scholarly journals Recent Advances and Perspective of Studies on Phlegm Syndrome in Chinese Medicine

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Zhang ◽  
Jingqing Hu
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Omic Technology ◽  
Efficacy Criteria ◽  
English Articles ◽  
Phlegm Syndrome

This review paper summarized the current situation of studies on the essence of phlegm syndrome and relation between phlegm syndrome, diseases, and therapeutics based on published English articles. In studies on the essence of phlegm syndrome, omic technologies were used to explore the molecular basis of phlegm syndrome; in studies on relation between phlegm syndrome and diseases, discovery of markers of phlegm syndrome in diseases becomes a hotspot; the distribution of phlegm syndromes in some common chronic diseases was found; in the therapy of phlegm syndrome, two therapeutic models, treatment with CM formula and treatment with a combination of CM formula and Western medicine, were used most frequently. It is certainly that using one omic technology is not able to deal with the complexity of phlegm syndrome and that the use of a combination of multiple omic methods will be a trend in future studies. Meanwhile, for rapidly increasing clinical research quality of phlegm syndrome, a series of agreed criteria, such as syndrome diagnostic criteria and efficacy criteria clinical studies of phlegm syndrome, needed to be established urgently, and there was an urgent need of standardizing syndrome names in English.

An Overview of Facilities Providing Clinical Services for Persons Who Stutter in Kuwait

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-95
Author(s):  
Latifa Alsalmi ◽  
Robert Mayo
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Department Heads ◽  
Clinical Services ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Language Services ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Clinical Directors

Presently, no clear picture is available about the facilities providing clinical services for persons who stutter (PWS) in Kuwait. This information is crucial for any awareness program to be established in the future. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical facilities and speech-language personnel that provide services for PWS in Kuwait. Participants consisted of 21 clinical directors of governmental medical centers, non-profit clinics, and private clinics as well as department heads of governmental school clinics where speech-language services were provided. Participants were interviewed regarding the availability of speech-language services within their centers and whether or not PWS receive services. The results revealed that four out of five governmental medical centers with a total of 32 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provided services for PWS. Additionally, 12 schools of special education were found to have 62 SLPs on their staff providing fluency services for students. Finally, two stand-alone private clinics and one non-profit clinic provided services for PWS. Results indicated an overall shortage of SLPs in the country, especially in medical settings. This study sets the foundation for a series of future studies investigating the type and quality of stuttering services provided by the identified facilities in Kuwait.

scholarly journals Calling for improved quality in the registration of traditional Chinese medicine during the public health emergency: a survey of trial registries for COVID-19, H1N1, and SARS

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuoran Kuang ◽  
◽  
Xiaoyan Li ◽  
Jianxiong Cai ◽  
Yaolong Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Clinical Trial Registry ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Diagnosis Criteria

Abstract Objective To assess the registration quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical trials for COVID-19, H1N1, and SARS. Method We searched for clinical trial registrations of TCM in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) on April 30, 2020. The registration quality assessment is based on the WHO Trial Registration Data Set (Version 1.3.1) and extra items for TCM information, including TCM background, theoretical origin, specific diagnosis criteria, description of intervention, and outcomes. Results A total of 136 records were examined, including 129 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) and 7 H1N1 influenza (H1N1) patients. The deficiencies in the registration of TCM clinical trials (CTs) mainly focus on a low percentage reporting detailed information about interventions (46.6%), primary outcome(s) (37.7%), and key secondary outcome(s) (18.4%) and a lack of summary result (0%). For the TCM items, none of the clinical trial registrations reported the TCM background and rationale; only 6.6% provided the TCM diagnosis criteria or a description of the TCM intervention; and 27.9% provided TCM outcome(s). Conclusion Overall, although the number of registrations of TCM CTs increased, the registration quality was low. The registration quality of TCM CTs should be improved by more detailed reporting of interventions and outcomes, TCM-specific information, and sharing of the result data.

scholarly journals Drought and Salinity in Citriculture: Optimal Practices to Alleviate Salinity and Water Stress

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1283
Author(s):  
Vasileios Ziogas ◽  
Georgia Tanou ◽  
Giasemi Morianou ◽  
Nektarios Kourgialas
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Cell Metabolism ◽  
High Water ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Fruit Tree ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Negative Effect

