Pitch Elevation in Male-to-female Transgender Persons—the Würzburg Approach

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2016
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Jonas Meister, Rudolf Hagen, Wafaa Shehata-Dieler, Heike Kühn, Fabian Kraus, Norbert Kleinsasser
ObjectivesThe present study reports objective and subjective voice results of Wendler's glottoplasty modified by Hagen.Study designThis is an outcomes research study.MethodsA total of 21 patients underwent Wendler's glottoplasty modified by Hagen. Parameters in the follow-up session were laryngoscopy, voice range profile, Voice Handicap Index, Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a visual analog scale for individual satisfaction with the voice.ResultsThe fundamental frequency was elevated into the typical female fundamental frequency range. Furthermore, an elevation of the lower frequency limit was shown without a reduction of the frequency range. About one third of the population feels affected by the restricted dynamic range. This change of the vocal pitch is seen as part of the voice feminization by some of the patients. The Dysphonia Severity Index as a marker for voice quality was unchanged. Subjective satisfaction with the voice showed a strong correlation with the individual elevation of the pitch.ConclusionWendler's glottoplasty modified by Hagen is an effective and low-risk method of raising the vocal pitch of male-to-female transgender persons. However, elevated Scores of the Voice Handicap Index indicated that in everyday life, transgender persons continue to feel handicapped because of their voice. Another indicator for the lack of social acceptance and integration is the reduced general life satisfaction in the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire especially in the domain “friends, acquaintances, relatives.” Therefore, a better multidisciplinary therapy concept for voice feminization is necessary.



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Comparative Analysis of Characteristics of Voice Use Amidst Clergy

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2016
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Jan Potter Reed, H. Steven Sims
The development of “Care of the Professional Voice” as a subspecialty of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has expanded the concept of professional voice users. Although sometimes uncompensated, the clergy represents a unique group of voice users who are required to perform at a professional level. Additionally, cultural norms create great diversity in terms of style of delivery and typical venues, adding to the interest in this subset of professional voice users. We surveyed 403 respondents and found certain factors predictive of voice problems for members of the clergy. Age, length of sermon, and ethnicity were all found to be statistically significant indicators. Further investigations are needed.



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Duration, Pitch, and Loudness in Kunqu Opera Stage Speech

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2016
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Qichao Han, Johan Sundberg
ObjectivesKunqu is a special type of opera within the Chinese tradition with 600 years of history. In it, stage speech is used for the spoken dialogue. It is performed in Ming Dynasty’s mandarin language and is a much more dominant part of the play than singing. Stage speech deviates considerably from normal conversational speech with respect to duration, loudness and pitch. This paper compares these properties in stage speech conversational speech.MethodA famous, highly experienced female singer’s performed stage speech and reading of the same lyrics in a conversational speech mode. Clear differences are found.ResultsAs compared with conversational speech, stage speech had longer word and sentence duration and word duration was less variable. Average sound level was 16 dB higher. Also mean fundamental frequency was considerably higher and more varied. Within sentences, both loudness and fundamental frequency tended to vary according to a low-high-low pattern.ConclusionsSome of the findings fail to support current opinions regarding the characteristics of stage speech, and in this sense the study demonstrates the relevance of objective measurements in descriptions of vocal styles.



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Structural and Anatomic Laryngeal Measurements in Geriatric Population Using MRI

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2016
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Georges Ziade, Sahar Semaan, Jana Ghulmiyyah, Maher Kasti, Abdul Latif H. Hamdan
ObjectiveThe study aims to evaluate the changes in volume and dimensions of the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle in the elderly using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Study DesignThis is a retrospective study.MethodsThe neck MRIs of 40 adult patients aged less than 65 years old and 40 patients aged 65 years old and above were compared. Demographic data included age and gender. The length, width, and height of the TA muscle as well as its volume were measured on each side, right and left, in both groups.ResultsThe differences in the mean length, width, and height of TA muscle were not statistically significant between the two groups on either right or left side. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean volume of the TA muscles between the two groups on either side as well. The mean volume of the right and left TA muscles in those aged less than 65 years was 0.65 ± 0.26 mL and 0.69 ± 0.30 mL, respectively. The mean volume of the right and left TA muscles in the elderly group was 0.72 ± 0.31 mL and 0.72 ± 0.32 mL, respectively.ConclusionUsing MRI, there are no dimensional or volumetric changes in TA muscles with aging.



