ABSTRACT
AIM: In this study, resonance and articulation disorders were examined in a group of patients surgically treated for cleft lip and palate, considering family social background, and children's ability of self monitoring their speech output while speaking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty children (32 males and 18 females) mean age 6.5 ± 1.6 years, affected by non-syndromic complete unilateral cleft of the lip and palate underwent the same surgical protocol. The speech level was evaluated using the Accordi's speech assessment protocol that focuses on intelligibility, nasality, nasal air escape, pharyngeal friction, and glottal stop. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis was used to detect significant associations between analysed parameters. RESULTS: A total of 16% (8 children) of the sample had severe to moderate degree of nasality and nasal air escape, presence of pharyngeal friction and glottal stop, which obviously compromise speech intelligibility. Ten children (10%) showed a barely acceptable phonological outcome: nasality and nasal air escape were mild to moderate, but the intelligibility remained poor. Thirty-two children (64%) had normal speech. Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between the severity of nasal resonance and nasal air escape (p ≤ 0.05). No statistical significant correlation was found between the final intelligibility and the patient social background, neither between the final intelligibility nor the age of the patients. CONCLUSION: The differences in speech outcome could be explained with a specific, subjective, and inborn ability, different for each child, in self-monitoring their speech output.
Subject(s)
Cleft Lip/surgery , Cleft Palate/surgery , Speech/physiology , Articulation Disorders/classification , Child , Child Language , Child, Preschool , Facial Muscles/physiology , Female , Humans , Male , Pharynx/physiology , Phonetics , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Respiration , Speech Disorders/classification , Speech Intelligibility/physiology , Treatment Outcome , Voice Disorders/classificationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Speech disorders could affect the intelligibility, but also social competence and emotional development of a cleft-palate child. In this study, we proposed to examine the phono-articulatory defects of a group of surgically treated cleft palate patients, relatively to the familial social background, and children ability of self-controlling during spontaneous language. METHODS: Sixty-eight children (22 males and 46 females) mean age 6.87 years, affected by a non-syndromic isolated cleft of the palate underwent to the same surgical protocol. Linguistic level was evaluated using the speech assessment protocol of Accordi and colleagues that focuses on intelligibility, nasality, nasal air escape, pharyngeal friction, and glottal stop. Each of these parameters is evaluated on a four-point scale, ranging from 0 to 3. Spearman rank order correlation was used to detect significant association between analyzed parameters; also the patient social background was considered for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The 5.88% of the sample had a negative result, with a severe to moderate degree of nasality and nasal air escape, presence of pharyngeal friction and glottal stop and, obviously a systematic compromising of the intelligibility. Also grimace was evident. The 38.23% of the sample showed an acceptable phonological outline; nasality and nasal air escape were mild, and the intelligibility resulted normal. Thirty-eight children (55.88%) showed a perfectly normal speech. Statistical analysis (Spearman rank order correlation) revealed a positive correlation between the severity of nasality and nasal air escape and the patient social contest of life (p
Subject(s)
Cleft Palate/epidemiology , Cleft Palate/surgery , Dysphonia/diagnosis , Dysphonia/epidemiology , Speech Disorders/diagnosis , Speech Disorders/epidemiology , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Phonetics , Postoperative Care , Preoperative Care , Severity of Illness Index , Speech Disorders/therapy , Speech TherapyABSTRACT
A new alpha-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) from Bacillus subtilis was purified by affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme, estimated from sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, was 93000, which is very different from the molecular weights of two well-characterized amylases from B. subtilis. Electrofocusing showed an isoelectric point of 5. Amylase shows a broad maximum of activity between pH 6 and 7; maximal inhibition of enzyme by wheat-protein alpha-amylase inhibitors is displayed at pH 7.
Subject(s)
Amylases/isolation & purification , Bacillus subtilis/enzymology , Plant Proteins/pharmacology , alpha-Amylases/isolation & purification , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Molecular Weight , Triticum , alpha-Amylases/antagonists & inhibitorsABSTRACT
With the aim of sterilizing cereal grain samples as to microfungal contamination, while causing possibly small changes in the qualitative characteristics, the effects of various doses of gamma-irradiation on slightly and strongly moulded soft wheat, and at low and high moisture contents, were studied. In order to obtain a satisfactory sterilization, high doses of greater than or equal to 1100 krad were needed, at which a noteworthy decrease of the germination energy and capacity was observed, while the main chemical parameters of wheat quality remained unaltered.
