Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of propolis mouthwash in cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of propolis mouthwash in cancer patients with therapy-induced oral mucositis. METHODS: This was a systematic review of randomized control trails (RCTs). We searched ten electronic databases for studies published prior to April 06, 2017. The included RCTs were published in English and Chinese. The Jadad score was used to evaluate the quality of the articles identified. Two reviewers independently evaluated each of the studies. The data were entered into Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 software and checked for accuracy. Outcome incidence analysis was performed using odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Of the 352 articles identified, five potentially relevant articles met our inclusion criteria. These 5 RCTs included a total of 209 participants. The Jadad score for methodological quality was 3.60 ± 0.55. No obvious publication bias was noted. The incidence of severe oral mucositis was significantly lower in the propolis group than in the control group (OR = 0.35, p = 0. 003). The corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.18 to 0.70. Between-study heterogeneity was low (I2 = 0.000, p = 0.45). No side effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Propolis mouthwash is effective and safe in the treatment of severe oral mucositis. To maintain propolis safety, propolis usage should occur under the supervision of medical staff and health professionals. Future multi-center studies and a clinical protocol are needed to confirm the current findings regarding the efficacy and safety of propolis mouthwash.

Huge Inverse Magnetization Generated by Faraday Induction in Nano-Sized Au@Ni Core@Shell Nanoparticles.

We report on the design and observation of huge inverse magnetizations pointing in the direction opposite to the applied magnetic field, induced in nano-sized amorphous Ni shells deposited on crystalline Au nanoparticles by turning the applied magnetic field off. The magnitude of the induced inverse magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before turning the magnetic field off, and can be as high as 54% of the magnetization prior to cutting off the applied magnetic field. Memory effect of the induced inverse magnetization is clearly revealed in the relaxation measurements. The relaxation of the inverse magnetization can be described by an exponential decay profile, with a critical exponent that can be effectively tuned by the wait time right after reaching the designated temperature and before the applied magnetic field is turned off. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction.

Using data mining technology to predict medication-taking behaviour in women with breast cancer: A retrospective study.

AIMS: Medication-taking behaviours of breast cancer survivors undergoing adjuvant hormone therapy have received considerable attention. This study aimed to determine factors affecting medication-taking behaviours in people with breast cancer using data mining. DESIGN: A longitudinal observational retrospective cohort study with a hospital-based survey. METHODS: A total of 385 subjects were surveyed, analysing existing data from January 2010 to December 2017 in Taiwan. Three data mining approaches-multiple logistic regression, decision tree and artificial neural network-were used to build the prediction models and rank the importance of influencing factors. Accuracy, specificity and sensitivity were used as assessment indicators for the prediction models. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression was the most effective approach, achieving an accuracy of 96.37%, specificity of 96.75% and sensitivity of 96.12%. The duration of adjuvant hormone therapy discontinuation, duration of adjuvant hormone therapy use and age at diagnosis by data mining were the three most critical factors influencing the medication-taking behaviours of people with breast cancer.

[Development and evaluation of a nursing database].

The progress of information technology (IT) has not only changed the way we live, but also made health instruments more user friendly and convenient. In recent years, the application of IT in nursing has increased, as has relevant research in the literature. It also has been verified in the literature that IT has improved clinical practice efficiency and effectiveness. However, the development of IT in nursing has progressed slower than expected in health care settings because nursing information system flows are complicated and the scope necessarily covered by nursing information systems is broad. In addition, with limited experience, the development of nursing information systems has posed a tremendous challenge, with nurse administrators facing significant barriers and difficulties. The purpose of this paper was to share our experience establishing a unit based on a nationwide nurses' information bank.

Engineering and Scaling the Spontaneous Magnetization Reversal of Faraday Induced Magnetic Relaxation in Nano-Sized Amorphous Ni Coated on Crystalline Au.

We report on the generation of large inverse remanent magnetizations in nano-sized core/shell structure of Au/Ni by turning off the applied magnetic field. The remanent magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before the switching off of the magnetic field. Spontaneous reversal in direction and increase in magnitude of the remanent magnetization in subsequent relaxations over time were found. All of the various types of temporal relaxation curves of the remanent magnetizations are successfully scaled by a stretched exponential decay profile, characterized by two pairs of relaxation times and dynamic exponents. The relaxation time is used to describe the reduction rate, while the dynamic exponent describes the dynamical slowing down of the relaxation through time evolution. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction.