Swallowing function after radical esophagectomy was improved by perioperative SR; however, further investigations are needed to assess the clinical significance of SR in reducing surgical complications.

It is still unclear whether deep brain stimulation targeted to the bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) affects cognitive function in Parkinson's disease (PD). This prospective study was aimed to systemically evaluate the impact of bilateral STN-DBS on motor and cognitive functions in patients with PD. This study included totally 11 Japanese patients with medically intolerant PD. Neurological and cognitive status was precisely evaluated before and 1 year after bilateral STN-DBS, using unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), levodopa equivalent doses, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Japanese adult reading test (JART), repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS), and Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised (WAIS-R). Preoperative RBANS and WAIS-R identified cognitive dysfunction that could not be detected by MMSE and JART. Before surgery, PD patients had significantly impaired immediate memory and attention. Motor function significantly improved 1 year after bilateral STN-DBS. Bilateral STN-DBS did not affect any score on cognitive examinations. However, postoperative improvements of total score on RBANS and performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) scores on WAIS-R were closely related to those of UPDRS part III off (R 2 = 0.61, P < 0.01; R 2 = 0.39, P < 0.05, respectively). These findings strongly suggest that bilateral STN-DBS may significantly improve cognitive function in a certain subgroup of patients whose therapeutic effects on motor function are prominent.

Although motor training programs have been applied to childhood apraxia of speech (AOS), the neural mechanisms of articulation learning are not well understood. To this aim, we recorded cerebral hemodynamic activity in the left hemisphere of healthy subjects (n = 15) during articulation learning. We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) while articulated voices were recorded and analyzed using spectrograms. The study consisted of two experimental sessions (modified and control sessions) in which participants were asked to repeat the articulation of the syllables “i-chi-ni” with and without an occlusal splint. This splint was used to increase the vertical dimension of occlusion to mimic conditions of articulation disorder. There were more articulation errors in the modified session, but number of errors were decreased in the final half of the modified session; this suggests that articulation learning took place. The hemodynamic NIRS data revealed significant activation during articulation in the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices. These areas are involved in phonological processing and articulation planning and execution, and included the following areas: (i) the ventral sensory-motor cortex (vSMC), including the Rolandic operculum, precentral gyrus, and postcentral gyrus, (ii) the dorsal sensory-motor cortex, including the precentral and postcentral gyri, (iii) the opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFGoperc), (iv) the temporal cortex, including the superior temporal gyrus, and (v) the inferior parietal lobe (IPL), including the supramarginal and angular gyri. The posterior Sylvian fissure at the parietal–temporal boundary (area Spt) was selectively activated in the modified session. Furthermore, hemodynamic activity in the IFGoperc and vSMC was increased in the final half of the modified session compared with its initial half, and negatively correlated with articulation errors during articulation learning in the modified session. The present results suggest an essential role of the frontal regions, including the IFGoperc and vSMC, in articulation learning, with sensory feedback through area Spt and the IPL. The present study provides clues to the underlying pathology and treatment of childhood apraxia of speech.

Cleft lip and cleft alveolus are caused by incomplete fusion of the frontonasal and maxillary prominences. However, milder forms of cleft lip are rarely accompanied by cleft alveolus. Here, we report a rare case of mini-microform cleft lip with complete cleft alveolus and cleft palate. No findings suggestive of cleft lip were evident on initial examination. However, three-dimensional facial measurements confirmed the presence of cleft lip despite no evidence of orbicularis oris muscle (OOM) rupture on ultrasonography. Collapsed nostril, as observed in this case, is usually associated with OOM rupture. However, it can also be caused by skeletal abnormalities, such as cleft alveolus. Three-dimensional facial measurements and ultrasonography can assist in accurate diagnosis when visual examination is ambiguous.

Retraction: [Kumiko Fujiwara, Satoru Saitou, Naomi Nakamichi, Kei Tomihara, Hideyuki Hasegawa and Makoto Noguchi, A preliminary study on the quantification of soft palate movement using ultrasonography, Congenital Anomalies, in Early View: https://doi.org/10.1111/cga.12446]. The above article, published online on 7 October 2021 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Toshihisa Hatta, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed as it has been reported by a partner in the collaboration that this research had not been reviewed/approved by their research ethics committee.