"A Day in the Life of the Fluid Bolus": An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics of the Oropharyngeal Phase of Swallowing with Particular Focus on Dysphagia.

By following the path of a liquid bolus, from the oral preparatory phase to the esophagus, we show that a few fundamental concepts of fluid mechanics can be used to better understand and assess the importance of bolus viscosity during human swallowing, especially when considering dysfunctional swallowing (dysphagia) and how it can be mitigated. In particular, we highlight the important distinction between different flow regimes (i.e. viscosity controlled versus. inertia controlled flow). We also illustrate the difference between understanding bolus movements controlled by a constant force (or pressure) and those controlled by a constant displacement (or velocity). We limit our discussion to simple, Newtonian liquids where the viscosity does not depend on the speed of flow. Consideration of non-Newtonian effects (such as shear thinning or viscoelasticity), which we believe play an important part in human swallowing, requires a sound grasp of the fundamentals discussed here and warrants further consideration in its own right.

Fluid mechanics of eating, swallowing and digestion - overview and perspectives.

From a very simplistic viewpoint, the human digestive system can be regarded as a long tube (with dramatic variations in diameter, cross-section, wall properties, pumping mechanisms, regulating valves and in-line sensors). We single out a few fluid mechanical phenomena along the trajectory of a food bolus from the mouth to the small intestine and discuss how they influence sensorial perception, safe transport, and nutrient absorption from a bolus. The focus is on lubrication flows between the tongue and palate, the oropharyngeal stage of swallowing and effects of flow on absorption in the small intestine. Specific challenges and opportunities in this research area are highlighted.

Avalanches of coalescence events and local extensional flows--stabilisation or destabilisation due to surfactant.

From two-drop collision experiments, it is known that local extensional flow favors coalescence. Recently, Bremond et al. used microfluidic methods to evidence this point. Similarly, we used specific microfluidic geometries to impose sudden extensional flow, following drop collision under controlled conditions, and coalescence events were recorded with a high-speed camera. In this study we focus on the effect of surfactant on the coalescence, or stabilisation against it, between drops flowing apart due to either imposed external flow or capillary forces related to drop shape relaxation. Coalescence can be induced even when drops are initially separated by an intersticial lubricating film by far thicker than the critical thickness for rupturing under the action of Van der Waals forces. This is particularly relevant to avalanches of coalescence events, in flowing or even quiescent emulsions or foams. When non-ionic surfactant was used, it was observed that small concentrations apparently enhance coalescence in extension. But at higher concentrations it provides stabilisation through a specific mechanism of thread formation and rupture; the stabilisation mechanism can be complex.

Dynamic oscillatory behavior of a linear viscoelastic fluid bounded by an ideal linear viscoelastic membrane in torsional flow.

In rotational oscillatory rheological measurement techniques involving the plate-plate and cone-plate geometries, the interface between the measured liquid and the ambient atmosphere is sheared to the same extent as the liquid sample. In this paper, we look at the influence of a rheologically distinct lateral surface on the measured properties of the liquid and surface system when the surface is dynamically coupled to the bulk fluid. Inertia is taken into account, thus allowing for nonquasi-static velocity profiles in the massless surface film itself.