Trabajo interdisciplinario en las profesiones de la voz humana: retos, límites y proyecciones

El presente documento resume los principales aportes del conversatorio titulado "Trabajo interdisciplinario en las profesiones de la voz humana: retos, límites y proyecciones", organizado por Vocology Center el 18 de julio de 2023, que reunió a líderes y representantes de diversas agremiaciones relacionadas con la voz humana, incluyendo profesionales del ámbito clínico, artístico, rehabilitación vocal, voz ocupacional, pedagogía vocal y otras disciplinas afines. El propósito de este conversatorio fue promover un debate crítico sobre la naturaleza del trabajo interdisciplinario en el estudio de la voz humana. Se exploraron los desafíos que surgen al configurar equipos de trabajo que incluyan profesionales con diferentes enfoques y experticias en el abordaje de la voz, así como los límites inherentes a los diversos roles y funciones desempeñados por los profesionales especializados en este campo, junto con las cuestiones éticas emergentes en este proceso. Con un enfoque encaminado a fortalecer alianzas interdisciplinarias, el evento se centró en la búsqueda de una comunicación y colaboración más efectiva. Este documento marca un avance significativo en la comprensión y colaboración interdisciplinar en el cuidado de la voz humana.

This document summarizes the main contributions of the panel discussion titled "Interdisciplinary work in the human voice professions: challenges, limits and projections" organized by the Vocology Center on July 18, 2023. The event brought together leaders and representatives from various associations related to the human voice, including professionals from the clinical, artistic, vocal rehabilitation, occupational voice, vocal pedagogy, and other related disciplines. The purpose of this panel discussion was to promote a critical debate on the nature of interdisciplinary work in the study of the human voice. The discussion explored the challenges that emerge when teams that include professionals with different approaches and expertise address voice production, as well as the inherent boundaries of the various roles and functions performed by specialized professionals in this field, along with the emerging ethical issues in this process. With a focus on strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations, the event centered on seeking more effective communication and collaboration. This document represents a significant step forward in understanding and fostering interdisciplinary cooperation in the care of the human voice.

Ajuste fino de un modelo de producción vocal para estimar el estrés de impacto utilizando un método metaheurístico

Introducción: En modelos de producción vocal que emplean estructuras de resorte-masa-amortiguador, la precisión en la determinación de coeficientes de amortiguamiento que se asemejen a las características fisiológicas de las cuerdas vocales es crucial, teniendo en cuenta posibles variaciones en la representación de la viscoelasticidad. Objetivo: Este estudio tiene como objetivo realizar un ajuste paramétrico de un modelo de producción vocal basado en un sistema de resorte-masa-amortiguador que incorpora interacción con la presión subglótica, con el fin de modelar de manera precisa las fuerzas de colisión ejercidas por las cuerdas vocales durante la fonación. Método: Se utilizó un algoritmo de búsqueda metaheurística para la síntesis paramétrica. El algoritmo se aplicó a los coeficientes de elasticidad c1 y c2, así como a los coeficientes de amortiguamiento ε1 y ε2, que se correlacionan directamente con las matrices de masa del modelo. Esto facilita el ajuste de la composición de las cuerdas para lograr un comportamiento fisiológico deseado. Resultados: El comportamiento del sistema vocal para cada ciclo de simulación se comparó con un estándar predefinido en condiciones normales. El algoritmo determinó el punto final de la simulación evaluando las discrepancias entre características clave de las señales obtenidas y las deseadas. Conclusión: El ajuste paramétrico permitió la aproximación del comportamiento fisiológico de la producción vocal, proporcionando estimaciones de las fuerzas de impacto experimentadas por las cuerdas vocales durante la fonación.

Introduction: In vocal production models employing spring-mass-damper frameworks, precision in determining damping coefficients that align with physiological vocal fold characteristics is crucial, accounting for potential variations in the representation of viscosity-elasticity properties. Objective: This study aims to conduct a parametric fitting of a vocal production model based on a mass-spring-damper system incorporating subglottic pressure interaction, with the purpose of accurately modeling the collision forces exerted by vocal folds during phonation. Method: A metaheuristic search algorithm was employed for parametric synthesis. The algorithm was applied to elasticity coefficients c1 and c2, as well as damping coefficients ε1 and ε2, which directly correlate with the mass matrices of the model. This facilitates the adjustment of fold composition to achieve desired physiological behavior. Results: The vocal system's behavior for each simulation cycle was compared to a predefined standard under normal conditions. The algorithm determined the simulation endpoint by evaluating discrepancies between key features of the obtained signals and the desired ones. Conclusion: Parametric fitting enabled the approximation of physiological vocal production behavior, providing estimates of the impact forces experienced by vocal folds during phonation.

