Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-91).

<p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of present study was to determine the frequency of taste and smell disorders occuring in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer.<strong> Methods: </strong>The study was of an empirical cross sectional quantitative descriptive design. During one month, consecutive cancer patients at outpatient units in two Swedish hospitals were asked to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire that had been developed previously for a similar study. All participants had undergone at least 1 cycle of intravenous chemotherapy or  a minimum of seven days of oral chemotherapy. <strong>Results: </strong>A total of<strong> </strong>102 patients completed the questionnaire. Results show that 55 % experienced taste disorders and  42 % experienced smell disorders. Both disorders are more common in women than in men. Of patients with taste disorders 47 % reported that it  impacted on their daily life to some degree and of patients with smell disorders the corresponding number was 33%. Patients with smell disorders reported a smaller degree of impact on their daily life than did patients with taste disorders.<strong> Conclusion: </strong>Both taste and smell disorders are common in cancer patients treated within chemotherapy. More research into factors that might eliminate or dimnish these problems is needed.<strong> </strong></p>

Aim: The aim of present study was to determine the frequency of taste and smell disorders occuring in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Methods: The study was of an empirical cross sectional quantitative descriptive design. During one month, consecutive cancer patients at outpatient units in two Swedish hospitals were asked to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire that had been developed previously for a similar study. All participants had undergone at least 1 cycle of intravenous chemotherapy or  a minimum of seven days of oral chemotherapy. Results: A total of 102 patients completed the questionnaire. Results show that 55 % experienced taste disorders and  42 % experienced smell disorders. Both disorders are more common in women than in men. Of patients with taste disorders 47 % reported that it  impacted on their daily life to some degree and of patients with smell disorders the corresponding number was 33%. Patients with smell disorders reported a smaller degree of impact on their daily life than did patients with taste disorders. Conclusion: Both taste and smell disorders are common in cancer patients treated within chemotherapy. More research into factors that might eliminate or dimnish these problems is needed.

METHODS: Data from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) was analyzed for adults above age 40 with 3669 participants with taste and 3691 participants with smell disorders. Smoking status, based upon the history of smoking in the past 5 days was classified as ‘No tobacco smoking’, ‘E-cigs’, ‘Cigarettes’, and ‘Cigar/Hookah/Pipe’ and ‘Smokeless tobacco’. The outcome measure was having taste disorder or smell disorder determined by answering ‘yes’ to self-reported taste or smell questionnaires respectively. This information was collected by trained interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) system. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done with SAS 9.4 using survey weights to account for the complex sampling design. Odds ratios (OR) for taste or smell disorder to those without the respective disorder were compared within different smoking categories. RESULTS: Individuals with taste disorders were more likely to be Mexican American, 40-49.5 yrs., with a history of persistent cold/flu, dry mouth, or cancer. Both smokeless tobacco (OR =2.59) and E-cig (OR =2.30) users showed significantly higher odds of having taste disorders compared to non-smokers. Participants with smell disorder were more likely to be female, non-Hispanic black/other Hispanics with a history of dry mouth, tonsillectomy, head injury, or sinus infections. For smell disorders, Cigar/Hookah/Pipes showed significantly higher odds compared to non-smokers (OR = 2.13). CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study suggests that E-cigs use is significantly associated with taste disorders, whereas Cigar/Hookah/Pipe use is found to be significantly associated with higher odds of having smell disorders.

Scientific explorations can lead to life changing discoveries or light the path for new discoveries as scientists continue to carry or pass on the torch of knowledge to current and future generations. This torch of knowledge radiates in many directions, as the path of discovery often demands a multidimensional perspective. This research explored the many aspects of metallic flavor in drinking water through applications of sensory science, medicine, health, and the environment. Humans interact with their environment through the five senses and are often exposed to contaminants through multiple routes; oral intake of trace metal contaminants through drinking water is a likely source. The biochemical mechanism by which humans are able to detect the flavor of strongly metallic agents such as iron has been previously elucidated, but little is known about population variability in the ability to sense metallic flavors. This research evaluated sensory thresholds and biochemical indicators of metallic flavor perception in healthy adults for ferrous iron in drinking water; 61 subjects aged 19 – 84 years, participated. The findings demonstrated an age-dependent sensitivity to iron indicating as people age they are less sensitive to metallic perception; impairment of olfactory functions is a contributing factor. Unlike in healthy adults, where human senses are often protective of overexposure to contaminants, and supportive of sensations of everyday life's pleasures, cancer patients often suffer from chemosensory dysfunctions. Metallic phantom taste is a commonly experienced sensation, yet very little studied aspect of this debilitating disorder. Impact of cancer therapy on chemosensory functions of patients with malignant brain tumors undergoing combined modality treatment (CMT) was explored. The results indicated that chemosensory dysfunctions of the patients can range from minimal to moderate impairment with maximum impairment developing during the 6-week CMT. Study of salivary constituents may provide clues on to the causes of chemosensory dysfunctions. On health aspects, implication of individual sensitivity to metallic flavor on beverage choices and overall water consumption was assessed in 33 healthy adults through self-reported beverage questionnaire. The results indicated that among the elderly reduced intake of drinking water coincided with reduced sensitivity to metallic flavor. The findings have important health implications in terms of hydration status and beverage choices. Finally, with environmental exposure relevance, preliminary findings on sensory properties of zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) indicated that oral exposure to nZVI may induce sensory properties different from that of ferrous iron, likely predictive of a diminished detection of metallic flavor by humans. Further research is warranted in this area. / Ph. D.