Sour Solutions Research Articles

The prevalence of constipation and its relation to sweet taste preference among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment

BackgroundPreference for sweet-tasting foods, weight gain, and constipation characterize patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). The prevalence of constipation in MMT and its relation to preference for sweet taste and body mass index (BMI) are undetermined. MethodsA random sample of 83 patients was interviewed for constipation with the Patient Assessment Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) questionnaire. They rated taste intensity and reward of sweet, salty, and sour solutions by means of a nine-point Likert scale. Data on their BMI, drugs in urine, methadone dose, and serum levels were analyzed. ResultsForty-two patients reported minimum to severe constipation. They characterized as having longer durations of opioid usage before MMT and worse sleep quality than non-constipated patients (logistic regression). Constipation intensity was inversely correlated with duration in MMT and linearly correlated with the Patient Assessment Constipation Quality of Life score. Patients with constipation rated reward to sweet taste significantly higher with no differences in taste intensity compared to non-constipated patients. Patients with high methadone serum levels (≥750 ng/mL) rated taste intensity significantly lower compared to those with normal methadone serum levels (<750 ng/mL), and the lowest rates were reported among patients with no constipation and high methadone serum levels. ConclusionsConstipation was highly prevalent among MMT patients and associated with poor sleep and lower quality of life. The relation to preference for sweets, as reflected by higher reward rating, strongly supports the need for nutritional intervention to alleviate constipation symptoms and improve quality of life and sleep.

The presence of chemosensory cues transmitted through the mother's milk increases the search and ingestion responses toward bitter and sour solutions

Olfaction is of major importance during early stages of life in altricial species. This sense allows newborns to develop different behaviors that will allow them to survive. Odors tend to be associated to contextual stimuli (such as warmth); this, in turn, enables the pups to recognize when to withdraw or approach. At the same time, olfaction modulates the acceptance of aversive flavors. The increase of approach responses toward a bitter substance during early life is enhanced by stimulation with familiar, pre-exposed odors. Newborn rats exhibit heightened grasp responses toward an artificial nipple dispensing quinine, and drink more of this bitter solution, in the presence of a pre-exposed odor (lemon or the mother's odor). The present research assessed the replicability of previous results by pre-exposing the subjects to the scent through maternal milk and using solutions with different aversive tastes. Half of the subjects (3 day-old Wistar rats) were pre-exposed to lemon odor through the maternal milk (the mother had previously ingested the lemon essence via an intragastric injection); 4 h later, all the rats were evaluated in the presence of the lemon odor with an artificial nipple containing quinine, citric acid, saline solution, or water. The results showed enhanced seeking and intake of the bitter (quinine) and sour solution (citric acid). However, this did not occur when the nipple contained water or saline solution. The evidence suggests that: During the early stages of development, familiar odors regulate the acceptance of non-palatable, otherwise rejected, flavors; and that the route of transmission of the pre-exposed odor can be through air, or through food (amniotic fluid in previous studies and, in this case, breast milk), that is, via the retronasal and orthonasal routes.

Taste is improved with reduction in reported pain in burning mouth syndrome

Objective Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is commonly associated with complaints of dysgeusia or phantogeusia and a burning pain sensation that typically increases in intensity over the day. Previous studies have documented taste changes in BMS. This study was designed to compare taste perception before and after successful treatment in BMS. Study Design A retrospective study was conducted at a private oral medicine clinic. Thirty-two patients diagnosed with primary BMS, who had spatial taste testing with 4 supersaturated salt (1 M sodium chloride [NaCl]), sweet (1 M sucrose), sour (0.032 M citric acid), and bitter (0.001 M quinine hydrochloride) solutions and 50% ethanol, with self-rated pain intensity on a generalized labeled magnitude scale (gLMS) at the initial and final visits, were included in the study. Analysis was performed with Wilcoxon's signed-rank test, Spearman's correlation, and Mann-Whitney U test, with a significance of P = .05. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the William Osler Health System. Results Twenty-seven female and 5 male patients with primary BMS, mean age 57.1 ± 1.5 years, were included in the study. Treatment duration ranged from 1 month to 22 months. Self-rated maximum (60.7 ± 20.58; 25.3 ± 19.1; P Conclusions In this study, it was found that in BMS, taste improved with reduction in pain. This supports the theory that impairment in taste may be involved in the etiology of BMS, which appears to improve after pain decreases.

