Key word signing: listeners' classification of signed and spoken narratives

Suprasegmental changes in speaker-signers' speech may be an important component of the results obtained in key-word-sign programs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether untrained listeners could tell a difference between the speech of a person using key word signing with speech and using speech only. Fifty untrained listeners heard an audiotape of six speaker-signers who sometimes used key word signing and sometimes used speech only in their production of 24 spoken narratives. The results demonstrated that listeners could accurately classify all keyword-signed communication of three speaker-signers and the spoken-only communication of all four speaker-signers who had been previously identified as demonstrating natural spoken communication. The major perceived differences between the use of key-word-signed communication and spoken-only communication were differences in speech rate and word emphasis and differences in pausing.     

Key word signing: perceived and acoustic differences between signed and spoken narratives

Key-word-sign (KWS) and speech-only programs differ in the results they achieve with nonspeaking individuals. This difference might be traced to suprasegmental aspects of speech. In an earlier study, Windsor and Fristoe (1989) showed that untrained listeners could distinguish speech produced using KWS from speech only. In the present study, acoustic measures as well as listener judgments of KWS and spoken-only (S-O) narratives were obtained. Compared to S-O narratives, KWS narratives were produced with a slower articulation rate, due to increased pause and speech segment duration and increased pause number. Within-sentence pauses in KWS narratives tended to occur immediately after a signed word.     

Electromyography of the infrahyoid muscles - part 1: normal findings]

BACKGROUND: The infrahyoid muscles (IHM) are very useful as a neurovascular myofascial flap in plastic reconstructive surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract, especially for restoration of the muscular component in larger tongue defects. As a base for further postoperative investigations on the function of transferred IHM this first part of the study describes the physiological function and the electromyographical features of the IHM. METHODS: In 17 patients with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract the sternohyoid and sternothyroid muscles and in additionally eight patients the upper part of the omohyoid muscle were studied electromyographically. Muscular activity was recorded at various movements and maximal voluntary innervation. In ten healthy volunteers the motor unit potentials (MUP) during light voluntary innervation of these muscles were studied. RESULTS: In both muscles we found the steadist and strongest muscular activity at isometric head bending and yaw opening, in the omohyoid muscle also at head rotation. At swallowing and breathing in (2/3) of the cases muscular activity could be recorded. Amplitudes and electromyographic charge pattern in comparison were diminished. Phonation und tongue movements showed no noticable muscular activity. Analysis of the MUP in 10 healthy volunteers showed a mean amplitude of 274 +/- 59 microV and a mean duration of 8.5 +/- 0.6 ms. CONCLUSIONS: The presented study demonstrates that EMG of the IHM are recorded best while head bending, yaw opening and head rotation. Since there is no interchange of nerve fibres between the hypoglossal nerve and the cervical ansa it should be possible to differentiate between original tongue muscles and transferred muscles in electromyographic studies of myofascial flaps after tongue reconstruction.     

喉鳞癌中P21 WAF1/CIP1、C-erbB-2的表达及其临床意义

目的研究喉鳞癌组织中P21WAF1/CIP1、C-erbB-2的表达,探讨它们在喉鳞癌的增殖、侵袭、转移中的作用.方法选取60例喉鳞癌作为研究对象,15例声带息肉组织作为对照,所有标本均切片作HE染色.用链霉素亲生物素-过氧化酶法(s-P法)研究肿瘤及声带息肉组织中P21WAF1/CIP1和C-erbB-2蛋白的表达,显微镜下计数阳性细胞,并分析阳性细胞百分率.结果(1)P21WAF1/CIP1在声带息肉组织中低表达,在喉癌组织中高表达,二者阳性率差异有显著性(P＜0.05);P21WAF1/CIP1在喉癌组织中的表达与肿瘤组织分级(P＜0.05)及临床分期(P＜0.05)有关,与年龄、性别、肿瘤部位及有无淋巴结转移无显著相关性;(2)C-erbB-2在声带息肉组织中低表达,在喉鳞癌中高表达,两者差异有显著性(P＜0.05);C-erbB-2在喉癌组织中的表达与各临床病理因素无显著相关;(3)经Spearman等级相关分析,P21WAF1/CIP1、C-erbB-2在喉鳞癌中表达呈正相关(P＜0.05).结论P21WAF1/CIP1可以作为一种独立的预后预测因子;C-erbB-2在某种程度上反应了肿瘤的生长特性,但不能判断喉癌预后;在喉鳞癌中P21WAF1/CIP1和C-erbB-2间存在正调控机制.     

