Evidence-based Analysis Research Articles

Effects of acupuncture and pelvic floor muscle training on bladder dysfunction after spinal cord injury: A meta-analysis.

We aimed to systematically review and quantify the association between acupuncture and pelvic floor muscle exercise and bladder dysfunction rehabilitation in individuals with spinal nerve injury. A meta-analysis was conducted using an evidence-based nursing analysis method based on clinical evidence. China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, VIP database, Wan Fang database, Cochrane Library, and other databases were searched by computer from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2021. The literature was searched for clinical randomized controlled trials on acupuncture stimulation, pelvic floor muscle function training, and bladder function recovery training after spinal cord nerve injury. Two reviewers independently used The Cochrane Collaboration recommended randomized controlled trial risk of bias assessment tool to evaluate the quality of the literature. Then, the meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. A total of 20 studies were included, with a total sample size of 1468 cases, including 734 patients in the control group and 734 patients in the experimental group. The results of our meta-analysis showed that acupuncture treatment [OR = 3.98, 95% CI (2.77, 5.72), Z = 7.49, P < .001] and pelvic floor muscle treatment [OR = 7.63, 95% CI (4.47, 13.04), Z = 7.45, P < .001] was statistically significant. Acupuncture and pelvic floor muscle exercise are effective intervention and treatment methods, which have obvious effects on rehabilitation treatment of bladder dysfunction after spinal nerve injury.

Oral hygiene status in individuals with hearing difficulties: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Most studies focusing on oral hygiene status in hearing impaired individuals are cross-sectional and focus on specific populations. A comprehensive literature search and evidence-based analysis was carried out to assess the oral hygiene status in this special group of population. Searches were conducted in four databases with no restriction on publication date. Cross-sectional and comparative cross-sectional studies assessing the oral hygiene status and periodontal status of hearing impaired individuals using standardized evaluation criteria were included. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of bias were carried out by four reviewers and oral hygiene, plaque, and gingival status were assessed. The risk of bias assessment was carried out by New Castle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. 29 relevant publications that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the systematic review whereas six studies each assessing oral hygiene and plaque status and five studies evaluating the gingival status were included in the Meta-analysis. Eight thousand eight hundred and ninety (8890) potentially relevant references were identified in the systematic literature search. The overall analysis of the included studies revealed a mean oral hygiene index score of 1.60 (95% CI 0.91-2.30), Gingival Index scores 1.27 (95% CI 1.02-1.51), and Plaque Index score 0.99 (95% CI 0.75-2.30) among the hearing impaired individuals. The present study reported fair oral hygiene, fair plaque status, and moderate gingivitis among the hearing impaired individuals.

UNDER-AGE AND FORCED MARRIAGES: AN ANATHEMA OF PAKISTANI SOCIETY

Child marriage as a social norm has been in practice in most societies around the world. The socio-political and scientific development in last few decades made known the harmful consequences of the practice on the victims’ emotional and physical health, their educational attainment, impairment of their employment opportunities and gender parity. Appreciating the ramification of child marriage at individual level, the global conscience under the UN acknowledged the right to enter into marriage with free and full consent as a basic human right. Pakistan is signatory to various international treaties that aim to curb the practice of child marriage, and to meet the commitments under these instruments have tried to bring some reforms in the legal framework dealing with the practice. There are, however, issues of socio-cultural traditions, religious beliefs and economic compulsions that contribute in continuation of the practice in Pakistan. The instant paper attempts to contribute in appraisal of the existing legal framework on the subject and analyze the determinants of the practice and explore their causal relationship in context of Pakistan’s socio-cultural norms.&#x0D; Data analysis from various reports of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey shows that the economic determinants of poverty and education attainment predominantly influence the age at which girls are married. Then owing to their limited social exposure and level of education, the parents of poor and rural household are more likely to get influenced by orthodox socio-cultural traditions and religious dogmas.&#x0D; Relying on evidence-based analysis, the paper derives that any meaningful policy initiative to curb the practice should primarily focus on education attainment and poverty alleviation of vulnerable population. Besides, a well-knit awareness campaign need to be carried out to clarify the misinterpretation of Islamic teachings related to girl’s maturity and preferred age for marriage along with highlighting the harmful consequences of child marriage

Community-Based Hospitals Benefit From Restrictive Transfusion Practices.

