Olfactory meta-cognition in individuals with depressive and anxiety symptoms: The differential role of common and social odors.

BACKGROUND: Diminished olfactory functioning has been reported in depression, whereas evidence in anxiety disorders is still controversial. Olfactory meta-cognitive abilities (i.e., olfactory awareness, imagery and reactivity, and the importance of odors) are essential in shaping olfaction. Few studies examined these meta-cognitive abilities in relation to depressive, anxiety, and social anxiety symptoms, and none of them considered the awareness of social odors (i.e., body odors). METHODS: This pre-registered study examined the relationship between olfactory meta-cognitive abilities and symptoms of depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety in 429 individuals. Self-report measures of symptoms of depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety, along with self-report olfactory meta-cognitive scales, were collected using an online survey. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses revealed that olfactory awareness and importance of common odors were significantly directly predicted by symptoms of general anxiety, while affective importance to odors was negatively predicted by symptoms of depression. Regarding social odors, higher symptoms of depression and lower symptoms of social anxiety predicted increased awareness. LIMITATIONS: Higher prevalence of women and narrow age range of the participants. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed only with self-report questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of anxiety seem to be associated with higher levels of common odor awareness, corroborating the importance of olfactory functions in anxiety. In addition, results on social odors seem to reflect dysfunctional social behaviour that characterized symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Hence, the assessment of meta-cognitive abilities may represent a useful tool in the prevention and assessment of depressive, anxiety, and social anxiety symptoms.

The social odor scale: Development and initial validation of a new scale for the assessment of social odor awareness.

The degree of attention individuals pay to olfactory cues (called odor awareness) influences the role of odors in everyday life. Particularly, odors produced by the human body (i.e., social odors) are able to carry a wide variety of information and to elicit a broad spectrum of emotional reactions, making them essential in interpersonal relationships. Hence, despite the assessment of awareness toward social odors is crucial, a proper tool is still lacking. Here, we designed and initially validated the Social Odor Scale (SOS), a 12-item scale designed to measure the individual differences in awareness towards different social odors. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA; KMO test: MSA = 0.78; Bartlett's test: χ2(78) = 631.34, p < 0.001; Chi-squared test: χ2(42) = 71.84, p = 0.003) suggests that the three factors structure was the model that best fit with the Italian version of the scale. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports a second-order model with one higher-order factor representing social odor awareness in general and three lower-order factors representing familiar, romantic partner, and stranger social odors. The final version of the scale presented a good fit (RMSEA = 0.012, SRMR = 0.069, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.997). In Study 2, CFA was performed in the German version of the scale confirming the validity of scale structure. Study 3 and 4 revealed that SOS total score and its subscales were positively correlated with other validated olfactory scales, but not with olfactory abilities. Moreover, SOS was found to be related to the gender of the participants: women reported to be more aware to social odors and, specifically, to familiar social odors than men. Overall, the results indicated that SOS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess awareness toward social odors in everyday life.

Placement of a customised load-bearing titanium plate for prevention of iatrogenic mandibular fracture in surgical removal of odontogenic keratocyst recurrence.

A 72-year-old woman with a history of removal of a right hemimandibular keratocyst 10 years ago was referred to our attention for a large swelling of the right cheek. The orthopantomography and the CT scan showed a huge osteolytic area of the right mandibular ramus and angle. The patient's refusal to resection and reconstruction with a free flap pushed us towards a conservative treatment. The high probability of a iatrogenic mandibular fracture during and after surgery required the design of a customised titanium plate to be preliminary placed through cervical incision along the posterior border of the mandible. The patient successfully underwent the surgical positioning of the customised plate and subsequent removal of the keratocyst. She was discharged fit and well 5 days after surgery. She did not experience any infections, pathological fractures or relapse in the 6-month follow-up.

Central giant cell granuloma of the mandibular condyle: A rare case and a literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Central giant cell granuloma is a benign intraosseous lesion; tumours in the condylar region are rarely reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 60-year-old woman with preauricular swelling, limitation of joint motion and pain on only the right side. DISCUSSION: The patient was evaluated based on her preoperative clinical manifestations, by orthopantomography and computed tomography (CT). CT revealed a lesion on the right condylar head. Surgery was scheduled based on this imaging finding, histological findings from an incisional biopsy specimen, and the patient's indications and symptoms. CONCLUSION: Of all reported cases of central giantcell granuloma, only five (including this case) were located in the mandibular condyle.

