• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.409-413
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• 2012

Purpose: Rehabilitative devices are used to enhance sensorimotor training protocols, for improvement of motor function in the hemiplegic limb of patients who have suffered a stroke. Sensorimotor integration feedback systems, included with these devices, are very good therapeutic frameworks. We applied this approach using electrical stimulation in stroke patients and examined whether a functional electric stimulation-assisted biofeedback therapy system could improve function of the upper extremity in chronic hemiplegia. Methods: A prototype biofeedback system was used by six subjects to perform a set of tasks with their affected upper extremity during a 30-minute session for 20 consecutive working days. When needed for a grasping or releasing movement of objects, the functional electrical stimulation (FES) stimulated the wrist and finger flexor or extensor and assisted the patients in grasping or releasing the objects. Kinematic data provided by the biofeedback system were acquired. In addition, clinical performance scales and activity of daily living skills were evaluated before and after application of a prototype biofeedback system. Results: Our findings revealed statistically significant gradual improvement in patients with stroke, in terms of kinematic and clinical performance during the treatment sessions, in terms of manual function test and the Purdue pegboard. However, no significant difference of the motor activity log was found. Conclusion: Hemiplegic upper extremity function of a small group of patients with chronic hemiparesis was improved through two weeks of training using the FES-assisted biofeedback system. Further research into the use of biofeedback systems for long-term clinical improvement will be needed.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2012

This study was undertaken to develop protective gloves for rose farmers who work on thorny plant in Korea. Prototype of protective gloves was designed and evaluated in terms of thermal comfort and mobility. Gloves were made with arm protectors attached to them, so that they could protect the lower part of arms, and rubber bands were inserted into the arm protectors for them not to slip down. The bending part of each finger was punched in order to give ventilation. Also, the bending parts of the fingers in the upper and lower part of gloves were inserted with sponges and were stitched together in order to enhance gripping movement. According to compared evaluation of the developed gloves and the existing gloves, temperature inside the gloves didn't show any significant differences, but humidity inside the gloves showed significant differences. There were significant differences in terms of comparison of objective mobility, that is, pegboard run-time and grip power, from statistical aspects. In addition, a comparison of subjective discomfort showed significant differences and so the suitability of developed gloves was proved.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2011

Purpose: This study analyzed recent trends of instrument usage assessing cognitive function of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The researcher collected 64 studies outside the country that were published between January 1996 and August 2010. Results: There was no study on the instrument assessing all domains of cognitive function in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Most instruments assessing cognitive function of breast cancer patients have been used for patients with dementia, depression, and/or organic brain damage. Also the objective neuropsychological tests such as the grooved pegboard for the psychomotor area, RCFT copy in visuospatial skill area and the WAIS-III block design have low sensitivity for measuring cognitive function in breast cancer patients, thus they are not good for applying to breast cancer patients. Conclusion: There is a need to develop an instrument which has good sensitivity and specificity for measuring the cognitive function of the breast cancer patients who experienced cognitive impairment after chemotherapy treatment. In addition, the developed instrument needs to be accessible and feasible in any nursing clinical setting for the purpose of accurate assessment and evaluation of the cognitive function among breast cancer patients.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 2020

Purpose: This study examined the effects of training using the slime on the hand function and problem behavior in adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods: Five adults with intellectual disabilities who were judged as Level 1 or Level 2 were selected. The training consisted of one session (50 min)/day, one day/week for 10 weeks (preparatory activities: 5 min, slime activities: 40 min, finishing activities: 5 min) The functions of the hand (Purdue Pegboard Test [PPT], grip strength test [GST]) and problem behavior (Korean Behavior Problems Inventory [KBPI]) were assessed three times (first assessment; pre, second assessment; post-5 weeks, third assessment; post-10 weeks). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyze changes in the subjects' performance before and after the intervention. Results: In the PPT, the use of the non-dominant hand was increased significantly (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed in the remaining results, but the mean value increased. In addition, although the problem behavior was not statistically significant, an increase in the problem behavior score was noted. Conclusion: The training using the slime for adults with intellectual disabilities is effective in hand function improvement and reducing problem behavior.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2009

