• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2021

Human gnathostomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Gnathostoma nematode infection. A rapid, reliable, and practical immunoassay, named dot immuno-gold filtration assay (DIGFA), was developed to supporting clinical diagnosis of gnathostomiasis. The practical tool detected anti-Gnathostoma-specific IgG4 in human serum using crude extract of third-stage larvae as antigen. The result of the test was shown by anti-human IgG4 monoclonal antibody conjugated colloidal gold. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were both 100% for detection in human sera from patients with gnathostomiasis (13/13) and from healthy negative controls (50/50), respectively. Cross-reactivity with heterogonous serum samples from patients with other helminthiases ranged from 0 (trichinosis, paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis, schistosomiasis, and cysticercosis) to 25.0% (sparganosis), with an average of 6.3% (7/112). Moreover, specific IgG4 antibodies diminished at 6 months after treatment. This study showed that DIGFA for the detection of specific IgG4 in human sera could be a promising tool for the diagnosis of gnathostomiasis and useful for evaluating therapeutic effects.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease. Not all patients with COPD respond to available drugs. Identifying respondents to therapy is critical to delivering the most appropriate treatment and avoiding unnecessary medication. Recognition of individual patients' dominant characteristics by phenotype is a useful tool to better understand their disease and tailor treatment accordingly. To look for a suitable phenotype, it is important to understand what makes COPD complex and heterogeneous. The pathology of COPD includes small airway disease and/or emphysema. Thus, COPD is not a single disease entity. In addition, there are two types (panlobular and centrilobular) of emphysema in COPD. The coexistence of different pathological subtypes could be the reason for the complexity and heterogeneity of COPD. Thus, it is necessary to look for the phenotype based on the difference in the underlying pathology. Review of the literature has shown that clinical manifestation and therapeutic response to pharmacological therapy are different depending on the presence of computed tomography-defined airway wall thickening in COPD patients. Defining the phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology is encouraging as most clinical manifestations can be distinguished by the presence of increased airway wall thickness. Pharmacological therapy has shown significant effect on COPD with airway wall thickening. However, it has limited use in COPD without an airway disease. The phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology can be a useful tool to better understand the disease and adjust treatment accordingly.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.267-275
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• 1993

Eighty five patients of oral cavity cancer, treated with radiation at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, during the period from March 1985 to September 1990 were analyzed retrospectively. Among 85 patients, 37 patients were treated with radiation only and 48 patients were treated with radiation following surgery. And 70 patients received external irradiation only by $^{60}Co$ with or without electron, the others were 7 patients for external irradiation plus interstitial implantation and 8 patients for external irradiation plus oral cone electron therapy. Primary sites were mobile tongue for 40 patients, mouth floor for 17 patients, palate for 12 patients, gingiva including retromolar trigone for 10 patients, buccal mucosa for 5 patients, and lip for 1 patient. According to pathologic classification, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (77 patients). According to AJC TNM stage, stage I + II were 28 patients and stage III+IV were 57 patients. Acturial overall survival rate at 3 years was $43.9\%,$ 3 year survival rates were $60.9\%$ for stage I + II, and $23.1\%$ for stage III+IV, respectively. As a prognostic factor, primary T stage was a significant factor (p<0.01). The others, age, location, lymph node metastasis, surgery, radiation dose, and cell differentiation were not statistically significant. Among those factors, radiation plus surgery was more effective than radiation only in T3+T4 or in any N stage although it was not statistically sufficient (p<0.1). From those results, it was conclusive that definitive radiotherapy was more effective than surgery especially In the view of pertainig of anatomical integrity and function in early stage, and radiation plus surgery was considered to be better therapeutic tool in advanced stage.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2011

