Reliable Scientific Evidence Research Articles

The Arrival of Islam in Indonesia: A Theory of Islam's Spread

<em>The arrival of Islam in the archipelago is currently still being debated, due to the lack of reliable scientific data and evidence, as well as the one-sided attitude of various theories. It is very possible that these theories prioritize one aspect while ignoring others. As a result, most of the existing theories cannot explain how Muslimization occurred and how Islam entered the archipelago.This research uses Library Research which focuses on history. The aim of this paper is to investigate the theories that support the spread of Islam in the archipelago. The four theories discussed today show how Islam entered the archipelago. There are several advantages and disadvantages to each of these theories, and one thing that is certain from all of these theories is that Islam developed in the archipelago peacefully, unlike Christianity which had a goal.</em>

Analysis of two glass eye (Jatim) beads unearthed from the Northern Wei tomb complex in Dongxin, Datong

This study analyzed two glass eye beads discovered in an ancient tomb complex at Dongxin Furniture Square in Datong, Shanxi Province in China. The tomb complex was dated to the Northern Wei Dynasty (398–494 AD), when Datong was known as Pingcheng. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) as well as a 3D microscope system with ultra-depth of field to conduct non-destructive tests on the beads. We examined the beads’ manufacturing techniques, including matrices, eye patterns, and bead holes. The composition analysis revealed that both beads belonged to the mix of v-Na-Ca and m-Na-Al glass system, which is a key indicator of local production in Java. The bases were colored using Co2+, whereas the white, red, and yellow colors of the eye patterns were achieved using SnO2, Cu2O, or Cu0, and PbSnO3, respectively. These findings indicated that both objects were Jatim beads originating in the Kingdom of Java in Southeast Asia. This study provides valuable insights into ancient trade routes between different regions and offers reliable scientific evidence of the glass trade and technical exchanges in ancient times.

A Narrative Review of the Significance of Popular Diets in Diabetes Mellitus Management.

Diabetes mellitus is a collection of metabolic disorders marked by elevated levels of glucose in the blood due to irregularities in the generation or functioning of insulin. Medical nutrition therapy and weight loss are crucial elements in the management of diabetes and the prevention of complications. Several diets have become popular over time for the goal of achieving weight loss, but their popularity has declined due to a lack of reliable scientific evidence. This study classifies popular diets into three categories: diets that manage the composition of macronutrients, diets that restrict specific foods or food groups, and diets that manipulate meal timing. The review includes research studiesthat investigated the effects of popular diets on the prevention, management, and complications of diabetes. It is clear that different popular diets can have positive effects on both preventing and treating diabetes and preventing and treating complications related to diabetes. However, it is not practical to determine which diet is the most effective option for preventing or controlling diabetes. Thus, the main focus should be on common underlying factors that support well-being, such as decreasing the intake of refined grains and added sugar, choosing non-starchy vegetables, and giving priority to whole foods over processed foods whenever possible, until there is stronger evidence supporting the specific benefits of different dietary patterns.

The Relationship between Addictive Use of Social Media and Psychiatric Disorders: The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation

The Internet and social media are configured as significant strategies for interpersonal communication, entertainment, and recognition of the individual's area of expertise. However, the facilities that the media provide lead to dependence on the use of networks, which motivates the expression of emotional changes as well as psychiatric disorders in those who are addicted to the media. With this reality, the purpose of the current Literature Review is to present the impacts that the non-moderate use of social networks causes on the physical and psychological health of the subject as an individual and social being. Thus, an active search was conducted in the PubMed and Science Direct databases to find the best and most reliable scientific evidence regarding the relationship between the addictive use of social media and psychiatric disorders with mediation in emotional dysregulation, concomitant to its link to mental health, self-mutilation, sleep deprivation, and altered self-perception.

