Randomized clinical trial "olfactory dysfunction after COVID-19: olfactory rehabilitation therapy vs. intervention treatment with Palmitoylethanolamide and Luteolin": preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 30% of patients with confirmed COVID-19 report persistent smell or taste disorders as long-term sequalae of infection. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with inflammatory changes to the olfactory bulb, and treatments with anti-inflammatory properties are hypothesized to attenuate viral injury and promote recovery of olfaction after infection. Our study investigated the efficacy of a supplement with Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and Luteolin to support recovery of olfaction in COVID-19 patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized-controlled pilot study in outpatients with history of confirmed COVID-19 with post-infection olfactory impairment that persisted ≥ 90 days after SARS-CoV-2 negative testing. Patients were randomized to two times a day olfactory rehabilitation alone or weekly olfactory rehabilitation plus daily oral supplement with PEA and Luteolin. Subjects with preexisting olfactory disorders were excluded. Sniffin' Sticks assessments were performed at baseline and 30 days after treatment.  Data on gender, age, and time since infection were collected. Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test was used to compare variances of Sniff scores between groups over time, and Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated to assess for correlations between Sniff Score and gender or duration of infection. RESULTS: Among 12 patients enrolled (n=7, supplement; n=5, controls), patients receiving supplement had greater improvement in olfactory threshold, discrimination, and identification score versus controls (p=0.01). Time since infection was negatively correlated with Sniff Score, and there was no correlation between gender. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment combining olfactory rehabilitation with oral supplementation with PEA and Luteolin was associated with improved recovery of olfactory function, most marked in those patients with longstanding olfactory dysfunction. Further studies are necessary to replicate these findings and to determine whether early intervention including olfactory rehabilitation and PEA+Luteolin oral supplement might prevent SARS-CoV-2 associated olfactory impairment.

Identification of the gamma irradiation dose applied to ground beef that reduces Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli but has no impact on consumer acceptance.

The aims of the present study were: a) to estimate the minimal dose of gamma irradiation required to reduce 5 log CFU/g of native O157 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli population in ground beef samples inoculated with high inoculum; b) to assess its effectiveness in samples with low inoculum and 3) to evaluate consumer acceptance. Based on the results, 1 kGy was estimated as the minimal dose of gamma irradiation required to reduce 5 log CFU/g of STEC in ground beef. However, when samples with low inoculum level were subjected to 1 kGy, 3.9% of the samples were positive for stx and eae genes after an enrichment step. Consumer acceptance analysis was carried out with samples subjected to 2.5 kGy and no significant differences were found between irradiated and control samples. Therefore, 2.5 kGy was identified as the gama irradiation dose that reduces STEC but has no impact on consumer acceptance of ground beef.

A shifty diagnosis: Cogan's syndrome. A case report and review of the literature.

Cogan's syndrome is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown origin, an autoimmune disease, characterized by bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular symptoms, inflammatory ocular manifestations with variable risk of developing into a systemic disease. The onset of disease is variable but is often characterized by isolated ocular symptoms or acute ear and/or vestibular manifestations, variably associated. The diagnosis of Cogan's syndrome can be a challenge as is evident in the case described here since it is based only on the association between bilateral ocular and vestibuloauditory symptoms with no specific diagnostic tests available.

Periocular injection of an adenoviral vector encoding pigment epithelium-derived factor inhibits choroidal neovascularization.

Gene transfer provides an exciting new approach for the treatment of retinal and choroidal diseases. Two areas of concern are the potential for vector-related toxicity and uncertainties associated with prolonged transgene expression. One way to address these concerns for transfer of genes encoding secreted proteins is to transduce cells on the outside of the eye, provided the gene product can gain access to the eye and have the desired effect. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of this approach. Periocular injection of an adenoviral vector encoding beta-galactosidase (AdLacZ.10) resulted in LacZ-stained cells throughout the orbit and around the eye. Compared to periocular injection of 5 x 10(9) particles of control vector, periocular injection of 5 x 10(9) or 1 x 10(9) particles of an adenoviral vector expressing pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) regulated by a CMV promoter (AdPEDF.11) resulted in significantly elevated intraocular levels of PEDF and suppression of choroidal neovascularization. Periocularly injected recombinant PEDF was also found to diffuse through the sclera into the eye. Although similar experiments are needed in an animal with a human-sized eye, these data suggest that periocular gene transfer deserves consideration for the treatment of choroidal diseases.