Search

This research employs remote sensing techniques to map agricultural drought in the Constantine region of Algeria during the years 2021 to 2023. Using Landsat images processed through the Google Earth Engine platform, three indices (NDVI, VHI, and SPI) were calculated. The findings indicate deterioration in both climatic conditions and vegetation health. Specifically, NDVI and SPI exhibit decreases, while VHI shows an increase, signaling heightened water stress. The inverse relationship between NDVI and VHI underscores the connection between water availability and vegetation health. Additionally, a detailed analysis reveals severe drought conditions in the Southwestern part of the region. This study showcases the value of utilizing remote sensing technology on the Google Earth Engine platform for monitoring climate and vegetation patterns over space and time. These insights can help in forecasting the effects of climate change on agriculture and inform the adoption of suitable strategies to ensure food security.

Drought events threaten freshwater reservoirs and agricultural productivity, particularly in semi-arid regions characterized by erratic rainfall. This study evaluates a novel technique for assessing the impact of drought on LULC variations in the context of climate change from 2018 to 2022. Various data sources were harnessed, encompassing Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for LULC classification, climate data from the CHIRPS and AgERA5 databases, geomorphological data from JAXA’s ALOS satellite, and a drought indicator (Vegetation Health Index (VHI)) derived from MODIS data. Two classifier models, namely gradient tree boost (GTB) and random forest (RF), were trained and assessed for LULC classification, with performance evaluated by overall accuracy (OA) and kappa coefficient (K). Notably, the GTB model exhibited superior performance, with OA > 90% and a K > 0.9. Over the period from 2018 to 2022, Fez experienced LULC changes of 19.92% expansion in built-up areas, a 34.86% increase in bare land, a 17.86% reduction in water bodies, and a 37.30% decrease in agricultural land. Positive correlations of 0.81 and 0.89 were observed between changes in agricultural LULC, rainfall, and VHI. Furthermore, mild drought conditions were identified in the years 2020 and 2022. This study emphasizes the importance of AI and remote sensing techniques in assessing drought and environmental changes, with potential applications for improving existing drought monitoring systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North-Western section of Bangladesh is experiencing a protracted decrease in precipitation, irregular rainfall, and the depletion of ground water, which results in water scarcity and extreme dry weather that impedes the production of agricultural commodities and threatens the people's way of life. Analyzing the precipitation deficit and ground water deficit, along with vegetation cover, temperature condition, and the condition of the vegetation is a crucial component of drought vulnerability assessment. Rajshahi Zilla, a region of Bangladesh located in the middle of the Barind tract, is experiencing a severe water shortage. The irregular rainfall, decrease in rainfall, prolonged absence of rainfall and ground water depletion results in drought. This study aims to access the vulnerability of drought by analyzing precipitation rates, ground water depletion levels, temperature condition, vegetation condition and the vegetative droughts to find out the severe condition of droughts and the severe effects of this in the livelihoods of the farmers and their crop production practices. In this case the study focuses on determining NDVI, NDWI, NDMI, VCI, TCI, and VHI. The VHI results show a significant increase in extreme drought conditions from 2013 (4 %) to 2021 (7 %). By conducting a few questionnaire surveys and Focus Group Discussion the present situation of crop production and the livelihoods of people has been analyzed. Almost 18.3 % of farmers have made a permanent move away from agriculture, and 80 % of permanently relocated farmers report an improvement in their quality of life. Nearly 60 % of farmers believe that the construction of deep ditches has enhanced their crop yield. Once again, more than 20 % are in the same predicament as previously, with over 19 % reporting that deep irrigation has lowered agricultural yield. Comprehending the potential consequences of drought will enable planners and decision-makers to implement mitigation measures aimed at improving the communities' ability to manage drought risk. After analyzing data, it has been found that Rajshahi is facing a critical drought problem, which has led to water scarcity, severely affecting agricultural production and livelihoods.

BackgroundA limited number of single institutions have published retrospective cohort studies on transoral laser microsurgery for supraglottic laryngectomy (TLM-SGL). These studies have shown that the oncologic outcomes of TLM-SGL are comparable to those of open SGL. However, there is limited information available regarding swallowing rehabilitation and quality of life (QoL).Patients and methodsSUPRATOL is a prospective, multicenter trial assessing the functional outcomes of TLM-SGL +/− adjuvant radio-(chemo)-therapy. The primary endpoint was aspiration-free swallowing at 12 months, as established using fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and defined as a grade < 6 on the penetration–aspiration scale. Secondary endpoints were swallowing- and voice-related QoL, the prevalence of temporary and permanent tracheostomy and percutaneous gastrostomy, local control, laryngectomy-free survival, overall survival, and disease-free survival, as well as the influence of treatment centers on outcomes.ResultsFrom April 2015 to February 2018, 102 patients were recruited from 26 German Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) hospitals. All patients had TLM-SGL and 96.1% underwent uni- or bilateral, mostly selective neck dissection. To 47.0% of patients, adjuvant radio-(chemo)-therapy (R(C)T) was administered. The median follow-up period was 24.1 months. At 12-month follow-up, completed by 84.3% of patients, 98.2%, 95.5%, and 98.8% were free of aspiration when tested with saliva, liquid, or pulp. Adjuvant R(C)T, pT category, and type of resection had no significant influence on swallowing rehabilitation. A total of 40.2% of patients had been tracheotomized, and in 46.1% of patients, a PEG tube was inserted. At the 24-month follow-up, 5.3% of patients still required a tracheostomy, and 8.0% continued to use a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. Deterioration of swallowing- and voice-related QoL was observed immediately after treatment, but patients recovered, and baseline values were reached again. The Kaplan–Meier 2-year rates for local control, laryngectomy-free survival, overall survival, and disease-free survival were 88%, 92%, 93%, and 82%, respectively.ConclusionsOur prospective multicenter trial shows that, at 12 months post-TLM-SGL +/− R(C)T, 95.5%–98.8% of patients achieved aspiration-free swallowing. Morbidity was higher than previously reported. The rates of permanent tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement correspond to previous cohort studies. The 2-year oncologic outcomes are within the reported range.Clinical trial registrationhttps://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00004641, identifier (DRKS00004641).

Abstract Background To evaluate the clinical and functional outcome of patients having benign vocal fold lesions who were treated with carbon dioxide laser. Methods For this Study a total of 41 Patients who had hoarseness of voice and satisfied the inclusion criteria were included. A detailed medical history and a thorough ENT examination was performed. Voice evaluation was done using (G)rade, (R)oughness, (B)reathiness, (A)sthenia….weakness (S)train (GRBAS), voice handicap index (VHI), and maximum phonation time scores. Results All 41 patients reported hoarseness of voice as their primary complaint, and most of them developed their symptoms gradually. The following causes seem to have contributed to the presence of hoarseness of voice: LPR in 8 patients, smoking in 25 patients, voice abuse in 14 patients, and irritation exposure in 6 patients. The most frequent lesion in 25 (60.97 percent) of the subjects was a vocal polyp. This study showed majority of patients 35 (85.4%) had posterior phonatory gap and six (14.6%) had anterior gap preoperatively. All patients had incomplete glottic closure preoperatively, whereas glottic closure was complete at first follow-up postoperatively. The mean preoperative GRBAS score in study subjects was 10.972 with an SD (standard deviation) of 2.1724 and a median of 10.000. The mean postoperative GRBAS score at six months was 0.268 with an SD of 0.4486, median 0.000, Z score − 5.618, and p value

Drought is a major natural hazard in Ethiopia, posing significant challenges and severe consequences. This research aimed to assess the occurrence and distribution of drought in the Bilate River Watershed (BRW) using the Vegetation Health Index (VHI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Temperature Condition Index (TCI), along with the Google Earth Engine platform. Vegetation products (MOD13Q1) and LST products (MOD11A2) were selected from May to October each year, covering the period from 2000 to 2022. The VCI, TCI, and VHI maps were generated, identifying extreme and severe drought events with extensive spatial coverage in 2002, 2009, 2015, and 2022, which were the major drought years. According to the VHI, the watershed experienced extreme, severe, and moderate drought classes in May and October, affecting 62% and 70% of the area, respectively. The years 2009 and 2015 were particularly devastating in terms of drought. . The spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated significant positive autocorrelation of drought, as indicated by the values of Moran’s I and z scores, which ranged from 0.23 to 0.79 and 8.66 to 24.64, respectively. The correlation analysis findings showed strong positive relationships among the vegetation indices and rainfall, while showing negative associations with temperature and land surface temperature. The frequency analysis also revealed a significant occurrence of drought in the southern portion of the watershed. Therefore, these results hold practical significance for decision-makers and practitioners involved in drought management planning within the BRW.

Background: To evaluate the clinical and functional outcome of patients having benign vocal fold lesions who were treated with carbon dioxide laser. Methods: For this Study a total of 41 Patients who had hoarseness of voice and satisfied the inclusion criteria were included. A detailed medical history and a thorough ENT examination was performed. Voice evaluation was done using (G)rade, (R)oughness, (B)reathiness, (A)sthenia....weakness (S)train (GRBAS), voice handicap index (VHI), and maximum phonation time scores. Results: All 41 patients reported hoarseness of voice as their primary complaint, and most of them developed their symptoms gradually. The following causes seem to have contributed to the presence of hoarseness of voice: LPR in 8 patients, smoking in 25 patients, voice abuse in 14 patients, and irritation exposure in 6 patients. The most frequent lesion in 25 (60.97 percent) of the subjects was a vocal polyp. This study showed majority of patients 35 (85.4%) had posterior phonatory gap and six (14.6%) had anterior gap preoperatively. All patients had incomplete glottic closure preoperatively, whereas glottic closure was complete at first follow-up postoperatively. The mean preoperative GRBAS score in study subjects was 10.972 with an SD (standard deviation) of 2.1724 and a median of 10.000. The mean postoperative GRBAS score at six months was 0.268 with an SD of 0.4486, median 0.000, Z score − 5.618, and p value < 0.001 which is statistically significant. Conclusion: Precision, hemostasis, and minimal postoperative edema are benefits of using carbon dioxide laser. This research therefore supports the idea that benign vocal fold lesions might be successfully treated with the super-pulsed microspot carbon dioxide laser, which offers good voice outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Arytenoid adduction as an addition to medialisation thyroplasty is highly advocated by some surgeons in selected cases but deemed less necessary by others in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis. This study aims to evaluate the additional benefits on voice outcome of arytenoid adduction in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis undergoing medialisation thyroplasty using intra-operative voice measurements. Design/methods: A prospective study was conducted. Voice audio recordings were obtained at 4 moments; 1. direct prior to the start of surgery, 2. during surgery after medialisation thyroplasty, 3. during surgery after medialisation and arytenoid adduction, 3 months postoperative. At these same timepoints patients rated their own voice on a numeric rating scale between 0 and 10. The blinded recordings were rated by consensus in a team of experienced listeners, using the Grade of the GRBAS scale. Furthermore, the Voice Handicap Index was administered before and at 3 months after surgery. Results: Ten patients who underwent medialisation and arytenoid adduction at our tertiary referral hospital between 2021 and 2022, were included. One patient was excluded after surgery. The intraoperative measurements showed a Grade score of 1.4 preoperatively, improving to 1.2 after medialisation, 1.2 after medialisation and arytenoid adduction, and further improving to 0.4 at 3 months postoperative, which was a not statistically significant improvement (p = 0.2). The intraoperative subjective numeric rating scale showed a statistically significant improvement from 3.9 preoperatively, to 6.1 after medialisation, 7.1 after medialisation and arytenoid adduction and a 7.6 at 3 months postoperative (p = 0.001). The Voice Handicap Index total score showed a statistically significant improvement from 71 points before surgery to 13 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Our study using intraoperative voice measurements indicate that the addition of arytenoid adduction to medialisation thyroplasty is a benefit in selected patients although more studies are needed due to the many limitations inherent to this field of investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess vegetation drought, it is important to understand the relationship between climate and vegetation and to accurately measure the response of vegetation activity to meteorological drought. In this study, we used the vegetation health index (VHI) to investigate the propagation time and time-lag of vegetation response to different meteorological drought indices, including the standardized precipitation index (SPI), evaporative demand drought index (EDDI), standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index (SPEI), and copula-based joint drought index (CJDI). Using correlation analyses of meteorological drought indices with different time-scales and time-lags and VHIs with different weights, we determined which meteorological drought indices and their corresponding time-scales and time-lags best represent the effects of meteorological drought on vegetation activity on the Korean Peninsula. We also evaluated the relative roles of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) in quantifying vegetation response to meteorological drought. The meteorological drought index for monitoring vegetation response to meteorological drought on the Korean Peninsula was best applied using EDDI in January–May and SPEI in June–December. Vegetation health was dominated by LST in January–September, with a higher impact of NDVI in November–December. We expect these results to provide useful information for vegetation drought monitoring. HIGHLIGHTS Quantifying vegetation response to meteorological drought based on correlation analysis.; Identifying meteorological drought indices that are most closely related to vegetation activity.; Estimating the propagation time and time-lag of meteorological drought on vegetation drought.; Evaluating the relative contribution of NDVI and LST to VHI.;

The association of voice disorders in laryngeal cancers has been studied extensively; however Dysphonia associated with chemo-radiation in non laryngeal Head and Neck cancer (HNC) is a new area of practice in voice clinics. This study thus aimed to evaluate the efficacy of voice rehabilitation among non-laryngeal HNC survivors who were treated with curative RadioTherapy (RT)/Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in adjunct with or without surgery. This tertiary institutional assessor blinded quasi experimental study after inclusion and exclusion criteria consisted of a study cohort of 128 patients who within 1–3 months of completion of treatment for HNC reported to the laryngology clinic for voice complaints and throat discomfort. All patients underwent documentation of laryngeal endoscopic imaging, acoustics assessment, Aronson's Laryngeal Palpatory Method (LPM) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Thereafter they were subjected to Vocal Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) which constituted of Manual circumlaryngeal therapy, SOVTE, and vocal hygiene program. Re-evaluation of the vocal parameters was done at 6 weeks and 3 months from the start of the VRT. All parameters were significantly altered at 6 weeks and 3 months follow-up. Post VRT the videolaryngoscopic findings showed reduction in abnormal supraglottic MTPs with subsequent good approximation of true cords and reduction of involvement of supralaryngeal activities. The Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) impairment levels and VHI scores showed significant improvement from the baseline to both at 6 weeks and 3 months of VRT (p < 0.001). DSI and VHI scores even showed significant improvement between 6 weeks to 3 months of therapy. There was highly significant correlation of VRT with/without surgery, with CRT and in non-smokers at 6 weeks and 3 months of VRT. In non-laryngeal head and neck malignancies, VRT offered as early as within 1–3 months of completion of treatment of HNC ameliorates surgical and chemo-radiation induced Muscle Tension Dysphonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our ability to hear and speak enables us to communicate with others, forming an integral part of our emotional and social well-being. Vocal problems in hearing-impaired patients have yet to be assessed in terms of subjective level of disability they cause. Present study aims to assess the different Voice Handicap Index (VHI) scores among patients with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss and compare them to those with normal hearing. Materials and Methods: In this prospective case control study(n = 150), study group A (n = 100) consisted of subjects with bilateral moderate to profound hearing loss on Pure tone audiometry and control group B (n = 50) with normal hearing. Both groups were asked to fill out VHI form after a normal videostroboscopic assessment. Results: Mean VHI score in group A was 57.5 ± 12.48 and 6.0 ± 3.24 in group B, difference being statistically significant. A strong positive correlation was found between severity of hearing loss and VHI total score. The difference between both groups was also statistically significant for each of the three subscales of VHI. Conclusion: We infer that subjects with moderate and higher bilateral sensorineural hearing loss hearing have statistically significant higher VHI scores as compared to those with normal hearing. It was observed that perception of voice handicap increased with the severity of hearing loss. These findings emphasize the need for multilateral assessment and treatment of voice disorders in subjects with hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study region: Northern Ethiopian highland, North Wollo, Ethiopia Study focus: Drought is one of the most serious environmental and socioeconomic problems of Sub-Sahara Africa's countries. The study aims to assess and evaluate the agricultural drought occurrence and its severity by using remote sensing-based multivariate indices to provide real-time spatial-temporal information for drought monitoring. Satellite datasets from Landsat images with a spatial resolution of 30 m were processed and rescaled to compute vegetation and temperature indices and derive drought status indices. The temporal and spatial variability of drought were detected and mapped by using satellite-based drought indices and validated by available in-situ data. New hydrological insights for the region: The study revealed that the area was exposed to extreme drought in 1984, 2009, and 2014. On the contrary, no longer extreme drought dominated in 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004. Moreover, the relationships between various indices have been examined by using a linear regression model. It has been detected that there is a significant strong relationship between NDVI and LST (R2 /p = 0.93/0.00), VCI and TCI (R2 /p = 0.71/0.00), VHI and SPI (R2/p = 0.85/0.00). Therefore, the spatial extent and temporal assessment of drought-related information are important for decision-making in the field of agriculture.

Semi-arid regions are highly susceptible to drought due to their low annual precipitation and ecological vulnerability to climate change. This study focuses on the Niamey region in southwestern Niger and employs the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) to assess drought severity and its changes. Using data from the Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), we derived the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) for 2013 and 2019. Analysis of the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) time series for 2013 and 2019 reveals that the region experienced severe drought, with 62.31 km2 and 42.35 km2, respectively, facing a lack of precipitation. Notably, extreme droughts in 2019 covered a large area of 55.75 km2, accounting for 13.94 % of the region, indicating an increase in drought frequency from 2013 to 2019. Furthermore, the NDVI values for the study area in 2013 ranged from 0.50 to − 0.18, while those in 2019 ranged from 0.57 to − 0.20. Additionally, the relationship between LST and NDVI appeared to be linear and inversely proportional in both 2013 (R2 = 0.34, P = 0.58) and 2019 (R2 = 0.06, P = 0.25). Rising LST demonstrated significant effects on plants, with surface features playing a crucial role.The significance of this research is to understand that drought has an impact on agriculture, water resources and development. Remote sensing data monitor drought with high resolution over large areas and showed patterns in drought distribution during the study period in Niamey. This study could provide valuable insights into land and environmental planning in tropical regions.

In the semi-arid Marrakech-Safi (MS) region of southwest Morocco, climate change has amplified drought occurrences, posing significant threats to water resources and agriculture. A comprehensive understanding of drought patterns is imperative to manage these risks and enhance resilience effectively. Precipitation from 18 pluviometer stations was employed to analyze meteorological drought using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) from 1980 to 2018. Additionally, agricultural drought is quantified using three remote sensing-driven indices: vegetation condition index (VCI), temperature conditions index (TCI), and vegetation health index (VHI) from 2000 to 2018. These indices are correlated with SPI to evaluate their performance and gauge vegetation sensitivity to meteorological drought. The Mann–Kendall test assesses trends in drought events and their severity. The results demonstrated that SPI, VCI, TCI, and VHI experienced alternating dry and wet periods with an overall upward trend, especially in mountainous areas, plateau zones, and Haouz plain of the MS region. The correlation analysis establishes a significant relationship between remote sensing-based indices and SPI-6, with mean correlation coefficients exceeding 0.6. The findings underscore the importance of considering multiple time scales to comprehensively assess climate's impact on vegetation. Seasonal drought trends analysis indicates no significant negative trends in winter and spring but positive trends in autumn. HIGHLIGHTS Use the SPI to study meteorological droughts between 1980 and 2018.; Use Mann–Kendall and Sen's slope estimators to analyze seasonal and yearly SPI trends.; Spatio-temporal characteristics of agricultural droughts using the VCI, TCI, and VHI drought indices from 2000 to 2018.; Assess and analyze the correlations of SPI (3, 6, and 12 months) with VCI and VHI.;

The objective of this study was to meticulously examine the diverse vocal rehabilitation techniques that are employed following total laryngectomy, with emphasis on their implications on patients’ quality of life and on the determinants influencing the selection of one technique over another. We embarked on a comprehensive literature review, which concentrated on three primary rehabilitation approaches: tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) accompanied by a vocal prosthesis, esophageal speech acquisition, and electrolarynx utilization. The outcomes assessed included quality of life, functional performance, communication effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and factors governing the choice of technique, such as patient demographics, disease stage, and treatment history. Our findings demonstrated that TEP with vocal prosthesis yielded the most favorable overall quality of life and patient satisfaction. Individuals who underwent TEP exhibited superior speech intelligibility, voice quality, and communication ease compared with those who employed esophageal speech acquisition or electrolarynx utilization. While esophageal speech learning exhibited inferior speech quality and functional performance, it offered cost-effectiveness and diminished maintenance advantages. Electrolarynx utilization emerged as the least preferred approach due to suboptimal speech intelligibility and voice quality. The determinants influencing the choice of vocal rehabilitation technique included patient age, sex, disease stage, and previous treatment history. Patient preferences also substantially contributed to the selection of a specific technique. It is essential for clinicians to consider individual factors and patient inclinations when deliberating on an appropriate vocal rehabilitation method following total laryngectomy. Our investigation underscores the significance of collaborative decision making between clinicians and patients to pinpoint the most fitting rehabilitation technique. Future research endeavors should be directed towards enhancing existing approaches, devising innovative methods, and probing long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness to optimize patient care in the aftermath of total laryngectomy.

Drought, a recurrent environmental hazard, poses significant challenges to Ethiopia’s predominantly rainfed, agriculture-based economy, affecting millions of people. This study investigates the characteristics and interrelationships between meteorological and agricultural droughts across lower weina dega (LWD), upper weina dega (UWD), and dega agroecological zones (AEZs) within the upper Gelana watershed, Ethiopia. The results reveal distinct seasonality in meteorological droughts, with the kiremt season exhibiting higher frequency compared to the belg season across all AEZs from 1991 to 2021. The belg-season agricultural droughts were more frequent in LWD, followed by UWD AEZ. Agricultural droughts were also observed in all AEZs during the kiremt seasons in 2002, 2008 and 2009. A statistically significant positive relationship between meteorological and agricultural drought indices was found in both seasons, indicating the potential transmission of meteorological drought into agricultural drought. The findings highlight the need for tailored adaptation strategies suited to the specific conditions of each AEZ.

Due to Ethiopia's broad variations in biophysical and climatic variables, an accurate understanding of local-level drought is critical for sustainable drought risk management. This study aims to monitor spatio-temporal drought dynamics over Tekeze basin from 1981 to 2021 using Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation health Index(VHI). The analysis relied on data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) datasets and CHIRPS-v2. Google Earth Engine (GEE) was used to obtain data, process NDVI trends, and calculate drought indices (DI). Man-Kendall trend analysis and Pearson correlation were also employed to examine the trend and association of DI and climate variables. The SPI showed that the basin was affected by moderate, severe, and extreme drought in 1884, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1997, and 2015. TCI and, VCI, analysis indicated that 2002, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were severe and extreme droughts. The NDVI showed a decreasing trend throughout most of the basin, except for pocket areas of the managed watershed, area closures, and irrigation sites. Rainfall in July emerged as a critical factor in determining NDVI, LST, TCI, and VCI in July and August. While VCI strongly correlates with precipitation and LST is less correlated. Although all DIs are robust in assessing agricultural droughts, VCI detected more land areas under severe and extreme drought than TCI. The study underscores the importance of larger weights to VCI in correctly classifying drought, particularly in drylands where precipitation is crucial in determining vegetation health.

Purpose: Laryngeal framework surgery, including medialization laryngoplasty and arytenoid adduction (AA), is expected to have a lasting or permanent effect in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP); however, there are few reports about the long-term outcomes of AA. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term postoperative effects of AA surgery and examine its stability and reliability. Methods: This study collected the voice handicap index (VHI) questionnaire from patients with UVFP who underwent AA more than 2 years previously. The VHI values preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively (early postoperative evaluation) were retrospectively calculated, and VHI values more than 2 years after surgery (late postoperative evaluation) were collected by mailing a sheet to the patients and asking to fill and return it. Possible influenced subscales such as age, sex, causes of UVFP, affected side, and surgeons were also analyzed. Results: A total of 77 patients with UVFP who underwent AA had significantly lower early and late postoperative evaluations than preoperative evaluations. In 38 patients with no missing values, there were no significant differences between early and late postoperative evaluations, measured at a median of approximately 5 years. There were also no significant differences between early and late postoperative evaluations in any of the subscale groups. Conclusion: Patients with UVFP who underwent AA surgery achieved stable voice improvement in the long term after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to meticulously examine the diverse vocal rehabilitation techniques that are employed following total laryngectomy, with emphasis on their implications on patients' quality of life and on the determinants influencing the selection of one technique over another. We embarked on a comprehensive literature review, which concentrated on three primary rehabilitation approaches: tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) accompanied by a vocal prosthesis, esophageal speech acquisition, and electrolarynx utilization. The outcomes assessed included quality of life, functional performance, communication effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and factors governing the choice of technique, such as patient demographics, disease stage, and treatment history. Our findings demonstrated that TEP with vocal prosthesis yielded the most favorable overall quality of life and patient satisfaction. Individuals who underwent TEP exhibited superior speech intelligibility, voice quality, and communication ease compared with those who employed esophageal speech acquisition or electrolarynx utilization. While esophageal speech learning exhibited inferior speech quality and functional performance, it offered cost-effectiveness and diminished maintenance advantages. Electrolarynx utilization emerged as the least preferred approach due to suboptimal speech intelligibility and voice quality. The determinants influencing the choice of vocal rehabilitation technique included patient age, sex, disease stage, and previous treatment history. Patient preferences also substantially contributed to the selection of a specific technique. It is essential for clinicians to consider individual factors and patient inclinations when deliberating on an appropriate vocal rehabilitation method following total laryngectomy. Our investigation underscores the significance of collaborative decision making between clinicians and patients to pinpoint the most fitting rehabilitation technique. Future research endeavors should be directed towards enhancing existing approaches, devising innovative methods, and probing long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness to optimize patient care in the aftermath of total laryngectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, drought affects all regions of Morocco, especially in the arid climate region, which has negative consequences on agriculture, economic and environmental. The present study aims to describe the intensity of drought in Morocco and more specifically their impact on the distribution of vegetation. Spatial and temporal remote sensing data are used to monitor drought in the Doukkala region of Morocco, using a set of Landsat images, including Landsat 5(ETM), and Landsat7 (ETM+) captured during the period 1964-2014. This was determined based on remote sensing parameters: temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was determined for the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009, in order to identify the vegetation categories and quantify the vegetation density in the Doukkala region. The NDVI obtained was analyzed using the SPI (Normalized Precipitation Index) based on the rainfall data of the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009. The results obtained showed that the correlation between NDVI and SPI indicated negative values or less than 1. The calculation of VHI showed low values (VHI 40%), which mainly reflect favorable conditions for crop development (no drought). The results of this study can be used for monitoring and evaluation of the drought for sustainable management of the area.

خشکسالی وضعیتی از کمبود بارندگی و افزایش دما است که در هر منطقه جغرافیایی و در هر اقلیمی، حتی در مناطق مرطوب رخ می­دهد که فراوانی و شدت وقوع آن در مناطق خشک و نیمه­خشک بیشتر است. خشکسالی بدون اعلام قبلی رخ می­دهد و دامنه تأثیر آن بر خلاف وقایع طبیعی دیگر بسیار وسیع می­باشد. خسارات ناشی از خشکسالی غیر­ملموس ولی بسیار وسیع و پر هزینه است. لذا اساس یک برنامه منظم برای مدیریت بهتر طبق رخدادهای گذشته پایش خشکسالی را ایجاب می­کند. شاخص‌های خشکسالی هواشناسی مستقیماً از روی ‌داده‌های هواشناسی نظیر بارندگی محاسبه می­شوند و در صورت فقدان داده‌های مذکور، در پایش خشکسالی مفید واقع نخواهند شد. لذا تکنیک سنجش‌ازدور می‌تواند ابزاری مفید در پایش خشکسالی به شمار رود. در این تحقیق به بررسی ارتباط بین شاخص خشکسالی هواشناسی (شاخص SPI) و شاخص­های سنجش‌ازدوری VCI، TCI و VHI در استان­های اصفهان، چهارمحال و بختیاری، مرکزی و قم پرداخته شده است. در این راستا، با بهره‌گیری از تصاویر ماهواره مودیس سنجنده ترآ و داده­های بارش ایستگاه­های باران‌سنجی و سینوپتیک واقع در منطقه موردمطالعه، آشکارسازی تغییرات رخ داده در بازه زمانی 10 ساله محاسبه گردید. بدین منظور ابتدا با بررسی داده­های ایستگاه­های موجود و با استفاده از مدل شاخص بارش استاندارد شده (SPI) چهار ماه (فروردین، اردیبهشت، خرداد و تیر) به‌عنوان نمونه انتخاب شد. در این مطالعه با توجه به‌دقت زمانی، پوشش طیفی بالا، سهولت دسترسی، عدم نیاز به تصحیح اتمسفری و زمین مرجع نمودن، تصاویر با کد (MOD11A2 و MOD13A2) از محصولات ماهواره مودیس سنجنده ترا مربوط به سال­های 2011 تا 2020 به دلیل اطمینان از وجود پدیده ترسالی و خشکسالی استفاده شد و سپس شاخص SPI با شاخص­های VCI، TCI و VHI به‌صورت تلفیقی مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. نتایج پایش خشکسالی نشان داد که طی این دوره ده‌ساله در برخی از سال­ها خشکسالی شدید وجود داشته که در همان سال نیز بارش به میزان کمتری رخ داده است. برای مثال در سال 2020 این خشکسالی بسیار شدید بوده است و در سال 2011 ترسالی بسیار شدیدی را نشان داد. نتایج حاصل از همبستگی بین شاخص SPI و شاخص­های سنجش‌ازدوری نشان داد که شاخص SPI بالاترین همبستگی را با شاخص VCI در سطح 01/0 دارد که مشخص گردید تصاویر MODIS و شاخص­های ساخته شده دارای قابلیت لازم برای پایش خشکسالی می‌باشد. نتایج این تحقیق می­تواند گزینه مناسبی برای تصمیم­گیران به‌منظور بررسی نظارت، بررسی و حل‌وفصل شرایط خشکسالی مؤثر باشد و ضرورت تعریف نمایه­ای را دو چندان کند.

This study spatially monitored drought in Iran using drought indicators. Four drought indicators measured from 2016 to 2020 were used: temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation condition index (VCI), vegetation health index (VHI), and precipitation condition index (PCI). Moreover, a standardized precipitation index (SPI) was prepared using rainfall measurements from 1989 to 2019. The TCI revealed that most of Iran was classified as having "severe drought" in 2020. The highest value of VCI showed for northern Iran, which belongs to the class without drought. The VHI indicated that vegetation stress increased over the study period throughout the region, and areas of severe and moderate drought reached their greatest extents in the aforementioned years. Significant droughts occurred in central, eastern, and southeastern Iran, and mild droughts occurred in northern Iran. The PCI indicated that rainfall amounts have diminished in most of the country over the period of study. The 30-year SPI showed that northern Iran received fine rain and the region has parts that can be classified as either extremely wet or very wet. However, most of the country was extremely dry and severely dry. The analysis of the VHI index for agricultural plants showed that 27.71% of Iran's agricultural regions, including the provinces of Razavi Khorasan, Hamadan, and Khozestan, experienced "critical drought" conditions. The study provides guidance for the selection of the most useful drought-monitoring indicators and can enable a more thorough understanding of drought in arid and semiarid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show that functional dysphonia among teachers can lead to emotional stress, high rates of sickness and negative effects on their students' learning success. The study's aim was to examine the effects of using a silicone tube on both subjective and receptive voice assessment. The study had a pre-/post-test design and involved 36 primary school teachers. They performed daily vocal exercises with a flexible silicone tube for 6 minutes. The participants filled out the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) for subjective voice assessment and the RBH scale was used for receptive voice assessment. The results showed a significant improvement in the VHI results and the number of handicaps sank by 25 %. The scale value of the RBH scale improved in general. Based on the results, the exercises are suitable for daily use and could assist in preventing functional dysphonia among teachers. Further studies should look at objective acoustic changes in the voice and consider long-term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, drought affects all regions of Morocco, especially in the arid climate region, which has negative consequences on agriculture, economic and environmental. The present study aims to describe the intensity of drought in Morocco and more specifically their impact on the distribution of vegetation. Spatial and temporal remote sensing data are used to monitor drought in the Doukkala region of Morocco, using a set of Landsat images, including Landsat 5 (ETM), and Landsat 7 (ETM+) captured during the period 1964-2014. This was determined based on remote sensing parameters: temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was determined for the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009, in order to identify the vegetation categories and quantify the vegetation density in the Doukkala region. The NDVI obtained was analyzed using the SPI (Normalized Precipitation Index) based on the rainfall data of the years 1966, 1984, 1988, 2000 2006 and 2009. The results obtained showed that the correlation between NDVI and SPI indicated negative values or less than 1. The calculation of VHI showed low values (VHI < 40%) in one part of the studied area that indicate severe to extreme drought conditions, while in the other part the VHI showed high values (VHI > 40%), which mainly reflect favorable conditions for crop development (no drought). The results of this study can be used for monitoring and evaluation of the drought for sustainable management of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This study examined the utility of local estrogen therapy for improving urinary symptoms in women diagnosed with Overactive Bladder allied to the time of onset of urinary symptoms whether pre- or post-menopausal. Materials and Methods: Subject to informed consent, menopausal women diagnosed with Overactive Bladder (OAB) and Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) were enrolled at three urogynecological units. OAB symptoms were scored using the Global Pelvic Floor Symptoms Bother Questionnaire (GPFSBQ), with explicit attention to question number 3 that specifically addresses the presence or absence of urgency and the Patient Perception of Intensity of Urgency Scale (PPIUS). The Vaginal Health Index (VHI) was used to assess the vaginal mucosa trophism. Exclusion criteria included: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) ≥ stage II, urinary tract infection or disease, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, use of diuretics, alcohol or drug addictions, neurological and/or psychiatric disorders, and other precluding conditions. Women were treated with local estrogens for 3 months and re-evaluated. Results: Forty-three post-menopausal women were enrolled. Of these, ten women developed OAB symptoms before menopause (Group I) and 33 developed symptoms after menopause (Group II). Following local estrogen therapy, based on the Global Pelvic Floor Symptoms Bother Questionnaire, improvement of OAB symptoms was reported by 20% of patients in Group I (p = 0.414) and 64% of patients in Group II, (p = 0.002). Based on the PPIUS scale, diminution in urinary urgency was experienced by 20% of patients in Group I (p = 0.68) and 66% of patients in Group II (p = 0.036). Improved VHI scores were graded statisticaly significant in both groups (Group I in 100% of women, p = 0.005 vs. 76% in Group II, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Our results indicate that local estrogen therapy is more effective in women who develop OAB after menopause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core objective of the present study is to analyze the regionalization and spatio-temporal variations of drought over the watershed Constantinois-Seybouse-Mellegue (Northeast Algeria) during the years 2000 to 2020, based on the vegetation health index (VHI) derived from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). VHI depends on heat stress and vegetation condition, which was computed by integrating the Vegetation Condition Index and Temperature Condition Index. Here, we applied K-means clustering algorithm on VHI to find out different clusters with distinct drought characteristics. The spatio-temporal analysis of VHI reveals that the northern (C1), central (C2), and southern (C3) zones of the study area were prone to frequent droughts of no drought to moderate intensity. The spatio-temporal variations of drought characteristics indicated that extensive portions of C1 and C2 areas show no sign of drought, which were determined the "no drought" class. C3 region had suffered long drought period with mild to moderate severity. The results revealed that about 59.91% of the C3 region was under drought in 2012, and therefore, it was considered as a drought year. It should be noted that the C3 region, comprising the semi-arid part of the basin, is vulnerable to frequent, prolonged, and moderate droughts. The results of the regionalization of drought are validated by confusion matrix method. The achieved 79% overall accuracy demonstrates the effectiveness of the method of the regionalization of drought. The obtained results could be important for drought warnings, water resource management, and irrigation scheduling in areas vulnerable to drought risk such as the studied one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical applications of satellite data products include monitoring vegetation dynamics and assessing vegetation health conditions. Some indicators like normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) are used to assess the status of vegetation growth and health. But one of the major problems with passive remote sensing satellite data products is cloud and shadow cover that leads to data gaps in the images. The present study proposes temporal aggregation of images over a short time span and developing short span harmonic analysis of time series (SS-HANTS) and pixel-wise multiple linear regression (PMLR) algorithms for retrieving cloud contaminated NDVI and LST information from Landsat-8 (L8) data products, respectively. The developed algorithms were applied in the northeastern part of Thailand to recover the missing NDVI and LST values from time series L8 images acquired in 2018. The predicted NDVI and LST values at artificially clouded locations were compared with the corresponding clear pixel values. Additionally, the model predicted LST and NDVI values were also compared with MODIS LST and NDVI datasets. The calculated root mean square (RMSE) values were ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 and 1.50 to 2.98 °C for NDVI and LST variables, respectively. The validation statistics show that these models can be satisfactorily applied to retrieve NDVI and LST values from cloud-contaminated pixels of L8 images. Furthermore, a vegetation health index (VHI) computed from cloud retrieved continuous NDVI and LST images at province level shows that most of the western provinces have healthy vegetation condition than other provinces in the northeast of Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture drought is a recurrent phenomenon that affects most parts of Sahel regions. With the advent of various satellite data, drought risk assessment has become more accessible, but the challenge lies in choosing a well-defined time scale. This study aims to contribute to agricultural drought monitoring, based on the calculation of composite indices using the MODIS sensor in the Senegalese Groundnut basin. The approach is based upon vegetation condition and health (VCI, VHI) and temperature (TCI) indices. Subsequently, those indices were evaluated based upon crop yield data, and a Holt-Winter forecasting was performed to determine the driest month in 2020-2021. Here we show that all investigated communes are sensitive to drought, especially Keur-Samba Gueye (in July, September, and October). Based on its significant correlation with VCI and TCI (R²>0.57), VHI was proven to be a reliable water stress indicator. Our approach demonstrates the Groundnut basin’s vulnerability to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought Agricultural is the most repeatedly natural disaster, particularly in arid/semi-arid regions. It causes diversity losses such as crop quality, production, utility rate, and food security as the most important threat. In this study, first, SPEI index is calculated whereby precipitation and temperature data, respectively. The correlation analysis performed between crop yield anomalies and SPEI index to determine critical month/months in which drought severity is severe, and crop reproductive stage is vulnerable. After this step, the best timescale of SPEI is demonstrated and the slope between the best SPEI and crop yield anomalies is calculated to compute ADSI values. Finally, for appreciation of irrigation effects in response to drought stress, analysis of covariance and panel data regression due to SPEI values and crop yield are applied. In addition, the relationship between the SPEI, VHI, and ADSI will be discussed. It is necessary to state that the majority of crops in the region of interest are studied. Also, for obtaining VHI, LST, and NDVI indices as MODIS products have been utilized in the study area. For the most crops, The results indicated that July was a critical month and for the residual crops, August was a critical month with severe drought, whereas some crops had three critical months. Furthermore, significant amount of the crops have been damaged in the flowering stage, plus the corn was more sensitive to drought relative to other crops. The results derived from panel data model regression show that drought sensitivity is incremental in non-irrigation harvest and vice versa. In other words, non-irrigated crops are more sensitive to drought and drought stress increase in an arid and semi-arid acres, significantly. At the end, comparing results of VHI and ADSI imply their strong relationship. ADSI and VHI were able to quantitatively measure the drought intensity. Also, the panel data regression was able to discriminate irrigation and non-irrigation effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nauczyciele to grupa zawodowa, w której najczęściej diagnozowane są zaburzenia głosu. Niepełnosprawność głosowa może rozwijać się przez wiele lat, co utrudnia wykonywanie pracy i codzienne funkcjonowanie. W ostatnim czasie obserwuje się zarówno wzrost liczby szkoleń z profilaktyki zaburzeń głosu, jak i samych zaburzeń. Wśród 221 nauczycieli przeprowadzono badania mające na celu przedstawienie stanu niepełnosprawności głosowej w danej populacji oraz tego, ile z badanych osób znajduje się pod opieką foniatry. Z badań wynika, że u większości nauczycieli – 173 osób (78 proc.) – stopień niepełnosprawności głosu był niski, u 41 osób (18 proc.) średni, u 6 (3 proc.) nie występował, a u 1 osoby (1 proc.) był duży. Spośród badanych nauczycieli 62 proc. znajduje się pod stałą opieką foniatry. Najbardziej narażona chorobowo jest sfera fizyczna głosu. Nauczyciele nadużywają głosu (co widać przy subiektywnej ocenie procentowej używania głosu – p = 0,025). Należy podkreślić, że stanowią grupę zawodową, która potrzebuje wzmożonego wsparcia w zakresie profilaktyki opisywanego problemu.

