Browsing by Author "Gossweiler, Ana G."

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    A randomised bite force study assessing two currently marketed denture adhesive products compared with no‐adhesive control
    (Wiley, 2019-06) Varghese, Roshan; Burnett, Gary R.; Souverain, Audrey; Patil, Avinash; Gossweiler, Ana G.; Cariology, Operative Dentistry and Dental Public Health, School of Dentistry
    Unlike other oral care products, there are limited technologies in the denture adhesive category with the majority based on polymethyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride (PVM/MA) polymer. Carbomer‐based denture adhesives are less well studied, and there are few clinical studies directly comparing performance of denture adhesives based on different technologies. This single‐centre, randomised, three‐treatment, three‐period, examiner‐blind, crossover study compared a carbomer‐based denture adhesive (Test adhesive) with a PVM/MA‐based adhesive (Reference adhesive) and no adhesive using incisal bite force measurements (area over baseline over 12 hr; AOB0–12) in participants with a well‐made and at least moderately well‐fitting complete maxillary denture. Eligible participants were randomised to a treatment sequence and bit on a force transducer with increasing force until their maxillary denture dislodged. This procedure was performed prior to treatment application (baseline) and at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 hr following application. Forty‐four participants were included in the modified intent‐to‐treat population. AOB0–12 favoured both Test adhesive to No adhesive (difference: 2.12 lbs; 95% CI [1.25, 3.00]; p < 0.0001) and Reference adhesive to No adhesive (difference: 2.76 lbs; 95% CI [1.89, 3.63]; p < 0.0001). There was a numerical difference in AOB0–12 for Test versus Reference adhesive (−0.63 lbs; [−1.51, 0.25]); however, this was not statistically significant (p = 0.1555). Treatments were generally well tolerated. Both PVM/MA and carbomer‐based denture adhesives demonstrated statistically significantly superior denture retention compared with no adhesive over 12 hr, with no statistically significant difference between adhesives.
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    Reduced Salivary Gustin and Statherin in Long-COVID Cohort with Impaired Bitter Taste
    (MDPI, 2024-11-13) Chowdary, Harika; Riley, Naomi; Patel, Parul; Gossweiler, Ana G.; Running, Cordelia A.; Srinivasan, Mythily; Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, School of Dentistry
    Background/Objectives: Taste dysfunction is a frequent symptom of acute coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). While the majority of those affected reported recovery over time, emerging data suggest that 20-25% of individuals experience persistent taste dysfunction, constituting a common symptom of long COVID. Gustation is mediated by continuously renewing taste bud cells. A balance between the counteracting processes of cell generation and cell death maintains the homeostatic turnover. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is a morphogenic protein that promotes taste cell proliferation and differentiation. Enzymatic proteins such as gustin modulate the environment around the taste receptors and influence taste perception. Hence, we hypothesized that increased taste cell turnover and reduced taste-related salivary proteins contribute to the taste dysfunction in long COVID. Methods: Unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) was collected from individuals with long COVID experiencing taste dysfunction after obtaining informed consent. The normal control included archived saliva samples catalogued prior to 2019. Taste perception was objectively determined by the waterless empirical taste test. The SHH, gustin, and inflammatory cytokines in UWS were determined with ELISA. The expressions of epithelial and taste-cell-specific markers in cellular saliva were assessed by immunoflurorescence. Results: Impaired bitter taste was the most common dysfunction in the long-COVID cohort. Salivary gustin was significantly lower in those with long COVID and correlated with lower bitter taste score. Cellular saliva showed keratin-10- and small-proline-rich protein-positive epithelial cells as well as SHH-, occluding- and KCNQ1-positive taste cells. Conclusions: Salivary gustin could be a marker for impaired bitter taste in long COVID.