The effects of size and type of vocal fold polyp on some acoustic voice parameters

Background: Vocal abuse and misuse would result in vocal fold polyp. Certain features define the extent of vocal folds polyp effects on voice acoustic parameters. The present study aimed to define the effects of polyp size on acoustic voice parameters, and compare these parameters in hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic polyps. Methods: In the present retrospective study, 28 individuals with hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic polyps of the true vocal folds were recruited to investigate acoustic voice parameters of vowel/ æ/ computed by the Praat software. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 17.0. According to the type and size of polyps, mean acoustic differences and correlations were analyzed by the statistical t test and Pearson correlation test, respectively; with significance level below 0.05. Results: The results indicated that jitter and the harmonics-to-noise ratio had a significant positive and negative correlation with the polyp size (P=0.01), respectively. In addition, both mentioned parameters were significantly different between the two types of the investigated polyps. Conclusion: Both the type and size of polyps have effects on acoustic voice characteristics. In the present study, a novel method to measure polyp size was introduced. Further confirmation of this method as a tool to compare polyp sizes requires additional investigations. © 2018, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The effects of size and type of vocal fold polyp on some acoustic voice parameters

Background: Vocal abuse and misuse would result in vocal fold polyp. Certain features define the extent of vocal folds polyp effects on voice acoustic parameters. The present study aimed to define the effects of polyp size on acoustic voice parameters, and compare these parameters in hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic polyps. Methods: In the present retrospective study, 28 individuals with hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic polyps of the true vocal folds were recruited to investigate acoustic voice parameters of vowel/ æ/ computed by the Praat software. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 17.0. According to the type and size of polyps, mean acoustic differences and correlations were analyzed by the statistical t test and Pearson correlation test, respectively; with significance level below 0.05. Results: The results indicated that jitter and the harmonics-to-noise ratio had a significant positive and negative correlation with the polyp size (P=0.01), respectively. In addition, both mentioned parameters were significantly different between the two types of the investigated polyps. Conclusion: Both the type and size of polyps have effects on acoustic voice characteristics. In the present study, a novel method to measure polyp size was introduced. Further confirmation of this method as a tool to compare polyp sizes requires additional investigations. © 2018, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Role of the internal superior laryngeal nerve in the motor responses of vocal cords and the related voice acoustic changes

Background: Repeated efforts by researchers to impose voice changes by laryngeal surface electrical stimulation (SES) have come to no avail. This present pre-experimental study employed a novel method for SES application so as to evoke the motor potential of the internal superior laryngeal nerve (ISLN) and create voice changes. Methods: Thirty-two normal individuals (22 females and 10 males) participated in this study. The subjects were selected from the students of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Two monopolar active electrodes were placed on the thyrohyoid space at the location of the ISLN entrance to the larynx and 1 dispersive electrode was positioned on the back of the neck. A current with special programmed parameters was applied to stimulate the ISLN via the active electrodes and simultaneously the resultant acoustic changes were evaluated. All the means of the acoustic parameters during SES and rest periods were compared using the paired t-test. Results: The findings indicated significant changes (P=0.00) in most of the acoustic parameters during SES presentation compared to them at rest. The mean of fundamental frequency standard deviation (SD F0) at rest was 1.54 (SD=0.55) versus 4.15 (SD=3.00) for the SES period. The other investigated parameters comprised fundamental frequency (F0), minimum F0, jitter, shimmer, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), mean intensity, and minimum intensity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated significant changes in most of the important acoustic features, suggesting that the stimulation of the ISLN via SES could induce motor changes in the vocal folds. The clinical applicability of the method utilized in the current study in patients with vocal fold paralysis requires further research. © 2016, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Temporal characteristics of nasalization in Persian speaker children with and without cleft palate

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure and compare temporal patterns of nasalization in Persian children with and without cleft palate in three vowel contexts. Methods: A Sample of 14 children with repaired cleft palates with or without cleft lip with moderate to severe hyper nasality and 14 children without cleft palate was chosen as subjects. The subjects were chosen from the ages of 4 to 12 years. The nasal onset interval, nasal offset interval and total nasalization duration were obtained from acoustic waveforms and spectrograms in three vowel contexts using Praat Software. For eliminating the effect of different speed of speech in the cleft palate group and control group, the ratio of nasalization duration was calculated. Results: Total nasalization duration are demonstrated by acoustic signals which shows the total significant different temporal patterns in children with cleft palate and without cleft palate and across the vowel contexts (. P<. 0.000). Conclusions: Longer nasalization durations in children with cleft palate in comparison to children without cleft palate show the delayed or deviant temporal patterns in children with cleft palate. The duration of nasalization reflecting temporal patterns of the oral-nasal acoustic impedance in children with cleft palate may have an influence on the perception of hyper nasality. © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd

A Comparison of Persian Vowel Production in Hearing-Impaired Children Using a Cochlear Implant and Normal-Hearing Children

Objective Normal-hearing (NH) acuity and auditory feedback control are crucial for human voice production and articulation. The lack of auditory feedback in individuals with profound hearing impairment changes their vowel production. The purpose of this study was to compare Persian vowel production in deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) and that in NH children. Methods The participants were 20 children (12 girls and 8 boys) with age range of 5 years; 1 month to 9 years. All patients had congenital hearing loss and received a multichannel CI at an average age of 3 years. They had at least 6 months experience of their current device (CI). The control group consisted of 20 NH children (12 girls and 8 boys) with age range of 5 to 9 years old. The two groups were matched by age. Participants were native Persian speakers who were asked to produce the vowels /i/, /e/, /æ/, /u/, /o/, and /a/. The averages for first formant frequency (F1) and second formant frequency (F2) of six vowels were measured using Praat software (Version 5.1.44, Boersma &amp; Weenink, 2012). The independent samples t test was conducted to assess the differences in F1 and F2 values and the area of the vowel space between the two groups. Results Mean values of F1 were increased in CI children; the mean values of F1 for vowel /i/ and /a/, F2 for vowel /a/ and /o/ were significantly different (P &lt; 0.05). The changes in F1 and F2 showed a centralized vowel space for CI children. Conclusions F1 is increased in CI children, probably because CI children tend to overarticulate. We hypothesis this is due to a lack of auditory feedback; there is an attempt by hearing-impaired children to compensate via proprioceptive feedback during articulatory process. © 2016 The Voice Foundation

Local discriminant wavelet packet basis for voice pathology classification

Diagnosis of pathological voice is one of the most important issues in biomedical applications of speech technology. There are some approaches for separating pathological from normal voice signals but a few ones are sophisticated to separate two or more kinds of speech pathologies from each other. This paper introduces an algorithm to discriminate voice pathologies signals from each other via adaptive growth of wavelet packet tree, based on the criterion of local discriminant bases (LDB). Moreover, genetic algorithm is employed for selecting the best feature set and Support Vector Machines as classifier to obtain as much as possible better results. To evaluate the proposed approach, we apply our algorithm to separate polyp from some other pathologies like keratosis leukoplakia, adductor spasmodic dysphonia and etc. Experimental results show the superior performance of this combinational approach against its incomplete versions, i.e. in the case of separating polyp and nodule, the proposed approach leads to 85% performance against 80% for where only complete wavelet packet features without applying GA algorithm are use

Vowel duration measurement in school-age children with cochlear implant

Objectives: Normal hearing system is an essential factor for accurate production of speech segments. It seems that cochlear implant prosthesis helps children with hearing impairment to speak more accurately than before receiving prosthesis. The current research aimed to compare the vowel duration in school-aged children with cochlear implants and that in children with normal hearing. Additionally, the performance of girls and boys in two groups were investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was carried out to compare the vowel duration in 9- to 12-year-old children with cochlear implant and those with normal hearing. Participants were 52 children who were matched by age and sex. We asked the children to read the target words with each word including one vowel and then participants� voice samples were recorded. Then, vowel duration was measured using Praat software. Finally, the vowel duration was compared between the two groups running independent sample t-test. The level of significance was (P 0.05). Also, no significant difference was found between boys and girls in the mean value of the vowel duration between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Persian vowels in school-aged children with cochlear implant and with typical hearing are produced with similar durations. This finding is probably related to the increased duration of using prosthesis in this age range and speech mode used to measure vowel duration in the present study. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Application of High-Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Muscle Tension Dysphonia Patients With the Pain Complaint: The Immediate Effect

