Effects of Instructed Laryngeal Manipulation on Vocal Rise Time.

Objectives: Previous research has shown that instructed manipulation of the false vocal fold activity (FVFA), true vocal fold mass (TVFM), and larynx height (LH) impacted on voice quality. It is not known whether these manipulations have any effect on voice onset. Vocal Rise Time (VRT) is an objective acoustic measure of voice onset, which has potential as an assessment tool in clinical settings.

Voice disorder discrimination using vowel acoustic measures in female speakers.

Background: Sustained vowels are important vocal tasks that have been investigated in discriminating voice disorders using acoustic analysis. To date, no study has combined vowel acoustic measures only that evaluate major aspects of the pathological voice signals in voice disorder discrimination.

Aims: To investigate the value of vowel acoustic measures that quantify glottal noise, signal stability, signal periodicity, spectral slope and overall voice quality in discriminating female speakers with and without voice disorders.

Vowel onset measures and their reliability, sensitivity and specificity: A systematic literature review.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the evidence for the reliability, sensitivity and specificity of existing measures of vowel-initial voice onset.

Methods: A literature search was conducted across electronic databases for published studies (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed Central, IEEE Xplore) and grey literature (ProQuest for unpublished dissertations) measuring vowel onset. Eligibility criteria included research of any study design type or context focused on measuring human voice onset on an initial vowel.

Comparison of Angiolytic Effects Between the 445-nm Blue Laser and 532-nm Pulsed KTP Laser.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the selective absorption of the 445-nm Blue laser (BL) and the 532-nm pulsed potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser by blood vessels.

Methods: Thirty-six chicken eggs at day 14 of incubation were dissected to expose the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Third-order vessels of the CAM were identified and irradiated using BL and KTP lasers using various settings at a laser-to-vessel distance of 3 mm using 0.

Voice disorder recognition using machine learning: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Over the past decade, several machine learning (ML) algorithms have been investigated to assess their efficacy in detecting voice disorders. Literature indicates that ML algorithms can detect voice disorders with high accuracy. This suggests that ML has the potential to assist clinicians in the analysis and treatment outcome evaluation of voice disorders.

Vocal tasks for acoustic and/or auditory perceptual analysis for discriminating individuals with and without voice disorders: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: The primary objective of the present systematic review is to: (1) identify the current vocal tasks being used for acoustic and/or auditory perceptual analysis to differentiate between individuals with and without voice disorders. The secondary objectives are to: (2) evaluate the evidence of the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of those vocal tasks for acoustic and/or auditory perceptual analysis in discriminating the individuals with voice disorders from those without; and (3) compare the values between the vocal tasks in discriminating individuals with voice disorders from those without.

Method And Analysis: We search the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed Central and Google Scholar.

Auditory-perceptual Parameters as Predictors of Voice Acoustic Measures.

Background: Much research has examined the relationship between perceptual and acoustic measures. However, little is known about the prediction values of perceptual measures on an acoustic parameter.

Aims: This study utilized simulated and disordered voice samples to investigate the prediction values of breathiness, roughness, and strain ratings on the selection of some time-based and spectral-based measures of voice quality.

Do the Nonlinear Dynamic Acoustic Measurements, Nonlinear Energy Difference Ratio and Spectrum Convergence Ratio, Correlate with Perceptual Evaluation of Esophageal Voice Speakers?

Background: The acoustic assessment of phonation after total laryngectomy is challenged by signal aperiodicity which makes frequency-based acoustic measures less reliable. This is important for patients who use esophageal voice since voice samples mostly include type III (highly aperiodic) and 4 (chaotic) signals. As such, using non-linear measures, which are better suited for aperiodic phonation, may be useful to investigate the relationship between acoustic signal characteristics and perception of esophageal voice quality.

Microlaryngeal Laser Surgery Using High-flow Nasal Ventilation at Two Oxygen Concentration Deliveries.

Objectives: Ventilation using 100% oxygenation creates a risk of fire during laser microlaryngeal surgery (MLS). The purpose of this study is to describe the technique of transnasal high-flow ventilation using laser safe (30%) oxygen conditions, measure the intraoperative real-time laryngeal oxygen concentration, and examine patient saturation status using this technique.

Methods: Prospective IRB approved study of patients undergoing tubeless laser MLS using high-flow nasal oxygenation.

The Relationship Between Pitch Discrimination and Acoustic Voice Measures in a Cohort of Female Speakers.

Background: Evidence across a range of musically trained, hearing disordered and voice disordered populations present conflicting results regarding the relationship between pitch discrimination (PD) and voice quality. PD characteristics of female speakers with and without a musical training background and no self-reported voice disorder, and the relationship between PD and voice quality in this particular population, have not been investigated.

Aims: To evaluate PD characteristics in a cohort of female participants without a self-reported voice disorder and the relationship between PD and acoustic voice measures.

Acoustic characteristics of fricatives, amplitude of formants and clarity of speech produced without and with a medical mask.

Background: Previous research has found that high-frequency energy of speech signals decreased while wearing face masks. However, no study has examined the specific spectral characteristics of fricative consonants and vowels and the perception of clarity of speech in mask wearing.

