Fair Test Research Articles

Egg supplementation to improve cognitive ability in elementary school children with iodine deficiency

Background: Elementary school children who live in iodine deficient areas have lower cognitive abilities than children from iodine sufficient area. This study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementation of egg with iodine and iron on cognitive ability (IQ score) in elementary school children with iodine deficiency. Methods: This was a randomized double-blind controlled trial involving 109 elementary school children aged 8-13 years in endemic iodine deficient District, Kismantoro, Wonogiri. Subjects were divided into 4 groups which are group A (iodine + iron + eggs); B (iron + eggs); C (iodine + eggs); and D (eggs) and supplementation were given for 16 weeks. Cognitive abilities (IQ score) was measured by CFIT (culture fair intelligence test) measured pre and post intervention. Results: There was a significant difference on cognitive abilities (IQ) within group of intervention after 16 weeks of intervention (p 0.05). Conclusions: There was found that children who received egg alone or in combination with iodine and iron have the highest cognitive abilities compared with supplementation of egg with iron. In addition, children who received egg alone or combination with iron and iodine can increase the IQ score by 4 point. Supplementation with egg alone or in combination with iodine and iron improve the cognitive abilities (IQ score) of primary school children who suffer from iodine deficiency disorders.

Managing Large Multidimensional Array Hydrologic Datasets: A Case Study Comparing NetCDF and SciDB

Management of large hydrologic datasets including storage, structuring, indexing and query is one of the crucial challenges in the era of big data. This research originates from a specific data query problem: time series extraction at specific locations takes a long time when a large multidimensional dataset is stored in non-chunked NetCDF classic or 64-bit offset format. The essence of this issue lies in the contiguous storage structure adopted by NetCDF. In this research, NetCDF file based solutions and a multidimensional (MD) array database management system (DBMS) applying chunked storage structure are benchmarked to determine the best solution for storing and querying large hydrologic datasets. To achieve this, expert consultancy was conducted to establish benchmark sets. To guarantee a fair benchmark test environment, HydroNET-4 system was utilized and adapters for NetCDF files and SciDB were developed to manage and query data. In final benchmark tests, effect of data storage configurations such as chunk size and compression on query performance is also explored. Results indicate that SciDB arrays utilizing small chunk sizes show favorable performance. However with current implementation of SciDB, large numbers of small chunks cause huge overload of main memory which constraints SciDB's scalability. Compression of SciDB can either have negative or no effect on query performance, while it causes significant query degradation to NetCDF-4 solution. The research illustrates that for big hydrologic array data management, the properly chunked NetCDF-4 solution without compression is in general more efficient than the SciDB DBMS. So under current big data environment, traditionally adopted file-based hydroinformatic solutions can still be applicable after proper updating.

The Hong Kong version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (HK-OCS): validation study for Cantonese-speaking chronic stroke survivors

ABSTRACTThis study reports the validation of the Hong Kong version of Oxford Cognitive Screen (HK-OCS). Seventy Cantonese-speaking healthy individuals participated to establish normative data and 46 chronic stroke survivors were assessed using the HK-OCS, Albert’s Test of Visual Neglect, short test of gestural production, and Hong Kong version of the following assessments: Western Aphasia Battery, MMSE, MoCA, Modified Barthel Index, and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. The validity of the HK-OCS was appraised by the difference between the two participant groups. Neurologically unimpaired individuals performed significantly better than stroke survivors on the HK-OCS. Positive and significant correlations found between cognitive subtests in the HK-OCS and related assessments indicated good concurrent validity. Excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities, fair test–retest reliability, and acceptable internal consistency suggested that the HK-OCS had good reliability. Specific HK-OCS subtests including semantics, episodic memory, number writing, and orientation were the best predictors of functional outcomes.

Cognitive function and disability in late life: an ecological validation of the 10/66 battery of cognitive tests among community-dwelling older adults in South India.

