Purpose
The purpose of this study was to compare the differences between two teaching methods of pelvic floor muscle contraction, vaginal palpation and transabdominal ultrasound, based on the subjective assessment of postpartum women who learned how to contract their pelvic floor muscles.
Method
A two-armed, randomized controlled trial was carried out. Participants were postpartum women, four to six weeks post delivery. Randomization was managed using an online software cloud service. This study evaluated two teaching methods of pelvic floor contraction, vaginal palpation and transabdominal ultrasound, to explore "intelligibility of and satisfaction with the teaching method" and "confidence and reward for performing pelvic floor muscle training". Quantitative data from a five-point Likert scale were subjected to descriptive statistics, and the two groups were compared using a difference test. The qualitative data from open-ended questions were then coded by category.
Results
Thirty-two participants were allocated to the palpation group and thirty-three to the ultrasound group. The "intelligibility of and satisfaction with the teaching method" scores were high in both groups and no significant difference was found. There was also no significant difference between the groups regarding "confidence and reward for performing pelvic floor muscle training". There was however, one item in the "confidence in performing pelvic floor muscle training" assessment that had a significantly higher score in the palpation group. The qualitative data indicated that both groups were highly satisfied and no negative evaluation of the teaching method was found in either group.
Conclusion
Methods for pelvic floor muscle contraction using vaginal palpation and transabdominal ultrasound were both highly regarded by postpartum women. This study has suggested that the teaching method for postpartum women could be selected according to the different advantages of vaginal palpation and transabdominal ultrasound.

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【Purpose】The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of continuous use of a pillow on cranial deformity and development of gross motor functions in preterm infants. 【Methods】A prospective, comparative study design was adopted. Patients of this study were nine very low-birth weight （VLBW） infants with no neurological abnormalities. From April 2019 onwards, continuous use of a pillow was initiated in four of the infants, after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit, up to a corrected age of 3 months. Patients were divided into two groups: pillow and non-pillow groups, consisting of four and five infants discharged prior to and after the introduction of continuous pillow use, respectively. We compared cranial deformity and development of gross motor functions in the two groups at a corrected age of 3 months. 【Results】Less asymmetrical cranial deformity was noted in the pillow group compared to that in the non-pillow group at a corrected age of 3 months. No significant intergroup differences were observed in the development of gross motor functions. 【Conclusion】Continuous use of a pillow in VLBW infants with no neurological abnormalities was effective in reducing the asymmetrical cranial deformity at a corrected age of 3 months, and its use did not affect the development of gross motor functions.

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To classify the clinical consequences of post-treatment functional competence of patients with chronic pain in an outpatient pain liaison clinic, and to compare initial disease severity and time course of functional recovery between the ranked subgroups. ［Subjects and Methods］ Our cohort consisted of 112 patients who received treatment for 6 months at our clinic. Data were collected until the end of treatment using 13 items of the Pain Disability Assessment Scale modified factor structure model as indicators of functional competence, which were categorized using latent rank theory. We also compared inter-rank baseline characteristics, initial disease severity, and time course of functional competence score. ［Results］ Following rank estimation, we found an acceptable goodness of fit at rank three. Furthermore, there were significant differences between ranks in initial physical performance and psychological factor as well as differences in functional competence scores at each time point from time of preliminary examination. ［Conclusion］ The clinical consequences of functional competence of patients with chronic pain from an outpatient liaison clinic can be classified into three groups, and each group shows a different level initial disease severity and time course of functional recovery during treatment.

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The set up procedure for an augmented-reality radiographic positioning simulation, which enables students to practice positioning technique with both hands without using auxiliary tools was simplified and a set up manual was created, so that students can use the simulation easily for personal study. The aim of the study was to investigate the students’ perceptions of the improved procedure. We requested 39 medical radiation science students to set up this system using the manual and recorded the time they took. We also collected their responses on the task using a Likert-scale and an open-ended questionnaire （n＝38; response rate＝ 97.4％）. The median （interquartile range）needed to set up the simulation was 76.0 seconds （65.8 – 87.0 seconds）. A total of 89.5％ of the students rated the task as easy. Meanwhile, we inferred that some students tended to be confused about the arrangement of the equipment used from the responses to the open-ended question. Based on the comments of the students, we prepared a revised version of the set up manual.

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