Smell and Taste in Severe CoViD-19: Self-Reported vs. Testing

One of the most striking reported symptoms in CoViD-19 is loss of smell and taste. The frequency of these impairments and their specificity as a potential central nervous system function biomarker are of great interest as a diagnostic clue for CoViD-19 infection as opposed to other similar symptomatologic diseases and because of their implication in viral pathogenesis. Here severe CoViD-19 was investigated by comparing self-report vs. testing of smell and taste, thus the objective severity of olfactory impairment and their possible correlation with other symptoms. Because a significant discrepancy between smell and taste testing vs. self-report results (p < 0.001) emerges in our result, we performed a statistical analysis highlighting disagreement among normosmia (p < 0.05), hyposmia, severe hyposmia, and anosmia (p < 0.001) and, in hypogeusia and severe hypogeusia, while no differences are observed in normogeusia and ageusia. Therefore, we analyzed the olfactory threshold by an objective test revealing the distribution of hyposmic (34%), severe hyposmic (48%), and anosmic (13%) patients in severe CoViD-19. In severe CoViD-19 patients, taste is lost in 4.3% of normosmic individuals, 31.9% of hyposmic individuals, 46.8% of severe hyposmic individuals, and 17% of anosmic individuals. Moreover, 95% of 100 CoViD-19 patients objectively tested were affected by smell dysfunction, while 47% were affected by taste dysfunction. Furthermore, analysis by objective testing also highlighted that the severity of smell dysfunction in CoViD-19 subjects did not correlate with age and sex. In conclusion, we report by objective testing that the majority of CoViD-19 patients report severe anosmia, that most of the subjects have olfactory impairment rather than taste impairment, and, finally, that the olfactory impairment correlate with symptom onset and hospitalization (p < 0.05). Patients who exhibit severe olfactory impairment had been hospitalized for about a week from symptom onset; double time has taken place in subjects with normosmia. Our results may be limited by the relatively small number of study participants, but these suggest by objective testing that hyposmia, severe hyposmia, and anosmia may relate directly to infection severity and neurological damage. The smell test assessment could be a potential screening symptom that might contribute to the decision to test suspected cases or guide quarantine instructions, further therapeutic approach, and evaluation of neurological damage.

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The Stereotype Threat Effect

Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie ◽

10.1024/1016-264x/a000234 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 249-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steffen Moritz ◽

Insa Happach ◽

Karla Spirandelli ◽

Tania M. Lincoln ◽

Fabrice Berna

Keyword(s):

Stereotype Threat ◽

Self Report ◽

Neuropsychological Performance ◽

Neurocognitive Deficits ◽

Online Study ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Threat Effect ◽

Efficacy Expectations ◽

Study Participants ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Neurocognitive deficits in patients with mental disorders are partially due to secondary influences. “Stereotype threat” denotes the phenomenon that performance is compromised when a participant is confronted with a devaluing stereotype. The present study examined the impact of stereotype threat on neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia. Seventy-seven participants with a self-reported diagnosis of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition involving stereotype threat activation or a control condition in an online study. Participants completed memory and attention tests as well as questionnaires on motivation, self-efficacy expectations, cognitive complaints, and self-stigmatization. Contrary to our prediction, the two groups showed no significant differences regarding neuropsychological performance and self-report measures. Limitations, such as a possibly too weak threat cue, are discussed and recommendations for future studies are outlined.

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Immune profiling reveals early disease trajectories associated with COVID-19 mortality: a sub-study from the ACTT-1 trial

The Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/infdis/jiab035 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua M Thiede ◽

Abigail R Gress ◽

Samuel D Libby ◽

Christine E Ronayne ◽

William E Matchett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Antiviral Therapy ◽

Symptom Onset ◽

Antibody Responses ◽

Early Disease ◽

Host Immune Responses ◽

Study Enrollment ◽

Cytokine Responses ◽

Study Participants ◽

Immune Profiling

Abstract COVID-19 outcomes are linked to host immune responses and may be impacted by antiviral therapy. We investigated antibody and cytokine responses in ACTT-1 study participants enrolled at our center. We studied serum specimens from 19 hospitalized adults with COVID-19 randomized to treatment with remdesivir or placebo. We assessed SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses and identified cytokine signatures using hierarchical clustering. We identified no clear immunologic trends attributable to remdesivir treatment. Seven subjects were initially seronegative at study enrollment, and all four deaths occurred in this group with more recent symptom onset. We identified three dominant cytokine signatures, demonstrating different disease trajectories.

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How Do Stages of Change for Physical Activity Relate to Employee Sign-Up for and Completion of a Worksite Physical Activity Competition?

