Is there an agreement among the items of the Korean physical therapist licensing examination, learning objectives of class subjects, and physical therapists' job descriptions? / 보건의료교육평가

PURPOSE: To determine the agreement among the items of the Korean physical therapist licensing examination, learning objectives of class subjects, and physical therapists' job descriptions. METHODS: The main tasks of physical therapists were classified, and university courses related to the main tasks were also classified. Frequency analysis was used to determine the proportions of credits for the classified courses out of the total credits of major subjects, exam items related to the classified courses out of the total number of exam items, and universities that offer courses related to the Korean physical therapist licensing examination among the surveyed universities. RESULTS: The proportions of credits for clinical decision making and physical therapy diagnosis-related courses out of the total number credits for major subjects at universities were relatively low (2.06% and 2.58%, respectively). Although the main tasks of physical therapists are related to diagnosis and evaluation, the proportion of physiotherapy intervention-related items (35%) was higher than that of examination and evaluation-related items (25%) on the Korean physical therapist licensing examination. The percentages of universities that offer physical therapy diagnosis and clinical decision making-related courses were 58.62% and 68.97%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both the proportion of physiotherapy diagnosis and evaluation-related items on the Korean physical therapist licensing examination, and the number of subjects related to clinical decision making and physical therapy diagnosis in the physical therapy curriculum, should be increased to ensure that the examination items and physical therapy curriculum reflect the practical tasks of physical therapists.

Effect of Auricular Acupressure Therapy on Decreasing Smoking rates, Desire for Smoking, and Exhaled Carbon Monoxide in Male College Students / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of auricular acupressure therapy on decreasing smoking rates, desire for smoking, and exhaled carbon monoxide in male college students. METHODS: The quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The participants (n=56) were assigned to the experimental group (n=29) that received auricular acupressure therapy or the control group (n=27) that received placebo therapy. The therapy was applied for 5 days followed by 1 or 2 days of rest. The therapy was repeated 2 times. To identify the effect of the experimental treatments, assessments of smoking rates, desire for smoking and exhaled carbon monoxide were measured. Data were analyzed using chi2 test, Fisher's exact test, t-test and Repeated measure ANOVA with the SPSS version 21.0 program. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significantly lower smoking rates (t=6.60, p<.001), desire for smoking (t=3.37, p=.002) and exhaled carbon monoxide levels (t=6.22, p<.001) after application of the therapy. Significant groupxtime interaction effect was found in exhaled carbon monoxide levels between the experimental group and the control group (F=8.73, p=.001). CONCLUSION: Auricular acupressure therapy was considered to likely be useful as a therapeutic intervention for smoking cessation in male young adults.

Quantitative EMG Changes During 12-Week DeLorme's Axiom Strength Training

Strength training is one of the most common exercises practiced in the field of physical therapy or sports training. However, limited methodology is available to evaluate its effect on the target muscle. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that surface electromyographic (EMG) data from both isometric and isotonic exercise can express changes within the muscle during a 12-week strength training program. Ten healthy male volunteer students (5 for training, 5 for controls) from Yonsei University were recruited for evaluation in this study. DeLorme's axiom was practiced for 12 weeks in the dominant elbow flexors and knee extensors of the training group. Tension for 1 repetition maximum and maximal voluntary isometric contraction, and surface EMG information such as the integrated EMG and three variables from the regression line of median frequency (MDF) data were measured at weeks 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12. The limb circumference was measured at weeks 0 and 12. During the strength training, which was enough for the increment of muscle strength and limb circumference, the rectified-integrated EMG and initial MDF increased with a significant linear pattern in both types of contraction. The two surface EMG variables were able to monitor the physiologic muscle changes during the training. Based on these results, we propose that these two surface EMG variables can be used for monitoring electrophysiological changes in the specific muscle that is undergoing the training program, under conditions where the contraction mode for EMG data collection is either static or dynamic.

