Functional Foods : Did you know that certain foods or food components may provide health and wellness benefits? These foods, also known as “functional foods,” are thought to provide benefits beyond basic nutrition and may play a role in reducing or minimizing the risk of certain diseases and other health conditions. Examples of these foods include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fortified foods and beverages and some dietary supplements. Functional characteristics of many traditional foods are being discovered and studied, while new food products are being developed to include beneficial components. By knowing which foods can provide specific health benefits,you can make food and beverage choices that allow you to take greater control of your health. http://www.foodinsight.org/Content/3842/Final%20Functional%20Foods%20Backgrounder.pdf

https://plus.google.com/109691449614437014953/posts/H5g5mRaKegs

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Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182

6948891480

alsfakia@gmail.com

Lidcombe Program Webcam Treatment for Early Stuttering: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

Webcam treatment is potentially useful for health care in cases of early stuttering in which clients are isolated from specialized treatment services for geographic and other reasons. The purpose of the present trial was to compare outcomes of clinic and webcam deliveries of the Lidcombe Program treatment (Packman et al., 2015) for early stuttering.

Method

The design was a parallel, open plan, noninferiority randomized controlled trial of the standard Lidcombe Program treatment and the experimental webcam Lidcombe Program treatment. Participants were 49 children aged 3 years 0 months to 5 years 11 months at the start of treatment. Primary outcomes were the percentage of syllables stuttered at 9 months postrandomization and the number of consultations to complete Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program.

Results

There was insufficient evidence of a posttreatment difference of the percentage of syllables stuttered between the standard and webcam Lidcombe Program treatments. There was insufficient evidence of a difference between the groups for typical stuttering severity measured by parents or the reported clinical relationship with the treating speech-language pathologist.

Conclusions

This trial confirmed the viability of the webcam Lidcombe Program intervention. It appears to be as efficacious and economically viable as the standard, clinic Lidcombe Program treatment.

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The Relationship Between Speech Production and Speech Perception Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

Purpose

This study investigated the possible relationship between hypokinetic speech production and speech intensity perception in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Method

Participants included 14 patients with idiopathic PD and 14 matched healthy controls (HCs) with normal hearing and cognition. First, speech production was objectified through a standardized speech intelligibility assessment, acoustic analysis, and speech intensity measurements. Second, an overall estimation task and an intensity estimation task were addressed to evaluate overall speech perception and speech intensity perception, respectively. Finally, correlation analysis was performed between the speech characteristics of the overall estimation task and the corresponding acoustic analysis. The interaction between speech production and speech intensity perception was investigated by an intensity imitation task.

Results

Acoustic analysis and speech intensity measurements demonstrated significant differences in speech production between patients with PD and the HCs. A different pattern in the auditory perception of speech and speech intensity was found in the PD group.

Conclusions

Auditory perceptual deficits may influence speech production in patients with PD. The present results suggest a disturbed auditory perception related to an automatic monitoring deficit in PD.

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Objective Measure of Nasal Air Emission Using Nasal Accelerometry

Purpose

This article describes the development and initial validation of an objective measure of nasal air emission (NAE) using nasal accelerometry.

Method

Nasal acceleration and nasal airflow signals were simultaneously recorded while an expert speech language pathologist modeled NAEs at a variety of severity levels. In addition, microphone and nasal accelerometer signals were collected during the production of /pɑpɑpɑpɑ/ speech utterances by 25 children with and without cleft palate. Fourteen inexperienced raters listened to the microphone signals from the pediatric speakers and rated the samples for the severity of NAE using direct magnitude estimation. Mean listener ratings were compared to a novel quantitative measurement of NAE derived from the nasal acceleration signals.

Results

Correlation between the nasal acceleration energy measure and the measured nasal airflow was high (r = .87). Correlation between the measure and auditory-perceptual ratings was moderate (r = .49).

Conclusion

The measure presented here is quantitative and noninvasive, and the required hardware is inexpensive ($150). Future studies will include speakers with a wider range of NAE severity and etiology, including cleft palate, hearing impairment, or dysarthria. Further development will also involve validation of the measure against airflow measures across subjects.

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A Brief Version of the Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering Scales: The UTBAS-6

Purpose

A significant proportion of adults who stutter experience anxiety in social and speaking situations. The Unhelpful Thoughts and Beliefs About Stuttering (UTBAS) scales provide a comprehensive measure of the unhelpful cognitions associated with social anxiety in stuttering. However, reducing the number of UTBAS items would make it ideal as a brief screening instrument. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop a brief version of the full UTBAS scales.

Method

The 66-item UTBAS scales were completed by 337 adults who stutter. Item reduction was used to determine a smaller set of items that could adequately reproduce the total score for each full UTBAS scale.

Results

Item reduction resulted in the inclusion of six items for the brief UTBAS-6 scales. Decile ranges for scores on the brief UTBAS-6 provide reliable estimates of the full UTBAS scores and valuable clinical information about whether a psychological assessment is warranted.

Conclusions

The brief UTBAS-6 provides a reliable and efficient means of screening the unhelpful thoughts and beliefs associated with speech-related anxiety among adults who stutter. Referral for a psychological assessment is recommended in cases where the UTBAS total score falls in or above the fifth decile.

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Clinical Characteristics of Voice, Speech, and Swallowing Disorders in Oromandibular Dystonia

Purpose

To better define the clinical characteristics of idiopathic oromandibular dystonia, we studied voice, speech, and swallowing disorders and their impact on activities of daily living.

Method

Fourteen consecutive patients with idiopathic oromandibular dystonia and 14 matched, healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Results

Dysarthria was the most common disorder and its characteristics varied from one patient to another. However, we frequently observed a hyperkinetic, dysarthric profile characterized by imprecise consonants, a rough voice, changes in intensity, and hypernasality. Dysphagia appeared to be slightly less frequent and less disabling than dysarthria. Most patients had difficulty swallowing solids, and the oral phase was particularly problematic. Dysarthria and dysphagia affected activities of daily living in general and the psychological/emotional domain in particular.

Conclusions

The characteristics of dysarthria in oromandibular dystonia vary significantly from one patient to another due to differences in the set of affected muscles, so each patient should receive a personalized rehabilitation program. Dysarthria was the most prominent symptom, although spasmodic dysphonia was more frequent than expected. Further laboratory-based studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms and consequences of dysphagia in oromandibular dystonia.

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Lidcombe Program Webcam Treatment for Early Stuttering: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

Webcam treatment is potentially useful for health care in cases of early stuttering in which clients are isolated from specialized treatment services for geographic and other reasons. The purpose of the present trial was to compare outcomes of clinic and webcam deliveries of the Lidcombe Program treatment (Packman et al., 2015) for early stuttering.

Method

The design was a parallel, open plan, noninferiority randomized controlled trial of the standard Lidcombe Program treatment and the experimental webcam Lidcombe Program treatment. Participants were 49 children aged 3 years 0 months to 5 years 11 months at the start of treatment. Primary outcomes were the percentage of syllables stuttered at 9 months postrandomization and the number of consultations to complete Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program.

Results

There was insufficient evidence of a posttreatment difference of the percentage of syllables stuttered between the standard and webcam Lidcombe Program treatments. There was insufficient evidence of a difference between the groups for typical stuttering severity measured by parents or the reported clinical relationship with the treating speech-language pathologist.

Conclusions

This trial confirmed the viability of the webcam Lidcombe Program intervention. It appears to be as efficacious and economically viable as the standard, clinic Lidcombe Program treatment.

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