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PubMed1993

Effect of size, shape and hardness of particles in suspension on oral texture and palatability.

Oral texture and consistency perception and preference depend on the size, shape and hardness of the particles in aqueous suspensions. Assessments of suspensions of model particles of garnet, polyethylene and mica showed that fairly large particles can be palatable if shape and hardness constraints are taken into account. Size differences matter more if particles are hard and sharp than if they are soft and rounded.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Altered colchicine-binding capacity in chick brain regions: relationship to intensity or information content of visual input.

The binding of [3H]colchicine to postmitochondrial supernatant fractions of chick brain has been studied, absorbing colchicine-bearing proteins on DEAE-cellulose filter discs. This was assayed at several times after unilateral enucleation of day-old chicks. Binding was unaltered in optic lobes or anterior dorsal forebrain regions contralateral to the removed eye, relative to the corresponding regions contralateral to and thus directly or secondarily innervated by the intact eye. Colchicine binding was also assayed after training chicks to suppress pecking at a metallic bead coated with aversive-tasting methylanthranilate. At 4 but not 24 h after the one-trial training, binding was selectively elevated in the anterior dorsal forebrain roof. Results are taken to imply that alterations in tubulin content of chick brain may reflect stress-related changes, possibly mediated by systemic endocrine flux, rather than a more localized learning experience.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Patient satisfaction after trigeminal nerve repair.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure patient satisfaction and to evaluate the factors influencing patients' perceptions of the outcome of inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve repair. STUDY DESIGN: We used a retrospective cohort study design and a sample of patients who underwent repair of inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve injuries. The major outcome variable was the patient's overall satisfaction with treatment. The patient's satisfaction was rated as either good to excellent (group A) or fair to poor (group B). RESULTS: The study sample was composed of 46 patients with a mean age of 28 +/- 12 years; 76% were female. Fifty-five percent of the sample reported their overall satisfaction to be good to excellent. No individual predictor factors were statistically associated with patient satisfaction. Among the outcome variables, the measures of taste, pronunciation, self-consciousness, and function were statistically significantly different (P <.05) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: After nerve repair, more than half of the patients rated their overall satisfaction with the operative results to be good to excellent.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

New biotechnology as a logical outgrowth of molecular biology.

Since the dawn of civilization biotechnical methods have been used to improve lifestyle by increasing the variety of food products and enriching their taste or preserving their quality. As these empirical methods advanced, biotechnology began more closely to resemble what it is today. The biosynthesis of vitamins, amino acids, alkaloids, steroids and antibiotics by specific microorganisms were the greatest medical achievements in the first half of the twentieth century. By this means, diseases which were often previously fatal could be prevented from befalling mankind. Despite this advantage in medical treatment the benefits from conventional biotechnology were achieved only through empirical, time-consuming and painstaking screening programs. The new biotechnology, while continuing to use many of the techniques of the conventional discipline, is now based on the understanding of product synthesis on a molecular level. This was derived from the benefit of three main perceptions of basic research which became available in this decade: Proteins, which promote the health of the entire human organism mainly through their regulatory functions, and consequently as a result of functional defects or their total absence cause illness or even death. The colinearity between nucleic acid sequence in the gene and amino acid sequence in the corresponding protein. The capabilities of genetic engineering to isolate a specific nucleic acid sequence of human origin which is responsible for the production of a distinct human protein and to transfer this into a microorganism or cell culture system for economic production of the desired protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1994

Chemoreception and perception of the bitterness of isohumulones.

