Functional outcomes of outpatient balance training following total knee replacement in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether balance training after total knee replacement surgery improves functional outcomes and to determine whether postoperative balance is associated with mobility.

Design: A prospective intervention study and randomized controlled trial with an intention-to-treat analysis.

Setting: The rehabilitation center of a university-based teaching hospital.

The Chinese version of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Environment (CASE-C): validity and reliability for children with disabilities in Taiwan.

Measurement of children's participation and environmental factors is a key component of the assessment in the new Disability Evaluation System (DES) in Taiwan. The Child and Adolescent Scale of Environment (CASE) was translated into Traditional Chinese (CASE-C) and used for assessing environmental factors affecting the participation of children and youth with disabilities in the DES. The aim of this study was to validate the CASE-C.

Validation of the World Health Organization Assessment Schedule II Chinese Traditional Version (WHODAS II CT) in persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses for Chinese population.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to test the psychometric properties and validity of the World Health Organization Assessment Schedule II Chinese Traditional Version (WHODAS II CT) in Traditional Chinese-speaking persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

Method: The WHODAS II CT has been administrated to a sample of 1020 persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses. The construct validity, internal consistency, concurrent validity and convergent validity were evaluated.

Measuring disability and its predicting factors in a large database in Taiwan using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0.

The definition of disability had been unclear until the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health was promulgated in 2001 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Disability is a critical but relatively neglected public-health concern. We conducted this study to measure disabilities by using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.

Cohort study evaluating the risk of hip fracture among patients with dementia in Taiwan.

Background: To investigate the incidence and risk of hip fracture among dementia patients

Methods: This is a retrospective population-based 7-year cohort study using case-control matched analysis database from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Patients were diagnosed with codes or International Classification of Diseases-9-CM codes of dementia, between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2006. The prevalence and the adjusted odds ratio of hip fracture among dementia patients and the controls were estimated.

Association between body composition and median neuropathy in patients with physical disabilities.

Background: Patients with physical disabilities more often have median neuropathies of the wrist and more than 70% of wheelchair users are overweight or obese.

Aim: To explore the effects of body composition on the occurrence of distal median neuropathy and to search for the best probabilistic cutoff value of indicators to predict the likelihood of developing distal median neuropathy in patients with physical disabilities.

Design: A prospective study.

Validity and reliability of the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale-Adult Version based on the WHODAS 2.0--36 items.

Background/purpose: The disability eligibility determination system is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework in Taiwan. The Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale (FUNDES) has been developed since 2007 for assessing the status of an individual's activities and participation in the disability eligibility system. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the FUNDES-Adult Version (FUNDES-Adult).

Rib plating of acute and sub-acute non-union rib fractures in an adult with cystic fibrosis: a case report.

Background: Rib fractures associated with osteoporosis have been reported to occur ten times more frequently in adults with cystic fibrosis. Fractures cause chest pain, and interfere with cough and sputum clearance leading to worsened lung function and acute exacerbations which are the two main contributors to early mortality in cystic fibrosis. Usual treatment involves analgesics and time for healing; however considerable pain and disability result due to constant re-injury from chronic repetitive cough.

Balance function and sensory integration after mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: This study examined the disparities in balance functions and sensory integration in patients with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) and healthy controls.

Participants: One hundred and seven patients with mTBI and 107 age- and sex-matched controls were recruaited for this study.

Primary Measures: Symptoms of dizziness, balance functions and the ability to perform daily activities were assessed using the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI).

Body mass index and functional mobility outcome following early rehabilitation after a total knee replacement: a retrospective study in Taiwan.

Objective: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of osteoarthritis, and the incidence of obese patients requiring a total knee replacement (TKR) has increased in recent years. A high body mass index (BMI) may influence post-TKR rehabilitation outcomes. We investigated the effects of obesity on functional mobility outcomes following post-TKR rehabilitation in Asian patients whose BMIs were not as high as those reported in similar studies performed in non-Asian countries.

The balance effect of acupuncture therapy among stroke patients.

Objective: To analyze how acupuncture therapy affects balance in patients experiencing their first stroke and to identify the stroke group with greatest improvement in balance after acupuncture intervention.

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Setting: Ward of a medical university hospital.

Association between muscle power impairment and WHODAS 2.0 in older adults with physical disability in Taiwan.

Purpose: To explore the association between muscle power impairment and each World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule second edition (WHODAS 2.0) domain score among subjects with physical disability.

Methods: Subjects (≥ 60 years) with physical disability related to neurological diseases, including 730 subjects with brain disease (BD) and 126 subjects with non-BD, were enrolled from a data bank of persons with disabilities from 1 July 2011 to 29 February 2012.

Risk of stroke in patients with rheumatism: a nationwide longitudinal population-based study.

