Possible Use of Phytochemicals for Recovery from COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia.

The year 2020 became the year of the outbreak of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which escalated into a worldwide pandemic and continued into 2021. One of the unique symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 disease, COVID-19, is the loss of chemical senses, i.e., smell and taste. Smell training is one of the methods used in facilitating recovery of the olfactory sense, and it uses essential oils of lemon, rose, clove, and eucalyptus. These essential oils were not selected based on their chemical constituents. Although scientific studies have shown that they improve recovery, there may be better combinations for facilitating recovery. Many phytochemicals have bioactive properties with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects. In this review, we describe the chemical compounds with anti- inflammatory and anti-viral effects, and we list the plants that contain these chemical compounds. We expand the review from terpenes to the less volatile flavonoids in order to propose a combination of essential oils and diets that can be used to develop a new taste training method, as there has been no taste training so far. Finally, we discuss the possible use of these in clinical settings.

Aspiration Prevention Surgery under Local Anesthesia for Palliative Care in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Report of Two Cases.

Aspiration prevention (AP) surgery may improve the quality of life (QOL) of patients with severe dysphagia. However, not all patients can endure this type of surgery under general anesthesia because of their poor status. Herein, we describe the cases of 2 patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) who underwent AP surgery for palliative care. Although both patients had tracheostomy due to severe dysphagia and respiratory impairment and frequently needed suction, they were successfully managed with AP surgery under local anesthesia. A tracheostoma was reshaped to be sufficiently large for an airway to be secured without a cannula. Their respiratory failure gradually improved, and suction frequency markedly decreased after surgery; thus, they could receive medical treatment at home. When patients with HNC under palliative care have a tracheal cannula and cannot vocalize, AP surgery under local anesthesia is an option to improve their QOL.

A new training method for velopharyngeal dysfunction: Self-inhalation for hypernasality.

OBJECTIVE: There are various methods to treat velopharyngeal dysfunction including　surgery and rehabilitation therapy. Even if a rehabilitation program is effective, the evaluation of its efficacy remains subjective. In this paper, we propose a new method of rehabilitation training for velopharyngeal dysfunction focusing on the objective peak inspiratory flow (PIF) rate. METHODS: Four patients, who were diagnosed with velopharyngeal dysfunction without cleft palate at ENT clinic of the National Hospital Organization, Tokyo Medical Center, participated in this study. All patients underwent our original rehabilitation program for velopharyngeal dysfunction, a method using the In-Check Dial, Turbohaler model. As a self-training rehabilitation program, we asked them to inhale forcefully 10 times daily at home using the In-Check Dial to increase the value of PIF rate for 3 months. We measured the patients' PIF rates with the In-Check Dial at the ENT clinic at the initial visit and after the 3-month training. RESULTS: The PIF rates of the four patients without nasal clips were higher than the rates with nasal clips at the initial visit. After the training, PIF rate without a nasal clip of all patients increased than the rate at the initial visit, which represented significant difference (P < 0.05). Also, after 3 months, PIF rate without a nasal clip was higher or equal than the rates with a nasal clip at the initial visit except one case. Naso-pharyngo-laryngeal fiberscopy did not detect salivary pooling around larynx and mirror fogging test did not show nasal escape in the three of four patients after 3 months of training. All reported improvement in dysphagia and dysarthria. CONCLUSION: This new method can be used not only to evaluate velopharyngeal function but also as an effective self-training treatment.