scholarly journals The influence of sex on the olfactory function in healthy subjects

Author(s):  
Slobodan Savovic ◽  
Vladimir Pilija ◽  
Slobodanka Lemajic ◽  
Maja Buljcik ◽  
Dejan Nincic ◽  
...  

The sense of smell is the least examined of all senses. The significance of the organs of smell is in their influence on the mental state as well as on the vegetative, visceral and sexual functions. The objective of this experiment was to define the influence of sex on the olfactory function. It was performed on 120 subjects (60 females and 60 males) divided into three age groups (20 - 30; 31 - 40; 41 - 50 years of age). The experiment was carried out by the Fortunato-Niccolini olfactometric method using six odorous experimental substances: A - anethol, PH - phenyl-ethyl-alcohol, C citral, M - menthol, V- vanillin and P - pyridine, the thresholds of perception (TP) and identification (TI) being defined for each odorous substance. The examined females had slightly lower thresholds of perception (TP) and identification (TI) in relation to the males of the same age group. However, the differences were not statistically significant except for the group of subjects between 41 and 50 years of age where the females, being in the pre-menopause, had significantly better olfactory functions. The results can be explained by the weakening of the olfactory power as a result of ageing in both sexes, however, the females still experienced the protective role of sex hormones.

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-153
Author(s):  
Marie Gottschlich ◽  
Thomas Hummel

The purpose of the present study was to re-investigate the influence of handedness on simple olfactory tasks to further clarify the role of handedness in chemical senses. Similar to language and other sensory systems, effects of handedness should be expected. Young, healthy subjects participated in this study, including 24 left-handers and 24 right-handers, with no indication of any major nasal or health problems. The two groups did not differ in terms of sex and age (14 women and 10 men in each group). They had a mean age of 24.0 years. Olfactory event-related potentials were recorded after left or right olfactory stimulation with the rose-like odor phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA) or the smell of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide, H2S). Results suggested that handedness has no major influence on amplitude or latency of olfactory event-related potentials when it comes to simple olfactory tasks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Charles ◽  
Matthias Eckardt ◽  
Basel Karo ◽  
Walter Haas ◽  
Stefan Kröger

Abstract Background Seasonality in tuberculosis (TB) has been found in different parts of the world, showing a peak in spring/summer and a trough in autumn/winter. The evidence is less clear which factors drive seasonality. It was our aim to identify and evaluate seasonality in the notifications of TB in Germany, additionally investigating the possible variance of seasonality by disease site, sex and age group. Methods We conducted an integer-valued time series analysis using national surveillance data. We analysed the reported monthly numbers of started treatments between 2004 and 2014 for all notified TB cases and stratified by disease site, sex and age group. Results We detected seasonality in the extra-pulmonary TB cases (N = 11,219), with peaks in late spring/summer and troughs in fall/winter. For all TB notifications together (N = 51,090) and for pulmonary TB only (N = 39,714) we did not find a distinct seasonality. Additional stratified analyses did not reveal any clear differences between age groups, the sexes, or between active and passive case finding. Conclusion We found seasonality in extra-pulmonary TB only, indicating that seasonality of disease onset might be specific to the disease site. This could point towards differences in disease progression between the different clinical disease manifestations. Sex appears not to be an important driver of seasonality, whereas the role of age remains unclear as this could not be sufficiently investigated.


1980 ◽  
Vol 08 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Chan Ho ◽  
Kwok Chan Lun ◽  
W. K. Cheng Hin Ng

A retrospective study of 672 sampled records of patients of a major institutions providing Chinese traditional medicine in Singapore reveals that 97.3% of the patients were Chinese, with a dialect group distribution following closely that of the Singapore Chinese. The male-to-female patient ratio was 1.0:1.13. There were fewer patients of the pediatric age group and more of those from age 30 upwards. Some 43% of the patients sought treatment for ''infective'' and ''internal, emotional and weakness'' diseases. The prevalent disease conditions seen among patients from the different age groups are also analyzed and discussed in this paper.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2373
Author(s):  
Priyanka Ashok Khopde ◽  
Abhimanyu Kelkar ◽  
Priscilla Joshi ◽  
Amol Bandgar ◽  
Mangal Mahajan

Background: Obstructive jaundice is the most frequent form of hepato-biliary pathologies. The main aim is to confirm the presence of obstruction and to identify its cause, location and extent of the lesion. This study evaluated the role of USG and MRCP in hepato-biliary pathology.Methods: Twenty-five patients of all age groups with suspicion of obstructive jaundice referred for Ultrasound were included in our study. The patients with findings suggestive of biliary obstruction underwent MRCP.Results: Out of 25 patients, maximum patients were in the age group of 61-80 yrs. 52% were male and 48% were female. The jaundice was due to a benign etiology in 64% patients and malignant etiology in 36%. The most common benign pathology was choledocholithiasis (25%) and malignant pathology was periampullary carcinoma (44%). Overall 11 cases were inconclusive on ultrasound study while 2 cases were false positive for malignancy on MRCP. In 92% cases the correct diagnosis was detected on MRCP.Conclusions: USG is the initial and sometimes the only imaging modality in obstructive biliary disease. However the distal CBD which is poorly seen on USG can be well evaluated on MRCP thus improving the diagnosis in pancreatico-biliary pathologies.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Mahmud ◽  
Marc Lipsitch ◽  
Edward Goldstein

