Using Beatboxing for Creative Rehabilitation After Laryngectomy:Experiences From a Public Engagement Project

Laryngectomy is the surgical removal of the larynx (voice box), usually performed in patients with advanced stages of throat cancer. The psychosocial impact of losing the voice is significant, affecting a person’s professional and social life in a devastating way, and a proportion of this patient group subsequently must overcome depression (22–30%) and social isolation (40%). The profound changes to anatomical structures involved in voicing and articulation, as a result of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy (separately or in combination with one another), introduce challenges faced in speech rehabilitation and voice production that complicate social reintegration and quality of life. After laryngectomy, breathing, voicing, articulation and tongue movement are major components in restoring communication. Regular exercise of the chest, neck and oropharyngeal muscles, in particular, is important in controlling these components and keeping the involved structures supple. It is, however, a difficult task for a speech therapist to keep the patient engaged and motivated to practice these exercises. We have adopted a multidisciplinary approach to explore the use of basic beatboxing techniques to create a wide variety of exercises that are seen as fun and interactive and that maximize the use of the structures important in alaryngeal phonation. We herein report on our empirical work in developing patients’ skills, particularly relating to voiced and unvoiced consonants to improve intelligibility. In collaboration with a professional beatboxing performer, we produced instructional online video materials to support patients working on their own and/or with support from speech therapists. Although the present paper is focused predominantly on introducing the structure of the conducted workshops, the rationale for their design and the final public engagement performance, we also include feedback from participants to commence the critical discourse about whether this type of activity could lead to systematic underlying research and robustly assessed interventions in the future. Based on this exploratory work, we conclude that the innovative approach that we employed was found to be engaging, useful, informative and motivating. We conclude by offering our views regarding the limitations of our work and the implications for future empirical research

Mitokondriális genetikai vizsgálat a Velencei-tavi vadponty anyajelöltjeinek állományán

Munkánk során a Velencei-tavi vadponty (Cyprinus carpio carpio morpha hungaricus) állomány anyajelöltjeinek mitokondriális DNS szekvenciáját vizsgáltuk. Célunk az állomány diverzitásának felmérése és keresztezési terv kidolgozása egy tenyészállomány létrehozásához. A vizsgálat során 150 mintából 135 egyed mitokondriális DNS-ének kontroll (D-loop) régióját vizsgáltuk meg, mely alapján 19 (haplotípust hordozó) anyai vonalba tudtuk besorolni az egyedeket. A leggyakoribb haplotípusba (Hap_3) 94 egyed, a legritkább haplotípusokba (Hap_4, 6 és 19) 1-1 egyed tartozik. Az egyes genotípusok előfordulási gyakorisága alapján 16 haplotípus (Hap_2, 4-7 és 9-19) ritkának mondható. Az állományon belüli minél nagyobb genetikai diverzitás eléréshez javasoljuk a 22, legritkább anyai vonalba tartozó egyed keresztezését a gyakoribb haplotípushoz tartozó egyedekkel. A keresztezéseket minél nagyobb számú kombinációban érdemes kivitelezni. A tenyészállomány kialakításába azonban kizárólag olyan egyedeket ajánlott bevonni, melyek megfelelnek a fajtasztenderd követelményeinek és az eredeti élőhelyről, a Velencei tóból származnak, így növelhető a ritka anyai vonalakhoz tartozó genetikai háttér sikeres megőrzésének valószínűsége. Munkákat az Európai Halászati Alap, Halászati Operatív Program III. tengelyének („Európai Halászati Alap: a megújuló halászatért” – az Európai Unió és Magyarország támogatásával) projekt támogatta

Velencei ponty állomány diverzitásának mikroszatellit markerekre alapozott genetikai vizsgálata

