Glottal Voice Distortions: Nasolaryngoscopic and Spectral Analysis of Anatomophysiologic Changes in Singing Voice

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Glottal Voice Distortions: Nasolaryngoscopic and Spectral Analysis of Anatomophysiologic Changes in Singing Voice Via Journal of Voice The distorted voices, commonly called vocal drives in Brazil and in some other South American countries, are vocal ornaments belonging to the aesthetics of popular singing and desired by singers of different styles. The advances in vocal sciences have allowed the demystification of this type of technique in the last four decades, classifying them as glottal, supraglottic or mixed distortions/drives. The interdisciplinary approach in the evaluation of singers who use glottal distortions is fundamental for a broad understanding of the particularities of each case. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Twelve years of neonatal hearing screening: audiological and etiological results

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Twelve years of neonatal hearing screening: audiological and etiological results Via http://link.springer.com/journal/405,European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,The European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Aug 31. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-07060-5. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: Most developed countries have implemented some form of universal newborn hearing screening program. Early identification and rehabilitation of congenital hearing loss is important in functional outcome, and the need to identify the cause of hearing impairment has become clear. We aimed to evaluate audiological and etiological outcomes in a large group of patients with failed neonatal hearing screening. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart analysis of patients who were referred to our tertiary referral center after failing neonatal hearing screening during a 12-year period (2007-2019). Screening was based on automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) or a combined approach of AABR and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) with chirp stimulus. Extensive audiometric testing was performed to confirm and determine the type and degree of hearing loss. In case of permanent hearing loss, a standardized etiological protocol was followed to determine the cause. RESULTS: Of the 802 referred newborns, hearing loss was confirmed by diagnostic ABR in 78%. Main causes of hearing loss included otitis media with effusion (56%, higher in patients screened by AABR/ASSR compared to AABR), a genetic disorder (12%), congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV, 5%) and atresia/stenosis of the external ear canal (5%). Of the patients with permanent hearing loss, 15% showed changes in hearing loss severity over time. CONCLUSION: In the majority of newborns referred after failing universal neonatal hearing screening, hearing loss could be confirmed. The leading cause was reversible hearing loss due to otitis media with effusion, but hearing loss proved permanent in about 35% of referred newborns, with genetics as predominant cause. Follow-up of congenital hearing loss patients is important as deterior ation as well as improvement was observed over time. PMID:34463816 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-07060-5 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults Seeking Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults Seeking Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Aug 31:1455613211042126. doi: 10.1177/01455613211042126. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder with numerous clinical correlates. Although effective treatments abound, patient acceptance and adherence is low. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS) is a surgical treatment alternative for the treatment of OSA; however, the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals seeking HNS are not well categorized. This study sought to determine the clinical characteristics of older adults seeking HNS for the treatment of OSA. METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were administered to all patients older than 50 years seeking a HNS consultation at a large university medical center. Questionnaires included validated National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (NIH PROMIS) measures of physical functioning, sleep-related impairment, cognitive abilities, depression, anxiety, and anger along with the Information extracted from electronic medical records included age, sex, race, and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). RESULTS: Patients included 113 adults (mean age 63.30 years, 57% male, 79% white) with severe OSA (AHI = 33.91, standard deviation = 20.63). Overall, 88% of patients reported elevated insomnia symptoms, 30% reported mild difficulty with physical functioning, and 36% indicated that they had experienced moderate-severe day time impairments attributed to poor sleep. Additionally, we found 28% of sampled individuals reported moderate-severe depressive symptomology, over 19% reported moderate-severe anxiety, and over 17% reported moderate to severe anger issues. Approximately, 38% of the sample reported moderate to severe cognitive difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: The aim of the study was to better understand the clinical characteristics of older patients with OSA seeking HNS treatment. Utilizing NIH PROMIS questionnaires, we identified unique clinical and psychosocial correlates in this sample, which included higher rates of insomnia symptoms, physical dysfunction, cognitive deficits, and depressive symptoms than the general population. Future studies will be needed to investigate these relationships more thoroughly and throughout the course of the treatment. PMID:34464165 | DOI:10.1177/01455613211042126 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Treatment of Postinfectious Olfactory Dysfunction Using Corticosteroids

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Treatment of Postinfectious Olfactory Dysfunction Using Corticosteroids Via ear nose throat Ear Nose Throat J. 2021 Aug 31:1455613211040368. doi: 10.1177/01455613211040368. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of different doses and forms of corticosteroids in the treatment of postinfectious olfactory dysfunction and to specify the factors related to the curative effects. METHODS: The medical records of patients diagnosed with postinfectious olfactory dysfunction from January 2018 to May 2019 were reviewed. All p atients received different doses of oral corticosteroids for 12 days or inhaled corticosteroids for 1 month. RESULTS: A review of the records of 43 patients showed that the mean follow-up time was 6.66 months, and the overall effective rate of treatment was 48.8%. Postinfectious olfactory dysfunction exhibited distinct seasonality, with the highest incidence in March. The curative effect was significantly related to the olfactory discrimination threshold at the first consultation (P = .022), but not significantly associated with age (P = .325), sex (P = .924), duration of disease (P = .526), follow-up time (P = .489), or treatment program (P = .330). CONCLUSIONS: Different doses and forms of corticosteroids showed no significant difference in the therapeutic effect on postinfectious olfactory dysfunction. The olfactory discrimination threshold at the first consultation was the most important factor influencing the prognosis. < p>PMID:34464164 | DOI:10.1177/01455613211040368 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Optimized fitting of a midface implant to anchor a magnetic nasal prosthesis using 3D printing

