Standardized Stimulus Research Articles

Assessment of the antinociceptive effect of a single fentanyl bolus dose in children: A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis based on the nociception level index during sevoflurane general anesthesia.

The Nociception Level Index has shown benefits in estimating the nociception/antinociception balance in adults, but there is limited evidence in the pediatric population. Evaluating the index performance in children might provide valuable insights to guide opioid administration. To evaluate the Nociception Level Index ability to identify a standardized nociceptive stimulus and the analgesic effect of a fentanyl bolus. Additionally, to characterize the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship of fentanyl with the Nociception Level Index response during sevoflurane anesthesia. Nineteen children, 5.3 (4.1-6.7) years, scheduled for lower abdominal or urological surgery, were studied. After sevoflurane anesthesia and caudal block, a tetanic stimulus (50 Hz, 60 mA, 5 s) was performed in the forearm. Following the administration of fentanyl 2 μg/kg intravenous bolus, three similar consecutive tetanic stimuli were performed at 5-, 15-, and 30-min post-fentanyl administration. Changes in the Nociception Level Index, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and bispectral index were compared in response to the tetanic stimuli. Fentanyl plasma concentrations and the Nociception Level Index data were used to elaborate a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model using a sequential modeling approach in NONMEM®. After the first tetanic stimulus, both the Nociception Level Index and the heart rate increased compared to baseline (8 ± 7 vs. 19 ± 10; mean difference (CI95) -12(-18--6) and 100 ± 10 vs. 102 ± 10; -2(-4--0.1)) and decrease following fentanyl administration (19 ± 10 vs. 8 ± 8; 12 (5-18) and 102 ± 10 vs. 91 ± 11; 11 (7-16)). In subsequent tetanic stimuli, heart rate remained unchanged, while the Nociception Level Index progressively increased within 15 min to values similar to those before fentanyl. An allometric weight-scaled, 3-compartment model best characterized the pharmacokinetic profile of fentanyl. The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling analysis revealed hysteresis between fentanyl plasma concentrations and the Nociception Level Index response, characterized by plasma effect-site equilibration half-time of 1.69 (0.4-2.9) min. The estimated fentanyl C50 was 1.93 (0.73-4.2) ng/mL. The Nociception Level Index showed superior capability compared to traditional hemodynamic variables in discriminating different nociception-antinociception levels during varying fentanyl concentrations in children under sevoflurane anesthesia.

Unveiling Visual Physiology and Steady-State Evoked Potentials using Low-Cost and Transferable Electroencephalography for Evaluating Neuronal Activation

Purpose: The ability to see and process images depends on the function of the eyes and the processing of visual information by neurons in the cerebral cortex, something that could be measured through electroencephalography (EEG). Although the EEG is used to evaluate visual pathways in children and demyelination diseases, the limited utilization of brain recording techniques in other applications like therapy is primarily due to budget constraints. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate results from studying brain aspects of vision, utilizing measurements based on oscillatory activity analysis, low-cost, portable equipment, and a processing pipeline relying on Python’s open-source libraries. These studies involve healthy subjects who wear glasses to assess changes in visual perception. Methods: First, electroencephalographic signals were recorded while the subjects observed a visually standardized stimulus. The signals were processed and filtered to reduce artifacts, and the power spectral density (PSD) was calculated to observe the presence of steady-state visual potentials (VEP) to confirm the capture of neuronal activation to the visual stimulus. Results: It was possible to establish a difference between subjects wearing and not wearing their glasses, allowing validation that the information acquired with the transferable equipment is adequate for the analysis of neuronal activity related to visual processing, opening the possibility to be used in future studies in therapy. Conclusion: This study contributes to the development of cost-effective and portable EEG solutions for visual system analysis. It demonstrates the potential for applying transferable EEG devices in clinical settings and highlights the importance of tailored visual stimuli for reliable neural activation.

