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Background: The long-term recovery rate for coronavirus disease 2019 related chemosensory disturbances has not yet been clarified. Methods: Olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed with psychophysical tests in patients in the first seven days from coronavirus disease 2019 onset and one, two, three and six months after the first evaluation. Results: A total of 300 patients completed the study. The improvement in olfactory function was significant at the two-month follow up. At the end of the observation period, 27 per cent of the patients still experienced a persistent olfactory disturbance, including anosmia in 5 per cent of cases. As for taste, the improvement in the psychophysical scores was significant only between the baseline and the 30-day control. At the 6-month evaluation, 10 per cent of the patients presented with a persistent gustatory disturbance with an incidence of complete ageusia of 1 per cent. Conclusion: Six months after the onset of coronavirus disease 2019, about 6 per cent of patients still had a severe persistent olfactory or gustatory disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The long-term recovery rate of chemosensitive functions in coronavirus disease 2019 patients has not yet been determined. Method: A multicentre prospective study on 138 coronavirus disease 2019 patients was conducted. Olfactory and gustatory functions were prospectively evaluated for 60 days. Results: Within the first 4 days of coronavirus disease 2019, 84.8 per cent of patients had chemosensitive dysfunction that gradually improved over the observation period. The most significant increase in chemosensitive scores occurred in the first 10 days for taste and between 10 and 20 days for smell. At the end of the observation period (60 days after symptom onset), 7.2 per cent of the patients still had severe dysfunctions. The risk of developing a long-lasting disorder becomes significant at 10 days for taste (odds ratio = 40.2, 95 per cent confidence interval = 2.204–733.2, p = 0.013) and 20 days for smell (odds ratio = 58.5, 95 per cent confidence interval = 3.278–1043.5, p = 0.005). Conclusion: Chemosensitive disturbances persisted in 7.2 per cent of patients 60 days after clinical onset. Specific therapies should be initiated in patients with severe olfactory and gustatory disturbances 20 days after disease onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An objective evaluation of coronavirus disease 2019 in the first days of infection is almost impossible, as affected individuals are generally in home quarantine, and there is limited accessibility for the operator who should perform the test. To overcome this limitation, a recently validated psychophysical self-administered test was used, which can be performed remotely in the assessment of early-stage coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Methods: Olfactory and gustatory functions were objectively assessed in 300 patients in the first 7 days from coronavirus disease 2019 symptom onset. Results: Seventy per cent of the patients presented olfactory and/or gustatory disorders. The dysfunctions detected were mainly complete anosmia (47 per cent) or ageusia (38 per cent). A significant correlation was found between taste dysfunction and female gender (odds ratio = 1.936, p = 0.014) and fever (odds ratio = 2.132, p = 0.003). Conclusion: The psychophysical evaluation protocol proposed is an effective tool for the fast and objective evaluation of patients in the early stages of coronavirus disease 2019. Chemosensitive disorders have been confirmed to be frequent and early symptoms of the coronavirus infection, and, in a significant number of cases, they are the first or only manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One thousand Blacks and 1001 Whites from the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba were studied in relation to migration patterns, ABO and Rh blood groups, and haemoglobin types. Despite a lower socioeconomic level, Blacks migrated more than Whites. Carriers of abnormal haemoglobin types show about the same degree of mobility as those with normal haemoglobin only. As much as half of the genes present among the Blacks of this city may be of European origin, while persons classified as White may have from 3 to 19% of African ancestry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It has been suggested that average genetic similarity, as assessed by blood genetic markers, could influence mate choice in humans. In the present study, average genetic similarity was assessed in 183 couples submitting to paternity determinations in relation to six blood group systems and three HLA loci. Couples in which the putative father was excluded were compared with those in which such exclusion did not occur, and real couples were compared to random pairs. The differences were all statistically non-significant. Possible reasons for the different results found in the previous sample and in the present study are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]