Drought has the potential to lead to forest fires. Forest fires generally occur during the dry season when the mountain slope forest experiences a water deficit. Drought identification based on remote sensing is useful for mapping potential fires in Arjuno-Welirang Forest and TNBTS Forest (in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park). This research used Landsat-8 images in 118/065 and 118/066 in August and November 2015-2018. Validation data were obtained using high resolution planet scope images and rainfall data. Three drought indices were tested to identify fires, namely TVDI, VHI and NDDI. The indices were tested visually using high resolution images and tested meteorologically using SPI. From the results of the accuracy test and correlation, TVDI had the highest accuracy in the Arjuno-Welirang forest (96% accurate), while the best index for TNBTS was the VHI index (96% accurate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are the backbone of any civilized society as they are the keepers of knowledge, wisdom and values. Lack of infrastructure, manpower and resources makes voice the most important tool for a teacher. Teachers need to speak loudly for long periods often under unfavourable circumstances. Increased vocal effort and incorrect phonation techniques can lead to vocal fold tissue damage and vocal fold pathologies and hence voice problems producing adverse effects on teaching performance. To study the prevalence of voice disorders in Indian female secondary school teacher population. To identify the risk factors for the development of voice disorders. A multicentric, cross-sectional observational study of 200 teachers were conducted in 4 schools over a period of 2 years. Female teachers who gave consent and were willing for follow up were included in the study. Details were collected using a structured questionnaire. Subjective analysis by VHI, perceptual analysis by GRABS score, acoustic analysis and direct visualization using Hopkins 70° rigid laryngoscope were done.The prevalence of voice disorders was 18.5%. Risk factors identified were age group 41–60 years, repeated respiratory allergies, comorbidities, constitutional symptoms, increased number of years of teaching and number of lecture hours per week. VHI, GRABS, Acoustic analysis findings were consistent with Rigid Laryngoscopic finding making them effective tools in the assessment of voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sought to explore the frequency of stress among OPD attending Kashmiri public diagnosed as muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) and determine the subjective consequences of voice therapy in management of muscle tension dysphonia. 72 subjects that attended to ENT and HNS OPD with change of voice were prospectively evaluated and also underwent an extensive otolaryngological examination. Patients identified as MTD were provided a questionnaire which was split into 3 parts: First part dealt with the identification of the subject (age, geography, gender, profession) and also provided evaluation of perceived anxiety using Perceived Stress Scale-10. In the next part the individuals needed to assess their vocal quality based on parameters of GRBAS 4-point score scale before and also after the treatment. In the final component the subjects also needed to answer the VHI-10 (Voice Handicap Index) and also the outcome was compared with those acquired at the assessment before the beginning of the treatment. The mean age of the cohort was 30.31 ± 07.43 (age range, 12–71) and every subject was an indigenous Kashmiri. As expected, vast majority of subjects were females (43 patients). In the pooled information set, women had numerically higher PSS-10 scores than males. For women, the typical stress score was M = 18.6 and for men the average stress score was M = 16.65. In a healthy population, the typical PSS stress score is described to be 13.7 (SD = 6.6) for women and 12.1 (SD = 5.9) for men. At the Wilcoxon test for paired data, we observed a significant difference between the VHI pretreatment (mean = 19.7) and VHI post-treatment, that's at time of the research (mean = 9.73; P = 0.017). The grade (G) was assessed in terms of improvement of the vocal quality as opposed with before treatment and also the individuals demonstrated a high level of satisfaction (mean = 0.65). When looking at roughness (R) as well as breathiness (B), the individuals remember that their speech is seldom rough (mean = 0.62) and also less breathy (median = 0.44). Patients likewise noted improvement in other variables of GRBAS scale. Stress is persistent, pervasive and nearly unavoidable in contemporary life. The decades old perplexing and mind baffling pandemonium hovering around the Kashmiri population has had a tremendous impression on the psychological development of people in this region. A careful conclusion is the fact that emotional stress might play a major role in the upkeep of MTD. MTD has to be approached in a multidisciplinary environment in which closer cooperation between a laryngologist, a speech language pathologist and also a psychologist is likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaginal looseness and decreased sensation during intercourse is prevalent in up to 30%–55% of premenopausal women. The efficacy and safety of CO2 laser have been demonstrated for these indications; however, the effect is temporary, up to 6–12 months. No studies regarding the efficacy and safety of adjuvant laser treatments have been conducted to date. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single maintenance CO 2 laser treatment in women with vaginal looseness and a concurrent decline in sexual sensation during intercourse. This prospective double-blinded randomized controlled trial included premenopausal women who experienced significant temporary improvement in symptoms following previous treatment with CO2 laser due to the abovementioned indications. Participants were randomized to either a single CO2 laser treatment or a single sham treatment. Treatment efficacy evaluated with the female sexual function index (FSFI) and the vaginal health index (VHI). Overall, 119 women were included in the study. Mean VHI and FSFI scores were significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group at three months post-treatment (17.34±1.39 vs 12.86±2.23, P =.023 and 30.93±1.79 vs 25.78±1.87, P =.044, respectively). In the study group, both VHI and FSFI returned to baseline at six months post-treatment. The median rate of sexual intercourse per month was increased in the study group at three months post-treatment (8 vs 4, P =.011), and returned to baseline at six months post-treatment. Maintenance laser treatment provides a temporary non-surgical alternative for women with vaginal looseness and associated sexual dysfunction, though treatment effect seems to be limited to less than 6 months, requiring additional maintenance sessions. The strengths of the current study include a randomized-sham controlled design. Furthermore, VHI was used as an objective evaluation tool, in addition to the FSFI, and assessment of the rate of sexual intercourse. The homogeneity and the relatively small sample size of the cohort is a limitation, and calls for caution in interpretation of the results, and the use of CO2 laser treatment in different age groups and populations. A single maintenance laser treatment in women who previously underwent successful treatment with laser is an effective, well-tolerated, and safe procedure for treating symptoms of vaginal looseness and sexual dysfunction, though effects are temporary. Lauterbach R, Aharoni S, Farago N, et al. Maintenance Laser Treatment for Vaginal Looseness and Sexual Dysfunction: A Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial. J Sex Med 2022;19:1404–1411. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A limited number of single institutions have published retrospective cohort studies on transoral laser microsurgery for supraglottic laryngectomy (TLM-SGL). These studies have shown that the oncologic outcomes of TLM-SGL are comparable to those of open SGL. However, there is limited information available regarding swallowing rehabilitation and quality of life (QoL)., Patients and Methods: SUPRATOL is a prospective, multicenter trial assessing the functional outcomes of TLM-SGL +/- adjuvant radio-(chemo)-therapy. The primary endpoint was aspiration-free swallowing at 12 months, as established using fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and defined as a grade < 6 on the penetration-aspiration scale. Secondary endpoints were swallowing- and voice-related QoL, the prevalence of temporary and permanent tracheostomy and percutaneous gastrostomy, local control, laryngectomy-free survival, overall survival, and disease-free survival, as well as the influence of treatment centers on outcomes., Results: From April 2015 to February 2018, 102 patients were recruited from 26 German Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) hospitals. All patients had TLM-SGL and 96.1% underwent uni- or bilateral, mostly selective neck dissection. To 47.0% of patients, adjuvant radio-(chemo)-therapy (R(C)T) was administered. The median follow-up period was 24.1 months. At 12-month follow-up, completed by 84.3% of patients, 98.2%, 95.5%, and 98.8% were free of aspiration when tested with saliva, liquid, or pulp. Adjuvant R(C)T, pT category, and type of resection had no significant influence on swallowing rehabilitation. A total of 40.2% of patients had been tracheotomized, and in 46.1% of patients, a PEG tube was inserted. At the 24-month follow-up, 5.3% of patients still required a tracheostomy, and 8.0% continued to use a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. Deterioration of swallowing- and voice-related QoL was observed immediately after treatment, but patients recovered, and baseline values were reached again. The Kaplan-Meier 2-year rates for local control, laryngectomy-free survival, overall survival, and disease-free survival were 88%, 92%, 93%, and 82%, respectively., Conclusions: Our prospective multicenter trial shows that, at 12 months post-TLM-SGL +/- R(C)T, 95.5%-98.8% of patients achieved aspiration-free swallowing. Morbidity was higher than previously reported. The rates of permanent tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement correspond to previous cohort studies. The 2-year oncologic outcomes are within the reported range., Clinical Trial Registration: https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00004641, identifier (DRKS00004641)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Ambrosch, Meuret, Dietz, Fazel, Fietkau, Tostmann, Schroeder, Lammert, Künzel, Jäckel, Boeger, Scherl, Deitmer, Breitenstein, Delank, Hilber, Vester, Knipping, Harreus, Scheich, Bartel, Plontke, Koscielny, Veit, Greve, Schilling, Linxweiler, Weiß, Psychogios, Arens, Wittekindt, Oeken, Grosheva and Borzikowsky.)

