• Title/Summary/Keyword: conclusive evidence

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Effectiveness of methylene blue photosensitizers compared to that of corticosteroids in the management of oral lichen planus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Waingade, Manjushri;Medikeri, Raghavendra S;Rathod, Pooja
    • Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.175-186
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    • 2022
  • This study aimed to systematically review the effectiveness of methylene blue (MB) photosensitizers in the management of symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP). Electronic online databases and manual searches were performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between January 2010 and February 2022. RCTs comparing photodynamic therapy (PDT) and corticosteroid therapy at baseline and follow-up period were identified. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. A meta-analysis was performed regarding visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Thongprasom sign scores, lesion size, response to treatment, and exacerbation of lesions after therapy. The clinical severity was analyzed qualitatively. Five RCTs consisting of 180 samples fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All parameters of VAS score, Thongprasom sign score, lesion size, and response to treatment were statistically non-significant. Our results indicate that both MB-PDT and corticosteroid therapy are effective for the management of OLP. Moreover, MB-PDT is an effective alternative treatment option for OLP when corticosteroids are contraindicated. However, conclusive evidence cannot be ascertained owing to the heterogeneity among the studies.

A study of Korean language education and healing among middle-aged and older learners

  • Geon-su Im;Hyun-Yong Cho
    • CELLMED
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    • v.13 no.10
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    • pp.9.1-9.6
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    • 2023
  • This study aims to explore the potential of Korean language learning as a means of psychological healing and improving the quality of life for Japanese middle-aged and older learners. Results showed that Korean language learning could help alleviate various psychological issues experienced by middle-aged learners and contribute to enhancing their quality of life. Learning a foreign language is not just about acquiring information but also about meeting people who use the language and understanding and experiencing their culture. In particular, for Japanese middle-aged learners, Korean language learning can be advantageous as it can lead to the discovery or development of new hobbies or interests. Results also showed that Korean language learning increased learners' opportunities for interaction with others and enjoyment of learning new cultural customs. These positive outcomes suggest the need for discussion of teaching strategies that focus on psychological healing in foreign language education. Further clinical trials with participants who learn foreign languages for healing purposes may provide more conclusive evidence on the diverse effects of language learning on stress, anxiety, depression, self-development, social connections, and cognitive ability.

The Effect of Forced Exposure to Crosscutting Information: What Is the Effect of Broadcast News Shows That Deliver Opposing Opinions?

  • Sangik Han;Sungjoong Kim
    • Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.304-326
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    • 2023
  • News shows often deliver crosscutting information to their audiences by inviting commentators from rival political parties. If these news shows foster the formation of informed and balanced views of the audience, mass media could provide countermeasures against political polarization. To test the effect of such news shows, this study conducted an experiment with two variants of a simulated radio talk show. In the partisan scenario, the two guest commentators' affiliations suggested their ideological orientation. In the non-partisan scenario, the commentators had neutral affiliations. We divided participants into two ideology groups, liberals and conservative, and compared each group's evaluation of the commentators in the two scenarios. Two multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests were conducted to analyze the effect of the perceived ideology of the commentators on respondents' attitudes toward the commentators' arguments depending on their own ideological inclinations. The analyses results did not support the hypothesis that anticipated partisan attitudes towards the commentators' arguments. It was only the liberal respondents who showed statistically significant different attitudes toward commentators' arguments in each of the two scenarios. The findings suggest that such broadcast shows do not automatically trigger partisan message processing and may help the audience to develop informed and balanced opinions. While the current study failed to find conclusive evidence to support the hypotheses, it also found that the perceived ideology of the information source may trigger partisan attitudes for certain types of issues. Future studies with different experiment designs are needed to investigate the issue further.

