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A ansiedade desempenha um papel significativo na experiência de tratamentos odontológicos e pode resultar em evasão por parte dos pacientes. Isso é especialmente relevante para grupos como pacientes pediátricos e aqueles com necessidades especiais, que muitas vezes requerem técnicas de controle de comportamento ou sedação devido à ansiedade. No entanto, a ansiedade não deve ser negligenciada mesmo em pacientes sem odontofobia grave, pois está relacionada à percepção da dor durante os procedimentos odontológicos. A sedação consciente com óxido nitroso surge como uma alternativa valiosa para reduzir a ansiedade e melhorar o conforto do paciente. Ao contrário dos benzodiazepínicos e da anestesia geral, o óxido nitroso atua no sistema nervoso de uma forma que deprime levemente o córtex cerebral, sem afetar o centro respiratório. Isso permite o uso de concentrações subanestésicas do gás, administradas com oxigênio por meio de uma máscara nasal. O óxido nitroso é de rápida ação, pouco solúvel e tem um período de recuperação breve, permitindo que os pacientes retornem rapidamente às atividades normais. Este estudo, uma revisão de literatura, explora o mecanismo de ação do óxido nitroso, suas indicações na prática odontológica e examina possíveis riscos e contraindicações associados ao seu uso. Em resumo, a sedação consciente com óxido nitroso se mostra como uma opção promissora para aliviar a ansiedade e melhorar a experiência de tratamentos odontológicos, beneficiando uma ampla gama de pacientes, não apenas aqueles com fobias graves.

Anxiety, in an outpatient dental environment, plays a fundamental role in pain and discomfort expectation, resulting in increase of treatment evasion. The groups that present greater difficulty in cooperation are children and special needs patients, with behavioral control and sedation being often necessary. Nevertheless, literature emphasizes that anxiety must be evaluated as a critical stage and its management done not only in patients with elevated anxiety levels, but being crucial on pain control of every dental patient, since higher grades of restlessness equals higher pain perception. It is known that the use of nitrous oxide in conscious sedation proves to be an useful tool on reducing anxiety and enabling comfortable interventions, indicating that it is an alternative to the use of benzodiazepines and general anesthesia. The drug acts on the nervous system, promoting a slight depression of the cerebral cortex and, unlike benzodiazepines, which act at the medulla level, it does not depress the respiratory center. The technique uses sub-anesthetic concentrations of nitrous oxide delivered with oxygen through a nasal mask. Nitrous oxide is poorly soluble and has a rapid onset of action, being therefore associated with a rapid recovery period. The duration of sedation is controlled and the patient can quickly return to normal activities. This paper is a narrative review with the objective of exploring the mechanism of action of this gas, evaluating its indications for use in dental clinic and verifying possible risks and contraindications.

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Most newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients reside in LMICs. These countries face challenges in providing quality treatment, particularly with procedures requiring stillness or causing pain. Conscious sedation (CS) is underutilized in LMICs due, causing treatment delays and adverse outcomes. Advocacy for CS teams, training, and policy support is essential to improve outcomes.

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Monitoring the reality status of conscious experience is essential for a human being to interact successfully with the external world. Despite its importance for everyday functioning, reality monitoring can systematically become erroneous, for example, while dreaming or during hallucinatory experiences. To investigate brain processes associated with reality monitoring occurring online during an experience, i.e., perceptual reality monitoring, we assessed EEG microstates in healthy, young participants. In a within-subjects design, we compared the experience of reality when being confronted with dream-like bizarre elements versus realistic elements in an otherwise highly naturalistic real-world scenario in immersive virtual reality. Dream-like bizarreness induced changes in the subjective experience of reality and bizarreness, and led to an increase in the contribution of a specific microstate labelled C'. Microstate C' was related to the suspension of disbelief, i.e. the suppression of bizarre mismatches. Together with the functional interpretation of microstate C' as reported by previous studies, the findings of this study point to the importance of prefrontal meta-conscious control processes in perceptual reality monitoring.

