The Physical Aspects of Vocal Health.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhang Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8758045 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Animal vocalizations convey important information about the emitter, including sex, age, biological quality, and emotional state. Early on, Darwin proposed that sex differences in auditory signals and vocalizations were driven by sexual selection mechanisms. In humans, studies on the association between male voice attributes and physical formidability have thus far reported mixed results. Hence, with a view to furthering our understanding of the role of human voice in advertising physical formidability, we sought to identify acoustic attributes of male voices associated with physical formidability proxies. Mean fundamental frequency (F 0), formant dispersion (D f ), formant position (P f ), and vocal tract length (VTL) data from a sample of 101 male voices was analyzed for potential associations with height, weight, and maximal handgrip strength (HGS). F 0 correlated negatively with HGS; P f showed negative correlations with HGS, height and weight, whereas VTL positively correlated with HGS, height and weight. All zero-order correlations remained significant after controlling for false discovery rate (FDR) with the Benjamini-Hochberg method. After controlling for height and weight-and controlling for FDR-the correlation between F 0 and HGS remained significant. In addition, to evaluate the ability of human male voices to advertise physical formidability to potential mates, 151 heterosexual female participants rated the voices of the 10 strongest and the 10 weakest males from the original sample for perceived physical strength, and given that physical strength is a desirable attribute in male partners, perceived attractiveness. Generalized linear mixed model analyses-which allow for generalization of inferences to other samples of both raters and targets-failed to support a significant association of perceived strength or attractiveness from voices alone and actual physical strength. These results add to the growing body of work on the role of human voices in conveying relevant biological information.
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Project description:BackgroundFor valid accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA) data, several methodological aspects should be considered. We aimed to 1) visualize the applicability of absolute accelerometer cut-offs to classify PA intensity, 2) verify recommendations to measure PA over 7 days by examining inter-day variability and reactivity, 3) examine seasonal differences in PA, and 4) recommend during which 10 h day period accelerometers should be worn to capture the most PA in patients with heart failure (HEART) and healthy individuals (HEALTH).MethodsFifty-six HEART (23% female; mean age 66 ± 13 years) and 299 HEALTH (51% female; mean age 54 ± 19 years) of the COmPLETE study wore accelerometers for 14 days. Aim 1 was analyzed descriptively. Key analyses were performed using linear mixed models.ResultsThe results yielded poor applicability of absolute cut-offs. The day of the week significantly affected PA in both groups. PA-reactivity was not present in either group. A seasonal influence on PA was only found in HEALTH. Large inter-individual variability in PA timing was present.ConclusionsOur data indicated that absolute cut-offs foster inaccuracies in both populations. In HEART, Sunday and four other days included in the analyses seem sufficient to estimate PA and the consideration of seasonal differences and reactivity seems not necessary. For healthy individuals, both weekend days plus four other days should be integrated into the analyses and seasonal differences should be considered. Due to substantial inter-individual variability in PA timing, accelerometers should be worn throughout waking time. These findings may improve future PA assessment.Trial registrationThe COmPLETE study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03986892 ).
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Project description:We used microarrays to characterize transcriptome profiles of rat vocal fold tissue following surgical injury (vs. naive tissue); rat vocal fold fibroblasts harvested from scar tissue at the 60 d time point (vs. naive fibroblasts); rat vocal fold scar fibroblasts treated with siRNA against the collagen chaperone protein rat gp46 (vs. scramble siRNA). Adult Fischer 344 rat vocal fold tissue was harvested at 3, 14, and 60 days following surgical injury (control = age-matched naive tissue); rat vocal fold scar fibroblasts were obtained via explant culture of tissue obtained 60 days following surgical injury and harvested at 80% confluence during passage 1 (control = age-matched naive rat vocal fold fibroblasts); rat vocal fold scar fibroblasts were treated for 1 h with 50 nM liposome-delivered siRNA against rat gp46 when 80% confluent at passage 1, cultured for an additional 24 h in fresh media, then harvested (control = rat vocal fold scar fibroblasts treated with 50 nM liposome-delivered scramble siRNA).
2014-10-09 | E-GEOD-62204 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Classical musicians face a high demand for flawless and expressive performance, leading to highly intensified practice activity. Whereas the advantage of using mental strategies is well documented in sports research, few studies have explored the efficacy of mental imagery and overt singing on musical instrumental learning. In this study, 50 classically trained trumpet students performed short unfamiliar pieces. Performances were recorded before and after applying four prescribed practice strategies which were (1) physical practice, (2) mental imagery, (3) overt singing with optional use of solfege, (4) a combination of 1, 2 and 3 or a control condition, no practice. Three experts independently assessed pitch and rhythm accuracy, sound quality, intonation, and musical expression in all recordings. We found higher gains in the overall performance, as well as in pitch accuracy for the physical practice, and the combined practice strategies, compared to no practice. Furthermore, only the combined strategy yielded a significant improvement in musical expression. Pitch performance improvement was positively correlated with previous solfege training and frequent use of random practice strategies. The findings highlight benefits from applying practice strategies that complement physical practice in music instrument practice in short term early stages of learning a new piece. The study may generalize to other forms of learning, involving cognitive processes and motor skills.
