• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.127-129
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• 2015

Background and Objectives : The etiology of globus pharyngeus remains uncertain. It has been known there is a relationship between the presence of air bubbles in esophagus and GERD symptoms. The aim of this study is to identify relationship between the globus symptom and the presence of air column in esophagus. Subjects and Methods : The study population consisted of 46 patients who underwent CT scan as part of evaluation for globus. Controls were chosen from the population consisted of patients with lymphadenopathy who underwent CT scan. The correlation between the presence of globus symptom and diameter, volume, and position of the air column was assessed using t-test. Reproducibility of diameter and volume of the esophageal air column was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient. Results : In study group, the mean volume of the air column was $769.56{\pm}983.08mm^3$, the mean diameter was $8.24{\pm}4.90mm$, the mean distance from the inferior border of posterior lamina of cricoid cartilage was $88.86{\pm}28.01mm$. In control group, $682.18{\pm}767.28mm^3$, $8.37{\pm}5.50mm$, $88.34{\pm}21.06mm$, respectively. There were no differences of diameter, volume and distance of the air column between the two groups. We failed to obtain acceptable reliability when we compare the diameter and the volume of the esophageal air column. Conclusion : There was no relationship between air column of esophagus and presence of globus symptom. And the measurement of diameter and volume of the esophageal air column change over time and it should be considered in a further study.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to assess the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability and validity of frontal plane lower extremity alignment estimated from a rasterstereographic method using ABW-Mapper. Eighteen subjects participated in this study. The S angle (stereographic angle-frontal plane lower extremity alignment estimated from a rasterstereographic method) in standing was measured throughout the two sessions with one week interval by two different readers. In the first session, a reader measured S angle twice per subject with a short break in-between. The Q-angle (quadriceps angle) was measured using a standard goniometer from a photography taken through digital camera with the participant standing in the same position as in the S angle measurement. The HKA(hip-knee-ankle) angle was measured from a computer based digital radiograph with the computerized measurement software. Reliability was tested using intraclass correlation coefficients(ICC). Validity was tested using a Pearson's correlation coefficient. Excellent intra-rater(ICC=0.956~0.974), inter-rater(ICC=0.962), test-retest reliability (ICC=0.945) were demonstrated. There were strong negative correlations between S angle and Q-angle (r=-0.739), and between S angle and HKA angle (r=-0.702). Therefore, the S angle measured using a rasterstereographic mapper may be used to as a preliminary or supplementary tool to evaluate and study LE alignment in the frontal plane in relation to HKA angle or Q-angle.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.295-308
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• 2023

Purpose: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of Shively and colleagues' self-efficacy for HIV disease management skills (HIV-SE) among Korean participants. Methods: The original HIV-SE questionnaire, comprising 34 items, was translated into Korean using a translation and back-translation process. To enhance clarity and eliminate redundancy, the author and expert committee engaged in multiple discussions and integrated two items with similar meanings into a single item. Further, four HIV nurse experts tested content validity. Survey data were collected from 227 individuals diagnosed with HIV from five Korean hospitals. Construct validity was verified through confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficients with the new general self-efficacy scale. Internal consistency reliability and test-retest were examined for reliability. Results: The Korean version of HIV-SE (K-HIV-SE) comprises 33 items across six domains: "managing depression/mood," "managing medications," "managing symptoms," "communicating with a healthcare provider," "getting support/help," and "managing fatigue." The fitness of the modified model was acceptable (minimum value of the discrepancy function/degree of freedom = 2.49, root mean square error of approximation = .08, goodness-of-fit index = .76, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = .71, Tucker-Lewis index = .84, and comparative fit index = .86). The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = .91) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .73) were good. The criterion validity of the K-HIV-SE was .59 (p < .001). Conclusion: This study suggests that the K-HIV-SE is useful for efficiently assessing self-efficacy for HIV disease management.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2005