Among the various abiotic stresses, drought is the major factor limiting crop productivity worldwide. Citrus has been recognized as a fruit tree crop group of great importance to the global agricultural sector since there are 140 citrus-producing countries worldwide. The majority of citrus-producing areas are subjected to dry and hot summer weather, limited availability of water resources with parallel low-quality irrigation water due to increased salinity regimes. Citrus trees are generally classified as “salt-intolerant” with high water needs, especially during summer. Water scarcity negatively affects plant growth and impairs cell metabolism, affecting the overall tree growth and the quality of produced fruit. Key factors that overall attempt to sustain and withstand the negative effect of salinity and drought stress are the extensive use of rootstocks in citriculture as well as the appropriate agronomical and irrigation practices applied. This review paper emphasizes and summarizes the crucial role of the above factors in the sustainability of citriculture.

scholarly journals Preserving the Activities of Daily Living Independence in Late Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 228-228
Author(s):  
Pao-feng Tsai ◽  
Thomas Jakobs ◽  
Reid Landes
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Computer Application ◽  
Maximum Effect ◽  
Activity Of Daily Living ◽  
Nursing Assistant ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Certified Nursing Assistant

Abstract Levels of Assistance (LoA) is an effective caregiving intervention for maintaining activity of daily living (ADL) independence. It is a structured, almost prescriptive, approach to encourage completing ADLs as independently as an elder’s capabilities permit. With appropriate prompts and assistance during dressing, elders can overcome disability, express retained competencies, and experience success. Simultaneously, caregivers learn to view their functions as maintaining the quality of life of able elders, and they receive reinforcement from elders who are more confident and happier. This study is a continuation of a previous project that created and tested a computer application training program for LoA in nursing homes. We refined the app to include grooming LoA and tested on 10 certified nursing assistant (CNA)/resident dyads at a local nursing home. The pilot results showed, although we did not see consistent improvement in CNA’s dressing LoA, we achieved 10% to 30% improvement in grooming LoA. This indicates that the dressing assistance training is able to transfer to grooming LoA. With only an average of one-hour app training, this improvement is cost effective as compared to training provided by care professionals. Future studies should consider incorporating a culture change strategy to improve CNAs’ intention for assisting elders. In addition, the training program should be offered in the initial hire to achieve maximum effect.

scholarly journals Curcumin: Modern Applications for a Versatile Additive

Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 519
Author(s):  
Florentina Monica Raduly ◽  
Valentin Raditoiu ◽  
Alina Raditoiu ◽  
Violeta Purcar
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Natural Compound ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Curcuma Longa ◽  
Antibacterial Properties ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Nano Particles ◽  
Synergistic Activity ◽  
Quality Of Food

The recent development of several methods for extracting curcumin from the root of the plant Curcuma longa has led to intensified research on the properties of curcumin and its fields of application. Following the studies and the accreditation of curcumin as a natural compound with antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, new fields of application have been developed in two main directions—food and medical, respectively. This review paper aims to synthesize the fields of application of curcumin as an additive for the prevention of spoilage, safety, and quality of food. Simultaneously, it aims to present curcumin as an additive in products for the prevention of bacterial infections and health care. In both cases, the types of curcumin formulations in the form of (nano)emulsions, (nano)particles, or (nano)composites are presented, depending on the field and conditions of exploitation or their properties to be used. The diversity of composite materials that can be designed, depending on the purpose of use, leaves open the field of research on the conditioning of curcumin. Various biomaterials active from the antibacterial and antibiofilm point of view can be intuited in which curcumin acts as an additive that potentiates the activities of other compounds or has a synergistic activity with them.

scholarly journals Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Post-mastectomy Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Development and Measurement Properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 386-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Davies ◽  
R. Macefield ◽  
K. Avery ◽  
J. M. Blazeby ◽  
S. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Breast Reconstruction ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Measurement Properties ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Eortc Qlq

Abstract Background Breast reconstruction (BR) is performed to improve outcomes for patients undergoing mastectomy. A recently developed core outcome set for BR includes six patient-reported outcomes that should be measured and reported in all future studies. It is vital that any instrument used to measure these outcomes as part of a core measurement set be robustly developed and validated so data are reliable and accurate. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the development and measurement properties of existing BR patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to inform instrument selection for future studies. Methods A PRISMA-compliant systematic review of development and validation studies of BR PROMs was conducted to assess their measurement properties. PROMs with adequate content validity were assessed using three steps: (1) the methodological quality of each identified study was assessed using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist; (2) criteria were applied for assessing good measurement properties; and (3) evidence was summarized and the quality of evidence assessed using a modified GRADE approach. Results Fourteen articles reported the development and measurement properties of six PROMs. Of these, only three (BREAST-Q, BRECON-31, and EORTC QLQ-BRECON-23) were considered to have adequate content validity and proceeded to full evaluation. This showed that all three PROMs had been robustly developed and validated and demonstrated adequate quality. Conclusions BREAST-Q, BRECON-31, and EORTC QLQ-BRECON-23 have been well-developed and demonstrate adequate measurement properties. Work with key stakeholders is now needed to generate consensus regarding which PROM should be recommended for inclusion in a core measurement set.