Facial Trauma: A Retrospective Study of 1262 Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death among <40 year olds, a good part of the working age population. Traumatic injuries are also the leading cause of lost productivity, causing more lost working days than cancer or vascular cardiomyopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively and statistically analyzed the characteristics of facial fractures treated between June 2010 and December 2016 at the Maxillofacial Adult Surgery Unit, Spedali Civili Brescia, Italy. DISCUSSION: Facial fractures are common in polytrauma patients, due to exposure of the cephalic end. The incidence of concomitant facial injuries with major trauma is 15%-24% in England (between Liverpool and London) and up to 34% in Washington, based on a large database of 87,174 patients. High-energy trauma frequently involving multiple traumatic injuries often leads to complex facial fractures, affecting different portions of the splanchnocranium. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of facial fractures often focuses on functional or esthetic outcomes, and the outcomes are often substantially worse than those of other trauma treatments. Given the esthetic value of the face, facial trauma often leads to heightened emotional distress.

The first case of osteoma of the mandibular notch located both medially and laterally and treated with a transoral endoscopy assisted approach. A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Osteomas are slow-growing benign tumours composed of mature compact or cancellous bone and are seen in facial bones but uncommonly in the mandible; cases that arise in the notch region are rarely reported in the literature. PRESENTATION OF CASE: This article presents a 37-year-old woman with no preauricular swelling, no limitation of joint motion and pain only on the left side. DISCUSSION: The patient was evaluated based on preoperative clinical manifestations, orthopantomography and a computed tomography (CT) scan. The CT scan showed bone density irregularity between the coronoid process and the left mandibular condyle in the notch region arising both medially and laterally. Surgery was performed based on these images and the patient's indications and symptoms. CONCLUSION: Among the cases of osteoma in the literature, only six originated in the mandibular notch, but this is the only that was both medially and laterally located.

Proteomic identification of altered protein O-GlcNAcylation in a triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

PET scan analysis demonstrated the early reduction of cerebral glucose metabolism in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients that can make neurons vulnerable to damage via the alteration of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP). Defective HBP leads to flawed protein O-GlcNAcylation coupled, by a mutual inverse relationship, with increased protein phosphorylation on Ser/Thr residues. Altered O-GlcNAcylation of Tau and APP have been reported in AD and is closely related with pathology onset and progression. In addition, type 2 diabetes patients show an altered O-GlcNAcylation/phosphorylation that might represent a link between metabolic defects and AD progression. Our study aimed to decipher the specific protein targets of altered O-GlcNAcylation in brain of 12-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice compared with age-matched non-Tg mice. Hence, we analysed the global O-GlcNAc levels, the levels and activity of OGT and OGA, the enzymes controlling its cycling and protein specific O-GlcNAc levels using a bi-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) approach. Our data demonstrate the alteration of OGT and OGA activation coupled with the decrease of total O-GlcNAcylation levels. Data from proteomics analysis led to the identification of several proteins with reduced O-GlcNAcylation levels, which belong to key pathways involved in the progression of AD such as neuronal structure, protein degradation and glucose metabolism. In parallel, we analysed the O-GlcNAcylation/phosphorylation ratio of IRS1 and AKT, whose alterations may contribute to insulin resistance and reduced glucose uptake. Our findings may contribute to better understand the role of altered protein O-GlcNAcylation profile in AD, by possibly identifying novel mechanisms of disease progression related to glucose hypometabolism.

Soft-Tissue Chondroma in the Preauricular Region: An Unusual Presentation.

Chondroma is a benign cartilaginous tumor composed of mature hyaline cartilage and represents only 2.38% of all osteocartilaginous tumors; cases that arise in the preauricular region are rarely found in the literature. This article presents an 80-year-old man with preauricular swelling on the right side and pain with no limitation of joint motion. This patient was evaluated by preoperative clinical manifestation, fine needle aspiration, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The MRI shows a solid lobulated lesion between the masseter muscle and the parotid gland whereas fine-needle aspiration did not provide a diagnosis. Based on these images and the patient's indications and symptoms, a surgical intervention was performed. It is possible to identify three different types of chondromas in the parotid region based on their location. Among the cases of chondroma in the literature, only six originating in the soft tissue of the parotid region have been reported, including this one.

New Management in Bilateral Masseter Muscle Hypertrophy.

