Tempo máximo fonatório de /e/ e /ė/ não-vozeado e sua relação com índice de massa corporal e sexo em crianças

Maximum Phonation Time and Body Mass Index in Nondysphonic Eutrophic Children

BACKGROUND

Literature presents controversial maximum phonation time values in children.

OBJECTIVE

Verify and correlate the maximum phonation time of vowels /a, i, u/ and the body mass index of children.

METHOD

Evaluation of 484 children, eutrophic and without dysphonia, aged from 4:00 to 7:11 years.

SAMPLING

questionnaire, audiometric screening, auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice, and assessment of the body mass index.

DATA COLLECTION

measurement of the maximum phonation time of /a, i, u/. Descriptive statistics, t test, and multiple regression at 5% significance.

RESULTS

/a:/ = 3.77 seconds at age 4:00 years, 5 seconds at 5:00, 5.85 seconds at 6:00, and 7.5 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.89 seconds, 4.89 seconds, 5.61 seconds, and 6.61 seconds for girls, respectively; /i:/ = 3.49 seconds at age 4:00 years, 4.96 seconds at 5:00, 5.72 seconds at 6:00, and 6.88 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.49 seconds, 4.73 seconds, 5.41 seconds, and 6.63 seconds for girls, respectively; /u:/ = 3.64 seconds at age 4:00 years, 4.85 seconds at 5:00, 5.76 seconds at 6:00, and 7.08 seconds at 7:00 for boys, and 3.54 seconds, 4.73 seconds, 5.64 seconds, and 6.47 seconds for girls, respectively. There were no significant differences between genders, except for /a:/ at age 7:00 years. The correlations were not significant.

CONCLUSION

Maximum phonation time of /a, i, u/ increased with age and its value in seconds was approximately equal to the age in years. At the age 7:00 years, /a:/ from boys was longer. The body mass index did not show influence on the maximum phonation times.

Effect of the Finnish Tube on the Voice of a Deaf Musician: A Case Report

PURPOSE

To verify the auditory-perceptual and acoustic effects of the semioccluded vocal tract exercise with Finnish tube on the vocal quality of a deaf musician.

METHODS

A seven-day protocol with Finnish tube was performed with guidance for its home replication twice a day. A 46-years-old man with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, musician and composer participated. Before and after the application of the protocol had undergone tonal audiometry, nasofibrolaryngoscopy, acoustic analysis with Praat and auditory-perceptual evaluation of the voice with Voice Profile Analysis Scheme for Brazilian Portuguese.

RESULTS

The postintervention auditory-perceptual analysis identified reduction of the deviation in lip spreading, extensive labial range, raised tongue body, pharyngeal expansion, nasal resonance, larynx height, larynx and vocal tract tension and irregularity, pitch, speech rate, and a better respiratory support. The maximum phonation time reduced, probably because of elimination of the abrupt vocal attack and tension, articulatory deviations, improvement in voicing and the absence of the use of expiratory reserve air. The fundamental frequency became lower, and the first, second, third, and fourth formants became higher. The jitter increased, and the shimmer reduced.

CONCLUSION

The use of the Finnish tube might have facilitated the voicing sensations in the deaf musician, by enhancing the tactile-kinesthetic perception of the vocal tract and brought a greater source-filter interaction.

Força muscular respiratória, função pulmonar e expansibilidade toracoabdominal em idosos e sua relação com o estado nutricional

RESUMO Objetivou-se descrever a força muscular respiratória (FMR), função pulmonar (FP) e expansibilidade toracoabdominal (ET) e associá-las com seu estado nutricional. Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal com 50 idosos de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 60 e 84 anos, sem diagnóstico prévio de patologias respiratórias, convidados através de mídia local. Foram avaliadas as pressões inspiratória (PImáx) e expiratória (PEmáx) máximas, capacidade vital forçada (CVF), volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo (VEF1), cirtometria toracoabdominal e medidas antropométricas (peso, altura, índice de massa corporal - IMC - e estado nutricional). Os valores obtidos de PImáx, PEmáx, CVF e VFE1 apresentaram-se inferiores aos valores previstos para tal população (p<0,05), bem como as medidas de expansibilidade tóraco-abdominal. Com relação ao estado nutricional, 10 idosos foram classificados como desnutridos, 24 eutróficos e 16 obesos. Os valores dos parâmetros respiratórios não mostraram associação com o estado nutricional (p>0,05). Concluiu-se que o envelhecimento influenciou os parâmetros respiratórios avaliados nesse grupo de estudo. O estado nutricional, por sua vez, não influenciou as medidas de FMR, FP e ET.