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Background: A rise in tongue pressure coincides with an increase in the suprahyoid muscle activity. Objectives: The aim was to investigate the effects of holding a weighted plastic bottle on tongue pressure and the suprahyoid muscle activity. Methods: Eighteen participants (8 men and 10 women; mean age 42 ± 16 years) participated in this study. All participants had no history of speech, language, hearing or swallowing disorders and no tooth loss, and they did not require dentures. Healthy participants held gauzes connected with a plastic bottle with increasing resistive loads of 0 g, 250 g, 500 g and 750 g, between their palate and tongue. The maximum tongue pressure and average tongue pressure were measured during a 5 s hold. The average tongue pressure was defined as the mean tongue pressure data in each task. The suprahyoid muscle activity was measured using the electromyogram (EMG). The root mean square of the EMG signals measured while lifting different loads and while performing the head lifting exercises was compared. All variables were examined using the Friedman's test and Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. Results: The maximum tongue pressure (p <.05) and average tongue pressure values (p <.05) increased gradually in the anterior‐median region with increasing resistive loads, and the root mean square amplitudes for 250 g, 500 g and 750 g were not significant compared with head lifting exercises. Conclusion: These results indicated that plastic bottle holding could be a potential strength training tool for the tongue and the suprahyoid muscles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rate force development is associated with performance and muscle composition in whole‐body muscle. Although rate force development on tongue muscle can be examined using tongue pressure waveform, there have been only few investigations on this topic. Objectives: This study's main purpose was to investigate the reliability of tongue pressure waveform analysis and its relationship with articulation and tongue muscle composition. In addition, we also investigated the association between tongue muscle composition and articulation. Methods: Forty‐five community‐dwelling individuals aged >20 years participated. We analysed tongue pressure waveform, including maximum tongue pressure (MTP), time to peak, mean rate of tongue force development and peak rate of tongue force development (PRTFD). We also assessed oral diadochokinesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the tongue provided data on tongue muscle composition, including tongue volume, fat mass, lean muscle mass and fat percentage. We evaluated the reliability of tongue pressure waveform analysis. Moreover, we examined the coefficients between tongue pressure waveform analysis, oral diadochokinesis and tongue composition. Results: We detected a high reliability of MTP and PRTFD. MTP and PRTFD were significantly correlated with tongue muscle composition. MTP was not significantly correlated with oral diadochokinesis. PRTFD was significantly positively correlated with oral diadochokinesis. Tongue fat mass and fat percentage were negatively correlated with oral diadochokinesis of /ta/ and /ka/. Conclusions: Peak rate of tongue force development is a highly reliable method for tongue pressure analysis and is useful for elucidating the functional importance of tongue muscle function on articulation. We speculated that fatty infiltration of the tongue adversely affects articulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) proposed the flow test (FT) as a simple method for measuring the viscosity of thickened liquids. However, the FT specifies the use of a particular syringe type (BD‐Slip), which is unfortunately not easily available in Japan. Therefore, the current study primarily aimed to investigate the effects of the internal syringe shape on IDDSI FT and identify the most suitable syringe available in Japan for xanthan gum‐based thickened liquids. Accordingly, four syringes, namely, Luer slip tip, Luer‐Lok tip, TERUMO, and NIPRO syringes, were used to examine FT value with water and nine different water viscosity levels. The correlation and systematic errors on residual FT values between the BD‐Slip syringe and the other three syringes were analyzed. The two‐dimensional internal shapes of the four syringes were measured using industrial computed tomography (CT) scanning. Based on the results of our FT, TERUMO had the smallest error range among the three syringes, without systematic errors. On a CT scan, three of five tip‐shape parameters showed the smallest difference between BD‐Slip and TERUMO syringe. Therefore, TERUMO had the smallest FT error range compared with that in BD‐Slip tip syringe, indicating that TERUMO could be used as a substitute for BD‐Slip when performing IDDSI FT with xanthan gum‐based thickened water in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) for patients with stroke and foot drop is an alternative to ankle foot orthoses. Characteristics of FES responders and nonresponders have not been clarified.Objectives: (1) To investigate the effects of treatment with FES on patients with stroke and foot drop and (2) to determine which factors may relate to responders and nonresponders.Design: Multicenter, nonrandomized, prospective study.Setting: Multicenter clinical trial.Participants: Participants included those who experienced foot drop resulting from stroke, were older than 20 years, and could provide consent to participate; they were enrolled from hospitals between January 2013 and September 2015 and performed rehabilitation with FES.Methods: Stroke Impairment Assessment Set Foot-Pat Test (SIAS-FP), Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Lower Extremity (FMA-LE), Modified Ashworth scale (MAS) for ankle joint dorsiflexion and plantar flexion muscles, range of motion (ROM) for ankle joint, 10-m walking test (10mWT), Timed Up & Go test (TUG), and 6-minute walking test (6MWT) were evaluated pre- and postintervention. Age, gender, type of stroke, onset times of stroke, paretic side, Brunnstrom stage of the lower extremity (Br. stage-LE), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), poststroke months, number of interventions, total hours of interventions, and whether a brace was used were extracted from patients' medical records and collected on the physiological examination day.Main Outcome Measurements: The authors examined 10mWT and age, gender, type of stroke, onset times of stroke, paretic side, Br. stage-LE, FIM, FAC, poststroke months, number of interventions, total hours of interventions, whether a brace was used, SIAS-FP, FMA-LE, MAS, ROM, TUG, and 6MWT before intervention. Participants were divided into nonresponders and responders with a change in 10mWT of <0.1 and ≥0.1 m/s, respectively. Single and multiple regression analyses were used for data analysis. Additionally, the changes between groups were compared.Results: Fifty-eight responders and 43 nonresponders were enrolled. The between-group differences, compared for changes between pre- and postintervention, were significant in terms of changes in SIAS-FP (P = .02), 10mWT (P < .001), 10-m gait steps (P < .001), TUG (P = .04), and 6MWT (P = .006). In the adjusted regression model, gender (odds ratio [OR], 3.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.426-12.25; P = .007), number of interventions (OR, 1.028; 95% CI, 1.003-1.070; P = .03), and active ankle joint dorsiflexion ROM (OR, 1.047; 95% CI, 1.014-1.088; P = .005) remained significant.Conclusion: The factors related to 10mWT showing changes beyond the minimal clinically important difference were found to be patient gender, number of interventions, and active ankle joint dorsiflexion ROM before intervention. When patients with stroke who have greater active ankle joint ROM, and are female, use FES positively, they may benefit more from using FES.Level Of Evidence: II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]