White matter lesions and cognitive impairment may be related to recovery from unilateral spatial neglect after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is frequently found in ischemic stroke patients. Because USN is related to poor functional outcomes, evaluating recovery from USN after stroke is critical. METHODS: Patients with acute ischemic stroke with lesions in the right cerebral hemisphere on MRI and exhibiting left USN were administered the Behavior Inattention Test (BIT) at 1 and 3weeks after admission. BIT improvement was defined as a ≥1-point increase in ≥4 of the 6 BIT subtests from 1 to 3weeks, or a total BIT score ≥131 at 3weeks. Factors associated with improvement of left USN were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (8 men; mean age, 70±12years) were enrolled in this study. BIT was performed at 5.3±0.7 and 18.2±0.7days after admission. Twelve patients were classified to the improvement (I) group, and 6 to the non-improvement (NI) group. BIT scores increased substantially from 76.6±40.5 in the acute phase to 109.2±43.3 in the subacute phase. The I group displayed higher BIT scores than the NI group in both acute and subacute phases (P<0.01 each). The degree of white matter lesions on the Fazekas scale was lower in the I group (0.6±0.7) than in the NI group (1.7±1.2, P=0.028). Increased BIT scores correlated significantly with increased Mini Mental State Examination scores (r=0.487, P=0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Amelioration of left USN might be related to white matter lesions and cognitive impairment. Sample size in the current study was small, limiting the generalizability of results, and larger studies are warranted in the future.

Effect of home reliner on occlusal relationships and oral mucosa: viscoelastic analyses by smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation.

BACKGROUND: For decades, many reports have expressed negative opinions about home reliner (HR), because it may result in residual ridge resorption. Recently, some clinical studies evaluated HR. However, the effect of HR on occlusal relationships and the oral mucosa remains unclear. Here, we dynamically analyzed the situation in which a patient applies HR to an upper complete denture. METHODS: We numerically simulated the effect of HR on occlusal relationships and the oral mucosa. In the simulation, the thickness of HR was set to 2mm as a proper amount and 4mm as an excessive amount. The loading points were set at the center of the right and left occlusal surfaces of the denture. RESULTS: Compared with the case without using HR, at proper amounts (2mm on the right and left sides), HR suppressed the depression of the ill-fitting denture, and stress on the oral mucosa was decreased. In the excessive HR model (4mm on the right and left sides), the vertical occlusal dimension was increased, and stress on the oral mucosa originally fitted with the denture base was increased. When the denture was modeled in an inclined position (2mm on the left side and 4mm on the right side), stress on the oral mucosa on the left buccal side was markedly increased. CONCLUSION: It was found that when an improper amount of HR was applied, the occlusal vertical dimension increased and the oral mucosa was pressured more than that under non-HR conditions.