BackgroundThe 10/66 Dementia Research Group developed and validated a culture and education fair battery of cognitive tests for diagnosis of dementia in population‐based studies in low‐income and middle‐income countries including India.AimsThis study examined the association between individual domains of the 10/66 battery of cognitive tests and ‘disability’ and ‘functional impairment’ in community‐dwelling older adults in South India.MethodsOne hundred twenty‐nine adults aged 60–90 years residing in Karunapura, in the city of Mysore, were interviewed in their own homes. Cognitive functioning was measured by administering the 10/66 battery of cognitive tests that composes of Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI'D' COGSCORE), verbal fluency (VF) and word list memory recall (WLMR). A reliable informant was interviewed to ascertain if the subject's cognitive problems have resulted in functional impairment. Disability was measured by WHO Disability Schedule‐II (DAS).ResultsThe women had significantly lower CSI'D' COGSCORE score when compared with men (p = 0.002). The presence of ‘functional impairment’ resulting from cognitive decline was significantly associated with lower scores on VF (p = 0.03), WLMR (p = 0.03) and CSI'D' COGSCOREs (p < 0.01). There was a significant inverse association between WHO DAS II score and WLMR (p = 0.004), VF (0.006) and CSI'D' COGSCORE scores (p ≤ 0.001) even after adjusting for self‐reported ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive airway disease, hypertension and diabetes.ConclusionsLower scores on individual domains of the 10/66 battery of cognitive tests are associated with higher levels of disability and functional impairment in community‐dwelling older adults. These culture and education fair tests are suitable for use in population‐based research in India. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SFAS 142, Conditional Conservatism, and Acquisition Profitability and Risk

We reexamine the relationship between accounting conservatism and the profitability and risk of acquisitions, by comparing acquisition-related profitability and risk before and after SFAS 142 (2001). SFAS 142 eliminated the periodic amortization of goodwill, replacing it with an annual fair value test for impairment with write-offs if necessary, and required that a firm’s goodwill be allocated to its reporting units. Subsequently, the frequency of goodwill impairments increased, suggesting that SFAS 142 resulted in an increase in conditional conservatism, as firms were now forced to recognize losses that would have been deferred as periodic expenses under the previous gradual amortization regime. Using both market- and accounting-based measures, we find a decrease in both acquisition profitability and risk in the post-SFAS 142 period, relative to acquisitions pre-SFAS 142. By contrast, Canadian firms, which were not affected by SFAS 142, did not experience such changes. Thus, our results suggest that conditional conservatism is associated with decreased risk taking but is not associated with increased acquisition profitability. More generally, our results call into question the benefits of conditional conservatism that have been documented in the literature.

Overreach in High-Stakes Testing: The case of Chilees National University Admission Test (PSU) (Presentation Slides)

There is a need for a governance scheme that guarantees independent evaluations of university admission requirements in order to protect applicants’ rights to be tested by good and fair tests.

Abstract 15367: Does the Intra-resuscitation Pupillary Light Reflex Predict Return of Spontaneous Circulation or Neurologic Outcome?

Objective: We previously demonstrated feasibility of prehospital pupillometry to quantify/qualify the pupillary light reflex (PLR) during resuscitation as a potential neurophysiological marker to guide efforts &amp; provide early neuroprognostication. We now report on the full cohort. Hypothesis: PLR during resuscitation is associated with ROSC &amp; neurologic outcome (following commands [FC]; mRS 0-3 &amp; CPC 1-2) at hospital discharge. Methods: Prospective, observational cohort in which we deployed hand-held pupillometers (NeurOptics, Inc) to EMS-treated OHCA subjects for serial recordings during pulse checks until ROSC, termination, or hospital arrival. We categorized PLR as normal/abnormal/absent with the Neurologic Pupillary Index (NPi), a continuous scale (0-5) combining facets of PLR (e.g. % change, velocity, latency). We abstracted patient data from prehospital &amp; hospital records, tabulated data, estimated test performance, and performed ROC analysis for best NPi &amp; outcomes. Results: From 2/14 - 4/15, 186 subjects were enrolled (61 ± 20 years, 58% male, 41% witnessed, 43% bystander CPR, 25% shockable rhythm). Most (92%) received epi (median 5mg), 12% atropine (median 1mg), 37% defibrillated (median 3.5 attempts). At submission, 173 (96%) had complete follow-up data (44% transported to hospital, 31% ROSC). Of 39 (22%) subjects admitted to hospital (76% hypothermia, 26% cardiac catheterization), 7 survived to discharge with 6 FC &amp; 5 mRS 0-3. Of 1,552 readings attempted (median 7/subject), 39% had usable data &amp; 74% subjects had ≥1 usable reading, Only 15% subjects had PLR during resuscitation. Best NPi &gt; 4.0 classified 92% of FC (LR+ 17; overall AUC 0.69), whereas best NPi &gt; 4.5 classified 98% favorable mRS &amp; CPC (LR+ 67; overall AUC 0.70). Conclusion: A minority of subjects had detectable PLR. Normal PLR was rare, but had high overall classification accuracy for FC, &amp; strong likelihood ratios for ROSC &amp; neurologic outcome. Best NPi had fair test performance by AUC.

