Objective:To investigate the relationship between the severity of pharyngolaryngeal sensory impairment and swallowing biomechanics as well as the risk of penetration-aspiration in patients with dysphagia following infratentorial stroke.Methods:This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 51 patients with dysphagia following infratentorial stroke hospitalized in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2022 and December 2023. Participants were categorized into three groups: normal sensation group [15 males, 2 females; age range 29-76 (56.0±13.3)years], diminished sensation group[16 males, 3 females; age range 38-80(62.0±11.8)years], and absent sensation group [14 males, 1 female; age range 44-75 (60.0±9.7)years]. All patients underwent laryngoscopy and videofluoroscopic swallowing study, which included pharyngolaryngeal sensory testing and Penetration-Aspiration Scale assessment. Swallowing temporal parameters were quantitatively analyzed. Group comparisons for different variable types were conducted using the Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The correlation between sensory groups and Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores was assessed using Spearman′s correlation analysis. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the impact of pharyngolaryngeal sensory function on penetration-aspiration events.Results:Among the 51 patients, 33.33% (17/51) had normal pharyngolaryngeal sensation, while, 66.67% (34/51) exhibited sensory impairment. The normal sensation group exhibited a significantly longer laryngeal vestibule closure (LVC) time [792 (643, 1 205) ms] compared to the diminished [528 (380, 776) ms] and absent sensation groups [380 (322, 404) ms] ( H=6.502, P=0.039). Additionally, the upper esophageal sphincter opening time was longer in the normal sensation group than in the absent sensation group [528 (371, 710) ms vs 182 (0, 710) ms, H=6.003, P=0.049]. Correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between the severity of sensory impairment and Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores ( r=-0.366, P=0.008). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that greater sensory impairment was an independent risk factor for penetration-aspiration ( OR=9.29, 95%CI=1.57-54.77, P=0.014). Conclusion:Pharyngolaryngeal sensory deficits are common after infratentorial stroke dysphagia and are significantly associated with impaired swallowing biomechanics and increased aspiration risk. The severity of sensory deficit is a key determinant of penetration-aspiration risk, highlighting its value in risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making for dysphagia.

Objective To investigate the incidence of hip fracture among the elderly in communities,explore related influencing factors,and develop and validate a risk prediction model.Methods A stratified sampling method was used to collect sociodemographic data,lifestyles and risk factors in hip fracture between January 2023 and January 2024 among the elderly residents in communities in Deyang.With random splitting,479 elderly people(68.00%)were assigned to the model training set,and 221(32.00%)to the model validation set.In the model training set,the participants were divided into a fracture group and a non-fracture group based on hip fracture or not.Data from both groups were compared,and R software(version 4.3.1)was employed to develop and validate the risk prediction model.Results A total of 700 elderly residents in communities were included,62 of them had hip fracture within one year yielding a cumulative incidence rate of 8.86%.The risk prediction model identified six predictors:frequent consumption of preserved foods,daily exercise time,daily sunlight exposure,osteoporosis,times of fall within a year,and with≥20 pieces of natural teeth.In the training set,the model achieved an AUC of 0.945(95%CI:0.908-0.982),with a sensitivity of 88.89%and a specificity of 89.40%.The calibration curve demonstrated a good agreement between predicted and actual values,indicating a strong calibration.Decision curve analysis(DCA)showed a positive net benefit.In the validation set,the AUC was 0.892(95%CI:0.784-0.999),with a sensitivity of 82.35%and a specificity of 93.63%,confirming a good model fit and predictive performance.The calibration curve exhibited a strong consistency,and DCA indicated a positive net benefit.Conclusion The developed risk prediction model for hip fracture in elderly community residents demonstrates a strong predictive value.It provides a practical reference for community workers and healthcare professionals to screen and assess the risk of hip fracture among the elderly residents in communities.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the severity of pharyngolaryngeal sensory impairment and swallowing biomechanics as well as the risk of penetration-aspiration in patients with dysphagia following infratentorial stroke.Methods:This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 51 patients with dysphagia following infratentorial stroke hospitalized in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2022 and December 2023. Participants were categorized into three groups: normal sensation group [15 males, 2 females; age range 29-76 (56.0±13.3)years], diminished sensation group[16 males, 3 females; age range 38-80(62.0±11.8)years], and absent sensation group [14 males, 1 female; age range 44-75 (60.0±9.7)years]. All patients underwent laryngoscopy and videofluoroscopic swallowing study, which included pharyngolaryngeal sensory testing and Penetration-Aspiration Scale assessment. Swallowing temporal parameters were quantitatively analyzed. Group comparisons for different variable types were conducted using the Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The correlation between sensory groups and Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores was assessed using Spearman′s correlation analysis. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the impact of pharyngolaryngeal sensory function on penetration-aspiration events.Results:Among the 51 patients, 33.33% (17/51) had normal pharyngolaryngeal sensation, while, 66.67% (34/51) exhibited sensory impairment. The normal sensation group exhibited a significantly longer laryngeal vestibule closure (LVC) time [792 (643, 1 205) ms] compared to the diminished [528 (380, 776) ms] and absent sensation groups [380 (322, 404) ms] ( H=6.502, P=0.039). Additionally, the upper esophageal sphincter opening time was longer in the normal sensation group than in the absent sensation group [528 (371, 710) ms vs 182 (0, 710) ms, H=6.003, P=0.049]. Correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between the severity of sensory impairment and Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores ( r=-0.366, P=0.008). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that greater sensory impairment was an independent risk factor for penetration-aspiration ( OR=9.29, 95%CI=1.57-54.77, P=0.014). Conclusion:Pharyngolaryngeal sensory deficits are common after infratentorial stroke dysphagia and are significantly associated with impaired swallowing biomechanics and increased aspiration risk. The severity of sensory deficit is a key determinant of penetration-aspiration risk, highlighting its value in risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making for dysphagia.

