OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of age, gender and bolus consistency in normal populations using the temporal measurement of Pharyngeal Transit Duration (PTD), which reflects the duration of bolus flow from the ramus of the mandible to the upper esophageal sphincter. METHOD: 40 normal and healthy subjects had Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Examinations (VFSEs) of 5 ml thin and nectar thick liquids, and puree consistencies. A slow motion and frame by frame analysis was performed. Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to examine the main effect and interactions, and paired t-tests for the three consistency comparisons. RESULTS: Older subjects had a significantly longer PTD than younger subjects (p<0.01). In addition, men had significantly shorter PTDs than women (p<0.01). Puree showed a significantly longer PTD than the other two consistencies, regardless of age and gender (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: PTD is an indicative of motor weakness in pharyngeal swallowing secondary to aging. In addition, the results supported the assumption that there is a functional difference in pharyngeal swallowing between men and women. It is expected that the results of this study will be used for further investigation of patients with dysphagia.
Aging ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Plant Nectar

Traditionally, the Rhododendron species has been used in gastrointestinal disorder or hypertension. Grayanotoxin exists in honey, flowers, pollen, and the nectar of the Rhododendron species. We experienced 3 cases of Grayanotoxin intoxication. The symptoms of intoxication were nausea, vomiting, hypotension, bradycardia, diplopia, dizziness, and chest discomfort. Generally, the treatment for Grayanotoxin intoxication is fluid resuscitation and injection of atropine sulfate. The patients who were intoxicated with Grayanotoxin were discharged without complication after supportive care.
Atropine ; Bradycardia ; Diplopia ; Dizziness ; Flowers ; Honey ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypotension ; Nausea ; Plant Nectar ; Pollen ; Resuscitation ; Rhododendron ; Thorax ; Vomiting

Honey is produced by bees from nectar collected from nearby flowers. Sometimes, honey produced from the Rhododendron species is contaminated by Grayanotoxin (GTX) in Nepal and other countries. There have been reports of GTX intoxication, also known as 'mad honey disease', from honey produced in countries other than Korea. The importation of wild honey has been prohibited by the Korean Food and Drug Administration since 2005, yet it is still distributed within Korea by the occasional tourist. We report a case of GTX intoxication from contaminated honey which included the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, general weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, hypotension and sinus bradycardia. By means of infusion with normal saline and atropine sulfate, the patient's condition fully recovered within 8 hours of hospital admission, and she was discharged without any complications.
Atropine ; Bees ; Bradycardia ; Dizziness ; Flowers ; Honey ; Hypotension ; Korea ; Nausea ; Nepal ; Plant Nectar ; Rhododendron ; United States Food and Drug Administration ; Vision, Ocular ; Vomiting

Rhododendron species is one of the largest and most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, comprising over 800 species and existing all over the globe. Grayanotoxin intoxication is caused by ingestion of honey and flowers. Grayanotoxin exists in honey, flowers, pollen, and nectar of the Rhododendron species. Grayanotoxin-intoxicated patients may present with nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, hypotension, bradycardia, and syncope for several hours. We report a case of grayanotoxin intoxication associated with mental changes. A 9-year-old male presented with impaired consciousness and delirium 26 hours after eating about 10 rhododendron sclippenbachii flowers. A brain MRI and EEG were normal. Parenteral fluids were administered and these symptoms resolved completely in 17 hours.
Bradycardia ; Brain ; Child ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Dizziness ; Eating ; Electroencephalography ; Flowers ; Honey ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Male ; Nausea ; Plant Nectar ; Plants ; Pollen ; Rhododendron ; Syncope ; Vomiting