Changes in taste and food preferences in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a pilot study.

Cancer treatment may relate to appetite reduction and malnutrition. We investigated taste alterations and dish-type preferences during chemo- and/or radiation therapy in breast cancer patients. Breast cancer patients (BC, n = 59) scheduled to receive cancer therapy and healthy subjects (control group or CTRL, n = 49) were voluntarily recruited. Taste detection thresholds (DTs) and recognition thresholds (RT) were compared between pre-treatment BC patients and CTRL for sweet (sucrose), salty (NaCl), bitter (caffeine), and sour (citric acid) solutions. Changes in taste thresholds and dish preferences during treatment were monitored in the BC group. Blood chemistry and anthropometric data were collected. At baseline, BC patients demonstrated lower sweet and salty DTs and RTs and a higher sour RT compared to CTRL. Bitter DT and RT were similar in both groups. Mild/soft dishes were preferred over fried/oily dishes by BC patients. Throughout treatment in BC patients, sweet thresholds significantly declined, while salty, bitter, and sour DTs and RTs were not affected, and there was no increase in preference for a dish. However, preference towards mild/soft dishes remained. While sweet-sour fruits and sweetened nuts were not favored during therapy. Sensitivities to sweet, salty, and sour but not bitter tastes differed between BC patients and CTRL. During treatment, sweet taste sensitivity increased while other tastes were unaffected. BC patients preferred mild/soft dishes over fried and sweetened dishes compared to CTRL. Our findings may contribute to developing dishes for breast cancer patients to increase food intake and thereby lower the risk of malnutrition.

Taste sensitivity of adults and elderly persons

Abstract Objective: To compare the taste sensitivity of adults and elderly people, considering nutritional status, smoking and alcohol consumption. Method: Forty-six volunteers participated in the research, thirteen of whom were adult employees of a company from the food industry and thirty-three of whom were elderly residents of three Long-Term Care Facilities for the Elderly from the Vale do Taquari (Taquari Valley). They responded to a structured questionnaire about their socioeconomic data and use of medication, smoking and alcohol consumption, and underwent a nutritional evaluation and a taste sensitivity test. The taste sensitivity test was applied at three different concentrations for every flavor, with 4 drops dripped on the tongue of the volunteer, who described the level of perceived palatability, giving a score of 0-5. Data was analyzed through statistical analysis using the Statistical Package SPSS 20.0, considering a value of significance of p&lt;0.05. Result: a reduction in the taste sensitivity of the elderly persons was noted for the sweet and sour solutions, in comparison with adults, as the majority of the elderly people demonstrated lower sensitivity scale scores for the citric acid solution in concentration 1 (p=0.004) and concentration 2 (p=0.049) and sucrose in concentration 3 (p=0.026). Conclusion: Elderly people had a lower perception of the sweet and sour flavors than adults. Moreover, nutritional status, gender, alcohol consumption, smoking and medication use were not significantly associated with the taste perception of the individuals evaluated.

Corrosion of Carbon Steel Wire Roads Containing Various Sulfur Content in Sour Solutions