Systematic Review of Literature on Vocal Demand Response: Understanding Physiology, Measurements, and Associated Factors.

PURPOSE: Considering the conceptual migration from vocal load and vocal loading to vocal demand and vocal demand response, this review of literature aimed to identify physiological explanations, reported measurements, and associated factors (vocal demands) reported in the literature when considering the phonatory response to a vocal demand. METHODS: A systematic review of literature, following the PRISMA Statement, was conducted using Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Data were analyzed and presented in two parts. First, a bibliometric analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and content analysis were performed. Three criteria that got article inclusion were defined: (1) written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese; (2) published between 2009 and 2021; and (3) focused on vocal load and loading, vocal demand response, and voice assessment parameters. A total of 54 publications met the criteria and were included in this review. The second part included a conceptual framework based on the content analysis of three aspects of vocal demand response: (1) physiological explanations, (2) reported measurements, and (3) vocal demands. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: As would be expected since vocal demand response is a relatively new term and not yet commonly used in literature when discussing way that the speakers respond to communicative scenarios, most of the studies reviewed (both historical and recent) still use the term of vocal load and vocal loading. Although there is a broad variety of literature discussing a wide range of vocal demands and voice parameters used to characterize the vocal demand response, results show that there is consistency across the studies. While vocal demand response is unique and intrinsic to the talker, associated factors that contribute to this response include both internal talker and external talker factors. Internal factors include muscle stiffness, viscosity in the phonatory system, vocal fold tissue damage, elevated sound pressure levels during occupational voice demands, extended periods of voice use, suboptimal body posture, difficulties in breathing technique, and sleep disturbances. Associated external factors include the working environment (noise, acoustics, temperature, humidity). In conclusion, although vocal demand response is intrinsic to the speaker, the speaker's response is affected by external vocal demands. However, due to the wide methods to evaluate vocal demand response, it has been difficult to establish its contribution to voice disorders in the general population and, specifically, among occupational voice users. This literature review identified commonly reported parameters and factors that may help clinicians and researchers define vocal demand response.

Developments in Image Processing Using Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning.

The growth in the volume of data generated, consumed, and stored, which is estimated to exceed 180 zettabytes in 2025, represents a major challenge both for organizations and for society in general. In addition to being larger, datasets are increasingly complex, bringing new theoretical and computational challenges. Alongside this evolution, data science tools have exploded in popularity over the past two decades due to their myriad of applications when dealing with complex data, their high accuracy, flexible customization, and excellent adaptability. When it comes to images, data analysis presents additional challenges because as the quality of an image increases, which is desirable, so does the volume of data to be processed. Although classic machine learning (ML) techniques are still widely used in different research fields and industries, there has been great interest from the scientific community in the development of new artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The resurgence of neural networks has boosted remarkable advances in areas such as the understanding and processing of images. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive survey regarding advances in AI design and the optimization solutions proposed to deal with image processing challenges. Despite the good results that have been achieved, there are still many challenges to face in this field of study. In this work, we discuss the main and more recent improvements, applications, and developments when targeting image processing applications, and we propose future research directions in this field of constant and fast evolution.

Association Between Bilingualism, Vocal Effort, and Background Noise With Voice Fundamental Frequency and LTAS Among Spanish-English Bilingual Teachers.

BACKGROUND: As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the demand for bilingual teachers has grown exponentially. However, the unique combination of being a bilingual occupational voice user establishes challenges that warrant careful examination. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between bilingualism, vocal effort, and background noise with fundamental frequency and long-term spectrum average among Spanish-English bilingual teachers. METHODS: Exploratory cross-sectional correlational study with the participation of eight Spanish-English proficient bilingual teachers (native Spanish speakers) who were teaching online classes during the quarantines established to mitigate the propagation of COVID-19. Participants were asked to read two standardized texts (one in English and one in Spanish) under two background noise conditions (with and without background white noise). RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between language and vocal effort considering that the association of vocal effort with fo was different for Spanish and English. There was also a significant main effect of background noise on fo. There were significant differences in voice spectral characteristics between productions in Spanish and English and between productions with and without background noise. The alpha ratio was significantly higher in productions in English and with background noise compared with productions in Spanish without background noise. The mid to high spectral energy ratio (1-5 K/5-8 K) was significantly lower in productions in English and with higher perceived vocal effort compared with productions in Spanish and with lower scores on the Borg Scale. CONCLUSION: Our findings introduce a need perspective by emphasizing the impact of speaking a second language on the work-relatedness of voice disorders among teachers. These findings stress the necessity to factor in language and environmental conditions for the comprehensive evaluation and management of work-related voice disorders.