Desensitizing efficacy of a universal dentin adhesive containing mesoporous bioactive glass on dentin hypersensitivity: a randomized clinical trial with a split-mouth model

This split-mouth blinded randomized controlled study compared the efficacy of a desensitizing agent with oxalate/resin polymer and a universal adhesive containing mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) for dentin hypersensitivity (DH) relief, using Schiff sensitivity score (SSS) and visual analog scale (VAS). Split quadrants containing teeth with DH were treated with either MS Coat ONE or Hi-Bond Universal with MBG as the functional additive. Assessments at baseline, immediately post-application, and at 1- and 2-week follow-ups used standardized stimulus protocols (air, cold, and acid). The SSS difference was the primary outcome, while the VAS difference was the secondary outcome. A mixed linear effect model performed statistical analysis. Immediate DH reduction occurred in response to air stimuli, with a significant decrease in Group HB than in Group MS (p = 0.0178). Cold stimulus reduction exhibited a gradual cumulative effect, with consistently greater reductions in Group HB than in Group MS (p ≤ 0.0377). Both groups effectively managed acidic stimuli, with no significant differences (p > 0.05). The VAS scores decreased gradually over the follow-up period (p < 0.0001). This study highlights the differential efficacy of treatments for various DH triggers and recommends specific approaches based on different stimulus types. The universal adhesive containing MBG demonstrated DH relief potential, promising efficacy identical to or superior to that of a dedicated desensitizing agent. Further research exploring the long-term efficacy and underlying mechanisms is warranted. The universal adhesive containing MBG can be adopted as an in-office desensitizing agent for DH relief. The desensitizing efficacy of universal adhesive matches or surpasses dedicated agents for air and cold stimuli.

Can deepfakes be used to study emotion perception? A comparison of dynamic face stimuli

Video recordings accurately capture facial expression movements; however, they are difficult for face perception researchers to standardise and manipulate. For this reason, dynamic morphs of photographs are often used, despite their lack of naturalistic facial motion. This study aimed to investigate how humans perceive emotions from faces using real videos and two different approaches to artificially generating dynamic expressions – dynamic morphs, and AI-synthesised deepfakes. Our participants perceived dynamic morphed expressions as less intense when compared with videos (all emotions) and deepfakes (fearful, happy, sad). Videos and deepfakes were perceived similarly. Additionally, they perceived morphed happiness and sadness, but not morphed anger or fear, as less genuine than other formats. Our findings support previous research indicating that social responses to morphed emotions are not representative of those to video recordings. The findings also suggest that deepfakes may offer a more suitable standardized stimulus type compared to morphs. Additionally, qualitative data were collected from participants and analysed using ChatGPT, a large language model. ChatGPT successfully identified themes in the data consistent with those identified by an independent human researcher. According to this analysis, our participants perceived dynamic morphs as less natural compared with videos and deepfakes. That participants perceived deepfakes and videos similarly suggests that deepfakes effectively replicate natural facial movements, making them a promising alternative for face perception research. The study contributes to the growing body of research exploring the usefulness of generative artificial intelligence for advancing the study of human perception.

Heightened sensitivity in high-grooming honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Honey bees use grooming to defend against the devastating parasite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman. We observed the grooming responses of individual bees from colonies previously chosen for high- and low-grooming behavior using a combination of mite mortality and mite damage. Our aim was to gain insight into specific aspects of grooming behavior to compare if high-grooming bees could discriminate between a standardized stimulus (chalk dust) and a stimulus of live Varroa mites and if bees from high-grooming colonies had greater sensitivity across different body regions than bees from low-grooming colonies. We hypothesized that individuals from high-grooming colonies would be more sensitive to both stimuli than bees from low-grooming colonies across different body regions and that bees would have a greater response to Varroa than a standardized irritant (chalk dust). Individuals from high-grooming colonies responded with longer bouts of intense grooming when either stimulus was applied to the head or thorax, compared to sham-stimulated controls, while bees from low-grooming colonies showed no differences between stimulated and sham-stimulated bees. Further, high-grooming bees from colonies with high mite damage exhibited greater grooming to Varroa than high-grooming colonies with only moderate mite damage rates. This study provides new insights into Varroa-specific aspects of grooming, showing that although a standardized stimulus (chalk dust) may be used to assess general grooming ability in individual bee grooming assays, it does not capture the same range of responses as a stimulus of Varroa. Thus, continuing to use Varroa mites in grooming assays should help select colonies with more precise sensitivity to Varroa.

