OBJECTIVE: To develop Korean version of Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (K-FAST) and to standardize K-FAST in normal adult population in Korea. METHOD: The 'river scene' of stimulus set in original version of FAST was adapted for K-FAST. English version of the test instructions and scoring methods were translated into Korean and reverse-translation was performed by English- Korean bilinguals. The test structures and language domains (comprehension, expression, reading, and writing) were unchanged and possible maximum score was 30 points. We standardized K-FAST in 240 normal adult populations (male 102, female 138) whose ages were above 44. Basic personal information was collected through an interview and we performed Edinburgh handedness inventory (EHI), K- MMSE and K-FAST. Subjects who had history of brain disease, cognitive communicative disorders, or K-MMSE scores less than 2 percentile of same age group were excluded. K-FAST scores were analyzed according to the age and education groups. RESULTS: Mean EHI, K-MMSE, and K-FAST scores in total subjects were 9.4+/-1.2, 25.9+/-2.8, 25.4+/-3.3 points, respectively. Post-hoc analysis of K-FAST scores according to age groups classified into 3 age groups, 45~64, 65~74, and > or =74 years and education groups into 0, 1~9, > or =10 years of total education. K-FAST scores decreased significantly as increase of age (r=-0.441, p=0.000) and decrease of total years of education (r=0.580, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Newly adapted K-FAST can be used for screening of aphasia in Korea and the standardized data according to age and education levels may provide useful reference values for interpretation of the results of K-FAST.
Adult ; Aphasia ; Brain Diseases ; Communication Disorders ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Reference Values ; Research Design ; Stroke

This study aimed to investigate the visuoconstructive abilities and the relationship between visuoconstructive function and language performance in aphasic patients. Right-handed 24 aphasic patients (males 14, females 10) with at least 3 months post-stroke and 32 age-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Visuoconstructive function was assessed by 3 levels of task difficulty: simple (drawing objects), intermediate (clock drawing), and complex (copy subtest of Rey complex figure test and block construction). Aphasic patients were divided into 3 sub-groups (mild, moderate to severe, and very severe group) according to severity of aphasia and compared with the control group, respectively. We analyzed the relation all levels of visuoconstructive tasks to aphasia quotient (AQ) and sub-domain scores of K-WAB.Moderate to severe aphasia group demonstrated no significant differences in scores of simple drawing objects compared to controls, but clock drawing, Rey complex figure copy and block design showed significantly decreased scores. Very severe group showed significantly lower scores in all levels of visuoconstructive tasks than the control. Correlation between all levels of visuoconstructive tasks except drawing objects and AQ were found to be statistically significant.Among the tasks, the clock drawing test revealed the highest correlation with language performance. Visuoconstructive abilities varied according to the severity of aphasia and the level of visuoconstructive tasks. Therefore, a thorough individual assessment of visuoconstructive function is needed to plan and predict the treatment and prognosis of aphasia and the clock drawing test may be a useful screening tool to evaluate this function.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The recently published Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) proposed a split system for histological grading, based on prognostic pathological features. This new classification system must be validated in a variety of cohorts. We investigated whether these pathological features were applicable to an adult Korean population. METHODS: In total, 69 adult Korean patients with IgAN were analyzed using the Oxford classification system at Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. All cases were categorized according to Lee's classification. Renal biopsies from all patients were scored by a pathologist who was blinded to the clinical data for pathological variables. Inclusion criteria were age greater than 18 years and at least 36 months of follow-up. We excluded cases with secondary IgAN, diabetic nephropathy combined other glomerulopathies, less than 36 months of follow-up, and those that progressed rapidly. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 34 years (range, 27 to 45). Mean arterial blood pressure was 97 +/- 10 mmHg at the time of biopsy. The median follow-up period was 85 months (range, 60 to 114). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significant prognostic predictions for M, E, and T lesions. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis also revealed prognostic predictions for E and T lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Using the Oxford classification in IgAN, E, and T lesions predicted renal outcome in Korean adults after taking clinical variables into account.
Adult ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fish Oils/therapeutic use ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA/classification/*diagnosis/ethnology/pathology/therapy ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Kidney/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Time Factors

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of group education reflecting unmet needs led by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) on essential knowledge regarding chemotherapy for cancer patients and their families undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: Conducted at a tertiary general hospital in Seoul from December 30, 2020, to April 30, 2022, this study, which is based on a one group pre-post design, involved 104 cancer patients and their families. It assessed differences in knowledge regarding chemotherapy and satisfaction levels by means of participation through video-based group education led by NPs. The data were analyzed with SAS version 9.4 using paired t-tests and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The average score of knowledge regarding chemotherapy increased from 80.0 to 89.8 (p<.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, being less than 50 years old (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]=13.56, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.76~10.20) and having a college degree or higher (aOR=3.99, 95% CI: 1.15~13.82) were associated with an increase in knowledge regarding chemotherapy. Satisfaction with participation in the group education program was also reported to be high. Conclusion This study aimed to develop and implement a group education program for cancer patients and their families undergoing chemotherapy, assess changes in knowledge levels, and investigate satisfaction with the program. As a result of the study, the average score of patients who received the group education program increased; thus, it is an effective method for improving the degree of knowledge about the daily life of cancer patients and the management of side effects.