Evaluation of usefulness of tongue pressure measurement device for dysphagia associated with treatment of patients with head and neck cancer (ELEVATE).

Introduction: Dysphagia is often caused by radiotherapy (RT) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), and reduced tongue pressure (TP) is often associated with swallowing dysfunction in the oral stage. However, the evaluation of dysphagia by measuring TP has not yet been established in HNC patients. Herein, we conducted a clinical trial to evaluate the usefulness of TP measurement using a TP-measuring device as an objective indicator of dysphagia induced by RT in HNC patients.

Relationship between stress levels and endolymphatic space volume in Meniere's disease.

Objectives: Since the first report by Hallpike and Yamakawa in 1938, many more patients with Meniere's disease (MD) with endolymphatic hydrops (EHs) have been described. Mental/physical stress and a subsequent increase in the release of the anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) supposedly triggers MD. In the present study, to assess the relationship between stress and EHs, we conducted a series of stress-related questionnaires as well as a 3D endolymphatic space (ELS) analysis in patients with unilateral MD.

Evaluation of changes in endolymphatic hydrops volume after medical treatments for Meniere's disease using 3D magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: To elucidate the relationship between vertigo and EH volume after medical treatment, we investigated changes in endolymphatic hydrops (EH) volume using inner ear magnetic resonance imaging (ieMRI) in relation to clinical results for vertigo and hearing after administration of the anti-vertiginous medications betahistine, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), isosorbide (ISO), and saireito (SAI) for Meniere's disease (MD).

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 202 consecutive patients diagnosed with unilateral MD from 2015 to 2021 and assigned them to four groups: Group I (G-I), symptomatic oral medication with betahistine only (CONT); Group II (G-II), inner ear vasoactive oral medication (ATP); Group III (G-III), osmotic diuretic oral medication (ISO); and Group IV (G-IV), kampo oral medication (SAI). In total, 172 patients completed the planned one-year-follow-up, which included the assessment of vertigo frequency, hearing improvement, and changes in EH using ieMRI (G-I, n=40; G-II, n=42; G-III, n=44; G-IV, n=46).

A model for estimating the brainstem volume in normal healthy individuals and its application to diffuse axonal injury patients.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a subtype of traumatic brain injury that causes acute-phase consciousness disorders and widespread chronic-phase brain atrophy. Considering the importance of brainstem damage in DAI, a valid method for evaluating brainstem volume is required. We obtained volume measurements from 182 healthy adults by analyzing T1-weighted magnetic resonance images, and created an age-/sex-/intracranial volume-based quantitative model to estimate the normal healthy volume of the brainstem and cerebrum.

Combining Multiple Indices of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Can Better Differentiate Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury from Healthy Subjects.

Aim: Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is one of the most common pathological features of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices can be used to identify and quantify white matter microstructural changes following DAI. Recently, many studies have used DTI with various machine learning approaches to predict white matter microstructural changes following TBI.

A survey of feeding and swallowing function after free jejunal flap reconstruction in cases of head and neck cancer.

Reconstructive surgery using the free jejunum flap for locally advanced head and neck cancer is effective in preserving the swallowing function; however, it does not allow normal oral intake in all patients. A total of 47 patients underwent surgery at Nara Medical University between Jan 2010 and Dec 2019. The patients' ages ranged from 48 to 86 years.

Assessment of Suvorexant and Eszopiclone as Alternatives to Benzodiazepines for Treating Insomnia in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

Objectives: We investigated the utility of switching from benzodiazepines to suvorexant or eszopiclone to manage benzodiazepine-unresponsive insomnia in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in a randomized, open-label study.

Methods: Patients with MDD who have insomnia symptoms (a score of >7 on the Insomnia Severity Index Japanese version [ISI-J]), who had received benzodiazepine treatment for more than 2 weeks (n = 18) were randomized to 4 weeks of suvorexant (20 or 15 mg/d) or eszopiclone (3 or 2 mg/d) treatment. The primary endpoint was an improvement in insomnia severity from baseline assessed by the ISI-J score at 2 and 4 weeks after switching from benzodiazepines.

Characterizing the neurocognitive profiles of children with moyamoya disease using the Das Naglieri cognitive assessment system.

Although cognitive impairment is well-documented in children with moyamoya disease (MMD), selective decline in specific neurocognitive domains remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to characterize the neurocognitive profile of children with MMD using the Das Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). We analyzed the neurocognitive data of 30 children (median age, 7 years) with MMD who were assessed with the CAS and the WISC-IV before surgery.

Extracting Apathy From Depression Syndrome in Traumatic Brain Injury by Using a Clustering Method.

Objective: Depression and apathy are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and different intervention strategies are recommended for each. However, a differential diagnosis can be difficult in clinical settings, especially given that apathy is considered to be a symptom of depression. In this study, the investigators aimed to isolate apathy from depression among patients with TBI and to examine whether apathy is exclusively associated with the amount of daily activity, as previously reported in the literature.

Endolymphatic Sac Drainage Surgery and Plasma Stress Hormone Vasopressin Levels in Meniere's Disease.

