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Objective: To investigate the self-perception of vocal fatigue symptoms and musculoskeletal pain in home office workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: A total of 424 individuals participated in this cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study; they were stratified into the experimental group (EG), consisting of 235 individuals working from home office during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the control group (CG), with 189 individuals who continued to work in person during this period. All participants answered the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) and the Musculoskeletal Pain Investigation Questionnaires. The data were analyzed in a descriptive and inferential manner. Results: Participants in the EG reported more vocal fatigue symptoms and musculoskeletal pain than those in the CG before the pandemic. However, during the pandemic, the EG presented a higher frequency of pain in the posterior of the neck, shoulder, upper back, and temporal and masseter muscles, while the CG presented a higher frequency of pain in the larynx. With regard to vocal fatigue, during the pandemic, EG had an increase in scores to factors such as tiredness and voice impairment, avoidance of voice use, and total scores. No such differences were noted in the CG. Conclusion: Workers who migrated to home offices during the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of developing vocal disorders.

Orthopoxvirus (OPV) has been associated with worldwide exanthematic outbreaks, which have resulted in serious economic losses as well as impact on public health. Although the current classical and molecular methods are useful for the diagnosis of OPV, they are largely inaccessible to unsophisticated clinical laboratories. The major reason for the inaccessibility is that they require both virus isolation and DNA manipulation. In this report, a rapid, sensitive and low-cost semi-nested PCR method is described for the detection of OPV DNA directly from clinical specimens. A set of primers was designed to amplify the conserved OPV vgf gene. The most useful thermal and chemical conditions were selected and minimum non-inhibitory dilutions were determined. More than 100 Brazilian Vaccinia virus (VACV) field clinical specimens were tested using this semi-nested PCR in order to confirm its applicability. Cowpox virus was also detected by PCR from the ear scabs of scarified Balb/c mice. In addition, the method was highly sensitive for the detection of VACV DNA in murine blood and excreta, which are among the suggested reservoirs of OPV. Together, these data suggest that semi-nested PCR can be used for initial screening for OPV and as a routine diagnostic laboratory method.

Objective:To investigate the location, frequency and intensity of muscle pain in dysphonic functional/organofunctional women in comparison to women with healthy voices.Methods:Sixty women, ranging in age from 18 to 45 years, divided into two groups: Dysphonic Group (DG) – 30 women with functional or organofunctional dysphonia; Non-Dysphonic Group (NDG) – 30 women without vocal complaints, and with adapted voices. All answered a protocol, marking the localization, frequency and intensity symptoms of pain on the temporal area, masseters, submandibular areas, larynx/pharynx, front and back of the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, elbows, fists/hands/fingers, hip/this, knees and ankles/feet. The volunteer should report the frequency in which pain was present in the last 12 months: no, rarely, frequently or always. The intensity of pain was measured by visual-analogue scales. The DG and NDG groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney test (p<0.05).Results:The women of the DG reported significantly greater frequency of submandibular area (p=0.008), laryngeal pain (p<0.001), front of the neck (p=0.015), back of the neck (p=0.001), shoulder pain (p=0.027), upper back (p=0.027) and also reported significant greater intensity of pain in the larynx/pharynx (p=0.022) and back of the neck (p=0.003).Conclusion:The frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal pain was more frequent and more intense in dysphonic women than in women without vocal complaints, showing that pain may be related to functional and organofunctional dysphonia in women.

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