Background: This study was to suggest the process of making strategy for effective intervention and evaluation on functional problems of the frozen shoulder patient applied International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) Tools. Methods: The patient was 48years old woman with right shoulder adhesive capsulitis and calcific tendinitis. In first phase, therapists could list the information relating to functional problems used by the ICF Core set and then could confirm the interaction among the problems using the ICF assessment sheet. In second phase, therapist is needed to make the hypothesis and hypothesis testing and then set a primary functional goals and therapeutic goals in detail after prioritizing the problems to be managed based on the problem list. Lastly, after setting the confirmed problems as the purpose of intervention through the hypothesis testing, therapist could do some intervention after making a plan to solve these problems. Results: This report illustrates how to apply the process based on ICF concept into physical therapy practice. The decided hypothesis and goal that are to solve the problems the client faced were remarkably meaningful. Conclusions: Clinical decision making for the most effective intervention requires that therapists use the clinical reasoning process based on ICF concept.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.268-277
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although it is crucial to identify those children likely to be treated in an appropriate nutrition rehabilitation programme and discharge them at the appropriate time, there is no golden standard for such identification. The current study examined the appropriateness of using Mid-Upper Arm Circumference for the identification, follow-up and discharge of malnourished children. We also assessed its discrepancy with the Weight-for-Height based diagnosis, the rate of recovery, and the discharge criteria of the children during nutrition rehabilitation. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study present findings from 156 children (aged 6-59 months) attending a supplementary feeding programme at Makadara and Jericho Health Centres, Eastern District of Nairobi, Kenya. Records of age, weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference were selected at three stages of nutrition rehabilitation: admission, follow-up and discharge. The values obtained were then used to calculate z-scores as defined by WHO Anthro while estimating different diagnostic indices. RESULTS: Mid-upper arm circumference single cut-off (< 12.5 cm) was found to exhibit high values of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio at both admission and discharge. Besides, children recorded higher rate of recovery at 86 days, an average increment of 0.98 cm at the rate of 0.14mm/day, and a weight gain of 13.49gm/day, albeit higher in female than their male counterparts. Nevertheless, children admitted on basis of low MUAC had a significantly higher MUAC gain than WH at 0.19mm/day and 0.13mm/day respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-upper arm circumference can be an appropriate tool for identifying malnourished children for admission to nutrition rehabilitation programs. Our results confirm the appropriateness of this tool for monitoring recovery trends and discharging the children thereafter. In principle the tool has potential to minimize nutrition rehabilitation costs, particularly in community therapeutic centres in developing countries.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.33-49
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• 2011

The process of physical therapy uses a problem-solving approach to enhance a patients's functioning status. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health(ICF) is the common concept for the functioning in the world. Physical therapists require the ability to identify problems, formulate hypothesis, and plan intervention strategies through clinical reasoning. In the clinical process, physical therapists need to use standard and common languages in speech and in documentation. The purpose of this study was to suggest the process of making strategy for efficient intervention, examining and evaluating the functional problem of the person with stroke using ICF tools. For the first step in this process model, therapists could list the information relating to functional problems used by the ICF Core set and then could identify the interaction among the problems using the ICF assessment sheet. For the next step, therapist is needed to make the hypothesis and hypothesis testing, and then set a primary functional goals and therapeutic goals in detail after prioritizing the problems to be managed based on the problem list. Finally, after setting the identified problems as the purpose of intervention through the hypothesis testing, therapist could do some intervention after making a plan to solve these problems, and find out the outcomes using the ICF evaluation display. This report illustrates how to apply the process based on ICF concept into physical therapy practice. Making a decision for the most efficient intervention requires that therapists use the clinical reasoning process based on ICF concept.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.99-110
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of the present study was to develop a valid and reliable scale that measures the healthy life styles among young adults. Design: A methodological study design was employed to develop and validate the Healthy Lifestyle Screening Tool (HLST). Methods: The validity and reliability of the HLST were established in accordance with DeVellis' 8 steps guideline for tool development. The question items were generated based on literature reviews and interviews, which were then classified into 12 categories. The HLST was administered to 272 students attending a Korean university. The reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha. The validity of the scale was examined with the mean inter-item correlations (MIIC) and factor analysis, and was also examined for content validity by experts. Results: The reliability of the HLST was found to be acceptable, as indicated by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.71. In the validity test, items with less than 80% "agreement" ratings on the content validity index by experts were revised. The MIIC values were greater than 0.25. A factor analysis of 36 items extracted 9 factors (i.e., four items per factor), which together explained 50.4% of the variance. The HLST consists of 36 items that measure 9 factors based on a 4-point Likert rating scale, with 4 items per factor, as follows: sunlight, water, air, rest, exercise, nutrition, temperance, trust, and general physical condition. High scores on the HLST are indicative of a healthy lifestyle (HL). Conclusions: The HLST is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to measure HL among young adults. Identification of HL by using the HLST can provide guidance to integrated therapeutic approaches along with conventional physical therapy.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.53-61
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• 2020