Aims: To investigate acoustic-phonetic characteristics of fricative consonants and vowels and auditory perceptual rating of clarity of speech produced with and without wearing a face mask.

Pitch Discrimination Testing in Patients with a Voice Disorder.

Auditory perception plays an important role in voice control. Pitch discrimination (PD) is a key index of auditory perception and is influenced by a variety of factors. Little is known about the potential effects of voice disorders on PD and whether PD testing can differentiate people with and without a voice disorder.

Telehealth voice assessment by speech language pathologists during a global pandemic using principles of a primary contact model: an observational cohort study protocol.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2, a highly contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome, has spread to most countries in the world and resulted in a change to practice patterns for the assessment and diagnosis of people with voice disorders. Many services are transitioning to telehealth models to maintain physical distancing measures and conserve personal protective equipment used by healthcare workers during laryngoscopy examinations. The speech-language pathology primary contact (SLPPC) assessment for patients referred to ear, nose and throat (ENT) services in Australia has been shown to reduce waiting times for assessment while streamlining access to ENT assessment and allied health practitioner treatment pathways.

Supraglottic Botulinum Toxin Improves Symptoms in Patients with Laryngeal Sensory Dysfunction Manifesting as Abnormal Throat Sensation and/or Chronic Refractory Cough.

Laryngeal sensory dysfunction (LSD) encompasses disorders of the vagal sensory pathways. Common manifestations include chronic refractory cough (CRC) and abnormal throat sensation (ATS). This study examined clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of LSD using a novel approach of laryngeal supraglottic Onabotulinum toxin Type A injection (BTX).

Active Ingredients of Voice Therapy for Muscle Tension Voice Disorders: A Retrospective Data Audit.

Although voice therapy is the first line treatment for muscle-tension voice disorders (MTVD), no clinical research has investigated the role of specific active ingredients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of active ingredients in the treatment of MTVD. A retrospective review of a clinical voice database was conducted on 68 MTVD patients who were treated using the optimal phonation task (OPT) and sob voice quality (SVQ), as well as two different processes: task variation and negative practice (NP).

Aerosol-generating behaviours in speech pathology clinical practice: A systematic literature review.

Objective: To evaluate the evidence of aerosol generation across tasks involved in voice and speech assessment and intervention, to inform better management and to reduce transmission risk of such diseases as COVID-19 in healthcare settings and the wider community.

Design: Systematic literature review.

Data Sources And Eligibility: Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed Central and grey literature through ProQuest, The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, COVID-Evidence and speech pathology national bodies were searched up until August 13th, 2020 for articles examining the aerosol-generating activities in clinical voice and speech assessment and intervention within speech pathology.

Acoustic voice characteristics with and without wearing a facemask.

Facemasks are essential for healthcare workers but characteristics of the voice whilst wearing this personal protective equipment are not well understood. In the present study, we compared acoustic voice measures in recordings of sixteen adults producing standardised vocal tasks with and without wearing either a surgical mask or a KN95 mask. Data were analysed for mean spectral levels at 0-1 kHz and 1-8 kHz regions, an energy ratio between 0-1 and 1-8 kHz (LH1000), harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), and vocal intensity.

Identifying Clinical Behaviors Using the Motor Learning Classification Framework: A Pilot Study.

Context: Although differences in clinical interactions with patients between students and experienced clinicians are well described, differences in therapeutic training behaviors have not been explored, especially in relation to motor learning principles.

Aims: This pilot study compared clinical behaviors between speech language pathology (SLP) students and experienced SLPs in a voice therapy task, using prepractice variables in the Motor Learning Classification Framework (MLCF).

Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, five final-year undergraduate SLP students and four experienced SLPs with a voice therapy caseload taught a standardized patient to produce a vocal siren.

Effects of 445-nm Laser on Vessels of Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane with Implications to Microlaryngeal Laser Surgery.

Objective: Previous research has shown that effective application of angiolytic lasers in microlaryngeal surgery is determined by wavelength, pulse width (PW), and fluence. Recently, a 445-nm (blue) laser (BL) has been developed with a potentially greater hemoglobin absorption than previous lasers. The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) represents a suitable model for testing various settings to find out the most optimal settings of this laser.

Impact of Instructed Laryngeal Manipulation on Acoustic Measures of Voice-Preliminary Results.

Background: Control of laryngeal muscles is required to manipulate pitch, volume, and voice quality. False vocal fold activity (FVFA) refers to the constriction and release of constriction of the false vocal folds. True vocal fold mass (TVFM) represents the cross-sectional thickness of the vocal folds.

A laryngographic and laryngoscopic study of Northern Vietnamese tones.

A laryngographic and laryngoscopic study of tone production in Northern Vietnamese, a language whose tones combine both fundamental frequency (f0) modulations and voice qualities (phonation types), was conducted with 5 male and 5 female speakers. Results show that the f0 contours of Northern Vietnamese tones are not only attributable to changes in vocal fold length and tension (partly through changes in larynx height), but that f0 drops are also largely caused by the glottal configurations responsible for the contrastive voice qualities associated with some of the tones. We also find that voice quality contrasts are mostly due to glottal constriction: they occasionally involve additional ventricular fold incursion and epiglottal constriction, but these articulations are usually absent.