Assessment of the relationship between masticatory performance, occlusal contact area, chewing time and cycles, and gastric emptying scintigraphy in dentate subjects.

BACKGROUND: Good mastication is thought to help digestion in the stomach, hence promoting the health of the gastrointestinal system. However, the correlation between masticatory and gastric function has been controversial. This is partly explained by different food types used to assess the performance of the two organs. Recently, frankfurter sausage has been proposed to be suitable for both masticatory performance and gastric emptying tests. OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between masticatory performance, occlusal contact area, chewing time and cycles, and gastric emptying scintigraphy parameters in healthy dentate adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty healthy subjects (15 men: 25 women, age 23.9 ± 3.8 years) underwent masticatory performance tests and gastric emptying scintigraphy using frankfurter sausage as a test food. Masticatory performance was calculated as the median particle size (MPS) of chewed frankfurter sausage cubes after 30 chewing cycles. Gastric emptying scintigraphy was performed using frankfurter sausage mixed with technetium-99 m-labelled microwaved egg meal. Cumulative occlusal areas of contact-near contact (cACNC) were determined by silicone bite registration and image-analysed. Chewing time and cycles before swallowing were also recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences in MPS, cACNC, chewing time and cycles, or gastric emptying parameters were observed between gender. Bivariate correlation showed masticatory performance, occlusal contact area, chewing time and cycles were not correlated with gastric emptying parameters (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using the same test food to assess the masticatory and gastric function in dentate subjects, the present study showed that masticatory performance, occlusal contacts, chewing time and cycles did not affect gastric emptying.

Normal Solid Gastric Emptying Values Measured by Scintigraphy Using Asian-style Meal:A Multicenter Study in Healthy Volunteers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To report gastric emptying scintigraphy, normal values should be established for a specific protocol. The aim of this study was to provide normal gastric emptying values and determine factors affecting gastric emptying using Asian rice-based meal in healthy volunteers. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-two healthy volunteers were included at 7 tertiary care centers across Thailand. Gastric emptying scintigraphy was acquired in 45 degree left anterior oblique view immediately after ingestion of a 267 kcal steamed-rice with technetium-99m labeled-microwaved egg meal with 100 mL water for up to 4 hours. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-nine volunteers (99 females, age 43 ± 14 years) completed the study. The medians (5-95th percentiles) of lag time, gastric emptying half time (GE T1/2) and percent gastric retentions at 2 and 4 hours for all volunteers were 18.6 (0.5-39.1) minutes, 68.7 (45.1-107.8) minutes, 16.3% (2.7-49.8%) and 1.1% (0.2-8.8%), respectively. Female volunteers had significantly slower gastric emptying compared to male (GE T1/2, 74 [48-115] minutes vs. 63 (41-96) minutes; P < 0.05). Female volunteers who were in luteal phase of menstrual cycle had significantly slower gastric emptying compared to those in follicular phase or menopausal status (GE T1/2, 85 [66-102] mintes vs. 69 [50-120] minutes or 72 [47-109] minutes, P < 0.05). All of smoking volunteers were male. Smoker male volunteers had significantly faster gastric emptying compared to non-smoker males (GE T1/2, 56 [44-80] minutes vs. 67 [44-100] minutes, P < 0.05). Age, body mass index and alcohol consumption habits did not affect gastric emptying values. CONCLUSIONS: A steamed-rice with microwaved egg meal was well tolerated by healthy volunteers. Gender, menstrual status and smoking status were found to affect solid gastric emptying.

Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy for children who have a traumatic fracture neck of femur and osteonecrosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Prognosis of traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head in children is poor for either conservative treatment or surgical intervention. Intravenous bisphosphonate is an expecting medication to reduce femoral head resorption and to prevent femoral head collapse after traumatic osteonecrosis. This mechanism will reduce development of osteoarthritis and disability in the future. OBJECTIVE: Report the result of the effectiveness of intravenous bisphosphonate in treatment of a child with traumatic fracture neck of femur and developed osteonecrosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A case report was done between May 2008 and June 2010. The patient developed traumatic osteonecrosis of the right femoral head after multiple screws fixation in treatment of femoral neck fracture. Intravenous bisphosphonate was given every other month for two years. RESULTS: A 13-year-old girl who had a motorcycle accident developed avascular necrosis after multiple screws fixation of femoral neck fracture. After an intravenous bisphosphonate was given every other month for two years, the last follow-up showed good prognosis.

Mortality-related factors in 1056 radioiodine-treated patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer in southern Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Reported risk factors for death related to well differentiated thyroid cancer vary, possibly depending on the methods and geographical site of data collection. METHOD: To evaluate variables related to death in well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) in a population of southern Thailand, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of all those treated with radioactive iodine (I-131) at the Division of Nuclear Medicine from 1983 to 2002. We found 1056 subjects. Variables examined included present status of subjects (transfer, lost, died), cause of death (related and not related to WDTC), duration of follow-up since surgery, largest size of tumor (when available), gender, histology (follicular or papillary, with mixed included in papillary), age of surgery, and site of spread when treated. Survival from WDTC death utilized Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 7 years, while only 4 years elapsed from surgery for those who died. We did not know the status of 16% of the subjects despite attempts to contact them. Survival was not affected by age, gender, or maximum size of tumor. Age at surgery was significant only for the group older than 55 years, with a 10-year survival of 76%. The spread of the disease that affected survival can be localized to the aerodigestive tract (10-year survival of 65%) and metastases associated with bone fracture (10-year survival 34%), while other metastases (including asymptomatic bone metastases) exhibited a 10-year survival of 93%. Neither lymph node spread nor elevated Tg at maximum stimulation predicted survival. CONCLUSIONS: To better predict survival of WDTC, site of spread and degree of spread has to be specific.