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BACKGROUND: Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) caused by severe brain injuries represent a challenging clinical entity, which is easy to misdiagnosis and lacks effective treatment options. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neuroelectric stimulation method that shows promise in improving consciousness for DoC, especially in minimally conscious state (MCS). However, there is little evidence of its effectiveness, especially in RCT studies. METHODS: Twenty MCS patients participated in a double-blind, randomized, crossover, sham-controlled clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of rTMS for MCS. Subjects were randomized into two groups: one group received rTMS-active for 10 consecutive days (n = 10), and the other group received rTMS-sham for 10 consecutive days (n = 10). After a 10-day washout period, the two groups were crossed over and received the opposite treatment. the rTMS protocol consisted of 2,000 pulses per day in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC), sent at 10 Hz. The stimulation intensity was 90% of the resting motor threshold. Coma Recovery Scale Revised (CRS-R), the main evaluation index, was evaluated before and after each phase in a double-blind manner. Meanwhile RS-EEG and TMS-EEG data were acquired and relative alpha power (RAP), and perturbational complexity index based on state transitions (PCIst) were caculated. RESULTS: One-way ANOVA revealed significantly higher scores in rTMS-active treatment compared to rTMS-sham across various measures, including CRS-R total score, RAP, PCIst (all P < 0.05). Among the 20 MCS patients, 7 (35%) were identified as responders following rTMS treatment. Compared to rTMS-sham, responder scores for CRS-R, RAP, and PCIst (all P < 0.05) were significantly elevated after rTMS-active treatment. Conversely, there was no significant difference observed in non-responders. Furthermore, post-hoc analysis revealed that baseline PCIst was significantly higher in responders than non-responders. Upon a 6-month follow-up, CRS-R scores significantly increased in all 20 patients (P = 0.026). However, the responder group exhibited a more favorable prognosis compared to the non-responder group (P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Applying 10 Hz rTMS to L-DLPFC significantly increased consciousness level in MCS patients. PCIst is a neurophysiological index that has the potential to evaluate and predict therapeutic efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov , identifier: NCT05187000.

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Background: Peripheral vascular interventions (PVIs) performed under procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) can be associated with anxiety and poor compliance with patient instructions during surgery. Mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as meditation have demonstrated the potential to decrease perioperative anxiety, though this area is understudied, and no tailored interventions have been developed for the vascular surgical patient population. Objectives: We aimed to design a perioperative MBI that specifically targeted vascular surgical patients undergoing PVIs under PSA. We sought to perform this in a scientifically rigorous, multi-disciplinary collaborative manner. Methods: Following the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials (ORBIT) model, we designed (Phase 1a) and then refined (Phase 1b) a MBI for patients undergoing PVIs under PSA to decrease perioperative anxiety and sedation and facilitate patient intraoperative compliance. Phase 1a involved a literature review, informal information gathering and synthesis, and drafting a preliminary protocol for a perioperative MBI. Phase 1b involved assembling a multi-disciplinary expert panel of perioperative and mind-body clinicians and researchers to improve the MBI using an iterative, modified Delphi approach. Results: The modified Delphi process was completed, and a consensus was reached after three iterations. The resulting MBI consisted of two seven-minute preoperative guided meditations on the day of surgery, including diaphragmatic breathing, body scans, and guided imagery emphasizing awareness of the ipsilateral leg where the vascular surgery was performed. A document delineating the integration of the MBI into the operating room workflow was produced, including details regarding the intervention's timing, duration, and modality. Conclusion: Using a multi-specialty expert panel, we designed a novel MBI in the form of a guided meditation with elements of mindfulness and guided imagery to decrease anxiety and increase intraoperative compliance for patients undergoing PVIs under PSA. A prospective pilot study is being planned to test the program's feasibility.

