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Objectives: The aim of the study was to increase muscle volume and improve phonation characteristics of the aged ovine larynx by functional electrical stimulation (FES) using a minimally invasive surgical procedure.
Methods: Stimulation electrodes were placed bilaterally near the terminal adduction branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN). The electrodes were connected to battery powered pulse generators implanted subcutaneously at the neck region. Training patterns were programmed by an external programmer using a bidirectional radio frequency link. Training sessions were repeated automatically by the implant every other day for 1 week followed by every day for 8 weeks in the awake animal. Another group of animals were used as sham, with electrodes positioned but not connected to an implant. Outcome parameters included gene expression analysis, histological assessment of muscle fiber size, functional analysis, and volumetric measurements based on three-dimensional reconstructions of the entire thyroarytenoid muscle (TAM).
Results: Increase in minimal muscle fiber diameter and an improvement in vocal efficiency were observed following FES, compared with sham animals.
Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate beneficial effects in the TAM of FES at molecular, histological, and functional levels. FES of the terminal branches of the RLN reversed the effects of age-related changes and improved vocal efficiency.
Level Of Evidence: NA Laryngoscope, 134:848-854, 2024.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lary.30984 | DOI Listing |
Nanoscale
September 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
The challenge of photocatalytic hydrogen production has motivated a targeted search for MXenes as a promising class of materials for this transformation because of their high mobility and high light absorption. High-throughput screening has been widely used to discover new materials, but the relatively high cost limits the chemical space for searching MXenes. We developed a deep-learning-enabled high-throughput screening approach that identified 14 stable candidates with suitable band alignment for water splitting from 23 857 MXenes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Cybern
September 2025
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 61801, IL, USA.
In this article, a biophysically realistic model of a soft octopus arm with internal musculature is presented. The modeling is motivated by experimental observations of sensorimotor control where an arm localizes and reaches a target. Major contributions of this article are: (i) development of models to capture the mechanical properties of arm musculature, the electrical properties of the arm peripheral nervous system (PNS), and the coupling of PNS with muscular contractions; (ii) modeling the arm sensory system, including chemosensing and proprioception; and (iii) algorithms for sensorimotor control, which include a novel feedback neural motor control law for mimicking target-oriented arm reaching motions, and a novel consensus algorithm for solving sensing problems such as locating a food source from local chemical sensory information (exogenous) and arm deformation information (endogenous).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Brain Res
September 2025
Siena Brain Investigation and Neuromodulation Lab (Si-BIN Lab), Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology Section, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Postdiction is a perceptual phenomenon where the perception of an earlier stimulus is influenced by a later one. This effect is commonly studied using the 'rabbit illusion', in which temporally regular, but spatially irregular, stimuli are perceived as equidistant. While previous research has focused on short inter-stimulus intervals (100-200 ms), the role of longer intervals, which may engage late attentional processes, remains unexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDysphagia
September 2025
Department of Occupational Therapy, CNC Purun Hospital, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
This study examined the effects of vibratory stimulation on swallowing-related muscle strength in patients with dysphagia due to stroke, using three types of stimulators and a systematic exercise program. This study was conducted in two stages. In Experiment 1, we examined the effects of three types of vibratory stimulation on the pressure of the tongue and lips (N = 23).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Urol
September 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Purpose: To evaluate the impact of MRP inhibition by MK571 on prostate hypercontractility in diet-induced obesity, based on the hypothesis that this intervention enhances intracellular cAMP and cGMP signaling.
Methods: Adult C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: (i) lean, (ii) obese, and (iii) obese + MK571 (5 mg/kg/day, 14 days). The prostate was isolated for immunohistochemistry, biochemistry and functional assays.