3. Discussion
Chemesthetic sensations, throat, human immunodeficiency virus
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
We found reproducible individual differences among adults in the taste and palatability of a popular OTC ibuprofen-containing pediatric formulation and two of its sweetening excipients, and genetic variation contributed to some of these differences. Swallowing the formulation intensified perceived irritation and bitterness and diminished sweetness and palatability compared to the sip-and-spit condition. Chemesthetic sensations lingered in the throat, confirming prior reports of an aftertaste [While some evidence suggested that ibuprofen is a chemesthetic irritant, particularly in the throat [Trained in psychophysical methods, adult panelists rated an OTC sweetened formulation that contained the API ibuprofen and common sweetening excipients, providing a more complex flavor than do aqueous solutions of ibuprofen that are previously used [The present study is not without limitations. Although we identified a novel association between Other taste psychophysical studies conducted in adults, which allow for more complex taste ratings and longer testing duration, have revealed personal variation in taste, irritation, and the palatability of pediatric medicines, including the first-line treatment for young children infected with human immunodeficiency virus [Needs for Pediatric Research. We caution that the data generated from trained adults are not generalizable to children, and we emphasize that fundamental challenges and the need for more research in children remain, including the need for validated methods to assess the palatability and chemesthetic properties of medicines among young children, who are prone to attention lapses, tend to answer questions in the affirmative, and have limited language capabilities [While much attention has been paid to improving the taste of the medicine, since taste is the key factor in children’s acceptance and medication adherence [