Changes to the acoustic properties of Gromphadorhina portentosa defensive sounds when exposed to the molting hormone, 20‐hydroxyecdysone

AbstractSteroid hormones play a pivotal role in shaping arthropod phenotypes, with 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) serving as a key regulator of molting, a vulnerable period in an insect's lifecycle. Despite its critical role in arthropod growth and development, the influence of 20E on arthropod behavior, particularly defensive strategies, remains poorly understood. We investigated the impact of 20E on the bioacoustic characteristics of hisses in the Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa), a social species with multiple complex acoustic signals. With increased 20E, we predicted that hiss production would be more likely and more defensive (i.e., longer hisses with greater intensity (dB) and reduced frequency (Hz)). We injected male G. portentosa with either a low‐ (35 μg) or high‐dose (70 μg) of 20E or a control (0 μg 20E), and we measured the presence/absence of hissing responses and their bioacoustic characteristics following a standardized tactile stimulus. Contrary to our prediction, there was no difference in the likelihood of hissing or hiss duration with 20E administration. However, administering 20E resulted in reduced hiss intensity and increased hiss frequency (as measured by peak and center frequencies), suggesting potential shifts from defensive to aggressive signaling. Our study contributes to the limited knowledge of the behavioral effects of 20E, suggesting that some arthropods may experience increased aggression or energetic limitations to defense during molting. Behavioral changes elicited by hormones have important implications for both fundamental ecology and applied pest management.

Development, Validation, and Comparison of a Novel Nociception/Anti-Nociception Monitor against Two Commercial Monitors in General Anesthesia.

In this paper, we present the development and the validation of a novel index of nociception/anti-nociception (N/AN) based on skin impedance measurement in time and frequency domain with our prototype AnspecPro device. The primary objective of the study was to compare the Anspec-PRO device with two other commercial devices (Medasense, Medstorm). This comparison was designed to be conducted under the same conditions for the three devices. This was carried out during total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) by investigating its outcomes related to noxious stimulus. In a carefully designed clinical protocol during general anesthesia from induction until emergence, we extract data for estimating individualized causal dynamic models between drug infusion and their monitored effect variables. Specifically, these are Propofol hypnotic drug to Bispectral index of hypnosis level and Remifentanil opioid drug to each of the three aforementioned devices. When compared, statistical analysis of the regions before and during the standardized stimulus shows consistent difference between regions for all devices and for all indices. These results suggest that the proposed methodology for data extraction and processing for AnspecPro delivers the same information as the two commercial devices.

Improved Innate Immune Function in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treated with Targeted Therapy in Clinical Trials.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have increased risk of severe infections. Although adaptive immune dysfunction is well described, clinical tools for identifying patients at risk are lacking, warranting investigation of additional immune components. In contrast to chemotherapy, targeted agents could spare or even improve innate immune function. Therefore, we investigated innate immune phenotypes and function in patients with CLL before and during targeted treatment. Baseline and consecutive blood samples were collected from patients with CLL treated with acalabrutinib (n = 17) or ibrutinib+venetoclax (n = 18) in clinical trials. Innate immune function was assessed by TruCulture, a whole-blood ligand-stimulation assay quantifying cytokine release in response to standardized stimuli. Innate immune phenotypes were characterized by flow cytometry. As a proxy for infections, we mapped antimicrobial use before and during treatment. At baseline, patients with CLL displayed impaired stimulated cytokine responses to the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) along with deactivated monocytes, enrichment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and metamyelocytes, and elevated (unstimulated) proinflammatory cytokines. Two/three cycles of acalabrutinib or ibrutinib normalized LPS-stimulated responses, in parallel with decreased duration of infections. Innate immune profiles and elevated proinflammatory cytokines further normalized during longer-term acalabrutinib or ibrutinib+venetoclax, paralleled by decreased infection frequency. Innate immune impairment and infection susceptibility in patients with CLL were restored in parallel during targeted therapy. Thus, targeted treatment may reduce the risk of infections in CLL, as currently under investigation in the PreVent-ACaLL phase 2 trial of acalabrutinib+venetoclax for high-risk CLL (NCT03868722).

