Relationships between maximum tongue pressure and second formant transition in speakers with different types of dysarthria.

The effects of muscle weakness on speech are currently not fully known. We investigated the relationships between maximum tongue pressure and second formant transition in adults with different types of dysarthria. It focused on the slope in the second formant transition because it reflects the tongue velocity during articulation. Sixty-three Japanese speakers with dysarthria (median age, 68 years; interquartile range, 58-77 years; 44 men and 19 women) admitted to acute and convalescent hospitals were included. Thirty neurologically normal speakers aged 19-85 years (median age, 22 years; interquartile range, 21.0-23.8 years; 14 men and 16 women) were also included. The relationship between the maximum tongue pressure and speech function was evaluated using correlation analysis in the dysarthria group. Speech intelligibility, the oral diadochokinesis rate, and the second formant slope were based on the impaired speech index. More than half of the speakers had mild to moderate dysarthria. Speakers with dysarthria showed significantly lower maximum tongue pressure, speech intelligibility, oral diadochokinesis rate, and second formant slope than neurologically normal speakers. Only the second formant slope was significantly correlated with the maximum tongue pressure (r = 0.368, p = 0.003). The relationship between the second formant slope and maximum tongue pressure showed a similar correlation in the analysis of subgroups divided by sex. The oral diadochokinesis rate, which is related to the speed of articulation, is affected by voice on/off, mandibular opening/closing, and range of motion. In contrast, the second formant slope was less affected by these factors. These results suggest that the maximum isometric tongue strength is associated with tongue movement speed during articulation.

High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy was effective for dysphagia associated with respiratory muscle paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury: A case report.

RATIONALE: Respiratory muscle paralysis due to low cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) can lead to dysphagia. Noninvasive positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy can effectively treat this type of dysphagia. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy can generate a low level of positive airway pressure resembling PAP therapy, it may improve the dysphagia. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient was an 87-year-old man without preexisting dysphagia. He suffered a CSCI due to a dislocated C5/6 fracture, without brain injury, and underwent emergency surgery. Postoperatively (day 2), he complained of dysphagia, and the intervention was initiated. DIAGNOSIS: Based on clinical findings, dysphagia in this case, may have arisen due to impaired coordination between breathing and swallowing, which typically occurs in patients with CSCI who have reduced forced vital capacity. INTERVENTIONS: HFNC oxygen therapy was started immediately after the surgery, and swallowing rehabilitation was started on Day 2. Indirect therapy (without food) and direct therapy (with food) were applied in stages. HFNC oxygen therapy appeared to be effective because swallowing function temporarily decreased when the HFNC oxygen therapy was changed to nasal canula oxygen therapy. OUTCOMES: Swallowing function of the patient improved and he did not develop aspiration pneumonia. LESSONS: HFNC oxygen therapy improved swallowing function in a patient with dysphagia associated with respiratory-muscle paralysis following a CSCI. It may have prolonged the apnea tolerance time during swallowing and may have improved the timing of swallowing. HFNC oxygen therapy can facilitate both indirect and direct early swallowing therapy to restore both swallowing and respiratory function.

Needle-free intravaginal DNA vaccination using a stearoyl oligopeptide carrier promotes local gene expression and immune responses.

The vaginal mucosa is the most common site of infection for viruses that are transmitted through heterosexual intercourse, including human immunodeficiency virus and papillomavirus. Thus, in order to prevent or respond to these infections, strong vaginal immunity is required as the first line of defense. We previously investigated the use of a needle-free injector as a mucosal vaccination tool in rabbits and demonstrated that this is a promising method for stimulating vaginal gene expression and immune responses. In order to improve gene expression, we have examined local vaginal gene transfection efficiency using a non-needle jet injector combined with an effective peptide carrier in rabbits. The carrier used was a stearoyl (STR) peptide with Cys (C), Arg (R) and His (H) residues that form disulfide cross linkages via Cys (STR-CH2R4H2C) which was developed in our previous study. As a result, vaginal gene expression using the needle-free injector combined with STR-CH2R4H2C carrier was significantly improved compared to that without STR-CH2R4H2C carrier. Moreover, intravaginal pDNA vaccination by the needle-free injector combined with STR-CH2R4H2C carrier and CpG-ODN promoted not only local vaginal IgA and IgG, but also serum IgG secretion, to a degree significantly higher than that of naked pDNA.

Local gene expression and immune responses of vaginal DNA vaccination using a needle-free injector.

The vaginal mucosa is the most common site of initiation of virus infections that are transmitted through heterosexual intercourse, including HIV and papillomavirus. Thus, in order to prevent or treat these infections, strong vaginal immunity is required as the first line of defense. In this study, to establish a less invasive, safe, convenient and effective immunization method, we examined the local (skin and vagina) gene transfection efficiency of a non-needle jet injector for daily insulin injection. In the skin experiment, the needle-free injector resulted in a marked increase in marker gene expression, compared to the conventional needle-syringe injection. In addition, intradermal DNA vaccination using the needle-free injector dramatically induced IFN-gamma and antibody systemic responses in mice. Furthermore, we investigated the applicability of the needle-free injector as a vaginal vaccination tool in rabbits. Vaginal gene expression using the needle-free injector was significantly greater than that using needle-syringe injection. Moreover, intravaginal vaccination by the needle-free injector promoted vaginal IgA secretion and IFN-gamma mRNA expression in the blood lymphocytes, to a degree significantly higher than that by needle-syringe injection. In conclusion, local vaginal DNA vaccination using a needle-free jet injector is a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of mucosal infectious diseases.

