This study aimed to examine the positivity rate of the abbreviated diagnostic criteria proposed by the Diabetic Neuropathy Study Group in Japan. The medical records of the participants were retrospectively examined and classified as DPN+ for diabetes with neuropathy, DPN- for diabetes without neuropathy, and NDM for patients without diabetes. After interviewing patients for subjective symptoms, we conducted vibration sensation and Achilles tendon reflex tests. The results showed that the mean value of vibratory sensation time was 8.3±2.0 seconds in the NDM, 8.5±2.3 seconds in the DPN-, and 5.9±2.3 seconds in the DPN+ groups. The DPN- group had a significantly longer vibratory sensation time compared to the DPN+. There were participants whose vibration sensing time, one of the diagnostic criteria, was less than 10 seconds, even in the NDM. Furthermore, participants were categorized into four groups based on age. The mean value of vibratory sensation time in DPN+ was significantly lower in NDM and DPN-, each all‐age groups. Except for the NDM group of 71 years or older, there was no age‐related decrease in vibratory sensation values. However, it has been shown that there are changes in neural mechanisms associated with aging, increases in sensory thresholds, and differences in vibratory sensation depending on the measurement site. It is necessary to accumulate more data to study the effect of aging on the vibration sensation and measurement site. In recent years, there have been many reports of diabetic neuropathy affecting motor function. Therefore, it seems necessary to include motor function in the physiotherapy evaluation of diabetic patients with neuropathy due to ADC.

This study aimed to determine the fall rate and risk factors of fall. This study included 75 community‐dwelling older adults (23 males and 52 females) who lived in the Bang Si Thong city of Thailand. The average age of the participants was 70.7 years old. As a method, the participants received a questionnaire assessing the fall risk and motor functions. In addition to the questionnaire, physical and motor functions were measured. The descriptive statistics in fall related data and sociodemographic data were calculated. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factor related with fall, with the presence or absence of a history of fall as the dependent variable. The data from physical and motor functions and sociodemographic factors were entered into the logistic regression model. The statistical significance level was set at p<0.05. As the results, the Short Physical Performance Battery tests were performed for assessing lower extremity functions, and more than 50% of the participants scored 9 points. In addition, 35 participants (46.7%) had experienced a fall. The frequency of indoor falls was higher than that of outdoor falls. Our findings revealed that the risk factors of falls comprised “Pain of Knees and Hip (odds ratio=5.08 and 6.40, p<0.05)", “Standing ability (odds ratio=4.10, p<0.05)", “Grip Strength (odds ratio=0.83, p<0.05)", and “Fear of fall (odds ratio=2.22, p<0.05)". In addition to these physical functional factors, the psychological factor of fear of falling was also associated. It is suggested that a detailed assessment and examination of intervention methods contribute to fall prevention.

The rapid aging of Japan's population has led to an increase in the number of older adults who are injured from falls. This has also become a social issue, because the increase affects social security costs. In recent years, patients have received active rehabilitation interventions during hospitalization to prevent additional falling incidents and to improve activity after falls. Early acquisition of independence for movement within the wards is important for inpatients, but there is no clear standard for how to determine the degree of independence. Therefore, it is important to understand and reduce the risks of falls. Fall risk factors are categorized into extrinsic and intrinsic, and previous studies have demonstrated significant predictive factors for falls in older adults. Medical professionals play an important role in managing extrinsic risks while patients are hospitalized, and we implemented some intervenor those risks prior to the start of this research. As a result, the number of falls decreased in the months immediately following the countermeasures, although it later began to increase again. We examined the details of the falls and found that there were some risks caused by intrinsic factors. In this study, we investigated the relationship between intrinsic risks and falls in hospitalized patients in an environment modified to protect against extrinsic risks. This retrospective study included 80 subjects. The relationship between the presence or absence of falls and potential predictors were analyzed using a logistic regression analysis, with consideration of multicollinearity. Results indicated that the presence or absence of depression was a statistically significant factor. This study suggested that screening tests and treatments for depression may be effective in preventing falls.

