Hidradenitis suppurativa affects a younger, predominantly female population of patients. High-cost settings, such as ED and inpatient care, are used more frequently for patients with HS. Both patients and clinicians should be aware of this finding, and further research is needed to investigate the impact of health care utilization on patient outcomes.

No abstract

The influence of bolus volume and viscosity on the distribution of anterior lingual force during the oral stage of swallowing was investigated using a new force transducer technology. The maximum force amplitudes from 5 normal adults were measured simultaneously at the mid-anterior, right, and left lateral tongue margins during 10 volitional swallows of 5-, 10-, and 20-ml volumes of water, applesauce, and pudding. Results indicated significant increases in peak force amplitude as viscosity increased. Volume did not significantly influence maximum lingual force amplitudes. Individual subjects demonstrated consistent patterns of asymmetrical force distribution across the lingual margins tested. The results suggest that bolus-specific properties influence the mechanics of oral stage lingual swallowing. This finding has important clinical implications in the assessment and treatment of dysphagic individuals.

Existing seasonal birth studies were reviewed for multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, cerebral palsy, congenital malformations of the central nervous system and mental retardation. Epilepsy appears to have the most consistent pattern, with an excess of births in winter and a deficit in September. MS, ALS and possibly Parkinson’s disease appear to have an excess of spring births. Studies of cerebral palsy are not conclusive, although there are suggestions that there may be an excess of summer births. The findings for Alzheimer’s disease, congenital malformations of the central nervous system, and mental retardation are contradictory and insufficient to draw any conclusions.

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the composition and organization of lingual tissues underlying the histostructural and biomechanical functions of the adult human tongue. The small-scale structures of three intrinsic muscle regions, their principal cells, structural complexities, and differences in underlying tissue composition were compared to other skeletal muscle systems and the results discussed in relation to lingual morphology. Analysis of pixel color distributions determined the percent area concentration of each stained tissue component. Results indicated that muscle content increased from anterior to posterior (p <.0001). Greater adipose (p =.005) and connective tissue (p <.002) concentrations occurred in anterior regions. Dense collagen sheaths and elastic fibers found anteriorly occurred with less magnitude in medial and posterior sites. The unique elastin, collagen, and adipose connective tissue distributions found in intrinsic sampling sites are discussed in terms of understanding lingual biomechanics in both normal and pathologic states.

No abstract

Term neonates must suck, swallow, and respire in a coordinated manner during successful oral feeding. When infants are born prematurely, these skills may not be fully mature. To stimulate sucking responses, premature infants are offered pacifiers under the premise that non-nutritive sucking experiences facilitate oral feeding readiness. This case reported examined the lingual-hyoid mechanics of non-nutritive suck (NNS) patterns with a pacifier versus nutritive suck (NS) during a bottle feed in a premature infant using a noninvasive ultrasound imaging technique as a pilot to discern aspects of oral feeding candidacy. Lingual patterns during NS resulted in significantly greater displacements and excursions than NNS (p < 0.0001) in both anterior and posterior regions of the tongue (p < 0.0001). In addition, the angle of hyoid movement during NNS was significantly smaller (p < 0.05) than the angle recorded during NS tasks. Unlike an expected neonatal sucking pattern of horizontal anterior-posterior movements of the tongue body, vertical tongue body excursions occurred as described in the literature of representing a 6-9-month developmental skill level. Through the integration of semiautomatic computerized analyses of tongue surface configurations and hyoid activity, these data may enhance knowledge of oral swallowing function in developing preterm neonates.

The 20th century saw remarkable improvements in life expectancy (NIA, 2011). Improvements in access to clean water, disease screening and prevention, the discovery of antibiotics and vaccines, development of organ transplantation, and advances in treatment for heart disease and cancer have all contributed to an expectation that Americans will live long lives in generally good health.