High strength carbon steel wire roads have been widely used in armor cables for offshore oil drilling plants. However, the materials can undergo some corrosions and hydrogen related damages such as hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) and sulfide stress cracking (SSC). In particular, it has been reported that HIC is highly influenced by content of MnS containing inside the steels. However, effects of sulfur content on the corrosion of carbon steel wire rod have scarcely been reported systematically. In this study, the effects of sulfur and propagation of corrosion in carbon steel wire rod were investigated in sour solutions with various pH. The carbon steel wire rods containing various sulfur content were used. All electrochemical tests were conducted using three-electrode system with a saturated calomel electrode (SCE) as the reference electrode and a Pt wire as the counter electrode. In addition, acetic acid based solution containing 95% CO2 and 5% H2S were used to adjust pH in the range of 2.5-6.5 at the room temperature for corrosion tests. Before testing, the carbon steel wire words were polished by abrasive papers and then washed with ethanol, and deionized water. The overall corrosion behaviors and corrosion rate of the samples were analyzed using potentiodynamic tests. In addition, the HIC characteristic of the steels was investigated by immersing the samples in the solution followed by observing the crack propagation inside the samples. Surface morphologies of the samples after tests were also observed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The corrosion current densities (icorr ) of carbon steel increased with the increasing in sulfur contents in the steels. Further, from the polarization curves, it is observed that cathodic current density increased with sulfur content in steels. It is noticeable that the anodic current density rarely changes. This result indicates that the cathodic hydrogen evolution process on the surface of the steels was promoted by S content inside the steels. In addition, the samples without applied stress showed the internal macro-cracks in cross sections in pH 2.5~5.1, while only small micro-cracks were found in solution pH 5.1~6.5. The length of crack increased with increasing sulfur content except in the solution with pH 5.1~6.5. In particular, the micro-cracks by HIC appeared to initiate around inclusions. Some tracing of the cracks will be shown in this presentation.

Hydrogen failure sensitivity of A516-Gr70 and API 5L-X70 steels in sour environments

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify the corrosion behavior of two famous structural steels in sour environment. These steels have a vast application in oil and gas industries. The study aims to find the effect of different concentrations of sour solution on the origin of crack in these steels. Design/methodology/approach – After preparation of specimens, different sour solutions were made using the synthetic brine (according to National Association of Corrosion Engineers [NACE], Technical Committee Report 1D182) and various amounts of Na2S.9H2O and CH3COOH. The polarization test was done by Potansiostat apparatus model Zahner-IM6 at two temperatures, 25°C and 50°C. The corrosion current densities were obtained from the polarization curves. Finally, the corrosion products and hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) were investigated by Tescan Vega II XMU scanning electron microscope (SEM) linked to a Rontec energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system. Findings – API 5L-X70 steel showed smaller corrosion current values than A516-Gr70 steel. The HIC cracks propagated parallel to the surface of A516-Gr70 steel in three solutions and confirmed the inappropriateness of this steel for sour environment applications. Originality/value – This paper studies the effect of sour environment on the behavior of two famous industrial steels at two temperatures by new method.

Electrochemical Noise Study on Corrosion of Low Carbon Pipeline Steel in Sour Solutions

Electrochemical Noise (EN) measurements for low carbon pipeline steel (X52) samples were carried out in 3.5% NaCl aqueous and NACE solutions. Both testing solutions were saturated with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) at 20 and 60 oC, under static conditions. EN data was analysed in the time domain. Parameter such as Electrochemical Noise Resistance (Rn) and Localization Index (LI) were determined from the analysis in the time domain. Also, Rn results are compared with traditional Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) data. A superficial analysis was carried out by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-Ray analyses (EDX). A good correlation was observed among the used techniques and relevant electrochemical data related to the corrosion phenomena was obtained. According to Rn, the corrosion rate (CR) values of the steel sample immersed in 3.5% NaCl are higher than the CR of the steel samples immersed in NACE solution. The morphology of the corrosion process obtained by SEM was a localized type and this behaviour was corroborated by the results obtained by LI where these LI values are 1 or close to 1.

PTU-132 Carbonated Solutions are Superior to Sour Solutions in Modifying Human Swallowing Reaction time Performance

Introduction Background/AimsClinical evidence supports a role for carbonated liquids in reducing aspiration in dysphagic patients compared to simple water (Bulow et al Acta Radiologica, 2003). However, there are limited data...

