BACKGROUND: Chronic nonspecific symptoms attributed to indoor nonindustrial work environments are common and may cause disability, but the medical nature of this disability is unclear. The aim was to medically characterize the disability manifested by chronic, recurrent symptoms and restrictions to work participation attributed to low-level indoor pollutants at workplace and whether the condition shares features with idiopathic environmental intolerance. METHODS: We investigated 12 patients with indoor air–related work disability. The examinations included somatic, psychological, and psychiatric evaluations as well as investigations of the autonomic nervous system, cortisol measurements, lung function, and allergy tests. We evaluated well-being, health, disability, insomnia, pain, anxiety, depression, and burnout via questionnaires. RESULTS: The mean symptom history was 10.5 years; for disabling symptoms, 2.7 years. Eleven patients reported reactions triggered mainly by indoor molds, one by fragrances only. Ten reported sensitivity to odorous chemicals, and three, electric devices. Nearly all had co-occurrent somatic and psychiatric diagnoses and signs of pain, insomnia, burnout, and/or elevated sympathetic responses. Avoiding certain environments had led to restrictions in several life areas. On self-assessment scales, disability showed higher severity and anxiety showed lower severity than in physician assessments. CONCLUSION: No medical cause was found to explain the disability. Findings support that the condition is a form of idiopathic environmental intolerance and belongs to functional somatic syndromes. Instead of endless avoidance, rehabilitation approaches of functional somatic syndromes are applicable.
Anxiety ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Depression ; Disability Evaluation ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypersensitivity ; Lung ; Multiple Chemical Sensitivity ; Odors ; Rehabilitation ; Self-Assessment ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Weights and Measures

Halitosis is a very common disease that affects the majority of the population and is characterized by unpleasant odor during expiration. Anaerobic bacteria produce a range of malodorous substances including volatile sulfur compounds. To reduce oral malodor, the amount of oral microorganisms should be managed through brushing, scraping, and use of antibacterial agents. In this study, a mouthwash containing 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride was tested on 22 candidates with oral malodor for two weeks to confirm oral malodor reduction through the use of antibacterial mouthwashes. Volatile sulfur compound measurements were significantly lower after using the mouthwash than before using it; thus, the mouthwash effectively reduced oral malodor.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; Cetylpyridinium ; Halitosis ; Mouth ; Mouthwashes ; Odors ; Sterilization ; Sulfur ; Sulfur Compounds

We prepared a polymorphic form of valnemulin hydrogen tartrate (Form I) to overcome the instability and irritating odor of valnemulin hydrochloride that affect its use in the production and application of veterinary drugs. The physicochemical properties of Form I were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed the crystal structure and thermal properties of Form I were very different from those of a commercially available form of valnemulin hydrogen tartrate (Form II). Form I and Form II were more stable than valnemulin hydrochloride after storage under irradiation and high humidity conditions, respectively. The solubility of Form I was 2.6 times that of Form II, and Form I was selected for use in pharmaceutical kinetics experiments in vivo. Compared to valnemulin hydrochloride, after oral administration at a dose of 10 mg/kg in pigs, Form I had similar pharmaceutical kinetic behavior but a slightly higher area under the concentration–time curve from time zero to the last measurable concentration. Consequently, Form I should be suitable for the development of simple formulations and be effective in the clinical application of veterinary drugs.
Administration, Oral ; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Humidity ; Hydrogen ; Kinetics ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Odors ; Pharmacokinetics ; Powder Diffraction ; Solubility ; Spectrum Analysis ; Swine ; Veterinary Drugs

odors. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of olfactory training with intranasal corticosteroid in Korean patients with various causes of olfactory dysfunction.SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Our study population comprised 134 adults with olfactory dysfunction of different etiologies (postviral infection n=85; post-traumatic n=18; and idiopathic n=31). For training, patients exposed themselves to four different odors twice a day. All patients used fluticasone nasal spray (two sprays in each nostril once daily). Olfactory function was evaluated at baseline and again at three months, and results were quantified as patient TDI (threshold, discrimination, and identification) scoreRESULTS: Olfactory function improved in 74 of 134 patients (55.2%). Etiology of olfactory disorder, sex, and age had statistically significant influence on the improvement rate of olfactory function, among which etiology of olfactory loss was the most important. However, initial severity and duration of olfactory loss had no statistically significant influence on the improvement rate. The TDI score at three months of olfactory training showed remarkable improvement, primarily because of improvements in the discrimination and identification components.CONCLUSION: The present study showed that olfactory training with intranasal corticosteroid was beneficial to improve olfactory function in patients with olfactory dysfunction, particularly in postviral infection patients.]]>
Adult ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Fluticasone ; Humans ; Methods ; Odors ; Olfaction Disorders ; Regeneration

Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Methods ; Odors ; Precision Medicine ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Smell

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of oral care, perceived halitosis, halitosis, interpersonal relationships and oral health-related quality of life and to examine the relationships among these variables.METHODS: The participants were 94 elderly people. The questionnaire included questions on oral care, perceived halitosis, interpersonal relationships, and oral health-related quality of life. Halitosis was measured using odor breath tester.RESULTS: A total of 63.8% of the elderly did not receive regular oral care. The halitosis score was 1.59, thus indicating moderate halitosis. The current perceived halitosis figure was 1.54, participants responded that they feel slight. There was no significant correlation between halitosis and perceived halitosis. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in halitosis and perceived halitosis according to the oral care. Perceived halitosis was negatively correlated with oral health-related quality of life. Interpersonal relationships were correlated with oral health-related quality of life.CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to actively promote the need for oral care among the elderly. Moreover, older people need regular oral care to prevent halitosis and improve their oral health-related quality of life.
Aged ; Breath Tests ; Halitosis ; Humans ; Odors ; Oral Hygiene ; Quality of Life

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the patients' perception, acceptance, and preference of the difference between a conventional impression and digital impression through questionnaire survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen (6 male, 7 female) subjects who experienced both digital and conventional impression at the same day were enrolled in this study. Conventional impression were taken with polyvinylsiloxane and digital impression were performed using a newly developed intra-oral scanner. Immediately after the two impressions were made, a survey was conducted with the standardized questionnaires consisting of the following three categories; 1) general dental treatment 2) satisfaction of conventional impression 3) satisfaction of digital impression. The perceived source of satisfaction was evaluated using Likert scale. The distribution of the answers was assessed by percentages and statistical analyses were performed with the paired t-test, and P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: There were significant differences of the overall satisfaction between two impression methods (P < 0.05). Digital impression showed high satisfaction in less shortness of breath and odor to participants compared to conventional impression. The use of an oral scanner resulted in a discomfort of TMJ due to prolonged mouth opening and in lower score of the scanner tip size. CONCLUSION: It was confirmed that the preference for the digital impression using intraoral scanner is higher than the conventional impression. Most survey participants said they would recommend the digital impression to others and said they preferred it for future prosthetic treatment.
Dyspnea ; Humans ; Male ; Mouth ; Odors ; Temporomandibular Joint

Phantosmia is defined as the false perception of odors without any environmental odor stimulus. It is a very rare phenomenon, but it can be caused by a wide variety of conditions, such as viral or allergic rhinosinusitis, head trauma, brain tumor, migraine, temporal lobe epilepsy, stroke, and psychiatric conditions. If it is caused by a brain tumor such as glioblastoma, it can be controlled with steroids or antiepileptic drugs. Phantosmia can also be treated with surgical resection or adjuvant radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. We report a case of glioblastoma presenting with phantosmia.
Anticonvulsants ; Brain Neoplasms ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Drug Therapy ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Glioblastoma* ; Migraine Disorders ; Odors ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Steroids ; Stroke

In a previous study, we have demonstrated that S-methylmethionine sulfonium (SMMS) confers wound-healing and photoprotective effects on the skin, suggesting that SMMS can be used as a cosmetic raw material. However, it has an unpleasant odor. Therefore, in the present study, we synthesized odor-free SMMS derivatives by eliminating dimethyl sulfide, which is the cause of the unpleasant odor and identified two derivatives that exhibited skin-protective effects: one derivative comprised (2S,4S)- and (2R,4S)-2-phenylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and the other comprised (2S,4R)-, (2S,4S)-, (2R,4R)-, and (2R,4S)-2-phenyl-1,3-thiazinane-4-carboxylic acid. We performed in vitro proliferation assays using human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs) and an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). The two SMMS derivatives were shown to increase hDF and HaCaT cell proliferation as well as improve their survival by protecting against ultraviolet exposure. Moreover, the derivatives regulated the expression of collagen type I and MMP mRNAs against ultraviolet exposure in hDFs, suggesting that these derivatives can be developed as cosmetic raw materials.
Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen Type I ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Keratinocytes ; Odors ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Vitamin U*

The hippocampus and olfactory bulb incorporate new neurons migrating from neurogenic regions in the brain. Hippocampal atrophy is evident in numerous neurodegenerative disorders, and altered hippocampal neurogenesis is an early pathological event in Alzheimer's disease. We hypothesized that hippocampal neurogenesis is affected by olfactory stimuli through the neural pathway of olfaction-related memory. In this study, we exposed mice to novel pleasant odors for three weeks and then assessed the number of neurons, non-neuronal cells (mainly glia) and proliferating cells in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb, using the isotropic fractionator method. We found that the odor enrichment significantly increased the neuronal cell numbers in the hippocampus, and promoted cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb. In contrast, the glial cell numbers remained unchanged in both of the regions. Our results suggest that exposure to novel odor stimuli promotes hippocampal neurogenesis and support the idea that enriched environments may delay the onset or slow down the progression of neurodegenerative disorders.
Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Atrophy ; Brain ; Cell Count ; Cell Proliferation ; Hippocampus ; Memory ; Methods ; Mice* ; Neural Pathways ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurogenesis ; Neuroglia ; Neurons* ; Odors* ; Olfactory Bulb