A prosodically controlled word and nonword repetition task for 2- to 4-year-olds: evidence from typically developing children.

An association has been found between nonword repetition and language skills in school-age children with both typical and atypical language development (C. Dollaghan and T. F. Campbell, 1998; S. Ellis Weismer et al., 2000; S. E. Gathercole and A. D. Baddeley, 1990; J. W. Montgomery, 2002). This raises the possibility that younger children's repetition performance may be predictive of later language deficits. In order to investigate this possibility, it is important to establish that elicited repetition with very young children is both feasible and informative. To this end, a repetition task was designed and carried out with 66 children between 2 and 4 years of age. The task consisted of 18 words and 18 matched nonwords that were systematically manipulated for length and prosodic structure. In addition, an assessment of receptive vocabulary was administered. The repetition task elicited high levels of response. Total scores as well as word and nonword scores were sensitive to age. Lexical status and item length affected performance regardless of age: Words were repeated more accurately than nonwords, and 1-syllable items were repeated more accurately than 2-syllable items, which were in turn repeated more accurately than 3-syllable items. The effect of prosodic structure was also significant. Whole syllable errors were almost exclusive to unstressed syllables, with those preceding stress being most vulnerable. Performance on the repetition task was significantly correlated with performance on the receptive vocabulary test. This repetition task effectively elicited responses from most of the 2- to 4-year-old participants, tapped developmental change in their repetition skills, and revealed patterns in their performance; and thus it has the potential to identify deficits in very early repetition skills that may be indicative of wider language difficulties.     

Comparison of CYFRA 21-1 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen in detecting nasopharyngeal carcinoma

CYFRA 21-1 is a newly developed tumor marker that is especially useful for detecting squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung. Squamous cell carcinoma antigen is a proven tumor marker that is especially useful for detecting SCC of the cervix. Our aim in this study was to compare the clinical value of CYFRA 21-1 and SCC antigen in the detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Serum levels of CYFRA 21-1 and SCC antigen were measured in 80 untreated NPC patients and 77 healthy controls. The cutoff values of CYFRA 21-1 and SCC antigen, determined at the 95th percentile of the 77 healthy controls, were 2.48 ng/mL and 1.49 ng/mL, respectively. The results revealed that the mean serum value of only CYFRA 21-1 was significantly higher in the 80 NPC patients than in the 77 healthy controls, and the detection sensitivity of CYFRA 21-1 for NPC was significantly higher than that of SCC antigen. In conclusion, our results suggest that CYFRA 21-1 is a better tumor marker than SCC antigen for detection of NPC.     

血清细胞角蛋白19片段和恶性肿瘤特异性生长因子联合检测对鼻咽癌的诊断价值

目的探讨血清细胞角蛋白19片段(CYFRA21-1)和恶性肿瘤特异性生长因子(TSGF)联合检测对鼻咽癌(NPC)的临床诊断价值.方法采用电化学发光免疫分析等技术,检测正常对照组50例、良性疾病组25例、NPC组82例血清中的CYFRA21-1及TSGF表达水平.结果NPC组CYFRA21-1、TSGF敏感性分别为48.8%、57.3%,其测定值均明显高于正常对照组和良性疾病组(均P<0.01).CYFRA21-1、TSGF两项联合检测可使敏感性提高到74.3%,且特异性没有明显下降.结论CYFRA21-1、TSGF可作为NPC临床诊断的血清肿瘤标志物,两项联合检测结果更理想.     