The Antibacterial Properties of Filtrates from Chinese Cabbage Kimchi

  • Seong-Soo CHA;JeungSun LEE;Min-Kyu KWAK
    • The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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    • v.9 no.6
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    • pp.9-19
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    • 2023
  • Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides are crucial functional starters and predominant isolates in a wide range of fermented foods, particularly kimchi, whose constituents exhibit bioactive properties. We previously developed a methodology using anion exchange resins to purify peptidyl compounds from Lb. plantarum LBP-K10. Antibacterial cultures of Lb. plantarum LBP-K10 were obtained from the respective cultures' supernatants and filtrates. However, conclusive evidence of the efficacy of kimchi filtrates in eradicating pathogenic bacteria is lacking. We aimed to simulate the potential effects of antibacterial filtrates that contained antibacterial compounds which were derived from cultures of Lb. plantarum LBP-K10. We acquired the kimchi filtrates using a combination of centrifugation and filtration methodologies, without the requirement for inoculation. The filtered liquid from Chinese cabbage kimchi, inoculated with Lb. plantarum LBP-K10 as a starter culture, and the non-inoculated liquid from Chinese cabbage kimchi (referred to as CCK and CCKRef, respectively) were were examined. CCK demonstrated greater inhibitory activity and a more significant bactericidal effect against the bacterial indicator strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration demonstrated comparable outcomes in tests against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This research offers a groundbreaking examination that displays the effectiveness of profiling peptidyl compounds within kimchi filtrates for curing bacterial infections.

HISTOLOGIC STUDY OF THE AUTOGENOUS AURICULAR CARTILAGE GRAFTS IN THE RABBITS FEMER (가토 대퇴골에 이식한 자가 이연골에 관한 조직학적 연구)

  • Sung, Gil-Hyun;Kim, Eun-Cheol;Min, Seung-Ki;Lee, Dong-Keun;Kim, Soo-Nam
    • Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.49-61
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    • 1993
  • The transplantation of cartilage, especially auricular cartilage, has assumed a role of importance in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. From long years ago, many reports have appeared in the literature describing the experimental and clinical results of the use of cartilage. At present, the evidence for survival of autograft of cartilage is admitted, But, the results for interrelationship between the bone and cartilage grafts with or without perichondrium is not so conclusive. The purpose of this study were observed as to whether autogenous cartilage grafts were fixed by means of tie with 4-0 vicryl and fibrin adhesive on the femur or microscopic findings of union state in 16 rabbits. We sacrified the experimental animals after 1, 2, 4, 6 weeks postoperatively and made the specimens as a routine laboratory procedures and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin stain, Verhoeff-van Gieson elastic fiber stain, and alcian blue periodic acid-Schiff(AB-PAS) for mucopolysaccharide. Histologic evaluation was performed under microscope. The obtaind results were as follows : 1. Fibrous union was formed between the grafting cartilage and the femur, nor any findings of calcification and formation of new bone. 2. Partial fibrous adhesion was observed in fibrin adhesive groups on 6 weeks postoperatively. 3. Appositional growth has performed more in fibrin adhesive groups than tie groups. 4. There are little difference in both for new copillary proliferation and fibroblast activations. 5. Degenerative changes have apperared more in tie groups than adhesive groups, but not related to the healing periods.

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Passive Smoking and Attitudes towards Tobacco Control Programs among Iranian Dental Students

  • Keshavarz, Hooman;Jafari, Ahmad;Khami, Mohammad Reza;Virtanen, Jorma Ilmari
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.6
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    • pp.3635-3639
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    • 2013
  • Background: Conclusive evidence exists about associations between several life-threatening diseases and passive smoking. The objective of our study was to investigate the prevalence of passive smoking among Iranian dental students, to assess their attitudes towards tobacco control programs, and to explore the association between these two and tobacco use. Methods: In eight randomly selected dental schools, all fourth-year students were surveyed by means of a self-administered anonymous questionnaire in December 2010. The Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire served as the data collection instrument. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was assessed during the previous week. Chi-square test, logistic regression, and linear regression served for statistical analyses. Results: The response rate was 84% (325 students, 66% female). Exposure to ETS was reported by 74% of the participants. Men were significantly more exposed to ETS at home, and in other places than were women. Most of the students agreed on queried tobacco control policies. The lowest agreement (72%) was for banning smoking in coffee shops and teahouses. A logistic regression model showed that adjusted for gender, passive smoking at home is significantly associated with current tobacco use. A linear regression model suggested that the total score of attitudes is significantly associated with passive smoking at home, passive smoking in other places, tobacco use experience, and current tobacco use. Conclusions: The study reports high exposure to ETS among dental students, and its association with current tobacco use and attitudes towards tobacco control.

Road Supply and Generated Traffic (고속도로 투자로 인한 유발교통량 분석에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Kang-Soo
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.179-198
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    • 2006
  • This paper estimates relationships between the supply of national highways, measured in lane-km, and the quantity of traffic, measured in vehicle-km traveled. The analysis uses a panel data set of annual observations for the years 1984 to 2003. By using a log-linear lag effect model designed to capture short and long term effects, the paper estimates that national highway vehicle-km traveled has a lane-km elasticity of 0.268 at the country level (Non-Seoul Metropolitan area) and 0.41 at the Seoul metropolitan area for the short term. For the long term, the paper estimates 0.8 for the country level and 1.23 for the Seoul metropolitan area. This paper finds conclusive evidence that increases in highway lane-miles have generated traffic over the period of study, however the increasing ratio of the generated traffic decreases gradually, particularly during the late 1980s.

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Assesment of Indoor Air Quality within Public Transport Vehicles operating in specified locations throughout Seoul (서울 일부 지역 교통수단의 실내 공기질 평가)

  • Sohn Jong-Ryeul;Choi Dal-Woong;Choi Jung-Sook;Woo Wan-Gi
    • Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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    • v.21 no.1 s.59
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    • pp.12-20
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    • 2006
  • This paper was conducted concerning the degree of indoor air quality in public transport vehicles such as taxicabs, buses and subway trains, as sampled through the active participation of drivers and passengers in Seoul between 13th August 2005 and 2nd November 2005. The results were summarized as follows: 1. Among the measured substances especially respirable particulate matters ($PM_{10}$), total bacteria counts (TBC) and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) exceeded the standard level of $150{\mu}g/m^3,\;800CFU/m^3$ and 1000ppm. 2. The concentration of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in taxi recorded 2491ppm, which is more than the standard amount of 1000ppm. This level was comparatively higher than all other public transportation methods. Total bacteria counts (TBC) in bus and subway recorded $1082CFU/m^3\;and\;1856CFU/m^3$, respectively. 3. The drivers who regularly work long hours showed the higher concern about contamination of the air inside the public transport vehicles and they considered it to be worse than the air outside. In contrast, the general public showed less concern about the air quality inside the public transport vehicles. However, they too acknowledged that the quality of the air inside the public transport vehicles was poor. In regards to the degree of indoor air quality in the public transport vehicles, a counterplan must be implemented urgently to effectively combat the excessive levels of $PM_{10}$, microorganism and $CO_2$. We need to gather more conclusive evidence pertaining to other possible contaminants and influencing factors.

Survey of Perception of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (CAT) (암환자를 돌보는 일부 종합병원 간호사의 보완대체요법에 대한 인식도)

  • Kim, Keum-Soon;Yi, Myung-Sun;An, Kyung-Eh;Yu, Han-Jin;Kwon, So-Hi
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.457-466
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    • 2006
  • Purpose: This study was done to investigate oncology nurses' perception, attitude, knowledge and practice of CAT and to describe nurses' needs for education on CAT Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. A total of 270 oncology nurses working at four medical centers in Seoul and Kyungki participated in this study. They completed the questionnaire between December 2005 and February 2006. Results: Oncology nurses perceived CAT as possible nursing interventions, but felt that there was no conclusive evidence on effectiveness/safety. Of the participants 44.4% have used CAT for themselves, and 73.9% of them were satisfied after using CAT. Two biggest reasons for CAT use were symptom control and emotional support. However, 80.8% of the participants had not had any training related to CAT Both nurses who have used CAT and those who have been trained to practice CAT represented a more positive perception toward CAT (p=.000). The biggest perceived obstacles to the practice of CAT were concerns about side effects (71.2%) and lack of knowledge and skill (69.6%). The most favorable CAT modalities in both practice and training were mind-body medicine. Conclusion: Overall oncology nurses' perception toward CAT was encouraging. However a high number of the nurses reported lack of knowledge and skill in CAT Education and training strategy for CAT need to be developed.

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Systematic Risk Factors Implied in the Return Dynamics of KOSPI 200 Index Options (KOSPI 200 지수(옵션)의 수익률생성과정에 내재된 체계적 위험요인)

  • Kim, Moo-Sung;Kang, Tae-Hun
    • The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.69-101
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    • 2008
  • We empirically investigate the option leverage property that should be priced under much more general conditions than the Black-Scholes assumptions and the option redundancy property that is based on the assumption that the underlying asset price follows a one-dimensional diffusion process and examine the systematic risk factors implied in the return dynamics of KOSPI 200 index options. We find that the option leverage pattern is similar to the theoretical result but the options are not redundant securities and in the nonlinear structure of option payoffs, the traders of KOSPI 200 index options price the systematic higher-moments and the negative volatility risk premium significantly affects delta-hedged gains, even after accounting for jump fears. But the empirical evidence on jump risk preference is less conclusive.

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