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This article develops an ethnomethodological and conversation analytic approach of sensuous practices based on video materials and multi-modal analyses. Focusing on professional training in cheese tasting in Italy, the article shows the interplay between the bodily sensorial access to a material object and verbal descriptions of its sensorial qualities. Sensorial experience is not only configured as the body touching, smelling, or tasting a sample, nor simply orchestrated as a response following an authorized instruction; it is organized by multiple sociomaterial resources, including tasting grids as textual artifacts for enhancing and disciplining the senses. The article proposes a praxeological and interactional approach of sensoriality that integrates bodies, language, materiality, and normativity.

Olfactory dysfunction is a prevalent symptom and an early marker of age‐related neurodegenerative diseases in humans, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases. However, as olfactory dysfunction is also a common symptom of normal aging, it is important to identify associated behavioral and mechanistic changes that underlie olfactory dysfunction in nonpathological aging. In the present study, we systematically investigated age‐related behavioral changes in four specific domains of olfaction and the molecular basis in C57BL/6J mice. Our results showed that selective loss of odor discrimination was the earliest smelling behavioral change with aging, followed by a decline in odor sensitivity and detection while odor habituation remained in old mice. Compared to behavioral changes related with cognitive and motor functions, smelling loss was among the earliest biomarkers of aging. During aging, metabolites related with oxidative stress, osmolytes, and infection became dysregulated in the olfactory bulb, and G protein coupled receptor‐related signaling was significantly down regulated in olfactory bulbs of aged mice. Poly ADP‐ribosylation levels, protein expression of DNA damage markers, and inflammation increased significantly in the olfactory bulb of older mice. Lower NAD+ levels were also detected. Supplementation of NAD+ through NR in water improved longevity and partially enhanced olfaction in aged mice. Our studies provide mechanistic and biological insights into the olfaction decline during aging and highlight the role of NAD+ for preserving smelling function and general health. In the present study, the smelling loss of C57BL/6J mice during non‐pathological aging was systematically characterized. Our data showed that smelling changes were among the earliest changed behaviors during aging. Metabolites related with oxidative stress, osmolytes, and infection were dysregulated in brain regions related with olfaction. DNA damage markers, inflammation, and glial activation increased significantly in OBs of older mice, which together contributed to olfaction decline. Supplementation of NAD+ improved longevity and partially enhanced olfaction in aged mice.

Foreign body in the uterus may lead to severe complications and pose significant management dilemmas. We report a 26-year-old lady who presented with foul-smelling discharge, subfertility, and a failed attempt at foreign body removal outside. Pelvic ultrasound revealed an impacted structure in the endocervical canal while a descending pipe was visualized in the endocervical canal per speculum examination. Partial removal vaginally and surgical removal of the nozzle via laparotomy was necessary due to the size, location, and impaction of the object. Posterior uterine incision was used due to easy accessibility. The post-operative stay was uneventful. This case underscores the importance of early detection, imaging, and multidisciplinary management in cases of uterine foreign bodies.

Olfactory identification disorder is regarded as an early marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and of similar diagnostic significance of biological or cognitive markers. Premature damage of the entorhinal olfactory cortex, the hippocampus and the orbitofrontal cortex characterize AD and suggest a specific impairment of olfactory identification. The use of psychophysical olfactory identification tests in clinical diagnostic practice is therefore strongly recommended, but not required. As these widespread tests are rarely used, an innovative test, adapted to this target group has been developed. It has been used and validated in a routine care protocol at different Memory Centers in France and in Quebec, Canada. A total of 157 participants were recruited: including 63 Alzheimer’s patients and 94 healthy controls. The test was composed of 14 odorants diluted into 4 different concentrations. A computer interface generated randomization of 6 odors per participant and the automatic calculation of identification scores, of perceptual thresholds and of composite scores. All participants underwent a Mini Mental Scale Examination within the previous three months or on the same day of the olfactory test. The Alzheimer’s patients had a score between 20 and 30 and healthy controls participants had a score above 28 without any loss of points on recalled items. The results show that our olfactory identification test is able to significantly differentiate Alzheimer’s patients from healthy controls (p < 0.001), and to distinguish the French population tested from the Quebec population (p < 0.001). This study highlights an olfactory identification disorder as a target for early diagnosis of AD. Its cultural qualities make it a potential candidate for differentiated calibration between France and Quebec.

This essay provides a neurobiological and neuroanatomical analysis of how the recently published Walla Emotion Model, with its neurobiologically grounded definitions, elucidates the evolutionary origin of affective processing from the sense of olfaction. The analysis first deconstructs the model’s hierarchical framework, which distinguishes between rapid, non-conscious affective processing (neural activity coding for valence of stimuli), conscious, subjective feelings, and observable, communicative emotions. It then details the unique neuroanatomical pathway of the olfactory system, highlighting its most direct, subcortical connections to the limbic system (only two synapses) (shared subcortical network between olfaction and affection). The core argument presented is that this emotion model’s definition of affective processing as being distinct from an emotion is a direct conceptual reflection of the ancient, hardwired, and survival-oriented function of olfaction. This link is substantiated by empirical evidence from studies on sniffing behavior, startle reflex modulation, and non-conscious physiological responses, all of which provide empirical evidence for a non-conscious, non-cognitive evaluation of olfactory stimuli. First, this essay concludes that a clear distinction between affective processing, feelings, and emotions offers a coherent framework that has the potential to resolve long-standing terminological ambiguities in the affective science. Second, it also aims at providing a paradigm for understanding the foundational role of a specific sensory modality in the evolution of our most primitive and yet so evident and impactful affective responses serving the adaptation of produced behavior in humans. Finally, some ideas for broader implications are mentioned.

