Remote olfactory assessment using the NIH Toolbox Odor Identification test and the brain health registry.

Background: Early identification of deficits in our ability to perceive odors is important as many normal (i.e., aging) and pathological (i.

Environmental chamber studies of eye and respiratory irritation from use of a peracetic acid-based hospital surface disinfectant.

Objective: To characterize personal exposures and measures of eye and respiratory tract irritation in controlled environmental chamber studies of 44 healthy adult volunteers simulating upper-bound use of peracetic acid (PAA)-based surface disinfectant for terminal cleaning of hospital patient rooms.

Design: Experimental, within-subject, double-blinded cross-over design.

Methods: Objective and subjective exposure effects were assessed for PAA and its components: acetic acid (AA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP).

Odours and incontinence: What does the nose know?

The fear of producing malodours that can be detected by others is a daily cause of anxiety for millions of people with incontinence. For many, the risk-whether real or imagined-that leaked waste products will be detectable by odour is sufficiently concerning to result in limitations on many types of activities. However, worry about personal odours can sensitise our olfactory system and cause us to be more aware of odours that may otherwise not be perceptible.

Lack of respiratory and ocular effects following acute propylene glycol exposure in healthy humans.

Objective: Propylene glycol (PG) is a widely used solvent, chemical intermediate and carrier substance for foods, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Professional and occupational exposure to PG aerosol and vapor may occur from theatrical smoke generators and during application of deicing products to airplanes. While PG is considered to have low toxicity, the results of one study suggested that brief (1-min) exposure to PG mist elicited ocular and respiratory effects in humans.

Formaldehyde Induces Rho-Associated Kinase Activity to Evoke Airway Hyperresponsiveness.

Formaldehyde, a common indoor air pollutant, exacerbates asthma and synergizes with allergen to induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in animal models. The mechanisms mediating formaldehyde-induced AHR remain poorly understood. We posit that formaldehyde modulates agonist-induced contractile response of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells to elicit AHR.

Chemosignals of stress influence social judgments.

Human body odors have important communicative functions regarding genetic identity, immune fitness and general health, but an expanding body of research suggests they can also communicate information about an individual's emotional state. In the current study, we tested whether axillary odors obtained from women experiencing psychosocial stress could negatively influence personality judgments of warmth and competence made about other women depicted in video scenarios. 44 female donors provided three types of sweat samples: untreated exercise sweat, untreated stress sweat and treated stress sweat.

Olfactory assessment using the NIH Toolbox.

The human olfactory system provides us with information about our environment that is critical to our physical and psychological well-being. Individuals can vary widely in their ability to detect, recognize, and identify odors, but still be within the range of normal function. Although several standardized tests of odor identification are available, few specifically address the issues in testing very young children, most of whom are likely to be unfamiliar with many of the odor stimuli used in adult tests and have limited ability to read and identify labels to select among choices.

Development of a test to evaluate olfactory function in a pediatric population.

Objectives/hypothesis: This study evaluated two versions of a test for olfactory function to determine suitability for use in a pediatric population.

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Methods: In phase 1, 369 children (ages 3-17 years) and 277 adults (parents) were tested.

Chemosensory loss: functional consequences of the world trade center disaster.

Background: Individuals involved in rescue, recovery, demolition, and cleanup at the World Trade Center (WTC) site were exposed to a complex mixture of airborne smoke, dust, combustion gases, acid mists, and metal fumes. Such exposures have the potential to impair nasal chemosensory (olfactory and trigeminal) function.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction and nasal inflammation among these individuals.

Evaluating the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in a pediatric population.

Although smell loss has several potential etiologies (e.g., head trauma, allergic rhinitis, and enlarged adenoids) that are common among children, studies evaluating the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in the pediatric population are rare.

The Use of Semantic Differential Scaling to Define the Multi-Dimensional Representation of Odors.

The mental representation elicited by smelling an odor often consists of multiple sensory and affective dimensions, yet, the richness of this elaboration is difficult to capture using methods to rate the intensity of these factors in isolation. Attempts to use language descriptors for olfactory experience have also been shown to be rather limited; among non-specialists, there is no universally accepted system for describing odors, leading to greater reliance on specific item associations. In this study we explored the utility of semantic differential scaling for illustrating the various dimensions of olfactory experience.

Acute sensory irritation from exposure to isopropanol (2-propanol) at TLV in workers and controls: objective versus subjective effects.

Objectives: Phlebotomists occupationally exposed to isopropanol (IPA) (2-propanol) and naïve controls (n = 12 per group) were exposed to the time-weighted average threshold limit value of 400 p.p.m.