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Factors Associated With Attrition in Randomized Controlled Trials of Vocal Rehabilitation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Publication date: Available online 18 August 2016
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Tais de Campos Moreira, Camila Dalbosco Gadenz, Dirce Maria Capobianco, Luciana Rizzieri Figueiró, Maristela Ferigolo, Joao Ricardo N. Vissoci, Helena M.T. Barros, Mauriceia Cassol, Ricardo Pietrobon
Objectives/HypothesisThis study aimed to determine the dropout rates and the reasons for dropout in randomized clinical trials of vocal rehabilitation.Study DesignThis study used systematic review and meta-analysis (CRD42013003807).MethodsWe included randomized controlled trials for voice disorders. In June 2015, we searched the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Clinical Trials, and AJSLP. The titles and abstracts or full texts of articles were independently analyzed by two reviewers. Study quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) scale. Our initial research base included more than 8491 articles.ResultsA total of 51 articles were obtained using our eligibility criteria. The low-quality studies evaluated had higher dropout rates (odds ratio: 3.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.04–12.9). Studies with healthy patients (45%) or vocal training versus no training (25%) also had higher dropout rates. Methodological issues seemed to have a greater influence on the dropout rates of the studies included in the co-occurrence matrix.ConclusionsDropout rates of approximately 15% occur in randomized clinical trials of speech therapy when assessed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Studies with lower methodological quality had higher patient loss rates. Methodological and clinical reasons accounted for the highest dropout rates in the studies included in this meta-analysis.



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Binaural Diplacusis and Its Relationship with Hearing-Threshold Asymmetry

by David Colin, Christophe Micheyl, Anneline Girod, Eric Truy, Stéphane Gallégo

Binaural pitch diplacusis refers to a perceptual anomaly whereby the same sound is perceived as having a different pitch depending on whether it is presented in the left or the right ear. Results in the literature suggest that this phenomenon is more prevalent, and larger, in individuals with asymmetric hearing loss than in individuals with symmetric hearing. However, because studies devoted to this effect have thus far involved small samples, the prevalence of the effect, and its relationship with interaural asymmetries in hearing thresholds, remain unclear. In this study, psychometric functions for interaural pitch comparisons were measured in 55 subjects, including 12 normal-hearing and 43 hearing-impaired participants. Statistically significant pitch differences between the left and right ears were observed in normal-hearing participants, but the effect was usually small (less than 1.5/16 octave, or about 7%). For the hearing-impaired participants, statistically significant interaural pitch differences were found in about three-quarters of the cases. Moreover, for about half of these participants, the difference exceeded 1.5/16 octaves and, in some participants, was as large as or larger than 1/4 octave. This was the case even for the lowest frequency tested, 500 Hz. The pitch differences were weakly, but significantly, correlated with the difference in hearing thresholds between the two ears, such that larger threshold asymmetries were statistically associated with larger pitch differences. For the vast majority of the hearing-impaired participants, the direction of the pitch differences was such that pitch was perceived as higher on the side with the higher (i.e., ‘worse’) hearing thresholds than on the opposite side. These findings are difficult to reconcile with purely temporal models of pitch perception, but may be accounted for by place-based or spectrotemporal models.

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Wideband acoustic immittance measurements in assessing crimping status following stapedotomy: A temporal bone study

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A tool for assessing case history and feedback skills in audiology students working with simulated patients

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Clients’ perspective on quality of audiology care: Development of the Consumer Quality Index (CQI) ‘Audiology Care’ for measuring client experiences

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Analysis of the characteristics of persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: A clinical-based study in China

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Wideband acoustic immittance measurements in assessing crimping status following stapedotomy: A temporal bone study

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from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b1DQH7
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A tool for assessing case history and feedback skills in audiology students working with simulated patients

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from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b3qc9Q
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Clients’ perspective on quality of audiology care: Development of the Consumer Quality Index (CQI) ‘Audiology Care’ for measuring client experiences

.


from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b1CKLJ
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Analysis of the characteristics of persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: A clinical-based study in China

.


from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b3qhKs
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Wideband acoustic immittance measurements in assessing crimping status following stapedotomy: A temporal bone study

.


from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b1DQH7
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A tool for assessing case history and feedback skills in audiology students working with simulated patients

.


from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2b3qc9Q
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Clients’ perspective on quality of audiology care: Development of the Consumer Quality Index (CQI) ‘Audiology Care’ for measuring client experiences

.