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Optimized fitting of a midface implant to anchor a magnetic nasal prosthesis using 3D printing Via hno HNO. 2021 Aug 31. doi: 10.1007/s00106-021-01100-6. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Plate-based anchorage systems for craniofacial prostheses offer advantages over extraoral solitary titanium implants in terms of the flexible choice of mounting points and higher stability. Disadvantages become apparent in the complex individual intraoperative adaptation of the plate-based systems to the usually poorly accessible bone. The current article presents a method to overc ome these disadvantages and make greater use of the advantages of plate-based systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bony midface of a patient who had undergone rhinectomy for cancer of the nasal entrance was reconstructed as a virtual 3D model based on preoperative CT. The open-source software (3D-Slicer) allowed easy and fast reconstruction as well as adaptation for 3D printing using transparent plastic (MED610; stratasys Ltd., MN, USA). RESULTS: A titanium mini-plate (MEDICON) for anchoring the nasal prosthesis could be fitted extremely precisely on the midface 3D print. Important anatomical structures were spared, and screw placement was selected according to the individual bone thickness. Implantation of the in-advance fitted titanium plate was performed without complications and without further adjustments. CONCLUSION: In-advance fitting of plate-based systems for anchorage of craniofacial prostheses using 3D printing of the midface overcomes their disadvantages of time-consuming and possibly imprecise individual adaptation. This method further exploits the advantages of higher stability through more possible mounting points, even in thinner bone, to prevent loosening. In addition, in-advance fitting of titanium plates on the 3D model enables better identification and protection of important anatomical structures and shortens operative time. PMID:34463790 | DOI:10.1007/s00106-021-01100-6 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Insights into multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae urinary tract infections: From susceptibility to mortality

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Insights into multidrug-resistant <em>K. pneumoniae</em> urinary tract infections: From susceptibility to mortality Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2021 Oct;22(4):1086. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10520. Epub 2021 Jul 30. ABSTRACT The incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae has exhibited an increasing trend and has become a high burden for many public health systems, especially in hospital settings. Multidrug resistance associated with the production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) among K. pneumoniae isolates is endemic in Southeastern Europe. We retrospectively analyzed 75 cases admitted to 'St. Parascheva' Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Iasi, Romania, during the first 6 months of 2019 (January 1 to June 30), who had a confirmed diagnosis of K. pneumoniae UTI at discharge. From a total of 75 patients, 34 (45.3%) presented ESBL+ K. pneumoniae. The mean age was 66 years (70.1 for the ESBL+ patients vs. 62.6 for the ESBL- patients, P=0.0365). There was a symmetrical sex distribution (37 men vs. 38 women). Of these, 22 men had ESBL+ K. pneumoniae UTIs, compared to only 15 with an ESBL- strain, P=0.0087. Another risk factor for ESBL+ K. pneumoniae UTIs was the presence of hospitalization in the past 6 months; 20 (58.82%) patients with ESBL+ infections were previously hospitalized, compared to only 5 (12.19%) patients with ESBL- strains, P<0.0001. The urinary catheter carriers presented an increased prevalence of ESBL+ infections (15/34 vs. 5/41, P=0.0012). Regarding mortality, ESBL+ infections caused 6 fatalities, compared to only 1 death in the ESBL- group, P=0.0166. ESBL+ K. pneumoniae strains represent an important cause of healthcare-related UTIs, with a significantly higher mortality rate compared to ESBL- strains. Early identification and adequate management of the risk factors incriminated in ESBL+ UTIs should be a priority for physicians in order to limit the dissemination of the ESBL-producing strains and thus to improve the outcome of these patients. PMID:34447478 | PMC:PMC8355719 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10520 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Astragaloside IV alleviates heart failure by regulating SUMO-specific protease 1

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Astragaloside IV alleviates heart failure by regulating SUMO-specific protease 1 Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2021 Oct;22(4):1076. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10510. Epub 2021 Jul 28. ABSTRACT The present study investigated whether the protective effect and mechanism of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on heart failure (HF) involves small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-specific protease 1 (Senp1). Mouse HF was established by aortic constriction, inducing pressure overload. The model was confirmed by echocardiography 6 weeks after surgery. Mice were randomly divided into control, HF, HF+AS-IV, and AS-IV groups. Ventricular function was examined by echocardiography. Morphological changes of myocardial tissues were examined by H&E staining. The protein levels of the apoptosis-related proteins, cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3, Bcl2, Bax, and SUMO-Senp1 were determined by Western blotting. H2O2 in isolated mitochondria and cells was determined by Amplex Red. A reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection kit determined ROS levels in isolated mitochondria and HL-1 cells. JC-1 reagent measured mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Apoptosis of HL-1 cells was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling. Compared with the control group, the heart weight and heart mass/body weight ratio increased in the HF group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the ejection fraction and left ventricular shortening fraction decreased (P<0.05), while the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVID;d) and end-systolic diameter (LVID;s) increased (P<0.05). Finally, mitochondrial ROS and H2O2 increased (P<0.05), while the ΔΨm decreased (P<0.05). However, AS-IV improved the cardiac function of HF mice, decreased the level of ROS and H2O2 in the myocardium, suppressed the decrease in ΔΨm, and decreased the apoptosis of myocardial cells (P<0.05). AS-IV also decreased the Senp1-overexpression. Furthermore, in HL-1 cells, Senp1-overexpression signifi cantly inhibited the protective effects of AS-IV. AS-IV decreased oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes, decreased mitochondrial damage, inhibited ventricular remodeling, and ultimately improved cardiac function by inhibiting HF-induced Senp1-overexpression. This mechanism provides a novel theoretical basis and clinical treatment for HF. PMID:34447469 | PMC:PMC8355636 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10510 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.