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839916659846 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 93-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Timothy J. Walker ◽

Jessica M. Tullar ◽

Wendell C. Taylor ◽

Rolando Román ◽

Benjamin C. Amick

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Stages Of Change ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Public University ◽

Self Report ◽

University System ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Study Participants ◽

Ordinal Logistic Regression Model

Introduction. This study evaluated whether stages of change for physical activity (PA) predict sign-up, participation, and completion in a PA competition. Method. Deidentified data were provided to evaluate a PA competition between 16 different institutions from a public university system. Employees who completed a health assessment (HA) prior to the start of the PA competition ( n = 6,333) were included in the study. Participants completed a self-report HA and logged their PA throughout the competition. Multivariable logistic regression models tested whether stages of change predicted PA competition sign-up and completion. An ordinal logistic regression model tested whether stages of change predicted number of weeks of PA competition participation. Results. Stages of change predicted PA competition sign-up and completion, but not weeks of participation. The odds for PA competition sign-up were 1.64 and 1.98 times higher for employees in preparation and action/maintenance (respectively) compared with employees in precontemplation/contemplation. The odds for PA competition completion were 4.17 times higher for employees in action/maintenance compared with employees in precontemplation/contemplation/preparation. Conclusion. The PA competition was more likely to reach employees in preparation, action, or maintenance stages than precontemplation/contemplation. Most of the completers were likely participating in regular PA prior to the competition.

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1300Associations between self-reported or measured anthropometric variables and cardiometabolic biomarkers in a Danish cohort

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyab168.748 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Jie Zhang ◽

Anja Olsen ◽

Jytte Halkjær ◽

Kristina Elin Nielsen Petersen ◽

Anne Tjønneland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Status ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Self Report ◽

Anthropometric Indices ◽

Multivariable Regression ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Study Participants ◽

Multivariable Regression Models ◽

Metabolic Biomarkers

Abstract Background It is easy and cost-effective to ask study participants to self-report height and weight and self-reported anthropometry is therefore widely used in epidemiological studies. However, it is questioned to what degree self-reported adiposity indices are a solid proxy of measured indices in terms of estimates of health outcomes. The current study aimed to quantify the agreement between self-reported and measured anthropometrics, including height, weight, body mass index (BMI), weight circumference (WC), and weight-to-height ratio (WHtR) in a contemporary cohort of adults, and to assess whether anthropometric indices misreporting yielded inaccurate estimates of associations with cardiometabolic biomarkers. Methods Self-reported and measured anthropometric variables were obtained from the Diet, Cancer, and Health-Next Generation Cohort (n = 39,514). Pearson correlations and Lin’s concordance correlations evaluated the correlation between self-report and measured anthropometrics. Misreporting in relation to age, sex and smoking status was investigated. Multivariable regression models and ROC analyses were used to assess the associations of cardiometabolic biomarkers with self-reported and measured general obesity and abdominal obesity. Results Self-reported height was overreported by 1.07 cm, weight was underreported by 0.32 kg on average, which led to self-reported BMI 0.42 kg/m2 lower than measured. Self-reported and measured height, weight, BMI, WC and WHtR were highly correlated (r = 0.98, 0.99, 0.98, 0.88, 0.86, respectively). Associations between self-reported indices and cardiometabolic biomarkers were comparable to associations assessed with measured anthropometrics. Conclusions The self-reported anthropometric indices were reliable when estimating associations with metabolic biomarkers. Key messages This study found overall agreement between self-reported and measured anthropometric variables.

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A Behavioral Confirmation and Reduction of the Natural versus Synthetic Drug Bias

Medical Decision Making ◽

10.1177/0272989x19838527 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 360-370 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Brian P. Meier ◽

Amanda J. Dillard ◽

Eric Osorio ◽

Courtney M. Lappas

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Pain Reliever ◽

Perceived Safety ◽

Behavioral Choice ◽

Behavioral Confirmation ◽

Synthetic Drugs ◽

Behavioral Choices ◽

Synthetic Drug ◽

Study Participants

Research reveals a biased preference for natural v. synthetic drugs; however, this research is based on self-report and has not examined ways to reduce the bias. We examined these issues in 5 studies involving 1125 participants. In a pilot study ( N = 110), participants rated the term natural to be more positive than the term synthetic, which reveals a default natural-is-better belief. In studies 1 ( N = 109) and 2 ( N = 100), after a supposed personality study, participants were offered a thank you “gift” of a natural or synthetic pain reliever. Approximately 86% (study 1) and 93% (study 2) of participants chose the natural v. synthetic pain reliever, which provides a behavioral choice confirmation of the natural drug bias. In studies 3 ( N = 350) and 4 ( N = 356), participants were randomly assigned to a control or experimental condition and were asked to consider a scenario in which they had a medical issue requiring a natural v. synthetic drug. The experimental condition included a stronger (study 3) or weaker (study 4) rational appeal about the natural drug bias and a statement suggesting that natural and synthetic drugs can be good or bad depending on the context. In both studies, the natural bias was reduced in the experimental condition, and perceived safety and effectiveness mediated this effect. Overall, these data indicate a bias for natural over synthetic drugs in preferences and behavioral choices, which might be reduced with a rational appeal.

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Epidemiology of hoarding disorder

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.113.130195 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 203 (6) ◽

pp. 445-452 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Ashley E. Nordsletten ◽

Abraham Reichenberg ◽

Stephani L. Hatch ◽

Lorena Fernández de la Cruz ◽

Alberto Pertusa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Condition ◽

Living Environment ◽

Self Report ◽

Hoarding Disorder ◽

Dsm 5 ◽

The Past ◽

Health Features ◽

Study Participants ◽

Weighted Prevalence ◽

A Current

BackgroundHoarding disorder is typified by persistent difficulties discarding possessions, resulting in significant clutter that obstructs the individual's living environment and produces considerable functional impairment. The prevalence of hoarding disorder, as defined in DSM-5, is currently unknown.AimsTo provide a prevalence estimate specific to DSM-5 hoarding disorder and to delineate the demographic, behavioural and health features that characterise individuals with the disorder.MethodWe conducted a two-wave epidemiological study of 1698 adult individuals, originally recruited via the South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study. Participants screening positively for hoarding difficulties in wave 1, and who agreed to be re-contacted for wave 2 (n = 99), underwent in-home psychiatric interviews and completed a battery of self-report questionnaires. Current DSM-5 diagnoses were made via consensus diagnostic procedure.ResultsIn total, 19 individuals met DSM-5 criteria for hoarding disorder at the time of interview, corresponding to a weighted prevalence of 1.5% (95% CI 0.7–2.2). Those with hoarding disorder were older and more often unmarried (67%). Members of this group were also more likely to be impaired by a current physical health condition (52.6%) or comorbid mental disorder (58%), and to claim benefits as a result of these issues (47.4%). Individuals with hoarding disorder were also more likely to report lifetime use of mental health services, although access in the past year was less frequent.ConclusionsWith a lower-bound prevalence of approximately 1.5%, hoarding disorder presents as a condition that affects people of both genders and is associated with substantial adversity.

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Video chat technology to remotely quantify dietary, supplement and medication adherence in clinical trials

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114516003524 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 116 (9) ◽

pp. 1646-1655 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Courtney M. Peterson ◽

John W. Apolzan ◽

Courtney Wright ◽

Corby K. Martin

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence ◽

Online Survey ◽

Self Report ◽

Rater Agreement ◽

Monitoring Methods ◽

Video Chat ◽

Pill Counts ◽

Survey Results ◽

Adherence Monitoring ◽

Study Participants

AbstractWe conducted two studies to test the validity, reliability, feasibility and acceptability of using video chat technology to quantify dietary and pill-taking (i.e. supplement and medication) adherence. In study 1, we investigated whether video chat technology can accurately quantify adherence to dietary and pill-taking interventions. Mock study participants ate food items and swallowed pills, while performing randomised scripted ‘cheating’ behaviours to mimic non-adherence. Monitoring was conducted in a cross-over design, with two monitors watching in-person and two watching remotely by Skype on a smartphone. For study 2, a twenty-two-item online survey was sent to a listserv with more than 20 000 unique email addresses of past and present study participants to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the technology. For the dietary adherence tests, monitors detected 86 % of non-adherent events (sensitivity) in-person v. 78 % of events via video chat monitoring (P=0·12), with comparable inter-rater agreement (0·88 v. 0·85; P=0·62). However, for pill-taking, non-adherence trended towards being more easily detected in-person than by video chat (77 v. 60 %; P=0·08), with non-significantly higher inter-rater agreement (0·85 v. 0·69; P=0·21). Survey results from study 2 (n 1076 respondents; ≥5 % response rate) indicated that 86·4 % of study participants had video chatting hardware, 73·3 % were comfortable using the technology and 79·8 % were willing to use it for clinical research. Given the capability of video chat technology to reduce participant burden and outperform other adherence monitoring methods such as dietary self-report and pill counts, video chatting is a novel and promising platform to quantify dietary and pill-taking adherence.

