Effect of visual biofeedback to acquire supraglottic swallow in healthy individuals: a randomized-controlled trial.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of visual biofeedback therapy in acquiring supraglottic swallow (SGS) in a randomized-controlled trial with healthy individuals. Eighteen individuals (mean age, 26 years) who could not close or keep closed the vocal folds before and during the swallow in SGS were allocated randomly to either a visual biofeedback group (eight individuals) or a nonbiofeedback group (10 individuals). A videoendoscope was inserted intranasally and an SGS exercise, using 4 ml of green-colored water, was performed 30 times per day up to 5 days. When the participant failed to perform SGS, the result was provided only to the participants in the visual biofeedback group. The median length of time until acquiring SGS was 1.5 days in the visual biofeedback group and 3.5 days in the nonbiofeedback group (P=0.040). We concluded that visual biofeedback effectively enabled participants to acquire SGS earlier.

Effects of pond draining on biodiversity and water quality of farm ponds.

Farm ponds have high conservation value because they contribute significantly to regional biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Japan pond draining is a traditional management method that is widely believed to improve water quality and eradicate invasive fish. In addition, fishing by means of pond draining has significant cultural value for local people, serving as a social event. However, there is a widespread belief that pond draining reduces freshwater biodiversity through the extirpation of aquatic animals, but scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of pond draining is lacking. We conducted a large-scale field study to evaluate the effects of pond draining on invasive animal control, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity relative to different pond-management practices, pond physicochemistry, and surrounding land use. The results of boosted regression-tree models and analyses of similarity showed that pond draining had little effect on invasive fish control, water quality, or aquatic biodiversity. Draining even facilitated the colonization of farm ponds by invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which in turn may have detrimental effects on the biodiversity and water quality of farm ponds. Our results highlight the need for reconsidering current pond management and developing management plans with respect to multifunctionality of such ponds. Efectos del Drenado de Estanques sobre la Biodiversidad y la Calidad del Agua en Estanques de Cultivo.