UNLABELLED Total laryngectomy is a surgical procedure that can change swallowing biomechanics, including muscle activity of the masseter; this muscle stabilizes the mandible. AIM To characterize the electrical activity of the masseter muscle during swallowing after total laryngectomy. Series study. MATERIAL AND METHODS An electromyographic evaluation of swallowing was carried out; three dif...

The purpose of this study is to obtain normative values of the masseter muscle of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and healthy volunteers by single-fiber electromyography (SFEMG). Stimulation of SFEMG in the masseter muscle was studied in 15 healthy volunteers (men 8, women 7; mean age 40.2, range 21-77) and 30 patients affected by MG (men 16, women 14; mean age 42.8, range 12-75). The mean cons...

We aimed to define a standardised protocol for the electromyographic evaluation of trapezius muscle in dentistry and to assess its within- and between-session repeatability. Surface electromyography of trapezius, masseter and temporal muscles was performed in 40 healthy subjects aged 20-35 years during shoulder elevation, and maximum teeth clenching with and without cotton rolls. Two repetition...

INTRODUCTION α-Actinins are myofibril anchor proteins that influence the contractile properties of skeletal muscles. ACTN2 is expressed in slow type I and fast type II fibers, whereas ACTN3 is expressed only in fast fibers. ACTN3 homozygosity for the 577X stop codon (ie, changing 577RR to 577XX, the R577X polymorphism) results in the absence of α-actinin-3 in about 18% of Europeans, diminishes ...

AIM To prospectively evaluate the functional capacity of the masticatory musculature as a predictive variable in determining functional appliance treatment outcomes in Class II/1 malocclusion children. METHODS Twenty Class II/1 malocclusion children (11.4 ± 1.7 years) were treated with functional appliances during 1 year. Masseter muscle thickness and maximal molar bite force measurements, la...