Changes in Oral Vowel Sounds and Hyoid Bone Movement After Thyroidectomy

Objectives Voice and speech alterations after total thyroidectomy may be associated with other extralaryngeal factors, such as neck muscle dysfunction and neck scar contracture. We evaluated the acoustic characteristics of oral vowel sounds and changes in hyoid bone movement before and after thyroidectomy. Methods Twenty-nine female patients undergoing total thyroidectomy were included. Fundamental frequencies (Fo), formants and vowel space areas were evaluated before surgery and 7 days and 3 months after surgery to acoustically analyze the oral vowel sounds. Videofluoroscopic images were taken at the same times to evaluate hyoid bone movement. Results The Fo levels of seven vowels decreased significantly after surgery. The vowel formant changes the F1 of vowel /[e]/ decreased significantly from baseline at 3 months postoperatively, and the F3 of vowel /[i]/ decreased significantly from baseline 7 days postoperatively. The change in the vowel space area was not observed. The Y coordinate of the vowels /[i]/ and /[e]/ decreased significantly from baseline 7 days postoperatively due to changes in hyoid movement. Conclusion The damage to the neck muscles after thyroidectomy changes in Fo, formant and hyoid bone position. These quantitative results could be used as basic data for voice management in patients who undergo thyroidectomy

Modeling of the control logic of a UASS based on coefficient of variation spraying distribution analysis in an indoor flight simulator

IntroductionIn the past decade, unmanned aerial spraying systems (UASS) have emerged as an effective crop treatment platform option, competing with other ground vehicle treatments. The development of this platform has provided an effective spraying system that can be used on all crop types and in all weather conditions. However, related research has not been able to develop a UASS that can be operated in windy conditions with a low drift percentage.MethodsIn this research, spraying was simulated in an indoor flight simulator by considering flight speed, altitude, wind speed, wind direction, rotor rotation, interval, spraying pattern, and nozzle type, which were used as the parameters affecting the output value of the coefficient of variation (CV) of spraying. These parameters were referenced as properties that occur in the field, and using machine learning methods, the CV value was used as a dataset to develop a model that can execute pump opening by controlling the flow rate. There are four machine learning methods used, i.e. random forest regression, gradient boosting, ada boost, and automatic relevance determination regression which are compared with simple linear regression and ridge regression as linear regression.ResultsThe results revealed that the random forest regression model was the most accurate, with R2 of 0.96 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.04%. The developed model was used to simulate spraying with pump opening A, which connects two nozzles in front, and pump opening AB, which connects all four nozzles.DiscussionUsing the logic based on CV value and pesticide quantity, the model can execute the pump opening against the environment and UASS operation

An Analysis of the Combination Frequencies of Constituent Medicinal Herbs in Prescriptions for the Treatment of Stroke in Korean Medicine: Determination of a Group of Candidate Prescriptions for Universal Use

In contrast to Western medicine, which typically prescribes one medicine to treat a specific disease, traditional East Asian medicine uses any one of a large number of different prescriptions (mixtures of medicinal herbs), according to the patient’s characteristics. Although this can be considered an advantage, the lack of a universal prescription for a specific disease is considered a drawback of traditional East Asian medicine. The establishment of universally applicable prescriptions for specific diseases is therefore required. As a basic first step in this process, this study aimed to select prescriptions used in the treatment of stroke and, through the analysis of medicinal herb combination frequencies, select a high-frequency medicinal herb combination group for further experimental and clinical research. As a result, we selected some candidates of a medicinal herb combination and 13 candidates of a medicinal herb for the treatment of stroke

Blood-testis barrier integrity depends on Pin1 expression in Sertoli cells

The conformation and function of a subset of serine and threonine-phosphorylated proteins are regulated by the prolyl isomerase Pin1 through isomerization of phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro bonds. Pin1 is intensely expressed in Sertoli cells, but its function in this post mitotic cell remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the role of Pin1 in the Sertoli cells. Lack of Pin1 caused disruption of the blood-testis barrier. We next investigated if the activin pathways in the Sertoli cells were affected by lack of Pin1 through immunostaining for Smad3 protein in testis tissue. Indeed, lack of Pin1 caused reduced Smad3 expression in the testis tissue, as well as a reduction in the level of N-Cadherin, a known target of Smad3. Pin1−/− testes express Sertoli cell marker mRNAs in a pattern similar to that seen in Smad3+/− mice, except for an increase in Wt1 expression. The resulting dysregulation of N-Cadherin, connexin 43, and Wt1 targets caused by lack of Pin1 might affect the mesenchymal–epithelial balance in the Sertoli cells and perturb the blood-testis barrier. The effect of Pin1 dosage in Sertoli cells might be useful in the study of toxicant-mediated infertility, gonadal cancer, and for designing male contraceptives

Characteristics of pediatric rhabdomyolysis and the associated risk factors for acute kidney injury: a retrospective multicenter study in Korea

Background The clinical features of pediatric rhabdomyolysis differ from those of the adults with rhabdomyolysis; however, multicenter studies are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric rhabdomyolysis and reveal the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in such cases. Methods This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of children and adolescents diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis at 23 hospitals in South Korea between January 2007 and December 2016. Results Among 880 patients, those aged 3 to 5 years old composed the largest subgroup (19.4%), and all age subgroups were predominantly male. The incidence of AKI was 11.3%. Neurological disorders (53.6%) and infection (39.0%) were the most common underlying disorder and cause of rhabdomyolysis, respectively. The median age at diagnosis in the AKI subgroup was older than that in the non-AKI subgroup (12.2 years vs. 8.0 years). There were no significant differences in body mass index, myalgia, dark-colored urine, or the number of causal factors between the two AKI-status subgroups. The multivariate logistic regression model indicated that the following factors were independently associated with AKI: multiorgan failure, presence of an underlying disorder, strong positive urine occult blood, increased aspartate aminotransferase and uric acid levels, and reduced calcium levels. Conclusions Our study revealed characteristic clinical and laboratory features of rhabdomyolysis in a Korean pediatric population and highlighted the risk factors for AKI in these cases. Our findings will contribute to a greater understanding of pediatric rhabdomyolysis and may enable early intervention against rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI

Effects of Feed Composition in Different Growth Stages on Rumen Fermentation and Microbial Diversity of Hanwoo Steers

Ruminants are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and information on ruminant fermentation and microorganisms is essential to understand ruminant digestion, which is associated with environmental pollution. The present study investigated rumen fermentation and microbial diversity according to the three different growth stages of four Hanwoo steers: growing (12 months, G), early fattening (18 months, EF), and late fattening (25 months, LF). No significant differences were observed in rumen pH and ammonia nitrogen among growth stages. Total volatile fatty acids were significantly higher and propionate and valerate significantly lower in G than in EF and LF (p p p = 0.056). Given the differences in the genera of microorganisms with relatively low abundance, additional experiments are needed to determine the effect on fermentation

Effects of Supplemented Resveratrol on In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation and Growth Performance of Hanwoo Calves

We investigated the effects of resveratrol supplementation on in vitro ruminal fermentation and growth performance of Hanwoo calves. Treatment with three resveratrol concentrations (0%, 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5%) was used for in vitro ruminal fermentation. Resveratrol concentrations and pH of rumen fluid were negatively correlated (p < 0.05); therefore, total gas production, total volatile fatty acids, and acetate, propionate, and butyrate levels were significantly higher in the treatments than in the control at all time periods (p < 0.05). The appropriate resveratrol concentration that could be added without negative effects on the rumen was 0.3%. In farm experiments, we divided 14 Korean cattle calves into control (C) and 0.3% resveratrol (T) groups. There were no significant differences in the daily weight gain, feed conversion, final body weight, body length, withers height, and height at hip cross in the resveratrol-fed Hanwoo calves. Immunoglobulin G level was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control (p < 0.05), but IgA and IgM levels did not differ. Supplemental feeding of resveratrol is beneficial to in vitro ruminal fermentation, but it is important to supplement it at 0.3%. Furthermore, resveratrol affects calf immunoglobulin G