Search

Wallenberg's syndrome (WS) is caused by a stroke in the lateral medulla and can present with various symptoms. One of the main symptoms is vertigo, which can be misdiagnosed as noncentral vertigo (NCV). Approximately 90% of the patients with acute WS have a lateral difference in body surface temperature (BST) due to autonomic pathway disturbances from infarction. Additionally, thermography can aid in WS diagnosis; however, whether BST differences occur in patients with acute NCV is unclear. This study used thermography to measure the BST of patients with NCV and acute WS to determine the effectiveness of BST to differentiate between the conditions. Forty-eight consecutive patients diagnosed with NCV whose BST was measured using thermography during a hospital visit or admission were enrolled. The left and right BST of four sites (face, trunk, and upper and lower limbs) were measured and compared with obtained BST of nine patients with WS. Twenty-two patients had lateral differences in BST ≥ 0.5°C, three with ≥1.5°C, and none with ≥2.5°C. Only one patient with NCV had lateral differences in BST at two or more ipsilateral sites. When WS differentiated from NCV, a left–right difference ≥0.5°C in two or more ipsilateral sites had a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 98%, and ≥1.0°C had a sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 98%. Acute WS can be differentiated from NCV through BST and the number of sites with lateral differences via thermography, even in rooms where conditions are unregulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Futsal is a five-a-side version of football played on a smaller pitch. In futsal, most injuries affect the lower extremity (70%), followed by the head and neck (13%), and the incidence of concussion is reportedly 3.6-times higher than in football. Wearing a faceguard (FG) after maxillofacial injury can allow early, safe return to sports after injury, and the demand for FGs has been rising annually. This study examined the clinical effectiveness of a FG customized for a 30-year-old male futsal player in a top Japanese league team following nasal bone fracture. We also investigated the clinical assessment of the FG by the player, to obtain information for further development of FGs for futsal players. First, a case was made. Support areas of the FG were assigned to the frontal region and zygomatic arch. The eyes and nasal apex were left as uncovered as possible to minimize effects on the field of vision. A 3.2-mm-thick hard thermoplastic material was then softened and molded over the cast with light finger pressure. Cushioning materials were adhered to both inner and outer surfaces of the thermoplastic material. The FG was secured to the face using two stretch bands with hook-and-loop fasteners. Until fracture healing was confirmed after 3 weeks, the patient used the FG 15 times in practice and once in a preseason match. After using the FG, a questionnaire with 11-point rating scales was administered, asking: 1) about age, sex, and type of sports; 2) about frequency of and dissatisfaction with use; 3) about protective ability and comfort of FG use; and 4) about visual field in 4 directions (upper, lower, inside and outside). While protection ability and comfort appeared good with FG use, more attention in the design may need to be paid to fit and the lower visual field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the present study were to investigate the shock absorption capability and force dispersion effect of mouthguard (MG) materials using load cell and film sensors. Two kinds of MG materials, ethylene vinyl acetate and polyolefin, were chosen for this study. When impact forces of approximately 5,000 N were applied on the MG materials using a round flat-nosed rod and a bluntly pointed rod, peak intensities were measured using the load cell sensor while peak stresses and impressed stress distribution areas were measured using the film sensor. Combined analysis using both load cell and film sensors clearly showed the shock absorption properties and force dispersion effects of different MG materials with different impact object shapes. Therefore, impact analysis involving a combined use of these sensor systems was useful and reliable in assessing the shock absorption capability and force dispersion effect of MG materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical practice of sports dentistry by the sixth-year students of The Tokyo Medical and Dental University Faculty of Dentistry was carried out by the students in order to learn about the basic knowledge of mouthguard fabrication methods. Our present research was conducted by a questionnaire on the students' evaluation of the sports dentistry clinical practice. In response to the question related to the level of satisfaction and whether it is beneficial to clinical practice of sports dentistry, 82% of the students answered "satisfied" including "satisfied a little" and 87% "beneficial" including "slightly beneficial". Based on the questionnaire results, the clinical practice of sports dentistry was confirmed to have an educational effect on the students at some level. In addition, the results suggested that mouthguard fabrication may possibly provide motivation for students to learn sports dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Saliva plays an important role in the health of soft and hard tissues in the oral cavity. Studies have shown that a reduction of salivary secretion causes a decrease of oral sugar clearance capacity in humans, thereby resulting in an increase in dental caries. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible inhibitory effects of fluid replacement on exercise-induced declines of salivary secretion in association with the physical effort of bicycle ergometer exercise in healthy volunteer subjects. Material and methods: Eight female and 14 male healthy volunteers (mean age 26.9 years) performed a 40-min bicycle ergometer exercise test with an 80% level of maximum heart rate for the following 3 conditions of fluid replacement ; 1) No fluid replacement, 2) Fluid replacement with a natural mineral water, 3) Fluid replacement with a sports drink. Timing and intake of fluid replacements during the exercise test were placed at the subject's disposal. Paraffin stimulated whole saliva samples were collected before, during, immediately after, 30-mins after and 60-mins after the test to measure the salivary flow, pH, buffering capacity and colony-forming units of Streptococcus mutans. Results: The mean intake of fluid replacements with a natural mineral water and a sports drink were 502.7 ml and 690.7 ml, respectively (paired t-test, p<0.01). While the salivary flow and buffering capacity after exercise for the condition of no fluid replacement decreased by 1.87 ml (31.3%) and 0.15 pH units, respectively, the salivary flow and buffering capacity after exercise for the conditions of fluid replacement with natural mineral water and a sports drink decreased by 1.05 ml (18.0%) and 0.14 pH units, and 0.56 ml (9.3%) and 0.33 pH units, respectively (ANOVA, p<0.05). The number of colony forming units of Streptococcus mutans did not change for any condition of fluid replacement after exercise (X² test, p=0.167-0.200). Conclusion: This study indicates that fluid replacement during exercise is an effective way of suppressing the reduction of saliva flow as well as for preventing dehydration, and suggests that fluid replacement during exercise contributes to maintain a better oral environment for athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the fabrication of a custom faceguard (FG) for a soccer player injured with a complex fracture of the zygomatic bone and orbit. The patient was a 29-year-old male. He came to our clinic two months after open reduction with titanium plates. His chief concern was making a FG to play soccer safely and without anxiety. Treatment: 1 We made a facial moulage with an irreversible hydrocolloid impression material and an impression plaster material. 2 We poured the moulage with Type IV dental stone to make the facial cast. In designing the outline of the FG, it was critical to leave the eyes uncovered to avoid narrowing the field of vision, especially the uninjured side where there was not adequate space between the FG and the injured area. We softened a sheet of 3.2 mm thick thermoplastic material in hot water (about 70-75°C), and applied and molded it over the cast with right finger pressure. After the material had cooled, we trimmed it to the desired outline drawn on the cast. Then, we used adhesive to adhere 1.6 mm (outside) - and 3.2 mm (inside) -thick rubber cushioning materials to both surfaces of the sheet. Finally, we sewed the edges of cushioning liner materials of FG. 3 After the fitting, the FG was secured on the patient using two stretch bands with hook and loop fasteners. 4 For a while after using the FG, he complained about unwanted movement of the FG when doing a header maneuver. Therefore, we modified the shape of the metopic area. At the same time, a questionnaire survey was done, which included the visual analog scale concerning the feeling and field of vision. As a result, he could use the FG comfortably except the field of vision slightly narrower. Summary: To popularize the use of FG in the future, each case should devise it in consideration of the injured area, symptoms, progress of cure, characteristic of the sport, and position, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The St. Jude Medical (SJM) Regent prosthetic valve (St. Paul, MN), a recently developed mechanical valve, is an improvement on the conventional SJM valve, having a wider valve area than the SJM HP valve. We evaluated this mechanical valve by Doppler echocardiography and dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Methods: The functions of the SJM Regent valve were evaluated by continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography and DES in 58 cases of aortic valve replacement during a stable postoperative period. Results: The peak pressure gradient of the replaced valves sized 17, 19, 21, and 23 mm was 27.5 ± 11.1, 20.0 ± 9.8, 15.6 ± 5.7, and 14.3 ± 9.1, mm Hg respectively, and the effective orifice area index was 0.97 ± 0.32, 1.01 ± 0.29, 1.09 ± 0.30, and 1.41 ± 0.54 cm 2 /m 2 , respectively, with prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) found in 1, 3, 2, and 0 cases for the 17-, 19-, 21- and 23-mm valves, respectively, with a total incidence of 10.3%. In 20 cases, the peak pressure gradient and the effective orifice area index were significantly increased during DSE compared with those at rest. Conclusions: Although the PPM incidence was 6.6%, it was deemed from the data of DSE and clinical symptoms that there were no clinical issues for such cases of PPM in the early and intermediate phases after operation. Particularly, the effectiveness of the 17- and 19-mm valves in patients with a small aortic annulus was demonstrated, confirming the satisfactory functions of the SJM Regent prosthetic valve. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 67-year-old male with dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic renal failure who received chronic hemodialysis for 9 years admitted with pulmonary edema. Three days after admission, electrocardiogram showed transient prolongation of QT interval which was followed by macroscopic T wave alternans (TWA) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Temporary pacing from right ventricular apex suppressed TWA and VF effectively. Combined cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantable cardioverter defibrillator device was implanted for the secondary prevention of VF. Both prolongation of QT interval and TWA disappeared for 10 days after therapy and no arrhythmic event occurred since then. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a proposal for infrared ray emission computed tomography (IRECT). This is a method for visualizing the two-dimensional physical quantum distributions (e.g., temperature, concentration) on an arbitrary transaxial layer of an object by calculating the infrared radiation intensity emitted from the object as the projection data. To verify the usefulness of this method, an experimental system with pyroelectric detector is developed for measuring flame temperature distribution and this system is applied to a Bunsen flame. The experiments yield good images of thermic intensity distribution in the cross section of the flame. In addition, the usefulness of this method in measuring temperature distribution is confirmed by comparing the results with thermocouple probe measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]