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Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is characterized by high mortality and morbidity. This scoping review assesses the current evidence regarding the use of sedatives and analgesics in the acute intensive care unit management of aSAH. We conducted a systematic search of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid EmCare, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to June 2023. Studies were included if they enrolled intensive care unit patients aged 18 or older with a significant proportion (> 20%) who had aSAH and evaluated the impact of one or more commonly used analgosedatives on physiological parameters in the management of aSAH. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies score. Of 2,583 articles, 11 met the inclusion criteria. The median sample size was 47 (interquartile range 10-127), and the median Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies score was 9.5 (interquartile range 8-11). The studies' publication years ranged from 1980 to 2023. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine showed potential benefits in reducing the incidence of cortical spreading depolarization and delayed cerebral ischemia. Propofol and opioids appeared safe but lacked robust evidence for efficacy. Benzodiazepines were associated with increased delayed cerebral ischemia-related cerebral infarctions and cortical spreading depolarization events. The evidence available to guide the use of analgosedative medications in aSAH is critically inadequate. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine warrant further exploration in large-scale prospective studies because of their potential benefits. Improved study designs with consistent definitions and a focus on patient-centered outcomes are necessary to inform clinical practice.

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Background/Aim: Managing young children with negative behaviors can be challenging in dental settings. Moderate sedation (MS) is often used as a treatment option for such children. However, children's behavior during MS may vary depending on several variables. These variables include parental factors, such as parental anxiety, coping strategies, and pain catastrophizing. However, this area, particularly in Saudi Arabia, remains underexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the association among parental anxiety, coping style, pain catastrophizing, and children's behavior during MS among Saudi children. Methods: Based on sample size calculation, this cross-sectional observational study included 85 children aged 3-5 years undergoing dental treatment under MS at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Parental anxiety, coping styles, and pain catastrophizing were assessed using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Scale, and Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Child behavior was evaluated using the Houpt scale during sedation visits, which was video-recorded and independently analyzed by a single evaluator. Data were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U test, and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: The results showed no significant association among parental dental anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and child behaviors during MS. Specific parental coping strategies, such as acceptance, were positively associated with positive sedation outcomes (P = 0.03), while active coping strategies were linked to less favorable outcomes (P = 0.03). Female children had higher sedation failure rates (P = 0.02), and the number of dental treatments was positively associated with success rates (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Parental anxiety and pain catastrophizing did not significantly affect the success of sedation. However, acceptance as a coping strategy was significantly associated with sedation success in pediatric dental care under MS, whereas active coping strategies were associated with less favorable outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: As the healthcare sector grapples with its environmental footprint, the concept of Eco-conscious Nursing emerges as a pivotal framework for integrating sustainability into nursing practice. This study aims to clarify and operationalize Eco-conscious Nursing, examining its attributes, antecedents, consequences, and providing operational definitions to guide future research and practice. METHODS: Utilizing a systematic literature review across PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL Ultimate, this study identifies and analyzes existing theories, frameworks, and practices related to eco-conscious nursing. Through conceptual analysis, key attributes, antecedents, and consequences of Eco-conscious Nursing are delineated, leading to the formulation of comprehensive operational definitions. RESULTS: The study reveals Eco-conscious Nursing as a multifaceted concept characterized by environmental stewardship, sustainable healthcare practices, and a commitment to reducing the ecological impact of nursing care. Operational definitions highlight the role of education, awareness, and institutional support as antecedents, with improved environmental health and sustainable healthcare outcomes as key consequences. CONCLUSION: Eco-conscious Nursing represents a crucial ethos for the nursing profession, emphasizing the necessity of sustainable practices within healthcare. The operational definitions provided serve as a foundation for embedding eco-conscious principles into nursing, addressing the urgent need for sustainability in healthcare settings. Future research should focus on the empirical application of these definitions and explore the economic and cross-cultural dimensions of eco-conscious nursing.