Psychophysical experiments were conducted to determine whether isohumulones share a common receptor mechanism with other bitter compounds, and whether parotid saliva flow affects perception of their bitterness. Findings from a study of inter-individual differences in sensitivity to 23 sweet and/or bitter compounds among 25 subjects using the time-intensity (TI) method suggest that isohumulone and tetrahydroisohumulone may share a common receptor mechanism with other bitter compounds except those with the thiourea moiety. Isohumulone and tetrahydroisohumulone displayed a unique dome-shaped TI profile. The bitterness of the two compounds took longer to develop, but it lasted as long as for other bitter stimuli. In a study of the relation between perception of bitterness in beer and parotid saliva flow in 20 young adults, no significant difference was found among the mean saliva flows triggered by 0, 15 and 30 mg/L of isohumulones added to beer, and no significant correlation was found between saliva flow and maximum intensity or total duration of bitterness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Functional imaging of gustatory perception and imagery: "top-down" processing of gustatory signals.

By recalling gustatory memories, it is possible to generate vivid gustatory perceptions in the absence of gustatory inputs. This gustatory image influences our gustatory processing. However, the mechanism of the "top-down" modulation of gustatory perception in the human is still unclear. Our findings propose a new perspective on the neural basis of gustatory processing. Although gustatory imagery and gustatory perception shared common parts of neural substrates, there was an asymmetrical topography of activation in the insula: the left insula was predominantly activated by gustatory imagery tasks. In addition, the middle and superior frontal gyri were not activated by gustatory perception but they participated in the generation of gustatory hallucinations. These regions in the frontal cortex may mediate the "top-down" control of retrieving gustatory information from the storage of long-term memories.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Role of pulp in flavor release and sensory perception in orange juice.

This work elucidates the role of suspended solids in sensorial perception and flavor release in orange juice. The coarsest pulp (insoluble particles with a diameter of >2 microm) accounted for two major physicochemical effects in orange juice samples: it retained large amounts of aroma compounds, including terpenes and aldehydes, and modified the rheological properties of the juice matrix. These phenomena strongly affected the chemical composition of the vapor phase in the juice samples. On the other hand, orange juice cloud (finest insoluble particles with a diameter of <2 microm) also showed a strong retention effect on ethyl butanoate or hexanal, probably due to the occurrence of molecular interactions with cloud macromolecules. The amount and the size of the suspended solids critically modified not only the texture perception but also the odor and the overall flavor perception, including the "freshly squeezed" and the "artificial flavor" descriptors. The addition of a natural pulp to low-pulp juices increases the fresh orange juice character, a finding that is explained by both physicochemical (fresh pulp contains high amounts of key aroma compounds, including acetaldehyde and mono- and sesquiterpenes) and cognitive effects, mainly due to the tactile properties of the pulp.

Beverages↗
PubMed1976

[New methods for analysis and evaluation of sensory qualities of foods and calculation of changes. 10. Quantitative titrimetric determination of irradiation flavor in apple juice and concentrate and its dependence on radiation dosage].

Irradiation flavour in apple juice and concentrate which is mainly attributable, according to our previous studies, to tetrahydrofuran (THF) that may be quantitatively determined by means of the so-called mercury acetate method. This is based on the fact that the amount of a 4% solution of mercury acetate needed for removing the THF odour is proportional to the THF concentration. Using this method, the amounts of THF produced by various gamma radiation doses (varying from 0.64 to 2.55 Mrad) could be determined titrimetrically. Calculations showed that the THF concentration increases linearly with the radiation dose. Thus, the minimum radiation doses at which the irradiation flavour is first perceived (threshold of perception) may be calculated readily. The mercury acetate method is also a model case of the use of subjective olfactometry for the quantitative determination of flavour key substances in foods so far as they may be quantitatively determined by means of chemical reactions since the endpoint of titration is controlled by the sense of smell.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed2002

[Chronic and predominantly sensory polyneuropathy in Toroku Valley where a mining company produced arsenic].