Study on penetration of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles into intact and damaged skin in vitro.

It is important for toxicological assessment of nanoparticles to determine the penetration of nanoparticle in skin qualitatively and quantitatively. Skin penetration of four different types of rutile titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) (T-35, 35 nm, non-coating; TC-35, 35 nm, with almina/silica/silicon coating; T-disp, 10 x 100 nm, mixture of almina coated and silicon coated particles, dispersed in cyclopentasiloxan; T-250, 250 nm, non-coating) was determined with in vitro intact, stripped, and hair-removed skin of Yucatan micropigs to study the effect of dispersion and skin conditions. The TiO(2) was suspended in a volatile silicone fluid used for cosmetics, cyclopentasiloxane, at a concentration of 10%. The suspension was applied at a dose 2 microl/cm(2) for 24 hr, followed by cyanoacrylate stripping. The Ti concentration in skin was determined by ICP-MS. T-35 and T-250 easily aggregated in suspension with a mean diameter greater than 1 microm. TC-35 and T-disp showed good dispersion properties with a mean diameter in suspension of approximately 100 nm. No penetration was observed regardless of TiO(2) type in intact and stripped skin. The concentration of Ti in skin was significantly higher when TC-35 was applied on hair-removed skin. SEM-EDS observation showed that Ti penetrated into vacant hair follicles (greater than 1 mm below the skin surface), however, it did not penetrate into dermis or viable epidermis.

Effective vaginal DNA delivery with high transfection efficiency is a good system for induction of higher local vaginal immune responses.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the local vaginal and systemic immune responses of effective vaginal DNA delivery with high transfection efficiency, we determined the effects on Th1-dependent cytokine (interferon-gamma) production in spleen and inguinal lymph node cells and antibody responses of vaginal pDNA immunization with a cell-penetrating peptide, and compared our vaginal immunization with intradermal and intranasal immunizations. METHODS: Mice were immunized by vaginal, nasal or dermal administration of pCMV-OVA with or without peptide carriers, and serum, vaginal fluids, spleen and inguinal cells were harvested. The serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G(2a) and vaginal IgA antibody responses were determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The interferon-gamma production from spleen cells or inguinal lymph node cells was determined by an ELISA kit. KEY FINDINGS: The direct vaginal immunization strongly induced IgA in the vaginal fluids and interferon-gamma production in the local lymph node draining from the vagina. In addition, co-vaccination with the peptide carriers elevated these immune responses compared with vaccination with pCMV-OVA alone. Vaginal immunization with high transfection efficiency promoted vaginal IgA production to a significantly greater extent than intradermal or nasal immunization. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that direct vaginal DNA vaccines under high transfection conditions induced higher local vaginal antibody than that by intranasal or intradermal administration, and peptide carriers effectively elevated mucosal immune responses. Therefore, this vaginal DNA vaccination method may be expected to be useful in the prevention and treatment methods for vaginal infectious diseases such as HIV infection.

Discrimination of recent ischemic myocardial changes in WHHLMI rabbits from the findings of postmortem degeneration.

To distinguish recent ischemic myocardial changes in myocardial infarction-prone Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHLMI) rabbits from general postmortem myocardial degeneration, we examined hearts of WHHLMI rabbits after sudden death and postmortem hearts of non-atherogenic rabbits. Hearts of 8 WHHLMI rabbits were excised within 30 min of sudden death and hearts of 27 non-atherosclerotic rabbits were excised at designated periods after sacrifice. A large number of myocardial cells from WHHLMI rabbits exhibited features characteristic of ischemia (intercellular gap, intracellular edema, eosinophilia, disappearance of myocardial cells, indistinct nuclei, wavy myocardial fibers) simultaneously at regions close to proximal occluded coronary arteries. Although postmortem hearts of non-atherosclerotic rabbits exhibited similar characteristics, several features characteristic of autolyzed myocytes were also randomly observed in the left ventricle wall. Each feature was detected independently in myocardial cells or regions of the ventricle wall. In conclusion, we found several unique characteristics associated with myocardial infarction which enable discrimination between recent ischemic myocardial changes and myocardial degeneration following death.

Age-related changes in serum/plasma biochemical parameters of WHHLMI rabbits.

We developed myocardial infarction-prone rabbits (WHHLMI rabbits) by selectively breeding coronary atherosclerosis-prone WHHL rabbits. To examine the serum/plasma biochemical parameters of this animal model, we assayed the lipid and glucose levels, and enzyme activities of WHHLMI rabbits from 2 to 26 months of age using solid phase analysis. The results showed a good correlation with those measured with a conventional method. The serum enzyme activities and lipid levels varied with aging despite almost no change in the plasma glucose levels. Gender differences were observed in the total cholesterol, triglyceride, and lactate dehydrogenase activity levels. The data on these serum/plasma biochemical parameters will be useful in studies of myocardial infarction or pharmacological studies using this model.