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BACKGROUND: The classic percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) technique is used to complete an operation under the guidance of C-arm radiography under general anesthesia, making communication with patients during the operation impossible. It is not accurate or objective to predict the classic technique's curative effect solely by determining whether the projection of the x-ray lateral image of the filled balloon is pear-shaped. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to upgrade classic PBC to awake computed tomography (CT)-guided PBC technology under conscious local anesthesia and analgesia monitoring. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medical Center, Jiaxing, People's Republic of China. METHODS: Puncture was designed and guided by CT scanning, and the curative effect was assessed by asking the patients about what they are feeling during the operation. RESULTS: CT can design the puncture path and accurately guide puncture, observe the position and shape of the balloon through 3-dimensional reconstruction during the operation, and judge the curative effect according to the patient's chief concern. LIMITATIONS: Local anesthetic analgesia is not perfect, resulting in some patients experiencing pain during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: PBC can be completed under conscious local anesthesia and analgesia. Its curative effect and operative end standard can be determined according to the patient's chief concern. Under CT guidance, the puncture path can be designed to complete an accurate puncture and to intuitively understand the position and shape of the balloon.

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Introduction: Ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) is a serious health problem in which brain tissue suffers from hypoxic damage due to obstruction in cerebral vessels. Mechanical thrombectomy is a commonly used method in the treatment of these patients. However, the effects of local anesthesia (LA) and conscious sedation (CS) during thrombectomy are still unclear. We evaluated whether there was a relationship between the two anesthesia regimens in terms of 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. Methods: In this study, a retrospective observational study was conducted to evaluate the effects of LA and CS used during mechanical thrombectomy in four comprehensive stroke centers among ICVD patients. Patients were divided into the LA group and the CS group. Statistical analysis was performed before and after 1:1 matching under propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. The primary outcome measure was an mRS score of 0-2 at 90 days. Secondary outcomes were procedure times, recanalization rates, symptomatic and asymptomatic hemorrhage rates, and procedural complications. Results: A total of 193 patients (118 patients with LA and 75 patients with CS) were included in the final analysis before PSM. After 1:1 PSM, 98 patients-49 patients from each group-were included in the study. There was no difference in clinical outcomes between the LA- and CS-applied groups (p = 0.543). When blood pressure (BP) values at follow-up after endovascular treatment (EVT) were compared, the lowest systolic and lowest diastolic BP were found to be lower in the CS group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.009). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of recanalization rates, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) rates, 90-day mRS, and procedure-related complication rates (p = 0.617, p = 0.274, p = 0.543, and p = 1.000). Conclusion: This study did not reveal the superiority of CS applied during EVT on 90-day mRS, sICH, recanalization rates, or procedural complications. However, the risk of developing hypotension during the CS application was found to be high.

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Background and Aims: Awake intubation is the preferred method for securing difficult airways. We compared intravenous (IV) propofol and dexmedetomidine for C-MAC® D-blade-guided anticipated difficult nasotracheal intubation under conscious sedation. Methods: This randomised study included 60 patients with difficult airway (El-Ganzouri Score 4-9). After adequate airway preparation with IV midazolam 0.03 mg/kg and IV fentanyl 1 µg/kg, in Group P, propofol was infused at 250 µg/kg/min and in Group D, dexmedetomidine was infused at 1 µg/kg over 10 min, then at 0.5 µg/kg/h till a bispectral index (BIS) value 65-70 was achieved. Patients underwent C-MAC® D-blade video laryngoscope-guided nasotracheal intubation. The intubation score was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included haemodynamic parameters, intubation time, number of attempts, the incidence of failed awake intubation, glottic view, time to achieve desired BIS, complications, study drug consumption and patient-reported satisfaction with the awake intubation technique. Quantitative variables were compared between groups using unpaired t-test/Welsch test/Mann-Whitney Test. Qualitative variables were correlated using the Chi-square test/Fisher's exact test. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The intubation score was significantly higher in Group D versus Group P (P = 0.007). Patient reaction to intubation, haemodynamic parameters and percentage of glottis opening score were more favourable in Group P. Coughing and vocal cord movement were comparable between the groups (P > 0.05). The time to target BIS was four times longer, and the time to intubate was 6 seconds longer in Group D. Conclusion: Successful awake C-MAC® D-blade video laryngoscopic intubation can be performed under dexmedetomidine/propofol conscious sedation, with propofol giving a better intubation score.

