Swallowing News and Research

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Study investigates difficulty swallowing in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Researchers from Clinica Luganese Moncucco and Bellinzona Regional Hospital in Switzerland investigated the prevalence of swelling disorders in severely ill COVID-19 patients and reported their results in a paper posted to the medRxiv* preprint server.

25 Jun 2021

Researchers describe a new science-based intervention for hiccups

Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and colleagues worldwide describe a new science-based intervention for hiccups in a research letter published June 18 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

21 Jun 2021

Leducq Foundation provides $7 million to support Cardiac Splicing as a Therapeutic Target project

Diverse messenger RNAs are produced in cells by “alternative splicing.” The Leducq Foundation is now supporting a transatlantic network dedicated to investigating this process in heart muscle cells and how changes in this process contribute to disease. Professor Michael Gotthardt of the MDC and Professor Leslie Leinwand of the University of Colorado Boulder are coordinating the project.

14 Jun 2021

Soft diets may alter the brain's control of chewing, study finds

Incoming sensory information can affect the brain's structure, which may in turn affect the body's motor output. However, the specifics of this process are not always well understood.

9 Jun 2021

Chemical engineers devise a simpler process to incorporate hydrophobic drugs into tablets

About 60 percent of drugs on the market have hydrophobic molecules as their active ingredients. These drugs, which are not soluble in water, can be difficult to formulate into tablets because they need to be broken down into very small crystals in order to be absorbed by the human body.

8 Jun 2021

NIH supports a new strategy to reduce side effects of head and neck cancer treatment

A new strategy to reduce the side effects suffered by patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancers now has the support of the National Institutes of Health.

2 Jun 2021

Drinking straws made of silicone, stainless steel, or glass are appropriate alternative to plastic straws

Drinking straws are single use plastic products which will be subjected to a Europe-wide sales ban from 2021 onwards. This is stated in EU Directive 2019/904 from 5 June 2019.

2 Jun 2021

Diabetes remission diet can provide blood pressure control, reduce the need for anti-hypertensive drugs

New research has shown that if people achieve and maintain substantial weight loss to manage their type 2 diabetes, many can also effectively control their high blood pressure and stop or cut down on their anti-hypertensive medication.

31 May 2021

Researchers develop a novel probiotic formulation with high anti-SARS-CoV-2 potency

A team of international scientists recently conducted a randomized clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy profiles of a novel probiotic formulation in symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The findings indicate that the probiotic formulation is highly effective in reducing symptom severity in COVID-19 patients without causing any adverse events.

25 May 2021

New data suggests fivefold increase in young children swallowing magnets over past 5 years in UK

There’s been a fivefold rise in the number of young children requiring treatment after having swallowed a magnet over the past 5 years in the UK, suggests data from specialist doctors in a letter published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

17 May 2021

Contralateral esophagus sparing technique can prevent complication in lung cancer patients

For many patients with localized lung cancer (non-small-cell lung carcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma), high-dose radiation with concurrent chemotherapy is a potential cure. Yet this treatment can cause severe, acute inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis) in about one in five patients, requiring hospitalization and placement of a feeding tube.

23 Apr 2021

“Expansion Hunter” method can detect DNA errors that lead to repeat expansion diseases

Detecting hidden genetic defects by applying an existing method to an existing datasets. Researchers at Radboud university medical center have succeeded.

16 Apr 2021

Machine learning could assist in the proper management of tongue cancer

Imagine a technology that can predict the outcome of cancer patients - if cancer would reoccur after treatment, what kind of treatment plan would benefit the patient and the overall survival chance of the patients? Machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize cancer management.

12 Apr 2021

Manual workers are twice as likely to develop ALS, study finds

ALS is a progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerves that interact with the body's muscles. The disease typically leads to complete paralysis of the body, robbing patients of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe.

7 Apr 2021

Fat grafting shows potential to help cancer patients with radiation-induced skin injury

As cancer survival rates improve, more people are living with the aftereffects of cancer treatment. For some patients, these issues include chronic radiation-induced skin injury - which can lead to potentially severe cosmetic and functional problems.

30 Mar 2021

Tissue-engineered implants may help patients suffering from vocal injuries caused by larynx surgery

New technology from Purdue University and Indiana University School of Medicine innovators may one day help patients who suffer devastating vocal injuries from surgery on the larynx.

24 Feb 2021

Periodontitis treatment that changes oral bacteria also reduces severity of diabetes

We know that what happens in the mouth doesn't stay in the mouth - but the oral cavity's connection to the rest of the body goes way beyond chewing, swallowing and digestion.

9 Feb 2021

Novel 3D-printed esophageal stents could revolutionize the delivery of cancer treatment

World-first 3D printed esophageal stents developed by the University of South Australia could revolutionize the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to provide more accurate, effective and personalized treatment for patients with esophageal cancer.

3 Feb 2021

People with problems in the upper GI tract may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection

No evidence so far indicates that food or drinks can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19, but new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that people with problems in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract may be vulnerable to infection after swallowing the virus.

20 Jan 2021

When covid deaths aren’t counted, families pay the price

On Sundays, Bishop Bruce Davis preached love. Through his Pentecostal ministry, he organized youth parades and gave computers, bicycles and food to families in need.

15 Jan 2021