Background: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is prevalent and can lead to voice disorders, but its diagnosis is difficult, because of limited correlations between clinical symptoms and organic pathology. Various tools and methods have been explored to aid a diagnosis of LPR. Objective: To investigate associations between reflux symptoms, acoustic-, perceptual-, and physical vocal characteristics, glottal function index (GFI), and vocal handicap index (VHI) in adults with non-organic voice disorders. Methods: Data of 51 adults with non-organic voice disorders were collected, using a retrospective cohort explorative research design, at a private ear, nose and throat specialist practice in Gauteng, South Africa. Quantitative outcomes were compared between reflux symptom index (RSI), acoustic characteristics (jitter, shimmer and fundamental frequency [F0]), maximum phonation time, perceptual- (GRBASI) and physical vocal characteristics, GFI and VHI. Results: The RSI showed positive fair correlations against GFI, VHIP and caffeine intake, indicating an increase in reflux symptoms with higher scores on the various measures. Moderate correlations were also found between GFI and VHIP, grade of hoarseness and jitter, strain and VHIP, strain and VHI total (VHIT) and between Asthenia and jitter. Very strong correlations were found within the various subsections of the VHI as well as between jitter and shimmer and between F0-male and physical symptoms of the VHI (VHIP). Conclusion: Results indicated associations between reflux symptoms, vocal characteristics, the GFI and the VHI. Based on the correlations found these tools used in conjunction could improve clinical diagnosis of LPR. Implications of these findings are promising, but further research is recommended. Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge to support the accurate clinical diagnosis of LPR using subjective measures to determine LPR symptoms, as well as acoustic analysis.