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AIMS: Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment option for atrial fibrillation (AF), where sedation and analgesia are pivotal for patient comfort and lesion formation. The impact of anaesthesia type on AF recurrence rates remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine AF recurrence rates depending on conscious sedation (CS) vs. general anaesthesia (GA) during CA. METHODS AND RESULTS: Utilizing nationwide data from the Danish healthcare registries, we conducted this cohort study involving adults (≥18 years) undergoing first-time CA for AF between 2010 and 2018. Patients were categorized by anaesthesia type (CS or GA), with the primary endpoint being AF recurrence, defined by a composite endpoint of either antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) prescriptions, AF-related hospital admissions, electrical cardioversions, or AF re-ablation. The impact of anaesthesia type was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. The study cohort comprised 7957 (6421 CS and 1536 GA) patients. Persistent AF, hypertension, and heart failure, as well as use of AAD, were more prevalent in the GA group. Cumulative incidences of recurrent AF were higher in the CS group at 1 (46% vs. 37%) and at 5 (68% vs. 63%) years. Multivariate analysis revealed CS as significantly associated with increased risk of AF recurrence at 5-year follow-up [hazard ratio 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.15-1.38)], consistent across paroxysmal and persistent AF subtypes. CONCLUSION: This nationwide cohort study suggests a higher risk of AF recurrence with CS during CA compared to GA. These results advocate for considering GA as the preferred anaesthesia type for improved CA outcomes.

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Afterimages are illusory, visual conscious perceptions. A widely accepted theory is that afterimages are caused by retinal signaling that continues after the physical disappearance of a light stimulus. However, afterimages have been reported without preceding visual, sensory stimulation (e.g. conditioned afterimages and afterimages induced by illusory vision). These observations suggest the role of top-down brain mechanisms in afterimage conscious perception. Therefore, some afterimages may share perceptual features with sensory-independent conscious perceptions (e.g. imagery, hallucinations, and dreams) that occur without bottom-up sensory input. In the current investigation, we tested for a link between the vividness of visual imagery and afterimage conscious perception. Participants reported their vividness of visual imagery and perceived sharpness, contrast, and duration of negative afterimages. The afterimage perceptual features were acquired using perception matching paradigms that were validated on image stimuli. Relating these perceptual reports revealed that the vividness of visual imagery positively correlated with afterimage contrast and sharpness. These behavioral results support shared neural mechanisms between visual imagery and afterimages. However, we cannot exclude alternative explanations, including demand characteristics and afterimage perception reporting inaccuracy. This study encourages future research combining neurophysiology recording methods and afterimage paradigms to directly examine the neural mechanisms of afterimage conscious perception.

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BACKGROUND/AIM: Hysterectomy is the most frequent gynecological surgery. Vaginal hysterectomy (VH) seems to be related to favorable perioperative outcomes compared to abdominal or laparoscopic approaches. As the population ages, anesthesia that is safer for the elderly, such as local anesthesia (LA) with conscious sedation, is gaining popularity and is related to favorable outcomes in patients' recovery compared to general or regional anesthesia. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine versus propofol for women undergoing VH for uterine prolapse under LA and conscious sedation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study on 40 women with uterine prolapse stage ≥3 who had VH under LA with conscious sedation under either dexmedetomidine (n=20) or propofol (n=20) was performed. A standardized surgical approach with continuous hemodynamic monitoring and sedation assessment using the Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS) was conducted. The primary endpoint of the study was to determine the percentage of patients receiving intraoperative fentanyl. RESULTS: Analysis of outcomes demonstrated a significant reduction in the proportion of patients requiring intraoperative rescue fentanyl (35% vs. 5%, respectively, p=0.04) and in postoperative pain scores, with more patients achieving an optimal RSS score of 3 in the dexmedetomidine group. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the present study, dexmedetomidine offered superior analgesia and patient comfort compared to propofol, suggesting a favorable anesthetic profile for VH under LA.