Objective : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reaction time and divided attention related to driving in elderly subjects using the driving ability assessment tool. By analyzing differences in average score according to age group, we also aim to, provide data for identifying the risk of driving in elderly people. Methods : A total of 70 elderly subjects, who participated in a driving evaluation program for people over 65 years of aged and who live in W city, Gangwon-do from August to December 2019, were included in the study. After the driving questionnaire was completed, the mobile driving assessment tool was explained, and then the patients carried out the reaction time and the divided attention task. Collected data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS 25.0, and the significance level was set to 0.1. Results : The reaction time of the younger-old was 0.717 s, while that of the older-old was 0.843 s, this difference was statistically significant (p=.084). The response time for the task of divided attention was 0.669 s in the younger-old and 0.695 s for the older-old. In this case, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=.901). Conclusion : Using the mobile driving ability assessment tool, it was possible to evaluate the reaction rate and divided attention of elderly while driving.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.173-180
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• 2020

This is the report of a case study to describe the results of applying an evaluation tool for communication ability when performing core basic nursing skills in fundamental nursing practice education. The communication ability evaluation tool was constructed based on a literature review and expert advice. The tool was applied to test 94 students who were taking fundamental nursing practice courses from October to November 2019. As a result, five factors (self-introduction, eye contact, emotional support, information provision, and therapeutic touch) were derived as evaluable items of communication ability to be evaluated when performing core basic nursing skill, and were evaluated when performing core basic nursing skills to measure vital signs. The average communication ability was 3.96 out of 5 points. According to the rubric, 95.8% of all students attained 'medium' and reached their goal achievement level. The findings of this study are meaningful in providing an important basis for improving the performance outcome evaluation process and for constructing a systematic evaluation system in fundamental nursing practicum. Further studies to secure the validity and reliability of this communication ability evaluation tool and comparative studies with various evaluation tools are suggested.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.43-53
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• 2023

Objective : In this study, the rehabilitation motivation evaluation tool for stroke patients was identified, and the characteristics of the evaluation tool were analyzed to analyze the conceptual framework and characteristics used in the composition of the evaluation contents. Methods : From 2000 to May 2022, documents registered in major domestic and foreign databases (PubMed, NDSL, Medline, and EMbase) were searched and selected according to the selection and exclusion criteria. The evaluation tools used in the selected documents were analyzed, and the characteristics of this evaluation tool were analyzed. Results : A total of 30 documents were selected, and they were classified into a total of five rehabilitation motivation evaluation tools. The most widely used in Korea was the measurement tool for rehabilitation motivation for the disabled, and the most widely used overseas was the intrinsic motivation inventory. Three evaluation tools constructed the evaluation contents based on the self-determination theory, and two constructed the evaluation contents through expert agreement. The number of evaluation items and 8 to 45 items were varied, and the evaluation scale was also used in various ways from 4 to 7 point scale. Conclusion : It was possible to identify the evaluation tools mainly used for the evaluation of rehabilitation motivation, and to identify the main conceptual framework based on the development of the rehabilitation motivation evaluation tool. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for research on the development of rehabilitation motivation evaluation tools for stroke patients in the future.