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Aims: To investigate the association between stuttering during adolescence and the onset of dysglycemia (prediabetes or type 2 diabetes) in early adulthood among men and women. Materials and Methods: This cohort study included Maccabi Health Services members assessed for mandatory military service at ages 16–19 during 1990–2019 and followed until 31 December 2020. Stuttering status was recorded in the baseline medical evaluation. Incident cases of dysglycemia were identified systematically using prediabetes and diabetes registries. Cox proportional hazard models were applied for men and women separately, adjusting for sociodemographics and medical status. Results: The study cohort comprised 866,304 individuals (55% men; 0.21% with stuttering) followed for a total of 12,696,250 person‐years. During the study period, 7.6% (n = 36,603) of men and 9.0% (n = 34,723) of women were diagnosed with dysglycemia. The mean ages at diagnosis were 34 and 32 years for men and women, respectively. Women with stuttering exhibited the highest dysglycemia incidence rate (102.3 per 10,000 person‐years) compared with the other groups (61.4, 69.0, and 51.9 per 10,000 person‐years for women without stuttering, men with stuttering, and men without stuttering, respectively). For both men and women, those with stuttering showed an increased risk of being diagnosed with dysglycemia compared with those without (adjusted hazard ratios 1.18 [1.01–1.38] and 1.61 [1.15–2.26], respectively). The associations persisted in extensive sub‐analyses. Conclusions: Stuttering in adolescence is associated with a higher risk of dysglycemia in early adulthood for men and women. Screening and targeted prevention in this population, especially women, may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study different mask types' impact on a sinonasal quality of life. Methods: For this observational cross-sectional study, a web-based survey was distributed via social media forums. We used the validated Hebrew version of the Sinonasal Outcome Test–22 followed by a questionnaire developed specifically for the present study, focusing on the time of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mask Sinonasal Outcome Test), and questions regarding general health issues. The participants' mask-wearing routine was also studied. Results: Seventy percent of 351 participants had experienced a change in their breathing during the time of the pandemic. The median total Sinonasal Outcome Test–22 score was 13, and 10% of the participants reported a significantly impaired quality of life. According to multivariate analyses, the only subject-related variables significantly associated with the reduced sinonasal quality of life were female gender, younger age, a background of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis, and the mask-wearing average daily duration. The mask sinonasal outcome test convergent validity was confirmed. Conclusion: The majority of our survey's responders, predominantly female and younger participants, reported reduced sinonasal quality of life in the COVID-19 pandemic period. It can be attributed to mask-wearing, especially for a prolonged time, irrespective of the existing mask type. These findings should encourage medical companies to produce more "airway-minded" personal protection equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transgender women may experience gender-dysphoria associated with their voice and the way it is perceived. Previous studies have shown that specific acoustic measures are associated with the perception of voice-femininity and with voice-related quality-oflife, yet results are inconsistent. Aims: This study aimed to examine the associations between specific voice measures of transgender women, voice-related quality-of-life, and the perception of voice-femininity by listeners and by the speakers themselves. Methods: Thirty Hebrew speaking transgender women were recorded. They had also rated their voice-femininity and completed the Hebrew version of the TVQMtF questionnaire. Recordings were analyzed to extract mean fundamental frequency (F0), formant frequencies (F1, F2, F3), and vocal-range (calculated in Hz. and in semitones). Recordings were also rated on a voice-gender 7-point scale, by 20 naïve cisgender listeners. Results: Significant correlations were found between both F0 and F1 and listeners' as well as speakers' evaluation of voice-femininity. TVQMtF scores were significantly correlated with F0 and with the lower and upper boundaries of the vocal-range. Voice-femininity ratings were strongly correlated with vocal-range, when calculated in Hz, but not when defined in semitones. Listeners' evaluation and speakers' self-evaluation of voice-femininity were significantly correlated. However, TVQMtF scores were significantly correlated only with the speakers' voice-femininity ratings, but not with those of the listeners. Conclusion: Higher F0 and F1, which are perceived as more feminine, jointly improved speakers' satisfaction with their voice. Speakers' self-evaluation of voice-femininity does not mirror listeners' judgment, as it is affected by additional factors, related to self-satisfaction and personal experience. Combining listeners' and speakers' voice evaluation with acoustic analysis is valuable by providing a more holistic view on how transgender women feel about their voice and how it is perceived by listeners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the trajectories of alliance formation that the patient is likely to establish with the therapist during treatment, even before their first meeting, can help prevent the potentially harmful consequences of deterioration in alliance, such as poor outcome and premature dropout. The present study aimed to examine the ability of four pretreatment acoustic markers to predict the alliance that is likely to be formed in the course of treatment: F0 span, speech rate, pause proportion and jitter. Data from 560 observations of 38 patients were collected as part of an ongoing randomized