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Insects Jun 2024Insect pheromones have been intensively studied with respect to their role in insect communication. However, scarce knowledge is available on the impact of pheromones on...
Insect pheromones have been intensively studied with respect to their role in insect communication. However, scarce knowledge is available on the impact of pheromones on plant responses, and how these in turn affect herbivorous insects. A previous study showed that exposure of pine () to the sex pheromones of the pine sawfly results in enhanced defenses against the eggs of this sawfly; the egg survival rate on pheromone-exposed pine needles was lower than that on unexposed pine. The long-lasting common evolutionary history of and suggests that has developed counter-adaptations to these pine responses. Here, we investigated by behavioral assays how copes with the defenses of pheromone-exposed pine. The sawfly females did not discriminate between the odor of pheromone-exposed and unexposed pine. However, when they had the chance to contact the trees, more unexposed than pheromone-exposed trees received eggs. The exposure of pine to the pheromones did not affect the performance of larvae and their pupation success. Our findings indicate that the effects that responses of pine to sex pheromones exert on the sawfly eggs and sawfly oviposition behavior do not extend to effects on the larvae.
PubMed: 38921172
DOI: 10.3390/insects15060458 -
Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Recently, smell and taste disorders have seen renewed interest, as these symptoms are frequent complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection, since approximately 60% of patients... (Review)
Review
Recently, smell and taste disorders have seen renewed interest, as these symptoms are frequent complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection, since approximately 60% of patients affected by COVID-19 have shown olfactory and gustatory alterations. Otolaryngology pays attention to taste and smell abnormalities (TSAs), especially when associated with oncology. TSAs are common symptoms in people affected by cancer, yet they are ignored and underestimated. The clinical outcome of TSAs in cancer evidences the importance of identifying them with chemotherapy or radiotherapy in general, and they are associated with many types of cancer. We recognize the findings of the literature on TSAs in cancer, evaluating how it is important to consider and identify these disorders concerning reduced food enjoyment or inappropriate nutrient intake, and modulating the nutritional status, quality of life, and impact of therapy. This review aims to critically evaluate and recognize the assessment and clinical perspectives of taste and smell disorders in a cancer population.
PubMed: 38920562
DOI: 10.3390/diseases12060130 -
Patient Preference and Adherence 2024There is no consistent framework for patient-centric drug product design, despite the common understanding that drug product acceptability and preferences influence... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
There is no consistent framework for patient-centric drug product design, despite the common understanding that drug product acceptability and preferences influence adherence and, therefore, drug product effectiveness. The aim of this review was to assess current understanding of patient acceptability and preferences for solid oral dosage form (SODF) drug product attributes, and the potential impact of these attributes on patient behaviors and outcomes.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A scoping review was conducted. Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, and PubMed were searched for full-text articles published between January 2013 and May 2023. Following screening and assessment against predefined inclusion criteria, data were analyzed thematically.
RESULTS
Nineteen studies were included. Four overarching domains of drug product attributes were identified and summarized in a framework: appearance, swallowability, palatability, and handling. Each domain was informed by specific drug product attributes: texture, form, size, shape, color, marking, taste, mouthfeel, and smell. The most frequently studied domains were swallowability and appearance, while the most studied attributes were size, shape, and texture. Smell, marking, and mouthfeel were the least studied attributes. Texture intersected all domains, while form, shape, and size intersected appearance, swallowability, and handling. Swallowability and size appeared to be the key domain and attribute, respectively, to consider when designing drug products. Few studies explored the impact of drug product attributes on behaviors and outcomes.
CONCLUSION
While existing studies of drug product attributes have focused on appearance and swallowability, this review highlighted the importance of two less well-understood domains-palatability and handling-in understanding patients' acceptability and preferences for SODF drug products. The framework provides a tool to facilitate patient-centric design of drug products, organizing and categorizing physical drug product attributes into four overarching domains (appearance, swallowability, palatability, and handling), encouraging researchers to comprehensively assess the impact of drug product attributes on patient acceptability, preferences, and outcomes.
PubMed: 38919378
DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S443213 -
PloS One 2024Humans have approximately 400 different olfactory receptors (hORs) and recognize odorants through the repertoire of hOR responses. Although the cell surface expression...
Humans have approximately 400 different olfactory receptors (hORs) and recognize odorants through the repertoire of hOR responses. Although the cell surface expression of hORs is critical to evaluate their response, hORs are poorly expressed on the surface of heterologous cells. To address this problem, previous studies have focused on hOR transportation to the membrane. Nevertheless, the response pattern of hORs to odorants has yet to be successfully linked, and the response sensitivity still remains to be improved. In this study, we demonstrate that increasing the transcriptional level can result in a significant increase in cell surface and functional expression of hORs. We used the TAR-Tat system, which increases the transcription efficiency through positive feedback, and found that OR1A1, OR6N2, and OR51M1 exhibited robust expression. Moreover, this system induces enhanced hOR responses to odorants, thus defining four hORs as novel n-hexanal receptors and n-hexanal is an inverse agonist to one of them. Our results suggested that using the TAR-Tat system and increasing the transcriptional level of hORs can help understanding the relationship between hORs and odorants that were previously undetectable. This finding could facilitate the understanding of the sense of smell by decoding the repertoire of hOR responses.
