Visualizing the Knowledge Domain of Motor Speech Disorders:A Scientific Review(2000-2019)

This review visualizes the knowledge domain of motor speech disorders(MSDs) in linguistics between 2000 and 2019 by means of scientometric methods. With topic searches, the study collected 869 bibliographic records and 20, 411 references from Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC) of Thomson Reuter. The clustered and visualized document co-citation network of the MSDs knowledge domain in CiteSpace identifies 15 research foci in different periods, including apraxia of speech, acoustics, children, technology, aphemia, childhood apraxia of speech, primary progressive aphasia, speech motor delay, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, rhythm,foreign accent syndrome, phonation, phonological awareness, dose and speech perception.Revolving around linguistics, these foci could be divided into studies on speech characteristics of MSDs in terms of phonology and phonetics, remedies for MSDs in terms of neurolinguistics and acoustic phonetics, dysarthria secondary to neurological diseases based on pathological linguistics,subtypes of apraxia of speech, methods of MSDs based on auditory phonetics and a newly recognized subtype of MSDs. Meanwhile, the emerging trends of MSDs in linguistics are detected by the analysis of reference citation bursts, suggesting growing research in remedies for MSDs with the focus on assessments and effectiveness of treatments, speech characteristics and indexes of dysarthria secondary to neurological diseases and assistance to diagnose apraxia of speech. To sum up, the review has indicated that the acoustic measures to assess MSDs and acoustic remedies for dysarthria may not only be the past foci but also be future trends.

Human neuromuscular junction three-dimensional organoid models and the insight in motor disorders

The neuromuscular junction(NMJ),a peripheral synaptic connection between motoneurons and skeletal muscle fibers,controls movement.Dysregulation of NMJs has been implicated in various motor disorders.Because of their large size and easy accessibility,NMJs have been extensively investigated in the neuroscience field and have greatly contributed to our understanding of the fundamental principles of synapses in the central nervous system.Researchers have tried multiple ways to develop models to recreate NMJs.Rapid progress in the research and development of tissue-like organoids has made it possible to produce human NMJ three-dimensional(3D)models in vitro,providing an additional powerful strategy to study NMJs.Here,we introduce the most recent advances of human embryonic stem cell-or induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids to model 3D NMJs.

Prevalence and Characterization of the Cerebral Palsy in Maceio,a Northeast City of Brazil

Background: Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders arising from a static damage or brain development defects occurring during fetal life and in the first months of life. Methods: The sample consisted of 800 individuals living in 50 districts of the city of Maceio. A standardized questionnaire was applied. Results: The prevalence of cerebral palsy in the sample was 5/1000. All were born at term, 75% were male, 50% had severe cerebral palsy and 50% was moderate. 75% had quadriplegia and 25% had diplegia. Fifty percent of the cerebral palsy was caused by meningitis and 50% for prolonged labor. Conclusions: The prevalence of cerebral palsy in Maceió is 140.38% higher than the highest prevalence found in developed countries, predominantly in low-income and related to postnatal infection in families.

Quercetin prevents spinal motor neuron degeneration induced by chronic excitotoxic stimulus by a sirtuin 1-dependent mechanism

Background:Excitotoxicity is a mechanism of foremost importance in the selective motor neuron degeneration characteristic of motor neuron disorders.Effective therapeutic strategies are an unmet need for these disorders.Polyphenols,such as quercetin and resveratrol,are plant-derived compounds that activate sirtuins(SIRTs)and have shown promising results in some models of neuronal death,although their effects have been scarcely tested in models of motor neuron degeneration.Methods:In this work we investigated the effects of quercetin and resveratrol in an in vivo model of excitotoxic motor neuron death induced by the chronic infusion ofα-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid(AMPA)into the rat spinal cord tissue.Quercetin and resveratrol were co-infused with AMPA and motor behavior and muscle strength were assessed daily for up to ten days.Then,animals were fixed and lumbar spinal cord tissue was analyzed by histological and immunocytological procedures.Results:We found that the chronic infusion of AMPA[1 mM]caused a progressive motor neuron degeneration,accompanied by astrogliosis and microgliosis,and motor deficits and paralysis of the rear limbs.Quercetin infusion ameliorated AMPA-induced paralysis,rescued motor neurons,and prevented both astrogliosis and microgliosis,and these protective effects were prevented by EX527,a very selective SIRT1 inhibitor.In contrast,neither resveratrol nor EX527 alone improved motor behavior deficits or reduced motor neuron degeneration,albeit both reduced gliosis.Conclusions:These results suggest that quercetin exerts its beneficial effects through a SIRT1-mediated mechanism,and thus SIRT1 plays an important role in excitotoxic neurodegeneration and therefore its pharmacological modulation might provide opportunities for therapy in motor neuron disorders.

