OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of combination functional electrical stimulation (FES) and standing frame training on standing balance in stroke patients. METHODS: Patients who had hemiparesis and postural instability after stroke were randomly assigned to one of the two groups; study group underwent FES on the quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscle simultaneously with standing balance training. The control group received standing frame training and FES separately. Both the groups received their respective therapies for 3 weeks. Stability index in Biodex Balance master system, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), manual muscle test, the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index, and Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination were used to evaluate the effects of the treatment. RESULTS: In total, 30 patients were recruited to the study group and 30 to the control group. Three weeks after treatment, both the groups showed improvement in postural stability scores and physical and cognitive functions. When changes in postural stability were compared between the groups, the study group showed more significant improvement than the control group with regards to the scores of BBS and the stability indices. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found the therapeutic effectiveness of combined therapy of FES and standing frame in subacute stroke patients. The presented protocol is proposed as time-saving and can be applied easily in the clinical setting. Thus, the proposed combined therapy could be a useful method for improving standing balance in subacute stroke patients.
Cognition ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Methods ; Paresis ; Rehabilitation ; Stroke

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship among types of attribution tendencies, academic stress, coping efficacy, and academic adjustment in medical students and identified the means by which the academic adjustment of medical students can improve. METHODS: Four hundred forty-two subjects from 2 medical schools in Korea were analyzed; 202 were male, 206 were female, and 34 did not identify their gender. We surveyed their academic adjustment, attribution tendencies, academic stress, and coping efficacy. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The male group scored higher on academic adjustment, internal attribution tendency, and coping efficacy but lower on academic stress than the female group. Coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency affected the academic adjustment positively while academic stress influenced it negatively. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that students with higher scores on coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and who have lower scores on academic stress tend to adjust better academically in medical school. Therefore, these findings may be helpful for medical schools in designing effective academic adjustment programs to improve coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and reduce academic stress. Further, these findings have important implications for planning learning consultation programs, especially in Year 1.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Learning ; Male ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical

No abstract available.
Embryonic Development* ; Female ; Humans* ; Pregnancy ; Serum Albumin*

No abstract available.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colectomy ; Colonic Neoplasms/*pathology/therapy ; Humans ; Liposarcoma/*pathology/therapy ; Male ; Neoplasms, Second Primary/*pathology/therapy ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms/*pathology/therapy ; Time Factors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cervix Uteri* ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Female

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of upper limb rehabilitation combining robot with low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on unilateral spatial neglect in stroke patients. METHODS: Patients who had hemispatial neglect after right hemisphere stroke were randomly divided into rTMS only group, robot only group, and combined group. All groups received conventional neglect therapy and additional treatment for each group. rTMS group received rTMS therapy. Robot group received robot therapy, while combined group received both therapies. The effect of therapy was assessed with Motor-Free Visual Perception Test-3 (MVPT-3), line bisection test, star cancellation test, Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI). These measurements were evaluated before and after treatment. RESULTS: For each group, 10 patients were recruited. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics or initial values among the three groups. Two weeks after the therapy, all groups showed significant improvement in MVPT-3, line bisection test, star cancellation test, CBS, MMSE, and K-MBI. However, changes in measurements showed no significant differences among groups. CONCLUSION: Treatment effect of the combined therapy of robotic therapy and low-frequency rTMS therapy for hemispatial neglect was not statistically different from that of each single treatment. RESULTS: of this study did not prove the superiority of any of the three treatments. Further study with large number of patients is needed to evaluate the superiority of these treatments.
Humans ; Perceptual Disorders* ; Rehabilitation ; Robotics ; Stroke* ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation* ; Upper Extremity ; Visual Perception

