• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.384-391
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• 2021

Purpose: The Cow's Milk-related Symptom Score (CoMiSS^TM) was developed as an awareness tool for evaluating cow's milk-related symptoms in otherwise healthy children. Using a convenience sample of participants, this cross-sectional study aimed to determine CoMiSS^TM values of symptomatic infants based on retrospectively or prospectively obtained information. Methods: CoMiSS^TM values were determined in infants aged <12 months with symptoms suggestive of cow's milk protein allergy or functional gastrointestinal disorders. The exclusion criteria were previous diagnosis with acute or chronic disease, treatment with a therapeutic formula, and in case of breastfeeding, an elimination diet followed by the mother. Two CoMiSS^TM values were assessed. A retrospective collection was defined as the collection of data after initial contact with the medical center but before the first medical consultation. A prospective collection was defined as the collection of data within 24 hours from the time of medical consultation but before starting any therapeutic intervention. The CoMiSS^TM total and individual component scores obtained retrospectively or prospectively were compared between groups using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: This study was performed between August and November 2019. Data of 110 children (62 males and 48 females), with a mean±standard deviation age of 18.2±11.7 weeks, were obtained. The total CoMiSS^TM value (p<0.001) and some individual component scores (crying, regurgitation, and stool) were significantly lower when collected prospectively than when collected retrospectively. Conclusion: CoMiSS^TM values were retrospectively and prospectively determined. Lower CoMiSS^TM values were obtained during prospective evaluation. Possible differences should be considered when using CoMiSS^TM in clinical practice.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.70-81
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• 2018

Objectives : To investigate the association of trial registration status with presence of reporting bias including publication bias and outcome reporting bias in recently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture. Methods : A PubMed search for RCTs of acupuncture published from March 2016 to February 2017 was conducted. Primary outcomes were identified and the direction of the results was judged as positive (i.e., statistically significant) or negative. The trial registration was identified by manually screening the trial registration number in the main text of the published article and classified into 1) prospective registration; 2) retrospective registration based on the registration date or; 3) no registration. Results : Of the 125 included RCTs, only 40 studies (32.0%) prospectively registered the study protocols. Among 65 RCTs that adequately reported the primary outcome, unregistered trials were more likely to report positive results than the registered ones (p=0.013). Of the 40 prospectively registered studies, 19 trials (47.5%) had the discrepancies between the registered and published primary outcomes and furthermore, 40% of them reported the positive findings. Conclusions : Unregistered trials were more likely to report positive results and the discrepancies between the registered and published primary outcomes were detected in about a half of the prospectively registered studies, 42.1% of which tended to report positive findings. Journal editors and researchers in this field should be alerted to various reporting biases.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.202-205
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• 2016

Background: Packing after closed reduction of nasal fracture causes uncomfortable nasal obstruction in patients. We packed the superior meatus with synthetic polyurethane foam (SPF) to support the nasal bone, and packed the middle nasal meatus with a nasal airway splint (NAS) and SPF. The aim of this article is prospectively to compare the subjective patient discomfort of SPF (Nasopore Forte plus) packing alone and SPF with NAS. Methods: We compared the prospectively subjective patient discomfort of SPF packing alone (group A) and SPF with NAS (group B) via visual analog scale (VAS; 0, no symptom; 100, most severe symptom). Results: At first postoperative day group B showed significant lower scores in dry mouth, sleep disturbance, conversation difficulty. However at third postoperative day, VAS scores of each group had no statistically significant differences. Moreover at fifth postoperative day group A had statistically significant lower scores for nasal pain, dry mouth than the group B. Conclusion: Combination method of using NAS and SPF have some advantage on the patient comfort from first postoperative day to third postoperative day.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.336-340
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• 2009

Objective : The factors that influence the prognosis of patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) treated by microvascular decompression (MVD) have not been definitely established. We report a prospective study evaluating the prognostic factors in patients undergoing MVD for HFS. Methods : From January 2004 to September 2006, the authors prospectively studied a series of 293 patients who underwent MVD for HFS. We prospectively analyzed a number of variables in order to evaluate the predictive value of independent variables for the prognosis of patients undergoing MVD. The patients were followed-up at regular intervals and divided into as cured and unsatisfactory groups based on symptom relief. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Results : A total 273 of 293 (94.2%) patients achieved symptom relief within one year after the operation. Intraoperatively, the indentation of the root exit zone was observed in 259 (88.5%) patients. Uni- and multivariate analyses revealed that the symptoms at postoperative 3 months (p<0.001) and indentation of the root exit zone (p=0.036) were associated with good outcomes. Conclusion : The intraoperative finding of root exit zone indentation will help physicians determine the prognosis in patients with HFS. To predict the prognosis of HFS, a regular follow-up period of at least 3 months following MVD should be required.

• Journal of The Korean Radiological Technologist Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2001

Ⅰ. Purpose : To determine echo value and duration of contrast enhancement of liver mass on contrast-enhanced US with Levovist by quantitative analysis. Ⅱ. Materials and Methods : Twenty three patients with liver mass were prospectively evaluated with cont