Abordaje robótico de la exenteración pélvica masculina. Sistematización de la técnica / Robotic pelvic exenteration in males: Systematization of the technique

La exenteración pélvica masculina es un procedimiento complejo con elevada morbilidad. En casos muy seleccionados, el abordaje robótico puede facilitar la disección y reducir la morbilidad gracias a la mejor visión y versatilidad de movimientos. Describimos la técnica de exenteración pélvica robótica sistematizada con DaVinci Xi y sus variantes en varones, tras haber intervenido tres casos en nuestro Centro. Describimos la colocación de trocares, material necesario, localización de minilaparotomía y secuencia de los procedimientos a realizar paso a paso. Distinguimos tres supuestos: exenteración pélvica total con amputación de recto, colostomía y urostomía; exenteración pélvica con preservación de esfínter, anastomosis colo-rectal/anal y urostomía; exenteración pélvica con amputación de recto, colostomía y reconstrucción de tracto urinario. (AU)

Male pelvic exenteration is a challenging procedure with high morbidity. In very selected cases robotic approach could make dissection easier and decrease morbidity due to a better view and higher range of movements. In this paper we describe port placement, instruments, minilaparotomy location and sequence of procedures step by step. We differentiate three situations: total pelvic exenteration with abdominoperineal resection, colostomy and urostomy; pelvic exenteration with colo-rectal/anal anastomosis and urostomy; pelvic exenteration with abdominoperineal resection, colostomy and urinary tract reconstruction. (AU)

Robotic pelvic exenteration in males: systematization of the technique.

Male pelvic exenteration is a challenging procedure with high morbidity. In very selected cases, the robotic approach could make dissection easier and decrease morbidity due to the better vision provided and higher range of movements. In this paper, we describe port placement, instruments, minilaparotomy location, and the stepwise sequence of these procedures. We address 3 different situations: total pelvic exenteration with abdominoperineal resection, colostomy and urostomy; pelvic exenteration with colorectal/anal anastomosis and urostomy; and pelvic exenteration with abdominoperineal resection, colostomy and urinary tract reconstruction.

Efectos de la contaminación ambiental sobre la salud de la población mediante una revisión narrativa / Effects of environmental pollution on populations health through a narrative review

Mediante la disminución de los niveles de contaminación del aire los países pueden reducir la carga en morbilidad derivada de accidentes cerebrovasculares, cáncer de pulmón y neumopatías crónicas y agudas. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar los efectos a corto y largo plazo que tiene la contaminación ambiental sobre la salud de la población por medio de una revisión narrativa de tipo cualitativo y descriptivo. El método de búsqueda e identificación de los estudios se realizó por medio de las siguientes bases de datos electrónicas: Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct, entre otras; con un estado del arte de máximo 5 años posteriores a su fecha de publicación. De acuerdo con la búsqueda realizada en las bases de datos, se seleccionaron un total de 10 artículos en los cuales se encontraron diferentes efectos de la contaminación ambiental en la salud humana a nivel respiratorio, cardiovascular, hepático, neurológico, gestacional, inmunológico, entre otros sistemas a causa del material particulado encontrado en el ambiente como los son del PM 2.5, PM10 Y otros gases relacionados con la contaminación y los efectos sobre la salud. Los resultados de esta revisión narrativa confirman los efectos asociados a la contaminación ambiental a corto plazo y largo plazo del aumento de las concentraciones de las partículas contaminantes encontradas en el ambiente. Palabras claves: contaminación ambiental, partículas contaminantes, efectos corto plazo, efectos largo plazo, material particulado.