Vizsgálatunk során a csak a Velencei tóban fellelhető, mindezidáig elkülönülten fejlődő vadponty (Cyprinus carpio carpio morpha acuminatus) állomány populációgenetikai összetételének elemzését végeztük el, hét mikroszatellit markerrel 36 egyed vizsgálata során. A korábban begyűjtött mintákból genomi DNS-t izoláltunk, elvégeztük (MFW7, MFW6, Cca02, Cca072, Koi41, MFW31, MFW26) a mikroszatellit lókuszok kimutatásához szükséges PCR-reakciókat, majd kapilláris elektroforézis segítségével meghatároztuk az allélok bázispár pontosságú méretét. A mikroszatellit allélok hossza és eloszlása alapján vizsgáltuk az állomány genetikai diverzitását. Az elemzések során meghatároztuk a várt (He) és valós (Ho) heterozigozitást, a populáció Hardy-Weinberg egyensúlytól való eltérését, valamint az egyes markerek adott populációra vonatkozó információs tartalmát (Polymorphic Information Content, PIC). Az alkalmazott markerek többsége magas polimorfitást (PIC) mutatott (MFW6, MFW7 Cca02, Cca072, MFW31, MFW26), alkalmasnak bizonyultak az állomány vizsgálatához. A mikroszatellit vizsgálatok eredménye alapján egyetlen lókusz (Koi41-42) kivételével mindegyik marker esetén szignifikáns eltérést kaptunk a Hardy-Weinberg egyensúlytól. A teljes populációra nézve magasan szignifikáns eltérést kaptunk az egyensúlyi állapottól. A jövőben a genotípusok alapján lehetőségünk nyílik az állomány genetikai diverzitásának növelését célzó, a populáció Hardy-Weinberg egyensúját biztosító keresztezési tervet kidolgozni. Munkákat az Európai Halászati Alap, Halászati Operatív Program III. tengelyének („Európai Halászati Alap: a megújuló halászatért” – az Európai Unió és Magyarország támogatásával) projekt támogatta

The genetic status of the Hungarian brown trout populations: exploration of a blind spot on the European map of Salmo trutta studies

Background Analyses of the control region sequences of European brown trout populations’ mitrochondrial DNA have revealed five main evolutionary lineages (Atlantic, Danubian, Mediterranean, Adriatic, Marble) mostly relating to the main water basins; however, the hybridization between lineages were increasingly reported. Due to the hydrogeography of Hungary, wild populations should theoretically belong to the Danubian lineage, however, this has not been verified by genetic studies. Methods In our study multiple molecular marker sets (mitochondrial sequence, microsatellites, PCR-RFLP of nuclear markers and sex marker) were used to investigate the genetic composition and population genetics of the brown trout populations in two broodstocks, six wild streams in Hungary and one Serbian population. Results The admixture of Atlantic and Danubian lineages in these populations, except the Serbian population with pure Danubian origin, was observed by control region sequences of mitochondrial DNA and PCR-RFLP markers in the nuclear genome, and one unpublished Danubian haplotype was found in Hungarian populations. A sex-specific marker revealed equal gender ratio in broodstocks and Kemence stream, whereas in other wild streams the proportion of female individuals were less than 50%. Structure and principal component analyses based on the alleles of microsatellite loci also revealed overlapping populations, however the populations were still significantly different from each other and were mostly in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Discussion Stocking and migration can have a significant genetic impact on trout populations of wild streams, however there are no guidelines or common practices for stocking of small streams in Hungary, thus the genetic background of these populations should be considered when developing conservation actions

Do we similarly assess diversity with microscopy and high-throughput sequencing? Case of microalgae in lakes

International audienceDiatoms are a species-diverse phylum of microalgae often presenting high biomass in aquatic habitats. This makes them excellent ecological indicators in rivers and lakes. They are routinely used to assess ecological quality of rivers and lakes using microscopy, which is time consuming. An alternative is to determine species in samples based on short DNA barcodes and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Former studies showed that community structure and water quality assessments based on diatoms deliver similar results with both methods. But, none evaluated if diversities were assessed in the same way despite the importance of this ecological metric. Based on littoral benthic samplings carried out in 56 pristine alpine lakes, we compared different diversity indices measured with microscopy and metabarcoding. Each lake was sampled in three different places of its littoral. We showed that α (diversity measured in a single sampling site of a given lake) and ϒ (total diversity in a lake where three independent samples were considered) diversities obtained with HTS were higher than those obtained with microscopy. This may be explained by the capacity of HTS to detect morphologically cryptic species and to better detect rare taxa. On the other hand, β diversity obtained with HTS was smaller, which may be explained by the capacity of HTS to detect very rare species and free-floating extracellular DNA. Nevertheless, diversity indices obtained with both methodologies were well correlated each other. This study validates the possibility to assess diatom diversity with HTS in a comparable way to the classical microscopic analysis

Performance of the EORTC questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in head and neck cancer patients EORTC QLQ-H&N35: a methodological review

Purpose: The EORTC QLQ-H&N35 (H&N35) is widely used to measure quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. The aims of this study were to obtain insight into a) the languages in which the H&N35 has been used and the psychometric properties in those languages, b) the study designs, and c) its acceptance by patients and investigators. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed searching for all original papers that had used at least one item of the H&N35. Identified papers were read and the information about methodological issues abstracted statistically analysed. Results: A total of 136 papers were identified. The H&N35 was administered in 19 different languages in 27 countries. The study design was cross-sectional in the majority of studies (53 %), prospective cohort studies (31 %), phase-II-trials (7 %), phase-III-trials (6 %) and case-control studies (1 %). The scales with the highest percentages of missing values were Sexuality (11.5 %) and Speech (7 %). The median Cronbach's alpha of the multi-item scales ranged from 0.61 (Senses) to 0.93 (Sexuality). Construct validity was rarely investigated. On average, 12 scales (range 0-18) of the instrument were used by the investigators. The scale most often used was swallowing (in 85 % of studies) and least often used was Weight Gain (39 %). Conclusion: The H&N35 is widely used throughout the world, mainly in observational studies, and has demonstrated robust psychometric features in different languages. However, some methodological problems reported imply that the instrument can be improved in some areas. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Effects of finding the speech-language pathologist likeable on postlaryngectomy speech intelligibility outcomes

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with patients after total laryngectomy (TL) to regain verbal communication. The influence of the quality of the therapeutic relationship on the success of TL voice rehabilitation in terms of speech intelligibility is not known. Finding each other likeable is an important factor in establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships in everyday life. The fit of therapist and client is relevant to the therapeutic relationship. The purpose of this study therefore was to assess the association between the degree of SLPs' likeability ratings and postlaryngectomy speech intelligibility. In a multicentre prospective cohort study, participants rated their SLPs' likeability after finishing TL rehabilitation. Speech intelligibility was measured objectively with the Post-Laryngectomy Telephone Intelligibility Test and subjectively with the Questionnaire for Adjustment after Laryngectomy. The association of SLPs' likeability with speech intelligibility was analysed using hierarchical logistic regression, expressed with odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Altogether 124 patients from 13 institutions participated. The degree of finding the SLP likeable was not significantly associated with objective speech intelligibility (OR 1.30; 95% CI 0.78-2.18; p = 0.32) or subjective speech intelligibility (OR 1.01; 95% CI 0.60-1.72; p = 0.96) after controlling for age, sex and education factors. In this patient cohort, there was no evidence for an association between ratings of SLPs' likeability and speech intelligibility outcomes after rehabilitation. Future studies could consider the use of alternative instruments for measuring likeability. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Performance of the EORTC questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in head and neck cancer patients EORTC QLQ-H&N35: A methodological review

Purpose: The EORTC QLQ-H&N35 (H&N35) is widely used to measure quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. The aims of this study were to obtain insight into a) the languages in which the H&N35 has been used and the psychometric properties in those languages, b) the study designs, and c) its acceptance by patients and investigators. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed searching for all original papers that had used at least one item of the H&N35. Identified papers were read and the information about methodological issues abstracted statistically analysed. Results: A total of 136 papers were identified. The H&N35 was administered in 19 different languages in 27 countries. The study design was cross-sectional in the majority of studies (53 %), prospective cohort studies (31 %), phase-II-trials (7 %), phase-III-trials (6 %) and case-control studies (1 %). The scales with the highest percentages of missing values were Sexuality (11.5 %) and Speech (7 %). The median Cronbach's alpha of the multi-item scales ranged from 0.61 (Senses) to 0.93 (Sexuality). Construct validity was rarely investigated. On average, 12 scales (range 0-18) of the instrument were used by the investigators. The scale most often used was swallowing (in 85 % of studies) and least often used was Weight Gain (39 %). Conclusion: The H&N35 is widely used throughout the world, mainly in observational studies, and has demonstrated robust psychometric features in different languages. However, some methodological problems reported imply that the instrument can be improved in some areas. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht