Does Improved Attention Induced by Caffeine Intake Affect Olfactory Function?

Objectives@#. Past several studies have proven that caffeine facilitates attentional enhancement by acting as an adenosine antagonist once it is absorbed by the body, resulting in improved psycho-behavioral function. Modern clinical olfactory function tests are usually assessed by psychophysical tests but due to a paucity of data, the influence of enhanced attention by caffeine on olfactory function still remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare results of cognitive function (attention) and olfactory function before and after caffeine administration in order to analyze effects of caffeine on olfactory function in normosmic subjects. @*Methods@#. This study enrolled 49 participants of Konkuk University Hospital with a mean age of 27.7 years who had patent olfactory clefts and no olfactory dysfunction from May 2015 to February 2016. Subjects were restrained from caffeine 10 hours before the test. On day 1, participant’s subjective olfactory function was evaluated before and after uptake of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee using visual analog scale (VAS) score, minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) measured by acoustic rhinometry, and the Korean version of Sniffin’ Stick II (KVSS II). Evaluation of participant’s attentional degree was measured by d2 test. On day 2, the same procedure was carried out with counterpart substance. The type of coffee initially administrated was randomly selected. @*Results@#. After administration, caffeinated coffee resulted in significant attentional enhancement than decaffeinated coffee. Results of d2 test showed statistically significant differences in the parameters of total number of errors and omission errors. In both the caffeinated and decaffeinated groups, the patients showed slight increase in VAS score and nasal cavity area; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Also, caffeinated coffee intake compared to decaffeinated coffee intake showed no significant relevance to olfactory function. @*Conclusion@#. Caffeine may significantly improve attentional congnitive function, while not have acute effects on olfactory function.

Analysis of Obstruction Site in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Based on Videofluoroscopy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Upper airway obstruction can occur at the soft palate, tongue base, or epiglottis among obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Detection of these obstruction sites is very important for choosing a treatment modality for OSA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the obstruction site of OSA patients and its association with mouth opening and head position. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Forty-eight consecutive patients with suspicion of OSA were enrolled and underwent videofluoroscopy to evaluate the obstruction site, as well as polysomnography. Obstruction site, mouth opening, and head position were evaluated on videofluoroscopy, and their association was analyzed. RESULTS: According to the videofluoroscopy, 47 (97.9%) of 48 patients showed an obstruction in the soft palate, while 24 (50.0%) were located in the tongue base and 14 (29.2%) in the epiglottis. Multiple obstructions were observed in many patients. Mean apnea-hypopnea index was higher among patients with tongue base obstruction (42.3±26.7) compared to those without obstruction (26.4±21.2, p=0.058). However, epiglottis obstruction did not influence apnea-hypopnea index. Mouth opening did not show any association with tongue base obstruction (p=0.564), while head flexion was highly associated (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Half of patients with OSA have tongue base obstruction, which worsens the apnea-hypopnea index. Head flexion is associated with tongue base obstruction, while mouth opening is not.

Do Eosinophilic Polyps Act as a Reliable Predictor of Olfactory Dysfunction and Postoperative Recovery in Chronic Rhinosinusitis? / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was 1) to assess differences in categories of olfactory dysfunction according to the pathological classification of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) patients; 2) to identify the degree of olfaction recovery after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS); and 3) to identify the factors that predict the changes in olfactory status. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The sample of the study consisted of patients with CRSwNP who underwent ESS with biopsy from January 2012 to September 2014. Seventy five patients were classified into eosinophilic CRS (ECRS) and non-ECRS groups. During an approximately five-month follow-up, the Korean Version of Sniffin' Sticks test II (KVSS II) was conducted on each patient to examine the difference between the preoperative and postoperative states of olfactory function. RESULTS: The ECRS group showed a statistical significant increase in the postoperative KVSS II scores when compared to the preoperative scores, while the non-ECRS group did not show any statistically significant change. For the anosmia category by KVSS II, the ECRS group showed significantly improved olfactory function test scores for the threshold, discrimination, and identification tests. CONCLUSION: ECRS and preoperative olfactory function status (anosmia) could be predictable factors of postoperative olfactory function.

Prevalence of Allergic Disease in Korean Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010–2012) / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated differences in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and specific immunoglobuline E (IgE) value for some respiratory antigens in Korean adults. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The study was conducted using data from the 5th National Health and Nutrition Survey (2010-2012). All subjects who were aged 19 years or older completed questionnaires on asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. The subjects were first divided into male and female, and then into age groups of 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, ≥70 each. The lifetime and current prevalence rates for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis were calculated for each age group. The total and specific IgE level for Dermatophagoides farinae (DF), cockroach, and dog dander were also calculated. RESULTS: Final participants of 17542 were analyzed for the prevalence rate among the total of 25534 participants. The mean IgE level was calculated from 2028 subjects from the final participants. In asthma, the lifetime prevalence and current prevalence increased with age, but decreased with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. Total IgE level increased with age, but IgE level of DF reached its peak at 20-29 years, and then decreased rapidly thereafter. There was no clear trend for cockroach and dog dander. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of allergic diseases in adults varies widely by age group. Asthma has a low prevalence after age 20 and gradually increases after age 50. Atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis are the most prevalent in their 20s and gradually decrease thereafter.