New onset of loss of smell or taste in household contacts of home-isolated SARS-CoV-2-positive subjects

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of smell or taste impairment in household contacts of mildly symptomatic home-isolated SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on ad hoc questions. Results: Of 214 mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients managed at home under self-isolation, 179 reported to have at least one household contact, with the total number of no study participants contacts being 296. Among 175 household contacts not tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection, 67 (38.3%) had SARS-CoV-2 compatible symptoms, 39 (22.3%) had loss of smell or taste with 7 (4.0%) having loss of smell or taste in the absence of other symptoms. The prevalence of smell or taste impairment was 1.5% in patients tested negative compared to 63.0% of those tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Smell or taste impairment are quite common in not-tested household contacts of mildly symptomatic home-isolated SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. This should be taken into account when estimating the burden of loss of sense of smell and taste during COVID-19 pandemic, and further highlights the value of loss of sense of smell and taste as a marker of infection

Psychophysical assessment of olfactory and gustatory function in post-mild COVID-19 patients: A matched case-control study with two-year follow-up

Background: The aim of this study was to psychophysically evaluate the prevalence of smell and taste dysfunction two years after mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to that observed at one-year follow-up and while considering the background of chemosensory dysfunction in the no-COVID-19 population. Method: This is a prospective case-control study 93 patients with PCR-positive SARS-CoV-2 infection and 93 matched controls. Self-reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunction was assessed by Sino-nasal-Outcome-Test-22, item "Sense of smell or taste". Psychophysical ortho- and retronasal olfactory function and gustatory performance were estimated using the extended Sniffin' Sticks test battery, 20 powdered tasteless aromas, and taste strips test, respectively. Nasal trigeminal sensitivity was assessed by sniffing a 70% solution of acetic acid. Results: The two psychophysical assessments of chemosensory function took place after a median of 409 days (range: 366-461) and 765 days (range: 739-800) from the first SARS-CoV-2 positive swab, respectively. At two-year follow-up, cases exhibited a decrease in the prevalence of olfactory (27.9%% vs 42.0%; absolute difference, -14.0%; 95% CI, -21.8% to -2.6%; p = 0.016) and gustatory dysfunction (14.0% vs 25.8%; absolute difference, -11.8%; 95% CI, -24.2% to 0.6%; p = 0.098). Subjects with prior COVID-19 were more likely than controls to have an olfactory (27.9% vs 10.8 %; absolute difference, 17.2%; 95% CI, 5.2% to 28.8%) but not gustatory dysfunction (14.0% vs 9.7%; absolute difference, 4.3%; 95% CI, -5.8% to 14.4% p = 0.496) still two years after the infection. Overall, 3.2% of cases were still anosmic two-year after the infection. Conclusions: While a proportion of subjects recovered from long-lasting smell/taste dysfunction more than one year after COVID-19, cases still exhibited a significant excess of olfactory dysfunction two years after SARS-CoV-2 infection when compared to matched controls

The secretory senescence in otorhinolaryngology: Principles of treatment

Atrophy or hypofunction of the salivary gland because of aging, radiotherapy or disease causes hyposalivation and impairs the quality of life of patients by compromising mastication, swallowing and speech and by leading to a loss of taste. Moreover, hyposalivation exacerbates dental caries and induces periodontal disease, and oral candidiasis. Currently, no satisfactory therapies have been established to solve salivary hypofunction. Current treatment options for atrophy or hypofunction of the salivary glands in clinical practice are only symptomatic and include saliva substitutes and parasympathetic agonists, such as pilocarpine, to stimulate salivary flow. However, parasympathomimetics have systemic side effects, so different treatment options are necessary, and research has recently focused on this. The main strategies that have been proposed to restore salivary gland atrophy and hypofunction are gene therapy by gene activation/silencing during stem cell differentiation and by the use of viral vectors, such as adenoviruses; cell-based therapy with salivary gland cells, stem cells and non-salivary gland and/ or non-epithelial cells to regenerate damaged salivary gland cells; replacement with tissue bioengineering in which organoids from pluripotent stem cells are used in the development of organ replacement regenerative therapy. Remarkable progression in this research field has been made in the last decade, but a definitive therapy for salivary gland hypofunction has not been developed due to intrinsic challenges that come with each approach. However, with research efforts in the future, a range of precision medicine therapies may become available individualized to each patient

Re‐Thinking the Environment, Cities, and Living Spaces for Public Health Purposes, According with the COVID‐19 Lesson: The LVII Erice Charter

Urban planning is a key tool to promote health in cities. The COVID-19 emergency accelerated several social, environmental, and digital challenges, stressing the importance of some issues regarding housing, urban mobility, green areas, and health service networks, urban health policies, and actions. These issues were the subject of an intensive residential course (the 57th) held in Erice, Sicily, in June 2021 in the “International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine G. D’Alessandro”, and the main findings are described here. Methods. Lectures presented the topics, subsequently developed them, and argued them in parallel practical sessions using the World Café technique, since it is well suited for the interaction of participants and the involvement of groups. Results. The World Café provides new insights into how to improve the livability and health of urban spaces, and a set of strategies and actions were proposed for each topic. Discussion and Conclusions. All attendees agreed on the importance of participation in the planning processes, but also on the need for strong political support to ensure the resources needed and a full integration of health with other local policies. A multidisciplinary approach to developing systemic operational capacities and health literacy is considered pivotal to raising awareness and participation

A hybrid prognostic methodology for tidal turbine gearboxes

Tidal energy is one of promising solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and it is estimated that 100 TWh of electricity could be produced every year from suitable sites around the world. Although premature gearbox failures have plagued the wind turbine industry, and considerable research efforts continue to address this challenge, tidal turbine gearboxes are expected to experience higher mechanical failure rates given they will experience higher torque and thrust forces. In order to minimize the maintenance cost and prevent unexpected failures there exists a fundamental need for prognostic tools that can reliably estimate the current health and predict the future condition of the gearbox.This paper presents a life assessment methodology for tidal turbine gearboxes which was developed with synthetic data generated using a blade element momentum theory (BEMT) model. The latter has been used extensively for performance and load modelling of tidal turbines. The prognostic model developed was validated using experimental data