Multiple endocrine neoplasia in a dog.

Multiple endocrine neoplasms, including an insulinoma, bilateral adrenocortical adenocarcinomas and an aortic paraganglioma, were diagnosed after euthanasia in a 12-year-old spayed female dog of mixed breed with a history of progressive anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss, polyuria and polydipsia, regenerative anaemia and hypoglycaemia. The clinical, gross pathological, microscopical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings were consistent with the human syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia.

Thyroid function and serum hepatic enzyme activity in dogs after phenobarbital administration.

Phenobarbital is the drug of choice for control of canine epilepsy. Phenobarbital induces hepatic enzyme activity, can be hepatotoxic, and decreases serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations in some dogs. The duration of liver enzyme induction and T4 concentration decreases after discontinuation of phenobarbital is unknown. The purpose of this study was to characterize the changes in serum total T4 (TT4), free T4 (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), cholesterol and albumin concentrations, and activities in serum of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) after discontinuation of long-term phenobarbital administration in normal dogs. Twelve normal dogs were administered phenobarbital at a dosage of approximately 4.4-6.6 mg/kg PO q12h for 27 weeks. Blood was collected for analysis before and after 27 weeks of phenobarbital administration and then weekly for 10 weeks after discontinuation of the drug. The dogs were clinically normal throughout the study period. Serum ALT and ALP activity and TSH and cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher than baseline at week 27. Serum T4 and FT4 were significantly lower. Serum albumin and GGT were not changed from baseline at week 27. Changes in estimate of thyroid function (TT4, FT4, TSH) persisted for 1-4 weeks after discontinuation of phenobarbital, whereas changes in hepatic enzyme activity (ALT, ALP) and cholesterol concentration resolved in 3-5 weeks. To avoid false positive results, it is recommended that thyroid testing be performed at least 4 weeks after discontinuation of phenobarbital administration. Elevated serum activity of hepatic enzymes 6-8 weeks after discontinuation of phenobarbital may indicate hepatic disease.

Speaking Fo and cepstral periodicity analysis of conversational speech in a 105-year-old woman: variability of aging effects.

We investigated speaking fundamental frequency and periodicity of voicing during conversational speech in a 105-year-old woman. Analyses revealed higher mean speaking fundamental frequency compared to previously published data obtained from elderly women. In the absence of normative data, the results of cepstrum analyses performed on vowels produced during connected speech revealed less periodicity for the 105-year-old woman's voice than for a 35-year-old woman's voice. The main finding of this study indicates that previously reported group trends regarding aging effects on mean speaking fundamental frequency of the female voice cannot simply be attributed to all elderly individuals. These results stress the importance, for clinical and research purposes, of recognizing the existence of considerable intra- as well as intersubject variability in the effects of aging on the voice.

Voice therapy practices and techniques: a survey of voice clinicians.

Members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Division on Voice were asked to rate statements which emanated from a previously conducted national survey regarding the practice of voice therapy (Larson and Mueller, 1991). Respondents rated eight data-based statements on a five-point scale as to agreement/disagreement. Results indicated strong agreement with previous findings with the exception of the item addressing treatment time. Implications of these results are discussed.

The effect of procedural variations on the S/Z ratio of adults.

The effect of elicitation order, number of required trials, and selection of /s/ and /z/ values utilized to calculate the s/z ratio in adult subjects was examined. Results support the conclusion that a single phoneme production trial is a valid and efficient method for obtaining the s/z ratio. Procedural and clinical implications are discussed.

The aging voice.

A number of studies have found that listeners are often able to differentiate the voices of young and old speakers accurately. Following an overview of structural and functional changes found in studies of aging larynges, this article examines current findings on maximum phonation duration, voice quality, vocal jitter/shimmer, spectral noise, and fundamental frequency. Aging can affect vocal pitch, loudness, and quality, but such effects are highly variable across the aging population. Therefore, a thorough voice and medical examination is needed to isolate voice problems caused by vocal abuse or pathology from those due to normal aging. Pushing exercises may be a viable treatment option for those with age-related voice problems.

Speaking fundamental frequency characteristics of centenarian females.

Speaking fundamental frequency (F(0)) characteristics were determined for nine centenarian females and nine young adult females. Mean, maximum, and minimum F(0) values were obtained for each subject from a minimum of 20 s of continuous speech. Results indicated that female centenarians have significantly lower mean and minimum speaking F(0) values than young adult females, as well as significantly greater speaking F(0) ranges (in both Hz and semitones). The present results extend the investigation of the ageing continuum as it affects vocal F(0), and indicate that excessively low mean and minimum speaking F(0) values must be considered within the normal spectrum of voice characteristics for the female centenarian population.

Speaking fundamental frequency characteristics of white, African American, and Hispanic kindergartners.

Speech samples from groups of White, African American, and Hispanic kindergarten-age children were compared on measures of mean speaking fundamental frequency (F(zero)), maximum and minimum speaking F(zero), pitch sigma, and speaking range (in semitones). Results indicate that there are significant differences between racial groups on measures of mean speaking F(zero) and speaking range. In particular, the Hispanic children were observed to have increased mean speaking F(zero)S in comparison with the African American children and reduced speaking ranges as compared to both African American and White racial groups. Results indicate that the speech-language pathologist must exercise discretion when assessing the speaking F(zero) characteristics (particularly mean speaking F(zero) and speaking range) of children from different racial groups.

Historically black and majority-white universities.

This paper details a cooperative sisterhood minority recruitment and retention agreement that was established between a predominantly White university and a historically Black university for the purpose of increasing the numbers of minority personnel in speech-language pathology and audiology. This paper also provides some suggestions for universities that may wish to implement a similar model. The program is still in its infancy. It is too early to determine how well a sisterhood agreement is able to provide a bridge of financial, academic, and emotional support to enable minority students to be successful. With continued experience with our new sisterhood relationship, we will be able to evaluate the program, make changes to improve it, and eventually determine whether or not the program is meeting the purpose for which it was designed. Faculty from both universities also look forward to collaborating on research projects and other scholarly activities. In the meantime, however, given the shortage of minority personnel in our profession, it seemed appropriate to offer the sisterhood concept as one means by which universities can help alleviate this critical problem.