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Purpose: This study aims to highlight the feasibility of an olfactory training program entirely monitored through online media in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Classic olfactory training was performed with a sample with olfactory loss due COVID-19 (n = 11). Participants were engaged on a weekly video call in order to improve adherence and collect information regarding the number of correct answers and the individuals' perception of olfactory function. The olfactory status after training was compared to two groups, one composed of participants who contracted COVID-19 but did not report olfactory loss (n = 11) and a sample composed of healthy participants (n = 11). Results: The experimental group showed improvements throughout the training period (TDI score on week 0 was 20.3 (5.6) and 24.6 (4.3) for week 12, and on week 24 was 25.4 (6.2) (F = 5.115, df = 2, 20, p = 0.016), and post hoc tests showed that participants significantly improved their TDI score in W12 compared to W0 (SMD = 0.869, p = 0.041) and in W24 compared to W0 (SMD = 0.859, p = 0.041). The experimental group showed lower scores when compared with both groups, and the no OT COVID-19 group showed lower scores than the healthy control group, even though they did not report olfactory alterations. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the strategies applied to improve adherence were successful since 100% of the sample completed the training adherence, offering a valuable framework for future olfactory training studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Consequences of COVID-19 on olfactory functions remained unclear during the pandemic. We assessed the efficacy of local budesonide in addition to olfactory rehabilitation when managing non-severe COVID-19 patients with persistent hyposmia. Methods: A multicentric, randomized, superiority trial was conducted (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04361474). The experimental group (EG) received budesonide and physiological saline nasal irrigations administered via three syringes of 20 ml in each nasal cavity in the morning and evening for 30 days. The control group (CG) received a similar protocol without budesonide. Patients were included if they were >18 years old, with a SARS-CoV-2 infection and presenting an isolated hyposmia persisting 30 days after symptom onset. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with improvement of more than two points on the ODORATEST score after 30 days of treatment. Results: In total, 123 patients were included and randomized (EG: 62 vs CG: 61). Two patients from the EG met the primary endpoint with no statistical difference between the two groups (P = 0.5). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating local budesonide for COVID-19 related hyposmia treatment even though previous trials were performed with other local corticosteroids. Local budesonide efficacy was not demonstrated for persistent hyposmia related to COVID-19.

Purpose: The olfactory system can be successfully rehabilitated with regular, intermittent stimulation during multiple daily exposures to selected sets of odors, i.e., olfactory training (OT). OT has been repeatedly shown to be an effective tool of olfactory performance enhancement. Recent advancements in studies on OT suggest that its beneficial effects exceed olfaction and extend to specific cognitive tasks. So far, studies on OT provided compelling evidence for its effectiveness, but there is still a need to search for an optimal OT protocol. The present study examined whether increased frequency of OT leads to better outcomes in both olfactory and cognitive domains. Method: Fifty-five subjects (28 females; Mage = 58.2 ± 11.3 years; 26 patients with impaired olfaction) were randomly assigned to a standard (twice a day) or intense (four times a day) OT. Olfactory and cognitive measurements were taken before and after OT. Results: OT performed twice a day was more effective in supporting olfactory rehabilitation and interventions targeted to verbal semantic fluency than OT performed four times a day, even more so in subjects with lower baseline scores. Conclusions: OT is effective in supporting olfactory rehabilitation and interventions targeted to verbal semantic fluency. However, it may be prone to a ceiling effect, being efficient in subjects presenting with lower baseline olfactory performance and lower verbal semantic fluency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of the study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of spraying odor particles using sinus rinse kits for olfactory rehabilitation in patients with total laryngectomy. Methods: Olfactory rehabilitation was performed by applying four different odorant particles orthonasally using a sinus rinse kit pump for 30 min each day for a duration of 6 months. Olfactory function was evaluated by performing olfactory tests before the rehabilitation and at sixth month after the rehabilitation process. Results: The average CCCRC score prior to olfactory rehabilitation was 2.28 ± 0.79 (between 1.50 and 3.75), while it was 4.46 ± 0.5 (between 3.50 and 5.25) out of a maximum score of 7 after 6 months of olfactory rehabilitation (p value < 0.0001) Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of sinus rinse kits is very simple, inexpensive, easy-to-use, and effective in providing passive olfaction to patients requiring olfactory rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jamais nous n'avons autant entendu parler d'anosmie et de rééducation olfactive qu'au cours de ces derniers mois. La perte d'odorat figure, en effet, parmi les troubles rapportés au cours de l'infection par la Covid-19. Une rééducation olfactive peut être conseillée aux personnes concernées. Never before have we heard so much about anosmia and olfactory rehabilitation as in recent months. Loss of smell is one of the reported disorders of COVID-19 infection. Olfactory rehabilitation can be advised to those affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Persistent olfactory dysfunction was seen in many patients upon coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection recovery. However, research on its management was very limited, especially among the Southeast Asian population. Objectives We aim to investigate the role of olfactory rehabilitation and topical corticosteroids among post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction patients in Malaysia, and at the same time to determine factors leading to olfactory recovery post-COVID-19 infection. Methods Adult Malaysians with persistent olfactory dysfunction one month post-COVID-19 recovery were recruited. Thirty-one patients were randomly assigned into three groups with 10 patients being given olfactory training (Group 1), another 10 being given mometasone furoate nasal spray/olfactory training (Group 2), and 11 patients being assigned to the control group (Group 3). All groups were followed up for an average duration of six months. Olfactory function was evaluated by Top International Biotech Smell Identification Test (TIBSIT) scores and Olfactory Disorder Questionnaire (eODQ) prior to randomization, at three and six months after recruitment. Results The baseline characteristics of patients were similar in all groups. Generally, patients of all three groups showed a statistically significant improvement in the TIBSIT scores after six months. The TIBSIT scores for Group 2 were statistically significantly higher than the control at three months but not at six months. As for Group 1, no statistically significant differences in TIBSIT scores at both three and six months were noted when compared to control. Statistically significant improvements were seen in the eODQ scores in all three groups. Conclusion No superiority of intervention for post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction was seen compared to control., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Medical Research & Ethics Committee (MREC) issued approval NMRR-21-901-59536 (IIR) on December 10, 2021. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: Skim Geran Acculturation (SGA) grant (SGA0119-2019) Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Ho et al.)

Objective: We used a questionnaire to investigate olfactory function and the present state of olfactory rehabilitation for laryngectomized patients in Japan.Methods: This study was conducted using a questionnaire survey. We mailed questionnaires to 190 members of a Japanese laryngectomized patient group (the nonprofit organization YOUSAY-KAI). The survey queried the following items: (1) basic information (age, sex, alaryngeal speech method, etc.); (2) questions about olfactory rehabilitation, such as the individual's experience of olfactory rehabilitation, the number of days from laryngectomy to the start of olfactory rehabilitation, and the location of rehabilitation (i.e., hospital or patient association); (3) free comments; and (4) the self-administered Odor Questionnaire (SAOQ).Results: We received 121/190 questionnaires by the submission deadline. Of these, 105 questionnaires were valid. All 105 responders used the Provox voice prosthesis as the alaryngeal speech method. Only 4.7% (5/105) of the patients received olfactory rehabilitation in hospitals. Many comments in the free comment column included demands for olfactory rehabilitation such as "I want to know where we can have olfactory rehabilitation" and "I want to have rehabilitation if olfaction recovers." The SAOQ score was significantly higher in the rehabilitation group (mean, 42.5%) compared to the nonrehabilitation group (mean, 22.1%) (p<0.05). There was no correlation between the SAOQ score and the number of days from laryngectomy to the start of rehabilitation (r=0.08, p=0.76)． CONCLUSION: Patient demand for olfactory rehabilitation is strong, but this therapy is not widely offered to laryngectomized patients in Japan. Notably, the SAOQ scores showed that olfactory rehabilitation may have an effect, even if it is initiated after laryngectomy. We believe that when patients choose voice prosthesis for speech, their olfaction deteriorates unless they undergo olfactory rehabilitation separately from speech rehabilitation. It is therefore necessary to administer olfactory rehabilitation for laryngectomized patients who have never received olfactory rehabilitation, as well as for patients scheduled to undergo laryngectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sense of smell is interrelated with psychosocial functioning. Olfactory disorders often decrease quality of life but treatment options for people with olfactory loss are limited. Additionally, olfactory loss accompanies and precedes psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Regular, systematic exposure to a set of odors, i.e., olfactory training (OT) has been offered for rehabilitation of the sense of smell in clinical practice. As signals from the olfactory bulb are directly projected to the limbic system it has been also debated whether OT might benefit psychological functioning, i.e., mitigate cognitive deterioration or improve emotional processing. In this review we synthesize key findings on OT utility in the clinical practice and highlight the molecular, cellular, and neuroanatomical changes accompanying olfactory recovery in people with smell loss as well as in experimental animal models. We discuss how OT and its modifications have been used in interventions aiming to support cognitive functions and improve well-being. We delineate main methodological challenges in research on OT and suggest areas requiring further scientific attention. • Olfaction is connected with social functioning. Smell loss may lower life quality. • Regular exposure to odors (olfactory training, OT) is used in smell rehabilitation. • We review OT effects on behavioral, neuroanatomical, cellular and molecular levels. • We discuss OT utility in supporting cognitive and emotional functioning. • We delineate main methodological challenges of research on OT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Total laryngectomy or laryngopharyngectomy remains the procedure of choice for advanced-stage (UICC T3 and T4) laryngeal carcinoma around the world despite advances in conservative laryngeal surgery and radiotherapy. However, it has profound effects on respiration and deglutition, in addition to the most disabling effect--the loss of verbal communication. Successful voice restoration can be attained with any of three speech options, namely esophageal speech, electrolarynx, and tracheoesophageal (TO) speech using an artificial valve. Although, no single method is considered the best for every patient, the tracheoesophageal puncture has become the preferred method in the past decade. Several types of voice prostheses have been produced since the first prosthesis was introduced in 1980 by Blom and Singer. However, eventually all prostheses are confronted by the same problem, i.e., the development of a biofilm, leading to deterioration and ultimately to dysfunction of the prostheses, necessitating replacement. This article attempts to sum up the historical background as well as the current state of surgical voice rehabilitation following laryngectomy; we review the recent major advances as well as the future prospects. Data was collected by conducting a computer-aided search of the MEDLINE and PubMed databases, supplemented by hand searches of key journals. Over 50 articles published in the last three decades on the topic have been reviewed, out of which about 20 were found to be of relevance for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]