Objective To investigate the incidence of hip fracture among the elderly in communities,explore related influencing factors,and develop and validate a risk prediction model.Methods A stratified sampling method was used to collect sociodemographic data,lifestyles and risk factors in hip fracture between January 2023 and January 2024 among the elderly residents in communities in Deyang.With random splitting,479 elderly people(68.00%)were assigned to the model training set,and 221(32.00%)to the model validation set.In the model training set,the participants were divided into a fracture group and a non-fracture group based on hip fracture or not.Data from both groups were compared,and R software(version 4.3.1)was employed to develop and validate the risk prediction model.Results A total of 700 elderly residents in communities were included,62 of them had hip fracture within one year yielding a cumulative incidence rate of 8.86%.The risk prediction model identified six predictors:frequent consumption of preserved foods,daily exercise time,daily sunlight exposure,osteoporosis,times of fall within a year,and with≥20 pieces of natural teeth.In the training set,the model achieved an AUC of 0.945(95%CI:0.908-0.982),with a sensitivity of 88.89%and a specificity of 89.40%.The calibration curve demonstrated a good agreement between predicted and actual values,indicating a strong calibration.Decision curve analysis(DCA)showed a positive net benefit.In the validation set,the AUC was 0.892(95%CI:0.784-0.999),with a sensitivity of 82.35%and a specificity of 93.63%,confirming a good model fit and predictive performance.The calibration curve exhibited a strong consistency,and DCA indicated a positive net benefit.Conclusion The developed risk prediction model for hip fracture in elderly community residents demonstrates a strong predictive value.It provides a practical reference for community workers and healthcare professionals to screen and assess the risk of hip fracture among the elderly residents in communities.

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 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 relationships among tongue pressure, hyoid composite movement and pharynx phase activity among stroke survivors with dysphagia. Methods: Videofluoroscopy was used to observe the swallowing performance of 13 stroke survivors with dysphagia. Their tongue pressure was also measured. Correlations were sought among the tongue pressure, hyoid motion, the pharynx contraction ratio and the duration of upper oesophageal sphincter opening. Results: Tongue pressure was found to be significantly positively correlated with the duration of upper oesophageal sphincter opening. The distance of forward movement of the hyoid and the pharynx contraction ratio were also significantly positively correlated. Conclusion The tongue muscle and hyoid activity can affect the activity in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing.