Hee-Soon Woo

Intramuscular innervation patterns of the brachialis muscle.

The aim of this study was to provide accurate anatomical descriptions of the patterns of innervation of the brachialis muscle by the musculocutaneous, radial, and median nerves. Sihlers staining method was applied to 20 brachialis muscles from 10 cadavers to reveal the intramuscular distribution patterns of the musculocutaneous, radial, and median nerves. Three patterns of innervation of the brachialis muscle by the three studied nerves were found: single, double, and triple. These innervation patterns were categorized into four types: Type I—only the musculocutaneous nerve; Type II—double innervation by the musculocutaneous and radial nerves; Type III—double innervation by the musculocutaneous and median nerves; and Type IV—triple innervation by all three nerves. Single, double, and triple innervation patterns occurred 25%, 70% (Type II, 55%; Type III, 15%), and 5% of the samples, respectively. The brachialis muscle is not solely innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve but also by the radial and median nerves, thus making it a potentially triply innervated muscle. Double innervation of this muscle with either the musculocutaneous and median nerve or the musculocutaneous and radial nerves was also observed. Clin. Anat. 28:123–127, 2015.

Neuroanastomosis and the innervation territory of the mental nerve

The aim of this study was to clarify the distribution pattern and innervation territory of the mental nerve (MN) in the skin and mucosa by topographic examination by Sihlers staining, thereby providing reference anatomical information for surgical procedures and to enable prediction of regions of sensory disturbance following nerve damage. Ten human specimens were subjected to Sihlers staining, which is a highly accurate method for visualizing the distribution of nerve fibers without altering their topography. Each branch of the MN overlapped adjacent branches (five cases), or else they were distributed individually at the lower lip (five cases). The MN anastomosed with some branches of the facial nerve near the mental foramen. Moreover, some branches of the MN anastomosed with the buccal nerve of the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the skin and mucosa over the lateral region of the lower lip (six cases). The details of the distribution pattern and innervations territory of the MN presented herein may enable the prediction of a region of sensory disturbance following MN damage. Moreover, knowledge of the pattern of synapses with adjacent branches of other nerves, such as the facial (marginal mandibular and cervical branches) and the buccal nerves, might help to improve our understanding around incomplete anesthesia during the surgical procedures in oral & maxillofacial region. Clin. Anat. 598–602, 2014.

Comparison of muscle activity between two adult groups according to the number of Shaker exercise

The purpose of this study was to investigate the muscle activity of the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles according to the number of Shaker exercise. The 19 experimental subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to the two experimental groups. The 1st experimental group performed Shaker exercise once a day, and 2nd experimental group performed Shaker exercise three times a day for 6 weeks. Shaker exercise consists of isometric and isotonic contraction movement, enhancing the strength of suprahyoid muscle and increasing the opening of UES. After performing Shaker exercise for 6 weeks, the muscle activity of experimental groups was measured and analysed by surface electromyography. As a result, muscle activity of the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles showed significant improvement in both groups (P < 0·05). Comparing muscle activity of both groups, there was no significant difference. This means the Shaker exercise shows similar exercise effects on suprahyoid muscle which is the primary target muscle irrespective of the number of Shaker exercise. The activity of the infrahyoid muscle, which takes a supportive role, also showed significant difference between the two groups. In the results of a follow-up test after 4 weeks, muscle activity was higher than the initial status and the value of the EMG activity was statistically significant (P < 0·05). These results by EMG study may suggest that Shaker exercise performed once a day, like performing three times a day, has enough exercise effect and there is similar effect on the suprahyoid muscle between the 2 groups. In addition, the exercise effect lasts for 4 weeks after completing exercise.

Influence of Fall-preventive Occupational Therapy Applied to Elderly in the Community upon Balance Ability

This study is to look into the effectiveness of fall-preventive occupational therapy of elderly by clarifying the influence of occupational therapy applied to female elderly in the community upon balance ability. A 6-week occupational therapy program including both training and exercise for prevention of fall down was applied by dividing into 13 persons of experimental group and 13 persons of control group for female elderly aged more than 65 years who were capable of independence gait and have not taken any drug to adversely affect balance. For balance ability assessment, the Berg balance scale and the Tetrax fall index were used. The Berg balance scale in experimental group was shown to be 48.38 to 50.69 through the 6-week program, indicating changes in significance level(p

Exercise using tongue-holding swallow does not improve swallowing function in normal subjects.

We evaluated the effects of repetitive tongue-holding swallow (THS) as an exercise for improving swallowing function. Twenty healthy subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group [THS group (THSG)] performed the tongue-holding manoeuvre every 5s for 20min. The other group (normal swallow group) swallowed without tongue-holding for the same length of time as a control. Twenty sessions of training were performed for 4weeks. All participants also had a videofluoroscopic swallowing study for analysing the biomechanical parameters of swallowing (hyolaryngeal movement, posterior pharyngeal wall movement and the pharyngeal constriction ratio). After 4weeks of training, none of the biomechanical parameters changed in either group. Exercise using THS did not affect swallowing function in normal subjects.

The effects of cranio-cervical flexion on activation of swallowing-related muscles.

We tested the effects of cranio-cervical flexion (CCF) on activation of swallowing-related muscles while swallowing liquid in a sample of 45 healthy volunteers. Activation following CCF movement was examined across two positions (supine and sitting) and, three pressure levels and two different postures were examined in each condition, respectively. When CCF was applied, activation of swallowing-related muscles was significantly increased compared to the neutral neck position, and such findings were found across both the supine and sitting positions. Also in the supine position, when the pressure level of the stabilizer was escalated, there was a significant difference in the activity of the swallowing-related muscles compared to the baseline level. In conclusion, our results suggest that CCF may be a viable method to enhance the effectiveness of swallowing-related muscles by changing neck position. When CCF is applied, the stability of the deep flexor muscles must be secured first after which superficially located muscles may better assist swallowing with less effort.

The effect of group sociality play in sociality of autistic adolescent

Group play for sociality is a therapeutic method involving a mixture of various factors, such as targeted activities, perceptions, and physical mobility required in daily life, through group activities to encourage self-expression for the purpose of facilitating sociality. This study was conducted in order to verify its effects by applying it to autistic adolescents who lack communicative ability with others and ultimately to improve their interpersonal relationships and sociality. This study applied a single preand post-test experiment design to 8 autistic adolescents with lack of sociality who use a daycare center in Daejeon. The group play for sociality program consisted of two sessions a week for 7 weeks from October to December 2013 for a total of 14 sessions. The sociality of the adolescents before and after the intervention was analyzed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. As a result of the study, the total grades of the E-CLAC and social maturity test showed significant changes from 39.88±6.78 to 47.00±4.28 and 49.96±28.00 to 61.36±21.75, respectively. In detail, there were significant changes in the sub-items, such as adjustment in group, following guidance, and increasing behavioral frequency. In conclusion, it was shown that the combined effect of the group activities, including group play for sociality and play activities taking into consideration the developmental stage of the participants, led to a significant improvement in the sociality of the autistic adolescents.