AbstractBackgroundThere is limited information on the roles of different age groups in propagating pertussis outbreaks, and the temporal changes in those roles since the introduction of acellular pertussis vaccines.MethodsThe relative roles of different age groups in propagating the 2010 and the 2014 pertussis epidemics in California were evaluated using the RR statistic that measures the change in the group’s proportion among all detected cases before-vs.-after the epidemic peak.ResultsFor the 2010-11 epidemic, evidence for a predominant transmission age group was weak, with the largest RR estimates being 1.26(95%CI (1.08,1.46)) (aged 11-13y); 1.19(1.01,1.4) (aged 9-10y); 1.17(0.86,1.59) (aged 14-15y); 1.12(0.86,1.46) (aged 16-19y); and 1.1(0.89,1.36) (aged 7-8y). The 2014 epidemic showed a strong signal of the role of older adolescents, with the highest RR estimate being in those aged 14-15y (RR=1.83(1.61,2.07)), followed by adolescents aged 16-19y (RR=1.41(1.24,1.61)) and 11-13y (RR=1.26(1.12,1.41)), with lower RR estimates in other age groups.ConclusionsAs the time following introduction of acellular pertussis vaccines in California progressed, older adolescents played an increasing role in transmission during the major pertussis outbreaks. Booster pertussis vaccination for older adolescents with vaccines effective against pertussis transmission should be considered with the aim of mitigating future pertussis epidemics in the community.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 47-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luckson Noe Mathieu ◽  
Norma Kanarek ◽  
Craig Hooker ◽  
Charles M. Rudin ◽  
Malcolm Brock

47 Background: Over the past thirty years, esophageal cancer (EC) incidence has been increasing more rapidly than any other solid neoplasm in the Western world. Globally, there is a large male predominance in both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The reasons for this gender difference and the possible role of estrogen are unclear. We conducted an analytical epidemiological study to determine if estrogen exposure explains the male predominance in observed esophageal cancer incidence. Methods: We evaluated the SEER cancer incidence and trends from 1975 to 2008 using SEER Stat to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) in each ten-year age group and in EAC and ESCC by gender. Results: Male predominance in incidence rates of EC was most evident in the younger group and those with EAC histology. The rate of increase for EAC incidence in post menopausal females is greater than in any other demographic category. This increasing incidence rate in the post menopausal female was also observed in the ESCC, but to a lesser extent. The APC was negative (-1.5) between 1975-2008 only in the 50-64 age female group. The negative APC in the female 50-64 years age group may be due to the increased use of exogenous hormonal therapy since 1975 for this age group. Interestingly, the APC was positive (increasing) in the 65+ age females. Conclusions: Using age as a proxy for estrogen exposure, our findings suggest a hormonal reason for the observed age-related, declining male to female EC incidence rate ratios. It also confirms gender differences in incidence long observed in EC and suggests that estrogen may serve as a preventative agent against EC. Moreover, this protective role of estrogen may dissipate with time if post menopausal estrogen use is discontinued. We have initiated a subset analysis of the nine individual SEER sites’ database to confirm the above findings by location and plan to further assess the relationship of both endogenous and exogenous estrogen via hormonal therapy use in EC incidence in the Women’s Health Initiative cohort. Our epidemiological observation of gender-age differences warrants translation into a molecular study with the use of sophisticated biomarkers to establish the seemingly protective role of estrogen in esophageal cancer.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-145 ◽  
Author(s):  

Physicians who prescribe a new drug that has not been approved for a specific indication or a specific age group frequently find themselves in a quandary. Physicians who prescribe "old," time-honored drugs usually do not consult the package insert or search for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. This statement was written to clarify the legal and informational status of the package insert and the role of the FDA in approving or not approving drugs for specific indications or specific age groups. The unapproved use of approved drugs, or so-called "off-label" use, is extremely prevalent among physicians who care for children. It is important that such use of compounds be brought up to date with current FDA policies and to emphasize the responsibility of the prescribing physician in the use of these compounds.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Santovito ◽  
Gabriella Galli ◽  
Stefano Ruberto

ABSTRACTBackgroundlongevity is considered the result of interactions between environmental and genetic factors.Aimwe investigated the possible association of body mass index and the frequencies ofAPOE, ACE, eNOS, andFTOgene polymorphisms with longevity.Subjects and Method1,100 healthy volunteers aged 10-100 were recruited. We genotyped subjects forAPOE, ACE, eNOS, andFTOgene polymorphisms. Data about height and weight were also collected. The sample was split in four age groups: 1-24, 25-49, 50-85 and 86-100.Resultssignificant differences were found in BMI values between age groups, with exception of 1-24 with respect to 86-100. A significant decrease of theAPO E4, eNOS 393andFTO Aand allele frequencies was observed in the 86-100 age group with respect to younger groups. ForACEgene, no significant differences were found in the allele frequencies between groups. A similar trend was also observed subdividing the sample in two main age groups: 1-85 and 86-100.Conclusionthis study provides evidences for a role ofAPOE, eNOS, andFTOgene polymorphisms in longevity. It has been estimated that the number of centenarians worldwide will double each decade until 2100, making population data about gene polymorphisms relevant for further studies about longevity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Chasteen

Because of their relatively temporary group memberships, age groups represent an intriguing test of theories of intergroup relations. In spite of this unique feature, virtually no research has examined age group relations from an intergroup perspective. The present study investigated the role of two influential intergroup factors, degree of group identification and threats to group status, in younger and older adults' evaluations of their in group (own age group) and the outgroup (other age group). Participants were placed in situations in which their ingroup was either superior or inferior to the outgroup. Several measures of bias were then assessed, including ingroup favoritism, perceived similarity, social distance, outgroup homogeneity, and self-stereotyping. The results support the notion that age groups are unique from other groups, as age influenced all forms of bias. In particular, young adults exhibited more biases than older adults by perceiving less similarity and distancing themselves more from the outgroup. These findings suggest that older adults' greater familiarity with the outgroup might attenuate their age-based biases compared with younger participants.


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