Clinical study of electroacupuncture on the recovery of gastrointestinal dysfunction after laparoscopic surgery for gastrointestinal cancer - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundGastrointestinal dysfunction is one of the common complaints for patient post-surgery. Acupuncture has been employed to improve gastrointestinal function and sleeping quality and has confirmed clinical efficacy for emotional problems. This study aims to evaluate the clinical effect of electroacupuncture for postoperative rapid recovery.MethodsThis study design is a two-arm, parallel, double-blinded randomized controlled trial. 104 subjects, aged from 40 to 89 years old, diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery, will be divided into Interventional Group and Control Group. Patients of both groups receive perioperative care under the guidance of ERAS guidance. The Interventional Group receives electroacupuncture treatment starting from the first day post-surgery for a consecutive 5 days, whereas the Control Group receives placebo electroacupuncture treatment. The primary outcome will be the first flatus time whereas the secondary outcomes will be the first sign of borborygmus, recovery of defecation, laboratory tests and questionnaires including Self-rating anxiety scale, Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test, TCM rating scale of Gastrointestinal symptoms and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scales.DiscussionThis study aims to provide timely intervention for post-laparoscopic patients with gastrointestinal tumour using the ERAS concept combined with electroacupuncture, observe the efficacy of this therapy in treating PGID, and contribute reliable scientific evidence for postoperative rapid recovery.Trial registrationChictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR2300078710. Registered on 15th December 2023.

Optimizing air quality predictions: A discrete wavelet transform and long short‐term memory approach with wavelet‐type selection for hourly PM10 concentrations

AbstractThe rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization has led to the global problem of air pollution. Air quality can decrease due to pollutants in the air, including types of gases and particles that are carcinogenic, causing adverse health effects. Therefore, estimating the concentration of air pollutants is of great interest as it can provide accurate information about air quality with proper planning of future activities. In this manner, this study considers Istanbul, a province with a high concentration of industry, population, and vehicle traffic. Particulate matter (PM), one of the most basic air pollutants, is stated to contain microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are small enough to be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Thus, it is recommended to apply discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and deep learning method long short‐term memory (LSTM) as a hybrid model to predict the concentration of PM10. Using the mentioned methods, they can predict air pollution to have been developed within the scope of this study. Furthermore, the hybrid approach with LSTM by selecting the most appropriate discrete wavelet type emphasizes the difference of this study from the existing literature. The ability of these developed methods to make successful future predictions helps institutions and organizations that can take precautions on the subject to take action at the right time; in addition, the deep learning methods used contribute to the development of sustainable smart environmental systems. In today's environment when air pollution is increasing and threatening human health, any precaution that can be taken would improve the quality of life for all living things, reduce health issues and deaths caused by air pollution, and thus raise the degree of well‐being. These findings might offer a reliable scientific evidence for Istanbul City's air pollution management, which can serve as an example for other regions.

Osteoarthritis - epidemiology, risk factors and methods of conservative treatment

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic diseases, which is characterized by the destruction of joint cartilage and leads to changes in the structure of other joint elements, the formation of osteophytes and the development of inflammation in the immediate area. Precise assessment of the frequency and distribution of the disease in the population may be difficult due to the inconsistent definition of the disease and the selected diagnostic criteria, but it is estimated that it may occur in up to 60% of the elderly population, more often in women than men. There are many documented risk factors for the occurrence of the disease, such as age or genetic predisposition, but the modifiable ones deserve special attention. Recently, great emphasis in the context of osteoarthritis has been put on the fight against obesity, which not only increases the mechanical load on the joints, but also intensifies the generalized inflammation in the cartilage and its surroundings. This is one of the reasons why non-pharmacological therapy, i.e. patient education and physiotherapy, is a basic element of management, both alone and in combination with pharmacological treatment. The most common drugs used in OA are non-opioid analgesics from the lowest level of the analgesic ladder - mainly NSAIDs, and their proven effectiveness is consistent with the current concept of inflammation as the main pathogenetic factor. As a second-line treatment, injections of glucocorticoids, hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) directly into the joint may be considered. Unfortunately, most randomized studies show that the administration of steroids is effective, but the effects are relatively short-lived, up to a few weeks, while more reliable scientific evidence is needed to confirm the effectiveness of other substances.

