% CI: 2.51-3.21) and 0.50 (95% CI: -0.16-1.17), respectively. We also observed pesticide-exposed subjects had significantly higher MN frequencies than controls among smokers and nonsmokers, male and female populations, and American, Asian and European countries in stratified analyses. Conclusions: The frequency of MN in peripheral blood lymphocytes might be a more sensitive indicator of early genetic effects than MNC using the CBMN assay for occupationally pesticide-exposed populations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2793-2800
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• 2015

In molecular-targeted cancer therapy, acquired resistance to gemcitabine is a major clinical problem that reduces its effectiveness, resulting in recurrence and metastasis of cancers. In spite of great efforts to reveal the overall mechanism of acquired gemcitabine resistance, no definitive genetic factors have been identified that are absolutely responsible for the resistance process. Therefore, we performed a cross-platform meta-analysis of three publically available microarray datasets for cancer cell lines with acquired gemcitabine resistance, using the R-based RankProd algorithm, and were able to identify a total of 158 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 76 up- and 82 down-regulated) that are potentially involved in acquired resistance to gemcitabine. Indeed, the top 20 up- and down-regulated DEGs are largely associated with a common process of carcinogenesis in many cells. For the top 50 up- and down-regulated DEGs, we conducted integrated analyses of a gene regulatory network, a gene co-expression network, and a protein-protein interaction network. The identified DEGs were functionally enriched via Gene Ontology hierarchy and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. By systemic combinational analysis of the three molecular networks, we could condense the total number of DEGs to final seven genes. Notably, GJA1, LEF1, and CCND2 were contained within the lists of the top 20 up- or down-regulated DEGs. Our study represents a comprehensive overview of the gene expression patterns associated with acquired gemcitabine resistance and theoretical support for further clinical therapeutic studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3477-3482
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• 2014

Objective: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of extra-intestinal cancer, whereas its impact on cholangiocarcinoma (CC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to obtain a reliable estimate of the risk of CC in IBD patients through a meta-analysis of clinical observational studies. Methods: Relevant studies were retrieved by searching PUBMED, EMBASE and Web of Science Databases up to Dec 2013. Four population-based case-control and two cohort studies with IBD were identified. Summary relative risk (RR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Potential sources of heterogeneity were detected using subgroup analyses. Results: The pooled risk estimate indicated IBD patients were at increased risk of CC (RR = 2.63, 95%CI = 1.47-4.72). Moreover, the increased risk of CC was also associated with Crohn's disease (RR = 2.69, 95%CI = 1.59-4.55) and ulcerative colitis (RR = 3.40, 95%CI = 2.50-4.62). In addition, site-specific analyses revealed that IBD patients had an increased risk of intrahepatic CC (ICC) (RR = 2.61, 95%CI = 1.72-3.95) and extrahepatic CC (ECC) (RR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.10-1.97). Conclusions: This study suggests the risk of CC is significantly increased among IBD patients, especially in ICC cases. Further studies are warranted to enable definite conclusions to be drawn.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.73-89
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• 2022

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in the treatment of common shoulder diseases. Methods: The PubMed, Medline, and Central databases and trial registries were searched from their inception to October 2020 for randomized controlled trials of autologous PRP injections for shoulder diseases versus placebo or any control intervention. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in the selection, analysis, and reporting of findings. The primary outcome was pain intensity (visual analog scale), and secondary outcomes were changes in function and quality of life (QoL). Results: A total of 17 randomized controlled trials of PRP versus control were analyzed. From 8-12 weeks to ≥1 year, PRP injections were associated with better pain relief and functional outcomes than control interventions. PRP injections were also associated with greater QoL, with an effect size of 2.61 (95% confidence interval, 2.01-14.17) at medium-term follow-up. Compared with placebo and corticosteroid injections, PRP injections provided better pain relief and functional improvement. In subgroup analyses, trials in which PRP was prepared by the double centrifugation technique, the platelet concentration in the PRP was enriched ≥5 times, leucocyte-rich PRP was used, or an activating agent was used before application reported the most effective pain relief at 6-7 months. Conclusions: PRP injections could provide better pain relief and functional outcomes than other treatments for persons presenting with common shoulder diseases. PRP injections have a greater capacity to improve shoulder-related QoL than other interventions.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.48.1-48.11
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• 2020

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to identify mean oxygen saturation values (SpO₂) using pulse oximetry in permanent maxillary anterior teeth. Materials and Methods: The MEDLINE, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and Literatura Latino Americana em Ciências da Saúde electronic databases were searched. Combinations and variations of "oximetry" AND "dental pulp test" were used as search terms. Studies reporting means and standard deviations of SpO₂ values were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and all analyses were performed using R software. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: Of the 251 studies identified, 19 met the eligibility criteria and were included (total sample, 4,541 teeth). In the meta-analysis, the mean SpO₂ values were 84.94% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.85%-85.04%) for the central incisors, 89.29% (95% CI, 89.22%-89.35%) for the lateral incisors, and 89.20% (95% CI, 89.05%-89.34%) for the canines. The studies were predominantly low-quality due to the high risk of bias associated with the index test, unclear risk regarding patient selection, and concerns about outcome assessment. Conclusions: Although most studies were low-quality, the oxygen saturation levels in normal pulp could be established (minimum saturation, 77.52%). Despite the risk of bias of the included studies, the reference values reported herein are clinically relevant for assessments of changes in pulp status.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.880-893
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• 2019

Objective: To assess the technical performance of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) for measuring liver stiffness. Materials and Methods: The Ovid-MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for studies reporting the technical performance of 2D-SWE, including concerns with technical failures, unreliable measurements, interobserver reliability, and/or intraobserver reliability, published until June 30, 2018. The pooled proportion of technical failure and unreliable measurements was calculated using meta-analytic pooling via the random-effects model and inverse variance method for calculating weights. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore potential causes of heterogeneity. The pooled intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for interobserver and intraobserver reliability were calculated using the Hedges-Olkin method with Fisher's Z transformation of the correlation coefficient. Results: The search yielded 34 articles. From 20 2D-SWE studies including 6196 patients, the pooled proportion of technical failure was 2.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.9%). The pooled proportion of unreliable measurements from 20 studies including 6961 patients was 7.5% (95% CI, 4.7-11.7%). In the subgroup analyses, studies conducting more than three measurements showed fewer unreliable measurements than did those with three measurements or less, but no intergroup difference was found in technical failure. The pooled ICCs for interobserver reliability (from 10 studies including 517 patients) and intraobserver reliability (from 7 studies including 679 patients) were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.82-0.90) and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.89-0.95), respectively, suggesting good to excellent reliability. Conclusion: 2D-SWE shows good technical performance for assessing liver stiffness, with high technical success and reliability. Future studies should establish the quality criteria and optimal number of measurements.