Factors Associated with Rehabilitation Service Satisfaction in Convalescent Stroke Patients / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

Purpose：This study investigated the factors associated with rehabilitation service satisfaction in convalescent stroke patients.Methods：This cross-sectional study included 41 participants (mean age 50.5 ± 9.3 years；73.2％ were male). Patients with severe cognitive impairment who were unable to respond to questionnaires were excluded from the study. At discharge, patient satisfaction was assessed using the Customer Satisfaction Scale based on Need Satisfaction (CSSNS) tool. We also evaluated physical function using the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set-Motor (SIAS-M) gain tool, activities of daily living (ADL) using the Motor-Functional Independence Measure (M-FIM) effectiveness tool, depressive symptoms using the Japan Stroke Scale-Depression (JSS-D) tool, optimism using the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and service quality using the SERVPERF model. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to identify factors that were significantly associated with CSSNS scores.Results：The mean CSSNS score of participants was 55.5 ± 8.3 points. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that M-FIM effectiveness (β＝0.48, p＜0.01) and SERVPERF scores (β＝0.48, p＜0.01) were significantly associated with CSSNS scores.Conclusion：This study revealed that favorable improvements in ADL and better service quality were associated with higher rehabilitation service satisfaction in convalescent stroke patients.

Factors Associated with Rehabilitation Service Satisfaction in Convalescent Stroke Patients / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

Purpose：This study investigated the factors associated with rehabilitation service satisfaction in convalescent stroke patients.Methods：This cross-sectional study included 41 participants (mean age 50.5 ± 9.3 years；73.2％ were male). Patients with severe cognitive impairment who were unable to respond to questionnaires were excluded from the study. At discharge, patient satisfaction was assessed using the Customer Satisfaction Scale based on Need Satisfaction (CSSNS) tool. We also evaluated physical function using the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set-Motor (SIAS-M) gain tool, activities of daily living (ADL) using the Motor-Functional Independence Measure (M-FIM) effectiveness tool, depressive symptoms using the Japan Stroke Scale-Depression (JSS-D) tool, optimism using the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and service quality using the SERVPERF model. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to identify factors that were significantly associated with CSSNS scores.Results：The mean CSSNS score of participants was 55.5 ± 8.3 points. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that M-FIM effectiveness (β＝0.48, p＜0.01) and SERVPERF scores (β＝0.48, p＜0.01) were significantly associated with CSSNS scores.Conclusion：This study revealed that favorable improvements in ADL and better service quality were associated with higher rehabilitation service satisfaction in convalescent stroke patients.

Molecular Identification of Oesophagostomum and Trichuris Eggs Isolated from Wild Japanese Macaques

Natural habitat fragmentation and reducing habitat quality have resulted in an increased appearance of Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata (Gray, 1870), in suburban areas in Japan. To investigate the risk of zoonotic infections, a coprological survey of helminth eggs passed by wild Japanese macaques was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Microscopic examination found helminth eggs in high prevalence, and nucleotide sequencing of DNA extracted from the eggs identified Oesophagostomum cf. aculeatum and Trichuris trichiura. A fecal culture also detected infective larvae of Strongyloides fuelleborni. These zoonotic nematodes pose a potential health issue to local people in areas frequented by Japanese macaques.

Two Human Cases Infected by the Horsehair Worm, Parachordodes sp. (Nematomorpha: Chordodidae), in Japan

The present study was performed to describe 2 human cases infected by the horsehair worm, Parachordodes sp., in Japan. Two gordiid worms were collected in the vomit and excreta of an 80-year-old woman in November 2009 in Kyoto city, and in the mouth of 1-year-old boy in December 2009 in Nara city, Japan, respectively. Both worms were males having bifurcated posterior ends and male gonads in cross sectional specimens. They were identified as Parachordodes sp. (Nematomorpha: Chordodidae) based on the characteristic morphologies of cross sections and areoles in the cuticle. DNA analysis on 18S rRNA partial sequence arrangements was also carried out and both worms were assumed to be close to the genus Paragordionus based on tree analysis, and far from Gordius sp. which has already been reported in humans in Japan. DNA sequencing of the Parachordodes worm does not appear on the database; therefore, more information on the gene sequences of the genus Parachordodes from humans, animals, or intermediates is required.