We investigated the nutritional state of B vitamins and the neuropsychological functions in 25 subjects, aged $63.1{\pm}6.3$ years, residing in rural areas of Korea. Nutritional states of thiamin, riboflavin, and pyridoxine were assessed enzymatically in the erythrocytes, and folate concentrations were measured microbiologically in the plasma and erythrocytes. A battery of composite neuropsychological test was administered to the subjects. Plasma folate was correlated with the total intelligence score (p=0.049). Folate levels in the erythrocytes were correlated with the performance intelligence scores such as block design (p=0.017) and picture arrangement (p=0.016). The red cell folate was correlated with memory scores such as general memory (p=0.009) and delayed recall (p=0.000). Although it did not reach statistical significance, verbal memory (p=0.053) was highly correlated with the red cell folate. The red cell folate was also correlated positively with the percent of conceptual level response number score (p=0.029), and negatively with the grooved pegboard test score for the non-dominant hand (p=0.010). Fine motor coordination was also influenced by folate nutrition, as finger tapping scores in both hands were significantly correlated with red cell folate (dominant hand; p=0.026, non-dominant hand; p=0.004). Other B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin $B_6$ were not as strongly correlated with neuropsychological function test scores as folate was. These results suggest that folate nutrition influences neuropsychological function test scores significantly in humans. Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between folate or other vitamin B nutrition and neuropsychological functions and the implications thereof.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.277-283
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• 2021

Background and objective: This study was conducted to increase understanding of agriculture through agricultural experience programs for adolescents living in self-reliance residence hall, and to investigate changes in work performance ability through changes in hand function. Methods: There were 11 subjects, and the average age was 18.2 years, all males without disabilities. The agricultural experience program consists of a total of 10 sessions including orientation and watching videos on future agriculture, creating vegetable gardens, planting, managing each crop, harvesting, visiting the processing room, and selling at a local food store. Results: The change in agricultural literacy by the agricultural experience program positively improved from a score of 113.73 to 127.91 (p = .008). The changes by sub-item are as follows. The value and safety of agri-foods (p = .020) and agriculture and natural environment (p = .007) were significantly improved. The function and value of rural areas (p = .050), production of agricultural products (p = .160), processing and distribution of agricultural products (p = .248), and agricultural policies (p = .058) were not significantly changed. The simple function of the hands was measured by the number of pegs inserted during 30 seconds, and the assembly function was measured by the number of pegs inserted during 60 seconds. In the case of simple function, the dominant hand was improved from 14.82 to 15.83 (p = .014), andthe non-dominant hand was also significantly improved from 13.79 to 15.01 (p = .002). There was no significant improvement in the simple function (p = .153) and assembly function (p = .770) of both hands. Conclusion: It is considered that the agricultural experience program will enable youths living in self-reliance residence halls to enhance their understanding of agriculture as an occupation, and enable them to play a role as wise consumers by positively affecting improvements in their agricultural literacy and simple hand functions.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective horticultural activity program for the vocational rehabilitation of people with mental disabilities. The subjects of this study were seven persons with mental disabilities in the vocational rehabilitation team of a public health center located in G city, Gyeongsangbuk-do. A total of 10 horticultural programs were held from October 10 to December 11, 2018. Five programs were selected among those that were easy for the persons with mental illness to handle and their preference was high. In each session, the same task was repeated 10 times and finally changes in hand functions and working speed were measured. As a result, the assembly task of the Purdue Pegboard test was 23.6 (SD = 10.5) before the program, 26.6 (SD = 11.5) after planting, 27.7 (SD = 12.2) after wrapping pots, and 28.0 (SD = 13.9) after making mini flower baskets, 26.9 (SD = 12.0) after wrapping a single flower, and 29.1 (SD = 11.9) after making corsages. There was a significant difference between the five programs (p = .016). As a result of measuring the time taken to produce the same 10 products, the average planting time was 9.9 (SD = 4.0) minutes in the first class and 6.0 (SD = 2.3) minutes in the second class (p = .018), and making mini flower baskets was reduced from 35.2 (SD = 10.1) minutes to 21.0 (SD = 7.7) minutes (p = .018), wrapping a single flower from 23.3 (SD = 7.9) minutes to 16.2 (SD = 7.3) minutes (p = .043), and making corsages from 53.6 (SD = 15.9) to 40.8 (SD = 16.8) minutes (p = .043). The working time was significantly shortened in the second class compared to the first class. The class for wrapping pots was shortened from 52.7 (SD = 11.7) to 49.6 (SD = 17.8) minutes, but there was no significant difference (p = .398).

