Purpose: This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects of health education intervention through active learning targeting frailty prevention for mental health, physical function, and lifestyle factors in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Eighty-four older adults were randomly assigned to health education intervention group versus the no-treatment control group. Intervention group attended a 90-minute active learning program about physical, nutritional, and cognitive activity once a week for 24 weeks. Active learning included exploratory learning, group work, and self-planning for behavioral change, which promoted healthy lifestyles. Outcome measures included mental health (Apathy Scale and Geriatric Depression Scale-15), physical function (gait speed, chair stand test, and grip strength), lifestyle factors (amounts of physical activity, dietary variety score, and self-efficacy for health promotion scale), and pre-frailty status based on Fried’s frailty phenotype.

Results: A total of 79 participants (94%) completed the study. Significant group × time interactions were observed for Apathy Scale, gait speed, chair stand test, amounts of physical activity, the dietary variety score, and self-efficacy for health promotion scale (p < 0.05). The rate of pre-frailty significantly decreased only in the intervention group.

Conclusions: This study suggests that health education intervention through active learning improves apathy symptoms, lifestyle, physical function, and frailty status, which can contribute to frailty prevention.

Objectives: We investigated differences in recovery courses of gait disturbance according to the brain damage in putaminal hemorrhage during the convalescence rehabilitation period.

Methods: We recruited 115 patients with gait disturbance caused by putaminal hemorrhage. The patients were classified into two groups according to the gait ability at discharge: the independent group, and the non-independent group, the latter of which was further subdivided into two subgroups: the assist-receiver group and the unable group. Brain damage was neuroradiographically evaluated by calculating the proportion of the hematoma area to the entire area. Specifically, 20 definite regions of interest were sampled at the level of both lateral ventricles and the pineal body on initial computed tomography (CT), and the corresponding area was then calculated. In consideration of the presence of the ventricular perforation, the grading of gait ability was statistically examined by using logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results: We found significant correlation between gait ability and hematoma volume, as well as damage to the middle part of the posterior crus of the internal capsule. Patients belonging to the assist-receiver and unable groups were found to be significantly affected by damage to the anterior part of the posterior crus of the internal capsule.

Conclusions: This study suggests that less damage to the posterior crus of the internal capsule and less volume of the hematoma are independently crucial role for a better gait prognosis.

Purpose: This study investigated the kinetic and kinematic causes that shorten or prolong each phase in the gait of patients with hemiparesis based on gait classification using the knee joint motion of the paretic limb during stance phase.

Method: Gait at self-selected speed in 121 hemiparetic patients was measured using a 3D motion capture system and 6 force plates.

Results: Time ratios of single stance and pre-swing (PSw) differed among gait patterns. PSw time ratio was increased according to knee flexion angle during PSw. Reduction of push-off by the plantarflexion moment was related to knee flexion angle during PSw. In particular, in patients showing an extension thrust pattern during loading response, PSw time ratio was increased because these patients had difficulty bending their knee during PSw.

Conclusion: PSw time ratio and the cause of increased PSw time ratio in hemiparetic gait varied among gait patterns.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate both concurrent and content validity to demonstrate the usefulness of the Cancer Functional Assessment Set (cFAS).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated cancer patients who had undergone physical therapy during hospitalization. The study items comprised the following: age, sex, primary disease, treatment regimen, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status Scale (ECOG-PS), Barthel Index (BI), and cFAS. Validation of contents showed an association between the cFAS and BI, as well as a ceiling or floor effect of both.

Results: We found that the cFAS was correlated with the BI. Although neither a ceiling nor a floor effect was observed for cFAS in the ECOG-PS, an effect was observed for the BI when the ECOG-PS was 0-1 and 4.

Conclusions: Results suggest that the cFAS may reflect the activities of daily living, and can accurately evaluate the physical function of cancer patients under all conditions.

Objectives: We aimed to verify the cross-validation of a prognostic model for ambulation in patients diagnosed with acute stroke.

Methods: We enrolled 62 patients with stroke. The Trunk Control Test, the Japan Stroke Scale (Motor Function), diagnosis (cerebral infarction or hemorrhage), and age were evaluated as variables. The discriminant score was calculated using these indices, and the cut-off score was established using a receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results: The cut-off score was 0.953, and the ability to walk could be discriminated with 85.5% accuracy.

Conclusion: Cross-validation provided an accurate prognostic model to assess recovery of ambulation in patients with acute stroke.

Introduction/Background: In addition to having communication and cognitive learning disabilities, toddlers with developmental disorders have decreased motor coordination and decreased muscle tone, and problems with their sensory input are thought to be a causal factor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between motor coordination and sensory disturbance in children.

Methods: The subjects were 39 healthy kindergarten children aged 5.0 (mean) years. Parents or guardians completed a questionnaire about the children’s past and present sensory and motor function. Motor coordination was evaluated by 25 items, involving throwing, kicking and catching a ball, on an 80-point scale. The children were categorized into ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ groups according to questionnaire responses to whether they had much coordination problem, and compared.

Results: Children for whom the questionnaire response to the item “Have they sometimes disliked playing in the sand pit? Have they sometimes disliked sand on their hands or feet?” was “Yes” scored significantly lower for overall motor coordination.

Conclusion: Children who showed some superficial sensory problems from the past to the present tended to have low motor coordination abilities.