By lowering air pollution levels, countries can reduce the burden of disease from strokes, lung cancer, and chronic and acute lung diseases. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the short and long-term effects of environmental pollution on the health of the population through a qualitative and descriptive narrative review. The search and identification method of the studies was carried out through the following electronic databases: Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct, among others; with a state of the art of a maximum of 5 years after its publication date. According to the search carried out in the databases, a total of 10 were selected in which different effects of environmental pollution on human health were found at the respiratory, cardiovascular, liver, neurological, gestational, and immune levels, among other systems. due to particulate matter found in the environment such as PM 2.5, PM10 and other gases related to pollution and health effects. The results of this narrative review confirm the short-term and long-term effects associated with environmental pollution of increased concentrations of polluting particles found in the environment.

A Novel Trademark Image Retrieval System Based on Multi-Feature Extraction and Deep Networks.

Graphical Search Engines are conceptually used in many development areas surrounding information retrieval systems that aim to provide a visual representation of results, typically associated with retrieving images relevant to one or more input images. Since the 1990s, efforts have been made to improve the result quality, be it through improved processing speeds or more efficient graphical processing techniques that generate accurate representations of images for comparison. While many systems achieve timely results by combining high-level features, they still struggle when dealing with large datasets and abstract images. Image datasets regarding industrial property are an example of an hurdle for typical image retrieval systems where the dimensions and characteristics of images make adequate comparison a difficult task. In this paper, we introduce an image retrieval system based on a multi-phase implementation of different deep learning and image processing techniques, designed to deliver highly accurate results regardless of dataset complexity and size. The proposed approach uses image signatures to provide a near exact representation of an image, with abstraction levels that allow the comparison with other signatures as a means to achieve a fully capable image comparison process. To overcome performance disadvantages related to multiple image searches due to the high complexity of image signatures, the proposed system incorporates a parallel processing block responsible for dealing with multi-image search scenarios. The system achieves the image retrieval through the use of a new similarity compound formula that accounts for all components of an image signature. The results shows that the developed approach performs image retrieval with high accuracy, showing that combining multiple image assets allows for more accurate comparisons across a broad spectrum of image typologies. The use of deep convolutional networks for feature extraction as a means of semantically describing more commonly encountered objects allows for the system to perform research with a degree of abstraction.

COVID-19 Long-Term Effects: Is There an Impact on the Simple Reaction Time and Alternative-Forced Choice on Recovered Patients?

A comparative single-evaluation cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate cognitive damage in post-COVID-19 patients. The psychophysics tests of Two-Alternative Forced Choice (2AFC) and Simple Reaction Time (SRT), under a designed virtual environment, were used to evaluate the cognitive processes of decision-making, visual attention, and information processing speed. The population under study consisted of 147 individuals, 38 controls, and 109 post-COVID patients. During the 2AFC test, an Emotiv EPOC+® headset was used to obtain EEG signals to evaluate their Focus, Interest, and Engagement metrics. Results indicate that compared to healthy patients or recovered patients from mild-moderate COVID-19 infection, patients who recovered from a severe-critical COVID infection showed a poor performance in different cognitive tests: decision-making tasks required higher visual sensitivity (p = 0.002), Focus (p = 0.01) and information processing speed (p < 0.001). These results signal that the damage caused by the coronavirus on the central nervous and visual systems significantly reduces the cognitive processes capabilities, resulting in a prevalent deficit of 42.42% in information processing speed for mild-moderate cases, 46.15% for decision-making based on visual sensitivity, and 62.16% in information processing speed for severe-critical cases. A psychological follow-up for patients recovering from COVID-19 is recommended based on our findings.

Detection of magnetic iron nanoparticles by single-particle ICP-TOFMS: case study for a magnetic filtration medical device.

Nanoparticles are increasingly used in medical products and devices. Their properties are critical for such applications, as particle characteristics determine their interaction with the biological system, and, therefore, the performance and safety of the final product. Among the most important nanoparticle characteristics and parameters are particle mass distribution, composition, total particle mass, and number concentration. In this study, we utilize single-particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (spICP-TOFMS) for the characterization of inorganic nanoparticles in complex biological fluids. We report online microdroplet calibration for reference-nanomaterial-free and matrix-matched calibration of carbon-coated iron carbide nanoparticles (C/Fe3C NPs). As a case study, we analyze C/Fe3C NPs designed for targeted blood purification. Through the analysis of NP mass distributions, we study the effect of the NP surface modification on aggregation of C/Fe3C NPs in whole blood. We also demonstrate the efficiency of removal of coated C/Fe3C NP from saline by magnetically enhanced filters. Magnetic filtering is shown to reduce the mass concentration of detectable C/Fe3C NPs by 99.99 ± 0.01% in water.