Background and Objectives: The efficiency and optimal voice rest period following phonosurgery remains debatable. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a safe and cheap alternative to many bioactive agents being studied on animal models, and is already in use in many medical areas. We investigate the short-term effects of PRP and voice rest on voice outcomes following phonosurgery as an alternative to voice rest alone. Materials and Methods: A prospective single-blinded pilot study was conducted. Sixteen patients with a diagnosis of vocal fold cyst and polyps were included, forming equal groups (PRP and voice rest vs. voice rest alone). Voice analysis was carried out on the preoperative day, day three, and week three following surgery. The measured parameters were fundamental frequency (F0), noise–signal ratio (NSR), harmonic poverty (HP), attack alteration (AL), pitch instability (PI), and amplitude instability (AI).VHI(Voice Handicap Index)-30 questionnaires were carried out before surgery and three weeks following surgery to assess the impact of subjective voice change on quality of life. PRP was obtained using commercial kits with separator gel. Results: An average 3.68-fold increase in platelets was obtained with PRP. No side effects were noted after injection. All voice parameters improved on day three and week three following surgery. Statistical significance was noted only in the fundamental frequency of male patients (p = 0.048) in favor of the PRP-voice rest group. In addition, the VHI- 30 questionnaire results between preoperative and postoperative assessments showed statistically significant differences in total VHI score (p = 0.02) as well as the physical (p = 0.05) and emotional (p = 0.02) scale in favor of the PRP-voice rest group. Conclusions: PRP presents short term safety in patients who undergo phonosurgery, although long-term outcomes are unknown. PRP and voice rest are superior to voice rest alone when considering subjective assessment of the voice. When analyzing acoustic parameters, PRP and voice rest are not superior to voice rest alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a situation of lack of rainfall and rising temperatures that occurs in any geographical area and in any climate, even in humid areas. The frequency and severity of drought are higher in arid and semi-arid regions. Drought occurs without notice and has a wide range of impacts unlike other natural disasters. The damage caused by drought is intangible but very large and costly. Therefore, the basis of a regular program for better management according to past events requires drought monitoring. Meteorological drought indices are calculated directly from meteorological data such as rainfall. In the absence of such data, they will not be useful in monitoring drought. Therefore, remote sensing technique can be a useful tool in drought monitoring. In this study, the relationship between standardized precipitation index (SPI index) and remote sensing indices of VCI, TCI and VHI in Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Markazi, and Qom provinces was investigated. Using satellite images of Modis Terra sensor and precipitation data of rain gauge and synoptic stations located in the studied area, the changes occurred over a period of 10 years was calculated. For this purpose, four months (April, May, June, and July) were selected as a sample by reviewing the data of existing stations and using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) model. In this study, due to time accuracy, high spectrum coverage, ease of access, no need for atmospheric correction and ground reference, images with code (MOD11A2 and MOD13A2) of Modis satellite sensor products related to the years 2011 to 2020 due to confidence of wet and drought phenomena was used and then SPI index was compared with VCI, TCI, and VHI indices in combination. The results of drought monitoring showed that during the tenyear period, there was severe drought in some years, and in the same year, less rainfall occurred. In 2020, for example, the drought was very severe, and in 2011 it was very wet. The results of the correlation between SPI index and remote sensing indices showed that SPI index has the highest correlation with VCI index at the level of 0.01. It was found that MODIS images and constructed indices have the necessary capability for drought monitoring. The results of this study can be a good option for decision makers to monitor, investigate and resolve drought conditions and double the need to define an index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Desert Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The core aims of the present study are first to compute the Scaled Drought Condition Index (SDCI) by integrating Precipitation Condition Index (PCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) for the northeast (NE) monsoon period during the year 2000 to 2019 in the tropical semi-arid ecosystem of Tamil Nadu (TN) state of southern India. Secondly, to assess the dynamics of vulnerability to agricultural drought by using SDCI and identify the critical vulnerability zones in TN state. The PCI, TCI, and VCI were computed from time-series Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) products, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance of MOD11A2, and vegetation indices of MOD13Q1, respectively. The results explain that about 0.1, 13.0, and 39.5% of TN state especially in the northern, NE, western, and southern zones are vulnerable to extreme, severe, and moderate vulnerability to agricultural drought, respectively. In the drought year (2016), about 79.9% area of TN state experienced extreme vulnerability to agricultural drought. The validation of SDCI with the 3-month Standardized Precipitation Index (3-SPI) and Vegetation Health Index (VHI) for the dry year (2016) and wet year (2010) shows a moderate to a strong a positive correlation. It evidently shows the influence of rainfall on overall vegetation and agricultural drought. The study amply reveals that PCI, TCI, and VCI are the most important indices associated with agricultural drought and are clearly explained by the robust SDCI computed from temporal CHIRPS and MODIS datasets in the effective assessment of vulnerability to agricultural drought in the TN state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the relationships between agrometeorological drought indices and the impact of agricultural drought in Slovenia are not yet well understood, the aim of this study was to make an indicative evaluation of the success of selected drought indices, addressing topsoil layer and vegetation condition, in detecting drought in agriculture. In this study, the performance of two established drought indices—the SPEI (standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index) and the VHI (vegetation health index)—was evaluated with respect to yield values calculated with the LINGRA-N model, specifically, the ratio between actual and potential transpiration, also known as drought factor (TRANRF), actual root zone water content (SMACT), leaf area index (LAI), reserve dry weight (WRE), and root dry weight (WRT). The two grassland species selected for analysis were Dactylis glomerata L. (dg) and Lolium perenne L. (lp). For the period 2002–2020 or 2015–2020, three farm sites in Slovenia were considered for evaluation, with two farms at a higher altitude site and one farm at a lower altitude site in the Alpine region. Evaluation of the yield data with the drought indices showed that the r2 values of the linear regression for the selected years with the highest drought impacts (2003, 2013, and 2017) were highest between the two SPEI indices (SPEI-2, SPEI-3) and the model variables TRANRF, SMACT, and WRT, with r2 higher than 0.5 and statistically significant for the lower situated farm in 2013. For 2003 and 2017, the r2 values were less significant as well as for the model variable WRE for all three years selected for analysis (2003, 2013, and 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural drought seriously affects the economies of developing countries due to heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture. The present study aimed to assess agricultural drought based on vegetation condition index (VCI) and vegetation health index (VHI) using geospatial techniques, the case of Gilgel Gibe sub-basin southern Ethiopia. Landsat images of TM 1990, ETM + of 2000 and OLI/TIRS of 2020 were used to calculate VCI and VHI for assessing agricultural drought. A normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) were used to estimate agricultural drought through VCI and VHI. The result revealed that NDVI declined from 1990 to 2020 due to expansion of agricultural lands and other socioeconomic activities. The output of VCI values indicates that extreme drought was increased from 0.3 km2 in 1990 to.4 km2 and 0.7 km2 in 2000 and 2020, respectively. In addition, severe drought occurred in 2020 on an area of 6 km2 (0.1%). Consequently, moderate drought was increased by area of 3.3 km2, 22.2 km2 and 1051.1 km2 in 1990, 2000 and 2020, respectively, based on VHI in the study area. Thus, to minimize the negative effects of agricultural drought on socioeconomic and well-being of the society in the Gilgel Gibe sub-basin forest and other natural resources conservations are essentials not optional. To alleviate the detrimental consequences of agricultural drought on socioeconomic and well-being, forest and other natural resources conservation is necessary. Moreover, detailed research should be conducted in the study area by using high-resolution satellite data with ground control points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate short- and long-term outcome of injection augmentation with autologous adipose tissue (AAT) and calcium hydroxylapatite injection (CAHA) in patients with a unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP). Design/methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed in patients diagnosed with UVFP, who had received injection augmentation with AAT or CAHA. Multidimensional voice analysis was performed before, 3 and 12 months after injection. This analysis included patient self-assessment (Voice Handicap Index-30), perceptual (overall dysphonia grade according to the GRBAS scale), aerodynamic (MPT, s/z ratio) and acoustic (fundamental frequency, dynamic range) parameters. Effects were assessed using a linear mixed model analysis. Results: Forty-six patients were available for evaluation, with a total of 53 injection augmentations (AAT n = 39; CAHA n = 14). We found significant improvement of patient self-assessment and perceptive voice outcome at 3 months, which were maintained at 12 months. In the CAHA group, s/z ratio and dynamic range of extreme frequencies also improved significantly over time. No statistically significant differences were found between the two treatments (AAT vs. CAHA). No major complications were reported. Conclusion: This study, using a guide-line recommended panel of outcome parameters, shows a high success rate of injection augmentation with AAT or CAHA for patients with UVFP at 12 months with significant improvement in most voice outcome parameters, although voices do not completely normalize. There is no significant difference in outcome between the two materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]