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.49-57
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• 2023

Purpose : This study aimed to systematically review the correlation between hand dexterity and cognitive function in the elderly, and summarize various evaluation tests and results analysis methods for manual dexterity tests applied to this population. Methods : We searched published studies in the Korean Studies Information Service System and PubMed databases from January 2013 to March 2023. The main keywords used were "dexterity," "fine motor," "elderly," "cognitive function," and "correlation." A total of 10 studies were selected for analysis from the 1,524 searched articles. The included studies consisted of a cohort study, a longitudinal study, and eight cross-sectional studies which were analyzed for patients, intervention, comparison, and outcomes. Results : Analyzing the qualitative level of 10 studies, 8 articles (80%) were non-randomized two-group studies that provided level II evidence whereas the remaining 2 studies (20%) were non-randomized single-group studies (level III evidence). Therefore, these results indicated that the level of evidence in this field is generally high. The Purdue pegboard test was the most commonly used evaluation test for manual dexterity, and velocity speed was the most frequently employed analysis method. Results indicated that there were significant differences in manual dexterity test between the normal elderly, those with mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. Conclusions : These results can be used as a basis for selecting dexterity test evaluation items and methods to analyze it in the elderly while screening for cognitive impairment. In addition, this study highlights potential areas for future research on the development of manual dexterity evaluation tools and techniques for analysis and the need for more reliable and valid methods for assessing cognitive function in the elderly.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to present specific criteria for setting goals for hand rehabilitation by comparing the degree of difference in grip force, coordination, and dexterity between the dominant and non-dominant hand according to gender. Methods: We recruited 100 healthy adults in their 20s and 30s. A handheld digital dynamometer was used to evaluate the grip force of each of the dominant and non-dominant hand, a chopsticks manipulation test was used to evaluate coordination, and the Purdue Pegboard test was used to evaluate agility. Results: In all subjects, the grip force, coordination, and dexterity showed statistically significant difference (p <0.01) between the dominant and non-dominant hand. In the comparison according to gender, both male and female dominant and non-dominant hands showed statistically significant differences in grip force, coordination, and dexterity (p <0.01). In the comparison according to grip force, there was a statistically significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant hand, and men showed stronger result values in both hands compared to women (p <0.01). In the comparison according to coordination, there was no statistically significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant hand in men and women (p >0.05). In the comparison according to dexterity, there was a statistically significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant hand, and women were shown to be faster in performance time with both hands, compared to men (p <0.01). Conclusion: Differences according to gender exist in grip force and dexterity but not coordination, and differences between dominant and non-dominant hand exists across all measurements. The results suggest setting a recovery goal according to dominance and gender during rehabilitation of hand function.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Sensory Integration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2011

Objective : This study investigated the relationships of handwriting legibility and perceptual-motor skills, and handwriting speed and perceptual-motor skills. And identified the predictors that most affect the handwriting of preschool children. Methods : Twenty-three typically developing preschool aged children (mean age: 68.61 months, SD=2.04) were selected through the Korean-Denver Developmental Screening Test-2(K-DDST-2). The children were tested with regard to handwriting legibility, visual perception, visual-motor integration and fine-motor coordination. Results : First, a significant relationship was not found among handwriting legibility, visual perception, visualmotor integration and fine-motor coordination. Second, a significant relationship was found among handwriting speed, visual perception and fine-motor coordination. Third, stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that general visual perception were significant predictors for handwriting speed. Conclusion : Occupational therapists should evaluate children's visual perception levels utilizing a standardized test, and focus on general visual perception in order to improve handwriting skill(speed). Also, occupational therapists are expected to play an important role in the management and treatment of children's handwriting skills.