Xerostomia is defined as a subjective complaint of dry mouth that may be perceived when there is insufficient mucosal wetting. However, the diagnosis and treatment of xerostomia is not that simple because of the fact that the subjective awareness of dry mouth is not always correlated with a diminution in the flow of saliva and there is always a difference between individuals in salivary flow rates needed for normal oral function. In the present study, the aim was to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the dry mouth symptoms and to analyze its reliability and usability as a diagnostic and analytic tool for xerostomia. The questionnaire which consists of 6 Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) type questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness and 4 questions to evaluate behavior to avoid oral dryness was developed and administered twice with 1 week's interval to the healthy 88 young adults without dry mouth symptoms(44 males and 44 females; mean age was $25.6{\pm}3.1$ years in male and $24.3{\pm}2.1$ years in female). The results were as follows. 1 The intraclass correlation coefficients of 6 questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness were as significantly high as 0.767 for the degree of oral dryness at other times of the day, 0.850 for the amount of saliva in the mouth, and 0.791 for the degree of effect on daily life due to oral dryness and as high as 0.563 for the degree of oral dryness at night or on awakening, 0.674 for the degree of oral dryness during eating, and 0.641 for the degree of difficulty in swallowing foods. 2. Cronbach's alpha value of 6 questions was 0.982. It can be concluded that the series of questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness has high internal consistency. 3. Cohen's kappa values of 4 questions to evaluate behavior to relieve oral dryness were as significantly high as 0.850 for the frequency of keeping a glass of water at the bedside and as high as 0.506 the frequency of awakening during sleeping due to oral dryness, 0.419 for the frequency of sipping liquids to aid in eating dry foods, and 0.407 for the frequency of using a candy or chewing gum due to oral dryness. From the results, it can be concluded that the questionnaire consisting of 6 VAS type questions to evaluate the subjective oral dryness and 4 questions to evaluate behavior to relieve oral dryness has reliability of good to excellent level, and that the series of 6 VAS type questions has significantly high internal consistency to evaluate the subjective oral dryness.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.109-128
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean version of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL)-focused Occupation-Based Neurobehavioral Evaluation (A-ONE) through cross-cultural adaptation and examine its validity and reliability. Methods : This study translated the A-ONE into Korean and performed cross-cultural adaptation for the Korean population. After the development of the Korean version of the A-ONE, cross-cultural and concurrent validities were analyzed. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and inter-rater reliability were also evaluated. Results : We adapted three items to the Korean culture. The Korean version of the A-ONE showed high cross-cultural validity with a content validity index (I-CVI) >0.9. It correlated with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) (r=0.52-0.77, p<0.001), except for communication. Cronbach's α was 0.58-0.93 for the functional independence scale (FI) and 0.42-0.93 for the neurobehavioral specific impairment subscale (NBSIS). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) indicated high test-retest and inter-rater reliability for FI (ICC=0.79-1.00 and 0.75-1.00, respectively) and NBSIS (ICC=0.74-1.00 and 0.72-1.00, respectively). Conclusion : The Korean version of the A-ONE is well adapted to the Korean culture and has good validity and reliability. It is recommended to evaluate ADL performance skills and neurobehavioral impairments simultaneously in Korea.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.377-393
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• 2001

In order to study the closure stage of cranial sutures and its correlations with age, the ectocranial closure stage of coronal suture, sagittal suture, and lambdoidal suture of 67 skulls was measured. Among the skulls kept at the department of anatomy, college of medicine, Yonsei University, the ones with ages identified were used for this study. These measurements of suture closure were conducted by 4 examiners independently. The sutures were further divided by Frederic's method into 16 suture parts. The closure stages were classified by five stages of Broca-Ribbe. The following results were obtained: 1. The inter-observer reliability among 4 examiners showed high intraclass correlation coefficient of over 0.75(mean : 0.856) in all suture parts. Therefore, the determination of closure stage wasn't influenced by the subjective view of each examiner. 2. In all suture parts, the closure stage increased proportionally with age.(p<0.01) In terms of each suture part, the S2 part of sagittal suture showed the highest correlation(68.1%) while the L1-R part of lambdoidal suture showed the lowest correlation(51.3%). In addition, in terms of suture types, the correlation with age decreased in the order of sagittal suture(60.0%), coronal suture(57.7%), and lambdoidal suture (55.7%). In general, the average value of suture closure stages had 57.8% correlation with age(p<0.01). 3. The most frequent suture closure stage according to age group was '0' for ages below 30, '0' and '1' for ages within the 30's, '1' and '2' for ages within the 40's, and '2' for ages within the 50's. With older age groups, the frequency of '3' and '4' increased, and the suture closure stage increased proportionally with age. 4. The mean age by closure stage of each suture were within the 40's for the closure stage of '1', within the 50's for the closure stage of '2', and from 50's through 60's for the closure stage of '3'. The standard deviation was over 10 for all closure stages. In addition, at the same suture closure stage, the mean age according to the coronal suture was higher than the ages according to the sagittal suture or lambdoidal suture. Especially, C1-R, C1-L, C2-R, and C2-L parts showed the highest age when at the same suture closure stage. 5. The values appropriate for age estimations using suture closure stages of 16 suture parts were calculated, and a calculator for age estimation ($R^2=0.6944$, p<0.01) by ectocranial suture closure stage for Koreans is presented. From the above results, the method of using the closure stage of sutures of the skull to estimate age can be useful in individual identification of forensic science. Further extensive and accurate research using larger samples would be worthy of study.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.67-75
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement of manual muscle testing (MMT) and test-retest reliability of a hand held dynamometer for the posterior gluteus medius muscle, with and without lumbar stabilization, using a pressure biofeedback unit for patients with low back pain. The pressure biofeedback unit was used to minimize the substitute motion of the lumbopelvic region during hip abduction in patients lying on their side. Fifteen patients with low back pain participated in this study. A tester determined the MMT grades of the posterior gluteus medius with and without the pressure biofeedback unit. Active hip abduction range of motion with an inclinometer and the strength of their posterior gluteus medius using a hand held dynamometer were measured with and without the pressure biofeedback unit in the MMT position. The agreement of the grade of muscle strength in the MMT, and intra-rater reliability of both the active hip abduction range of motion and the strength of posterior gluteus medius were analyzed using the weighted kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. The agreement of MMT with the pressure biofeedback unit (weighted kappa=.92) was higher than the MMT (weighted kappa=.34)(p<.05). The inclinometer with pressure biofeedback unit measurement of the active hip abduction range of motion had an excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC=.90). Also, the hand held dynamometer with pressure biofeedback unit measure of strength of the posterior gluteus medius had a good intra-rater reliability (ICC=.85). Therefore, the test for muscle strength with pressure biofeedback unit will be a reliable method for the determination of the MMT grades or amount of posterior gluteus medius muscle strength and the measurement of the range of motion for hip abduction in patients with low back pain.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.31-39
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• 2012

