Analysis of the numbers of clinical trials on physical therapy in Japan: comparison with those in the North American register from 2010 to 2019.

[Purpose] Information about clinical trials related to physical therapy (CTPT) in Japan, which has the highest aging rate in the world, is essential for physical therapy education, research, and policymaking to change and strengthen the education system and promote research grants. This survey aimed to clarify the proportion of CTPT in the clinical registry and compare the proportion of CTPT in Japan with that in North America. [Participants and Methods] The ClinicalTrials.gov (CTG) and National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) Clinical Trials were used. The number and proportion of CTPT were compared each year. The analyzed data spanned 10 years from 2010 to 2019. [Results] A total of 222,821 trials were registered in CTG during the 10 years. In search of "physical therapy", 3,001 trials searched. The proportion of CTPT increased from 0.8% to 1.7%. In total 42,194 trials were registered in the NIPH Clinical Trials Search. From the CTPT, 141 trials were obtained. The proportion of CTPT increased from 0.05% to 0.5%. The proportion of CTPT in the NIPH Clinical Trials Search was one-third or less than that in the CTG. The proportion of CTPT in CTG increased yearly, but the proportion of CTPT in NIPH Clinical Trials Search has not increased since 2016. [Conclusion] The proportion of CTPT is relatively low in Japan, compared with that in North America, and it showed no increasing trend. It is important to provide education and support for clinical trials in an aging country such as Japan.

Relationship between white matter fiber damage and revised version of the ability for basic movement scale in patients with stroke: a diffusion tensor tract-based spatial statistic study.

[Purpose] To clarify the relationship between white matter fiber damage and the Ability for Basic Movement Scale (ABMS) II in patients with stroke in a diffusion tensor tract-based spatial statistic study. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve patients with stroke (seven men and five women, mean age ± SD: 61.6 ± 8.5 years) were evaluated using the ABMS II. The patients were divided into the ABMS II good group and the ABMS II poor group. Tract-based spatial statistical analysis was performed using diffusion tensor images in both groups. [Results] Patients in the ABMS II good group had significantly higher fractional anisotropy values of the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus (IOF), and uncinate fasciculus (UF) of the lesion-containing hemisphere than patients in the ABMS II poor group. [Conclusion] ATR, SLF, and IOF damage may affect ABMS II scores in patients with stroke.