Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health of physical therapy students in clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the pandemic and was completed by 100 physical therapy students in two universities in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate their anxiety and depression status. A Chi-square test was conducted to evaluate the association of participant characteristics with the risk of having anxiety and depression. Logistic regression models were used to identify the general characteristic factors related to anxiety or depression. Results: Anxiety was found in 28 (28%) of the participants, and depression in 24 (24%). The risk of anxiety and depression in male physical therapy students was 0.189 and 0.211 times lower, respectively, than those female students (p<0.05). The risk of anxiety and depression in physical therapy students with a history of disease was 11.721 and 7.056 times higher, respectively, than those with a history of disease (p<0.05). The risk of anxiety in physical therapy students in clinical practice was 11.721 times higher than that in students who were not in clinical practice (p<0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a high risk of anxiety and depression among many physical therapy students. More attention and improvements are needed so that physical therapy students can study in a safe environment.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health of physical therapy students in clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the pandemic and was completed by 100 physical therapy students in two universities in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate their anxiety and depression status. A Chi-square test was conducted to evaluate the association of participant characteristics with the risk of having anxiety and depression. Logistic regression models were used to identify the general characteristic factors related to anxiety or depression. Results: Anxiety was found in 28 (28%) of the participants, and depression in 24 (24%). The risk of anxiety and depression in male physical therapy students was 0.189 and 0.211 times lower, respectively, than those female students (p<0.05). The risk of anxiety and depression in physical therapy students with a history of disease was 11.721 and 7.056 times higher, respectively, than those with a history of disease (p<0.05). The risk of anxiety in physical therapy students in clinical practice was 11.721 times higher than that in students who were not in clinical practice (p<0.05). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a high risk of anxiety and depression among many physical therapy students. More attention and improvements are needed so that physical therapy students can study in a safe environment.

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate changes in Achilles tendon (AT) characteristics of asymptomatic tendons in patients with acute AT ruptures on the contralateral side by using ultrasonography. Methods: From January 2016 to December 2018, 31 patients were enrolled. The contralateral asymptomatic ATs were assessed: (1) fluid collection of paratenon, (2) echogenicity, and (3) thickness. The ATs were divided into the distal, middle, and proximal thirds for evaluation and were assessed before the surgery, as well as at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the surgery. At each time, pain in the tendons was recorded. Results: In all cases, it was observed that there was a hypoechoic lesion or fluid collection of the paratenon, which did not show a significant change over time. There was no significant difference in tendon thickness according to the period in the distal and proximal areas, and significant differences were observed only in the middle area (p＜ 0.05). A new pain around the tendon occurred most often at 6 weeks after surgery (eight cases of 31 cases, 25.8%). Eight cases of pain (47.1%) remained at 12 months after surgery. Conclusion In patients with acute AT rupture, ultrasonographic hypoechoic lesions or fluid collections of the paratenon were initially observed on the contralateral tendon, but this did not show significant changes over time. A significant change in tendon thickness was observed in the middle area, but this did not show a close association with pain.

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by recurrent abscesses, nodules, and fistulous tracts. Recently, novel staging systems, including sonographic scoring system of hidradenitis suppurativa (SOS-HS), have been widely introduced in HS. Objective: To assess the efficacy of SOS-HS compared with Hurley staging and modified sartorius scoring (MSS) system and determine the necessity of ultrasound evaluation. Methods: A radiologist performed an ultrasound evaluation, and three dermatologists reviewed the images and videos. Clinical characteristics, including staging and demographic data, were recorded by three dermatologists. The correlation of each staging system and the significance of vascularity (Doppler mode) and lesion depth on sonography were statistically analyzed. Results: Among the 46 patients, 34.8% were classified as stage 1 and 3, and 30.4% were classified as stage 2 in the SOS-HS system, which was statistically higher than the Hurley staging (p＜0.0005). MSS score increased according to the SOS-HS stages (p＜0.0005, p=0.001). Vascularity and depth of involvement also increased with SOS-HS and Hurley staging. Conclusion Sonographic examination can be applied in HS severity assessment and documentation of the clinical characteristics of each lesion in detail. Special tools, such as Doppler mode and depth assessment, can also be useful in HS evaluation.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a proposed study “To investigate the effects of applying a vibration stimulation to the paretic and non-paretic sides on balance and gait in stroke patients” before proceeding with the main study. Methods: A total of 30 patients who had suffered a stroke and who met the selection criteria participated in this study. However, only 14 patients completed the study. The study subjects were randomly assigned to vibration stimulation on either both sides (B group) or the paralyzed side (P group). The interventions were applied for six weeks. The patients were assessed using the Berg balance scale (BBS), Timed up and go (TUG), 10-meter walk (10 MW), and 6-minute walk (6 MW) tests. Results: There was a significant difference before and after the application of vibration stimulation in the BBS, TUG, 10MW, and 6 MW tests in the B group (p < 0.05). Similarly, there was also a significant difference observed in the 10 MW and 6 MW tests in the P group (p < 0.05). The difference between the two groups was not significant in the BBS, TUG, 10 MW, and 6 MW tests (p > 0.05). Conclusion This pilot study suggests that it would be feasible to conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of applying a vibration stimulation to the paretic and non-paretic sides, on the balance and gait in stroke patients.

