Swallow Strength Training Exercise For Elderly: A Health Maintenance Need

Background: Recent studies have shown high prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia associated with frailty‐ and age‐related muscle weakness. Strength training exercises have been advocated for locomotive health maintenance in the elderly and have shown positive outcomes. As muscles involved in oropharyngeal phase of swallowing are also comprised of striated muscles, the aim of this study was to determine biomechanical effect of a novel resistance exercise program, Swallowing Against Laryngeal Restriction (SALR), on pharyngeal phase swallowing in the healthy elderly. Methods: A total of 28 volunteers (75 + 7 years; 17 females) with no complaint of dysphagia were studied using video fluoroscopy before and after 6 weeks of the swallow strength training exercise. Eighteen of these volunteers also underwent high‐resolution pharyngeal manometry non‐concurrent with fluoroscopy. Ten additional volunteers (81 + 6 years; 9 females) were studied by videofluoroscopy before and after 6 weeks of a sham exercise. Key Results: Swallow resistance exercise but not the sham exercise resulted in a significant increase in maximum upper esophageal sphincter opening (P \u3c .01), superior and anterior laryngeal excursion (P \u3c .01) as well as posterior pharyngeal wall thickness (P \u3c .01). Resistance exercise but not sham exercise also resulted in a significant increase in deglutitive pharyngeal contractile integral (P \u3c .01). Conclusions & Inferences: Strength training of muscles involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing using the swallowing against laryngeal restriction technique is feasible and significantly improves key physiologic features of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. These findings provide the basis for consideration of developing an exercise‐based swallow health maintenance program for the elderly swallow health maintenance program for the elderly

Normal anterior fontanelle sizes in newborn Igbo babies in south-eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND. Several factors, including gestational age (GA), gender, race and geographical/regional area, contribute to variations in the size of the anterior fontanelle (AF). While the impact of GA and gender are clearly established, the influences of region and ethnicity vary in the published literature. OBJECTIVES. To assess AF sizes in normal newborn Igbo babies in south-eastern Nigeria, establish baseline values for our population, and evaluate the relationship of our findings to some factors reported to affect AF size. METHODS. AF size was measured in 269 healthy term newborn babies using the method proposed by Popich and Smith and modified by Faix. Measurements were taken 24 - 48 hours after birth. RESULTS. The mean AF size was 2.97 cm (± standard deviation (SD) 0.71, range 2.0 - 4.8). Female babies had slightly larger anterior fontanelles than males (2.98±0.75 cm v. 2.97±0.67 cm, respectively), although this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Size of the AF had no significant correlation with head circumference (Pearson correlation coefficient r=-0.01; p=0.89), birth weight (r=-0.05; p=0.39) or length (r=-0.00; p=0.99) of these term babies. Neither GA nor mode of delivery influenced AF size (p>0.05). The mean anteroposterior dimension of the AF (3.22±0.82 cm) was significantly longer than the mean transverse dimension (2.71±0.65 cm) (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS. At term, AF size has no relationship to GA or such growth parameters as head circumference, birth weight and length. The mean AF size of 2.97±0.71 cm obtained in this study is recommended for use in assessing term Igbo newborns.http://www.sajch.org.za/index.php/SAJCHam2013ay201

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Normal anterior fontanelle sizes in newborn Igbo babies in south-eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND. Several factors, including gestational age (GA), gender, race and geographical/regional area, contribute to variations in the size of the anterior fontanelle (AF). While the impact of GA and gender are clearly established, the influences of region and ethnicity vary in the published literature. OBJECTIVES. To assess AF sizes in normal newborn Igbo babies in south-eastern Nigeria, establish baseline values for our population, and evaluate the relationship of our findings to some factors reported to affect AF size. METHODS. AF size was measured in 269 healthy term newborn babies using the method proposed by Popich and Smith and modified by Faix. Measurements were taken 24 - 48 hours after birth. RESULTS. The mean AF size was 2.97 cm (± standard deviation (SD) 0.71, range 2.0 - 4.8). Female babies had slightly larger anterior fontanelles than males (2.98±0.75 cm v. 2.97±0.67 cm, respectively), although this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Size of the AF had no significant correlation with head circumference (Pearson correlation coefficient r=-0.01; p=0.89), birth weight (r=-0.05; p=0.39) or length (r=-0.00; p=0.99) of these term babies. Neither GA nor mode of delivery influenced AF size (p>0.05). The mean anteroposterior dimension of the AF (3.22±0.82 cm) was significantly longer than the mean transverse dimension (2.71±0.65 cm) (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS. At term, AF size has no relationship to GA or such growth parameters as head circumference, birth weight and length. The mean AF size of 2.97±0.71 cm obtained in this study is recommended for use in assessing term Igbo newborns.http://www.sajch.org.za/index.php/SAJCHam2013ay201