Topics: Receptors, Odorant; Humans; Transcription, Genetic; Odorants; Aldehydes
PubMed: 38917199
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306029 -
Cureus May 2024Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) is a refractory type 2 inflammation-based airway allergic disease that is prone to complications such as bronchial asthma....
Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) is a refractory type 2 inflammation-based airway allergic disease that is prone to complications such as bronchial asthma. Pott's puffy tumor (PPT) is a rare clinical entity characterized by osteomyelitis of the frontal bone accompanied by a subperiosteal abscess. A 56-year-old female with a history of cranial surgery and bronchial asthma presented to an otolaryngology clinic with nasal obstruction and loss of smell, later developing swelling and redness on her forehead. She was diagnosed and treated for ECRS and was thought to have developed PPT during her course. Nasal endoscopy reveals bilateral polyp formation originating from the middle meatus. Paranasal computed tomography (CT) indicates substantial swelling extending from the opening of the frontal sinus to the adjacent subcutaneous tissue, accompanied by a defect in the frontal bone and osteolysis at the base of the frontal skull. Her management included conservative antibiotic therapy adjusted due to a drug eruption and, subsequently, endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The case was complicated by the patient's medical history and the absence of detailed surgical records, which limited the use of enhanced imaging techniques. This underscores the complexity of diagnosing and managing PPT in adults, particularly those with prior surgeries, emphasizing the need for a tailored diagnostic and therapeutic approach that integrates detailed patient history with current clinical indicators to effectively guide treatment. This case contributes to the limited literature on adult PPT and underscores the critical need for careful patient monitoring and detailed surgical history.
PubMed: 38910757
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60893 -
Environment International Jun 2024PFAS are ubiquitous industrial chemicals with known adverse health effects, particularly on the liver. The liver, being a vital metabolic organ, is susceptible to...
PFAS are ubiquitous industrial chemicals with known adverse health effects, particularly on the liver. The liver, being a vital metabolic organ, is susceptible to PFAS-induced metabolic dysregulation, leading to conditions such as hepatotoxicity and metabolic disturbances. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic and metabolic responses of PFAS exposure using two hepatocyte models, HepG2 (male cell line) and HepaRG (female cell line), aiming to define phenotypic alterations, and metabolic disturbances at the metabolite and pathway levels. The PFAS mixture composition was selected based on epidemiological data, covering a broad concentration spectrum observed in diverse human populations. Phenotypic profiling by Cell Painting assay disclosed predominant effects of PFAS exposure on mitochondrial structure and function in both cell models as well as effects on F-actin, Golgi apparatus, and plasma membrane-associated measures. We employed comprehensive metabolic characterization using liquid chromatography combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). We observed dose-dependent changes in the metabolic profiles, particularly in lipid, steroid, amino acid and sugar and carbohydrate metabolism in both cells as well as in cell media, with HepaRG cell line showing a stronger metabolic response. In cells, most of the bile acids, acylcarnitines and free fatty acids showed downregulation, while medium-chain fatty acids and carnosine were upregulated, while the cell media showed different response especially in relation to the bile acids in HepaRG cell media. Importantly, we observed also nonmonotonic response for several phenotypic features and metabolites. On the pathway level, PFAS exposure was also associated with pathways indicating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Taken together, our findings on PFAS-induced phenotypic and metabolic disruptions in hepatocytes shed light on potential mechanisms contributing to the broader comprehension of PFAS-related health risks.
PubMed: 38906088
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108820 -
Science Advances Jun 2024The central nervous system coordinates peripheral cellular stress responses, including the unfolded protein response of the mitochondria (UPR); however, the contexts for...