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by recurrent abscesses, nodules, and fistulous tracts. Recently, novel staging systems, including sonographic scoring system of hidradenitis suppurativa (SOS-HS), have been widely introduced in HS. Objective: To assess the efficacy of SOS-HS compared with Hurley staging and modified sartorius scoring (MSS) system and determine the necessity of ultrasound evaluation. Methods: A radiologist performed an ultrasound evaluation, and three dermatologists reviewed the images and videos. Clinical characteristics, including staging and demographic data, were recorded by three dermatologists. The correlation of each staging system and the significance of vascularity (Doppler mode) and lesion depth on sonography were statistically analyzed. Results: Among the 46 patients, 34.8% were classified as stage 1 and 3, and 30.4% were classified as stage 2 in the SOS-HS system, which was statistically higher than the Hurley staging (p＜0.0005). MSS score increased according to the SOS-HS stages (p＜0.0005, p=0.001). Vascularity and depth of involvement also increased with SOS-HS and Hurley staging. Conclusion Sonographic examination can be applied in HS severity assessment and documentation of the clinical characteristics of each lesion in detail. Special tools, such as Doppler mode and depth assessment, can also be useful in HS evaluation.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease which, depending on its severity, can have a significant impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. In cases of severe AD, systemic immunomodulatory agents can be considered for treatment. However, the available treatment options for moderate AD are limited. According to previous reports, however, 308-nm excimer light is a potential treatment for localized, moderate AD. Objective: This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of 308-nm excimer light in Korean adults with AD. Methods: This study included Korean patients aged over 19 years, who were diagnosed with AD by a dermatologist, with bilateral, symmetric, and eczematous lesions. The symmetrical lesions in each patient were treated as control-test pairs. Treatment with 308-nm excimer light was applied to the test lesion twice a week for 4 weeks. The severity of the eczema, trans-epidermal water loss, and epidermal capacitance were measured. Results: A total of 25 participants were enrolled in the study. After the first visit, two participants withdrew, whereas the remaining 23 completed the study. There was a statistically significant improvement in AD severity in the test group than in the control group (p<0.001). Skin barrier function also improved in the test than in the control group (p<0.01). Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence for the use of 308-nm excimer light as a treatment option to improve symptoms and skin barrier function in moderately localized AD.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular function is one of the important prognostic factors in patients with coronary artery disease. Among noninvasive approaches for the evaluation of ventricular performance, radionuclide ventriculo-graphy has shown to be of particular values in the patients with myocardial infarction. We have evaluated ven-tricular function with ECG-gated blood pool scan (GBPS) in patients with myocardial infarction of different locations and compared right and left ventricular functions. METHOD: Left and right ventricular function was assessed with multigated blood pool scan in 49 patients at 2-3 weeks after acute myocardial infarction (anterior infarction=23, inferior infarction=19, and lateral infarction=7). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF), maximal emptying rate, maximal filling rate, phase angle and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of phase angles were measured during rest. RESULTS: 1) LVEF was signifi-cantly lower in the patients with anterior myocardial infarction (32.2%) than that of inferior (46.5%, p<0.001) or lateral infarction (45.5%, p<0.05), but not different between inferior and lateral infarction. 2) RVEF was significantly lower in the patients with inferior myocardial infarction (24.6%) than that of anterior (30.5%, p<0.05) or lateral infarction (36.1%, p<0.001), and RVEF of anterior infarction was significantly lower than that of lateral infarction (p<0.05). 3) Phase angle and FWHM of left ventricle and right ventricle phase histogram were not significantly different among the patients groups with different infarct sites. CONCLUSIONS: Ventricular function was differently affected by different infarct sites. Inferior infarction resulted in a greater reduction in right ventricular ejection fraction. In contrast, LVEF was greatly depressed in anterior infarction than in inferior infarction.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Infarction ; Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Ventricular Function, Right*