Botulinum toxin therapy: functional silencing of salivary disorders.

Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxic protein produced by Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic bacterium. BTX therapy is a safe and effective treatment when used for functional silencing of the salivary glands in disorders such as sialoceles and salivary fistulas that may have a post-traumatic or post-operative origin. BTX injections can be considered in sialoceles and salivary fistulas after the failure of or together with conservative treatments (e.g. antibiotics, pressure dressings, or serial aspirations). BTX treatment has a promising role in chronic sialadenitis. BTX therapy is highly successful in the treatment of gustatory sweating (Frey\u2019s syndrome), and could be considered the gold standard treatment for this neurological disorder

Parotid fistula secondary to suppurative parotitis in a 13-year-old girl: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The most common cause of parotid fistula is trauma, followed by malignancy, operative complications (parotidectomy or rhytidectomy) and infection. Acute suppurative parotitis can rarely produce parotid fistula. There are various treatment options available, however it is necessary to standardize the treatment according to the duration of history and the patient's general condition.</p> <p>Case report</p> <p>A 13-year-old Indo-Caucasian girl presented to us with a two-year history of clear watery discharge from a wound just above and behind the angle of her right jaw. A diagnosis of salivary (parotid) fistula was made based on clinical examination and investigations. The parotid fistula was successfully managed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Parotid fistula secondary to suppurative parotitis is rare and difficult to manage successfully. Meticulous dissection, complete excision of the fistulous tract with closure of the parotid fascia and layered closure of the incision followed by application of a post-operative pressure bandage, anticholinergic agents and antibiotics contribute significantly to the successful management of this difficult clinical condition.</p

Ion cyclotron resonance heating scenarios for DEMO

International audienceThe present paper offers an overview of the potential of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) or radio frequency (RF) heating for the DEMO machine. It is found that various suitable heating schemes are available. Similar to ITER and in view of the limited bandwidth of about 10M Hz that can be achieved to ensure optimal functioning of the launcher, it is proposed to make core second harmonic tritium heating the key ion heating scheme, assisted by fundamental cyclotron heating 3 He in the early phase of the discharge; for the present design of DEMO-with a static magnetic field strength of B o = 5.855T-that places the T and 3 He layers in the core for f = 60M Hz and suggests to center the bandwidth around that main operating frequency. In line with earlier studies for hot, dense plasmas in large-size magnetic confinement machines it is shown that good single pass absorption is achieved but that the size as well as operating density and temperature of the machine cause the electrons to absorb a non-negligible fraction of the power away from the core when core ion heating is aimed at. Current drive and alternative heating options are briefly discussed and a dedicated computation is done for the traveling wave antenna, proposed for DEMO in view of its compatibility with substantial antenna-plasma distances. The various tasks that ICRH can fulfill are briefly listed. Finally, the impact of transport and the sensitivity of the obtained results to changes in the machine parameters is commented on

Correlation between Apnea Severity and Sagittal Cephalometric Features in a Population of Patients with Polysomnographically Diagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background and Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder featuring a repeated closure of the upper airway during sleep. Craniofacial anatomy is a potential risk and worsening factor for OSA. This study aims to assess the relationship between cephalometric features of craniofacial morphology and OSA severity in a population of patients with OSA. Material and Methods: A sample of forty-two patients (n = 42, M = 76%, mean age = 57.8 ± 10.8) with a polysomnographically (PSG) confirmed diagnosis of OSA were recruited and underwent cephalometric evaluation of 16 cephalometric variables. In addition, the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation (SatMin), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. Then t-tests were performed to compare the values of all cephalometric variables between two AHI severity-based groups (mild-to-moderate = AHI ≤ 30; severe = AHI &gt; 30). Single- and multiple-variable regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between AHI scores and cephalometric features. Results: Mean AHI, SatMin, and BMI were 31.4 ev/h, 78.7%, and 28.1, respectively. The cephalometric variables were not significantly different between the two OSA-severity groups (p &gt; 0.05). Multiple-variable regression analyses showed that gonial angle and nasopharynx space were negatively associated with AHI, explaining 24.6% of the total variance. Conclusion: This investigation reported that severity of AHI scores in patients with OSA showed a negative correlation with gonial angle and nasopharynx space. As a general remark, although maxillofacial anatomy can be a predisposing factor for OSA, disease severity depends mainly upon other variables

Dysphagia in neurological diseases: a literature review

none4sirestrictedPanebianco, M; Rosario, Marchese-Ragona; Masiero, S; Restivo, DA.Panebianco, M; MARCHESE RAGONA, Rosario; Masiero, S; Restivo, Da

On the Discovery of Monocular Rivalry by Tscherning in 1898:Translation and Review

Monocular rivalry was named by Breese in 1899. He made prolonged observation of superimposed orthogonal gratings; they fluctuated in clarity with either one or the other grating occasionally being visible alone. A year earlier, Tscherning observed similar fluctuations with a grid of vertical and horizontal lines and with other stimuli; we draw attention to his prior account. Monocular rivalry has since been shown to occur with a wide variety of superimposed patterns with several independent rediscoveries of it. We also argue that Helmholtz described some phenomenon other than monocular rivalry in 1867