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Project description:We used microarrays to characterize transcriptome profiles of rat vocal fold tissue following surgical injury (vs. naive tissue); rat vocal fold fibroblasts harvested from scar tissue at the 60 d time point (vs. naive fibroblasts); rat vocal fold scar fibroblasts treated with siRNA against the collagen chaperone protein rat gp46 (vs. scramble siRNA).
2014-10-09 | GSE62204 | GEO
Project description:Objectives: To synthesize the evidence on the relationships between physical housing characteristics or housing accessibility and different aspects of health among community-dwelling people 60 years and older. Methods: A systematic review of recent evidence with a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: We included 15 studies and found three themes covering physical housing characteristics or housing accessibility that are associated with aspects of health among community-dwelling older adults: (1) interventions by home modifications targeting housing features both at entrances and indoors; (2) non-interventions targeting indoor features; (3) non-interventions targeting entrance features, that is, the presence of an elevator or stairs at the entrance. The overall quality of evidence across studies was assessed as very low. Discussion: The findings highlight the need for studies with a stronger research design and higher methodological quality that address the physical housing environment in relation to health among older adults to strengthen the body of evidence.
| S-EPMC10693737 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cause unprecedented concern across the globe since the beginning of the outbreak. Healthcare workers, particularly those working on the front line, remain one of the most affected groups. Various studies have investigated different aspects of the physical health of healthcare workers; however, limited evidence on the overall physical health of healthcare workers has been collectively examined.AimTo examine the various aspects of physical health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignAn umbrella review.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive literature search on Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and MEDLINE and supplemented the search with Google Scholar. Key terms related to 'COVID-19', 'physical health', 'healthcare worker' and 'systematic review' were used in the search. Systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses were included if they were published in the English language, could be obtained in full-text format, and assessed the physical health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers were included. The methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's checklist for systematic reviews. The data were narratively synthesised in line with the 'Synthesis Without Meta-analysis' guideline.ResultsThirteen systematic reviews (represented as K = 13) that synthesized data from 1230 primary studies/reports and 1,040,336 participants met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicate a death rate of between 0.3 and 54.2 per 100 infections (K = 4). The overall case-fatality rate was estimated to be 0.87% (approximately 9 deaths per 1000 infections, K = 3). The overall infection rate among healthcare workers ranged from 3.9% to 11% (K = 5), with the highest rate associated with healthcare workers involved in screening. Considering geographic regions, the highest number of infections was reported in Europe (78.2% of 152,888 infected healthcare workers, K = 1). More nurses and female healthcare workers were infected, while deaths occurred mainly among men and medical doctors. The commonly reported symptoms included cough (56-80%, K = 3), fever (57-85%, K = 3), and headache (7-81%, K = 3), while hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (7%, K = 1). Additionally, a high prevalence of poor sleep quality (41-43%, K = 2), work-related stress (33-44.86%, K = 5) and personal protective equipment-associated skin injuries (48.2-97%, K = 2) affected the healthcare workers. The most reported preventive measures included laboratory testing, clinical diagnosis, adequate personal protective equipment, self-isolation, and training/orientation for infection control.ConclusionHealthcare workers experienced considerable COVID-19-related physical health issues, including mortalities. This requires targeted interventions and health policies to support healthcare workers worldwide to ensure timely management of the pandemic.Tweetable abstractThis umbrella review highlights the global mortalities, infections, and other aspects of physical health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Project description:Vocal cord healing is a dynamic process, and many genes and proteins are involved, which play varying roles at different regeneration stages after injury. Previous studies have shown that inflammatory responses occur at the early stage of vocal cord injury, where the fibroblasts proliferate exuberantly with intensive secretion and deposition of ECM. These activities reach the peak at 3-7 days and their intensity begins to decline 15 days later. A study based on the dermal system has shown that ECM remodeling during the repair of injury can last for several months. However, few studies have been conducted as to the dynamic changes of gene expressions and signaling pathway during the healing process of vocal cord injury. Plotting these changes will facilitate the understanding about the physiological changes during healing and the identification of key time points and target genes in fibrosis formation.
2019-10-26 | GSE139383 | GEO
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Project description:Vocal cord healing is a dynamic process, and many genes and proteins are involved, which play varying roles at different regeneration stages after injury. Previous studies have shown that inflammatory responses occur at the early stage of vocal cord injury, where the fibroblasts proliferate exuberantly with intensive secretion and deposition of ECM. These activities reach the peak at 3-7 days and their intensity begins to decline 15 days later. A study based on the dermal system has shown that ECM remodeling during the repair of injury can last for several months. However, few studies have been conducted as to the dynamic changes of gene and microRNA expressions during the healing process of vocal cord injury. Plotting these changes will facilitate the understanding about the physiological changes during healing and the identification of key time points and target genes and microRNAs in fibrosis formation.
2020-03-25 | GSE147473 | GEO