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.797-802
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• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the predictive value of perfusion computed tomography (CT) for response of local advanced esophageal carcinoma to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Before any treatment, forty-three local advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinomas were prospectively evaluated by perfusion scan with 16-row CT from June 2009 to January 2012. Perfusion parameters, including perfusion (BF), peak enhanced density (PED), blood volume (BV), and time to peak (TTP) were measured using Philips perfusion software. Seventeen cases received definitive radiotherapy and 26 received concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. The response was evaluated by CT scan and esophagography. Differences in perfusion parameters between responders and non-responders were analyzed, and ROCs were used to assess predictive value of the baseline parameters for treatment response. Results: There were 25 responders (R) and 18 non-responders (NR). Responders showed significantly higher BF (R:34.1 ml/100g/min vs NR: 25.0 ml/100g/min, p=0.001), BV (23.2 ml/100g vs 18.3 ml/100g, p=0.009) and PED (32.5 HU vs 28.32HU, P=0.003) than non-responders. But the baseline TTP (R: 38.2s vs NR: 44.10s, p=0.172) had no difference in the two groups. For baseline BF, a threshold of 36.1 ml/100g/min achieved a sensitivity of 56%, and a specificity of 94.4% for detection of clinical responders from non-responders. Conclusions: The results suggest that the perfusion CT can provide some helpful information for identifying tumors that may respond to radio-chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3871-3875
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• 2016

Background: Colonoscopy plays a fundamental role in early diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer and requires public and professional acceptance to ensure the ongoing success of screening programs. The aim of the study was to prospectively assess whether patient acceptance rates to undergo screening colonoscopy could be improved by the offer of advanced imaging techniques. Materials and Methods: Overall, 372 randomly selected patients were prospectively included. A standardized questionnaire was developed that inquired of the patients their knowledge regarding advanced imaging techniques. Second, several media campaigns and information events were organized reporting about advanced imaging techniques, followed by repeated evaluation. After one year the evaluation ended. Results: At baseline, 64% of the patients declared that they had no knowledge about new endoscopic methods. After twelve months the overall grade of information increased significantly from 14% at baseline to 34%. The percentage of patients who decided to undergo colonoscopy because of the offer of new imaging methods also increased significantly from 12% at baseline to 42% after 12 months. Conclusions: Patients were highly interested in the offer of advanced imaging techniques. Knowledge about these techniques could relatively easy be provided using local media campaigns. The offer of advanced imaging techniques leads to higher acceptance rates for screening colonoscopies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1539-1544
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• 2014

Purpose: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3), and Golgi protein 73 (GP73) levels have been widely used as tumor markers for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether these tumor markers could be used to monitor short-term treatment response and recurrence of HCC in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods: Between July 2012 and July 2013, 53 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HCC were prospectively enrolled in this study. Among these, 32 patients underwent RFA, after which they were followed up prospectively at the First Hospital of Jilin University in China. Results: AFP, AFP-L3, and GP-73 values pre-RFA were not associated with tumor size, whereas AFP and GP-73 levels tended to be associated with tumor number, the presence of vascular invasion, deterioration of liver function, advanced-stage disease, and a poor performance status. GP-73 levels were dramatically elevated in the patients with hepatitis C-associated HCC. Neither pre-RFA nor 1-month post-RFA tumor marker values were associated with short-term outcome. The short-term recurrence rate of AFP-positive patients measured 1 month post-RFA was obviously higher than that of AFP-negative patients. Conclusions: AFP and GP-73 values were associated with clinical variables representing tumor growth and invasiveness, and the AFP value measured 1 month post-RFA was a strong predictor of short-term recurrence in patients with HCC.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.206-211
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• 2010

Purpose: Most surgeons administer prophylactic antibiotics for 3 to 5 days postoperatively. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guideline recommends antibiotic therapy for 24 hours or less in clean/uncontaminated surgery. Thus, we prospectively studied the use of short term prophylactic antibiotic therapy after gastric cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery between October 2007 and June 2008 were prospectively enrolled in a short term prophylactic antibiotics program. One gram of cefoxitin was administered 30 minutes before the incision, and one additional gram was administered intraoperatively for cases with an operation time over 3 hours. Postoperatively, one gram was administered 3 times, every 8 hours. Patients were checked routinely for fever. All cases received open surgery, and the surgical wounds were dressed and checked for Surgical Site Infection (SSI) daily. Results: Of the 103 patients, 15 were dropped based on exclusion criteria (severe organ dysfunction, combined resection of the colon, etc). The remaining 88 patients were included in the short-term program of prophylactic antibiotic use. Of these patients, SSIs were detected in 8 (9.1%) and fever after 2 postoperative days was detected in 11 (12.5%). The incidence of SSIs increased with patient age, and postoperative fever correlated with operation time. Conclusions: Short term prophylactic antibiotic usage is feasible in patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery, and where there are no grave comorbidities or combined resection.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2014

Purpose: The role of peritoneal washing cytology in determining further treatment strategies after surgery for gastric cancer remains unclear. One reason for this is the fact that optimal procedures to increase the accuracy of predicting peritoneal metastasis have not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cytology using samples harvested from two different abdominal cavity sites during gastric cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: We prospectively recruited 108 patients who were clinically diagnosed with locally advanced gastric cancer (higher than cT1 stage disease). Peritoneal washing fluids were collected from the pouch of Douglas and the subphrenic area. Patients were prospectively followed up for 2 years to determine the recurrence and survival rates. Results: Thirty-three patients dropped out of the study for various reasons, so 75 patients were included in the final analysis. Seven patients (9.3%) showed positive cytology findings, of whom, three showed peritoneal recurrence. Tumor size was the only factor associated with positive cytology findings (P=0.037). The accuracy and specificity of cytology for predicting peritoneal recurrence were 90.1% and 94.2%, respectively, whereas the sensitivity was 50.0%. The survival rate did not differ between patients with positive cytology findings and those with negative cytology findings (P=0.081). Conclusions: Peritoneal washing cytology using samples harvested from two different sites in the abdominal cavity was not able to predict peritoneal recurrence or survival in gastric cancer patients. Further studies will be required to determine whether peritoneal washing cytology during gastric cancer surgery is a meaningful procedure.