Laryngeal electromyography: Contribution to vocal fold immobility diagnosis

Laryngeal Electromyography (LEMG) is a diagnostic test commonly used in patients with vocal fold movement disorder The aim of this study is to describe LEMG in patients with vocalfold immobility. A total of 55 dysphonic patients with vocal fold immobility diagnosed by laryngeal endoscopy were grouped according to probable clinical cause: 1) unknown; 2) traumatic; or 3) tumoral compression. They were submitted to LEMG by percutaneous insertion of concentric needle electrode. LEMG was conclusive in all patients and showed a majority with peripheral nerve injury. LEMG diagnosed peripheral nerve damage in 25 group 1, 12 group 2, and 11 group 3 patients. LEMG was normal in 4 patients, suggesting cricoarytenoid joint fixation. Central nervous system disorders was suggested in 2 and myopathic pattern in 1. As the major cause of vocal fold immobility is peripheral nerve damage, LEMG is an important test to confirm diagnosis.

Vocal folds vibrations with a three-dimensional deformable model

In this work a computational method is presented to simulate the movements of vocal folds in three dimensions. The proposed model consists of a mesh free structure where each vertex is connected its neighbor through a group spring-damper. Forced oscillations were studied by time varying surface forces. The preliminary results using this model are similar with the literature and with the experimental stroboscopic observations of larynx. © 2006 IEEE.

Autoregressive decomposition and pole tracking applied to vocal fold nodule signals

This letter describes a novel algorithm that is based on autoregressive decomposition and pole tracking used to recognize two patterns of speech data: normal voice and disphonic voice caused by nodules. The presented method relates the poles and the peaks of the signal spectrum which represent the periodic components of the voice. The results show that the perturbation contained in the signal is clearly depicted by pole's positions. Their variability is related to jitter and shimmer. The pole dispersion for pathological voices is about 20% higher than for normal voices, therefore, the proposed approach is a more trustworthy measure than the classical ones. © 2007.

Efeito agudo do aquecimento realizado através de exercícios dinâmicos e jogo de futebol em campo reduzido sobre a agilidade em crianças

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of warm up performed by dynamic exercises (DYN) and small sided soccer game (SOC) on agility with ball (AB) and agility without ball (AG). Eighteen children of both genders (n=18) performed the AB and AG tests after three conditions: without warm-up (WWU), DYN and SOC. The effects of DYN and SOC warm-ups on AG test was higher than WWU (p<0,05) and it was similar among them (WWU=12,2 ± 1,0, DYN= 11,3 ± 0,7, SOC=11,4 ± 0,6 s), as well as on AB test (WWU=15,0 ± 2,1, DYN= 14,4 ± 2,1, SOC=14,0 ± 1,6 s). Results in both tests were similar by gender, except in AB test performed with DYN warm-up, in girls. SOC is an effective warm-up protocol for agility tests with or without ball and can be used before agility motor tasks in children.

Clinical diagnosis and histological analysis of vocal nodules and polyps

Recent studies emphasize the importance of the clinical-histology correlation in laryngeal pathologies. Objective: To compare the ENT diagnosis with the pathology diagnosis one of 132 surgical specimens, from 119 patients with vocal nodules and polyps. Method: Retrospective study. We investigated the paraffin blocks corresponding to the lesions of the operated patients. We made new histology cross-sections, totaling 396 new slides, divided into three groups: hematoxylin and eosin, Gomori trichrome and PAS. We analyzed the following histological parameters: epithelium, lamina propria, basement membrane, vascular changes. We compared the laryngological and pathological diagnoses, and we did the statistical analysis, checking the predominant histological aspects in each lesion. Results: There was an agreement between the clinical and pathological diagnoses in 123 (93.18%) of 132 lesions analyzed (42.42% nodules and 50.76% polyps). In the histological parameters we found: epithelial changes such as nodules hyperplasia (82.14%) and polyp atrophy (31.34%). Lamina propria: edema in polyps (71.43%), fibrosis in the nodules (57.14%). Basement membrane: thickened nodules (100%), thin/no change in polyps (100%). There was a predominance of vascular changes in the polyps. Conclusion: We found a high correlation between the ENT diagnosis and the pathology report. Histopathologically, the nodules presented with predominantly epithelial changes, lamina propria and basement membrane fibrosis, while the polyps by changes strictly on the lamina propria and vascular aspects.

Vocal Economy in Vocally Trained and Untrained Female Subjects

Objectives: Vocally trained actresses are expected to have more vocal economy than nonactresses. Therefore, we hypothesize that there will be differences in the electroglottogram-based voice economy parameter quasi-output cost ratio (QOCR) between actresses and nonactresses. This difference should remain across different levels of intensity. Methods: A total of 30 actresses and 30 nonactresses were recruited for this study. Participants from both groups were required to sustain the vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/, in habitual, moderate, and high intensity levels. Acoustic variables such as sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency (F0), and glottal contact quotient (CQ) were obtained. The QOCR was then calculated. Results: There were no significant differences among the groups for QOCR. Positive correlations were observed for QOCR versus SPL and QOCR versus F0 in all intensity levels. Negative correlation was found between QOCR and CQ in all intensity levels. Considering the differences among intensity levels, from habitual to moderate and from moderate to loud, only the CQ did not differ significantly. The QOCR, SPL, and F0 presented significant differences throughout the different intensity levels. Conclusion: The QOCR did not reflect the level of vocal training when comparing trained and nontrained female subjects in the present study. Both groups demonstrated more vocal economy in moderate and high intensity levels owing to more voice output without an increase in glottal adduction. © 2013 The Voice Foundation.

Estudo clínico comparativo do aquecimento por eletroestimulação ou bicicleta estacionária como preparação ao alongamento muscular

Pós-graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia - FMB

Atividade antioxidante dos extratos de shiitake (Lentinus edodes) e de cogumelo do sol (Agaricus blazei) aplicados em óelo de soja sob aquecimento

Pós-graduação em Engenharia e Ciência de Alimentos - IBILCE

Influência da técnica cirúrgica guiada para implantes sobre o aquecimento ósseo, a viabilidade celular imediata e a deformação de fresas após osteotomia para implantes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação do aquecimento ósseo, da viabilidade celular imediata e da deformação de fresas de alta resistência após osteotomia para implantes em tíbias de coelhos

Pós-graduação em Odontologia - FOA

Coletor solar alternativo de concreto para aquecimento de água em aplicações agrícolas e agroindustriais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação do tempo e métodos de aquecimento de toras de Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex-Maiden e sua influência no rendimento em laminação e na qualidade das lâminas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise comparativa da viabilidade econômica da utilização de coletores solar para aquecimento de água

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Desinfecção da água utilizando aquecimento solar

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Efeito da temperatura de pré-aquecimento e características do pulso na microestrutura de aço estrutural de alta resistência e baixa liga soldado com arco elétrico e proteção gasosa

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)