Do They Look the Same Unless They Are Angry? Investigating the Other-Race Effect in the Presence of Angry Expressions

Ethnic out-group members are disproportionately more often the victim of misidentifications. The so-called other-race effect (ORE), the tendency to better remember faces of individuals belonging to one’s own ethnic in-group than faces belonging to an ethnic out-group, has been identified as one causal ingredient in such tragic incidents. Investigating an important aspect for the ORE—that is, emotional expression—the seminal study by Ackerman and colleagues (2006) found that White participants remembered neutral White faces better than neutral Black faces, but crucially, Black angry faces were better remembered than White angry faces (i.e., a reversed ORE). In the current study, we sought to replicate this study and directly tackle the potential causes for different results with later work. Three hundred ninety-six adult White U.S. citizens completed our study in which we manipulated the kind of employed stimuli (as in the original study vs. more standardized ones) whether participants knew of the recognition task already at the encoding phase. Additionally, participants were asked about the unusualness of the presented faces. We were able to replicate results from the Ackerman et al. (2006) study with the original stimuli but not with more standardized stimuli.

Pain catastrophizing in the elderly: An experimental pain study.

Pain catastrophizing in the aging population has not been studied in great detail. Existing investigations have reported conflicting results on the effects of age on pain catastrophizing in relation to pain responses. This study investigated the relationship between pain catastrophizing, and its individual components (rumination, magnification, and helplessness), and the responses to standardized experimental pain stimuli in old and young, healthy adults. Sixty-six volunteers (32 old: 65-87, 18 females; 34 young: 20-35, 17 females) participated in the study. Pain catastrophizing including the components of rumination, magnification, and helplessness was assessed with the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS). Experimental pain was induced by applying predefined pressure stimulations to the trapezius muscle. Pain intensity and unpleasantness were assessed using numerical rating scales. Pain catastrophizing levels and pain responses were statistically compared between the two age groups. Elderly individuals reported significantly (p = 0.028) lower scores of pain catastrophizing (Med = 5; interquartile range [IQR] = 14) than younger individuals; this difference was driven by the significantly lower components of rumination (Med = 2; IQR = 4; p = 0.017) and helplessness (Med = 2; IQR = 7; p = 0.049). A larger proportion of young (57.8%) rated pain catastrophizing at high levels, with scores above the 75th percentile (Med = 20). Additionally, elderly reported the lowest pain intensity (Med = 5; p = 0.034) and pain unpleasantness (Med = 4.5; p = 0.011) responses to the experimental pressure stimuli. In the elderly group, pain unpleasantness was positively and significantly associated with pain catastrophizing (r s = 0.416, p = 0.021), rumination (r s = 0.42, p = 0.019), and helplessness (r s = 0.434, p = 0.015), respectively. No associations were found in the young group. Elderly reported lower PCSs than young adults. Rumination and helplessness were reduced in the elderly group. The elderly population showed positive correlations between catastrophizing levels and pain unpleasantness to standardized pressure pain stimuli. Results supported the view that elderly possess resilience over specific domains of pain catastrophizing that could counteract pain perception due to physiological decline.

Acute effects of slow, controlled breathing exercises on arterial pressure and autonomic cardiac modulation in hypertensive patients

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of slow, controlled breathing exercises (SCBE) on arterial pressure and autonomic cardiac modulation in hypertensive patients. 29 hypertensive patients were evaluation in two data collections (period between 1 to 3 days). In each evaluation, data were collected after 10 min of spontaneous breathing (between 12 and 20 breaths per minute – bpm) and 10 min of SCBE (12 bpm, in the rhythm of standardized verbal stimulus). The arterial pressure was evaluated by a multi-parameter monitor and the autonomic cardiac modulation by the rate variability technique. The SCBE reduced systolic arterial pressure (1st evaluation: -4.8 mmHg and 2nd evaluation: -4.3 mmHg), decreased sympathetic activity by 18% and modified autonomic modulation by about 50%. SCBE reduced both systolic arterial pressure and sympathetic activity and can be used in control arterial pressure of hypertensive patients.

Increased Risk of Recurrent Stroke in Symptomatic Large Vessel Disease With Impaired BOLD Cerebrovascular Reactivity.

Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) has been correlated with recurrent ischemic stroke. However, for clinical purposes, most CVR techniques are rather complex, time-consuming, and lack validation for quantitative measurements. The recent adaptation of a standardized hypercapnic stimulus in combination with a blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging signal as a surrogate for cerebral blood flow offers a potential universally comparable CVR assessment. We investigated the association between impaired BOLD-CVR and risk for recurrent ischemic events. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular large vessel disease who had undergone a prospective hypercapnic-challenged BOLD-CVR protocol at a single tertiary stroke referral center between June 2014 and April 2020. These patients were followed up for recurrent acute ischemic events for up to 3 years. BOLD-CVR (%BOLD signal change per mm Hg CO2) was calculated on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Impaired BOLD-CVR of the affected (ipsilateral to the vascular pathology) hemisphere was defined as an average BOLD-CVR, falling 2 SD below the mean BOLD-CVR of the right hemisphere in a healthy age-matched reference cohort (n=20). Using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, the association between impaired BOLD-CVR and ischemic stroke recurrence was assessed and Kaplan-Meier survival curves to visualize the acute ischemic stroke event rate. Of 130 eligible patients, 28 experienced recurrent strokes (median, 85 days, interquartile range, 5-166 days). Risk factors associated with an increased recurrent stroke rate included impaired BOLD-CVR, a history of atrial fibrillation, and heart insufficiency. After adjusting for sex, age group, and atrial fibrillation, impaired BOLD-CVR exhibited a hazard ratio of 10.73 (95% CI, 4.14-27.81; P<0.001) for recurrent ischemic stroke. Among patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular large vessel disease, those exhibiting impaired BOLD-CVR in the affected hemisphere had a 10.7-fold higher risk of recurrent ischemic stroke events compared with individuals with nonimpaired BOLD-CVR.

Distinguishing four types of Person × Situation interactions: An integrative framework and empirical examination.

People differ in their reaction to situations, resulting in Person × Situation interactions. These interactions have been emphasized by many theoretical accounts of personality. Nevertheless, empirical progress on Person × Situation interactions has been slow. This is in part attributable to an insufficient distinction of person and situation variables and of different types of interaction effects. We propose a framework distinguishing four nested types of interaction effects varying in specificity: (a) P × S: broad Person × Situation interaction variance, (b) P × Sspec: between-person differences in situation variable-outcome associations, (c) Pspec × S: between-situation differences in person variable-outcome associations, and (d) Pspec × Sspec: specific Person Variable × Situation Variable interactions. We conducted two large online studies (N = 622 and N = 818) with standardized situation stimuli (N = 62 pictures and N = 62 first-person perspective videos) and assessed Big Five traits, DIAMONDS situation characteristics, and Big Five states. Using preregistered multilevel models, we systematically quantified the different interaction types. We found (a) large Person × Situation interaction variance in personality states, (b) sizable individual differences in situation characteristic-state contingencies, (c) consistent but smaller between-situation differences in trait-state associations, and (d) some significant but (very) small Personality Trait × Situation Characteristic interactions. Our findings highlight Person × Situation interactions as potentially important predictors of psychological states, although the explanation of these interactions through specific person variables remains difficult. Individual differences in the reaction to situations should be incorporated into our models of personality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Nociceptive Processing of Elite Athletes Varies between Sport-Specific Loads: An EEG-Based Study Approach.

For the downstream nociceptive processing of elite athletes, recent studies indicate that athletes probably tolerate more pain as compared with a normally active population. Phenotyping the nociceptive processing of athletes in different types of endurance sports can provide insight into training-specific effects, which may help in understanding the long-term effects of specific exercise. Twenty-six elite endurance athletes from the disciplines of rowing, triathlon, and running and 26 age- and sex-matched, recreationally active control subjects who participated in the subjective pain perception and processing of standardized noxious stimuli were investigated by EEG. This included standardized heat pain thresholds (HPT) and contact heat-evoked potentials from heat stimulation, measured with EEG as well as pinprick-evoked potentials from mechanical stimulation. After noxious stimulation, athletes showed a higher activation of the event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) patterns in the N2P2 EEG response at the Cz Electrode compared with the controls. After noxious contact heat stimulation, triathletes had a higher ERSP activation compared with the controls, whereas the rowers had a higher ERSP activation after noxious mechanical stimulation. Also, HPT in triathletes were increased despite their increased central activation after thermal stimulation. We found a correlation between increased HPT and training hours and years, although athletes did not differ within these variables. Although we were able to identify differences between athletes of different endurance sports, the reasons and implications of these differences remain unclear. The study of sport-specific somatosensory profiles may help to understand the mechanisms of exercise-related long-term effects on pain processing and perception. Furthermore, sport-specific somatosensory effects may support the personalization of exercise interventions and identify risk factors for chronic pain in elite athletes.