Rhododendron species is one of the largest and most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, comprising over 800 species and existing all over the globe. Grayanotoxin intoxication is caused by ingestion of honey and flowers. Grayanotoxin exists in honey, flowers, pollen, and nectar of the Rhododendron species. Grayanotoxin-intoxicated patients may present with nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, hypotension, bradycardia, and syncope for several hours. We report a case of grayanotoxin intoxication associated with mental changes. A 9-year-old male presented with impaired consciousness and delirium 26 hours after eating about 10 rhododendron sclippenbachii flowers. A brain MRI and EEG were normal. Parenteral fluids were administered and these symptoms resolved completely in 17 hours.
Bradycardia ; Brain ; Child ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Dizziness ; Eating ; Electroencephalography ; Flowers ; Honey ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Male ; Nausea ; Plant Nectar ; Plants ; Pollen ; Rhododendron ; Syncope ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: Erosion is a gradual process that occurs fairly quickly, and the full extent of the erosive effects of acidic beverages is not yet clear. The present study aimed to determine the differences in the erosive potentials among four naturally acidic fruit nectars within the same range of titratable acidity and to determine the influence of the components of organic acids on tooth erosion. METHODS: Diluted fruit nectars (mandarin 1:1.1, orange 1:1.7, lemon 1:15, grapefruit 1:20) with the same range of titratable acidity (7.9 ml) and their corresponding organic acids (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% citric acid, malic acid, and a citric and malic acid mixture [pH 2.8], respectively) were used. Specimens were placed in conical tubes with 50 ml of each of the test solutions for 1 hour. A microhardness test and scanning electron microscopy were used to measure enamel erosion. Acid separation was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze the composition of each test solution. RESULTS: Similar decreases in the Vickers hardness number (VHN) were observed among the groups treated with the following diluted fruit nectars: diluted mandarin nectar (75.9 ΔVHN), diluted lemon nectar (89.1 ΔVHN), diluted grapefruit nectar (91.7 ΔVHN), and diluted orange nectar (92.5 ΔVHN). No statistically significant differences were found in the enamel surface hardness after erosion (p>0.05). Citric and malic acids were the major organic acids in the test fruits. The lemon and orange groups had the highest malic acid concentrations, and the mandarin group had the lowest malic acid concentration. CONCLUSION: The titratable acidity and the citric and malic acid contents of the fruits could be crucial factors responsible for enamel erosion. Therefore, fruit-based drinks should be regarded as potentially erosive.
Beverages ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Citric Acid ; Citrus paradisi ; Citrus sinensis ; Dental Enamel ; Fruit ; Hardness ; In Vitro Techniques ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Plant Nectar ; Tooth Erosion

Honey production from approximately 1.6 million colonies owned by about 199,000 Korean beekeepers was almost 23,000 metric tons in 2009. Nosema causes significant losses in honey production and the virus decreases population size. We initiated a survey of honey bee colonies on the blooming period of Acacia to determine the prevalence of Nosema and virus in 2011. Most Korean beekeepers have moved from the south to north of Korea to get Acacia nectar for 2 mon. This provided a valuable opportunity to sample bees originating from diverse areas in one location. Twenty hives owned by 18 beekeepers were sampled in this year. Nosema spore counts ranged from zero to 1,710,000 spores per bee. The average number of nosema spores per bee was 580,000. Approximately 95% of the colonies were infected with Nosema, based on the presence of spores in the flowering period of Acacia. This indicates that Nosema is the predominant species affecting honeybee colonies. Also, the seven most important honeybee viruses were investigated by reverse transcription-PCR. Among them, four different viruses were detected in samples. Black queen cell virus was present in all samples. Chronic bee paralysis virus was detected in 10% of samples. Deformed wing virus was present in only 5% of the samples. Prevalence of Sacbrood virus was 15%. However, Cloudy wing virus, Israel acute paralysis virus and kashmir bee virus were not detected in any of samples.
Acacia ; Bees ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Flowers ; Honey ; Israel ; Korea ; Nosema ; Paralysis ; Plant Nectar ; Population Density ; Prevalence ; Spores ; Urticaria ; Viruses ; Wings, Animal

No abstract available.
Coronary Angiography ; Electrocardiography ; Flowers ; Honey/*poisoning ; Humans ; Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction/*chemically induced/diagnosis/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plant Nectar ; Predictive Value of Tests ; *Rhododendron ; Risk Factors ; Toxins, Biological/*poisoning