The central nervous system coordinates peripheral cellular stress responses, including the unfolded protein response of the mitochondria (UPR); however, the contexts for which this regulatory capability evolved are unknown. UPR is up-regulated upon pathogenic infection and in metabolic flux, and the olfactory nervous system has been shown to regulate pathogen resistance and peripheral metabolic activity. Therefore, we asked whether the olfactory nervous system in controls the UPR cell nonautonomously. We found that silencing a single inhibitory olfactory neuron pair, AWC, led to robust induction of UPR and reduction of oxidative phosphorylation dependent on serotonin signaling and -mediated mitophagy. Further, AWC ablation confers resistance to the pathogenic bacteria partially dependent on the UPR transcription factor and fully dependent on mitophagy machinery. These data illustrate a role for the olfactory nervous system in regulating whole-organism mitochondrial dynamics, perhaps in preparation for postprandial metabolic stress or pathogenic infection.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Mitophagy; Mitochondria; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Smell; Unfolded Protein Response; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Signal Transduction; Serotonin; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 38905346
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn0014 -
Frontiers in Neural Circuits 2024The olfactory epithelium (OE) is directly exposed to environmental agents entering the nasal cavity, leaving OSNs prone to injury and degeneration. The causes of... (Review)
Review
The olfactory epithelium (OE) is directly exposed to environmental agents entering the nasal cavity, leaving OSNs prone to injury and degeneration. The causes of olfactory dysfunction are diverse and include head trauma, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging, but the main causes are chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and viral infections. In CRS and viral infections, reduced airflow due to local inflammation, inflammatory cytokine production, release of degranulated proteins from eosinophils, and cell injury lead to decreased olfactory function. It is well known that injury-induced loss of mature OSNs in the adult OE causes massive regeneration of new OSNs within a few months through the proliferation and differentiation of progenitor basal cells that are subsequently incorporated into olfactory neural circuits. Although normal olfactory function returns after injury in most cases, prolonged olfactory impairment and lack of improvement in olfactory function in some cases poses a major clinical problem. Persistent inflammation or severe injury in the OE results in morphological changes in the OE and respiratory epithelium and decreases the number of mature OSNs, resulting in irreversible loss of olfactory function. In this review, we discuss the histological structure and distribution of the human OE, and the pathogenesis of olfactory dysfunction associated with CRS and viral infection.
Topics: Humans; Olfactory Mucosa; Olfaction Disorders; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; Sinusitis; Rhinitis; Animals
PubMed: 38903957
DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2024.1406218 -
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2024Overall physical activity (PA) has been linked to decreased olfactory dysfunction and could improve olfactory function. Additionally, decreased olfactory function can...
INTRODUCTION
Overall physical activity (PA) has been linked to decreased olfactory dysfunction and could improve olfactory function. Additionally, decreased olfactory function can contribute to reduced overall PA levels, given its association with neurodegenerative disorders. This study aims to examine the relationship between specific PA parameters (duration, frequency, intensity) and olfactory function in adults.
METHODS
A total of 3,527 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 underwent assessments for weekly PA duration, frequency, and intensity, alongside a smell test (including odors such as chocolate, strawberry, grape, onion, smoke, natural gas, leather, and soap). Correlation analyses and binary logistic regressions using SPSS were used to evaluate associations.
RESULTS
The total smell score exhibited small yet significant positive correlations with the duration, frequency, and volume of moderate PA (correlation coefficients ranging between 0.05 and 0.08; all ≤ 0.05) and frequency of vigorous PA (correlation coefficient of 0.05; < 0.05). For moderate PA, the duration, frequency, and volume were significantly and positively associated with the ability to correctly detect the smell of grapes while the frequency was significantly and positively associated with the ability to identify smoke and leather odors (odds ratios ranging from 1.01 to 1.07; < 0.05). For vigorous PA, the frequency of PA was positively associated with the detection of grape smell (odds ratio of 1.05; < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Some parameters of an active lifestyle are associated with improved odds of accurately identifying odors by up to 7.4%. Moderate PA duration, frequency, and volume were linked to better olfactory scores, while high-intensity PA had limited associations.
PubMed: 38903386
DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1394858 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Mar 2024The multi-millenia long history between dogs and humans has justly placed them at the forefront of archeological and genomic research. Despite ongoing efforts including...
The multi-millenia long history between dogs and humans has justly placed them at the forefront of archeological and genomic research. Despite ongoing efforts including the analysis of ancient dog and wolf genomes, many questions remain regarding their geographic and temporal origins, and the microevolutionary processes that led to the huge diversity of breeds today. Although ancient genomes provide valuable information, their use is significantly hindered by low depth of coverage and post-mortem damage, which often inhibits confident genotype calling. In the present study, we assess how genotype imputation of ancient dog and wolf genomes, utilising a large reference panel, can improve the resolution afforded by ancient genomic datasets. Imputation accuracy was evaluated by down-sampling 10 high coverage ancient and modern dog and wolf genomes to 0.05-2x coverage and comparing concordance between imputed and high coverage genotypes. We also measured the impact of imputation on principal component analyses (PCA) and runs of homozygosity (ROH). Our findings show high (R > 0.9) imputation accuracy for dogs with coverage as low as 0.5x and for wolves as low as 1.0x. We then imputed a worldwide dataset of 81 published ancient dog and wolf genomes, in addition to nine newly sequenced medieval and early modern period European dogs, to assess changes in inbreeding during the last 10,000 years of dog evolution. Ancient dog and wolf populations generally exhibited lower inbreeding levels than present-day individuals, though with some exceptions occurring in ancient Arctic and European dogs. Interestingly, regions with low ROH density maintained across ancient and present-day samples were significantly associated with genes related to olfaction and immune response. Our study indicates that imputing ancient canine genomes is a viable strategy that allows for the use of analytical methods previously limited to high-quality genetic data.
PubMed: 38903121
DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585179