Introduction：In patients with velopharyngeal incompetence（VPI）, blowing training is frequently applied. Because the blowing method, in which patients blow through a straw whose other end is in water in a cup, can improve oral lip closure function, it is widely used to improve the oral function of aged patients. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the influence of such conditions for soft-blowing on the level of muscle activity of the orbicularis oris and submental muscles, and evaluated the load during soft-blowing.

　Materials & Methods：The subjects were 10 healthy adults（mean age 27.6 years）without objective or subjective abnormalities of the stomatognathic system. The posture during measurement was sitting at 90 degrees, the subjects held a container in which a straw was inserted into the test specimen, and blew through the straw to cause bubbling of the specimen for as long as possible. The width was set at 6, 10, and 15 mm, and evaluation was performed using three types of straw, combining these conditions. Furthermore, the viscosity of the test specimens was set at 0, 2, 4, and 6% by dissolving a thickener（Tsururinko Quickly, Clinico Co., Tokyo）in 100 ml of water. Muscle activity was recorded in the area of the orbicularis oris and submental muscles. Under these conditions, the level of activity of each muscle was evaluated.

　Results：A positive correlation between the level of activity of the orbicularis oris and submental muscles and the viscosity of the test specimens was observed.

　Conclusion：These results suggest that it is effective to adjust the load based on the viscosity of water during blowing training.

　Candida glabrata as an oral candidiasis pathogen is a growing concern with increasing prevalence rates and its reduced susceptibility to azoles. We assessed the prevalence rates of Candida species among oral candidiasis in gerodontology outpatients of Hokkaido University Hospital.

　We examined oral mycological flora of 156 patients, from August 2013 to December 2015, in whom culture tests from tongue dorsa were positive. Candida glabrata isolated concomitantly with Candida albicans were designated as a mixed group, and Candida albicans alone as a single group. Background variables and susceptibility to antifungal agents were compared between the two groups by statistical analysis.

　The single group was isolated from 84（54%）and the mixed group from 36（23%）of patients. There were many other species of Candida without C. albicans, unlike in previous reports. A number of C. glabrata were not isolated as a single species but found in combination with C. albicans. Regarding background variables and susceptibility to antifungal agents, the mixed group was significantly more prevalent in patients with dentures and showed higher resistance to antifungal drugs than the single group.

　Our results indicate that C. albicans and C. glabrata concomitant infection of oral candidiasis is strongly associated with the wearing of dentures and higher resistance to antifungal drugs.

　Population aging is a major problem in recent Japanese society and there is an increasing need for home care for the elderly. The increasing burden on caregivers to take care of the elderly with diminished physical abilities could be a major negative factor for caregivers to continue giving daily care. In the current retrospective study, we examined the factors that increased the caregiversʼ burden at homes and investigated strategies to cope with the burden. Two hundred fourteen elderly receiving home care were enrolled in the study. The caregiversʼ burden was assessed using the Burden Index of Caregivers（BIC）. Gender, age, cognitive status, underlying diseases, nutritional condition, food texture, masticatory support, swallowing function, food intake condition, physical support for activities of daily living（ADL）, and home care services were analyzed in relation to BIC using the chi-squared test followed by logistic regression analysis. The result showed that cognitive status, food texture, eating time, changing clothes, and help for urination were independent predictors of BIC. Improvement of eating function and support for feeding may help decrease the burden on caregivers.

　Sarcopenia has attracted attention as a condition necessitating care in the elderly. Sarcopenia in elderly people is attributable to undernutrition, which is related to changes in dietary intake and the food items consumed. We investigated factors that may contribute to changes in the food items consumed by the elderly in an effort to establish measures to prevent sarcopenia.

　We assessed the health care awareness and physical/oral functions of 155 community-dwelling elderly people in Kyoto （38 men and 117 women；mean age, 74.2±5.4）. We also assessed nutrient intakes using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire（BDHQ）and examined intake frequency changes during the prior 5 years for 45 food items, among those listed in the BDHQ, other than seasonings and beverages.

　The covariance structure analysis conducted to examine the interactions among the factors contributing to a decreased intake frequency revealed that the higher the health care awareness, the greater the number of food items showing a decreased intake frequency, though chewing ability had no impact. In addition, respondents reporting a greater number of food items with decreased intake frequency were more likely to suffer from sarcopenia.

　Our study demonstrated that elderly people may maintain their nutritional status while changing the food items consumed in order to preserve their health, as reflected by their decreased oral function. However, as to health care awareness, a false sense of how to meet needs and maintain overall health may lead elderly people to consciously reduce the nutrient content of their diets, thereby posing a risk of sarcopenia.