Blood availability was uncertain during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet transfusion remained a common and sometimes necessary procedure. Substantial work on optimizing transfusion practices is centered in tertiary hospitals as high utilizers of blood while the care delivered in smaller community hospitals comprises more than half the nation's transfusions. Improving transfusion practices in community hospitals represents a substantial opportunity to enhance patient safety and the availability of blood resources. Clinical specialists developed a dashboard to retrospectively examine transfusion events including an evidence-based analysis of the patient's clinical situation at the time of transfusion to more accurately identify how appropriately blood was used. The compiled data were discussed and shared with transfusing providers. It was hypothesized that the data provided and communication strategies used would educate providers to current evidence-based practice, leading to more appropriate transfusion with an overall reduction in packed red blood cell utilization. There was an 11% increase in transfusion appropriateness (p = <.001) and a 14% decrease in the units transfused (p = .004). Improvement in transfusion practices demonstrates a significant impact on patient safety and the availability of blood resources. Although absolute opportunity may be less in a community hospital, fewer resources are needed to achieve meaningful change.

Acute Cholecystitis from Biliary Lithiasis: Diagnosis, Management and Treatment

Biliary lithiasis is a global disorder affecting nearly 20% of the world's population, although most cases occur without symptoms. Gallbladder stones could move into the common bile duct after gallbladder contraction, causing acute cholecystitis. The progression of the acute disease can take different forms, from mild inflammation, treatable with oral antibiotics, to the most severe forms with septic shock or biliary peritonitis, requiring specific treatment. Liver function tests and abdominal ultrasound are generally sufficient for diagnostic purposes. The most commonly used antibiotic is penicillin, with piperacillin achieving the best results; alternatively, fluoroquinolones could also be used, although there is no univocal consensus and surgery remains the only definitive treatment. A prolonged antibiotic therapy after cholecystectomy seems inadvisable, except in severe cases and/or in the immuno-compromised patient, where it should be periodically evaluated to avoid antibiotic resistance and unnecessary use. This review presents an evidence-based analysis to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the available options for the treatment of biliary lithiasis and cholecystitis, from the pathophysiological mechanisms behind lithiasis formation and also covering the main diagnostic findings for biliary stones, recommending an approach tailored to the patient's characteristics and to the team's expertise.

A Long Short-Term Memory Network Using Resting-State Electroencephalogram to Predict Outcomes Following Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health issue, not all injuries necessitate additional hospitalisation. Thinking, memory, attention, personality, and movement can all be negatively impacted by TBI. However, only a small proportion of nonsevere TBIs necessitate prolonged observation. Clinicians would benefit from an electroencephalography (EEG)-based computational intelligence model for outcome prediction by having access to an evidence-based analysis that would allow them to securely discharge patients who are at minimal risk of TBI-related mortality. Despite the increasing popularity of EEG-based deep learning research to create predictive models with breakthrough performance, particularly in epilepsy prediction, its use in clinical decision making for the diagnosis and prognosis of TBI has not been as widely exploited. Therefore, utilising 60s segments of unprocessed resting-state EEG data as input, we suggest a long short-term memory (LSTM) network that can distinguish between improved and unimproved outcomes in moderate TBI patients. Complex feature extraction and selection are avoided in this architecture. The experimental results show that, with a classification accuracy of 87.50 ± 0.05%, the proposed prognostic model outperforms three related works. The results suggest that the proposed methodology is an efficient and reliable strategy to assist clinicians in creating an automated tool for predicting treatment outcomes from EEG signals.

An evidence-based health and safety analysis in megaproject management

Despite of the remarkable improvement in terms of health and safety in the construction sector through the implementation of a variety of regulations across the world, till health and safety issues are increasing rapidly. Meanwhile, Health and safety issues on construction sites are still significant in terms of a consistent high number of work-related illnesses and injuries in the construction to recent statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Interest is growing on to support the designer to take care of health and safety from the design stage in building construction with regards to techno-commercial aspect. This is a fact that, design influences to a great extent the nature of these hazards that are in building construction. Meaning that the hazards need to be eliminated or minimized at the designing stage. “Safe design”denotesthat in the hazard be identified and risks are assessed early in the design process to minimize or eliminate the injury risks during the lifecycle of the project. Based on an extensive review of the causes of work-related illnesses and injuries in building construction including mining production, this paper identifies a set of technical issues relating to building design. By presenting a new evidence-based health and safety analysis, abbreviated to EHSA approach for designers (architects and engineers) to use towards safer design for construction thereby, reducing work-related injuries and illnesses on site and decrease the economic losses. The research into EHSA is intended to evaluate an innovative way to facilitate evidence-based learning in building design with the collection and use of data and information accumulated from professional knowledge about fatalities and accidents along with best practices and innovations in field of health safety management that have proven to be effective for the construction industry. Through an experimental case study, this conference paper will demonstrate how the EHSA approach can help in effectively supporting health and safety improvement at the design stage. The paper is anticipated to contribute significantly to existing body of knowledge by introducing a new framework in safer building design by providing an innovative approach with an evidence-based experimental case study to innovate future practice while also leveraging the findings for improvement in health and safety management.