Effect of electro-scalp acupuncture on acute ischemic stroke: a randomized, single blind, trial

OBJECTIVE： To determine the clinical efficacy and safety of electro-scalp acupuncture in the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS： Totally 74 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled and divided into either body acupuncture （Control） or electro-scalp acupuncture （ESA） groups according to randomized controlled principle. The patients in the control group were given body acupuncture treatment once daily for 28 d, whereas except for the body acupuncture, electro-scalp acupuncture was additional treatment given to the ESA group. Neurological deficits, everyday motor function and muscle strength were evaluated at baseline and the 28th d by NIH Stroke Scale （NIHSS）, FugI-Meyer Assessment （FMA） and Modified Barthel Index Score （MBI）, respectively. RESULTS： There were not obvious between-group differences in the baseline efficacy parameters （NI- HSS, FMA and MBI） （all P 〉 0.05）, whereas signifi- cant between-group differences were found in post-treatment NIHSS, FMA-UE and MBI scores （all P 〈 0.05）. After acupuncture treatment, systematic within-group improvements were found in the two groups for any of the efficacy parameters assessed （all P 〈 0.01）, and the ESA group showed higher significant improvements in NIHSS, FMA-UE and MBI scores （all P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Electro-scalp acupuncture was efficacious in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, which resulted in meaningful improvements in neurologic function, motor function and activities of daily living of patients.

Therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture plus Tuina for spastic cerebral palsy and discussion of its mechanism

Objective To discuss the effects of acupuncture plus Tuina(Chinese therapeutic massage)in intervening the mental development,motor function,cerebral hemodynamics,and muscle tone in kids with spastic cerebral palsy(CP).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 87 kids with spastic CP.They were divided into a control group and an observation group based on their original treatment plan.Kids in the control group received symptomatic treatment,motor development therapy,and Tuina treatment.The observation group was additionally given acupuncture treatment.One month was taken as a treatment course.After six courses,the efficacy,change in muscle tone,mental development,gross motor function,fine motor function,and the systolic velocity(Vs),mean velocity(Vm),and pulsatility index(PI)of the anterior cerebral artery(ACA),middle cerebral artery(MCA),and posterior cerebral artery(PCA)were compared between the two groups.Results After treatment,the muscle tone score dropped in both groups(P<0.05)and was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).The observation group achieved more significant efficacy than the control group(P<0.05).After the intervention,the mental development index(MDI),psychomotor development index(PDI),gross motor function measure(GMFM)score,and fine motor function measure(FMFM)score all increased in both groups(P<0.05)and were notably higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the Vs and Vm of the ACA,MCA,and PCA were markedly higher in the observation group than in the control group(P<0.05),and the observation group was significantly lower than the control group comparing the PI of the ACA,MCA,and PCA(P<0.05).Conclusion Based on the symptomatic treatment and motor development therapy,Tuina and acupuncture treatment can effectively treat spastic CP children,manifesting as reducing muscle tone,boosting mental development,and improving motor function and cerebral hemodynamics.

Fifty Cases of Parkinson's Disease Treated by Acupuncture Combined with Madopar

Objective: To search for an effective therapy for treating motor disorder due to Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Fifty cases in a treatment group were treated by acupuncture combined with madopar, and 30 cases in a control group treated by madopar only. Results: A total effective rate of 92% was achieved with obvious alleviation of motor disorder in the treatment group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can enhance therapeutic effects of western medicine and lessen the dose of the medicine needed.