Dysphonia and Throat Clearing in Singers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil affected the lives of singers, with negative impacts of the disease on the voice, such as dysphonia and throat clearing. This study aims to evaluate the presence of dysphonia and throat clearing in singers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Material And Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytical study with a sample of 154 singers from all over Brazil.

Reliability of nasofibroscopy for the evaluation of adenoid hypertrophy and its correlation with clinical symptoms.

Objective: To analyze the reliability of estimating the percentage of rhinopharyngeal obstruction by the adenoid using nasofibroscopy and its correlation with clinical symptoms.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational study was conducted, involving 80 patients between 4 and 14 years old, recruited from Santa Casa of São Paulo general otorhinolaryngology outpatient service during the years of 2020 and 2021. All patients underwent nasal endoscopy examination, and the recorded videos were randomly assigned to four evaluators in two different sessions, with a minimum interval of 1 month.

Implementation of a practical Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling algorithm in PyBioNetFit.

Summary: Bayesian inference in biological modeling commonly relies on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling of a multidimensional and non-Gaussian posterior distribution that is not analytically tractable. Here, we present the implementation of a practical MCMC method in the open-source software package PyBioNetFit (PyBNF), which is designed to support parameterization of mathematical models for biological systems. The new MCMC method, am, incorporates an adaptive move proposal distribution.

Belting in English is Easier Than It is in Portuguese.

Unlabelled: Belting singers receiving care at the speech therapy service mentioned they find it easier to sing in American English than in Brazilian Portuguese.

Objective: to assess and compare the production of vowels and consonants of excerpts from musicals in Portuguese and English.

Methods: a phonological and phonetic analysis of the same excerpt from musicals was performed in both languages.

Effect of application of fibrin glue on vocal fold healing after surgical manipulation in rabbits.

Introduction: A challenge in phonosurgery is achieving good vocal quality with minimal vocal fold fibrosis. Fibrin glue can be applied to minimize fibrosis; however, its use in the larynx is based primarily on clinical experience, particularly in extensive lesions.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of application of fibrin glue on collagen concentration at the late phase of the healing process after detaching a pedicled flap of the vocal fold cover in rabbits.

Evaluation of the Reflux Symptom Index and the Endolaryngeal Findings Scale after Treatment in Individuals with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

 Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a prevalent condition in outpatients visiting the otorhinolaryngological clinic, with many controversies regarding its diagnosis and follow-up. Therefore, there is a need for clinical instruments that can diagnose individuals and monitor the results of their treatment.  To evaluate the applicability of the scores translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese: Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Endolaryngeal Reflux Findings Scale (ERFS), as instruments for post-treatment follow-up of LPR.

Temporal Association Between Respiratory Events and Reflux in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

Study Objectives: The aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that there is a temporal correlation between reflux episodes and respiratory events in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux and obstructive sleep apnea.

Methods: Adults with clinically diagnosed laryngopharyngeal reflux confirmed by two validated instruments (reflux symptom index ≥ 13 and reflux finding score ≥ 7) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) underwent full polysomnography with concomitant and synchronized multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH esophageal monitoring. The apnea-hypopnea and arousal indexes that occurred 15, 30, and 45 minutes before and after each reflux episode were recorded and compared to full-night apnea and hypopnea and arousal index.

Herbage intake and growth of rabbits under different pasture type, herbage allowance and quality conditions in organic production.

A lack of knowledge about rabbit herbage intake during grazing limits the development of organic rabbit production. This study describes rabbit herbage intake under a wide range of grazing conditions and characterises the factors that decrease rabbit herbage intake and daily weight gain. It was conducted with growing rabbits reared in moving cages with 0.

Volar Locking Plate Fixation of Distal Radius Fractures: Splint versus Immediate Mobilization.

 The goal of this study was to demonstrate that the use of a splint after performing an osteosynthesis of the distal radius with a volar locking plate is unnecessary. The main hypothesis was that postoperative flexion of the wrist was greater without a splint. Secondary hypothesis was that patients who were allowed immediate mobilization got better results in terms of pain, Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), strength, extension, pronation, and supination.

Biomechanical study comparing Pulvertaft suture to step-cut suture.

Tendon grafts are a component of the therapeutic arsenal for managing chronic flexor tendons injuries in the hand, especially during two-stage Hunter reconstruction. The purpose of this anatomical study was to compare the strength of the Pulvertaft weave versus the step-cut suture used for flexor tendon reconstruction to determine their role in early active mobilization. We performed a biomechanical study with cadaver specimens.

PASTRAB: a model for simulating intake regulation and growth of rabbits raised on pastures.

Given the very recent investment in research on organic rabbit production, many knowledge gaps remain. Simulation models based on data from experiments and farms may help generate general principles for organic rabbit production. Our goals were to (i) develop a model to simulate intake regulation and growth of rabbits raised on pastures, (ii) validate this model under a diversity of conditions and (iii) conduct a simulation experiment to predict the potential to decrease the supply of complete feed by increasing the grazing area per rabbit.

Relationship between the presence of videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux and voice disorders in teachers.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between the presence of videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and voice disorder (VD) in teachers.

Methods: this is a cross-sectional study with convenience sample and inclusion criteria as subjects 18 years or older, be a teacher female, seek care with complaint of VD and/or LPR. The exclusion criteria included smoking and presence of respiratory changes.

