Regional associations between inspiratory tongue dilatory movement and genioglossus activity during wakefulness in people with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Inspiratory tongue dilatory movement is believed to be mediated via changes in neural drive to genioglossus. However, this has not been studied during quiet breathing in humans. Therefore, this study investigated this relationship and its potential role in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Task-dependent neural control of regions within human genioglossus.

Anatomical and imaging evidence suggests neural control of oblique and horizontal compartments of the genioglossus differs. However, neurophysiological evidence for differential control remains elusive. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in neural drive to the oblique and horizontal regions of the genioglossus during swallowing and tongue protrusion.

Effect of upper airway fat on tongue dilation during inspiration in awake people with obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: To investigate the effect of upper airway fat composition on tongue inspiratory movement and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: Participants without or with untreated OSA underwent a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Anatomical measurements were obtained from T2-weighted images.

Treatment usage patterns of oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnea over the first 60 days: a cluster analysis.

Study Objectives: Oral appliance (OA) therapy usage can be objectively measured through temperature-sensing data chips embedded in the appliance. Initial reports of group data for short-term treatment usage suggest good nightly hours of usage. However, individual variability in treatment usage patterns has not been assessed.

Mandibular advancement splint response is associated with the pterygomandibular raphe.

Study Objectives: To investigate whether the presence of tendinous PMR could predict treatment outcome and how it affects lateral wall mechanical properties. Mandibular advancement increases the lateral dimensions of the nasopharyngeal airway via a direct connection from the airway to the ramus of the mandible. The anatomical structure in this region is the pterygomandibular raphe (PMR), but a tendinous component is not always present.

Influence of mandibular advancement on tongue dilatory movement during wakefulness and how this is related to oral appliance therapy outcome for obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: To characterize how mandibular advancement splint (MAS) alters inspiratory tongue movement in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during wakefulness and whether this is associated with MAS treatment outcome.

Methods: A total of 87 untreated OSA participants (20 women, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 7-102 events/h, aged 19-76 years) underwent a 3T MRI with a MAS in situ. Mid-sagittal tagged images quantified inspiratory tongue movement with the mandible in a neutral position and advanced to 70% of the maximum.

Toward a rapid method for the study of biodiversity in cold environments: the characterization of psychrophilic yeasts by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

To investigate the potential of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) as a platform to support biodiversity and phylogenetic studies of psychrophilic yeasts in cold environments, the technique was employed to rapidly characterize and distinguish three psychrophilic yeasts (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Naganishia vishniacii, and Dioszegia cryoxerica) from three mesophilic counterparts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cry Havoc, S. cerevisiae California V Ale, and S. pastorianus).

Effect of head and jaw position on respiratory-related motion of the genioglossus.

Head and jaw position influence upper airway patency and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the main upper airway dilator muscle, the genioglossus. However, it is not known whether changes in genioglossus EMG activity translate into altered muscle movement during respiration. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of head and jaw position on dilatory motion of the genioglossus in healthy adult men during quiet breathing by measuring the displacement of the posterior tongue in six positions--neutral, head extension, head rotation, head flexion, mouth opening, and mandibular advancement.

Tongue stiffness is lower in patients with obstructive sleep apnea during wakefulness compared with matched control subjects.

Study Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether tongue stiffness (shear modulus) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is different for controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), and to investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on stiffness.

Design: Controlled experimental study.

Setting: Medical research institute.

Healthy humans with a narrow upper airway maintain patency during quiet breathing by dilating the airway during inspiration.

A patent upper airway is essential for survival. Increased age, obesity and some upper airway anatomical features are associated with failure to maintain upper airway patency during sleep, leading to obstructive sleep apnoea. However, many healthy subjects with these risk factors do not develop this condition.

Respiratory Movement of Upper Airway Tissue in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Study Objectives: To measure real-time movement of the tongue and lateral upper airway tissues in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) subjects during wakefulness using tagged magnetic resonance imaging.

Design: Comparison of the dynamic imaging of three groups of increasing severity OSA and a control group approximately matched for age and body mass index (BMI).

Setting: Not-for-profit research institute.

Tongue and lateral upper airway movement with mandibular advancement.

Study Objectives: To characterize tongue and lateral upper airway movement and to image tongue deformation during mandibular advancement.

Design: Dynamic imaging study of a wide range of apnea hypopnea index (AHI), body mass index (BMI) subjects.

Setting: Not-for-profit research institute.

Single motor unit recordings in human geniohyoid reveal minimal respiratory activity during quiet breathing.

Maintenance of airway patency during breathing involves complex interactions between pharyngeal dilator muscles. The few previous studies of geniohyoid activity using multiunit electromyography (EMG) have suggested that geniohyoid shows predominantly inspiratory phasic activity. This study aimed to quantify geniohyoid respiration-related activity with single motor unit (SMU) EMG recordings.

Communication challenges of HPV vaccination.

Background: The UK has introduced a national human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme for girls aged 12-13 from autumn 2008. Previous research has explored public understanding of the causes of cervical cancer and found little awareness of the role of HPV.

Objective: To explore GPs' and practice nurses' views of HPV vaccination, prior to implementation of the national immunisation programme, with a focus on their role and anticipated difficulties.

Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor antagonists attenuate ethanol-induced inhibition of bone formation in a rat model of distraction osteogenesis.

Chronic ethanol exposure inhibits rapid bone formation during distraction osteogenesis (DO; fracture and limb lengthening) and decreases volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) in a model of intragastric dietary infusion [total enteral nutrition (TEN)] in the rat. The hypothesis tested herein was that overexpression of interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mediates these deleterious effects of ethanol on the rat skeleton. Two studies (study 1, female rats; study 2, male rats) were performed to test the potential protective effects of the IL-1 and TNF antagonists: IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and 30-kDa polyethylene glycol-conjugated soluble TNF receptor type 1 (sTNFR1).

Skeletal toxicity associated with chronic ethanol exposure in a rat model using total enteral nutrition.

Chronic alcohol abuse decreases bone mass, inhibits osteoblast differentiation and function, increases fracture incidence, and delays fracture healing. Four studies were designed to use intragastric ethanol delivery as part of a total enteral nutrition (TEN) system to determine the negative systemic effects of chronic ethanol on 1) the rat skeleton and 2) local rapid bone formation during limb lengthening (distraction osteogenesis, DO). In study 1, three-point bending tests demonstrated that after 75 days of ethanol exposure, the tibiae had significantly lower load to failure versus control diet (p = 0.

Immunohistochemical study of osteopontin expression during distraction osteogenesis in the rat.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a limb-lengthening procedure that combines mechanical tension stress with fracture healing to provide a unique opportunity for detailed histological examination of bone formation. Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional matricellular protein believed to play a key role in wound healing and cellular response to mechanical stress. We studied the expression of OPN during DO using standard immunohistochemical (IHC) staining techniques.