ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The output sound has important changes throughout life due to anatomical and physiological modifications in the larynx and vocal tract. Understanding the young adult to the elderly speech acoustic characteristics may assist in the synthesis of representative voices of men and women of different age groups. OBJECTIVE: To obtain the fundamental frequency (f0), formant frequencies (F1, F2, F3, F4), and bandwidth (B1, B2, B3, B4) values extracted from the sustained vowel /a/ of young, middle-aged, and elderly adults who are Brazilian Portuguese speakers; to present the application of these parameters in vowel synthesis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. METHODS: The acoustic analysis of tokens of the 162 sustained vowel /a/ produced by vocally healthy adults, men, and women, between 18 and 80 years old, was performed. The adults were divided into three groups: young adults (18 to 44 years old); middle-aged adults (45 to 59 years old) and, elderly adults (60 to 80 years old). The f0, F1, F2, F3, F4, B1, B2, B3, B4 were extracted from the audio signals. Their average values were applied to a source-filter mathematical model to perform vowel synthesis in each age group both men and woman. RESULTS: Young women had higher f0 than middle-aged and elderly women. Elderly women had lower F1 than middle-aged women. Young women had higher F2 than elderly women. For the men's output sound, the source-filter acoustic measures were statistically equivalent among the age groups. Average values of the f0, F1, F2, F3, F4, B1, and B2 were higher in women. The sound waves distance in signals, the position of formant frequencies and the dimension of the bandwidths visible in spectra of the synthesized sounds represent the average values extracted from the volunteers' emissions for the sustained vowel /a/ in Brazilian Portuguese. CONCLUSION: Sustained vowel /a/ produced by women presented different values of f0,F1 and F2 between age groups, which was not observed for men. In addition to the f0 and the formant frequencies, the bandwidths were also different between women and men. The synthetic vowels available represent the acoustic changes found for each sex as a function of age.
ABSTRACT
O levantamento de peso tem sido associado ao hábito do apertamento dentário e, consequentemente, à predisposição de disfunção temporomandibular (DTM). Mesmo o CrossFit® sendo uma modalidade que trabalha com levantamento de peso, não foram encontrados artigos que investigaram a DTM em seus praticantes. OBJETIVO: Estimar a frequência e severidade dos sintomas de disfunções temporomandibulares em praticantes de CrossFit® e verificar se há relação com a participação em competições ou o tempo de prática da modalidade. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado nos três boxes de CrossFit® existentes no município de Jaú/SP. Praticantes pertencentes ao sexo masculino, com idade entre 20 e 40 anos, foram avaliados utilizando-se o Índice Anamnésico de Fonseca. As variáveis de desfecho foram o escore de sintomas e grau de severidade da DTM, além da participação em competições e o tempo de prática da modalidade. Houve aprovação da pesquisa pelo Comitê de Ética das Faculdades Integradas de Jaú (CAAE 91712418.3.0000.5427). RESULTADOS: Dos 52 participantes da pesquisa, 40,4% possuem sintomas de DTM. Desses, 38,4% de grau leve e 2,0% de grau moderado. Não foi encontrada diferença estatística comparando-se o tempo de prática ou competidores e não competidores. CONCLUSÃO: A frequência de sintomas de DTM em praticantes de CrossFit é de 40,4%. O grau de severidade predominante foi o leve. Não foi encontrada relação entre o aumento da frequência e o tempo de prática da modalidade ou o fato de ser competidor.
Weight lifting has been associated with teeth clenching and, consequently, the predisposition to temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Even though CrossFit® is a modality that works with weight lifting, no papers were found that investigated TMD in its practitioners. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency and severity of temporomandibular disorders symptoms in CrossFit® practitioners and to verify whether there is a relation between participation in competitions or this sport practice time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study, approved by the Research Ethics Committee from Faculdades Integradas de Jaú (CAAE 91712418.3.0000.5427), conducted in the three CrossFit® boxes that exists in the city. Male practitioners, between 20 and 40 years old, were assessed using Fonseca Anamnesic Index. The outcome variables were: symptom score and degree of TDM severity, as well participation in competitions and sport practice time. RESULTS: Regarding the 52 research participants, 40.4% have TMD symptoms. Out of these, 38.4% show mild and 2.0% moderate TMD. No statistical difference was found comparing practice time or competitors and non-competitors. CONCLUSION: The frequency of TMD symptoms in CrossFit® practitioners is 40.4%. The predominant degree of severity was mild. No relation was found between the increased incidence and the modality practice time, or the fact of being a competitor.
Subject(s)
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome , Weight Lifting , BruxismABSTRACT
The apoptosis phenomenon happens in normal tissues and in many pathological conditions as described by several researchers. Most studied in the 70s, this phenomenon remained almost forgotten in the 90s, when, with the advent of more advanced techniques, returned to laboratories. Thus, electronic microscopy, Comet Assays and histochemistry techniques, among others, were utilized in an effort to elucidate in a thorough way, the mechanisms that lead the cell to "suicide". No one can deny the importance of the knowledge of such phenomenon, so as to control its induction or blocking in the treatment of pathologies such as cancer. In this work, the apoptosis study was aimed at denervated muscles in different periods. Furthermore, two types of skeletal striated muscles were compared: the one called red muscle (soleo) which is resistant to fatigue, having a slow contraction, and the one named white muscle (EDL) of precocious fatigue and fast contraction. Previoulsy carried out in the techniques mentioned above, this work has been accomplished using the TUNEL technique, which is most accepted in the identification of apoptosis. It was demonstrated that this phenomenon takes place in a more marked way, in the beginning of the denervation process. In addition, it was observed that the red muscle responds more intensely to denervation than the white muscle. One can infer that the removal of the main cell function, the contraction, in the case of the skeletal striated muscle, triggers the chain reactions that culminate in apoptosis. Other projects are in process using mutant animals aiming at studying degenerative muscular illnesses and correlating them with denervation.
El fenómeno apoptosis ocurre en tejidos normales y en muchas condiciones patológicas, de acuerdo a lo relatado en varios trabajos. El estudio de este fenómeno tuvo su apogeo en la década del 70, permaneciendo en el olvido hasta la década del 90, momento en el cual comienzan a surgir técnicas más avanzadas, que motivaron su retorno a laboratorios de todo el mundo. Así, técnicas de microscopía electrónica, histoquímica, ensayos cometa, etc., fueron utilizados en los esfuerzos de elucidar de forma más profunda los mecanismos que conllevan a la célula al "suicidio". No se puede negar la importancia del conocimiento de ese fenómeno o, más específicamente, del control de su inducción o bloqueo para el tratamiento de patologías como el cáncer, por ejemplo. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo el estudio de apoptosis en músculo inervados, por diferentes periodos. También fueron comparados dos tipos de músculo estriado, el llamado músculo rojo (m. soleo), resistente a la fatiga y de contracción lenta, un músculo blanco (m. EDL) de fatiga precoz y contracción rápida. Este trabajo hace parte de un proyecto mayor ya desarrollado por sus ejecutores, sólo que utilizando la técnica del TUNEL como herramienta principal para identificar la apoptosis. Fue demostrado que tal fenómeno ocurre de forma más acentuada en los momentos iniciales de la desnervación. Además de eso, fue observado que el músculo rojo responde de manera más intensa a la desnervación. Nos parece inferir que la retirada de la principal función celular, en el caso del músculo estriado, la contracción despierta un mecanismo cuya reacción en cadena culmina en apoptosis. Otros proyectos están siendo elaborados con el propósito de utilizar animales mutantes, para estudiar enfermedades musculares degenerativas y correlacionarlas a la desnervación.
