1,721,099 research outputs found
Olfactory screening test in 115 Sardinian subjects
No full textIntroduction: Olfactory function plays important role in human life and a decrease in olfaction induces daily life problems especially in food intake (1). The main components of olfactory function are odor threshold (OT), odor identification (OI) and odor discrimination (OD) (2). The most important causes of olfactory deficits are infections of upper respiratory tract, sinonasal diseases, head trauma and allergic rhinitis. Aim of this study is to analyze olfactory performance, assessed by “Sniffin’ Sticks” test, in Sardinian subjects.
Materials and methods: Olfactory function was performed by the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test for OT, OI and OD in 115 participants (85 females and 30 males, mean age was 31.31±10.62).
Results: The participants were assigned into 3 groups: normosmics, hyposmics and hyperosmics, according to Hummel et al. (2). Our results indicate that 88 subjects are normosmics, 20 hyposmics and 7 hyperosmics. Normosmics mean values were 8.52±1.94, 13.39±1.41 and 12.50±1.74 for OT, OI and OD, respectively. Hyposmics mean values were 5.97±1.37, 11.05±1.43 and 9.54±2.09, while hyperosmics mean values were 15.98±0.04, 13.57±1.61 and 13.57±1.40 for OT, OI and OD, respectively. Mean values of threshold, identification and discrimination (TDI) score, which is the sum of these three test, was significantly different in hyposmics and hyperosmics respect to normosmics (p<0.0001 and p<0.001, respectively).
Discussion: Our results show the presence of normosmic, hyposmic and hyperosmic subjects in a selected sample of Sardinian people, similarly to data obtained in other countries (2,3)
Olfactory sensitivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textAim: Abnormalities in olfactory sensitivity have been previously reported in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (1, 2). However, little is still known about odour threshold, identification and discrimination in ASD. Aim of this study was to examine odour threshold, identification and discrimination in a group of individuals with ASD, compared to typically developing (TD) controls.
Methods: olfactory function were studied in 10 participants with ASD (mean age 19.3±2 years, 8 boys) and 10 controls (mean age 22±2 years, 8 boys). We tested olfactory threshold, identification and discrimination with the Sniffin’ Sticks test. Participants with ASD had an IQ mean 103.2±18.5. All controls were not reported for intellectual disabilities.
Results: Our results indicated that, while all the participants with TD had an odour threshold in the normal range, all the participants with ASD showed different levels of hyposmia: moderate (50%), mild (40%) and severe hyposmia (10%). Moreover, participants with ASD were significantly impaired regarding odour detection threshold in comparison with TD controls (U=13.00; p0.05).
Conclusion: in line with previous study (1,2), our results confirmed impaired odour perception in individuals with ASD, specifically in olfactory threshold and in odour discrimination.
References:
• Bennetto et al., 2007
• Dudova et al., 201
Olfactory deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder
Full text linkIntroduction: Olfactory abnormalities has been reported in subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)(1,2,3), a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by social deficits. However, previous studies considered mainly olfactory threshold or other dimensions of olfactory function (1, 2, 3), usually in isolation or at least in a combination with olfactory threshold. Aim of this study is to examine odor identification and discrimination in ASD compared to typically developing (TD) controls.
Materials and methods: Olfactory identification and discrimination were studied, with the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test, in 30 participants, 15 with ASD (2 female and 13 male, mean age 19.13 years) and 15 controls (3 female and 13 male, mean age 21.73). Participants with ASD showed IQ of 103.2±18.5. Controls were volunteer university students matched for chronological age with participants with ASD.
Results: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated a difference between participants with ASD and TD controls in odour identification (area under the curve [AUC]=0.709, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.515 to 0.859, P=0.028) and in odour discrimination (AUC=0.782, 95% CI: 0.594 to 0.911, P=0.002).
Discussion: According to previous studies (1,2,3), our results confirmed an impairment in odour identification and discrimination in subjects with ASD, which suggest deficits in orbitofrontal cortex, in medial temporal lobe and in cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuits. These findings support the importance of olfactory evaluations as a non-invasive tool to identify cortical dysfunction in ASD.
References:
1) Bennetto et al. 2007
2) Dudova et al. 2011
3) Tonacci et al. 201
Role of body weight and sex in the olfactory and gustatory pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity of a lipid‐rich food
Full text linkIn this study, the role of sex and body weight in the olfactory and gustatory dimensions (pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity) of mullet cured roes, a marine rich-fat food with peculiar sensory attributes, was evaluated. One hundred seventy-seven participants were enrolled. Positive correlations were observed between all food taste and odor dimensions. Women reported a significantly higher odor and taste intensity ratings than men. Multivariate linear regression analyses evidenced that body weight in women was negatively correlated to the food odor and taste pleasantness and positively correlated to odor intensity. These negative correlations were due to different women gustatory performance in relation to body weight. A significantly lower perception of salty and bitter taste was observed in women with a body weight >60 kg compared to those with a body weight ≤60 kg. Our results underline the important role of sex and body weight in the food products sensory evaluation
Gender-Related Differences in the Correlation between Odor Threshold, Discrimination, Identification, and Cognitive Reserve Index in Healthy Subjects
Full text linkBackground: Many studies suggested that olfactory function could be associated with semantic memory, executive function, and verbal fluency. However, the gender-related association between olfactory function and the cognitive domain is not well investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate gender-related differences in the relationship between olfactory function and each specific cognitive domain of the Cognitive Reserve Index (CRI) questionnaire, such as education, working activity, and leisure time in healthy subjects. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-nine participants were recruited (158 women and 111 men), with a mean age of 48.1 ± 18.6 years. The CRI questionnaire and Sniffin’ Sticks test were used to evaluate the cognitive reserve and the olfactory function, respectively. Results: In all subjects, significant associations between the odor threshold versus CRI-Education, between the odor discrimina-tion and identification versus CRI-Working activity and CRI-Leisure Time, were found. In women, odor threshold, discrimination, and identification were associated with CRI-Leisure Time, while in men, only a significant association between odor threshold and CRI-Education was observed. Conclusions: Our data, showing significant gender-related associations between olfactory function and CRI scores, suggested the use of olfactory evaluation and cognitive reserve as an important screening tool for the early detection of mild cognitive impairment
Taste response profiles change in relation to nutritional history in two closely related species of Lepidoptera
No full textRole of Aromatic Herbs and Spices in Salty Perception of Patients with Hyposmia
Full text linkHerbs and spices represent a possibility for the improvement of anosmia and ageusia. In this work we evaluated the role of Mediterranean aromatic herbs and spices in the salty taste perception of patients with hyposmia compared to healthy controls. To this goal, the salty taste perception in response to pure salt and different types of commercial flavored sea salt was assessed in patients with hyposmia, with or without a post-acute coronavirus syndrome, and healthy controls. Myrtle berries and leaves, a mixture of Mediterranean herbs and plants such as helichrysum, rosemary, liquorice, fennel seeds and myrtle leaves, oranges and saffron were used as salt flavoring ingredients. Differences in gustatory perception between 57 patients with hyposmia and 91 controls were evaluated considering the rate of the gustatory dimensions of pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity, using a 7-point hedonic Likert-type scale. At a dose of 0.04 g/mL, saline solutions of flavored salts, with an average 15% less NaCl, were perceived by patients with hyposmia as equally intense but less familiar than pure salt solution, with similar scores in the pleasantness dimension. Our study highlighted the central role of Mediterranean aromatic plants in the enhancement of salty perception in patients with hyposmia
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
Perception of Sour Taste in Subjects with Olfactory Deficits: Role of Myrtle Aromatization
Full text linkBackground: Sour taste is associated with acid-base homeostasis, which is critical to cell metabolism and health conditions. Vinegar, which contains acetic acid as the main component, is a sour food considered the second most common condiment in Italy. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess differences in sourness perception in subjects with olfactory deficits compared to controls and evaluate myrtle aromatization’s potential effect in modulating sourness perception in subjects with hyposmia. Methods: To this end, olfactory function was assessed with the Sniffin’ Sticks test and gustatory function by the Taste Strips test. Sensory perception of a traditional white wine vinegar (WV) and a WV aromatized with myrtle (AWV) was evaluated. The sourness perception of the two vinegars was estimated through the rates of odor and taste pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity using a labeled hedonic Likert-type scale. Results: Our data indicated that in patients with hyposmia, a significant decrease was observed only in sour taste perception compared to controls. The increase in vinegar aroma due to the myrtle aromatization modulated sourness perception in patients with hyposmia. Conclusions: Myrtle aromatization increased the number of significant correlations between odor and the taste dimensions of the vinegar in controls and in patients with hyposmia in a different manner
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