Bibliometric Study on the Highly Cited Papers and Correlation Between Citation Frequency and Download Frequency in Chinese Medicine Journals

2021 ◽  
pp. 2153004
Author(s):  
Qinghui Qu ◽  
Xinyang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Highly Cited Papers ◽  
Natural Medicine ◽  
Citation Frequency ◽  
Highly Cited

The purpose of this paper is to retrieve and study the highly cited papers as well as the correlation between the citation frequency and the download frequency of the 20 traditional Chinese medicine journals in China, in order to provide the guidance for improving the influence and academic quality of these journals. Bibliometric analyses were conducted on 1103 papers of 20 traditional Chinese medicine journals from 2011 to 2020 by retrieving for the China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database (CAJD) in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyze the correlation between the citation frequency and the download frequency via conducting regression fitting and establishing the mathematical models. The results showed that the total citations of the 1103 papers were 93051 times and the average citations were 84.36 times per paper. The total downloads of the 1103 papers were 2058442 times, and the average downloads were 1866.22 times per paper. China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica ranked first according to the number of papers, total citations and total downloads. The citations of Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials ranked first based on the number of citations per paper. One of Li’s paper had been cited the most (983 times). There were 629 (57.03%) papers whose first author was from universities. The scopes of the first authors were distributed in 29 regions and 2 special administrative regions (Macao, Hong Kong) in China. The authors from Beijing published 283 (25.66%) papers, ranking number one. The number of papers supported by funds was 882 (79.96%). The research results of correlation showed that the citation frequency and the download frequency of the highly cited papers had a highly positive correlation from both journal and paper level for whether the sample data of journals was normally distributed or nonnormally distributed. The correlation coefficients of the 20 journals at journal level and that at paper level were 0.9765 and 0.6677, respectively. The correlation was better at journal level than that at paper level, while the optimal regression fitting was all cubic polynomial. Among the 1103 papers, there were 684 (62.01%) research papers and 419 (37.99%) review papers. The main citation period of the top 15 papers was from the 2nd year to the 6th year after publication, accounting for 78.39%. Papers on clinical therapeutics research, papers on the pharmacological effects and its mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine, and papers on traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicine were the main source of the highly cited papers of the traditional Chinese medicine journals. Editors of the journals should focus on the above-mentioned research areas to select manuscripts for exploiting the excellent sources extensively, while paying attention to review papers, focusing on national major or key projects, paying attention to network spreading, stabilizing authors with quality services, in order to improve the influence and the academic quality of journals.

Research in Different Categories of UK Universities

1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 304-313
Author(s):  
W. O. George ◽  
A. N. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Weighted Average ◽  
Unit Group ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Peer Rating ◽  
Subject Areas ◽  
Broad Subject ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, the origins and characteristics of the 102 current UK universities are briefly traced and the outcomes of recent assessments of research quality are summarized for all universities and for the 69 subject units within which assessment was made. The quality of research in a subject unit, group of subject units or complete institution is measured by a weighted average score based on a peer rating of submitted subject units from each university and the numerical values obtained are described within the limitations of the methodology developed. The authors consider the scores in terms of the characteristics of each university and the broad subject areas, science, engineering, social sciences and humanities. They then discuss the industrial link with research in terms of recent government policy inputs, university research outcomes and the impact of market forces on universities from diminishing patterns of some income streams.

Closeting and the Quality of Lesbian Relationships

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Caron ◽  
Marjorie Ulin
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Couple Relationship ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Lesbian Relationships ◽  
Multiple Measures

Analysis of data collected from 124 lesbians currently Involved in a couple relationship indicated that closeting is related to the couple's relationship quality. Openness vs. secrecy with family and friends is most highly associated with the quality of their relationship. Further analyses suggested that particular family behaviors–inviting a member's lesbian partner to family events and accepting demonstrations of affection between the couple–can influence their relationship. These findings underscore the importance of support from family members and indicate the need for future studies to include multiple measures of closeting.

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