Comparison of Diabetes Mellitus Risk Factors in Mexico in 2003 and 2014.

Objective: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Mexico is very high. This study aimed to compare the risk factors of diabetes mellitus in Mexican adults in 2003 and in 2014. Methods: This study had a repeated cross-sectional design. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) from Mexico (Wave 0, 2003, and Wave 2, 2014) were compared. Self-reported diabetes mellitus (outcome) was evaluated with the yes/no question: "Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar)?" Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential risk factors were conducted. Results: In 11 years (2003-2014), the prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus in Mexican adults increased by 2.6 times in those younger than 50 years (2003: 2.1%; 2014: 5.5%) and by 1.9 times in those ≥50 years (2003: 12.7%; 2014: 24.2%). In 2003, the risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus were female sex (OR 1.344, 95% CI 1.176-1.536), age ≥50 years (OR 6.734, 95% CI 5.843-7.760), being overweight (OR 1.359, 95% CI 1.175-1.571), obesity (OR 1.871, 95% CI 1.583-2.211), and lower physical activity of <600 MET-minutes/week (OR 1.349, 95% CI 1.117-1.630). In 2014, the exposure characteristics significantly associated with diabetes mellitus were female sex (OR 1.244, 95% CI 1.025-1.511), older age ≥50 years (OR 4.608, 95% CI 3.260-6.515), being overweight (OR 1.649, 95% CI 1.305-2.083), obesity (OR 1.778, 95% CI 1.398-2.261), and in those who had not attended/completed primary school (OR 1.360, 95% CI 1.042-1.773). Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Mexico significantly increased from 2003 to 2014. Female sex, age older than 50 years, and being overweight or obese were significant risk factors in both 2003 and 2014. Not having completed primary school was a new significant risk factor in 2014. Public health policies and strategies should prioritize decreasing the high levels of overweight and obesity, and improve health literacy in Mexico.

Graphical Image Region Extraction with K-Means Clustering and Watershed.

With a wide range of applications, image segmentation is a complex and difficult preprocessing step that plays an important role in automatic visual systems, which accuracy impacts, not only on segmentation results, but directly affects the effectiveness of the follow-up tasks. Despite the many advances achieved in the last decades, image segmentation remains a challenging problem, particularly, the segmenting of color images due to the diverse inhomogeneities of color, textures and shapes present in the descriptive features of the images. In trademark graphic images segmentation, beyond these difficulties, we must also take into account the high noise and low resolution, which are often present. Trademark graphic images can also be very heterogeneous with regard to the elements that make them up, which can be overlapping and with varying lighting conditions. Due to the immense variation encountered in corporate logos and trademark graphic images, it is often difficult to select a single method for extracting relevant image regions in a way that produces satisfactory results. Many of the hybrid approaches that integrate the Watershed and K-Means algorithms involve processing very high quality and visually similar images, such as medical images, meaning that either approach can be tweaked to work on images that follow a certain pattern. Trademark images are totally different from each other and are usually fully colored. Our system solves this difficulty given it is a generalized implementation designed to work in most scenarios, through the use of customizable parameters and completely unbiased for an image type. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach to Image Region Extraction that focuses on automated region proposal and segmentation techniques. In particular, we analyze popular techniques such as K-Means Clustering and Watershedding and their effectiveness when deployed in a hybrid environment to be applied to a highly variable dataset. The proposed system consists of a multi-stage algorithm that takes as input an RGB image and produces multiple outputs, corresponding to the extracted regions. After preprocessing steps, a K-Means function with random initial centroids and a user-defined value for k is executed over the RGB image, generating a gray-scale segmented image, to which a threshold method is applied to generate a binary mask, containing the necessary information to generate a distance map. Then, the Watershed function is performed over the distance map, using the markers defined by the Connected Component Analysis function that labels regions on 8-way pixel connectivity, ensuring that all regions are correctly found. Finally, individual objects are labelled for extraction through a contour method, based on border following. The achieved results show adequate region extraction capabilities when processing graphical images from different datasets, where the system correctly distinguishes the most relevant visual elements of images with minimal tweaking.