Herbage intake regulation and growth of rabbits raised on grasslands: back to basics and looking forward.

Organic agriculture is developing worldwide, and organic rabbit production has developed within this context. It entails raising rabbits in moving cages or paddocks, which enables them to graze grasslands. As organic farmers currently lack basic technical information, the objective of this article is to characterize herbage intake, feed intake and the growth rate of rabbits raised on grasslands in different environmental and management contexts (weather conditions, grassland type and complete feed supplementation).

Effect of Spinal Manipulative Therapy on the Singing Voice.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) on the singing voice of male individuals.

Study Design: Randomized, controlled, case-crossover trial.

Methods: Twenty-nine subjects were selected among male members of the Heralds of the Gospel.

QSPR prediction of the stability constants of gadolinium(III) complexes for magnetic resonance imaging.

Gadolinium(III) complexes constitute the largest class of compounds used as contrast agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). A quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) machine-learning based method is applied to predict the thermodynamic stability constants of these complexes (log KGdL), a property commonly associated with the toxicity of such organometallic pharmaceuticals. In this approach, the log KGdL value of each complex is predicted by a graph machine, a combination of parametrized functions that encodes the 2D structure of the ligand.

Laryngeal electromyography as a diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease.

Objectives/hypothesis: To study the laryngeal electromyography pattern in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and vocal complaints at different stages of the disease.

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Methods: Ninety-four adults with PD and vocal complaints at different stages of the disease (according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale) underwent laryngeal electromyography.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia in patients with multiple sclerosis: do the disease classification scales reflect dysphagia severity?

Unlabelled: Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that involves swallowing disorders. Many studies have shown an association between neurological and swallowing performance, but results have been conflicting.

Objective: To identify the frequency of dysphagia in patients with multiple sclerosis and neurological indicators that can represent the performance of swallowing.

Use of inhaled versus oral steroids for acute dysphonia.

Unlabelled: Acute dysphonia is a frequent condition in clinical practice. Its treatment, especially in adults, is not well established in the literature. Steroids are the most recommended drug treatment.

Specialized functions of the PP2A subfamily II catalytic subunits PP2A-C3 and PP2A-C4 in the distribution of auxin fluxes and development in Arabidopsis.

Protein phosphorylation is a key molecular switch used to transmit information in biological signalling networks. The output of these signalling circuits is governed by the counteracting activities of protein kinases and phosphatases that determine the direction of the switch. Whereas many kinases have been functionally characterized, it has been difficult to ascribe precise cellular roles to plant phosphatases, which are encoded by enlarged gene families that may provide a high degree of genetic redundancy.

Influence of sealant fibrin on the wound healing of the pigs vocal folds.

Unlabelled: Fibrin sealants or fibrin glue are products made from human plasma proteins, which mimic the final pathway of the coagulation cascade. Its application to stimulate the healing process has been a topic of debate in the literature. The use of fibrin sealants in phonosurgery has been empirical; there have been no studies that investigate the action of fibrin sealant in Reinke's space.

The Autism Psychodynamic Evaluation of Changes (APEC) scale: a reliability and validity study on a newly developed standardized psychodynamic assessment for youth with Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

The present study was designed to examine the reliability and validity of the Autism Psychodynamic Evaluation of Changes (APEC) scale, developed to assess the evolution in individuals with autism under treatment. The APEC scale focuses on the key role of impairment in body image construction, which requires cross-modal sensory integration through emotional communication with motor representations. Thus, the body image construction is associated simultaneously with spatial and temporal organization and allows the emergence of self- and others-representations.

Unsuspected intraoperative finding of structural abnormalities associated with vocal fold polyps.

Objectives: To report the findings of unsuspected underlying concurrent abnormalities of the vocal fold (VF) associated with polyps.

Study Design And Setting: Retrospective chart review at tertiary teaching institution.

Subjects And Methods: Operative and clinical notes of 81 adults submitted to suspension laryngoscopy for vocal fold polyp (VFP) excision from 1998 to 2007, which had no previous report of associated structural abnormalities.

Vocal tract analysis in patients with vocal fold nodules, clefts and cysts.

Unlabelled: The supraglottic plan represents an important dimension in vocal production, and its characterization is very important in the evaluation and treatment approach of dysphonic individuals.

Aim: To check if certain glottic configurations are related to specific adjustments in the vocal tract. To use nasal and laryngeal fibroscopy to assess the frequency of supraglottic vocal tract adjustments in dysphonic women with nodules, clefts and cysts.

The characterization of the vibrato in lyric and sertanejo singing styles: acoustic and perceptual auditory aspects.

The vibrato is one of the embellishments most frequently used in the singing voice and it can be found in different singing styles, among those, lyric and Sertanejo (Brazilian country western-like singing style). Considering these two styles, the objective of the present study was to analyze the production of vibrato in the singing voice in the lyric and sertanejo genres from an acoustic and perceptual viewpoint. Twenty male singers-10 classical (operatic) singers and 10 sertanejo singers-reportedly in perfect laryngeal health, served as subjects for this study.

[Incidence of structural vocal fold abnormalities associated with vocal fold polyps.

Unlabelled: Phonotrauma is considered the main cause of vocal fold polyps (VFP). However, the authors believe that an underlying anatomical deviation could render the vocal folds more susceptible to such trauma.

Aim: To prove this hypothesis a retrospective chart review was carried out to correlate the surgical findings of patients with VFP.