clinical trial of short‐term psychotherapy for major depressive disorder. The acoustic markers were measured using high‐quality recordings at baseline, before the patient and therapist ever met or had any type of communication. A multilevel model was used to examine the ability of the four acoustic markers to predict the slopes of alliance formation in the course of treatment, all markers being introduced in the same model. The clinical utility of the acoustic markers was explored in two case studies. The model explained 22% of the variance in alliance formation. Higher levels of both jitter and pause proportion at baseline predicted less strengthening of the alliance in the course of treatment. The findings, which should be replicated in larger samples, suggest that much of the therapeutic alliance can be predicted based on the acoustic characteristics of the patient's voice in the first 3 min of their intake, before they even meet their therapist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the association between stuttering in adolescence and incident type 2 diabetes in young adulthood.Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 2 193 855 adolescents of age 16 to 20 years who were assessed for military service between 1980 and 2013. Diagnoses of stuttering in adolescence were confirmed by a speech-language pathologist. Diabetes status for each individual as of December 31, 2016, was determined by linkage to the Israeli National Diabetes Registry. Relationships were analyzed using regression models adjusted for socioeconomic variables, cognitive performance, coexisting morbidities, and adolescent body mass index.Results: Analysis was stratified by sex (Pinteraction = 0.035). Of the 4443 (0.4%) adolescent men with stuttering, 162 (3.7%) developed type 2 diabetes, compared with 25 678 (2.1%) men without stuttering (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6). This relationship persisted when unaffected brothers of men with stuttering were used as the reference group (adjusted OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.01-2.2), or when the analysis included only adolescents with unimpaired health at baseline (adjusted OR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7). The association was stronger in later birth cohorts, with an adjusted OR of 2.4 (1.4-4.1) for cases of type 2 diabetes before age 40. Of the 503 (0.1%) adolescent women with stuttering 7 (1.4%) developed type 2 diabetes, compared with 10 139 (1.1%) women without stuttering (OR = 2.03; 95% CI, 0.48-2.20).Conclusions: Adolescent stuttering is associated with an increased risk for early-onset type 2 diabetes among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech rate is a basic characteristic of language production, which affects the speaker's intelligibility and communication efficiency. Various speech disorders, including persistent developmental stuttering, present altered speech rate. Specifically, adults who stutter (AWS) typically exhibit a slower speech rate compared to fluent speakers. Evidence from imaging studies suggests that the cerebellum contributes to the paced production of speech. People who stutter show structural and functional abnormalities in the cerebellum. However, the involvement of the cerebellar pathways in controlling speech rate remains unexplored. Here, we assess the association of the cerebellar peduncles with speech rate in AWS and control speakers. Diffusion MRI and speech-rate data were collected in 42 participants (23 AWS, 19 controls). We used deterministic tractography with Automatic Fiber segmentation and Quantification (AFQ) to identify the superior, middle, and inferior cerebellar peduncles (SCP, MCP, ICP) bilaterally, and quantified fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) along each tract. No significant differences were observed between AWS and controls in the diffusivity values of the cerebellar peduncles. However, AWS demonstrated a significant negative association between speech rate and FA within the left ICP, a major cerebellar pathway that transmits sensory feedback signals from the olivary nucleus into the cerebellum. The involvement of the ICP in controlling speech production in AWS is compatible with the view that stuttering stems from hyperactive speech monitoring, where even minor deviations from the speech plan are considered as errors. In conclusion, our findings suggest a plausible neural mechanism for speech rate reduction observed in AWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thyroid chondroplasty is a surgical intervention for reduction of the Adam's apple, performed in trans women to achieve a more feminine appearance of the neck. This procedure is necessary since hormonal therapy given as part of gender affirming medical interventions has no effect on the mature larynx. Objectives: We aim to describe our thyroid chondroplasty surgical technique and outcome of all thyroid chondroplasties performed during the study period. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all thyroid chondroplasty procedures performed in a tertiary referral center between 2006 and 2015. Patients' clinical characteristics and surgical outcome were recorded and analyzed. Results: Twenty-seven trans women underwent thyroid chondroplasty in our institution. Post-operative complications included a single patient who suffered from false vocal fold (ventricular folds) hematoma that resolved spontaneously. Five other patients had an erythematous scar. No other complications were observed. Conclusion: Thyroid chondroplasty is a safe procedure for achieving a feminine neck contour in trans women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study conducted to examine whether people communicate differently with adults-who-stutter (AWS), compared to adults-who-do-not-stutter (AWNS). It also discusses issues related to the occurrence of three basic and common turn-taking behaviors (TTBs) used by conversational partner (CPs). The study found that CPs exhibit different TTBs in association with stuttered speech, compared to fluent speech of PWS.