喉癌患者血清细胞角蛋白片段21-1检测及临床意义

目的 :探讨细胞角蛋白片段 2 1 1(CYFRA2 1 1)在喉癌患者血清中的表达及其临床意义。方法 :采用酶联免疫吸附法对 2 5例喉癌患者手术前后的血清CYFRA2 1 1进行检测 ,并与 2 0例喉良性病变患者进行对比。结果 :喉癌患者血清CYFRA2 1 1阳性率为 6 0 .0 % ,术前CYFRA2 1 1水平为 (5 .14± 1.82 ) μg/L ,显著高于喉良性病变 (2 .17± 0 .6 8) μg/L(P <0 .0 5 )。术后血清CYFRA2 1 1水平显著下降并低于正常水平。术后复发者血清CYFRA2 1 1水平再次上升。CYFRA2 1 1含量与喉癌患者的年龄、性别及肿瘤部位无关 ;高水平血清CYFRA2 1 1与喉癌临床分期、病理分级及淋巴结转移相关 ,分化愈差 ,CYFRA2 1 1含量越高。结论 :血清CYFRA2 1 1可望作为喉癌诊断、预后判定和术后随访有用的生物学指标。     

Interdisciplinary treatment of a 3 1/2-year-old child with extensive ameloblastic fibro-odontoma. Case report and follow-up documentation over 21 1/2 years]

BACKGROUND: This report deals with a 3 1/2 year old patient with an ameloblastic fibro-odontoma of the frontal part and left corpus of the mandible. The tumor had become symptomatic 2 months prior to admittance by a local, painless swelling of the bone and the mobility of teeth. The initial findings and the progress of the disease led to the preliminary diagnosis of a malignant mesenchymal tumor. Its extent and aggressive growth prompted a continuity resection of the mandible and immediate reconstruction with a costal autograft. The definitive histological diagnosis was an ameloblastic fibro-odontoma. The patient was followed up over a period of 21 1/2 years. THERAPY: Further treatment included an iliac crest onlay graft, followed by autotransplantation of three third molars into both transplants. Two of the wisdom teeth had to be replaced by dental implants because of ankylosis and infra-occlusal positioning. The prosthetic rehabilitation was carried out by a bar attachment and a partial cover denture. This report supports the concept of the interdisciplinary treatment of patients with tumors that occur during the growth phase.     

Speech audiometry: digitization effects and the non-equivalence of isophonemic word lists.

Phonetically balanced word lists have many applications, including the field of audiometric testing, as equivalent test material. An experiment designed to assess the effects of digitizing parameters on speech intelligibility has shown, following detailed analysis, that the lists show a degree of non-equivalence. The reasons for this are explored and questions asked about the fundamental principles involved in describing speech forms. Other approaches to this kind of assessment are discussed.     

Combined electric and contralateral acoustic hearing: word and sentence recognition with bimodal hearing.

PURPOSE: The authors assessed whether (a) a full-insertion cochlear implant would provide a higher level of speech understanding than bilateral low-frequency acoustic hearing, (b) contralateral acoustic hearing would add to the speech understanding provided by the implant, and (c) the level of performance achieved with electric stimulation plus contralateral acoustic hearing would be similar to performance reported in the literature for patients with a partial insertion cochlear implant. METHOD: Monosyllabic word recognition as well as sentence recognition in quiet and at +10 and +5 dB was assessed. Before implantation, scores were obtained in monaural and binaural conditions. Following implantation, scores were obtained in electric-only and electric-plus-contralateral acoustic conditions. RESULTS: Postoperatively, all individuals achieved higher scores in the electric-only test conditions than they did in the best pre-implant test conditions. All individuals benefited from the addition of low-frequency information to the electric hearing. CONCLUSION: A full-insertion cochlear implant provides better speech understanding than bilateral, low-frequency residual hearing. The combination of an implant and contralateral acoustic hearing yields comparable performance to that of patients with a partially inserted implant and bilateral, low-frequency acoustic hearing. These data suggest that a full-insertion cochlear implant is a viable treatment option for patients with low-frequency residual hearing.     

Analytical and clinical evaluation of CYFRA 21-1 by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

This paper attempts to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CYFRA 21-1 as a serum tumour marker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The serum concentration of CYFRA 21-1 was measured utilizing a new electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) in 142 patients with HNSCC before and after treatment, 68 patients with benign tumours of the head and neck, and 50 healthy controls. Serum levels of CYFRA 21-1 in patients with HNSCC were significantly higher than those of benign tumours and healthy controls (p < 0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of CYFRA 21-1 for HNSCC were 62 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. The positive rates of CYFRA 21-1 increased with progression of HNSCC, serum CYFRA 21-1 levels were related to the tumour stage expressed by primary tumour (T) and nodal status (N) (p < 0.001), but not related to patient age, gender, smoking and drinking habit, or histopathological grade (p > 0.05). Post-treatment levels of CYFRA 21-1 in HNSCC decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Among 38 patients with clinical or radiological evidence of a recurrence during follow-up, 78.9 per cent (30 of 38) showed an increase in CYFRA 21-1. The analytical ECLIA performance for serum CYFRA 21-1 provides a new means of clinical assessment for HNSCC. The results of ECLIA suggest that the serum marker CYFRA 21-1 is valuable not only for diagnosis but also for close monitoring of patients with HNSCC.     