А Database of 126 Images of Everyday Objects Standardized for Visual Attractiveness (BOSS Extension)

Experimental studies in psychology and cognitive neuroscience often employ images of everyday objects as experimental stimuli. To ensure consistency and reliability across such studies, stimulus sets need to be subjected to rigorous standardization procedures leading to the creation of extensive databases that contain a wide range of detailed information regarding various properties of the depicted materials. However, while existing databases are highly effective at capturing many object attributes, they often fail to account for the aesthetic qualities that are intrinsic to human-designed objects. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests compelling links between aesthetic perception and a range of cognitive function encompassing, for instance, motor skills, decision-making processes and even consumer behavior. Therefore, the lack of standardized visual stimuli with controlled aesthetic properties represents a significant challenge for research. To address this gap, the present study introduces a novel set of 126 images of everyday objects (based on the BOSS database) that were evaluated by healthy adult participants (N=53) in terms of their visual appeal as well as other key standardization parameters (e.g., familiarity, visual complexity, and naming consistency). Each object is presented in three distinct conditions: neat/tidy, neutral, and untidy. As the rating data demonstrate, these three conditions closely correspond to varying levels of aesthetic visual attractiveness, ranging from highly appealing (neat) to moderately appealing (neutral) to objects with minimal aesthetic appeal (untidy). This set is designed to serve as a valuable tool for researchers investigating the intricate relationship between aesthetics and human-object interaction.

Using a standardized sound set to help characterize misophonia: The International Affective Digitized Sounds.

Misophonia is a condition characterized by negative affect, intolerance, and functional impairment in response to particular repetitive sounds usually made by others (e.g., chewing, sniffing, pen tapping) and associated stimuli. To date, researchers have largely studied misophonia using self-report measures. As the field is quickly expanding, assessment approaches need to advance to include more objective measures capable of differentiating those with and without misophonia. Although several studies have used sounds as experimental stimuli, few have used standardized stimuli sets with demonstrated reliability or validity. To conduct rigorous research in an effort to better understand misophonia, it is important to have an easily accessible, standardized set of acoustic stimuli for use across studies. Accordingly, in the present study, the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS-2), developed by Bradley and Lang (Bradley MM et al., 2007), were used to determine whether participants with misophonia responded to certain standardized sounds differently than a control group. Participants were 377 adults (132 participants with misophonia and 245 controls) recruited from an online platform to complete several questionnaires and respond to four probes (arousal, valence, similarity to personally-relevant aversive sounds, and sound avoidance) in response to normed pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral IADS-2 sounds. Findings indicated that compared to controls, participants with high misophonia symptoms rated pleasant and neutral sounds as significantly more (a) arousing and similar to trigger sounds in their everyday life, (b) unpleasant and (c) likely to be avoided in everyday life. For future scientific and clinical innovation, we include a ranked list of IADS-2 stimuli differentiating responses in those with and without misophonia, which we call the IADS-M.

Feasibility of USG-Guided Objective Initial Assessment of Pupillary Size and Pupillary Reflexes Versus Clinical Examination in Patients With Altered Mental Status: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Pupillary assessment is an important part of the neurological assessment which provides vital information in critically ill patients. However, clinical pupillary assessment is subjective. The ultrasound-guided pupillary examination is objective. There are limited pieces of literature regarding its use in assessing patients with altered mental status. So, we studied the extent of agreement of B-mode ultrasound with clinical examination for assessment of the pupillary size and reflex in patients with altered mental status. The primary objective was to determine the extent of agreement between clinical examination and ultrasound-based examination for assessing pupillary reflex and size in patients with altered mental status in two settings (trauma and non-trauma patients). Exactly 200 subjects (158 males, mean [range] age 43.56 [18-92 years]) with no history of partial globe rupture or dementia were included in this cross-sectional study from March 2019 to March 2020. B-mode ultrasound was performed with the subject's eyes closed using a 7-12 MHz linear probe and a standardized light stimulus. ICC score, paired t-test, kappa, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Bland-Altman plots were used for statistical analysis. The clinical-USG agreement for pupillary light reflex examination (Pupillary Diameter [PD] at rest, after direct light stimulation [Dstim ] and consensual light stimulation [Cstim ]) was excellent (ICC, 0.93-0.96). The Kappa coefficient (0.74 ± 0.07) showed an agreement of 87.36% between clinical and USG examination for pupillary reflex (reactive or non-reactive). USG-guided pupillary examination proves to be a better adjunct to neurological assessment in patients with altered mental status.