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Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Students in India: A Multicentric Cross-sectional Study

Central Asian Journal of Global Health ◽

10.5195/cajgh.2015.187 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nidhi Goel ◽

Vivek Khandelwal ◽

Kapil Pandya ◽

Atul Kotwal

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Medical Students ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

Positive Family History ◽

Population Group ◽

Self Report ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Study Participants ◽

Medical Colleges

Background: Substance use among medical fraternity is a well-known phenomenon among both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical students. Yet, there have been very few multi-centric studies to estimate the actual burden of this problem in this important population group in India. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use, assess the knowledge and attitudes towards this issue, and identify factors associated with substance use among UG and PG medical students in India.Methods: A pre-tested, self-report, anonymous questionnaire was administered to medical undergraduates and post graduate medical residents of eight medical colleges across India. This study used a convenience sample of medical colleges with random selection of study participants within each college for each group, UG and PG.Results: Prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among UG students was 16.6%, 95% CI [14.5, 18.9] and 8.0%, 95% CI [6.4, 9.6], respectively, whereas prevalence was 31.5%, 95% CI [26.3, 37.0] and 14.5%, 95% CI [10.7, 18.9], respectively for PGs. For both substances, males had a higher prevalence of use compared to females in both groups (p < 0.001). Positive family history of substance use (p < 0.001 for both groups) and early age of initiation (p = 0.011 for tobacco; p > 0.05 for alcohol) were associated with a greater difficulty to quit the habit. Over 90% of study participants felt that substance use adversely affected their skills and reported not using substances prior to managing their patients.Conclusions: Since substance use is a relatively common phenomenon among UG and PG medical students in India, future prospective studies and interventions are required to better understand the pattern of substance use and reduce its prevalence.

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Exposure to Baby-Friendly Hospital Practices and Mothers’ Achievement of their Planned Duration of Breastfeeding.

10.21203/rs.2.18912/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kris Y.W. Lok ◽

Charlotte L.Y. Chow ◽

Heidi S.L. Fan ◽

Vincci H.S. Chan ◽

Marie Tarrant

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Hospital Discharge ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Self Report ◽

Breastfeeding Duration ◽

Breastfeeding Support ◽

Breastfeeding Intention ◽

Hospital Practices ◽

Duration Of Breastfeeding ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Background: Both breastfeeding intentions and exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices have been associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding. This study aims to examine the effect of exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices on mothers’ achievement of their planned duration of breastfeeding. Methods: A total of 1011 mother-newborn pairs from the postnatal units of four public hospitals in Hong Kong were recruited. Sociodemographic data and breastfeeding intention data were collected via self-report questionnaires during the postnatal hospitalization and exposure to Baby-Friendly hospital practices were assessed through hospital records and maternal self-report. Breastfeeding status after hospital discharge was assessed through telephone follow-up for up to 12 months postnatal, or until participants were no longer breastfeeding. Results: Only 55% (n=552) of study participants achieved their intended duration of breastfeeding. Participants with higher socioeconomic status, previous breastfeeding experience, and those who had lived in Hong Kong for less than 5 years, were more likely to achieve their planned duration of breastfeeding. Among baby-friendly hospital practices, feeding only breast milk during the hospitalization and providing information about breastfeeding support on discharge were associated with participants’ achieving their individual breastfeeding intentions. After adjustment, when compared with women who experienced one baby-friendly practice, participants who experienced six baby-friendly hospital practices were significantly more likely to achieve their planned duration of breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio=8.45, 95% confidence interval 3.03 – 23.6). Conclusions : Nearly half of participants did not achieve their planned breastfeeding duration. Exposure to baby-friendly hospital practices, especially in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding and providing breastfeeding support information upon hospital discharge may help more mothers to achieve their individual breastfeeding goals.

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Are ecstasy induced serotonergic alterations overestimated for the majority of users?

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881118767646 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 32 (7) ◽

pp. 741-748 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Balázs Szigeti ◽

Adam R Winstock ◽

David Erritzoe ◽

Larissa J Maier

Keyword(s):

Real Life ◽

Dose Intensity ◽

Self Report ◽

Major Constituent ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Dose Comparison ◽

Survey Sample ◽

Neuroimaging Study ◽

Study Participants

Background: Neuroimaging studies imply that the regular use of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the major constituent of ecstasy pills, alters the brain’s serotonergic system in a dose-dependent manner. However, the relevance of these findings remains unclear due to limited knowledge about the ecstasy/MDMA use pattern of real-life users. Aims: We examined the representativeness of ecstasy users enrolled in neuroimaging studies by comparing their ecstasy use habits with the use patterns of a large, international sample. Methods: A systematic literature search revealed 10 imaging studies that compare serotonin transporter levels in recreational ecstasy users to matched controls. To characterize the ecstasy use patterns we relied on the Global Drug Survey, the world’s largest self-report database on drug use. The basis of the dose comparison were the Usual Amount (pills/session), Use Frequency (sessions/month) and Dose Intensity (pills/year) variables. Results: Both the average Usual Amount (pills/session) and Use Frequency (sessions/month) of neuroimaging study participants corresponded to the top 5–10% of the Global Drug Survey sample and imaging participants, on average, consumed 720% more pills over a year than the Global Drug Survey participants. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the serotonin brain imaging literature has focused on unusually heavy ecstasy use and therefore the conclusions from these studies are likely to overestimate the extent of serotonergic alterations experienced by the majority of people who use ecstays.

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