头颈鳞状细胞癌患者血清Cyfra21-1检测的临床意义

目的 探讨血清Cyfra21-1在头颈鳞状细胞癌(head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,HNSCC)中的临床意义.方法 采用双抗体夹心ELISA法对随机选取的60例HNSCC患者,40例甲状腺良性肿瘤患者,20名健康对照组进行血清Cyfra2l-1检测.应用SPSS 11.5统计软...     

Study of cyfra 21-1, a tumor marker, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: We performed a prospective study to determine the cutoff value and the prognostic value of Cyfra 21-1, a serum tumor marker, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: The serum concentration of Cyfra 21-1 was measured in a group of 300 patients (group 1) with HNSCC, in a control group of 71 healthy subjects (group 2), and in a group of 73 patients with a nonmalignant tumor or inflammatory disease (group 3). The concentrations were compared between the various groups and subgroups; the cutoff value was calculated with a receiver operating characteristic curve. Furthermore, the serum concentrations of Cyfra 21-1 before treatment in the group of 300 patients were compared with the stage of the disease and with the evolution of the overall survival rate and the disease-free survival rate. Finally, to determine whether Cyfra 21-1 is an independent prognostic factor, we compared the concentrations, by a Cox model, with the classic prognostic factors of HNSCC. RESULTS: At the cutoff value of 1 ng/mL, the specificity was 94% and the sensitivity was 72%. The serum concentrations of Cyfra 21-1 were statistically correlated with the stage of the disease. The overall survival rate and the disease-free survival rate were lower in patients with high serum concentrations, and these differences were statistically significant (p < .001). The Cox model allows us to conclude that Cyfra 21-1 is a prognostic marker that is independent of other classic prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Cyfra 21-1 is an interesting tumor marker that could be proposed for the early detection of HNSCC with a cutoff value of 1 ng/mL. Furthermore, Cyfra 21-1 can be considered an independent prognostic marker.     

Experimental studies of ischemia of the cochlea. Part 1: Method]

For the etiology of certain inner ear diseases e.g. sudden hearing loss, an impaired cochlear blood flow is discussed. The model of the ferromagnetic thrombosis is an atraumatic method to produce a selective ischemia of the inner ear. The measurement of the inner ear potentials EP, MP and CAP can help to elucidate which inner ear structures are primarily impaired by local ischemia. During the action of a magnetic field to the right cochlea an intravenous injection of small iron particles leads to a thrombosis of the cochlear veins. EP, MP and CAP were measured in the thrombosed ear and MP and CAP in the undisturbed contralateral ear. The methods of microsurgery on the middle and inner ear, the electrophysiological measurement techniques of the inner ear potentials and the method of producing a ferromagnetic thrombosis are described in detail.     

Specific language impairment in Swedish: the status of verb morphology and word order.

Several competing proposals have been offered to explain the grammatical difficulties experienced by children with specific language impairment (SLI). In this study, the grammatical abilities of Swedish-speaking children with SLI were examined for the purpose of evaluating these proposals and offering new findings that might be used in the development of alternative accounts. A group of preschoolers with SLI showed lower percentages of use of present tense copula forms and regular past tense inflections than normally developing peers matched for age and younger normally developing children matched for mean length of utterance (MLU). Word order errors, too, were more frequent in the speech of the children with SLI. However, these children performed as well as MLU-matched children in the use of present tense inflections and irregular past forms. In addition, the majority of their sentences containing word order errors showed appropriate use of verb morphology. None of the competing accounts of SLI could accommodate all of the findings. In particular, these accounts--or new alternatives-must develop provisions to explain both the earlier acquisition of present tense inflections than past tense inflections and word order errors that seem unrelated to verb morphology.