Outcomes of laparoscopic salvage radical prostatectomy after primary treatment of prostate cancer.

Introduction: Treatment of radio-recurrent prostate cancer (PC) is managed mainly by androgen deprivation therapy. Nonetheless, selected patients could benefit from local salvage treatment options.In this study we present our series of recurrent PC cases submitted to laparoscopic salvage radical prostatectomy (sRP) at our institution. Material and methods: A total of 29 patients with recurrent PC after primary non-surgical treatment were submitted to laparoscopic sRP at our institution, with a mean follow-up time of 7 years. Results: There were 7 post-operative complications Clavien-Dindo grade ≥2. At the end of the follow-up, 58.6% patients presented biochemical recurrence and five-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 50%.Positive lymph nodes, high preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and TNM stage were correlated with worse RFS. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that stage pT3b was independently associated with worse RFS in comparison with stage pT3a or less.At 12 months, pad-free continence or mild incontinence was observed in 62% of the patients. Conclusions: sRP is a technically challenging surgery, and in our series, we were able to perform this procedure with acceptable operative time and limited blood loss.Post-operative complications, functional results and oncological outcomes were similar to other published studies, being our series, to the best of our knowledge, the one with the longest follow-up, of 7 years.sRP is a feasible local treatment with curative intent for radio-recurrent prostate cancer, with good oncological outcomes and reasonable continence rates in selected patients.

Flu Vaccination Coverage and Predictors of Non-Vaccination in Military Health Corps Personnel 2016-2017 and 2019-2021.

(1) Background: Vaccination is the most effective intervention to control seasonal influenza morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to determine the influenza vaccination coverage in the Military Health Corps personnel in the 2020−2021 season, as well as the time trend and the possible influence of the pandemic on coverage, in order to study the reasons that led to the non-vaccination of health professionals and to analyze adverse drug reactions (ADRs). (2) Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2021. All FAS CMS personnel were included. A self-administered questionnaire was sent by e-mail to the selected personnel. (3) Results: Vaccination coverage in the 2016−2017 season was 15.8% (n = 276), in the 2019−2020 season it was 17.41% (n = 424), and in the 2020−2021 season it was 24.22% (n = 590). The percentage of vaccinated men was higher than the percentage of women. In 2019 and 2020 the most vaccinated group was 31−40 years old. Lieutenants had the highest vaccination uptake in 2019 and 2020. The personnel with the highest uptake of vaccines were those in the specialty of nursing in each of 2016, 2019 and 2020, with >30 years of time worked in 2016. In terms of factors leading to refusal of vaccination, the most reported was "not considered a risk group" (23.0%), and the least reported was "avoidance of vaccine administration" (2.2%). Eighty individuals presented adverse reactions after vaccine administration (9.6%). (4) Conclusions: The rate of influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals was lower during the 2020 season compared to the previous season, but was expected to increase in the upcoming 2021 season.

Using the Khorana risk score to predict venous thromboembolism and overall survival in a cohort of Hispanic patients with solid malignancies.

Background: The Khorana risk score (KRS) for prognosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been rarely explored in Hispanic populations. Objective: To determine the value of the KRS for prediction of VTE and overall survival (OS) among Hispanic individuals with cancer. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all outpatients with newly diagnosed solid tumours receiving systemic chemotherapy in Hospital San Juan Dios, San José, Costa Rica, from January to December 2021. The 6-month cumulative VTE incidence according to the KRS categories was estimated using the Fine & Gray competing risk model. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare OS among KRS categories. The Cox regression analysis was performed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the optimal cutoff value to predict VTE during follow-up. Results: A total of 708 patients were included in the analysis. After a median follow-up of 8.13 months, the cumulative incidence of VTE at 6 months was 1.56% (95% CI: 0.83%-6.82%), 4.83% (95% CI: 2.81%-7.66%) and 8.84% (95% CI: 4.30%-15.42%) for low-, intermediate- and high-risk Khorana score categories, respectively (Gray's p value: 0.0178). The optimal cutoff for the KRS to predict VTE was 2 (area under the ROC curve: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.55-0.756). The KRS was independently associated with overall mortality (HR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.46-2.29; p < 0.001, for the comparison of 'high-risk' and 'low-risk' KRS). Conclusions: The KRS is a valid tool to predict VTE and mortality in a cohort of Hispanic outpatients with newly diagnosed solid tumours.

Evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas para especialistas en rehabilitación cardiopulmonar / Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests for Professionals who Perform Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation / Avaliação de testes de diagnóstico para especialistas em reabilitação cardiopulmonar

Introducción: A diario, los profesionales de la salud se enfrentan a importantes retos diagnósticos cuando atienden a sus pacientes, por lo que se apoyan en exámenes paraclínicos que complementan su ejercicio semiológico, porque les permiten confirmar o descartar una enfermedad. Objetivo: Explicar a los especialistas en rehabilitación cardiopulmonar los conceptos requeridos para interpretar de forma crítica los resultados de las pruebas diagnósticas. Materiales y métodos: Revisión narrativa de la literatura, que expone conceptos actualizados, ejemplos y gráficas con enfoque académico y didáctico. Resultado: Se realizó la actualización y explicación de los conceptos de sensibilidad, especificidad, valores predictivos positivo y negativo y los likelihood ratio positivo y negativo y su interpretación en el normograma de Fagan, a través de ejemplos del día a día del especialista. Conclusión: Comprender los conceptos que acompañan la evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas ayuda a que los especialistas en rehabilitación cardiopulmonar analicen críticamente los resultados de las ayudas paraclínicas funcionales y estructurales que acompañan a sus pacientes y, de esta manera, puedan caracterizar bien el diagnóstico y seguimiento de las personas

Introduction: Health professionals face important diagnostic challenges daily when they care for their patients, which is why they rely on paraclinical tests that complement their semiological exercise by confirming or ruling out a disease. Objective: Explain to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialists, the concepts necessary to critically interpret the results of diagnostic tests. Materials and methods: narrative review of the literature was carried out, which exposes updated concepts, examples, and graphs with an academic and didactic approach.Result: The concepts of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and the positive and negative Likelihood Ratio and their interpretation in the Fagan normogram were updated and explained, through examples of the specialists day-to-day. Conclusion: understanding the concepts that accompany the evaluation of diagnostic tests help car-diopulmonary rehabilitation specialists to critically analyze the results of the functional and structural paraclinical aids that accompany their patients, and thus be able to properly characterize the diagno-sis and follow-up. of people

Introdução: Diariamente, os profissionais da saúde enfrentam desafios diagnósticos, recorrendo a exames que complementem a sua prática semiológica, permitindo-lhes confirmar ou excluir uma doença. Objetivo: Explicar aos especialistas em reabilitação cardiopulmonar os conceitos necessários para interpretar criticamente os resultados dos testes de diagnóstico. Materiais e métodos: Revisão narrativa da literatura, fornecendo conceitos atualizados, exemplos e gráficas com uma abordagem académica e didática. Resultado: Os conceitos de sensibilidade, especificidade, valores preditivos positivos e negativos e razões de verossimilhança positivas e negativas e a sua interpretação no normograma de Fagan foram atualizados e explicados com exemplos do trabalho diário do especialista. Conclusão: A compreensão dos conceitos que acompanham a avaliação dos testes de diagnóstico ajuda aos especialistas em reabilitação cardiopulmonar na analise critica dos resultados das ajudas clínicas funcionais e estruturais dos pacientes e, desta forma, caracterizar bem o diagnóstico e o acompanhamento dos indivíduos

Efecto inmediato de dos ejercicios con tracto vocal semiocluido en el contacto glótico de usuarios ocupacionales de la voz / Immediate effect of two semi-occluded vocal tract exercises in glottal contact of occupational voice users

Introducción. Los docentes son usuarios ocupacionales de la voz con alto riesgo de desarrollar patologías vocales a causa de su labor. Para enfrentar esta proble-mática, suelen usarse ejercicios con tracto vocal semiocluido (TVSO), estrategia de educación/rehabilitación empleada para generar un cambio en el patrón de vibración de los pliegues vocales, minimizando el riesgo de lesión vocal al reducir el estrés de colisión al que se someten los tejidos. Diversos reportes han indicado que este tratamiento tiene efectos en el cociente de cierre (CQ), medida indirecta del estrés de colisión.Objetivo. Examinar el efecto fisiológico de dos ejercicios con TVSO en la actividad laríngea de profesores con esfuerzo vocal constante pero sin patología vocal. Metodología. Se registraron muestras de 43 profesores antes, durante y después de la realización de dos ejercicios con TVSO (vibración lingual y fonación en tubos). Las muestras de electroglotografía se analizaron para obtener el CQ. Resultados y conclusión. Se observó una diferencia significativa al comparar los valores del CQ antes y durante la realización de ambos ejercicios. No se encontraron cambios en este parámetro después de ejecutar la actividad. Estos hallazgos concuer-dan con reportes previos en los cuales el CQ tiende a aumentar durante la fonación en tubos; contrariamente, la realización de la vibración lingual tiende a decrecer el valor del CQ. Es posible que este comportamiento se deba a los mecanismos biome-cánicos particulares de cada ejercicio