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Analysis of the characteristics of persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: A clinical-based study in China

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Differences in synaptic and intrinsic properties result in topographic heterogeneity of temporal processing of neurons within the Inferior Colliculus

Publication date: Available online 17 August 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Lina Yassin, Michael Pecka, Jasmin Kajopoulos, Helge Gleiss, Lu Li, Christian Leibold, Felix Felmy
The identification and characterization of organization principals is essential for the understanding of neural function of brain areas. The inferior colliculus (IC) represents a midbrain nexus involved in numerous aspects of auditory processing. Likewise, neurons throughout the IC are tuned to a diverse range of specific stimulus features. Yet beyond a topographic arrangement of the cochlea-inherited frequency tuning, the functional organization of the IC is not well understood. Particularly, a common principle that links the diverse tuning characteristics is unknown. Here we used in vitro patch clamp recordings combined with laser-uncaging, and in vivo single cell recordings to study the spatial and functional organization principles of the central IC. We identified a topographic bias of ascending synaptic input timing that is balanced between inhibition and excitation and co-varies with in vivo first–spike latency. This bias was paralleled post-synaptically by differences in biophysical membrane properties and firing patterns, with integrating neurons predominantly found in the dorso-medial part, and coincidence-detector neurons biased to the ventro-lateral IC. Importantly, these cellular and network features translated into distinct temporal processing capabilities irrespectively of the neurons’ characteristic frequency. Our data therefore imply that heterogeneity of synaptic inputs, intrinsic properties and temporal processing are functional principles that underlie the spatial organization of the central IC.



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Differences in synaptic and intrinsic properties result in topographic heterogeneity of temporal processing of neurons within the Inferior Colliculus

Publication date: Available online 17 August 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Lina Yassin, Michael Pecka, Jasmin Kajopoulos, Helge Gleiss, Lu Li, Christian Leibold, Felix Felmy
The identification and characterization of organization principals is essential for the understanding of neural function of brain areas. The inferior colliculus (IC) represents a midbrain nexus involved in numerous aspects of auditory processing. Likewise, neurons throughout the IC are tuned to a diverse range of specific stimulus features. Yet beyond a topographic arrangement of the cochlea-inherited frequency tuning, the functional organization of the IC is not well understood. Particularly, a common principle that links the diverse tuning characteristics is unknown. Here we used in vitro patch clamp recordings combined with laser-uncaging, and in vivo single cell recordings to study the spatial and functional organization principles of the central IC. We identified a topographic bias of ascending synaptic input timing that is balanced between inhibition and excitation and co-varies with in vivo first–spike latency. This bias was paralleled post-synaptically by differences in biophysical membrane properties and firing patterns, with integrating neurons predominantly found in the dorso-medial part, and coincidence-detector neurons biased to the ventro-lateral IC. Importantly, these cellular and network features translated into distinct temporal processing capabilities irrespectively of the neurons’ characteristic frequency. Our data therefore imply that heterogeneity of synaptic inputs, intrinsic properties and temporal processing are functional principles that underlie the spatial organization of the central IC.



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Differences in synaptic and intrinsic properties result in topographic heterogeneity of temporal processing of neurons within the Inferior Colliculus

Publication date: Available online 17 August 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Lina Yassin, Michael Pecka, Jasmin Kajopoulos, Helge Gleiss, Lu Li, Christian Leibold, Felix Felmy
The identification and characterization of organization principals is essential for the understanding of neural function of brain areas. The inferior colliculus (IC) represents a midbrain nexus involved in numerous aspects of auditory processing. Likewise, neurons throughout the IC are tuned to a diverse range of specific stimulus features. Yet beyond a topographic arrangement of the cochlea-inherited frequency tuning, the functional organization of the IC is not well understood. Particularly, a common principle that links the diverse tuning characteristics is unknown. Here we used in vitro patch clamp recordings combined with laser-uncaging, and in vivo single cell recordings to study the spatial and functional organization principles of the central IC. We identified a topographic bias of ascending synaptic input timing that is balanced between inhibition and excitation and co-varies with in vivo first–spike latency. This bias was paralleled post-synaptically by differences in biophysical membrane properties and firing patterns, with integrating neurons predominantly found in the dorso-medial part, and coincidence-detector neurons biased to the ventro-lateral IC. Importantly, these cellular and network features translated into distinct temporal processing capabilities irrespectively of the neurons’ characteristic frequency. Our data therefore imply that heterogeneity of synaptic inputs, intrinsic properties and temporal processing are functional principles that underlie the spatial organization of the central IC.



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