Abstract Introduction Palatine and pharyngeal tonsils are the first line of defense against pathogens. Clinically, two alterations may require surgical removal of the tonsils: hypertrophy and recurrent tonsillitis. The two conditions probably result from a dysfunction of the immune system. Objective To evaluate possible differences in the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients submitted to adenotonsillectomy. Methods Prospective, longitudinal study with 25 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy separated into 3 different groups: recurrent tonsillitis (RT), composed of 7 patients; recurrent hypertrophy tonsillitis (RTTH), with 8 patients; and the tonsillar hypertrophy (TH) group, with 10 patients. Ten healthy control children (SD) were also included in the study. Peripheral blood was collected, and plasma was separated to measure the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. Results The plasma level of IL-6 was higher in the RT (p= 0.0394) and TH (p= 0.0009) groups, compared with the control group. The TH group also had higher levels of IL-6 than the RT group (p= 0.039). The IL-6/IL-10 ratio was higher in the RT (p= 0.029) and TH (p= 0.0005) groups compared with the control group. Between the RT and RTTH groups, the IL-6/IL-10 ratio was higher in the RT group, with a statistically significant difference (p= 0.0091). Conclusion Patients with a history of chronic tonsillitis had higher levels of IL-6, compared with the control group.

TEMA: treinamento fonoaudiológico para pacientes laringectomizados totais com prótese traqueoesofágica. OBJETIVO: comparar a qualidade da comunicação oral de pacientes laringectomizados, com prótese traqueoesofágica antes e depois de treinamento fonoaudiológico. MÉTODO: foram analisadas amostras de voz e fala de 17 pacientes laringectomizados, antes e depois de treinamento de voz e fala. As amostras pré e pós-treino foram misturadas ao acaso e apresentadas a fonoaudiólogos para avaliação. RESULTADOS: observada melhora significativa (Teste da Binomial) no conjunto dos aspectos avaliados. CONCLUSÃO: pode-se considerar que o treino proposto melhorou os padrões de fala inclusive a melodia e do canto.

BACKGROUND: speech and voice training for laryngectomized patients with tracheoesophageal prosthesis. AIM: to compare the quality of oral communication of a group of laryngectomized patients with tracheoesophageal prostheses, pre and post speech and voice training. METHOD: voice and speech samples of 17 laryngectomized patients were analyzed before and after receiving speech and voice training. The voice and speech samples were mixed and presented to speech-language pathologists for assessment. RESULTS: statistically significant (Binomial Test) improvement was observed. CONCLUSION: it can be concluded that the proposed training improved the speech patterns, including melody and singing.