The climate change effects on agricultural drought in the Be River Basin

Drought is one of the extreme weather events that has been occurring with increasing frequency and complexity as well as having negative effects on water resources and agricultural production. The focus of the present study is to investigate the climate change effects on agricultural drought in the Be River Basin. The SWAT model was applied to simulate the soil moisture content and Standardized Soil Water Index (SSWI) was utilized to estimate the characteristics of agricultural drought. In addition, the future climate conditions for the three periods (2022–2040, 2042–2060, and 2062–2080) were generated by the delta change method based on the outputs of five global climate models. The results show that agricultural drought is anticipated to increase in the frequency, intensity, and duration (up to 168.82%, depending on time and emission scenarios). Moreover, drought events and water shortage in the dry season tend to be more likely to happen soon in the Be River Basin. These results are consistent with the changing trends of related soil moisture. Besides, the results contribute reliable scientific evidence to help managers and policy makers having appropriate plans in the future.

Green Persona vs Reality

Green Persona vs Reality

Targeted Learning: Toward a Future Informed by Real-World Evidence

The 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 includes a provision for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration10.13039/100000038 (FDA) to evaluate the potential use of Real-World Evidence (RWE) to support new indications for use for previously approved drugs, and to satisfy post-approval study requirements. Extracting reliable evidence from Real-World Data (RWD) is often complicated by a lack of treatment randomization, potential intercurrent events, and informative loss to follow-up. Targeted Learning (TL) is a sub-field of statistics that provides a rigorous framework to help address these challenges. The TL Roadmap offers a step-by-step guide to generating valid evidence and assessing its reliability. Following these steps produces an extensive amount of information for assessing whether the study provides reliable scientific evidence, including in support of regulatory decision-making. This article presents two case studies that illustrate the utility of following the roadmap. We used targeted minimum loss-based estimation combined with super learning to estimate causal effects. We also compared these findings with those obtained from an unadjusted analysis, propensity score matching, and inverse probability weighting. Nonparametric sensitivity analyses illuminate how departures from (untestable) causal assumptions affect point estimates and confidence interval bounds that would impact the substantive conclusion drawn from the study. TL’s thorough approach to learning from data provides transparency, allowing trust in RWE to be earned whenever it is warranted.

Participation of Primary Care Nurses in the Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in the Republic of Kazakhstan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Chronic diseases are a huge threat to public health in Kazakhstan and around the world. Many deaths can be prevented by using evidence-based behavioral interventions. Nurses, as the most numerous health care workers, can perform behavioral therapy for the prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). This study was conducted in order to explore the behavioral interventions performed by nurses, to analyze current problems, barriers and the attitude of nurses to these activities. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 nurses in the city of Nur-Sultan from 2019 to 2020. The sample was calculated using a formula and simple random sampling. The study was conducted using a specially compiled questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were chosen as a statistical method. Pearson's Chi-square criterion was used to identify a statistically significant relationship between variables. Among 260 nurses, 208 participants (80%) had the desire to conduct behavioral interventions among patients. Most nurses do not have enough time to conduct behavioral interventions. A short work experience affects to a greater extent nurses use passive training methods. Almost half (47.30%) of nurses rate their level of knowledge about the real effects of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and preventive measures on the body as "average". The work of nurses on the prevention of NCDs is not performed enough due to lack of working time and available domestic literature, heavy workload. Behavioral therapy should be based on reliable scientific evidence, which can be achieved through the development of clinical guidelines and continuous training of nurses.

Study on the objective assessment of sleep disturbance due to environmental noise by wearable devices

Introducing noise standards or limits at night is necessary to prevent sleep disturbance due to environmental noise, such as transportation noise. In general, noise standards should be based on robust exposure-response relationships derived from many human response data, and subjective evaluation obtained from large-scale socio-acoustic surveys can provide reliable scientific evidence. However, it is also necessary to investigate an easy method to collect objective data on sleep effects with little cost and effort. In the present study, we conducted a laboratory study and investigated how accurately wearable devices can estimate the sleep stage. Participants wore a smartwatch installed with photoplethysmography (PPG), a portable ECG, and equipment of PSG simultaneously. As a result, the agreement of the sleep stage between the estimations by PPG and by PSG was moderate (kappa coefficient = 0.47). Furthermore, we estimated the sleep stage by random forest using the data measured by the ECG, and it was highly agreed with the sleep stage by the PSG (kappa coefficient = 0.75). It is suggested that we could easily estimate the sleep stages such as waking, REM, and non-REM with a certain level of accuracy by these wearable devices.

The Research of Evidence Examination and Evaluation Rules of Court of Arbitration for Sport in Doping Case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is the most authority to hear doping cases, adhering to the idea of sports autonomy, it established the evidence examination and evaluation special rules of doping cases by relying on scientific evidence as the presumption basis and by means of the free proof methods. These rules make a leap in the legal reasoning, using circumstantial evidence as the basis of verdict, breaking through the limitation of admissibility of evidence and being reasonable in a certain period of time. This setting is conducive to cracking down on doping violations and improving the trial efficiency of doping case, however, with the development of science and technology, the science of doping detection becomes increasingly complicated, and the trust basis of scientific evidence is shaken, which exposes some problems such as the confusion between the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence, and the anomie of doping inspection procedure. In view of this, the evidence examination and evaluation of doping case should expand the scope of examination of the arbitration tribunal, mandatory application of illegal evidence exclusion rules, the reliability of adverse analytical finding should be examined, and the normative role of corroboration evidence rule in non-analytical positive case should be taken seriously.

Awareness and Perception on Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy for Covid-19 Patients among the Alumni Physiotherapists from KPJ Healthcare University College, Nilai

Introduction: In the respiratory management and physical recovery of Covid-19 cases, physical therapy may be necessary. The spectrum of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy is limited to acute provision without referral to an outpatient physiotherapy clinic for patientswith cardiorespiratory problems. In community settings, a limited number of physiotherapists practicing further restricting the scope. The objective of this research is to identify the awareness and perception of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy forCovid-19 patients among the alumni physiotherapists from KPJ Healthcare University College. Method: A cross-sectional online survey study among the alumni physiotherapists from KPJ Healthcare University College. 80 male and female alumni physiotherapists from Diploma Cohort 1 to 10 are selected as they would have at least 5 years and above working experience and is considered competent and reliable scientific evidence for this study. Sampling technique used for this research is convenience sampling better known as a non-probability sampling technique. Sample size is determined by using Slovin’s Formula. Questionnaire related to research topic is distributed via Google Docs. Descriptive statistics is done using SPSS version 26.Results: This study shows majority had good knowledge, awareness and their perceptionsfrom their own perspectives as a physiotherapist as well as an ordinary man. Conclusion:Chest physical therapy can help to improve physical health from an acute illness. In conclusion, this study was able to determine the awareness and gauge the perception of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy for Covid-19 patients among physiotherapists.

Episiotomy in Modern Obstetrics OR Episiotomy: It's Time to Stop Cutting!

