Impaired Odor Identification of Culturally Familiar Odorants Associated with Dementia in South Korean Older Adults.

Among olfactory functions, odor identification is the most studied predictor of dementia. We aimed to verify whether patients with dementia are less aware of specific odors than cognitively normal individuals using an odor identification test, which includes odorants that are culturally familiar to South Koreans. We divided 139 older adults aged 57-79 years into the dementia and normal cognition groups. Odor identification function was assessed in all participants. We conducted hierarchical logistic regression analyses with the diagnosis of dementia as a dependent variable and three demographic characteristics, as well as 12 odor identification items, as independent variables. Impaired odor identification for herbal medicine (odds ratio (OR) = 9.420; p = 0.012) and Korean grilled meat (OR = 5.361; p = 0.019) and older age (OR = 1.176; p = 0.005) were significant predictors of dementia. Impaired odor identification of culturally familiar odorants was associated with dementia risk. This may be explained by the fact that compared with culturally non-specific universal odorants, familiar odorants are more related to episodic memory, which is impaired in the early stages of dementia. Thus, an optimal combination of odor identification items should be used for screening individuals with cognitive decline requiring further neurocognitive function tests.

Improved outcomes after low-concentration hypochlorous acid nasal irrigation in pediatric chronic sinusitis.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-concentration hypochlorous acid (HOCl) nasal irrigation compared to isotonic normal saline for pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis. STUDY DESIGN: This was a randomized, prospective, active-controlled study. METHODS: This study investigated the effectiveness of 4 weeks of low-concentration hypochlorous irrigation by analyzing five categorized subjective symptoms and x-ray findings in pediatric patients with rhinosinusitis. Thirty-seven patients were enrolled, and 26 patients successfully completed the study. RESULTS: Total symptom scores significantly improved with both HOCl and normal saline nasal irrigation, but there was no difference between the two groups. X-ray scores also improved in both groups; improvement was much greater in the HOCl group than the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal irrigation with HOCl is an effective adjuvant treatment compared to isotonic normal saline for pediatric sinusitis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1b.

Effect of chondroitinase ABC on adhesion and behavior of synovial membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells in rabbit partial-thickness chondral defects.

Transplanted cells may have difficulty attaching to the surface of partial-thickness chondral lesions because of the anti-adhesive properties of the proteoglycan rich matrix. Therefore, the current study attempts to evaluate the effect of chondroitinase ABC (chABC) on the adhesion and behavior of transplanted synovial membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SDSCs) in rabbit partial-thickness chondral defects. In ex vivo adhesion experiments, chABC treatment (0.1 U/ml) was increased in SDSC attachment to the cartilage explants, and significantly diminished by pretreatment with neutralizing antibody against fibronectin. In the in vivo experiments, 1 day and 4 weeks after the chABC treatment (0.1 and 1 U/ml), the immunoreactivity (IR) against CS-56 (intact chondroitin sulfate antibody) was markedly decreased; however, the IR of 2B6 (stub of the chondroitin 4-sulfate chain), 3B3 (stub of the chondroitin 6-sulfate chain), and fibronectin was increased. At 12 weeks, this IR returned to normal except in the high-dose chABC-treated group (1 U/ml). Furthermore, the attachment of SDSCs to the chondral defects after chABC treatment was increased at 7 days compared with that in the chondral defects pretreated with saline. However, the tissue repaired by SDSCs was negatively stained for type II collagen at 12 weeks. In conclusion, these results showed that the exposure to fibronectin by chABC treatment enhances the attachment of SDSCs to partial-thickness chondral defects. However, the tissue regenerated by SDSCs showed lack of hyaline cartilage regeneration. Thus, to understand the fate of transplanted MSCs in cartilage defect is very important for successful cell therapies.