Validation of the Korean Version of the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire in Patients With Hallux Valgus.

The Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) is a practical, reliable, and valid questionnaire for hallux valgus surgery and has been translated into several languages. However, the MOXFQ has not been translated into Korean. In the present study, we aimed to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the MOXFQ for patients affected by hallux valgus. In accordance with the guidelines of cross-cultural adaptation, we translated the English version of MOXFQ into Korean and then backward translated it into English. We sent out letters that included the Korean version of the MOXFQ, a visual analog scale measure of pain, and a validated Korean version of the short-form 36-item Health Survey to 135 patients with hallux valgus. A retest was administered after 2 weeks. Of the 135 patients, 104 responded to the first questionnaire, and 82 of the first-time responders returned their second questionnaires. We evaluated the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, concurrent validity, and construct validity of the Korean version of the MOXFQ. The intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.82 for the total MOXFQ and ranged from 0.81 to 0.82 for the 3 subscales. Cronbach's alpha for the total MOXFQ was 0.85 and ranged from 0.8 to 0.92 for the 3 subscales. Concurrent and construct validity was supported by significant correlation with the visual analog scale and short-form 36-item Health Survey subscale scores. The Korean version of the MOXFQ was tested, and it was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for patients with hallux valgus.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Foot Function Index.

Although translated versions of the Foot Function Index (FFI) in several languages are available, the absence of a Korean version has precluded comparing the data from Korea with the data from other countries using the FFI. We, therefore, evaluated the reliability and validity of the adapted Korean version of the FFI. We translated the English version of the FFI into Korean and back into English. We mailed the Korean version of the visual analog scale, FFI, and the previously validated Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36) to 121 patients with treated foot complaints. To evaluate the test-retest reliability and internal consistency, we used the intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach's α, respectively. We also evaluated the concurrent and construct validity of Korean version of the FFI by comparing the visual analog scale and SF-36. Cronbach's α was 0.91 and 0.95 for the pain and disability subscales, respectively. The reproducibility was good, and a strong correlation between the FFI and the SF-36 and visual analog scale with related content was observed, indicating good construct validity.The Korean version of the FFI is a reliable and valid questionnaire for the self-assessment of pain and disability in Korean patients with foot complaints.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae infection after total knee arthroplasty: a case report.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies dysgalactiae (SDSD), Lancefield group C streptococcus, is an animal pathogen which often causes pyogenic infection in domestic animals. Human infection by SDSD has been reported as a cellulitis on the upper arm, but a prosthetic joint infection caused by SDSD after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not yet been reported in the literature demonstrating that its clinical manifestation and management have not been well established. In this case report, we aimed to present a case of SDSD prosthetic joint infection after TKA, which was successfully treated by two-stage re-implantation with an application of antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer.

Possible role of ginsenoside Rb1 on regulation of rat liver triglycerides.

We have studied the effects of ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) on the change in lipid contents in rat liver. When GRb1 was administered intraperitoneally to rats, liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 content and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activity were lower than those in control rats. The contents of triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol were decreased, but those of total phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine were increased in the GRb1-treated group compared with controls. These results indicate that GRb1 might be involved in lipid metabolism by regulating the activity of microsomal cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase. Although liver TG levels were reduced by GRb1, the levels of TG and beta-lipoprotein in serum from the GRb1-treated group did not change as compared with those in controls. Thus we suggest that the decrease in liver TG levels with GRb1-treatment is not associated with the secretion of TG-rich very low-density lipoprotein. Furthermore, the level of cAMP was also significantly increased in the GRb1-treated group as compared with that in controls. Additionally, the cAMP level was more markedly increased as compared with that in the GRb1-treated group or control group when GRb, was exogenously added to the reaction system for measuring cAMP production in homogenates from control group liver. Accordingly, these results demonstrate that GRb1 might lower TG levels via cAMP-production in the liver, and GRb1 might be an interesting candidate to for a modulator of cAMP-mediated effects, especially within the liver steatosis system.