Eye Blink Responses to the Four Basic Taste Stimuli in Healthy Young Humans

Taste stimuli can elicit facial responses, and the facial responses may be useful indexes of taste sensations. In this study, we propose that eye blinking is also elicited by taste stimuli and we examined eye blink responses in six healthy young adults. Low and high concentration solutions of the four basic taste qualities (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness) and distilled water were delivered via a silicone tube. Facial responses were recorded by a video camera and eye blink responses were identified. The number of eye blinks in the 5 s following stimulation, and the latency and duration of the first eye blink, were quantified. High concentrations of sour and bitter solutions increased the number of eye blinks (195% and 227%, respectively; P P P

Evaluation of the Susceptibility of a Superduplex Stainless Steel Welded Joint to Sulfide Stress Corrosion by Slow Strain Rate Tensile Tests in Sour Solutions

Abstract The usage of superduplex stainless steels in offshore petroleum production has increased considerably in the last years. Particularly, the use as flowline pipes for oil production needs careful research on the effect of critical environmental conditions on the stress corrosion resistance of welded joints. In this work, welded joints of UNS S32750 were produced by automatic gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW-orbital) using a J-groove weld geometry. The welded joints were evaluated using slow strain rate tensile tests in acid solutions containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and chloride. H2S partial pressure and pH were varied to determine safe operating conditions. Specimens tested at pH = 3.5 and p(H2S) = 3.75 and 6.75 showed brittle behavior. The specimens tested with lower p(H2S) or higher pH exhibited ductile behavior.

Preferences for fat and basic tastes and in 3-, 6- and 12-month-old infants

Fat perception received recent interest, but fat preference in human infants is a matter of debate. The objective here was to investigate fat and taste preferences in the same infants (N= 66) at 3, 6 and 12 months. Preference for a fat solution (sunflower and rapeseed oils mixed with soy lecithin) and for taste solutions (sweet, lactose; salty, NaCl; bitter, urea; sour, citric acid; umami, sodium glutamate) was evaluated. The same method was applied at each age. Mothers and their infant participated in 2 videotaped sessions, during which the 5 taste and fat solutions were assessed in a balanced order. For each taste, 4 bottles (water, tastant, tastant and water) were presented by the experimenter.Twoglobal indices were calculated to represent acceptance of the tastant relatively to water (W), based on ingested volumes and on facial expressions. At 3 and 6 mo, the fat solution was as consumed as W; but less than W at 12 mo; at all ages it elicited ‘negative’ expressions. For taste solutions, at 3 mo the sweet solution was more and the bitter one wasless consumed thanW;the bitter and the sour solutions elicited ‘negative’ expressions. At 6 and 12 mo, the sweet and salty solutions were more consumed than W and elicited ‘positive’ expressions; the bitter and sour solutions elicited negative expressions. Infants were indifferent to the umami solution. These findings are in accordance with the literature on taste preference but the indifference or rejection of the fat solution raise questions about an ‘innate’ preference for fat. The olfactory component of fat might be involved in this rejection.

Stress corrosion cracking of sensitized austenitic stainless steels in Kuwait petroleum refineries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) for 304, 316, and 321 stainless steels in petroleum‐processing environments.Design/methodology/approachSensitized austenitic stainless steels were subjected to a microstructure investigation and electrochemical test. Stressed sensitized 304, 316, and 321 stainless steels were selected and subjected to various environments that included polythionic acid, sour solution, and chloride solution that were prepared in the laboratory to simulate service environments in the petroleum refinery.FindingsMicrostructure investigation reveals more severe SCC in polythionic acid than in the sour and chloride solutions. Type 321 SS gives better resistance to SCC than do 304 and 316 SS in the three solutions. It is concluded that acidity of solutions has a relatively minor influence in promoting cracking. However, polythionic acid is found to be the primary causative agent.Originality/valueThe results demonstrated that SCC is more severe in polythionic acid than in chloride and sour solutions.

Film properties and stability influence on impedance distribution during the dissolution process of low-carbon steel exposed to modified alkaline sour environment

In this work, we characterized the anodic dissolution and the hydrogen transport within carbon steel (SAE 1018) samples immersed in alkaline sour solutions (CN −, polysulfide-base inhibitor and H 2S(aq)). The evolution of interfacial and transport processes could be quantified by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and hydrogen permeation measurements. EIS experimental data were analyzed and fitted by using Transmission Line Model (TLM); this latter helped to propose the mechanisms through the porous layer of the corrosion products formed. The area influencing the dissolution and the mass transfer process was quantified by the pores number, pores thickness and the interfacial passive electrical elements describing the mechanisms in different regions within the pores of the corrosion product layer. The TLM was used to analyze the active-mass transport processes occurred at different spatial positions of the porous layer, such as the mass transfer at the wall and the active-mass transfer at the base of the cylindrical pore of the non-stoichiometric Fe x S y .

Multichannel taste sensors with lipid, lipid like – polymer membranes

The elaboration of a sensitive taste sensor for discrimination of different soft drinks is very important in food industry. The short review of taste sensors described in the literature is presented. Two types of potentiometric taste sensors, one with lipophilic compound-polymer membranes (ISE) and the other with lipid polymer membrane and a conducting polymer film (All solid state electrode, ASSE) were tested in appropriate taste solutions. Five channel ISE sensor was examined in acid, sour and sweet solutions. This sensor was sensitive to bitter and sour substances and not too sensitive to sucrose concentration. It was successfully used for discrimination of different kind of soft drinks. Four channel ASSE sensor was examined in sour solutions. It was found that stability and sensitivity of ASSE are lower than ISE. Therefore, it seems that the previous one cannot be applied in taste sensor.

Relationships between acceptance of sour taste and fruit intakes in 18-month-old infants

The present study examined whether infants show an acceptance for extreme sour tastes and whether acceptance of sour taste is related to infants' fruit intake. Fruit intake of fifty-three infants at 6, 12 and 18 months was assessed using 3 d food records. Sour acceptance of these infants was studied at 18.1 (SD 1.5) months. Acceptance for four solutions differing in citric acid concentrations (0.00 M, 0.013 M, 0.029 M and 0.065 M) was measured by allowing infants ad libitum ingestion of each solution over brief time periods. The base solution to which citric acid was added was blackcurrant squash diluted in water. Infants' relative intake of each solution was used as a measure of sour acceptance. At 18 months, twelve infants readily accepted the two highest citric acid concentrations, whereas the remaining infants rejected these. Infants who accepted the most sour solutions had a significantly higher fruit intake (P = 0.025) and a higher fruit variety (P = 0.015) at 18 months than the infants who rejected the highly sour taste. Furthermore, infants who accepted the most sour solutions consumed fruits more frequently at 18 months (chi2 5.1; P = 0.024). Infants who accepted the sourest solutions also had a higher fruit intake at 6 months, and a significantly higher increase in their fruit intake from 12 to 18 months. This is the first scientific study that demonstrates the acceptance of sour tastes in some infants at the age of 18 months. Furthermore, the present results suggest a relationship between acceptance of sour tastes and infants' fruit intakes.

Assessment of taste development in 62 newborn infants

To study the differential facial responses to four basic tastes of the newborns and the gender-related different taste sensitivity. Sixty-two newborns (31 females and 31 males) born in the Department of Obstetrics, First Hospital of the Chongqing University of Medical Sciences were tested for responses to four solutions, including 25% sucrose (sweet), 5% sodium chloride (salt), 1.43% citric acid (sour), and 0.025% berberine (bitter) 90 minutes after birth. The inclusion criteria were: (1) medically uncomplicated full-term pregnancy; (2) medically uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery; (3) Apgar score of at least 8 at 1 and 5 min. All the infants were found to be normal and healthy on pediatric examination. The facial responses of the newborns were recorded by video. The facial responses were divided into nine facial action units and expressions from A1 to C3, which are also expressed as the 1 - 9 grades of intensity, crying was included as grade 9 and nausea was defined as grade 10 intensity. The distinctions of the facial responses were analyzed by chi-square test. The distinctions of sex in the facial responses were analyzed by the Wilcoxon test. All the newborns were full term, excluding the medical conditions. The average birth weight of the newborns was 3324.3 g. The data from the study indicated that absence of distinctive mouth action or sucking was the major facial response of the infants to sucrose solution (P < 0.01). There were no special expressions when the newborns were given the salt solution (P > 0.01). The lip pursing with negative brow and middle face actions were major response of the infants to the sour solution (citric acid) (P < 0.01). The expressions in response to the bitter solution of the infants were the mouth gaping with negative brow and middle face actions (P < 0.01). The facial responses to the sweet and bitter solutions in the boys were more sensitive than those in the girls (P < 0.01). There was no sex difference in the intensities of the facial responses to the salt and sour solutions (P > 0.05). The newborns had distinct responses to the four solutions shortly after birth. The facial expression to sweet and bitter solutions in the boys were more sensitive than in the girls.

