Extremity and excess : proceedings of the 2011 University of Salford College of Arts and Social Sciences postgraduate research conference

The essays gathered in this volume explore the difficulties of classifying and conceptualizing the extreme and the excessive. Uniting a broad selection of new research (initially presented as part of the University of Salford’s annual College of Arts and Social Sciences Conference 2011), the collection queries some of the premises surrounding these topics: ideas that are most often presented as a counterpoint to a perceived ‘normality’. Both terrorism/responses to terrorist threat and the grotesque within horror cinema are represented whilst perhaps reflecting that which is deemed outside of the general parameters of acceptability and decency. Yet there is also a focus on subjects that may, at first, be seen as less radical. From alternative representations of authorship to new technology’s attempts at ‘realness’, prose as hysteria through to melodramatic depictions of war and, finally, approaches that aim to challenge the more commonplace critical strategies employed in the assessment of both fine art and fine artists, this collection will be of particular interest to students and scholars prepared to look beyond a concept that may hint at the merely shocking and engage with a more widely interpreted and nuanced critique of extremity and excess

Position Paper on Olfactory Dysfunction

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is an increasingly recognised condition, associated with reduced quality of life and major health outcomes such as neurodegeneration and death. However, translational research in this field is limited by heterogeneity in methodological approach, including definitions of impairment, improvement and appropriate assessment techniques. Accordingly, effective treatments are limited. In an effort to encourage high quality and comparable work in this field, among others, we propose the following ideas and recommendations. Whilst full recommendations are outlined in the main document, key points include: -Patients with suspected olfactory loss should undergo a full examination of the head and neck, including rigid nasal endoscopy. -Subjective olfactory assessment should not be undertaken in isolation, given its poor reliability. -Psychophysical assessment tools used in clinical and research settings should include reliable and validated tests of odour threshold, and/or one of odour identification or discrimination. -Comprehensive chemosensory assessment should include gustatory screening. -Smell training can be helpful in patients with olfactory loss of several aetiologies. Conclusions: We hope the current manuscript will encourage clinicians and researchers to adopt a common language, and in so doing, increase the methodological quality, consistency and generalisability of work in this field

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

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

Correction: Chemical Senses, Volume 46, 2021, bjab050, https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjab050 Published: 08 December 2021Recent 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.Peer reviewe

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

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. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved

Olfactory Dysfunction in Patients With CNGB1-Associated Retinitis Pigmentosa

IMPORTANCE Co-occurrence of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and olfactory dysfunction may have a common genetic cause. OBJECTIVE To report olfactory function and the retinal phenotype in patients with biallelic mutations in CNGB1, a gene coding for a signal transduction channel subunit expressed in rod photoreceptors and olfactory sensory neurons. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This case series was conducted from August 2015 through July 2017. The setting was a multicenter study involving 4 tertiary referral centers for inherited retinal dystrophies. Participants were 9 patients with CNGB1-associated RP. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Results of olfactory testing, ocular phenotyping, and molecular genetic testing using targeted next-generation sequencing. RESULTS Nine patients were included in the study, 3 of whom were female. Their ages ranged between 34 and 79 years. All patients had an early onset of night blindness but were usually not diagnosed as having RP before the fourth decade because of slow retinal degeneration. Retinal features were characteristic of a rod-cone dystrophy. Olfactory testing revealed reduced or absent olfactory function, with all except one patient scoring in the lowest quartile in relation to age-related norms. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography measurements in response to olfactory stimulation were available for 1 patient and revealed no visible olfactory bulbs and reduced responses to odor, respectively. Molecular genetic testing identified 5 novel (c. 1312C>T, c. 2210G>A, c. 2492+1G>A, c. 2763C>G, and c. 3044_3050delGGAAATC) and 5 previously reported mutations in CNGB1. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Mutations in CNGB1 may cause an autosomal recessive RP-olfactory dysfunction syndrome characterized by a slow progression of retinal degeneration and variable anosmia or hyposmia