The Relationship Between Relative Fundamental Frequency and a Kinematic Estimate of Laryngeal Stiffness in Healthy Adults

Background: Tau proteins are established biomarkers of neuroaxonal damage in a wide range of neurodegenerative conditions. Although measurement of total-Tau in the cerebrospinal fluid is widely used in research and clinical settings, the relationship between age and total-Tau in the cerebrospinal fluid is yet to be fully understood. While past studies reported a correlation between age and total-Tau in the cerebrospinal fluid of healthy adults, in clinical practice the same cut-off value is used independently of patient’s age. Objective: To further explore the relationship between age and total-Tau and to disentangle neurodegenerative from drainage-dependent effects. Methods: We analyzed cerebrospinal fluid samples of 76 carefully selected cognitively healthy adults and included amyloid-β 1–40 as a potential marker of drainage from the brain’s interstitial system. Results: We found a significant correlation of total-Tau and age, which was no longer present when correcting total-Tau for amyloid-β 1–40 concentrations. These findings were replicated under varied inclusion criteria. Conclusion: Results call into question the association of age and total-Tau in the cerebrospinal fluid. Furthermore, they suggest diagnostic utility of amyloid-β 1–40 as a possible proxy for drainage-mechanisms into the cerebrospinal fluid when interpreting biomarker concentrations for neurodegenerative diseases.

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Plasma and Red Cell Reference Intervals of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate of Healthy Adults in Whom Biochemical Functional Deficiencies of Folate and Vitamin B12Had Been Excluded

Advances in Hematology ◽

10.1155/2014/465623 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Agata Sobczyńska-Malefora ◽

Dominic J. Harrington ◽

Kieran Voong ◽

Martin J. Shearer

Keyword(s):

Methylmalonic Acid ◽

Reference Intervals ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Molecular Forms ◽

Vitamin B ◽

Red Cell ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship ◽

Plasma Measurements ◽

Functional Deficiency

5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) is the predominant form of folate and a strong determinant of homocysteine concentrations. There is evidence that suboptimal 5-MTHF availability is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease independent of homocysteine. The analysis of folates remains challenging and is almost exclusively limited to the reporting of “total” folate rather than individual molecular forms. The purpose of this study was to establish the reference intervals of 5-MTHF in plasma and red cells of healthy adults who had been prescreened to exclude biochemical evidence of functional deficiency of folate and/or vitamin B12. Functional folate and vitamin B12status was assessed by respective plasma measurements of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid in 144 healthy volunteers, aged 19–64 years. After the exclusion of 10 individuals, values for 134 subjects were used to establish the upper reference limits for homocysteine (13 μmol/L females and 15 μmol/L males) and methylmalonic acid (430 nmol/L). Subjects with values below these cutoffs were designated as folate and vitamin B12replete and their plasma and red cell 5-MTHF reference intervals determined,N=126: 6.6–39.9 nmol/L and 223–1041 nmol/L, respectively. The application of these intervals will assist in the evaluation of folate status and facilitate studies to evaluate the relationship of 5-MTHF to disease.

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The Relationship between Dioxin-Like Polychlorobiphenyls and IGF-I Serum Levels in Healthy Adults: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0038213 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. e38213 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Octavio P. Luzardo ◽

Luis Alberto Henríquez-Hernández ◽

Pilar F. Valerón ◽

Pedro C. Lara ◽

Maira Almeida-González ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Serum Levels ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Igf I ◽

The Relationship

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The relationship between working memory capacity and broad measures of cognitive ability in healthy adults and people with schizophrenia.

Neuropsychology ◽

10.1037/a0032060 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 220-229 ◽

Cited By ~ 86

Author(s):

Melissa K. Johnson ◽

Robert P. McMahon ◽

Benjamin M. Robinson ◽

Alexander N. Harvey ◽

Britta Hahn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Memory Capacity ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

The Relationship

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Vocal Tract Steadiness

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3504.761 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 761-768 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Petra Zwirner ◽

Gary J. Barnes

Keyword(s):

Motor Control ◽

Fundamental Frequency ◽

Vocal Tract ◽

Upper Airway ◽

Normal Subjects ◽

Subject Group ◽

Formant Frequency ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Acoustic Analyses ◽

The Relationship

Acoustic analyses of upper airway and phonatory stability were conducted on samples of sustained phonation to evaluate the relation between laryngeal and articulomotor stability for 31 patients with dysarthria and 12 non-dysarthric control subjects. Significantly higher values were found for the variability in fundamental frequency and formant frequency of patients who have Huntington’s disease compared with normal subjects and patients with Parkinson’s disease. No significant correlations were found between formant frequency variability and the variability of the fundamental frequency for any subject group. These findings are discussed as they pertain to the relationship between phonatory and upper airway subsystems and the evaluation of vocal tract motor control impairments in dysarthria.