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Therefore, an early diagnosis and treatment of a hemodynamically significant PDA are very important. A widened pulse pressure is considered to be a well known clinical sign of a PDA in older infants and children; however, whether this is also applicable in the case of preterm infants remains to be confirmed. The aims of this study were to investigate the change in blood pressure (BP) before and after medical treatment of a PDA with indomethacin and to evaluate if the change in the pulse pressure in preterm infants with a medically treated PDA could be used as a reliable clinical predictor of a hemodynamically significant PDA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and June 2009, a retrospective analysis was performed in preterm infants with a hemodynamically significant PDA (PDA group, n=72) and preterm infants without a PDA (control group, n=72) at the Chonnam National University Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The PDA was closed by treatment with indomethacin. The BP was compared between the two groups over the seven days after the first dose of indomethacin. RESULTS: In preterm infants with a hemodynamically significant PDA, the mean systolic (55.1+/-6.0 mmHg) and diastolic BPs (31.4+/-6.2 mmHg) were lower than those in the controls (mean systolic BP 58.0+/-6.4 mmHg, mean diastolic BP 34.7+/-6.0 mmHg) before indomethacin treatment. When the ductus arteriosus was successfully closed by indomethacin treatment, there was a gradual increase in both the systolic and diastolic BPs without any change in the pulse pressure. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that a widened pulse pressure is not a useful clinical sign of a hemodynamically significant PDA in preterm infants. However, low systolic and diastolic BPs may be useful clinical signs of a hemodynamically significant PDA in preterm infants. If the systolic and diastolic BP is low, a PDA should be considered and echocardiography should be performed for early diagnosis and treatment.
Blood Pressure ; Ductus Arteriosus ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Early Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Teratoma*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) and a tetra-ataxiometric posturography (Tetrax) program on stroke patients with impaired standing balance. METHODS: Thirty acute stroke patients with impaired standing balance were recruited and randomly assigned to a VR, Tetrax, or control group. All patients received conventional balance training as a baseline; and VR and Tetrax patients received VR or Tetrax treatment, in addition. The primary outcome measures to evaluate the overall standing balance were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the falling index (FI). The secondary outcome measures were the stability index (SI) and the weight distribution index (WDI), which were used to evaluate the balance status according to specific body positions. The FI, SI, and WDI were measured using the Tetrax instrument. RESULTS: The BBS and FI scores were improved in all groups, with no significant differences between groups. In open-eyed positions, the VR group showed significantly greater improvement in SI and WDI scores than the control group (p<0.017). In closed-eyed positions, the Tetrax group showed significantly greater improvement in SI and WDI scores than the control group (p<0.017). CONCLUSION: The inclusion of VR and Tetrax programs did not lead to an overall benefit in balance. VR and Tetrax did, however, demonstrate a benefit in specific positions. A Tetrax program may benefit patients with abnormal proprioceptive function, whereas a VR program may benefit patients with normal sensory function.
Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Postural Balance ; Sensation ; Stroke* ; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) and a tetra-ataxiometric posturography (Tetrax) program on stroke patients with impaired standing balance. METHODS: Thirty acute stroke patients with impaired standing balance were recruited and randomly assigned to a VR, Tetrax, or control group. All patients received conventional balance training as a baseline; and VR and Tetrax patients received VR or Tetrax treatment, in addition. The primary outcome measures to evaluate the overall standing balance were the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the falling index (FI). The secondary outcome measures were the stability index (SI) and the weight distribution index (WDI), which were used to evaluate the balance status according to specific body positions. The FI, SI, and WDI were measured using the Tetrax instrument. RESULTS: The BBS and FI scores were improved in all groups, with no significant differences between groups. In open-eyed positions, the VR group showed significantly greater improvement in SI and WDI scores than the control group (p<0.017). In closed-eyed positions, the Tetrax group showed significantly greater improvement in SI and WDI scores than the control group (p<0.017). CONCLUSION: The inclusion of VR and Tetrax programs did not lead to an overall benefit in balance. VR and Tetrax did, however, demonstrate a benefit in specific positions. A Tetrax program may benefit patients with abnormal proprioceptive function, whereas a VR program may benefit patients with normal sensory function.
Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Postural Balance ; Sensation ; Stroke* ; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy