Voice parameters predict sex-specific body morphology in men and women

Studies of several mammalian species confirm that formant frequencies (vocal tract resonances) predict height and weight better than does fundamental frequency (F0, perceived as pitch) in same-sex adults due to differential anatomical constraints. However, our recent meta-analysis (Pisanski et al., 2014, Animal Behaviour, 95, 89–99) indicated that formants and F0 could explain no more than 10% and 2% of the variance in human height, respectively, controlling for sex and age. Here, we examined whether other voice parameters, many of which are affected by sex hormones, can indicate additional variance in human body size or shape, and whether these relationships differ between the sexes. Using a cross-cultural sample of 700 men and women, we examined relationships among 19 voice parameters (minimum–maximum F0, mean F0, F0 variability, formant-based vocal tract length estimates, shimmer, jitter, harmonics-to-noise ratio) and eight indices of body size or shape (height, weight, body mass index, hip, waist and chest circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio, chest-to-hip ratio). Our results confirm that formant measures explain the most variance in heights and weights of men and women, whereas shimmer, jitter and harmonics-to-noise ratio do not indicate height, weight or body mass index in either sex. In contrast, these perturbation and noise parameters, in addition to F0 range and variability, explained more variance in body shape than did formants or mean F0, particularly among men. Shimmer or jitter explained the most variance in men's hip circumferences (12%) and chest-to-hip ratios (6%), whereas harmonics-to-noise ratio and formants explained the most variance in women's waist-to-hip ratios (11%), and significantly more than in men's waist-to-hip ratios. Our study represents the most comprehensive analysis of vocal indicators of human body size to date and offers a foundation for future research examining the hormonal mechanisms of voice production in humans and perceptual playback experiments

Retrospective longitudinal assessment of optic nerve sheath diameter in patients with malignant glioma

Abstract Introduction Glioblastoma (GBM) is a tumor with rapid growth and a possible relationship to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). High ICP may not always be associated with clinical signs. A non‐invasive technique for assessment of ICP is measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). Identifying patients who need immediate intervention is of importance in neuro‐oncological care. The goal of this study is to assess the available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with GBM with respect to pre‐ and postoperative ONSD. Methods and Materials Retrospective data analysis was performed on all patients operated for GBM at a tertiary care center between 2010 and 2020. Two pre and one postoperative MRI had to be available. Clinical data and ONSD at multiple time points were analyzed and correlated, as well as preoperative volumetrics. Results Sixty‐seven patients met the inclusion criteria. Clinical signs of elevated ICP were seen in 25.4% (n = 17), while significant perifocal edema was present in 67.2% (n = 45) of patients. Clinical signs of preoperatively elevated ICP were associated with significantly elevated ONSD at diagnosis (p < 0.001) as well as preoperative tumor volume (p < 0.001). Significant perifocal edema at the time of diagnosis was associated with elevated ONSD (p = 0.029) and higher tumor volume (p = 0.003). In patients with significant edema, ONSD increased significantly between preoperative MRIs (p = 0.003/005). In patients with clinical signs of raised ICP, ONSD also increased, whereas it was stable in asymptomatic patients (yes: 5.01+/−4.17 to 5.83+/−0.55 mm, p = 0.010, no: 5.17+/−0.46 mm to 5.38+/−0.41 mm, p = 0.81). A significant increase of ONSD from diagnosis to preoperative MRI and a significant decrease until 3 months postoperatively were observed (p < 0.001). Conclusions ONSD might help identify high ICP in patients with GBM. In this first‐of‐its kind study, we observed a significant increase of ONSD preoperatively, likely associated with edema. Postoperatively, ONSD decreased significantly until 3 months after surgery and increased again at 12 months. Further prospective data collection is warranted

VeriStrat® has a prognostic value for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with erlotinib and bevacizumab in the first line: pooled analysis of SAKK19/05 and NTR528

BACKGROUND: VeriStrat(®) is a serum proteomic test used to determine whether patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have already received chemotherapy are likely to have good or poor outcomes from treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib. The main objective of our retrospective study was to evaluate the role of VS as a marker of overall survival (OS) in patients treated with erlotinib and bevacizumab in the first line. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were pooled from two phase II trials (SAKK19/05 and NTR528). For survival analyses, a log-rank test was used to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between groups. The hazard ratio (HR) of any separation was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: 117 patients were analyzed. VeriStrat classified patients into two groups which had a statistically significant difference in duration of OS (p = 0.0027, HR = 0.480, 95% confidence interval: 0.294-0.784). CONCLUSION: VeriStrat has a prognostic role in patients with advanced, nonsquamous NSCLC treated with erlotinib and bevacizumab in the first line. Further work is needed to study the predictive role of VeriStrat for erlotinib and bevacizumab in chemotherapy-untreated patients

Cross-modal associations of human body odour attractiveness with facial and vocal attractiveness provide little support for the backup signals hypothesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Potential mating partners are typically assessed for their attractiveness by integrating multiple sensory modalities, including olfactory, visual, and auditory cues. There have been diverging predictions on how the individual modalities should relate to each other. According to the backup signals hypothesis, the assessment of multimodal cues provides redundant information, whereas the multiple messages hypothesis suggests that different modalities provide independent and non-redundant information about an individual’s mating-related quality. The backup signals hypothesis predicts a positive association between assessments of different modalities, whereas no substantial correlation across modalities is expected under the ‘multiple messages‘ hypothesis. Previous studies testing the two hypotheses have provided mixed results, but a systematic evaluation is currently missing. We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies to examine the congruence in assessments between body odour and facial attractiveness, and body odour and vocal attractiveness, in humans. We found positive but weak associations between attractiveness ratings of body odours and faces ( r = 0.1, k = 25), and between body odours and voices ( r = 0.1, k = 9). No sex differences were observed in the magnitudes of effects. Our results suggest that assessments of human body odour and facial and vocal attractiveness may provide independent and non-redundant information about mating-related qualities. The findings of the resent study provide little support for the backup signals hypothesis and may be better explained by the multiple messages hypothesis