Developing scientific, transformational, eloquent, artistic, mathematical, mechanical, emotional, relational, and social talents through problem solving: A conceptual, practical, evidence-based analysis

Building on the definition of steamers (a tasty hot milk-infused drink), we defined STEAMMERS as “a blend of diverse talents, going beyond domain-specific to domain-integrated abilities. Like steamers, they have a rich and colorful ‘flavor’!” They are passionate about solving problems they and others face by honoring and blending diverse perspectives and disciplines. Gifted children and young people have the potential to become STEAMMERS, making outstanding contributions to themselves, their communities, and their world. The underlying principle is to design learning experiences beyond traditional conceptions of STEM, STEAM, and other similar combinations of disciplines in ways that uncover, ignite, cultivate, and extend these potentials. Using Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving (REAPS), an evidence-based teaching model, enables educators to recognize, cultivate, and extend the talents of the STEAMMERS we need for our future. Here, we present our new concept, describe practices, and give evidence showing how it accomplishes these purposes.

Extension of lymph node dissection in the surgical treatment of esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer: seven questions and answers.

The role of two- or three-field nodal dissection in the surgical treatment of esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer in the minimally invasive era is still controversial. This review aims to clarify the extension of nodal dissection in esophageal and gastroesophageal junctional cancer. A basic evidence-based analysis was designed, and seven research questions were formulated and answered with a narrative review. Reports with little or no data, single cases, small series and review articles were not included. Three-field lymph node dissection improves staging accuracy, enhances locoregional disease control and might improve survival in the group of patients with cervical and upper mediastinal metastatic lymph nodal involvement from middle and proximal-third esophageal cancer.

Environmental sustainability amidst financial inclusion in five fragile economies: Evidence from lens of environmental Kuznets curve

Economic growth comes with it environmental trade-off on environmental sustainability. This occurrence is evidence on a global scale as it stems from human anthropogenic activities driven by the consumption of energy sources from fossil-fuel origin. On this premise, the present study focuses on five fragile economies with huge energy and sustainability targets to explore the nexus between economic growth and the environment. The present study is distinct from previous studies in scope by the construct and inclusion of a financial inclusion index with the aid of Principal component analysis (PCA), human development to the economic growth-environment argument. To this end to reach evidence-based outcomes second generational panel analysis is employed. The Durbin-Hansen cointegration test traces the long-run equilibrium relationship between the study variables. Subsequently, an augmented mean group (AMG) estimator is employed to explore the relationship between the outlined variables. Furthermore, the present study finds support for the pollution haven hypothesis for the selected fragile economies. The plausible explanation is due to weak trade and environmental treaties in the examined countries. However, the renewable energy human development index help mitigates environmental degradation. Thus, the present study advocates the need for energy transition and investment into new technological innovation in research and development to attain sustainable development goals and environmental sustainability resonated in UNSDGs-11,12 and 13. Additionally, financial inclusion plays a vital role in the five fragile energy-environment mixes. The current study presents vital policy directives in the concluding section for individual countries and the entire bloc for more effective policy direction.

Civil society organisations counter conduct about the Agyapa deal of Ghana

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test if activism by civil society organisations (CSOs hereafter) in successfully mobilising resistance to the Government of Ghana “collateralization” of gold resources and other mineral royalties in 2020 (dubbed the “Agyapa deal”) espouse tenets of Foucault’s (2009) “governmentality” and “counter conduct” dispositions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on Dean’s (1999) discussion of government analytics to highlight how CSO activism can simultaneously challenge government practice and share in it. This paper uses an evidence-based and interpretive qualitative content analysis approach. This paper relied on secondary data sources from 1 January 2020 to 21 August 2021. Data collection involved an extensive review of secondary materials concerning the Agyapa deal, relying on the author's local knowledge to identify the likely sources of information.FindingsThis paper exposes how the counteractions of CSOs, underpinned by the desire for so-called “good governance”, invariably extend governmentality and other neo-liberal ideals. In this case, CSOs' actions espoused the ideals of marketisation, extended governable spaces, engrained subjectivation and treated citizens as incapable of formulating and advancing their desires without overt help. Secondly, it provides evidence that massive deployment of accountability and other calculable practices, however wilful, complement efforts at shaping public opinion.Practical implicationsCSO counter-conduct is merely symbolic rather than substantive. Substantive counter-conduct requires the citizenry to actively lead the problematisation process, holding CSOs accountable for acting on their behalf. The current trajectory where CSO accountability is primarily to their international financiers, predominantly neo-liberal advocates, raises questions about “in whose interest they seek another form of governance?” Practically, the splinter of interests that may emanate from citizenry directly led counter-conduct can affect garnering the critical mass needed to force a policy change. That said, however, there is a case for citizenry “making themselves” rather than “being made” within the governmentality process.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first application of the Foucauldian and Dean framework to a data set from Ghana.

Evidence-based and adverse-effects analyses of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation: A systematic and evidence-based review.

Cupping therapy has been used to treat musculoskeletal impairments for about 4000 years. Recently, world athletes have provoked an interest in it, however, the evidence to support its use in managing musculoskeletal and sports conditions remains unknown. To evaluate the evidence level of the effect of cupping therapy in managing common musculoskeletal and sports conditions. 2214 studies were identified through a computerized search, of which 22 met the inclusion criteria. The search involved randomized and case series studies published between 1990 and 2019. The search involved five databases (Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Academic Search Complete PLUS (EBSCO), and CrossRef) and contained studies written in the English language. Three analyses were included: the quality assessment using the PEDro scale, physical characteristic analysis, and evidence-based analysis. The results showed that most studies used dry cupping, except five which used wet cupping. Most studies compared cupping therapy to non-intervention, the remaining studies compared cupping to standard medical care, heat, routine physiotherapy, electrical stimulation, active range of motion and stretching, passive stretching, or acetaminophen. Treatment duration ranged from 1 day to 12 weeks. The evidence of cupping on increasing soft tissue flexibility is moderate, decreasing low back pain or cervical pain is low to moderate, and treating other musculoskeletal conditions is very low to low. The incidence of adverse events is very low. This study provides the first attempt to analyze the evidence level of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation. However, cupping therapy has low to moderate evidence in musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation and might be used as a useful intervention because it decreases the pain level and improves blood flow to the affected area with low adverse effects.

Data-driven analysis for evidence-based decision making at universities: benchmarking, software tools and weighted indicators in quality assurance – analytical framework of Tbilisi State University

Arrival of managerialism, call for accountability, efficiency and effectiveness marked a new era in higher education. With the growing demand for evidence-based and data-driven analysis of higher education institutions’ performance from internal and external stakeholders, universities are looking for ways to successfully implement performance indicator and benchmarks in management and quality assurance. Quality assurance is becoming more evidence-based, outcome-driven and focused on effectiveness. The article presents an analytical framework developed at Tbilisi State University that is based on indicators, software tool and metrics, intended to meet individual needs of the institution. The article adds to the debate about using indicators as the tool for evaluating university performance at different levels. Although many fear that it can lead to oversimplified quantitative evaluation, the article argues that indicators, best reflecting what should be measured, and how, can serve as the basis for the continuous quality enhancement at the university.

Retracted: Evidence-Based Analysis on Observation for Nursing Care of Patients with Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/5954343.].

Technical Factors Influencing the Health Information System in Kosova.

Health information systems (HIS) are considered a vital tool to strengthen Low- and Middle-Income Countries' (LMIC) health systems. Unfortunately, little is known about the technical factors of HIS in LMIC. This study aimed to make an empirical contribution, using the case of Kosova to find out about HIS development, trying to identify dysfunctional areas and opportunities for improvement. Technical factors of the PRISM framework were analyzed via document analysis, and semi-structured interviews were held with 15 respondents from the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health of Kosova, and the Hospital Clinical University Services of Kosova. Interviews were transcribed and coded deductively, using the defined theoretical framework to guide the content analysis. The results indicate that MoH considered technical factors while developing HIS in Kosova. Nevertheless, HIS fulfills only some of the essential functions. Barriers to efficient HIS among technical factors are lengthy, time-consuming manual HIS forms, inadequate data from HIS forms for NIPHK analysis, difficulties when changing software and HIS economic operators, and the complexity of HIS functioning. Kosova still faces technical difficulties with an efficient and sustainable HIS system. Complex processes of extensive efforts have yet to produce the desired results, which prevent evidence-based health analysis and informed decision-making in Kosovar healthcare. More research is needed into organizational and behavioral factors influencing HIS efficiency in LMIC.

An evidence-based analysis for evaluating Japan’s public transport policy to give subsidized omnibus operators incentives to improve their balance

An evidence-based analysis for evaluating Japan’s public transport policy to give subsidized omnibus operators incentives to improve their balance

Compulsory Basic Education and Social Inequality: State of Local Government and Compulsory and Free Education Act 2075 BS

This article analyses the constitutional and legal provisions for school education and particularly Compulsory and Free Education Act, 2075 of Nepal. These provisions are oriented toward creating an environment where all citizens can get basic education so as to enhance equal and just Society. Compulsory and Free Education Act, 2075 is enacted to implement the constitutionally Assured fundamental right to education, and provision of free and compulsory school education without evidence-based analysis, planning and budgeting. The provisions of Compulsory and Free Education Act, 2075,in essence, are closed to the imposed social order from the top envisioned by Durkheim, influence and control of the powerful section of the society by Weber and inequality in the society due to unequal access to education by the classical Marxists.

Language variation in minority online newspapers: The example of the “Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” in Kazakhstan

This article discusses the online edition of the “Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” (DAZ, German General Newspaper), an exceptional media product in Kazakhstan. This medium was chosen mainly for its very complex linguistic and cultural configuration. The linguistic forms are German, while the discourse and text traditions suggest a Russian influence due to the long hegemony of Russian as the language of culture and education in Kazakhstan. Additionally, the current sociocultural frame of reference is of genuine Kazakh origin.The central aim of this evidence-based media linguistic analysis was to describe the unique features in the language of this online medium, i.e. the multilingual aspects of language variation and aspects related to language and cultural contact.The methodology is based on a linguistic concept of saliency and used interrater reliability in the linguistic assessment. The study showed that the online version and the print version differ not only on a technical level, but also in their journalistic and linguistic design. The digital version is marked by livelier, more idiomatic, and more colorful texts than the print version. These differences can likely not just be attributed to the greater range of options provided by the new medium, but possibly also to the larger share of contributions by authors from Germany in the online version compared to the print version. In the written practices examined in this article it could be shown that authors from Kazakhstan generally used ‘multiliteracy’ form that also generated emergent forms.

Is there a relationship between gliflozins and acute pancreatitis? Evidence-based analysis

Background: Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas with the possibility of presenting severe complications. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease, the cause of a large part of global morbidity and mortality. Approximately 90% of patients with diabetes suffer from type II diabetes. Several studies were carried out in this regard, and with fairly large samples in quantitative terms. Within the treatment of type II diabetes there are hypoglycemic agents, of which there is a group called gliflozins or also inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2is) such as canagliflozin and empagliflozin. Methods: A systematic review of the literature available in databases such as PubMed was carried out, carrying out specific investigations to identify case reports of acute pancreatitis associated with the use of gliflozin. For this, an exhaustive reading of all the available articles was carried out. Results: Of the 4 articles analyzed, the average incidence of pancreatitis in patients who used gliflozin was 0.38%. Conclusion: We conclude that it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between the use of gliflozin and acute pancreatitis.

Adolescent Capacity to Consent to Participate in Research: A Review and Analysis Informed by Law, Human Rights, Ethics, and Developmental Science

Contemporary societies pose major challenges for adolescents and it is essential to conduct research with them to understand their experiences, identify their needs, and discover solutions to major social problems. Social science, humanities and health-related research into violence, technology, and climate change exemplify vital research endeavours requiring adolescent participation to advance Sustainable Development Goals and enhance individual lived experience and societal flourishing for current and future generations. International and national research ethics guidelines emphasise the necessity to conduct research to advance societal benefit, while upholding principles of autonomy and justice, and promoting participant welfare and avoiding harm. International human rights instruments promote adolescents’ freedom of expression and right to participate in matters affecting them. The rapid generation of robust research findings is essential, but it remains commonly assumed that adolescents cannot provide their own consent to participate in research studies, and the belief that parental consent is required can impede and impair the entire research process. Debate continues about the proper interpretation of legal principles and research ethics guidelines about who may provide consent. Continuing confusion about who must provide consent, and why, impedes the protection of adolescents’ interests and the advancement of society. This article adds to knowledge by providing a multidisciplinary overview of evidence from developmental science, social science, law, human rights, and bioethics about decision-making capacity and entitlements in the context of research participation, and an updated evidence-based analysis of adolescents’ capacity to provide their own consent to participate in social, humanities and health-related research. A conservative application of knowledge from these domains both individually and collectively supports conclusions that adolescents aged 16 are able to provide their own consent to participate in research, and no legal or ethical principle requires the provision of parental consent on their behalf. Practical considerations may support parental involvement in conversations about participation, and some types of research require trauma-informed approaches, but adolescents are developmentally, legally and ethically entitled to make their own decision about whether or not to participate.