Korean Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Family with a Novel Gly10Val Mutation in the SOD1 Gene

BACKGROUND: Approximately 5 to 10% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have recorded family history (FALS) and in most cases, the pattern of inheritance is autosomal dominant (DFALS). Twenty percent of DFALS families are linked to chromosome 21q22.1, which is associated to a mutation in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. However, these cases, especially with SOD1 gene mutations have not yet been reported in Korea. We investigated the clinical features of familial ALS pedigrees and screened the SOD1 gene in search of potential mutations. METHODS: The clinical histories and neurological findings of the family members were obtained. Genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes of whole blood samples and PCR and direct sequencing analyzed the coding region of the SOD1 gene. RESULTS: Five affected members in a three-generation family exhibited early onset and rapid progression. The family has a novel missense mutation in the SOD1 gene, which was heterozygous for point mutation GGC to GTT, causing a substitution of valine for glycine at codon 10 (Gly10Val) in exon 1. CONCLUSIONS: Familial ALS with a novel Gly10Val mutation in the SOD1 gene showed severe clinical features. The mutation lies in a region involved in a dimer contact in the third-dimensional structure of the SOD1 protein. This study is the first report of familial ALS cases in Korea and contributes to expand the number of ALS-associated SOD1 gene mutations.

A Case of Vitamin E Deficiency Syndrome Following Extensive Intestinal Resection

Both the inherited and acquired forms of vitamin E deficiency are implicated in chronic progressive neurological deficit. The clinical features include ataxia and prominent proprioceptive loss with depressed or absent tendon reflexes. We report a 63-year-old man with vitamin E deficiency syndrome caused by chronic fat malabsorption following exten-sive intestinal resection. Although replacement therapy prevented further deterioration, symptomatic improvement was not observed for two years. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is crucial.

The Effects of Ankle Plantar Flexors Stretching Exercise on Functional Reach in Elderly Men

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether ankle plantar flexors stretching exercise affects functional reach in elderly men. METHOD: Twenty elderly men with an average age of 78.2 years were selected for this study. A active range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion and a functional reach (FR) distance were measured before and after ankle stretching exercise. The ankle dorsiflexion was measured by goniometer in knee extended position. The FR distance was measured in standing position. Ankle plantar flexors stretching exercises were carried out by physical therapist 4 times per week for 4 weeks. At 4 weeks after the stretching exercise, we retested the active range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion and the FR distance using the same method. RESULTS: At 4 weeks after the stretching exercise, the active range of motion of right ankle dorsiflexion was increased from 2.81 +/- 3.26degrees to 5.98 +/- 4.34degrees, and the left ankle dorsiflexion was increased from 3.15 +/- 3.77degrees to 6.35 +/- 2.45degrees. The FR distance was increased form 12.22 +/- 7.54 cm to 19.69 +/- 8.59 cm after the stretching exercise. CONCLUSION: The FR distance was significantly increased after the ankle plantar flexors stretching exercise (p<0.01). This results suggest that the ankle plantar flexors stretching excercise may be capable of increasing the FR distance in elderly.

Effects of Muscle Fatigue on Knee Proprioception

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether muscle fatigue affects knee joint proprioception. METHOD: Thirty healthy subjects (18 male and 12 female) with an average age of 22.1 years were selected for this study. Angular errors were measured to test propriocetive function in the knee joint. In a sitting position, the subject's dominant leg was passively positioned to the 45degrees knee flexion stimulus point for 2~4 second, while the subject concentrated on this position, the leg was passively returned to the 90o flexion position, afterward the subject was asked to duplicate the stimulus point actively. The difference, in degrees between the stimulus point and the reproduced point is an angular error. All subjects were blindfolded and underwent proprioception measurement before and after the muscle fatigue. Isokinetic exercises performed at 180 degree/sec on the Cybex Orthotron II(Cybex, a division of Lumex, Inc. USA) were used to induce the muscle fatigue. All subjects performed an isokinetic exercise with their dominant leg. Exercise was continued until 50% of the initial peak torque was reached. When the subjects were fatigued to less than 50% of the initial peak torque, the isokinetic exercises were discontinued. Then we immediately retested the proprioception using the same method. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the angular error increased from 2.79+/-1.17degrees to 6.40+/-3.42degrees after muscle fatigue. CONCLUSION: The proprioception significantly decreased after the muscle fatigue(p<0.001). This result suggests that the muscle fatigue must be considered when an injured professional athlete a patient with fatigable disease is set in a rehabilitation program. Further studies are required to determine the physiological mechanisms of the role of muscle fatigue for the decreasing proprioception.