Foul-smelling vaginal discharge in adolescents often stems from infectious origin, foreign body insertion, neoplasm, congenital anomaly, and sexual abuse. Diagnosing the causes of the discharge remains challenging, especially in cases where sexual and reproductive health awareness is relatively low in the population from marginalized ethnographies and socio-cultural backgrounds. Suspicion of sexual abuse must be explored carefully and sensitively. A history of sexual exposure might not be forthcoming in adolescents where premarital sex is frowned upon. The process of eliciting the causation may be a challenge to healthcare professionals, delaying the diagnosis and subsequent management. In rare circumstances, imaging studies may help confirm the origin of the infection, giving insight into the presentation’s aetiology. We describe a case of Obstructed Hemivagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly (OHVIRA) Syndrome presented with foul-smelling vaginal discharge in a newly attained menarche girl in the North-East region of Peninsular Malaysia. We also discussed the theories and reasons behind the occurrence of such a presentation, along with the diagnostic dilemma in this current case.

Prostate cancer (PCa) represents the cause of the second highest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and its clinical presentation can range from slow-growing to rapidly spreading metastatic disease. As the characteristics of most cases of PCa remains incompletely understood, it is crucial to identify new biomarkers that can aid in early detection. Despite the prostate-specific antigen serum (PSA) levels, prostate biopsy, and imaging representing the actual gold-standard for diagnosing PCa, analyzing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has emerged as a promising new frontier. We and other authors have reported that highly trained dogs can recognize specific VOCs associated with PCa with high accuracy. However, using dogs in clinical practice has several limitations. To exploit the potential of VOCs, an electronic nose (eNose) that mimics the dog olfactory system and can potentially be used in clinical practice was designed. To explore the eNose as an alternative to dogs in diagnosing PCa, we conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of available studies. PRISMA guidelines were used for the identification, screening, eligibility, and selection process. We included six studies that employed trained dogs and found that the pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.87 (95% CI 0.86–0.89; I2, 98.6%), the diagnostic specificity was 0.83 (95% CI 0.80–0.85; I2, 98.1%), and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) was 0.64 (standard error, 0.25). We also analyzed five studies that used an eNose to diagnose PCa and found that the pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.80–0.88; I2, 57.1%), the diagnostic specificity was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84–0.91; I2, 66%), and the area under the sROC was 0.93 (standard error, 0.03). These pooled results suggest that while highly trained dogs have the potentiality to diagnose PCa, the ability is primarily related to olfactory physiology and training methodology. The adoption of advanced analytical techniques, such as eNose, poses a significant challenge in the field of clinical practice due to their growing effectiveness. Nevertheless, the presence of limitations and the requirement for meticulous study design continue to present challenges when employing eNoses for the diagnosis of PCa.

Background/Objectives: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of breast milk odor on pain and stress levels during venous blood sampling. Method: Data were collected from 60 newborn infants consisting of a total of 30 infants in the experimental group and 30 in the control group who were hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit between 7 December 2022 and 25 September 2023. The data were collected using the Newborn Infant Pain Scale and Premature Infant Comfort Scale forms. Results: It was observed that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the Newborn Infant Pain Scale and Premature Infant Comfort Scale when comparing the measurements taken during the procedure and 5 min after the procedure. A strong correlation was found between the Newborn Infant Pain Scale and Premature Infant Comfort Scale scores measured 5 min after the venous blood collection procedure (r = 0.86, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it was determined that smelling breast milk, which is one of the non-pharmacological methods that can be used in invasive or non-invasive painful procedures on newborn infants, positively affects the pain and comfort level of babies.

In the past 20 years, the development of an artificial olfactory system has made great progress and improvements. In recent years, as a new type of sensor, nanoelectronic smelling has been widely used in the food and drug industry because of its advantages of accurate sensitivity and good selectivity. This paper reviews the latest applications and progress of nanoelectronic smelling in animal-, plant-, and microbial-based foods. This includes an analysis of the status of nanoelectronic smelling in animal-based foods, an analysis of its harmful composition in plant-based foods, and an analysis of the microorganism quantity in microbial-based foods. We also conduct a flavor component analysis and an assessment of the advantages of nanoelectronic smelling. On this basis, the principles and structures of nanoelectronic smelling are also analyzed. Finally, the limitations and challenges of nanoelectronic smelling are summarized, and the future development of nanoelectronic smelling is proposed.

The fact that perfumes have been regarded as enhancing one’s appearance opens up questions about knowing and wearing fragrances. The connections between fragrances and fashion are being reviewed first according to the notion of embodiment as applied to the understanding of clothing fashion (Entwistle 2000, 2015); then, the lens of “mediatization”, as applied by Rocamora (2017) to grasp the contemporary entanglement of fashion and digital media, further serves to turn to digital perfume communities. These constitute an essential resource to the extent that they share experiences while producing data about wearing and collecting fragrances. By tracing the recent insurgence of perfume criticism and by mapping certain techniques of entering into relation with fragrances through community members’ perfume reviews as well, the study argues that their idiosyncratic and often artistic language is countering the impersonal language of perfume advertising; ultimately, the study suggests unravelling perfume consumption patterns via an aesthetics of attention.