The assessment of muscle strength by hand grip strength (HGS) is used to evaluate muscle weakness and wasting among stroke patients. This study aimed to investigate the association of oxidative stress/oxidative damage and inflammatory biomarkers with muscle strength and wasting, as evaluated by HGS, among community-dwelling post-stroke patients. The HGS of both paretic and non-paretic limbs was negatively associated with modified Rankin scale (mRS) values. The serum levels of catalase activity and malondialdehyde (MDA), and plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were significantly increased in post-stroke patients compared with non-stroke controls. Further analysis highlighted that hydrogen peroxide was positively correlated with HGS in the paretic limbs. Interestingly, an elevated MDA level, excluding advanced age and high mRS, increased the risk of low HGS in the non-paretic limbs of stroke patients. This study suggests that there is a detrimental association between MDA and muscle strength and early muscle wasting among post-stroke patients. Hence, MDA is a potentially useful biomarker of muscle weakness and wasting in post-stroke patients living in the community.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is high among older adults worldwide, significantly affecting their quality of life and overall health. Understanding the prevalence of MSDs and their associated factors is crucial to developing effective preventive and management strategies in Thailand. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of MSDs and their associated factors among older patients at Walailak University Physical Therapy Clinic. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the medical records of 396 older patients. Data on demographics, underlying diseases, career types, and treatments were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics chi-squared tests, and logistic regression analysis to determine their associations with MSD prevalence. The overall prevalence of MSDs was 89.90%. MSD prevalence was higher among female patients than among male patients (p < 0.001). The most commonly affected body regions were the lower back, shoulders, and knees. Career type (p < 0.001) had the highest impact on the presence of MSDs after controlling for sex, age, and underlying diseases as covariates in a logistic regression model. Manual labor and heavy industry workers as well as pensioners showed an increased risk of MSDs. While older age was associated with a higher MSD prevalence using chi-squared statistics, it was removed from the logistic regression models. Pensioners were the most likely to receive treatment, indicating the need for targeted interventions for individuals with physically demanding occupations. These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions and further research on socioeconomic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and comorbidities to manage MSDs among older adults in Thailand.

This study investigated the effects of eye exercises on eye-hand coordination, cognitive function, and balance in sixty elderly participants aged 60–70 years who were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group performed Gaze Stability Exercises (GSE) for 50 min per session, while the control group performed eyeball exercises for 10 min. Both groups trained twice a week for four weeks. Assessments of eye-hand coordination, cognitive function, and balance were conducted before and after the intervention. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for baseline scores and gender, was used for between-group comparisons. ANCOVA revealed that the GSE group showed significantly greater improvements in cognitive function and dynamic balance compared to the control group (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found between the groups for eye-hand coordination. Within-group comparisons showed that both groups improved in eye-hand coordination and cognitive function (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that eye exercises, including GSEs and eyeball exercises, can enhance eye-hand coordination and cognitive function in elderly individuals. The dynamic balance improvements observed only in the experimental group highlight the potential of GSEs in balance training. Preliminary findings indicate that consistent eye exercise help improve motor and cognitive skills in the elderly, which requires further study.

This study investigated academic and environmental predictors of national licensing examination success among physical therapy graduates in Thailand, examining overall academic achievement, domain-specific competencies (Code 01: Law/Ethics/Administration; Code 02: Techniques; Code 03: Clinical), admission pathway, and COVID-19-related online-learning disruption. This retrospective cohort study analyzed 342 graduates (2020–2023) using multivariable logistic regression and Pearson correlation, with GPA-based predictors rescaled per 0.1-point increase. Undergraduate GPAX and Code 02/03 grades were the strongest positive predictors of both first-attempt and annual licensing success (adjusted OR range 1.35–1.74, all p < 0.001). Online-learning duration reduced first-attempt odds by 24% (OR = 0.757, p = 0.036) but did not affect annual success, while TCAS admission round was a significant negative predictor of first-attempt success only in the model excluding domain-specific scores (OR = 0.671, p = 0.011); Code 01 score was not significant in any model. These findings indicate that domain-specific academic performance, rather than general achievement or admission pathway, was the strongest predictor of licensing success, underscoring the value of early monitoring of coursework performance for identifying at-risk students.