Introduction Disordered voice quality could be a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). The impact of MS on voice-related quality of life is still controversial. Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the results of voice self-assessment with the results of expert perceptual assessment in patients with MS. Methods The research included 38 patients with relapse-remitting MS (23 women and 1...

OBJECTIVE This study focuses on the relation of smoking, carcinophobia and voice handicap in dysphonic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-four German-speaking outpatient voice clinic attendees suffering from dysphonia of benign origin took part in this study. All patients completed the German version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and were asked about their fear of suffering from larynge...

Fear of heights occurs when a visual stimulus causes the apprehension of losing balance and falling. A moderate form of visual height intolerance (vHI) affects about one third of the general population and has relevant consequences for the quality of life. A quantitative evaluation of balance mechanisms in persons susceptible to vHI during height exposure is missing. VHI-related changes in post...

Background: This is a retrospective study on a group of patients with early glottic carcinoma, treated with curative radiotherapy. The aim of the study is to assess voice quality after treatment. We also evaluated local recurrence, overall survival, disease free survival and toxicity. Material and Methods: We examined a total of 36 patients, out of which 27 were smokers: 10 females/5 smokers; 2...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Age-related vocal fold atrophy has become a significant voice disorder as the elderly population grows. However, several therapeutic challenges have limited attempts to improve voice quality. We reported that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates fibroblasts to produce extracellular matrices such as hyaluronic acid in the lamina propria, leading to a regeneratio...

Ultrasonic mid-air haptic technologies, which provide feedback through airwaves produced using ultrasound, could be employed to investigate the sense of body ownership and immersion in virtual reality (VR) by inducing hand illusion (VHI). perception has solely been investigated for glabrous (hairless) skin, higher tactile sensitivity than hairy skin. In contrast, VHI paradigm typically targets ...

INTRODUCTION Visual height intolerance (vHI) manifests as instability at heights with apprehension of losing balance or falling. We investigated contributions of visual feedback and attention on gait performance of subjects with vHI. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixteen subjects with vHI walked over a gait mat (GAITRite®) on a 15-m-high balcony and at ground-level. Subjects walked at different speed...

In a recent article in this journal Simon-Tuval, Horev and Kaplan argue that in order to improve the protection of consumers there might be a need to impose a threshold on the medical loss ratio (MLR) for voluntary health insurance (VHI) in Israel [1]. Their argument is that VHI in Israel covers several essential services that are not covered by the mandatory benefits package due to budget cons...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to explore the general coping style of female teachers with a relatively low voice handicap compared with teachers with a relatively high voice handicap. PATIENTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 450 teachers using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Utrecht Coping List (UCL). A group of 400 subjects quasi-randomly se...

OBJECTIVE Systematic review of literature on patient-reported voice handicap following T1 glottic squamous cell carcinoma treatment using transoral laser microsurgery or radiation therapy. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (1997-2013). REVIEW METHODS These data sources were searched for papers reporting Voice Handicap Index (VHI) after treatment of early glottic carcinoma. Rev...