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Skeletal muscle mass at C3 may not be a strong predictor for skeletal muscle mass at L3 in sarcopenic patients with head and neck cancer

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0254844 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0254844

Author(s):

Joon-Kee Yoon ◽

Jeon Yeob Jang ◽

Young-Sil An ◽

Su Jin Lee

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Diagnostic Accuracy ◽

Prediction Model ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Skeletal Muscle Mass ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Muscle Area ◽

The Relationship

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of using skeletal muscle mass (SMM) at C3 (C3 SMM) as a diagnostic marker for sarcopenia in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Methods We evaluated 165 HNC patients and 42 healthy adults who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans. The paravertebral muscle area at C3 and skeletal muscle area at L3 were measured by CT. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between L3 and C3 SMMs. The prediction model for L3 SMM was developed by multiple linear regression. Then the correlation and the agreement between actual and predicted L3 SMMs were assessed. To evaluate the diagnostic value of C3 SMM for sarcopenia, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were analyzed. Results Of the 165 HNC patients, 61 (37.0%) were sarcopenic and 104 (63.0%) were non-sarcopenic. A very strong correlation was found between L3 SMM and C3 SMM in both healthy adults (r = 0.864) and non-sarcopenic patients (r = 0.876), while a fair association was found in sarcopenic patients (r = 0.381). Prediction model showed a very strong correlation between actual SMM and predicted L3 SMM in both non-sarcopenic patients and healthy adults (r > 0.9), whereas the relationship was moderate in sarcopenic patients (r = 0.7633). The agreement between two measurements was good for healthy subjects and non-sarcopenic patients, while it was poor for sarcopenic patients. On ROC analysis, predicted L3 SMM showed poor diagnostic accuracy for sarcopenia. Conclusions A correlation between L3 and C3 SMMs was weak in sarcopenic patients. A prediction model also showed a poor diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, C3 SMM may not be a strong predictor for L3 SMM in sarcopenic patients with HNC.

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The Relationship Between Submental Surface Electromyography and Hyo-Laryngeal Kinematic Measures of Mendelsohn Maneuver Duration

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2015_jslhr-s-14-0203 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 58 (6) ◽

pp. 1627-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Alba M. Azola ◽

Lindsey R. Greene ◽

Isha Taylor-Kamara ◽

Phoebe Macrae ◽

Cheryl Anderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Electromyography ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Healthy Adults ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Safety Concerns ◽

Mendelsohn Maneuver ◽

Laryngeal Vestibule ◽

Kinematic Measures ◽

The Relationship

Purpose The Mendelsohn Maneuver (MM) is a commonly prescribed technique that is taught to individuals with dysphagia to improve swallowing ability. Due to cost and safety concerns associated with videofluoroscopy (VFS) use, submental surface electromyography (ssEMG) is commonly used in place of VFS to train the MM in clinical and research settings. However, it is unknown whether ssEMG accurately reflects the prolonged hyo-laryngeal movements required for execution of the MM. The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship among ssEMG duration, duration of laryngeal vestibule closure, and duration of maximum hyoid elevation during MM performance. Method Participants included healthy adults and patients with dysphagia due to stroke. All performed the MM during synchronous ssEMG and VFS recording. Results Significant correlations between ssEMG duration and VFS measures of hyo-laryngeal kinematic durations during MM performance ranged from very weak to moderate. None of the correlations in the group of stroke patients reached statistical significance. Conclusion Clinicians and researchers should consider that the MM involves novel hyo-laryngeal kinematics that may be only moderately represented with ssEMG. Thus, there is a risk that these target therapeutic movements are not consistently being trained.

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