Targets of Biggest Global Carbon Emitters Flunk Fairness Test

Pledges so far by the United States, European Union, and China would require all other countries to emit 7 to 14 times less per capita than those three regions by 2030 to limit warming to 2°C.

Key concepts that people need to understand to assess claims about treatment effects.

People are confronted with claims about the effects of treatments and health policies daily. Our objective was to develop a list of concepts that may be important for people to understand when assessing claims about treatment effects. An initial list of concepts was generated by the project team by identifying key concepts in literature and tools written for the general public, journalists, and health professionals, and consideration of concepts related to assessing the certainty of evidence for treatment effects. We invited key researchers, journalists, teachers and others with expertise in health literacy and teaching or communicating evidence-based health care to patients to act as the project's advisory group. Twenty-nine members of the advisory group provided feedback on the list of concepts and judged the list to be sufficiently complete and organised appropriately. The list includes 32 concepts divided into six groups: (i) Recognising the need for systematic reviews of fair tests, (ii) Judging whether a comparison of treatments is fair comparison, (iii) Understanding the role of chance, (iv) Considering all the relevant fair comparisons, (v) Understanding the results of fair comparisons of treatments, (vi) Judging whether fair comparisons of treatments are relevant. The concept list provides a starting point for developing and evaluating resources to improve people's ability to assess treatment effects. The concepts are considered to be universally relevant, and include considerations that can help people assess claims about the effects of treatments, including claims that are found in mass media reports, in advertisements and in personal communication.

Correlation of renal histopathology with renal echogenicity in dogs and cats: an ex-vivo quantitative study.

BackgroundIncreased cortical or cortical and medullary echogenicity is one of the most common signs of chronic or acute kidney disease in dogs and cats. Subjective evaluation of the echogenicity is reported to be unreliable. Patient and technical-related factors affect in-vivo quantitative evaluation of the echogenicity of parenchymal organs. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between histopathology and ex-vivo renal cortical echogenicity in dogs and cats devoid of any patient and technical-related biases.ResultsKidney samples were collected from 68 dog and 32 cat cadavers donated by the owners to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Padua and standardized ultrasonographic images of each sample were collected. The echogenicity of the renal cortex was quantitatively assessed by means of mean gray value (MGV), and then histopathological analysis was performed. Statistical analysis to evaluate the influence of histological lesions on MGV was performed. The differentiation efficiency of MGV to detect pathological changes in the kidneys was calculated for dogs and cats. Statistical analysis revealed that only glomerulosclerosis was an independent determinant of echogenicity in dogs whereas interstitial nephritis, interstitial necrosis and fibrosis were independent determinants of echogenicity in cats. The global influence of histological lesions on renal echogenicity was higher in cats (23%) than in dogs (12%).ConclusionsDifferent histopathological lesions influence the echogenicity of the kidneys in dogs and cats. Moreover, MGV is a poor test for distinguishing between normal and pathological kidneys in the dog with a sensitivity of 58.3% and specificity of 59.8%. Instead, it seems to perform globally better in the cat, resulting in a fair test, with a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 56%.

No Market for ‘Lemons’: On the Reasons for a Judicial Unfairness Test for B2B Contracts

Abstract: Judicial intervention into B2B contracts should be construed as part of state infrastructure to improve business efficiency and thereby that of the market itself. The main purpose of unfair contract terms regulation should be to discharge a business from reading, analysing, or even negotiating the bulk of contract terms presented to them by other businesses. This enables businesses to prepare standard terms in advance, particularly those underlying high-volume transactions. Their customers can rest assured that such contracts would need to pass a judicial fairness test before being enforced and can therefore accept the bulk of all terms presented to them in blissful ignorance of the terms' content. However, those terms which an efficient market economy would expect businesses to read carefully and, if necessary, negotiate need not be subjected to this judicial unfairness test. Such terms exempted from the fairness test are, if transparent, those that determine the price and the main subject matter of the contract, those that any aggrieved business had actually itself supplied, and moreover, all terms in a contract of such a high value for which reasonable parties would seek legal advice and painstakingly negotiate every word. There is also no need for a judicial fairness test for those terms that have, in fact, been negotiated in detail by the parties, since the main function of the test is to compensate for the lack of negotiations. In order to free the parties in the most efficient way possible from negotiating, or even reading, all other terms, the following judicially applied unfairness test should apply. The further removed a particular non-negotiated term is from what reasonable and honest parties would have agreed in individual negotiations, the more likely it is that the individual term is unfair.

