The best COVID-19 predictor is recent smell loss: a cross-sectional study.

Background: COVID-19 has heterogeneous manifestations, though one of the most common symptoms is a sudden loss of smell (anosmia or hyposmia). We investigated whether olfactory loss is a reliable predictor of COVID-19.

Methods: This preregistered, cross-sectional study used a crowdsourced questionnaire in 23 languages to assess symptoms in individuals self-reporting recent respiratory illness.

Variant in a common odorant-binding protein gene is associated with bitter sensitivity in people.

Deeper understanding of signaling mechanisms underlying bitterness perception in people is essential for designing novel and effective bitter blockers, which could enhance nutrition and compliance with orally administered bitter-tasting drugs. Here we show that variability in a human odorant-binding protein gene, OBPIIa, associates with individual differences in bitterness perception of fat (oleic acid) and of a prototypical bitter stimulus, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), suggesting a novel olfactory role in the modulation of bitterness sensitivity.

Zizyphin modulates calcium signalling in human taste bud cells and fat taste perception in the mouse.

Zizyphin, isolated from Zizyphus sps. leaf extracts, has been shown to modulate sugar taste perception, and the palatability of a sweet solution is increased by the addition of fatty acids. We, therefore, studied whether zizyphin also modulates fat taste perception.

Isolation and culture of human fungiform taste papillae cells.

Taste cells are highly specialized, with unique histological, molecular and physiological characteristics that permit detection of a wide range of simple stimuli and complex chemical molecules contained in foods. In human, individual fungiform papillae contain from zero to as many as 20 taste buds. There is no established protocol for culturing human taste cells, although the ability to maintain taste papillae cells in culture for multiple cell cycles would be of considerable utility for characterizing the molecular, regenerative, and functional properties of these unique sensory cells.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in human saliva: ELISA optimization and biological correlates.

In order to assess the physiological significance of human salivary brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), we have optimized a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We determined the range of salivary BDNF concentrations, the impact of saliva collection method, and the association of salivary BDNF with several biological characteristics. The ELISA had a detection limit of 62.

Inducible functional expression of Bcl-2 in human astrocytes derived from NTera-2 cells.

Astrocytes provide structural support for neurons and may also play important roles in both neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. We, here report that human astrocytes derived from on NTera-2 (NT2) cell line expressing a functional anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2 under the control of a tetracycline responsive promoter using the Tet-On and Tet-Off expression systems. NT2 cells were transfected with the Tet On or Tet Off vectors followed by pTRE carrying human bcl-2.

Characterization and long-term maintenance of rat taste cells in culture.

Taste cells have a limited life span and are replaced from a basal cell population, although the specific factors involved in this process are not well known. Short- and long-term cultures of other sensory cells have facilitated efforts to understand the signals involved in proliferation, differentiation, and senescence, yet few studies have reported successful primary culture protocols for taste cells. Furthermore, no studies have demonstrated both proliferation and differentiation in vitro.

Molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 associated neurodegeneration.

Since identification of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), numerous studies suggest a link between neurological impairments, in particular dementia, with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with alarming occurrence worldwide. Approximately, 60% of HIV-infected people show some form of neurological impairment, and neuropathological changes are found in 90% of autopsied cases. Approximately 30% of untreated HIV-infected persons may develop dementia.

Development of a human neuronal cell model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected macrophage-induced neurotoxicity: apoptosis induced by HIV type 1 primary isolates and evidence for involvement of the Bcl-2/Bcl-xL-sensitive intrinsic apoptosis pathway.

Neuronal apoptosis within the central nervous system (CNS) is a characteristic feature of AIDS dementia, and it represents a common mechanism of neuronal death induced by neurotoxins (e.g., glutamate) released from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected macrophages (HIV/macrophage-induced neurotoxicity).