Purpose Choir singing is an important tradition of Christian worship across India. However, vocal health issues related to the church choir singers are less addressed in the literature. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of vocal symptoms, identify the variables associated with increased risk of voice problems and knowledge of factors influencing vocal health in church choir singers. Method One hundred and forty-eight church choir singers (61 males and 85 females) between the age range of 18 and 70 years participated in the study. They completed a self-reported questionnaire addressing demographic and singing-related details, vocal symptoms, variables associated with increased risk reporting voice problems and knowledge about factors influencing vocal health. Result Eighty-four percent of the choir singers reported two or more vocal symptoms sometimes or more frequently while or after singing. More than half of the church choir singers had experienced vocal symptoms such as accessing notes in the upper range, loss of vocal endurance, pitch breaks, hoarseness, dryness in the throat, and discomfort in the throat. Among the different variables, systemic hydration found to have a significant association with reporting of voice problems in church choir singers. The overall knowledge regarding the factors influencing vocal health was found to be limited among the choir singers. Conclusion Choir singers like other professional singers experienced a higher prevalence of vocal symptoms during or after singing and exhibited limited knowledge about factors that negatively influence vocal health. Hence, there is a need to look into these singer’s vocal requirements, who usually go unnoticed.

Introduction Caffeine is consumed everyday in a variety of ways by a large population around the world, including coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Therefore, there is a significant need to explore the effects of caffeine on human auditory system. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of caffeine on cochlea using distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). Materials and Methods Thirty-three young adults were recruited for the study. The effect of caffeine on cochlea was assessed using DPOAE at frequencies between 1 to 10 kHz before and after caffeine consumption. Results The signal to noise ratio of DPOAE was compared before and after coffee intake, which revealed no significant differences. Conclusion The current study results suggest that caffeine has no effect on cochlear functioning.

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Introduction Auditory selective attention can enhance the processing of relevant information and inhibit irrelevant information. The attentional modulation of auditory processing is evidenced through cortical auditory event-related potentials and frequency following response. On the other hand, such attentional effects on brainstem evoked potentials showed mixed results. Hence, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of selective attention on Auditory Brainstem Response. Methods Sixteen young adults with bilateral normal hearing sensitivity were recruited for the study, and their auditory brainstem responses were recorded using IHS Smart EP version 3.92 for active listening, passive listening with the visual task, and passive listening with visual distracter conditions. Results The statistical analysis of the wave-V latency and amplitude obtained from three conditions revealed no effect on the latency; however, peak V amplitude was lower in passive listening with visual distractor condition than in active listening and passive listening with visual task condition. Further attentional modulation was seen only on the contralateral montage and not on the ipsilateral montage. Conclusion The current study results demonstrate the attentional modulation at earlier stages of auditory processing as evidenced by the increased amplitude of peak V.