Meniere's disease is a common inner ear disorder accompanied by vertigo attacks and fluctuating hearing loss that some believe is due to a stressful lifestyle. To elucidate the scientific relationship in neuro-endocrinology between Meniere's disease and stress, we examined the surgical results of endolymphatic sac drainage surgery and changes in stress-induced plasma arginine-vasopressin levels. We enrolled 100 intractable Meniere's patients and examined surgical results and plasma vasopressin levels.

Utility of a novel tablet computer software for memory impairment in participants with brain injuries: A randomized control trial.

This study examined the effectiveness of a novel information and communication technology (ICT) tool developed for external memory compensation to improve memory function in participants with brain injuries. In this 3-month randomized control study, participants with memory impairment secondary to brain injury were randomly assigned on a 1:1 basis to either intervention (the ICT tool [ARATA]) or 3-month waitlist control groups. This study's primary outcome measure was memory-related difficulties in everyday life, assessed using the Everyday Memory Checklist (EMC).

The relationship between attention and avoidance coping in anorexia nervosa: functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated attentional control difficulties and high avoidance coping in patients with anorexia nervosa. Attention is a critical coping resource because it enables individuals to demonstrate self-control and complete goal-directed behaviours.

Aims: We aimed to examine whether attentional control difficulty is related to high avoidance coping, and investigate the neural underpinnings of attentional control difficulties in individuals with anorexia nervosa.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Follow-Ups for Vertigo/Dizziness Outpatients.

Objectives: In the present report, we aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on vertigo/dizziness outpatient cancellations in Japan.

Methods: We examined 265 vertigo/dizziness outpatients at the ear, nose, and throat department of the Nara Medical University between March 01, 2020, and May 31, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. We also focused on 478 vertigo/dizziness outpatients between March 01, 2019, and May 31, 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, to compare the number of cancellations between these 2 periods.

Spatial Patterns of Amyloid Deposition in Patients with Chronic Focal or Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury Using F-FPYBF-2 PET.

Aim: Amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, accelerated by traumatic brain injury (TBI), may play a crucial role in neurodegeneration in chronic-stage TBI. The injury type could influence Aβ dynamics because of TBI's complex, heterogeneous nature. We, therefore, investigated spatial patterns of amyloid deposition according to injury type after TBI using 5-(5-(2-(2-(2-[F]-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)benzofuran-2-yl)--methylpyridin-2-amine (F-FPYBF-2) positron emission tomography (PET).

Development of a Japanese Version of the Daily Record of Severity of Problems for Diagnosing Premenstrual Syndrome.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) causes physical and mental symptoms in women during the luteal phase of the menstruation cycle. To confirm the relationship between symptoms and the menstruation cycle, daily symptom records are essential for diagnosing PMS. The daily record of severity of problems (DRSP) is currently the most validated tool for tracking symptoms to confirm and scale the severity of PMS, but there has been no validated Japanese version of this instrument.

[Social Behavioral Problems after Brain Injury].

Various types of aberrant social behaviors may occur after brain injury. Some of these behaviors might be understood as direct consequences of brain injury; apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction are the three major domains of aberrant social behaviors after injury of the prefrontal cortex. In addition, psychosis, pseudobulbar affect, depression, and fatigue are common symptoms that affect social behavior after brain injury.

[Diffuse Astrocytoma with Pilomyxoid Features Presenting as Intratumoral Hemorrhage:A Case Report].

Hemorrhagic low-grade glioma(LGG)without malignant transformation is rare, accounting for less than 1% of cases. To the best of our knowledge, hemorrhagic LGG with an arteriovenous(AV)shunt has not been reported. We report the case of 17-year-old man with LGG with an AV shunt.

[Acute Changes in the Computed Tomography Findings of Mucocele Combined with Pituitary Adenoma:A Case Report].

Introduction: We report a rare case in which a pituitary tumor co-occurred with a giant mucocele. The mucocele's computed tomography(CT)values fell markedly when it collapsed, and we report the associated considerations.

Case: This case involved a 42-year-old male patient.

Transcallosal Fiber Disruption and its Relationship with Corresponding Gray Matter Alteration in Patients with Diffuse Axonal Injury.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is characterized by diffuse white matter (WM) disruption caused by shearing forces acting on the brain. Cortical atrophy can be accompanied by WM disruption, which is assumed to reflect the loss of neuron cell bodies in gray matter (GM) regions adjacent to disrupted WM. It remains unclear whether WM disruption leads to regional GM alteration in DAI.

Functional connectivity during monitoring for visuomotor incongruence.

Previous human studies on monitoring for visuomotor incongruence emphasized the contribution of the fronto-parietal network and revealed significant activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the right rostral inferior parietal lobule. Using functional MRI, this study investigated the brain regions involved in explicit monitoring for incongruence between motor intention and visual and/or proprioceptive information, particularly focusing on the fronto-parietal network. During in-phase bimanual movements, a static image of the participant's own hands was randomly inserted within real-time visual feedback of the movements to produce a mismatch between the actual performance and the visual input.