The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a pathway that connects the inferior frontal gyrus with the supplementary motor area (SMA) and pre-SMA. The FAT was recently identified and introduced as part of a 'motor stream' that plays an important role in speech production. In this study, we use diffusion imaging to examine the hypothesis that the FAT underlies speech fluency, by studying its properties in individuals with persistent developmental stuttering, a speech disorder that disrupts the production of fluent speech. We use tractography to quantify the volume and diffusion properties of the FAT in a group of adults who stutter (AWS) and fluent controls. Additionally, we use tractography to extract these measures from the corticospinal tract (CST), a well-known component of the motor system. We compute diffusion measures in multiple points along the tracts, and examine the correlation between these diffusion measures and behavioral measures of speech fluency. Our data show increased mean diffusivity in bilateral FAT of AWS compared with controls. In addition, the results show regions within the left FAT and the left CST where diffusivity values are increased in AWS compared with controls. Last, we report that in AWS, diffusivity values measured within sub-regions of the left FAT negatively correlate with speech fluency. Our findings are the first to relate the FAT with fluent speech production in stuttering, thus adding to the current knowledge of the functional role that this tract plays in speech production and to the literature of the etiology of persistent developmental stuttering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the acoustic properties of the vowel systems of two dialects of colloquial Arabic spoken in Israel. One dialect is spoken in the Galilee region in the north of Israel, and the other is spoken in the Triangle (Muthallath) region, in central Israel. These vowel systems have five short and five long vowels /i, i:, e, e:, a, a:, o, o:, u, u:/. Twenty men and twenty women from each region were included, uttering 30 vowels each. All speakers were adult Muslim native speakers of these two dialects. The studied vowels were uttered in non-pharyngeal and nonlaryngeal environments in the context of CVC words, embedded in a carrier sentence. The acoustic parameters studied were the two first formants, F0, and duration. Results revealed that long vowels were approximately twice as long as short vowels and differed also in their formant values. The two dialects diverged mainly in the short vowels rather than in the long ones. An overlap was found between the two short vowel pairs /i/-/e/ and /u/-/o/. This study demonstrates the existence of dialectal differences in the colloquial Arabic vowel systems, underlining the need for further research into the numerous additional dialects found in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals using their voice intensively during physical effort are at risk for developing voice problems. This study was aimed at examining the influence of physical activity on voice characteristics. Methods: Fourteen physical education students (age: 27 ± 4.23 years) were recorded in a resting position, and during mild, moderate, and high exercise intensities (active conditions). Participants were also recorded immediately after each activity, while standing (recovery condition). All recordings were analyzed acoustically. Results: A significant elevation in the fundamental frequency (F0) was observed with the increase in activity level (p < 0.05). For all other acoustic measures, a gradual increase was observed as the activity level was raised. This increase was statistically significant for a specific set of measures (jitter, PPQ5, and shimmer) during the active conditions. In most cases, significant contrasts were found only between the high activity level and the other levels. During the recovery conditions, a similar increase in values was observed. However, these findings failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Findings imply that high levels of physical effort lead to a significant reduction in vocal stability and to an elevation in F0. These changes result from vocal effort and could therefore lead to voice disorders and pathology. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Social anxiety (SA) has been consistently linked to subjectively rated perceptions of nonconfident vocal communication, yet the link between SA and objective vocal properties remains understudied. The present study aimed to explore the association between SA and auditory parameters of planned speech differing in expressive intent. Participants ( n = 95) read neutral, command, and request sentences. Acoustic properties (fundamental frequency-mF0, intensity, speech rate, speech fluency) of these utterances were analyzed. Consistent with a pattern of nonconfident vocal performance, SA was associated with a higher mF0 in men and women, and lesser vocal intensity in men. Moreover, as compared to neutral sentences, SA was associated with lesser increase of vocal intensity in command utterances, and greater decrease of vocal intensity in request