Episiotomy consists of incising the perineum to widen the birth canal. It was historically introduced into medical practice in the 18th century. The purpose of the episiotomy would be to reduce the probability of severe perineal lacerations, while the association with the forceps would minimize the risk of fetal trauma and hypoxia, which was accepted for a long time as an indisputable truth. The use of episiotomy spread enormously after the recommendations of famous obstetricians and began to be used on a larger scale in several countries since the 20th century, although there was no reliable scientific evidence of its effectiveness and safety. In the last decades well-conducted clinical studies on the subject were published and the routine use of episiotomy was questioned. Despite of methodological limitations, the first studies contributed to reduce its practice, including the important participation of women's movements and active childbirth campaigns arguing about the episiotomy use. Current evidence shows that routine episiotomy is not supported in clinical practice and a recent World Health Organization (WHO) guideline strongly recommends against it. However, a lack of knowledge remains as the role of episiotomy in obstetric emergencies and, considering the present evidence, what would be the real benefits for performing an episiotomy. This review aims to show the current state of the art running through the historical background of episiotomy and techniques, analyzing its use worldwide in obstetric practice and discussing the published studies concerning the necessity, the effectiveness, and the consequences of the procedure. Ultimately, regarding the accumulated evidence shown, the authors express their conclusions about the use of episiotomy in obstetric modern practice and the possible strategies to reduce its rates.

EFFECT OF PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT IN THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

Introduction: Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) comprises a group of disorders that result in compression of the neuro vasculature exiting the thoracic outlet and was first described in 1956. TOS is usually subclassified into neurogenic TOS (nTOS), venous TOS (vTOS), and arterial TOS (aTOS), depending on the appropriate etiology upon presentation. It has been classified as Venous thoracic outlet syndrome and Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. Causes: Sometimes, a congenital (from birth) abnormality can cause thoracic outlet syndrome, but it is more likely to occur after injury or bodybuilding. A cervical rib is an extra rib that grows from the cervical spine. Abnormal muscle or first rib formation, some people may have an extra or aberrant scalene muscle his condition is related to abnormalities of bony and soft tissue in the lower neck region. Symptoms: Patients with thoracic outlet syndrome will most likely present pain anywhere between the neck, face and occipital region or into the chest, shoulder and upper extremity and paresthesia in the upper extremity. The patient may also complain of altered or absent sensation, weakness, fatigue, a feeling of heaviness in the arm and hand. The skin can also be blotchy or discolored. A different temperature can also be observed. Management: Medical Management include Thrombolytic medications are given to dissolve blood clots. Anticoagulant medications decrease the blood’s ability to clot. Surgical Management include chest (thoracic surgery or blood vessel (vascular) surgery perform the procedure. Thoracic outlet syndrome surgery has risks of complications,such as injury to the brachial plexus. Physiotherapymanagement can decrease symptoms of pain and increase muscle strength, improve Postural correction and return to near normal function of upper limb.

The lack of international and national health policies to protect persons with self-declared electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), known also as an idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) or a microwave sickness, is not considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being caused by the exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMF). EHS is not recognized as a disease anywhere in the world. Some studies have roughly estimated that 1-10% of the population might experience some form of EHS. However, because of the lack of diagnostic criteria for EHS, these estimates might be either under- or over-estimates. Because the vast majority of human population is exposed to EMF, the possibility of developing EHS from the EMF is a substantial public health issue that should be dealt with globally, even if the individual risk of developing EHS might be small. The WHO recognizes that the symptoms experienced by the EHS persons might be severe and might significantly hamper everyday life. However, after a broad analysis of international and national documents, there seems to be currently no effort to develop health policies for the dealing with EHS, no matter what causes it. National governments, follow theopinions of the WHO and the EMF safety standards setting organizations, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers- International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (IEEE-ICES), are not developing any practical health policy advisories for self-declared EHS sufferers. However, symptoms experienced by the self-declared EHS persons affect their well-being and, according to the Constitution of the WHO, are a health problem. Hence, independently of what causes EHS symptoms, this admitted well-being-impairment should be dealt with globally by developing an uniform health policy. Furthermore, WHO, ICNIRP and IEEE-ICES should be advocating and supporting research that would generate a reliable scientific evidence on what are the possible cause(s) of EHS. Without such research there is not possible to develop diagnostic methods as well as any possible mitigation approaches. There is an urgent need for the WHO to advocate for the national governments to urgently develop a comprehensive and common EHS health policy.

