More Than Smell - COVID-19 Is Associated With Severe Impairment of Smell,Taste, and Chemesthesis

Recent anecdotal and scientific reports have provided evidence of a link between COVID-19 and chemosensory impairments, such as anosmia. However, these reports have downplayed or failed to distinguish potential effects on taste, ignored chemesthesis, and generally lacked quantitative measurements. Here, we report the development, implementation, and initial results of a multilingual, international questionnaire to assess self-reported quantity and quality of perception in 3 distinct chemosensory modalities (smell, taste, and chemesthesis) before and during COVID-19. In the first 11 days after questionnaire launch, 4039 participants (2913 women, 1118 men, and 8 others, aged 19-79) reported a COVID-19 diagnosis either via laboratory tests or clinical assessment. Importantly, smell, taste, and chemesthetic function were each significantly reduced compared to their status before the disease. Difference scores (maximum possible change +/- 100) revealed a mean reduction of smell (-79.7 +/- 28.7, mean +/- standard deviation), taste (-69.0 +/- 32.6), and chemesthetic (-37.3 +/- 36.2) function during COVID-19. Qualitative changes in olfactory ability (parosmia and phantosmia) were relatively rare and correlated with smell loss. Importantly, perceived nasal obstruction did not account for smell loss. Furthermore, chemosensory impairments were similar between participants in the laboratory test and clinical assessment groups. These results show that COVID-19-associated chemosensory impairment is not limited to smell but also affects taste and chemesthesis.The multimodal impact of COVID-19 and the lack of perceived nasal obstruction suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus strain 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may disrupt sensory-neural mechanisms

Free carrier lifetime modification for silicon waveguide based devices

We investigate the effect of silicon ion irradiation on free carrier lifetime in silicon waveguides, and thus its ability to reduce the density of two-photon-absorption (TPA) generated free carriers. Our experimental results show that free carrier lifetime can be reduced significantly by silicon ion implantation. Associated excess optical absorption from the implanted ions can be reduced to an acceptable level if irradiation energy and dose are correctly chosen. Simulations of Raman scattering suggest that net gain can be achieved in certain cases without the need for an integrated diode in reverse bias to remove the photo-generated free carriers. (c) 2008 Optical Society of Americ

Gör jag rätt eller gör jag fel? : En studie om socialarbetarnas arbete med att placera barn i nätverkshem

Vid placering av barn i familjehem skall det, enligt SoL 6:5, i första hand övervägas om placering i barnets nätverk är möjligt. Trots lagens intentioner och forskningsresultat som visar på att dessa placeringar ger bättre resultat och är stabilare över tid ökar inte antalet placeringar i nätverkshem. Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att belysa och få en ökad kunskap om socialarbetarnas arbete med att placera barn i nätverkshem. Två frågeställningar angående arbetsmetoder/rutiner och attityder till att placera i nätverket har besvarats. För att uppnå syftet har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med åtta socialarbetare. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån tidigare forskning och med hjälp av Bronfenbrenners utvecklingsekologiska teori med en systemteoretisk grund. Resultatet visar att socialarbetarna är väl medvetna om vad som står i lagen, att man främst skall överväga nätverksplaceringar. Hur detta görs är väldigt olika. Hur väl nätverket inventeras är ofta upp till socialarbetarna själva. De har ansvaret för att undersöka nätverket och hur de gör det ser olika ut. För vissa kan detta innebära att man bara frågar en gång om det finns något befintligt nätverk. Andra ser det som en process där man återkommer till frågan flera gånger. I de flesta fall är det framförallt vårdnadshavare som tillfrågas. Det råder en allmänt positiv inställning till att placera i nätverkshem, där släktinghemmen anses ha fler fördelar för barnen än andra familjehemsformer. Alla respondenter är överens om att släktingplaceringar är det bästa alternativet om det är möjlighet. Men de poängterar även vikten av att det inte alltid är det bästa för barnet och att det alltid är barnets bästa och barnets behov som ska vara avgörande

Meta-analysis of individual-patient data from EVAR-1, DREAM, OVER and ACE trials comparing outcomes of endovascular or open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm over 5 years.

BACKGROUND: The erosion of the early mortality advantage of elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) compared with open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm remains without a satisfactory explanation. METHODS: An individual-patient data meta-analysis of four multicentre randomized trials of EVAR versus open repair was conducted to a prespecified analysis plan, reporting on mortality, aneurysm-related mortality and reintervention. RESULTS: The analysis included 2783 patients, with 14 245 person-years of follow-up (median 5·5 years). Early (0-6 months after randomization) mortality was lower in the EVAR groups (46 of 1393 versus 73 of 1390 deaths; pooled hazard ratio 0·61, 95 per cent c.i. 0·42 to 0·89; P = 0·010), primarily because 30-day operative mortality was lower in the EVAR groups (16 deaths versus 40 for open repair; pooled odds ratio 0·40, 95 per cent c.i. 0·22 to 0·74). Later (within 3 years) the survival curves converged, remaining converged to 8 years. Beyond 3 years, aneurysm-related mortality was significantly higher in the EVAR groups (19 deaths versus 3 for open repair; pooled hazard ratio 5·16, 1·49 to 17·89; P = 0·010). Patients with moderate renal dysfunction or previous coronary artery disease had no early survival advantage under EVAR. Those with peripheral artery disease had lower mortality under open repair (39 deaths versus 62 for EVAR; P = 0·022) in the period from 6 months to 4 years after randomization. CONCLUSION: The early survival advantage in the EVAR group, and its subsequent erosion, were confirmed. Over 5 years, patients of marginal fitness had no early survival advantage from EVAR compared with open repair. Aneurysm-related mortality and patients with low ankle : brachial pressure index contributed to the erosion of the early survival advantage for the EVAR group. Trial registration numbers: EVAR-1, ISRCTN55703451; DREAM (Dutch Randomized Endovascular Aneurysm Management), NCT00421330; ACE (Anévrysme de l'aorte abdominale, Chirurgie versus Endoprothèse), NCT00224718; OVER (Open Versus Endovascular Repair Trial for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms), NCT00094575