utterances. In men, but not in women, SA was also associated with slower speech rate in request sentences. Socially anxious men, and to a lesser degree, socially anxious women, appear to exhibit an enhanced use of vocal strategies associated with de-escalation of conflict. The importance of examining the production of nonverbal cues of dominance and affiliation in SA is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human voice provides a rich source of information about individual attributes such as body size, developmental stability and emotional state. Moreover, there is evidence that female voice characteristics change across the menstrual cycle. A previous study reported that women speak with higher fundamental frequency (F0) in the high-fertility compared to the low-fertility phase. To gain further insights into the mechanisms underlying this variation in perceived attractiveness and the relationship between vocal quality and the timing of ovulation, we combined hormone measurements and acoustic analyses, to characterize voice changes on a day-to-day basis throughout the menstrual cycle. Voice characteristics were measured from free speech as well as sustained vowels. In addition, we asked men to rate vocal attractiveness from selected samples. The free speech samples revealed marginally significant variation in F0 with an increase prior to and a distinct drop during ovulation. Overall variation throughout the cycle, however, precluded unequivocal identification of the period with the highest conception risk. The analysis of vowel samples revealed a significant increase in degree of unvoiceness and noise-to-harmonic ratio during menstruation, possibly related to an increase in tissue water content. Neither estrogen nor progestogen levels predicted the observed changes in acoustic characteristics. The perceptual experiments revealed a preference by males for voice samples recorded during the pre-ovulatory period compared to other periods in the cycle. While overall we confirm earlier findings in that women speak with a higher and more variable fundamental frequency just prior to ovulation, the present study highlights the importance of taking the full range of variation into account before drawing conclusions about the value of these cues for the detection of ovulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to quantify articulation rate among Hebrew speaking children and adolescents across a wide age range, and to assess whether age-related differences vary according to metric. One hundred and forty children, in seven age groups, participated in this cross-sectional study. All children were recorded during conversation and a picture description task, and articulation rate was measured using three metrics: word per minute (WPM), syllable per second (SPS) and phone per second (PPS). A significant increase in articulation rate was observed with age. Rate measurements during conversation were significantly faster than in picture description, and no gender differences were found. In general, the SPS and PPS metrics yielded equivalent results, which were different from those obtained with the WPM metric. Articulation rate among normally fluent children and adolescents increased with age. Furthermore, an increase in rate was evident after the age of 13 years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To evaluate the validity of a translated version of the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10). Study design and setting: In a parallel group design, 221 patients with different laryngeal pathologies and 172 people with no laryngeal pathology completed a Hebrew version of the VHI-10. Validity and reliability were assessed as well as group differences. Results: Statistical analyses demonstrated high reliability values (Cronbach’s Alpha r = 0.949). Responses were not affected by age (P = 0.373) or gender (P = 0.360). The control group received significantly lower scores than all pathological groups (P < 0.05). Within the pathological groups, the “neurogenic” and “mucosa irregularity” groups were rated higher than all other pathological groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The VHI-10 questionnaire maintains its validity and reliability across translation to Hebrew. Moreover, although the VHI-10 is essentially a unidimensional tool, it provides partial information on the 3 subjective dimensions of the full VHI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: Two studies are presented here. Study 1 was aimed at evaluating whether the voice characteristics of women who use birth control pills that contain different progestins differ from the voice characteristics of a control group. Study 2 presents a meta-analysis that combined the results of Study 1 with those from 3 recent studies that compared voices of women who use and do not use birth control pills. Method: In Study 1, voice samples from 30 women with no history of voice training, who use pills with different progestins (drospirenone, desogestrel, gestodene), and 10 women who do not use the pill were recorded at specific time points across the menstrual cycle and were analyzed acoustically. In Study 2, results from Study 1 were analyzed jointly with results from three recent studies, which used similar methodologies. Results: Results of Study 1 did not reveal acoustic differences in sustained phonation of vowels across the pill groups and controls. Results of the meta-analysis performed in Study 2 indicated that pill users exhibited lower jitter and shimmer values on sustained vowels, whereas no difference of fundamental frequency was observed among women who use the pill. Conclusions: These results support findings from previous studies, which suggested that no adverse effect on voice was detected among nonprofessional speakers who use new-generation monophasic birth control pills, for the measures studied. Furthermore, results of the meta-analysis suggested that some acoustic properties of the voice, which are reflected in perturbation measures in sustained vowels, may be improved among women who use the pill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several institutions provide voice practice for their teaching staff. These ‘voice courses’ provide a unique treatment situation, in which some participants have a diagnosed laryngeal pathology, while others have no vocal complaints. Therefore, these voice courses can be viewed as group voice therapy as well as preventive voice treatment. The present study was aimed at providing a preliminary voice evaluation of participants in such a group, prior to and following treatment, using perceptual and acoustic analyses. Sixteen male teachers, who enrolled in a voice course, participated in eight consecutive sessions. Of this group, seven teachers were diagnosed with laryngeal pathologies, while the others had none. All participants were recorded before and after treatment. Recordings were analyzed acoustically, and also evaluated perceptually by ten experienced speech pathologists. Results indicated that: (i) voice quality improved after the voice course, (ii) vocal improvement was more pronounced in the pathological group than in the nonpathological group, and (iii) the acoustic analysis paradigm yielded results that were not always readily related with those of the perceptual paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various speech and voice disorders affect 70% to 85% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Speech treatment is generally conducted on an individual basis, with family member involvement. Clinical experience indicates that many patients do not practice treatments at home or apply the learned techniques in everyday situations. An eight-session, task-oriented group intervention with PD patients who also had learned speech techniques individually prior to this program is described. Preliminary observations using subjective and objective measures indicate improvement in voice characteristics, self-perception of speech intelligibility, communication skills, and application of these skills in everyday communication situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between auditory perception and vocal production has been typically investigated by evaluating the effect of either altered or degraded auditory feedback on speech production in either normal hearing or hearing-impaired individuals. Our goal in the present study was to examine this relationship in individuals with superior auditory abilities. Thirteen professional musicians and thirteen nonmusicians, with no vocal or singing training, participated in this study. For vocal production accuracy, subjects were presented with three tones. They were asked to reproduce the pitch using the vowel /a/. This procedure was repeated three times. The fundamental frequency of each production was measured using an autocorrelation pitch detection algorithm designed for this study. The musicians’ superior auditory abilities (compared to the nonmusicians) were established in a frequency discrimination task reported elsewhere. Results indicate that (a) musicians had better vocal production accuracy than nonmusicians (production errors of 1/2 a semitone compared to 1.3 semitones, respectively); (b) frequency discrimination thresholds explain 43% of the variance of the production data, and (c) all subjects with superior frequency discrimination thresholds showed accurate vocal production; the reverse relationship, however, does not hold true. In this study we provide empirical evidence to the importance of auditory feedback on vocal production in listeners with superior auditory skills. © 2003 Acoustical Society of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifies the acoustic features of vowels produced by Hebrew speakers differing in age and sex. Presentation of vowels in a nonword context that was placed in a meaningful Hebrew sentence; Measurement of vowel duration; Overlap between different vowels produced by different groups of speakers; Application of the bark transformation as speaker normalization procedure.

Presents a study which compared changes in articulatory rate over a period of two years in subgroups of preschool-age children who stutter and normally fluent children. Metrics of articulatory rate; Methodology; Results; Clinical implications.