Bilateral masseter muscle hypertrophy is an alteration in shape and thickness of the masseter muscles that can modify the width of the lower face causing aesthetic and functional problems. A 21-year-old man was referred to the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the Civil Hospital in Brescia by his dentist for an evaluation of his facial appearance with a square-face type. To reduce the undesirable facial appearance, a surgical intraoral approach was performed; the procedure includes the bilateral dissection of the masseter muscle, partial lipectomy, and the ostectomy of the mandibular angle assisted by a surgical guide built on a stereolithographic model. The patient was satisfied with the functional and aesthetic outcomes of both the profile and the frontal views. There was no evidence of complication at a 1-year follow-up. This new method yields optimal aesthetic results with an enhanced outline of the lower face.

A Hemangioma of the Zygomatic Bone: Management Ensuring Good Reconstructive and Aesthetic Results.

Hemangiomas are benign tumors representing only 0.7 to 1% of all bone tumors; those that arise in the zygomatic region are rarely described in the literature. Here, we describe the case of a 55-year-old woman with a mass in the right orbitozygomatic region. She was diagnosed on the basis of preoperative clinical manifestations, data from an earlier histopathological examination, and computed tomography (CT). The CT scan revealed a lesion in the right zygomatic region at the level of the cancellous component. This caused thinning and remodeling of the deformed cortex both medially and laterally. Surgery was performed. We describe the clinical characteristics of our case with an emphasis on surgical management of the lesion using a titanium grid prepared by reference to a stereolithographic model.

Massive Cervicothoracic Subcutaneous Emphysema and Pneumomediastinum Developing during a Dental Hygiene Procedure.

Subcutaneous emphysema is rare during or after dental procedures (usually extractions). Here, we describe the case of a 65-year-old woman who developed massive cervicothoracic subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum during a dental hygiene procedure employing an artificial airflow. She was diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and computed tomography (CT). CT revealed massive subcutaneous emphysema extending from the superior left eyelid to the diaphragm. We describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of this rare case.

Unusually rapid development of a lateral neck mass: Diagnosis and treatment of a branchial cleft cyst. A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Branchial cleft cysts are benign lesions caused by anomalous development of the branchial cleft. Cases that arise in the lateral neck region are often misdiagnosed, resulting initially in inappropriate management. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 32-year-old woman with a swelling on the right side of her neck and no pain during palpation or neck motion. DISCUSSION: The patient was evaluated using fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The MRI showed a right-sided cervical mass with hyperintense content, well-defined margins, and no evidence of infiltration into surrounding structures, while FNAC found a yellow, pus-like fluid, keratinised anuclear cells, squamous epithelium, and a matrix of amorphous debris. CONCLUSION: Based on the images and the patient's symptoms, a surgical intervention was performed.

A rare case of intraosseous fibrolipoma of the mandible: diagnosis and treatment.

Lipomas are common soft tissue tumors. Intraosseous lipoma is a rare lesion that constitutes not more than 0.1% of bone tumors. It can occur anywhere in the body and there have only been a few cases found in the mandible. Intraosseous fibrolipoma of the jaw is an uncommon histological variant of the classic lipoma and to the best of our knowledge only one case has previously been reported in the literature. The cause of this lesion is uncertain. Clinically the lesion is generally asymptomatic and its radiographic feature is a well-defined radiolucency. Surgery is the treatment of choice. We present a case of an intraosseous fibrolipoma in the right mandibular ramus in a 25-year-old female.

Treatment of orbital floor blowout fractures with conchal auricular cartilage graft: a report on 14 cases.

PURPOSE: We sought to present follow-up on 14 cases in which conchal cartilage graft was used to span small orbital floor defects (up to 2 x 2 cm). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with orbital floor blowout fractures were included in the study; in 8 cases, there was associated fracture of the inferior orbital rim. The decision to proceed surgically was based on the presence of at least one of the following conditions: diplopia, enophthalmos, herniation of orbital tissues through gaps in the orbital floor bone, and concomitant displacement of bone fragments of the inferior orbital rim. Auricular cartilage was used in all cases. Access to the orbital floor was via subtarsal incision unless a laceration was present and useable. RESULTS: The incidence of clinical signs during follow-up and the surgical complications found (1 case of entropion, 1 case of palpebral edema) are fully comparable with those reported in the literature; they do not appear to be correlated to the use of a cartilage graft. CONCLUSIONS: The use of auricular cartilage has wide application for small orbital floor defects. The conchal graft is easy to harvest. It provides an optimal support function for the globe with minimum donor-site morbidity. A graft of adequate size ensures adequate stability.