ANCW: Affective norms for 4030 Chinese words.

Affective information contained in words is gaining increased attention among neurolinguists and psycholinguists around the world. This study established the Affective Norms for Chinese Words (ANCW) with valence, arousal, dominance, and concreteness ratings for 4030 words that were Chinese adaptations of the CET-4 (The National College English Test Band 4) official syllabus. Despite the existing Chinese affective norms such as the Chinese Affective Words System (CAWS), the ANCW provides much more and richer Chinese vocabulary. By using 7-point (ranging from 1 to 7) Likert scales in a paper-and-pencil procedure, we obtained ratings for all variables from 3717 Chinese undergraduates. The ANCW norms possessed good response reliability and were compatible with prior normative studies in Chinese. The pairwise correlation analysis revealed quadratic relations between valence and arousal, arousal and dominance, as well as valence and concreteness. Additionally, valence and dominance, as well as arousal and concreteness, presented a linear correlation, and concreteness and dominance were correlated. The ANCW provides reliable and standardized stimulus materials for further research involving emotional language processing.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Spanish Validation of the Computerized Information Processing Assessment Battery (COGNITO).

Mild cognitive impairment (CI) has an exponential increase in its prevalence and causes functional deficits and dependence. Its early detection allows for timely treatment and greater therapeutic efficacy. However, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is currently underdiagnosed. Although recent decades have seen a rise in computerized instruments for the detection and early diagnosis of MCI, showing numerous advantages over the classic paper-and-pencil methods, such as standardized stimulus presentation. However, their limitations include the use of self-administered application without professional supervision. Few of these instruments have Spanish-adapted versions. To translate, adapt, and validate the computerized Information Processing Assessment Battery (COGNITO) battery in the Spanish population and to develop a portable administration system that facilitates its application in different settings. COGNITO was then administered to 232 Spanish participants (18-89years) without cognitive impairment, after which preliminary normative data were obtained. Strong positive correlations were found between the main cognitive domains assessed by COGNITO and the variables of age, educational level, and MEC score. The gender variable only correlated with visuospatial skills, with men outperforming women. The test-retest correlations conducted after 4 weeks with 89 participants revealed adequate reliability coefficients ranging between.63 and.66 (visuospatial skills = 0.35). Internal consistency coefficients were satisfactory in Attention-Executive Functions and Memory domains. The Spanish adaptation of COGNITO shows adequate psychometric characteristics of validity and reliability. The preliminary normative data provided may contribute to the early detection of cognitive impairments associated with both normal aging and various types of neurological pathology. This tool has great utility and versatility for neuropsychological practice.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of analgesia nociception index (ANI) predictability for surgical stimuli under personal analgesic sufficiency status (PASS) measured by pre-tetanus-induced ANI: a pilot study.

The Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) is a promising monitor to evaluate the balance of nociception and anti-nociception based on heart rate variability. This prospective, interventional, monocentric pilot study aimed to verify the effectiveness of the personal analgesic sufficiency status (PASS) measured by pre-tetanus-induced ANI variation for surgical stimuli. After Ethics approval and informed consent, participants were anesthetized with sevoflurane and increased effect-site concentrations of remifentanil step by step (2, 4, 6ngml-1). At each concentration, a standardized tetanic stimulus was applied (5s, 60mA, 50Hz) with no other noxious stimuli presented. Through all the concentrations, defined the lowest concentration when ANI ≥ 50 as the PASS after tetanic stimuli. The surgical stimulus was conducted under at least 5-min of PASS. Thirty-two participants were analyzed. ANI, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and Heart rate (HR) except the Bispectral Index (BIS) were significantly changed at 2ngml-1 after tetanic stimuli, only ANI and SBP were significantly altered at 4 and 6ngml-1. ANI could predict inadequate analgesia status (an increase in SBP or HR of more than 20% from the baseline) at 2 and 4ngml-1 (P = 0.044, P = 0.049, respectively), but not at 6ngml-1. The PASS under pre-tetanus-induced ANI identification didn't meet the analgesic needs under surgical stimuli. Further investigations are required to provide a reliable prediction of individualized analgesia by objective nociception monitors.Trial registration NCT05063461.