Effect of carbonation and thickening on voluntary swallow in healthy humans.

Background: Liquid modification is a widely established strategy of treatment for patients with dysphagia. The modification of liquid particularly by thickening or carbonation is a common approach to promote safe swallowing.

Objective: This study sought to investigate how carbonated and/or thickened water modulates swallowing behaviours during swallowing in healthy young individuals.

A cold seep triggered by a hot ridge subduction.

The Chile Triple Junction, where the hot active spreading centre of the Chile Rise system subducts beneath the South American plate, offers a unique opportunity to understand the influence of the anomalous thermal regime on an otherwise cold continental margin. Integrated analysis of various geophysical and geological datasets, such as bathymetry, heat flow measured directly by thermal probes and calculated from gas hydrate distribution limits, thermal conductivities, and piston cores, have improved the knowledge about the hydrogeological system. In addition, rock dredging has evidenced the volcanism associated with ridge subduction.

Positronium formation at 4H SiC(0001) surfaces.

Positronium formation at 4H SiC(0001) surfaces were investigated upon the removal of natural oxide layers by hydrofluoric acid etching and heat treatment at 1000 K in ultra-high vacuum. Two types of positronium were observed in the positronium time-of-flight (PsTOF) measurements irrespective of conduction type and surface polarity. One type formed the major part of the PsTOF spectrum with a maximum energy of 4.

Factors affecting impingement and dislocation after total hip arthroplasty - Computer simulation analysis.

Background: Studies on the causes and factors affecting dislocation after total hip arthroplasty have revealed conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting impingement and dislocation after total hip arthroplasty, using a 3-dimensional dynamic motion analysis.

Methods: The CT data of 53 patients (53 hips: anterior dislocation; 11 cases, and posterior dislocation; 42 cases) who experienced hip dislocation after total hip arthroplasty with posterior approach, and 120 control patients (120 hips) without dislocation were analyzed.

Coupled afterslip and transient mantle flow after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

Modeling of postseismic deformation following great earthquakes has revealed the viscous structure of the mantle and the frictional properties of the fault interface. However, for giant megathrust events, viscoelastic flow and afterslip mechanically interplay with each other during the postseismic period. We explore the role of afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation and their interaction in the aftermath of the 2011 (moment magnitude) 9.

Mechanism of subsidence of the Northeast Japan forearc during the late period of a gigantic earthquake cycle.

The forearc in Northeast Japan subsided (3-4 mm/year) in the interseismic ~100 years before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (M9.1) just like it did during this event. This study attempts to understand the mechanism of the vertical displacement of the forearc during gigantic earthquake cycles via numerical modeling.

Tiny droplets of ocean island basalts unveil Earth's deep chlorine cycle.

Fully characterising the exchange of volatile elements between the Earth's interior and surface layers has been a longstanding challenge. Volatiles scavenged from seawater by hydrothermally altered oceanic crust have been transferred to the upper mantle during subduction of the oceanic crust, but whether these volatiles are carried deeper into the lower mantle is poorly understood. Here we present evidence of the deep-mantle Cl cycle recorded in melt inclusions in olivine crystals in ocean island basalts sourced from the lower mantle.

Distribution of Recognition Times to Fruity Flavor of Gummy Candies in Healthy Adults.

Times for recognition of fruity flavors in six gummy candies were measured using an electromyography-based system in 23 young healthy participants. They were instructed to chew one of the gummy candies at a random order and to press a button as soon as possible when they recognized what flavor was. The measured 181 recognition times showed two distributions, normally ( n = 107) and non-normally ( n = 74).

Genesis of ultra-high-Ni olivine in high-Mg andesite lava triggered by seamount subduction.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a prominent and wide volcanic arc located near the northern edge of the Pacific Plate. It has highly active volcanic chains and groups, and characteristic lavas that include adakitic rocks. In the north of the peninsula adjacent to the triple junction, some additional processes such as hot asthenospheric injection around the slab edge and seamount subduction operate, which might enhance local magmatism.