　The purpose of this study was to conduct a questionnaire survey on gender bias in the rehabilitation profession and to preliminarily examine what types of gender bias are found. An Internet‐based questionnaire survey was administered to active rehabilitation professionals in Japan. The questionnaire consisted of relevant basic attributes, 18 items on gender bias (referred to hereon as questionnaire items), and a free‐text field for opinions and experiences on gender bias. Statistical processing was conducted to: 1) compare between basic attributes of the subjects for each question item; 2) examine the correlation between each questionnaire item; and 3) compare two corresponding groups of questions that were paired such that their content was the same except for the words “male" and “female". The results indicated that: 1) significant differences were found in several questions regarding age, affiliation, years of experience, and family members living in the same household; 2) there were weak correlations between the age of the subject and questions about women's work and management styles, and graduate school enrollment; and 3) there was a significant difference between the two corresponding groups of questions. Further, in the free‐text section, there were many comments about the unkind words and treatment from others that were categorized by gender and experienced by both men and women. These results suggest that there are several tendencies of gender bias in the rehabilitation profession in terms of “work style and career",“participation in research groups and conferences",“teaching duties",and“grad‐uate study",depending on basic attributes.

There has been an increase in academic spam e‐mails (ASEs) that invite people to submit manuscripts or attend conferences across the world. The fees they ask for processing articles and participating in the associations are high, and many of the organizations do not have decent review systems; however, the current status of ASEs in the fields of rehabilitation and welfare is unknown. One of the purposes of this manuscript is to perceive the current situation of ASEs that have invaded the field of speech‐language‐hearing therapy (ST) so that speech‐language‐hearing therapists (SLHTs) can strengthen their understanding and recognition of the current situation. We asked 58 SLHTs about their awareness of ASEs, their number of years of experience, and whether or not they have attended academic conferences or published manuscripts, and we also collected and analyzed the ASEs sent to the SLHTs for a prospective cohort study.

The results showed that about 80 % of SLHTs did not even know of the existence of ASEs, and it was shown that this tendency is common among those who have little clinical experience and did not have the opportunity to present research at academic conferences or to publish manuscripts. In addition, some SLHTs accept offers from 1232 ASEs in one year. They are not only troublesome, but we should also pay attention to the tendency from the perspective of their development in the ST field. We considered that it is necessary that the existence and threat of ASEs is widely recognized, and we also have to provide education and alerts for them as soon as possible in the ST field.

Introduction and purpose: Fiji has one of the highest incidences of non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) globally, accounting for over 80% of all deaths. NCDs are predominantly attributed to the following four lifestyle‐related problems: smoking, eating non‐nutritious or unhealthy foods, lack of exercise, and excessive drinking. The role of physical therapists in the treatment and prevention of NCDs is to reduce risk factors and mortality by using evidence‐based exercise therapy interventions. However, studies show that local physiotherapists fail to provide evidence‐based treatment for NCDs. The purpose of this paper is to summarize previous studies on the recent trends of NCDs in Fiji and the current practices of local physiotherapists.

Methods: Information on NCDs and the practices of local physiotherapists in Fiji was collected through a through literature search and the issues were summarized.

Results and conclusions: With regard to smoking and alcohol consumption, which are risk factors for the development of NCDs, countermeasures taken at the national level have been effective to a certain extent. On the contrary, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity may be associated with the high mortality rates due to NCDs in Fiji. Furthermore, employment opportunities for local physiotherapists were decreasing and evidence‐building in the field of physiotherapy is becoming an issue. The benefits of exercise therapy provided by physiotherapists are significant because it improves physical exercise function and thus has the potential to reduce the risk of developing NCDs. The establishment of a system for evidence‐building on the effectiveness of physiotherapy is ideal for the development of this field in Fiji.