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To investigate myoelectric signals of dystonic activities in oromandibular dystonia (OMD) subjects using surface electromyography (EMG). Twelve OMD subjects were included in this study. Resting myoelectric activities of the superficial masseter, anterior temporalis, and anterior belly of the digastric muscle on both sides were monitored, and dystonic muscle contractions were recorded using surface EMG. Myoelectric signal amplitude, the type of muscle contraction, and contraction rate for phasic activities were evaluated. Surface EMG revealed that eight subjects had dystonic muscle activities in the phasic contraction pattern, three subjects had a tonic contraction pattern, and one subject had a mixed pattern. Synchronous contraction of dystonic muscles was frequently observed. Many of the monitored muscles showed high resting amplitudes. Surface EMG detects abnormal muscle activities related to oromandibular dystonia. Surface EMG can serve as an objective method for diagnosing oromandibular dystonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although, oral cancer therapies have been developed for decades, patient survival rates have not changed. Side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy reduce quality of life of patients and it remains difficult to treat oral cancers due to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that cause recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, we search for natural products that affect oral cancer cells including oral cancer stem cells. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effects of Raphanus sativus L. seed (RSLS) extracts on oral squamous cell carcinoma KB cells and CSC-like KBCD133+ cells. CD133 plays an important role in CSCs and physically binds to β-catenin to activate the β-catenin signaling targets. Therefore, a natural extract that can inhibit β-catenin act in may be effective anticancer drug acquiring CSC. Of the natural product extract candidates, RSLS extracts induced apoptosis in KB and KBCD133+ cells and inhibited nuclear translocation of β-catenin cell migration and invasion rates. Treatment of RSLS extracts resulted in increases of Axin and it leds to reductions of β-catenin in KB and KBCD133+ cells. Hence, the result suggests that RSLS are potential candidate for anticancer drug against oral cancer cells and CSCs. CSC cancer stem cells OSCC squamous cell carcinoma cells RSLS Raphanus sativus L. seed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale of tourism facilitators that may play a significant role in participating in tourism activities. A scale of tourism facilitators was developed directly from the results in this study. One of the most important findings is that the tourism facilitator scale shows relatively acceptable measurement properties and reasonable levels of fit. The investigation of internal consistency and the CFA of the scale confirm the sufficient reliability and validity of the proposed model. The results also provide evidence that the three dimensions of tourism facilitators were negatively related to the three dimensions of tourism constraints, except for the relationship between intrapersonal facilitators and interpersonal constraints. Future studies should examine other countries to validate a more stable tourism facilitator scale and its relationships with related variables. The further testing of the concept of tourism facilitators can determine the role of facilitators at different stages of the destination decision-making process. The findings also provided preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility and value of using the new instrument as well as its relevance to both fundamental and applied research in investigating tourist behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of participation in a training program for cultural tourism interpreters. Results from this study revealed that there are significant differences of three of the interpreters’ job-related variables between before and after participation in the cultural tourism interpreters’ training program. However, there is not a significant difference of job involvement between before and after the program. Some program content significantly impacted on three of the interpreters’ job-related variables. Future studies are necessary to explain the relationships between the interpreters’ training program content and interpreters’ job-related variables from longitudinal perspectives. Additionally, the relationships should be examined by other samples to show the diverse experiences of the participants to the planners of cultural tourism interpreters’ training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]