Good games and penalty shoot-outs

This paper considers the concept of a good game in terms of its relation to the fair testing of relevant skills and their aesthetic values. As such, it will consider what makes football ‘the beautiful game’ and what part penalty shoot-outs play, or should play, within it. It begins by outlining and refuting Kretchmar’s proposal that games which end following the elapsing of a set amount of time (t-games), such as football, are structurally, morally and aesthetically inferior to games which end following the attainment of a designated goal (e-games). Instead, it is suggested that the structural deficits of t-games are compensated by the fact that they allow for a fuller test of more valuable open skills than the closed skills that tend to define e-games, such as golf. Moreover, it is the rationing of time in t-games that provides an added aesthetic value that does not occur in e-games. Finally, it is concluded that although it may appear that the existence of the penalty shoot-out supports Kretchmar’s argument by changing football to an e-game, penalty shoot-outs have limited aesthetic value because they are not a full test of the skills inherent to the game itself, and therefore should be replaced by alternative means in determining the outcome.

Piriformis Syndrome: Comparison of the Effectiveness of Local Anesthetic and Corticosteroid Injections: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Study

Background: Piriformis syndrome (PS), which is characterized by pain radiating to the gluteal region and posterior leg, is accepted as one of the causes of sciatalgia. Although the importance of local piriformis muscle injections whenever PS is clinically suspected has been shown in many studies, there are not enough studies considering the clinical efficacy of these injections. Objective: To investigate the differences between local anesthetic (LA) and LA + corticosteroid (CS) injections in the treatment of PS. Study Design: A prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Setting: Physical medicine and rehabilitation department of a university hospital. Methods: Fifty-seven patients having unilateral hip and/or leg pain with positive FAIR test and tenderness and/or trigger point at the piriformis muscle were evaluated. Out of 50 patients randomly assigned to 2 groups, 47 patients whose pain resolved at least 50% from the baseline after the injection were diagnosed as having PS. The first group (n = 22) received 5 mL of lidocaine 2% while the second group (n = 25) received 4 mL of lidocaine 2% + 1 mL of betametazone under the guidance of ultrasound. Outcome Assessment: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Likert Analogue Scale (LAS). Results: No statistically significant difference (P &gt; 0.05) was detected between the groups in NRS score values at resting (P = 0.814), night (P = 0.830), and in motion (P = 0.145), and LAS values with long duration of sitting (P = 0.547), standing (P = 0.898), and lying (P = 0.326) with evaluations at baseline, first week, and first and third months after the injection. A statistically highly significant (P &lt; 0.005) reduction of pain was evaluated through NRS scores at resting (P = 0.001), in motion (P = 0.001), and at night (P = 0.001) and LAS values with long duration of sitting (P = 0.001), standing (P = 0.001), and lying (P = 0.001) in both of the groups. Limitations: Presumed limitations of this study include having a relatively small sample. Conclusion: LA injections for the PS were found to be clinically effective. However, addition of CS to LA did not give an additional benefit. This gives us the idea that PS is mostly muscular in origin and responds well to both LA and LA+CS injections. Key words: Piriformis muscle syndrome, injection, ultrasound, pain, local anesthetics, steroids, rehabilitation

The SEC and the Courts’ Cooperative Policing of Related Party Transactions

A transaction between a corporation and its director or officer (a “related party transaction”) presents conflicts of interest that could harm, or alternatively, could also benefit the corporation. To sort beneficial related party transactions from detrimental ones, the current legal regime relies on both ex ante screening and ex post litigation. Disclosure plays an essential role in both stages. Based on a set of hand-collected data on actual disclosures from Fortune top fifty companies, this Article casts doubt on the effectiveness of the current regulation of related party transactions. The ambiguity of the federal securities regulations leaves too much room for manipulation. An approving committee of each company exercises considerable discretion not only over which proposed transactions to approve, but also over which transactions to disclose to its shareholders and what information to include in the disclosures. In the context of state corporate law, uncertainty exists in fiduciary duty of loyalty litigation regarding when and whether a court should bypass the fairness test and apply the business judgment rule to a related party transaction that satisfies certain safe harbor conditions, such as approval by disinterested directors. This Article proposes a fix by linking the strategic disclosure problem to the question of the applicable standard of review in fiduciary duty of loyalty litigation. To that end, the court should consider a disclosure under federal securities law as a strong signal of fairness of the disclosed transaction and be more willing to apply the business judgment rule rather than the fairness test in state duty of loyalty litigation. Potential benefits of the proposal include creating better incentives to disclose related party transactions, giving litigants more predictable rules, and allowing for richer accumulation of disclosure data over time, thus providing better guidance to companies and market participants in distinguishing between beneficial and harmful related party transactions.

Dementia Assessment by Rapid Test (DART): An Indian Screening T ool for Dementia

Background: There is a need to develop a quick original screening test for dementia due to paucity of short, education and culture fair tests. Hence, following DSM-V criteria, a quick screening test was developed which can be used for both the clinical and prognostic purposes. Objective: Develop a quick and valid Indian screening test for geriatric population for early and timely identification of cognitive decline. Method: Total sample consisted of 150 (88=patients and 62=control) right-handed, consenting subjects between 55-84 yrs of age with minimum elementary education were recruited in the study. Results: DART scores discriminated between dementia cases and controls clearly. It was also validated against gold standard of MMSE, with sensitivity of 95.5% and specificity of 60.0%; true positive predictive value of 70.2% and true negative predictive value of 93.0%. Conclusion: DART is a quick and valid screening test for dementia for Indian population.

The Relationship between Item Context Characteristics and Student Performance: The Case of the 2006 and 2009 PISA Science Items

Background A long-standing premise in test design is that contextualizing test items makes them concrete, less demanding, and more conducive to determining whether students can apply or transfer their knowledge. Purpose We assert that despite decades of study and experience, much remains to be learned about how to construct effective and fair test items with contexts. Too little is known about how item contexts can be appropriately constructed and used, and even less about the relationship between context characteristics and student performance. The exploratory study presented in this paper seeks to contribute to knowledge about test design and construction by focusing on this gap. Research Design We address two key questions: (a) What are the characteristics of contexts used in the PISA science items? and (b) What are the relationships between different context characteristics and student performance? We propose a profiling approach to capture information about six context dimensions: type of context, context role, complexity, resources, level of abstraction, and connectivity. To test the approach empirically we sampled a total of 52 science items from PISA 2006 and 2009. We describe the context characteristics of the items at two levels (named layers): general (testlet context) and specific (item context). Conclusion We provide empirical evidence about the relationships of these characteristics with student performance as measured by the international percentage of correct responses. We found that the dimension of context resources (e.g., pictures, drawings, photographs) for general contexts and level of abstractness for specific contexts are associated with student performance.

The Relationship between Item Context Characteristics and Student Performance: The Case of the 2006 and 2009 PISA Science Items

Background A long-standing premise in test design is that contextualizing test items makes them concrete, less demanding, and more conducive to determining whether students can apply or transfer their knowledge. Purpose We assert that despite decades of study and experience, much remains to be learned about how to construct effective and fair test items with contexts. Too little is known about how item contexts can be appropriately constructed and used, and even less about the relationship between context characteristics and student performance. The exploratory study presented in this paper seeks to contribute to knowledge about test design and construction by focusing on this gap. Research Design We address two key questions: (a) What are the characteristics of contexts used in the PISA science items? and (b) What are the relationships between different context characteristics and student performance? We propose a profiling approach to capture information about six context dimensions: type of context, context role, complexity, resources, level of abstraction, and connectivity. To test the approach empirically we sampled a total of 52 science items from PISA 2006 and 2009. We describe the context characteristics of the items at two levels (named layers): general (testlet context) and specific (item context). Conclusion We provide empirical evidence about the relationships of these characteristics with student performance as measured by the international percentage of correct responses. We found that the dimension of context resources (e.g., pictures, drawings, photographs) for general contexts and level of abstractness for specific contexts are associated with student performance.

