Cepstral Acoustic Measurements: Influence of Speech Task and Degree of Vocal Deviation.

Objective: To analyze whether there are differences in the cepstral measures obtained in different speech tasks, depending on the presence and degree of vocal deviation, and to analyze if there is a correlation between the cepstral measures obtained from different speech tasks and the general degree of vocal deviation.

Method: Analysis of 258 vocal samples of the sustained vowel [a] and connected speech (counting numbers) from a database, including 160 dysphonic and 98 nondysphonic voices. The counting number samples were edited in three different durations: counting from 1 to 10, from 1 to 11, and from 1 to 20.

Traumatic Spinal Injury: Preliminary Results of Respiratory Function, Voice and Quality of Life.

Objectives: Assess respiratory muscle strength, voice and the quality of life of patients with traumatic cervical and thoracic spinal cord injury.

Methods: Preliminary analytical case control study of 28 adult men, aged between 18 and 65 years, divided into two groups: a research group consisting of 14 patients with cervical and thoracic spinal cord injury, and control group (CG) with 14 noninjured individuals. The subjects had their maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures measured, underwent voice handicap index-10 assessment, had their voices recorded for auditory perception analysis, using the voice deviation and GRBASI scales, and for acoustic analysis, based on extraction of the parameters selected and completed a quality-of-life questionnaire (WHOQOL-bref protocol).

Brazilian Dysphonia Screening Tool (Br-DST): An Instrument Based on Voice Self-Assessment Items.

Objective: To propose a short instrument for the screening of dysphonia in the Brazilian population through the investigation of traditional voice self-assessment instrument items.

Methods: We analyzed the medical records of 139 individuals with an average age of 37.4 years and a minimum and maximum age of 18 and 77 years, respectively.