Relationship Between Diaphragm Function and Sarcopenia Assessed by Ultrasound: A Cross-Sectional Study.

: The diaphragm is important for respiration, but the effects of age-related muscle loss and sarcopenia on diaphragm function are unclear. We evaluated the associations of sarcopenia and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) with diaphragm function. : This study was conducted at three Japanese hospitals from May 2023 to September 2024.

A novel virtual reality blowgun game for rehabilitation of older adults: A preliminary case series.

Patients: Three residents of a long-term care home volunteered to participate in a rehabilitation program involving a virtual reality blowgun game. The participants played the game 5 days a week as a new exercise routine. After 4 weeks of intervention, tongue pressure and forced expiratory volume in 1 s improved in all participants.

Development and evaluation of a new intraoral voice assist device called the voice retriever.

Objective: Patients lose their voice after laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer or aspiration prevention surgery for severe dysphagia. To assist such patients, we developed and verified the utility of a novel vocalization method using a device termed the voice retriever (VR), in which the sound source is placed in the mouth.

Methods: We investigated the effectiveness of the VR in patients.