Test–Retest Reliability of the Susceptibility to Driver Distraction Questionnaire

The Susceptibility to Driver Distraction Questionnaire (SDDQ) investigates voluntary and involuntary factors associated with driver distraction. The questionnaire consists of 39 items in six subscales: (a) self-reported distraction engagement, (b) attitudes toward distractions, (c) perceived control of driving while engaged in distractions, (d) injunctive social norms associated with distraction engagement, (e) descriptive social norms associated with distraction engagement, and (f) susceptibility to involuntary distractions. A sample of 43 adults, ages 25 to 39 years, was used to assess the test–retest reliability of the SDDQ. The mean time between test and retest conditions was approximately 20 days. For sub-scale averages, intraclass correlation (ICC) statistics were used to assess test–retest reliability; weighted kappa statistics were used to assess individual items. The ICC results suggest good to excellent test–retest reliability for subscales of self-reported distraction engagement, attitudes toward distractions, and descriptive social norms. Perceived control of driving while engaged in distractions had fair test–retest reliability, and the injunctive norms and susceptibility to involuntary distraction subscales had poor test–retest reliabilities. The latter two subscales may have to be redesigned; this paper provides relevant suggestions for revision in the discussion of the results. As an additional preliminary analysis, data from a sample of 10 additional participants were used to investigate the consistency of responses across longer periods of time. The mean time between test–retest conditions in this sample was approximately 8 months. In general, the findings were similar to those in the main sample. Overall, the SDDQ appears to have good test–retest reliability. A larger sample is recommended for further validation of these results, in particular across long test–retest periods.

Iceland: Indexation of Credit and the Fairness Test in European Consumer Law

This study reviews the problem of indexation of consumer/mortgage credit in Iceland on the basis of the European consumer contract law acquis (Directives 93/13/EEC on abusive clauses and 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices) and case law from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). All EU consumer laws are incorporated into the Icelandic legal system via the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. A provisional assessment is made of a practice semi-allowed by the new Icelandic Act No. 33/2013 on consumer credit (incorporating Directive 2008/48/EC). The study argues that indexation of credit to inflation (ex-post)—as it has been practised in Iceland—fails to pass the European fairness test. The second claim is that national legislation may not rank above EU/EEA law on consumer/credit law. Indexation of financial obligations based on Act No. 38/2001 on interest—and applied both by private/public financial institutions—cannot escape the requirements of legality and fairness under EU/EEA law in so far as the domestic rules pursue objectives related to consumer protection already harmonized at EU/EEA level and fail to do a fair balancing of the justified interests of all contracting parties. The opposite solution would deprive European law of its effectiveness and consumers of their substantive rights.

Moderate-to-large increases in perioperative serum sodium concentration associated with adverse neurologic events after continuous flow left ventricular assist device implantation.

It was hypothesized that preoperative hyponatremia is associated with increased 30-day mortality after left ventricular assist device placement, and that large increases in sodium concentration are associated with adverse neurologic events and 30-day mortality. Data were collected retrospectively on all patients having continuous flow left ventricular assist device implantation between January 1, 2009 and March 31, 2013. Preoperative variables, operative variables, and perioperative sodium concentrations were recorded. Both 30-day mortality and 72-hour adverse neurologic events (stroke or seizure) were recorded as primary outcome variables. Preoperative sodium and Δ sodium (postoperative sodium-preoperative sodium) were analyzed as tests for 30-day mortality and adverse neurologic events using receiver operating characteristic curves. Both crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios for the outcome variables. Tertiary care academic medical center. Patients having durable continuous flow left ventricular assist device placement. None. Among 88 patients, 30-day mortality was 14% (12 of 88) and the rate of perioperative stroke or seizure was 9% (8 of 88). There were 3 strokes and 5 tonic-clonic seizures. Preoperative sodium was a poor discriminative test for 30-day mortality and stroke or seizure (AUC=0.47 and 0.57, respectively). Δ sodium was a poor discriminative test for 30-day mortality, but a fair discriminative test for stroke or seizure (AUC=0.55 and 0.78, respectively). Δ sodium was a good discriminative test for seizure alone (AUC=0.82) and a fair discriminative test for stroke alone (AUC=0.70). It also increased the odds of stroke or seizure significantly, even when adjusting for possible confounders. Moderate-to-large increases in sodium concentration during left ventricular assist device placement appear to be associated with adverse postoperative neurologic events. Preoperative hyponatremia has no relationship with 30-day mortality or adverse perioperative neurologic events.