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the immediate effect of the application of high-frequency Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) patients with the pain complaint. Materials and methods: Thirty patients with MTD, 10 men and 20 women with a mean age of 36.40 ± 5.76 years, participated in the study. The patients were randomized into two groups: (1) Treatment group (TENS) (10 women and 5 men) and (2) Sham TENS group (10 women and 5 men). The treatment group (TENS) received a unique 20-minute session of high-frequency TENS. The sham TENS group was treated in the same condition as the treatment group and received a unique 20-minute session of high-frequency TENS, but no stimulation was given. Auditory-perceptual assessments, acoustic voice analysis, vocal tract discomfort (VTD), and musculoskeletal pain were used to compare the patients pre- and post-treatment. Results: There was a significant improvement in the asthenia parameter of auditory-perceptual assessment in the TENS group. This improvement in asthenia was significant when comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group. These differences in the asthenia were not significant after using Holm-Bonferroni correction. A comparison of the VTD before and after the TENS application showed there was a significant reduction in the severity of the symptoms (burning, tight, dry, pain, tickling, sore, irritable, and lump in the throat). When comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group, improvements in burn, tight, dry, pain, and irritable items of VTD were observed. However, after applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction, only reductions in dry and pain items remain significantly different between the groups. After the TENS application, the pain intensity was significantly reduced in the anterior and posterior neck, larynx, submandibular, masseter, temporal region, and upper back. After applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction, pain intensity reduction was significant in the anterior neck and larynx. When comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group, pain intensity was reduced significantly in the larynx of the TENS group. This difference between the two groups was not significant after using Holm-Bonferroni correction. The pain and VTD assessments in the present study were performed using valid and reliable self-reported scales (NMSQ-E and VTD). Conclusion: High-frequency TENS can be used in the voice treatment program of patients with MTD. MTD patients with pain complaint reported that their vocal tract discomfort and pain were decreased following the high-frequency TENS. Notably, these positive effects were obtained after a single session of high-frequency TENS application. © 2019 The Voice Foundatio

Prevalence of Voice Disorders and Associated Risk Factors in Teachers and Nonteachers in Iran

Objectives Teachers are at increased risk for development of voice disorders. Because there is no published study on Iranian teachers, the aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of voice disorders among teachers and nonteachers in Iran and define the causing risk factors. Methods In the present study, 104 teachers and 41 nonteacher participants, whose jobs did not involve vocal effort, completed a questionnaire regarding to vocal complaint and four relevant risk factors. Results According to our gained data, 54.6 of teachers experienced vocal complaints during their work, although this value was 21.1 for the nonteacher group (P < 0.001). Moreover, investigating the prevalence of voice disorders during other periods of life was performed. Analyzing the questionnaire data indicated a significant higher vocal load risk factor for teachers (70.77; standard deviation SD, 29.48), in comparison with their nonteacher counterparts (27.44%; SD, 37.83; P < 0.001). In addition, our study revealed the significance of vocal load, as well as physical and environmental risk factors in the development of voice disorders in teachers with voice complaints. Conclusions Present findings indicated a higher epidemiology of voice problems among teachers in comparison with nonteacher individuals and introduced vocal load as the most important risk factor in development of voice disorder in Iranian teachers. Accordingly, it is recommended to pay special attention to negative effects of vocal load, although environmental and physical factors are also of importance. © 2016 The Voice Foundatio

Application of High-Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Muscle Tension Dysphonia Patients With the Pain Complaint: The Immediate Effect

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the immediate effect of the application of high-frequency Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)in muscle tension dysphonia (MTD)patients with the pain complaint. Materials and methods: Thirty patients with MTD, 10 men and 20 women with a mean age of 36.40 ± 5.76 years, participated in the study. The patients were randomized into two groups: (1)Treatment group (TENS)(10 women and 5 men)and (2)Sham TENS group (10 women and 5 men). The treatment group (TENS)received a unique 20-minute session of high-frequency TENS. The sham TENS group was treated in the same condition as the treatment group and received a unique 20-minute session of high-frequency TENS, but no stimulation was given. Auditory-perceptual assessments, acoustic voice analysis, vocal tract discomfort (VTD), and musculoskeletal pain were used to compare the patients pre- and post-treatment. Results: There was a significant improvement in the asthenia parameter of auditory-perceptual assessment in the TENS group. This improvement in asthenia was significant when comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group. These differences in the asthenia were not significant after using Holm-Bonferroni correction. A comparison of the VTD before and after the TENS application showed there was a significant reduction in the severity of the symptoms (burning, tight, dry, pain, tickling, sore, irritable, and lump in the throat). When comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group, improvements in burn, tight, dry, pain, and irritable items of VTD were observed. However, after applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction, only reductions in dry and pain items remain significantly different between the groups. After the TENS application, the pain intensity was significantly reduced in the anterior and posterior neck, larynx, submandibular, masseter, temporal region, and upper back. After applying the Holm-Bonferroni correction, pain intensity reduction was significant in the anterior neck and larynx. When comparing the TENS group with the sham TENS group, pain intensity was reduced significantly in the larynx of the TENS group. This difference between the two groups was not significant after using Holm-Bonferroni correction. The pain and VTD assessments in the present study were performed using valid and reliable self-reported scales (NMSQ-E and VTD). Conclusion: High-frequency TENS can be used in the voice treatment program of patients with MTD. MTD patients with pain complaint reported that their vocal tract discomfort and pain were decreased following the high-frequency TENS. Notably, these positive effects were obtained after a single session of high-frequency TENS application. © 2019 The Voice Foundatio