The aim of this study was to investigate rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) as risk factors for stroke. The study was analyzed by Using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID2005), this cohort study investigated patients with a recorded diagnosis of RA (N = 6114), and SLE (N = 621) between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2007, with age-matched controls (1:4) (for RA, N = 24456; SLE, N = 2484). We used Cox proportional-hazard regressions to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) after adjusting confounding factors.

Influenza A virus-specific aptamers screened by using an integrated microfluidic system.

The influenza A virus is a notorious pathogen that causes high morbidity, high mortality, and even severe global pandemics. Early and rapid diagnosis of the virus is therefore crucial in preventing and controlling any influenza outbreaks. Recently, novel nucleic acid-based affinity reagents called aptamers have emerged as promising candidates for diagnostic assays as they offer several advantages over antibodies, including in vitro selection, chemical synthesis, thermal stability and relatively low costs.

Effects of a 12-week Pilates course on lower limb muscle strength and trunk flexibility in women living in the community.

Researchers in Taiwan studying regular adult physical activity found that among married women aged 26 to 55 years, 56% participated in physical activity, and that the convenience and safety of the activity were major factors contributing to their willingness to exercise. Muscle weakness and poor trunk flexibility are closely related to some chronic diseases in women. In this cross-sectional survey, we used the Polestar Pilates™ method to explore the effects of a 12-week Pilates course on the physical fitness of women living in the community.

Developing an ICF core set for sub-acute stages of spinal cord injury in Taiwan: a preliminary study.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop an ICF core set describing sub-acute spinal cord injury (SCI) specifically for Taiwanese patients.

Methods: A consensus process using three rounds of Delphi technique was conducted. Twenty multidisciplinary participants from various institutions were recruited.

Hyperthyroidism is a risk factor for developing adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a nationwide longitudinal population-based study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk of adhesive capsulitis among hyperthyroidism patients. The data were obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID 2005) in Taiwan, using 1 million participants and a prospective population-based 7-year cohort study of survival analysis. The ambulatory-care claim records of patients diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes relating to hyperthyroidism between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, were obtained.

Does the planned long-term care policy in Taiwan meet the needs of people with disabilities?

The long-term care (LTC) insurance policy will be enacted in Taiwan. Under the proposed policy, people with disabilities will have priority in receiving insurance. The aim of this study was to compare the functional statuses of 3 disability groups and to investigate the coverage provided by the planned LTC insurance in Taiwan.

Femoral neck bone mineral density change is associated with shift in standing weight in hemiparetic stroke patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the association between the proportion of body weight bearing of the paretic leg and the rate of femoral neck bone mineral density loss in acute first-ever stroke patients.

Design: Patients were divided into those bearing less weight (<50%) on the paretic leg (n = 11) and those bearing more weight (≥50%) on the paretic leg (n = 11). The change in bone mineral density (grams per square centimeter per year) was calculated from the initial and follow-up dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (≥6 mos).

Environmental effects on WHODAS 2.0 among patients with stroke with a focus on ICF category e120.

Purpose: To explore the environmental effects on the disabilities of people post stroke and to search for the best probabilistic cut-off value of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule second edition (WHODAS 2.0) scores to predict people post stroke experiencing an access barrier to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health category e120 products and technology for personal indoor and outdoor mobility and transportation (PMT).

Method: We analyzed data of 162 younger (aged 18-64 years) and 202 older (aged ≥65 years) people post stroke from the databank of persons with disability between June 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.

Neglected ruptured flexor carpi ulnaris tendon mimics a soft tissue tumor in the wrist.

A wrist mass is rarely caused by a ruptured tendon in the forearm. The common pathologies are ganglia, tendon tenosynovitis, and giant cell tumors of tendon sheaths. Less common causes are nerve sheath tumors, vascular lesions, or an accessory muscle belly.

Implementing disability evaluation and welfare services based on the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: experiences in Taiwan.

Background: Before 2007, the disability evaluation was based on the medical model in Taiwan. According to the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act, from 2012 the assessment of a person's eligibility for disability benefits has to be determined based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework nationwide. The purposes of this study were to: 1) design the evaluation tools for disability eligibility system based on the ICF/ICF-Children and Youth; 2) compare the differences of grades of disability between the old and new evaluation systems; 3) analyse the outcome of the new disability evaluation system.

Evolution of system for disability assessment based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: A Taiwanese study.

Background/purpose: The criteria for disability were mainly based on the medical model, and the candidates for disability benefits were identified by physicians mainly depending on their degree of bodily impairment, but without sufficient evaluation of their activity, participation, and environment in Taiwan. According to the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act, the assessment of a person's eligibility for disability benefits was required to be based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework since July 11, 2012. This study investigated a proposed system to assess patients' eligibility for disability in Taiwan, based on the ICF.