A systematic review of community pharmacist practices in complementary medicine.

The people who use complementary medicines (CMs) believe that these medicines are safe and harmless. They could easily access CMs like herbal or traditional medicines in community pharmacies. Therefore, community pharmacists are important professionals in advising the safe choices of CMs and providing evidence-based information for customers to decrease adverse effects of CMs. To systematically review knowledge, attitude, and practices of community pharmacists about CMs, and the factors associated with CM practices of dispensing, recommending and counseling patients, and answering the patients' queries. An electronic search was performed with four databases: PubMed, Scopus, SpringerLink and ScienceDirect, from 1990 to 19th May 2022. The inclusion criteria were studies 1) about knowledge, attitude, and/or practices of community pharmacists about CMs, 2) written in English, 3) conducted with quantitative methods, and 4) able to retrieve full text. Twenty-three studies were included in this systematic review. Some studies showed that less than half of the pharmacists asked or counselled about CMs to their patients and answered the patients' queries about CMs. Only 20% of the pharmacists did report CM side-effects. Training or education about CMs was a common factor associated with the CM practice of dispensing, recommending, counseling, and answering the patients' queries about CMs. CMs recommended most by community pharmacists were vitamins & minerals, food or dietary supplements, fish oil and probiotics. The most common dispensed CMs were vitamins & minerals, herbs, food or dietary supplements, fish oil and essential oils. Lacks of reliable information sources and scientific evidence were common barriers for the CM practices. Being less expensive than conventional medicines motivated the pharmacists to recommend and discuss about CMs. The community pharmacists that participated in included studies suggested strengthening CM trainings and highlight the pharmacist role in CM therapy. A high percentage of community pharmacists did dispense CMs to their patients, while a low percentage of the pharmacists did report CM side effects. Pharmacists were most comfortable recommending and responding the patients' CM queries. Training or education about CMs associated with CM dispensing, recommending, discussing, and answering the patients' queries about CMs was recommended.

MicroRNAs, Stem Cells in Bipolar Disorder, and Lithium Therapeutic Approach.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe, chronic, and disabling neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent mood disturbances (mania/hypomania and depression, with or without mixed features) and a constellation of cognitive, psychomotor, autonomic, and endocrine abnormalities. The etiology of BD is multifactorial, including both biological and epigenetic factors. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of epigenetic regulators of gene expression playing a central role in brain development and plasticity, have been related to several neuropsychiatric disorders, including BD. Moreover, an alteration in the number/distribution and differentiation potential of neural stem cells has also been described, significantly affecting brain homeostasis and neuroplasticity. This review aimed to evaluate the most reliable scientific evidence on miRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of BD and assess their implications in response to mood stabilizers, such as lithium. Neural stem cell distribution, regulation, and dysfunction in the etiology of BD are also dissected.

Are Spanish Surveys Ready to Detect the Social Factors of Obesity?

The social origins of obesity are now recognised: a problem that is initially biological is today a public health problem with a social origin. This paper raises the question of whether the official statistical sources used to understand changes in diet are able to detect this shift in analysis. After reviewing the social factors that explain obesity, we examine the official Spanish statistics that can inform about dietary changes: the ENS National Health Survey, the EPF Family Budget Survey, and the EET Time Use Survey, all carried out by the Spanish Statistical Office. All of them include socio-demographic variables and some locational variables. However, the lack of health variables in the economic survey and the lack of social variables in the health survey prevent the gathering of reliable scientific evidence to offer solid support in stopping the obesity epidemic. Food has become particularly important as one of the main areas where unhealthy decisions and choices involve high risk; the situation also demonstrates the relationship between social inequality and obesity. Obesity is now understood in a radically different way and the origin of the problem lies in social and cultural factors. The current surveys do not provide the resources to capture the social causality of obesity, but slight modifications would help expand their capabilities and offer reliable scientific evidence to stop the obesity epidemic.