Objective:To observe the maximum tongue pressure and study the oropharyngeal activity during swallowing of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy so as to correlate the maximum tongue pressure with swallowing function.Methods:The mean maximum tongue pressure of nineteen NPC patients with dysphagia was measured at the anterior (TA), middle (TM) and posterior (TP) positions, followed by video fluoroscopy. Oral transit time (OTT), upper esophageal sphincter(UES)opening time (UOT) and UES opening range (UOR) were correlated with the mean maximum tongue pressures.Results:The maximum pressure at the TM and TP positions was significantly negatively correlated with OTT, but there was no significant correlation with the anterior readings. The maximum pressures at all three tongue positions were, however, positively correlated with UOT and UOR.Conclusion:The maximum pressure at the TA, TM and TP positions is strongly correlated with the swallowing function of NPC patients.

Objective:To explore the sensitivity and specificity of the simplified cough provoking test in predicting aspiration among patients with dysphagia.Methods:A total of 115 aspirating patients were evaluated using the simplified cough provoking test. Based on the overt and silent aspiration observed through video fluorography, the sensitivity and specificity of the test for predicting each type were quantified.Results:The subjects presented 44 cases of overt aspiration and 71 of silent aspiration. The simplified cough provoking test found that 36 had a normal cough reflex, 22 had a weakened reflex and 57 had none. When the cough′s strength indicated a normal cough reflex, the sensitivity of the simplified cough provoking test predicting silent aspiration was 70.4% and its specificity was 84.1%. The Youden coefficient was 0.545. When the cough reflex was adjudged as abnormal, the test′s sensitivity was 85.9% in predicting silent aspiration and its specificity was 59.1% with a Youden coefficient of 0.45.Conclusion:The simplified cough provoking test has good sensitivity and specificity in identifying silent aspiration. It can effectively screen populations at risk of dysphagia.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of anxiety and depression after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma among persons suffering from dysphagia, and to analyze the related factors.Methods:A total of 143 persons with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied. They completed a general information questionnaire and were evaluated using the hospital anxiety and depression scale.Results:Anxiety was detected in 52 of the subjects (36.3%) and depression in 61 (42.7%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the average total anxiety score was significantly related to whether the respondent used a gastric tube and whether they lived in a religious household. The average total depression score was related to gastric tube use and to the respondent′s district of residence.Conclusion:Persons with dysphagia after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma often suffer anxiety and depression. The use of a gastric tube increases the risk. The depression of rural residents and those with religious beliefs tends to be milder.

Objective:To explore the application of digital acoustic analysis in assessing the risk of aspiration among persons with dysphagia using the Praat speech analysis software.Methods:The swallowing of 46 stroke survivors with dysphagia was studied using video fluoroscopy. Each patient was required to pronounce " yi/i/" 3 times before and after taking each mouthful of food, and their voice samples were collected. The subjects were divided into a non-aspiration group of 16 and an aspiration group of 30 based on their penetration-aspiration scale scores. Fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation (RAP), jitter, shimmer, amplitude perturbation quotient and harmonic-to-noise ratio were compared between the two groups before and after taking food.Results:For the non-aspiration group, there was no significant difference in the acoustic data before and after eating. For the aspiration group there were significant differences in fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation and jitter before and after taking food. The average RAP and jitter of the non-aspiration group were significantly better than the aspiration group′s averages before eating. After eating, however, significant differences were observed only in average jitter.Conclusions:Analyzing perturbation and jitter can help to identify persons at risk of aspiration.

Objective:To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Ohkuma questionnaire.Methods:The Ohkuma questionnaire was translated and revised, before it was used to investigate 70 elderly patients. Cronbach′s alpha coefficient, Cohen′s kappa coefficient and Pearson correlation were used to evaluate the scale′s internal reliability, sub-item retest reliability and total score retest reliability. KMO and Bartlett tests were used to evaluate the validity. The correlation between the Chinese version of the Ohkuma questionnaire and ratings from video fluoroscopy before and after treatment was used to evaluate the scale′s discrimination ability.Results:The Cronbach′s alpha of the Chinese version of Ohkuma questionnaire was 0.831, with 0.814 in the initial evaluation and 0.808 in a second evaluation. The Cohen′s kappas of the 15 sub-items ranged from 0.728 to 1.000. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the total score was 0.914. The scale′s KMO value was 0.701. A t-test of the Ohkuma scores before and after treatment showed a statistically significant difference.Conclusion:The revised Chinese Ohkuma questionnaire has good reliability, validity and discriminatory power. It can be used to screen for dysphagia among the elderly.

Objective:To analyze the effects of empowerment psychological care intervention on the negative emotions, mental toughness and quality of life of the direct caregivers of children with epilepsy.Methods:A total of 150 direct caregivers of 150 children with epilepsy in the Department of Neurology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital from September to December 2019 were recruited, and divided in to control group ( n=74) and experimental group ( n=76) by random number table method. The control group was given conventional psychological nursing, while the experimental group was given empowerment psychological care. The negative mood, mental toughness and quality of life of the direct caregivers were compared between the two groups. Results:After intervention, the scores of Anxiety Self-Rating Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group, the scores of the WHO Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100) and the Psychological Resilience Scale (RSA) were higher than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Empowerment psychological care can significantly improve the mental state of the direct caregivers of children with epilepsy and improve their mental toughness and quality of life.

Objective: To identify the pathophysiological characteristics of cortical stroke survivors′ swallowing. Methods: Sixty cortical stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment were enrolled into the observation group, while another 16 with dysphagia but without cognitive impairment formed the unimpaired control group and 16 healthy counterparts were selected for a normal control group. Each subject was recorded videofluoroscopically while swallowing 5ml of a liquid of medium consistency. The occurrence of refusing to eat, mouth opening difficulty, incomplete oral closure, residue in the oral cavity, residue in the pharyngeal cavity, leakage and aspiration were observed. Each subject′s swallowing time and kinematic parameters were analyzed from the fluoroscopic videos. Results: The incidence of refusing to eat (37.5%) and/or incomplete mouth closure (68.75%) were significantly higher in the observation group than in the other two groups. The incidence of difficulty in opening the mouth (37.5%), residue in the oral cavity (81.25%), residue in the pharyngeal cavity (56.25%), leakage (56.25%) and aspiration (50%) of the observation group were significantly higher in the observation group than among the normal controls, but were not significantly different from those incidences among the group without cognitive impairment. The average oral transit time and soft palate elevation time of the observation group were significantly longer than those of the other two groups. The observation group′s average hyoid movement time was significantly longer than that of the normal control group, but not significantly different from that of the group without cognitive impairment. There were no significant differences among the groups in average upper esophageal sphincter opening time, larynx closure time or the kinematic parameters. Conclusions Stroke survivors with dysphagia and cognitive impairment present dysphagia characteristic of oral phase swallowing difficulties.

Objective:To explore the effect of high-flow airway humidification on aspiration and residues in cases of dysphagia after a tracheotomy.Methods:Seventeen persons with dysphagia after a tracheotomy were asked to swallow 5ml of a thick liquid when their tracheal cannula was either connected to a high-flow airway humidification system or blocked, or the cuff was empty or full. Endoscopic evaluation was then used to grade the residue and aspiration in the different conditions.Results:There were significant differences in the residuals grading and aspiration among the four conditions. The average penetration-aspiration scale grade was significantly lower when the subject was connected to high-flow airway humidification than in the other three conditions. The grade of residuals was also significantly lower.Conclusion:High-flow airway humidification can effectively improve the swallowing of persons with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.

Objective:To explore the value of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in guiding the decannulation of neurological disease patients with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.Methods:The FEES results of 188 neurological disease patients with dysphagia who had undergone a tracheotomy were analyzed retrospectively. The utility of FEES evaluation indexes (including glottis activity, the classification of pharyngeal secretions and residues as well as penetration-aspiration grade) for predicting the success of decannulation was explored.Results:One hundred and nine of the patients (the success group) were decannulated successfully and 79 (the failure group) were not, a success rate of 57%. The abnormal glottis activity rate among the failure group was 55%, significantly higher than among the success group (21%). The pharyngeal secretion classifications and penetration-aspiration grades among the success group were also significantly lower than among the failure group, on average. The average course of recovery from the tracheotomy was 184 days in the success group, significantly shorter than that of the failure group (292 days). No significant differences in residues were observed.Conclusion:The glottis activity, secretions and intake aspiration evaluated using FEES are of great value for guiding the decannulation of neurological disease patients with dysphagia after a tracheotomy.

Objective: To explore the sensitivity and specificity of the Chinese version of the volume and viscosity swallowing test with modified safety and effectiveness indicators (VVST-CV) in assessing deglutition disorders. Methods: The solvent, volume, viscosity, and test index of the volume and viscosity swallowing test were modified before it was used to evaluate 89 patients with swallowing disorders. The positive rates of the safety indexes (coughing, voice changes and blood oxygen saturation decline at least 3%) and the efficiency indexes (poor lip closure, oral residue, pharynx residue and swallowing) were recorded and compared and compared with the positive rates of penetration, aspiration and food residue determined by means of according to the videofluoroscopic swallowing study, then the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the modified VVST-CV with regard to the safety and efficiency of swallowing were calculated. Results: The VVST-CV′s sensitivity in detecting dysphagia was 0.97. For impaired safety it was 0.85 and for impaired swallowing efficiency it was 0.95. The sensitivity of the coughing index was 0.65, that of sound change was 0.60 and that of oxygen saturation decrease was 0.42. The positive predictive values for coughing, sound change and oxygen saturation decrease were 0.98, 0.94 and 0.94, respectively. Conclusion The VVST-CV is simple, feasible and sensitive. It can be widely useful in the evaluation of dysphagia in clinical practice.