We report 9 patients (5 males, 4 females, ages 63-77) with chronic polyneuropathy. They were exposed to arsenic for about 15-40 years in Toroku Valley, Takachiho-Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, where a mining company produced arsenic from 1920-1962. Predominantly sensory polyneuropathy was the most significant neurological finding. In 5 of them, superficial and deep sensation was equally affected over the entire body, including head, face, and mucous membranes of the mouth. The corneal reflexes were absent or sluggish. Pin-prick and light-touch perception was absent in their hands and legs. Another sensory disorder such as glove and stocking-type was seen in 4 of them. All 9 patients were comfortable with extremely hot water in their beverages, their baths, and their wash basins compared with controls. But these patients felt that their temperature sensation was normal. Motor involvement was minimal. Although motor-nerve conduction velocities were normal or reduced minimally, sensory-nerve conduction velocities were moderately reduced. Sural-nerve biopsy revealed reduction of both small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers, which occurs with axonal degeneration of peripheral nerves. Other main symptoms and signs were tension-type headaches, non-painful tonic spasms of limbs, and losses or significantly decreased sensations of taste and smell. Dantrolene-sodium was effective for the treatment of their non-painful tonic spasms of limbs. As for the general medical condition of these patients, all of them had suffered from chronic bronchitis and skin eruption during childhood or in their early life or in their young adulthood when the mine was producing arsenic. At the time of this study only four of them suffered from chronic bronchitis and none of them had skin eruptions or discoloration of the skin, 37 years after closure of the mine. These 9 patients were diagnosed as having chronic arsenic poisoning and arsenic polyneuropathy. The multiplicity of symptoms found in these patients--anosmia, ageusia, chronic bronchitis, tension-type headaches, and non-painful tonic spasms of limbs--differs from the symptoms previously reported cases with arsenic poisoning. This may be due to combined overexposure to environmentally hazardous arsenic by effluent gas, dust, and drinking water in Toroku Valley. As concerns the sensory disorders described above, it is necessary to investigate sensory conduction pathways, including cerebral sensory cortex, spinal cord, and skin sensory receptors such as Pacini corpuscles, and Meissner corpuscles. Unfortunately, no information has been obtained about this problem because there were no autopsy cases.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of patient-reported side effects among three chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer.

Patient's perceptions of side effects and the influence of treatment on daily activities are important considerations in choosing a chemotherapy regimen. However, there are no studies comparing patients' experiences with three commonly used chemotherapy regimens for breast cancer. The authors compared the patient-reported side effects and disruption in usual activities for cyclophosphamide and fluorouracil combined with methotrexate (CMF), doxorubicin (CAF), or mitoxantrone (CNF) in 86 women receiving treatment for breast cancer. The incidence and severity of side effects and disruption in usual activities were recorded by patients in a self-care diary (SCD) 2 and 5 days after the first and second drug cycles. Patients reported a mean of 3.2 to 4.9 side effects at each point in time. Fatigue, nausea, anorexia, taste changes, and headache were the most frequently reported side effects and did not differ in incidence among the three drug regimens. When repeated measures analysis of covariance was conducted using mean substitution for missing data and controlling for stage of disease, women receiving CAF reported more severe nausea than women receiving CMF or CNF (P < 0.05). Fatigue was significant for time; however, a distinct clinical pattern of fatigue was not apparent. Patients reported moderate levels of disruption in activities of daily living, with those receiving CAF having greater disruption. There was no difference among treatment groups in reports of overall disruption in activities. These data on patient reported experiences with side effects of chemotherapy can be used to prepare patients for specific side effects of treatment and facilitate symptom management.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Qualitative research methods in otorhinolaryngology.