Introduction. Teachers are occupational voice users with high risk of developing vocal pathologies due to their work. To face this situation, it is common the use of semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises, a strategy of voice education/rehabil-itation implemented to induce a change in the vibration pattern of the vocal folds, mitigating, therefore, the risk of vocal lesion by reducing the collision stress applied to tissues. A variety of reports have indicated that this treatment has effects in the closed quotient (CQ), an indirect measure of collision stress. Aim. The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological effect of two dif-ferent SOVT exercises in larynx activity of teachers with constant vocal effort but without vocal pathology. Methods. 43 samples of teachers were recorded before, during and after executing two SOVT exercises (tongue trill and tube phonation). Electroglottographic samples were analyzed in order to obtain CQ. Results and conclusion. Both exercises had a significant difference of CQ scores when before and during conditions were compared. Any difference was found on this parameter after executing the activity. These findings agree with previous reports where CQ tends to increase during phonation through resonance tubes; on the con-trary, execution of tongue trill tends to decrease CQ values. This behavior might be because of the particular biomechanical mechanisms of each exercise

Actividad física, aspectos sociodemográficos, familiares, hábitos saludables y atención en salud de adultos mayores / Physical activity level, sociodemographic and family aspects, healthy habits and health care for older adults

Resumen Introducción: La práctica de la actividad física en el adulto mayor tiene influencia de tipo social, cultural y demográfica. Objetivo: Comparar la relación entre el nivel de actividad física informada en un grupo de adultos mayores y sus características: sociodemográficas, familiares, de hábitos saludables, enfermedad y de la atención en salud. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional-transversal en población de adultos mayores de Cali. Se realizó un muestreo simple estandarizado. La actividad física se midió mediante Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física (IPAQ) comparando grupos en actividad física intensa-moderada (AFIM) y actividad física baja-inactiva (AFBI). Resultados: Se vincularon 189 participantes AFIM y 364 para AFBI. Se obtuvieron relaciones estadísticamente significativas en las variables zona de vivienda, ocupación, fuente de ingresos y dependencia (p=0,000); composición familiar (p=0,008), estar solo (p=0,031), red social (p=0,000), consumo de alcohol, ejercicio, hipertensión arterial, consumo de fármacos (p=0,000), diabetes mellitus (p=0,045), índice de masa corporal (p=0,032), afiliación, distancia del centro de atención y costos (p=0,000). Conclusiones: Los hábitos como el consumo de alcohol y tabaco, con enfermedades como la hipertensión arterial y la diabetes mellitus se relacionaron con nivel de AFBI. Los adultos mayores que residen en la zona rural mostraron mayores niveles de actividad.

Abstract Introduction: The practice of physical activity in the elderly is affected by social, cultural and demographic aspects. Objective: To compare the relationship between physical activity level and various population and medical characteristics (sociodemographic, family, healthy habits, illnesses, and health care) in a group of older adults. Materials and methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with an elderly population from Cali (Colombia), using a simple standardized sampling. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity, comparing groups with intense-moderate physical activity (IMPA) and those showing low-inactive physical activity (LIPA). Results: The study included 189 and 364 patients with IMPA and LIPA, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found for the variables: housing area, employment, source of income and dependency (p=0.000); family composition (p=0.008), living alone (p=0.031), social network (p=0.000), alcohol consumption, exercise, high blood pressure, medication use (p=0.000), diabetes mellitus (p=0.045), body mass index (p=0.032), health insurance affiliation, distance from health care center, and costs (p=0.000). Conclusions: Habits such as alcohol and tobacco consumption together with diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus are related to LIPA. Also, older adults residing in rural areas showed higher activity levels.