1,721,401 research outputs found
Masala C , Oleszkiewicz A, Benzien C, Cuevas M, Nahrath P, Hähner A, Hummel T
No full textIntroduction: Few and contradictory data are available regarding the role of the olfactory and gustatory function on the body mass index (BMI) changes. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of olfactory and gustatory function on BMI changes in different age ranges.
Materials and Methods: Four thousand three hundred and ninety patients (2564 women, 1826 men) were included in this retrospective study, with an age range from 18 to 95 years and a mean age of 56.6 years (SD 13.8). For each patient we collected detailed otorhinolaryngological examination, structured history, data on olfactory and gustatory function using the Sniffin’ Sticks test battery and the “taste sprays” test, respectively. Among 4390 patients enrolled in this study, 384 (9%) had an age range from 18-35 years, 1499 (34%) had an age range from 36-55 years and 2507 (57%) had an age range >55 years.
Results: Our data indicated negative correlations between BMI and taste spray total score, thus subjects with low gustatory function being more prone to obesity. Moreover, the multivariate linear regression analyses indicated that age, sex, taste spray total score and the duration olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were predictors of BMI changes.
Conclusions: Our data, in line to previous studies, suggest a significant correlation between BMI and age and sex. In addition, we observed a small but significant effect of olfactory and gustatory function on BMI changes. These data are important in order to understand the role of the chemical senses in the control weight gain and loss
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OLFACTORY FUNCTION, TRIGEMINAL SYSTEM AND NASAL ANATOMY IN NORMOSMIC SUBJECTS
No full textIntroduction: Few studies investigated the correlations between chemosensory function (trigeminal and olfactory) and nasal volume in humans although nasal anatomy is crucial for the sense of smell. Aim of this study was to evaluate these correlations in normosmic subjects.
Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty eight healthy volunteers (age range 21-61 years, mean age 29.3 years, SD: 9) were enrolled. Olfactory function was investigated for (the rose-like) phenylethylalcohol odor threshold (OT), odor discrimination (OD) and odor identification (OI) using the Sniffin’ Sticks test, while nasal structure was evaluated by acoustic rhinometry (AR); trigeminal sensitivity was assessed in terms of detection thresholds for the odorless carbon dioxide (CO2).
Results: Our data confirmed gender differences in the minimum cross sectional area, distance and volume of the olfactory cleft. Moreover, there were negative correlations between odor threshold versus AR area in both nostrils and versus best minimum cross sectional (MCA) area. Instead, positive correlations were observed between TDI score and AR volume. No significant correlations were found between OI versus nasal anatomy. As regards CO2, the trigeminal stimulus, positive correlations were detected between CO2 versus AR area in the right nostril and between CO2 versus best MCA area.
Conclusion: The current results emphasize the significance of nasal anatomy for trigeminal/olfactory threshold perception. Interestingly, correlations are not found between suprathreshold odor identification and nasal anatomy. Further information is needed to instruct nasal surgery in terms of improvement of olfactory function
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Cognitive factors in odor detection, odor discrimination and odor identification tasks.
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine cognitive correlates of olfactory performance across three different
tasks. A total of 170 men and women (30–87 years of age) were assessed in olfactory sensitivity, discrimination,
and identification. Also, participants were tested in a range of cognitive tests covering executive functioning,
semantic memory, and episodic memory. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that proficiency in executive
functioning and semantic memory contributed significantly to odor discrimination and identification performance,
whereas all of the cognitive factors proved unrelated to performance in the odor threshold test. This pattern of
outcome suggests that an individual’s cognitive profile exerts a reliable influence on performance in higher order
olfactory tasks
Incidence of Parkinson’s disease in a large patient cohort with idiopathic smell and taste loss
No full textIntroduction: Patients with idiopathic smell loss constitute an at-risk population for the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study aimed to follow up a large number of patients with idiopathic smell and/or taste loss to define the incidence of PD in this population and, further, to assess characteristics of both olfactory and gustatory function and their possible association with PD development.
Methods: In this prospective case–control study, 833 patients diagnosed with an idiopathic smell disorder at our Smell and Taste Center during the last 15 years were contacted for a telephone interview. In 474 patients, a complete data set containing of demographic data, clinical information, retrospective smell and taste testing results, and telephone assessment was obtained.
Results: Out of 474 patients with idiopathic smell loss 45 (9.8%) had been diagnosed with PD, since they received the diagnosis of idiopathic smell and/or taste loss (mean 10.9 years after olfactory loss onset). Thus, with respect to the classification into olfactory/gustatory disorders, 28.6% of the patients with a combined olfactory and gustatory disorder developed
PD, whereas in 9.9% of those with a pure olfactory disorder and in 3.8% of those with a pure gustatory disorder, PD was diagnosed. No association emerged between qualitative smell or taste loss and PD development.
Conclusion: This large patient cohort study extends the previous literature, indicating that risk stratification might be considerably improved by correct diagnostic allocation and emphasizes the need for an exhaustive olfactory and gustatory assessment in specialized centers
What can we infer from symbionts titre in their respective Drosophila host tissues?
Full text linkThe endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia is considered as a potential biological tool for
controlling invasive insect pest populations such as Drosophila suzukii (Dsuz), which has
recently invaded European countries and come out as an emerging threat for fresh fruit
cultivation. Recent reports have shown that European Dsuz harbors a new Wolbachia strain
named wSuzi, related to the strong CI-causing wRi strain of D. simulans. Nothing is known behind this novel host-microbial integrative biology as yet. Thus, to get more insights into this symbiotic relationship, we have examined Wolbachia tissue tropism in adult Dsuz individuals sampled according to different age status. Quantitative Real Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to calculate density of Wolbachia in reproductive as well as in different somatic
tissues of 1, 7, 14 and 21 days old Dsuz flies of both sexes. We detected significant
differences in Wolbachia titre 1) between reproductive organs of males and females, 2)
among different somatic tissues, 3) based on different age groups. Notably, in male gonads, Wolbachia density substantially decreases with age, suggesting the possible use of Wolbachia-rich young males to evaluate their CI-inducing capability. Results will be further discussed with those obtained from D. simulans and D. melanogaster harboring their respective wRi and wMel strains. Thereby this approach will help in evaluating the potential use of wSuzi to control Dsuz population in futur
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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