The moderating role of depressive symptoms in the association between heart rate variability and cognitive performance in cardiac patients.

Introduction: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is strongly associated with cognitive impairment, which is a core feature of depression, highly prevalent in patients with CHD. Interestingly, patients with CHD and individuals with depression display reduced heart rate variability (HRV), which proxies a complex network integrating autonomic and attentional systems. This study investigated the moderating role of depressive symptoms in the relation between reduced HRV and cognitive performance in patients with CHD.

The impact of COVID-19-related quarantine on psychological outcomes in patients after cardiac intervention: a multicenter longitudinal study.

Mandatory quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic had substantial negative consequences on psychological health in the general population. Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were reported to increase the morbidity and mortality risk in cardiac patients after cardiac interventions. Nonetheless, a gap in the evidence appeared regarding the effects of COVID-19-related quarantine on psychological outcomes in patients after cardiac interventions.

Cognitive, neurophysiologic and metabolic sequelae of previous hypoglycemic coma revealed by hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp in type 1 diabetic patients.

To examine the relationship between electroencephalographic (EEG) activity and hypoglycemia unawareness, we investigated early parameters of vigilance and awareness of various symptom categories in response to hypoglycemia in intensively treated type 1 diabetic (T1DM) patients with different degrees of hypoglycemia unawareness. Hypoglycemia was induced with a hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp in six T1DM patients with a history of hypoglycemia unawareness previous severe hypoglycemic coma (SH) and in six T1DM patients without (C) history of hypoglycemia unawareness previous severe hypoglycemic coma. Cognitive function tests (four choice reaction time), counterregulatory responses (adrenaline), and symptomatic responses were evaluated at euglycemia (90 mg/dl) and during step-wise plasma glucose reduction (68, 58 and 49 mg/dl).

Psychometric and EEG changes after carotid endarterectomy.

The influence of carotid stenosis and its surgical treatment on brain function is still poorly defined. We therefore performed a study to assess psychometric and quantified EEG findings after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Sixty-nine non-demented patients (aged 72 ± 7 years) with severe carotid stenosis (≥ 70%) eligible for CEA were studied.

Attention dysfunction in cirrhotic patients: an inquiry on the role of executive control, attention orienting and focusing.

Attention alterations are reported in cirrhotics. Aiming at clarifying attention functioning in cirrhotics, an inquiry on the functioning of the anterior (AAS) and the posterior (PAS) attention system was performed. Thirty-six cirrhotics without overt hepatic encephalopathy (24 with EEG or TMT-A alterations) and 16 matched control subjects were enrolled.

Mood, cognition and EEG changes during interferon alpha (alpha-IFN) treatment for chronic hepatitis C.

Background: This study is aim to investigate concurrent long-term psychiatric, cognitive and neurophysiological measures of alpha-IFN neurotoxicity in the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.

Methods: Twenty patients with HCV hepatitis were enrolled while treated with alpha-IFN (3-6 MU t.i.

Central nervous system alterations in liver cirrhosis: the role of portal-systemic shunt and portal hypoperfusion.

The role of portal-systemic shunting and portal liver hypoperfusion in the pathophysiology of central nervous system dysfunction (CNSD) of cirrhosis is not yet well defined. It is well known that one of the most important collateral vessels (CVs) is a patent paraumbilical vein (PUV), but there is controversy regarding its clinical significance. We have evaluated the relationships between neuropsychological and EEG alterations, ammonia plasma level (NH4), hepatic function, and portal hemodynamics (Doppler Ultrasound) in 95 cirrhotic patients.

Effect of blood ammonia elevation following oral glutamine load on the psychometric performance of cirrhotic patients.

Oral glutamine challenge is a method to increase blood ammonia and may be used to study the ammonia lowering effect of drugs potentially useful in hepatic encephalopathy (HE). We tested its influence on the psychometric performance of 18 cirrhotic patients without HE. Twelve nonencephalopatic cirrhotic patients were studied before and after glutamine load (20 g in 100 mL tap water) and six patients before and after placebo (100 mL tap water) by using the Number Connection Test (NCT), the Covert Visual Attention Orienting Test (CVAOT), and the Scan Test (SCT).

Central nervous system alterations in liver cirrhosis: the role of portal-systemic shunt and portal hypoperfusion.

The role of portal-systemic shunting and portal liver hypoperfusion in the pathophysiology of central nervous system dysfunction of cirrhosis is not yet well defined. It is well known that one of the most important collateral vessels (CV) is a patent paraumbilical vein (PUV) but there is controversy regarding its clinical significance. We have evaluated the relationships between neuropsychological and EEG alterations, ammonia plasma level (NH4), hepatic function, and portal hemodynamics (Doppler Ultrasound) in 95 cirrhotic patients.

Variability of trail making test, symbol digit test and line trait test in normal people. A normative study taking into account age-dependent decline and sociobiological variables.

Background And Aims: The influence of sociobiological variables and aging on the variability of the Trail Making Tests (TMT), the Symbol Digit Substituting Test (SDT), and the Line Trait Test (LTT) in the general healthy populations are not well known. Even less is known about the reliability at re-testing. This study aimed at determining the reference range of these tests, taking into account sociobiological variables and age, and the re-testing effect.

Comparison between two high-dose methylprednisolone schedules in the treatment of acute hepatic cellular rejection in liver transplant recipients: a controlled clinical trial.

Intravenous methylprednisolone is used in most liver transplant centers as first-line therapy of acute hepatic cellular rejection in patients who undergo liver transplant. However, no controlled study has been performed to date to define the optimal dose and duration of the steroid regimen. The schedules that actually are used in most transplant centers are drawn from those that were developed empirically for the treatment of acute renal graft rejection.