The impedance characteristics of protective corrosion films on carbon steel in an alkaline sour medium

A physical model describing the impedance response of iron deficient (Fe 1− x S) iron sulfide films in alkaline sour solutions has been developed. It assumes that the faradaic impedance of the anodic reaction was dominated by the transport of cation vacancies, which are created at the film/solution interface and annihilated at the metal/film interface. Simulations showed that the model is sensitive, in the typical frequency range used in EIS measurements, to variations in the values of the diffusion coefficient of cation vacancies and the rate constants of the reaction at the metal/film interface. A typical impedance diagram for Fe x S y films in a 0.1 M (NH 4) 2S, 10 ppm CN − solutions was compared to a calculated diagram using the model equations. Qualitatively, there is a good agreement between the model and experimental data, and the parameters make physical sense.

Granisetron attenuates exercise-induced conditioned taste aversion in the rat

A conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm was used in the present study to investigate whether CTA produced by exercise could be attenuated by the 5-HT 3 receptor antagonist granisetron. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly allocated to one of four groups ( Ns=6) and were exposed to salty (0.128 M sodium chloride) or sour (0.00138 M citric acid) solutions. Subjects were injected with either saline solution (1.0 ml, 0.9%) or granisetron (0.5 mg/kg, IP) and were exposed to 30 min of forced wheel running exercise (70 revolutions/30 min) 10 min after injection. Exercise induced CTA to both the salty (3.7 ml intake) and sour-flaroured (3.1 ml intake) solutions as compared with no exercise (intake 14.0 and 13.7 ml), and administration of granisetron significantly attenuated the exercise-induced CTA to the salty- and sour-flavoured solutions.

Electrochemical evaluation of corrosion resistance of NiCrBSi coatings deposited by HVOF

The NiCrBSi alloy powder was sprayed to a steel substrate using HVOF and the corrosion resistance of the coatings was evaluated using electrochemical tests. The results show that NiCrBSi coating has excellent corrosion resistance in alkali solution, because the surface can keep in a self-passivation condition. The corrosion current density of the coating in sour solutions is bigger than that in 3.5%NaCl, and the corrosion caused by Cl − is more serious than that caused by SO 4 2− and AC −. Porosities and inclusions may play important roles when they are dense and big enough. Inclusions facilitate the presence of corrosion micro cells on the surface of sample thus worsen the corrosion resistance of metal. If the inclusion is big enough, local corrosion will occur. The effects of porosities on the corrosion behavior of coating are a long-lasting process and the effects of porosities on the early corrosion of coating are not serious unless there are penetrating porosities. However, porosities can do harm to the persistent corrosion resistance of coatings. The presence of porosities may weaken the cohesive strength within coating, causing great deals of particles drop off from surface under the function of electrolyte. The lower the density of defects in the coating, the better the corrosion resistance. Improving the coating quality is the key to obtain coatings with high corrosion resistance. In addition, the reproducibility of the i corr obtained from Tafel polarization curves is not good enough when the coating is examined in 1 N NaOH and 3.5% NaCl, while the reproducibility can be improved in 1.0 N H 2SO 4, 1.0 N HCl, or 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution acidified with acetic acid. It seems that the reproducibility of the test results can be improved when a corrosive medium that keeps the tested surface in an active state is used.