OBJECTIVE: Qualitative research methods explore the character and meaning of human phenomena. The methodology is unfamiliar to most clinicians, not only because of the different techniques and the type of studied issues, but also because of important differences regarding terminology and criteria for evaluating qualitative studies. This paper aims at discussing the potential contribution of qualitative methods to otorhinolaryngological research in general, and to describe a specific method with an otologic application in detail. METHOD: In order to explore different disturbing sound phenomena and coping strategies in patients with manifest tympanic membrane retractions, individual semi-structured interviews were performed. The transcripts were systematically analyzed by coding, categorizing, and interpreting the content of the text. The extracted themes, categories, and patterns were summarized. RESULTS: The method proved useful when exploring empirically known but non-measurable sound disturbances. Moreover, the findings provided further support for an alternative pathogenic theory suggesting the patient's playing an active role in the development of tympanic membrane retractions. CONCLUSIONS: Used as a complement to quantitative methods, qualitative methods offer a means for exploring the patient's experiences and role in the development, therapy, and prevention of disease. Otorhinolaryngology involves disorders of sensory functions such as hearing, equilibrium, smell and taste, as well as the vital functions of breathing and eating. The related symptoms might be experienced and coped with very differently depending on individual interpretations, fear of severe disease, etc. Furthermore, the clinician's and the patient's perspectives of symptoms and expectations regarding treatment may differ, which has implications for information, planning of therapy, and quality assessment in health care. There is no lack of study questions, but rather a lack of experience of alternative and pertinent methods.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed2003

Dental erosion and soft drinks: a qualitative assessment of knowledge, attitude and behaviour using focus groups of schoolchildren. A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study was designed to record the perception by Newcastle children of the influences on their choice of drinks and their knowledge of the dental health problems caused by acidic drinks. METHODS: Four focus groups, each involving 8 Newcastle schoolchildren (4 boys and 4 girls) formed the basis of the study. Two age groups, 13-14-year-olds and 8-9-year-olds, and two socio-economic groups were investigated, using state schools in Newcastle upon Tyne. A moderator guided the children to discuss their choice of drink and its dental effects amongst themselves. RESULTS: In total, 32 children participated in the focus groups and the results suggested that 8-9-year-olds preferred still, fruit-flavoured drinks whilst 13-14-year-olds preferred carbonated drinks. Taste was the most important influence on drink choice in all age groups. Parents and friends were more influential in younger children, whilst cost, availability and thirst were more important to older children. Younger children did not believe advertisements whilst older children thought they might work if seen enough times. Dental knowledge was confused in all age groups and only the 13-14-year-old-high socio-economic groups knew that acidic drinks were bad for the teeth. Different methods for addressing the problem of erosion were suggested by different age groups. There was very little difference between the socio-economic groups in the areas discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The children's knowledge of dental diseases and the effect of drinks on the teeth were confused. The factors that influence drink choice appear to change with age, rather than socio-economic status.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Physicochemical properties accounting for cheese texture.

Perception of texture is a complex dynamic series of events which cannot be modelled easily by physicochemical measurements. Results using cheese analogues suggest that moisture and fat are key components in determining texture because they soften the protein matrix and provide weaknesses through which the cheeses fracture. These characteristics are sensed as firmness and work during chewing. Possible models are proposed for further investigation of the tactile determinants of cognitive mechanics involved in cheese texture description.

Cheese↗
PubMed2006

Psychophysics of sweet and fat perception in obesity: problems, solutions and new perspectives.

Psychophysical comparisons seem to show that obese individuals experience normal sweet and fat sensations, they like sweetness the same or less, but like fat more than the non-obese do. These psychophysical comparisons have been made using scales (visual analogue or category) that assume intensity labels (e.g. extremely) which denote the same absolute perceived intensity to all. In reality, the perceived intensities denoted by labels vary because they depend on experiences with the substances to be judged. This variation makes comparisons invalid. Valid comparisons can be made by asking the subjects to rate their sensory/hedonic experiences in contexts that are not related to the specific experiences of interest. Using this methodology, we present the evidence that the sensory and hedonic properties of sweet and fat vary with body mass index. The obese live in different orosensory and orohedonic worlds than do the non-obese; the obese experience reduced sweetness, which probably intensifies fat sensations, and the obese like both sweet and fat more than the non-obese do. Genetic variation as well as taste pathology contribute to these results. These psychophysical advances will impact experimental as well as clinical studies of obesity and other eating disorders.

Dietary Fats↗
PubMed1999

Patients' and partners' perceptions of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for snoring.

OBJECTIVE: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) has become a routine operation for snoring. Many centres have published their results. Few, if any, have questioned their patient's subjective feelings regarding the operation and more importantly, the patient's partner. METHOD: The study involved postal questionnaires and a retrospective case note review. Between the years 1988 and 1995, 125 patients underwent a UPPP for snoring at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, England, a large district general hospital. Postal questionnaires were sent to all patients and their partners, asking them about their experience of snoring and of the operation. The subjective postoperative change in the patient's snoring and their day time sleepiness was measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Score. RESULTS: The number of joint questionnaires returned was 90. The number of patients who felt that their snoring had improved after the operation within the first year was 100%, but this fell to 71% after 1 year. There was a significant improvement in the patient's daytime sleepiness after the operation. The list of complications included pain and nasal regurgitation, along with a dry mouth and altered taste. Overall, 78% of patients would recommend the procedure to others. CONCLUSIONS: The operation of UPPP is successful in reducing the severity of snoring noise in the majority of patients, as well as in improving the quality of the patient's sleep. This success, however, decreases with time and must be put in context with the relatively high morbidity.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Producing tender and flavoursome beef with enhanced nutritional characteristics.

The perception of healthiness and/or safety, tenderness, juiciness and aroma or flavour are important quality criteria that influence the decision of a consumer to purchase beef. Beef production systems represent the combined and interacting effects of genotype, gender, age at slaughter and nutrition before slaughter. The present paper highlights recent information on how beef production systems can be modified to enhance the tenderness, flavour and healthiness of beef. Carcass management post-slaughter has a larger effect on meat tenderness than gender, genotype or feeding systems. Optimum 'pasture to plate' management systems are being established to ensure beef tenderness. The chemistry underlying beef flavour is complex, with in excess of 140 components identified in cooked beef volatiles. Flavour of beef is influenced by cattle diet, but assessment of flavour by a taste panel is subject to the previous experiences and preferences of the panellists. Modern lean beef can have an intramuscular fat concentration of 25-50g/kg and can be considered a low-fat food. As the quantity of grass in the diet of cattle is increased, there is a decrease in saturated fatty acid concentration, and an increase in the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid concentrations. It is concluded that there is opportunity to exploit the diet of cattle to produce tender flavoursome beef that has an increased conjugated linoleic acid concentration, a lower fat concentration and a fatty acid profile more compatible with current human dietary recommendations.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2005

The perceived importance of sensory modalities in product usage: a study of self-reports.

Although popular belief holds that vision dominates human experience, this does not necessarily imply that people regard vision as the most important sensory modality during the interaction with every product. Instead, the relative importance of the different modalities is likely to depend on the type of product and on the task performed. In Study 1, respondents reported how important they found vision, audition, touch, taste, and smell during the use of 45 different products. In Study 2, the respondents answered a similar question for the evaluation of the safety, ease of use, and enjoyment experienced for 15 products. Importance ratings for the sensory modalities differed considerably between the products. Differences due to the types of evaluations were smaller. Averaged over products and evaluation types, vision was the most important sensory modality for product evaluations, followed by touch, smell, audition, and taste. However, for about half of the individual products, the importance ratings for vision were lower than for one of the other modalities. These findings are in line with the view that vision is regarded the dominant modality, because it plays an important part in many and an irrelevant part in virtually no product experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Picture memory (pseudomatching) in rhesus monkeys.

Pseudomatching, the selection of the correct comparison stimulus without dependence on presentation of a sample stimulus, was demonstrated in monkeys being trained ostensibly on a matching-to-sample, shock-avoidance tast. Pseudomatiching occurred whenever the problem sets were not fully counterbalanced for key position and correct symbol and seemed to represent memorization of specific stimulus configurations. Some animals showed the capacity to memorize hundreds of different 4-choice problems as indicated by test trials on which the samples were omitted. To prevent pseudomatching contamination of matching-to-sample behavior one must arrange full counterbalancing and randomization of stimuli and reinforcements. Pseudomatiching test trials are also recommended.

Animals↗