Tracking the spatiotemporal variations of statistically independent components involving enrichment of rare-earth elements in deep-sea sediments.

Deep-sea sediments have attracted much attention as a promising resource for rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY). In this study, we show statistically independent components characterising REY-enrichment in the abyssal ocean that are decoded by Independent Component Analysis of a multi-elemental dataset of 3,968 bulk sediment samples from 101 sites in the Pacific and Indian oceans. This study for the first time reconstructs the spatiotemporal variations of the geochemical signatures, including hydrothermal, hydrogenous, and biogenic calcium phosphate components that were closely involved in the formation of REY-rich mud over the past 65 million years.

Synchronization of masseter activity patterns between the right and left sides during chewing in healthy young males.

Masseter activity patterns during chewing, which were quantitatively assessed using T50 values, were compared between the right and left sides of healthy young males. Surface electromyograms were recorded from both masseters, and each participant was asked to chew four different agar samples at his own pace across two separate sessions. The four agar samples, each possessing differing textural properties, consisted of two normal and two distinctive agar varieties.

Sequential analysis of masseter activity patterns during chewing in healthy males.

The present study examined sequential changes in masseter activity patterns observed during chewing of four different agar samples in eight healthy young males. Two parameters, T(50) and D(50), were specifically used for evaluation of the activity patterns of individual bursts. Statistical significances were detected in regression coefficients (21.

Analysis of the pattern of suprahyoid muscle activity during pharyngeal swallowing of foods by healthy young subjects.

We previously developed the T(P) technique to discriminate between the activity patterns of skeletal muscles. In this study we aim to identify the T(P) value(s) that can be used to sensitively evaluate the activity patterns of the suprahyoid (SH) muscles during swallowing. We also analyse the effect of food textural properties on the activity patterns of the SH muscle during oral and pharyngeal swallowing.

Serum interleukin 8 levels correlate with synovial fluid levels in patients with aseptic loosening of hip prosthesis.

Levels of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin [IL] 6, and IL-8) in serum from patients with osteolysis on radiographs after hip arthroplasty [osteolysis(+), n = 28], patients without osteolysis after hip arthroplasty [osteolysis(-), n = 24], and nonoperated healthy subjects [controls, n = 20] were determined. In addition, cytokine levels in synovial fluid from patients undergoing revision total hip arthroplasty (n = 14) for loosening were measured and compared with each other and with the area of osteolysis on radiographs. Serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels were significantly higher in the osteolysis(+) group than in the osteolysis(-) or the control groups.

Rotational acetabular osteotomy for hip dysplasia: 61 hips followed for 8-15 years.

We operated on 54 patients (61 joints) with rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) due to dysplasia of the hip with pre- or early-stage osteoarthritis/arthrosis. The mean follow-up was 11 (8-15) years. The Merle d'Aubigné median score increased from 14 to 15.

Rotational acetabular osteotomy for advanced osteoarthrosis secondary to dysplasia of the hip. Results at 6-11 years postoperatively.

Clinical and radiological studies were done on the results of rotational acetabular osteotomy for advanced osteoarthrosis secondary to dysplasia of 29 adult hips followed up for 6 to 11 years postoperatively (mean 8 years). Clinical evaluation by Merle d'Aubigne and Postel's system showed improvement from a preoperative mean of 12.8 to a follow-up mean of 14.

[Studies on the transfer of cefotaxime into bone marrow blood].

Cefotaxime (CTX) was administered in a dose of 2 g to 20 adult patients prior to orthopaedic surgery. Samples of the bone marrow blood and the forearm venous blood were collected at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after the CTX administration, and the concentration of the drug in each sample was determined. The results are described below.

Primary hypothyroidism associated with pituitary enlargement, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and cystic ovaries.

A case of primary hypothyroidism with pituitary enlargement, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and cystic ovaries is reported. The pituitary abnormality and cystic ovaries disappeared dramatically after thyroid hormone therapy. Hip pinning was performed.