The lower trapezius muscle is an important stabilizer and primary mover of the scapula. The potential use of ultrasound imaging to evaluate scapular muscle function warrants investigation. The purpose of this study is to use ultrasound imaging for determining the effectiveness of 4 different isometric exercises for maximally activating the lower trapezius muscles in healthy subjects. Twenty-eight (14 men and 14 women) volunteers were recruited for this study. Thickness measurements of the lower trapezius muscles were recorded during 4 exercises: latissimus pulldown (LP), prone V-raise (PV), prone row (PR), and modified prone cobra (MP). Lower trapezius muscle thickness was measured 3 times by 2 investigators at a point 3 cm lateral to the lateral edge of the T8 spinous process. The order of 4 exercise execution was randomized for each participant. To identify statistical significance, one-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used with the significance level of .05. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for intra-reliability was .86~.98 and inter-rater reliability .83~.96 for the lower trapezius, respectively (p<.01). Thickness changes in the lower trapezius muscles between the relaxed and contracted states in men were as follows: LP ($7.37{\pm}2.68mm$, 182%), MP ($4.69{\pm}1.74mm$, 167%), PV ($4.52{\pm}1.47mm$, 149%), and PR ($3.84{\pm}1.72mm$, 133%). In women the values were as follows: LP ($4.64{\pm}1.24mm$, 163%), MP ($2.79{\pm}.81mm$, 131%), PV ($2.78{\pm}.85mm$, 129%), and PR ($2.21{\pm}1.26$ mm, 100%). Thickness of the lower trapezius muscles significantly differed between exercises in both the gender (p<.01). The LP was the most effective exercise for increasing the activation of the lower trapezius muscle in both the gender. We recommend performing the LP exercise for strengthening the lower trapezius muscles.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.535-542
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• 2010

Objectives: Exposure assessment is a major challenge faced by studies that evaluate the association between pesticide exposure and adverse health outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of information that farmers self-report regarding their pesticide use. Methods: Twenty five items based upon existing questionnaires were designed to focus on pesticide exposure. In 2009, a selfadministrated survey was conducted on two occasions four weeks apart among 205 farmers residing in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. For a reliability measure, we calculated the percentage agreement, the kappa statistics and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the two reports according to the characteristics of the subjects. Results: Agreement for ever-never use of any pesticide was 96.4% (kappa 0.61). For both 'years used' and 'age at the first use' of overall pesticides, high agreement was obtained (ICC: 0.88 and, 0.78, respectively), whereas those of 'days used' and 'hours used' were relatively low (ICC: 0.42 and, 0.66, respectively). The kappa value for the use of personal protective equipment ranged from 0.46 to 0.59, and hygiene activities came out at 0.19 to 0.37. The agreement for individual pesticide use ranged widely and there was relatively low agreement due to the low response rates. The reliability scores did not significantly vary according to gender, age, the education level, the types of crop or the years of farming. Conclusions: Our results support that carefully designed, self-reported information on ever-never pesticide use among farmers is reliable. However, the reliability of data on individual pesticide exposure may be unstable due to low response rates and needs to be refined.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.81-86
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• 2014

Objectives Total intracranial volume (TIV) is a major nuisance of neuroimaging research for interindividual differences of brain structure and function. Authors intended to prove the reliability of the atlas scaling factor (ASF) method for TIV estimation in FreeSurfer by comparing it with the results of manual tracing as reference method. Methods The TIVs of 26 normal children and 26 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were obtained by using FreeSurfer reconstruction and manual tracing with T1-weighted images. Manual tracing performed in every 10th slice of MRI dataset from midline of sagittal plane by one researcher who was blinded from clinical data. Another reseacher performed manual tracing independently for randomly selected 20 dataset to verify interrater reliability. Results The interrater reliability was excellent (intraclass coefficient = 0.91, p < 7.1e-07). There were no significant differences of age and gender distribution between normal and ADHD groups. No significant differences were found between TIVs from ASF method and manual tracing. Strong correlation between TIVs from 2 different methods were shown (r = 0.90, p < 2.2e-16). Conclusions The ASF method for TIV estimation by using FreeSurfer showed good agreement with the reference method. We can use the TIV from ASF method for correction in analysis of structural and functional neuroimaging studies with not only elderly subjects but also children, even with ADHD.