Prevalence and Pathophysiology of Loose Stools and Their Impact on Clinical Severity and Quality of Life in Women With Fecal Incontinence.

Objective: To compare the impact of fecal consistency with anorectal sphincter dysfunctions on clinical severity and quality of life (QoL) in women with fecal incontinence (FI).

Background: FI affects up to 24% of middle-aged women, significantly impacting their QoL. Pathophysiological studies have focused more on sphincter and anorectal dysfunctions than on the role of fecal consistency.

Functional Constipation in Older Adults: Prevalence, Clinical Symptoms and Subtypes, Association with Frailty, and Impact on Quality of Life.

Introduction: Functional constipation (FC) is very prevalent in older adults, especially in women, but its relationship with frailty is not fully understood. The aims were to assess FC prevalence, clinical symptoms and subtypes, association with frailty, and impact on quality of life (QoL) in older people.

Methods: This epidemiological study included 384 individuals aged over 70 years recruited from the community, a hospital, and a nursing home and stratified into robust, pre-frail, and frail groups (Fried criteria).

Kegel Exercises, Biofeedback, Electrostimulation, and Peripheral Neuromodulation Improve Clinical Symptoms of Fecal Incontinence and Affect Specific Physiological Targets: An Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aims: Fecal incontinence (FI) is a prevalent condition among community-dwelling women, and has a major impact on quality of life (QoL). Research on treatments commonly used in clinical practice-Kegel exercises, biofeedback, electrostimulation, and transcutaneous neuromodulation-give discordant results and some lack methodological rigor, making scientific evidence weak. The aim is to assess the clinical efficacy of these 4 treatments on community-dwelling women with FI and their impact on severity, QoL and anorectal physiology.

Short-term neurophysiological effects of sensory pathway neurorehabilitation strategies on chronic poststroke oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Background: Neurorehabilitation strategies for chronic poststroke (PS) oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) have been mainly focused on the neurostimulation of the pharyngeal motor cortex with only marginal effects. In contrast, treatments targeting the PS oropharyngeal sensory pathway dysfunction offer very promising results, but there is little knowledge on the underlying mechanisms. We aimed to explore the neurophysiological mechanisms behind the effect of three sensory neurostimulation strategies.

A randomized clinical trial on the acute therapeutic effect of TRPA1 and TRPM8 agonists in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) treatment is moving away from compensatory strategies toward active treatments that improve swallowing function. The aim of this study was to assess the acute therapeutic effect of TRPA1/M8 agonists in improving swallowing function in OD patients.

Methods: Fifty-eight patients with OD caused by aging, stroke, or neurodegenerative disease were included in a three-arm, quadruple-blind, randomized clinical trial (NCT02193438).

Defective Conduction of Anorectal Afferents Is a Very Prevalent Pathophysiological Factor Associated to Fecal Incontinence in Women.

Background/aims: Fecal incontinence (FI) is a prevalent condition among women. While biomechanical motor components have been thoroughly researched, anorectal sensory aspects are less known. We studied the pathophysiology of FI in community-dwelling women, specifically, the conduction through efferent/afferent neural pathways.

Acute and subacute effects of oropharyngeal sensory stimulation with TRPV1 agonists in older patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia: a biomechanical and neurophysiological randomized pilot study.

Background: Older people with oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) present a decline in pharyngeal sensory function. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to assess the biomechanical and neurophysiological effects of acute and subacute oropharyngeal sensory stimulation with transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonists (capsaicinoids) in older patients with OD.

Methods: We studied the effect of a single dose multiple doses (2 weeks) of oral capsaicin treatment (10 M) or placebo in 28 older patients with OD (81.

Neurophysiological and Biomechanical Evaluation of the Mechanisms Which Impair Safety of Swallow in Chronic Post-stroke Patients.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a common post-stroke complication and is associated with respiratory infections. The aim was to assess the biomechanical impairments in swallow function and the afferent and efferent swallowing pathways impairing swallow safety in chronic post-stroke patients. We studied 30 patients with unilateral stroke and chronic OD (> 3 months from stroke onset) with impaired safety of swallow (Penetration-Aspiration Scale [PAS] ≥ 2).

Chronic post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia is associated with impaired cortical activation to pharyngeal sensory inputs.

Background And Purpose: The role of afferent sensory pathways in the pathophysiology of post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia is not known. We hypothesized that patients with chronic post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) would show impaired sensory cortical activation in the ipsilesional hemisphere.

Methods: We studied 28 chronic unilateral post-stroke patients [17 PSD and 11 post-stroke non-dysphagic patients (PSnD)] and 11 age-matched healthy volunteers.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of the pharyngeal event-related potential in healthy subjects and older patients with oropharyngeal dysfunction.

Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a highly prevalent symptom in older people. Appropriate oropharyngeal sensory feedback is essential for safe and efficient swallowing. However, pharyngeal sensitivity decreases with advancing age and could play a fundamental role in the physiopathology of swallowing dysfunction associated with aging.

Quality of Life Differences in Female and Male Patients with Fecal Incontinence.

Background/aims: To explore and compare quality of life (QoL) differences in female and male patients with fecal incontinence.

Methods: Ninety-one patients with fecal incontinence (60 women, mean (SD) age 64.13 (9.