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The relationship between a performer's conscious involvement or investment in movement control and monitoring and the ability to inhibit the movement is still unclear. We conducted three experiments to investigate whether a higher inclination for conscious movement investment benefits the inhibition of a simple keypress response. In all experiments, the inclination for conscious movement investment was measured with the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale. In Experiment 1, participants performed the go/no-go task and conscious investment was manipulated by directing conscious attention either to the finger movement (i.e., internal focus) or to the resulting motion of the key (i.e., external focus). The results showed that neither the participants' inclination for conscious movement investment, nor the direction of conscious attention affected inhibition performance. In Experiment 2, participants performed the stop-signal task, which is more attention demanding than the go/no-go task. The results showed that participants with a high or low inclination for conscious movement investment did not differ in inhibition performance. In Experiment 3 an ego-depletion procedure was included that limits resources for conscious movement investment. Before and after this ego-depletion procedure, participants performed the stop-signal task. The results showed that participants with a high inclination for conscious movement investment slowed down inhibition when they felt mentally depleted, while no slowing down of inhibition was found among participants who felt less depleted and/or had a low inclination for conscious movement investment. Together, the study provides evidence that increased conscious movement investment is beneficial for movement inhibition. Yet, these effects only emerge against the dynamic background of interacting individual (e.g., inclination for conscious movement investment, available attentional resources) and task constraints (e.g., task difficulty).

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Conscious sedation has been shown to be a reliable behavior management tool that can be used during dental treatments in children who are less cooperative with dental treatment. The purpose of this study is to review the currently available research on the use of conscious sedation during dental procedures for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A web-based search for published articles was conducted. Different electronic databases were searched, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Online Review, and the Cochrane Library database, for papers published until February 2023. Studies providing descriptive protocols for dental conscious sedation for children with ASD were included. The search strategy found two studies that met the included criteria. The use of nitrous oxide in conjunction with oral benzodiazepines was found to be effective in sedating children with ASD. This review highlights the lack of research on sedation techniques for children with ASD. Future studies are needed to determine the specific types of sedative medications, their combinations and dosages, and the best methods for conscious sedation during dental procedures for autistic children.

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Background: The mesocircuit model describes a complex network that includes the prefrontal cortical-striatopallidal-thalamo-cortical loop systems and is involved in the mechanism underlying consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Inhibitory signals to the thalamus become hyperactive in DoC patients, leading to a loss of consciousness. Reactivating this mesocircuit system is important for recovering consciousness in these patients. We investigated how the residual integrity of the thalamo-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tract (TDLPFCT) influences consciousness in patients with DoC. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included three groups: prolonged DoC (n = 20), stroke without DoC (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 20). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed at least 4 weeks after the onset. Thalamo-DLPFC tracts were reconstructed using diffusion tensor tractography, and fractional anisotropy (FA) and tract volume (TV) were measured for each hemisphere. Consciousness was assessed using the revised coma recovery scale (CRS-R) within a week of brain imaging. Results: Significant differences in DLPFCT TV were observed across all three groups, in both affected and less-affected lobes, with the DoC group showing the greatest reduction. A significant correlation was found between the TV of the less-affected TDLPFCT and CRS-R score. Conclusion: The integrity of the TDLPFCT, particularly in the less affected hemisphere, is associated with consciousness levels in patients with prolonged DoC. This finding suggests its potential importance in assessing prognosis and further developing therapeutic strategies for patients with DoC.

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Accurate prediction of the recovery of Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) is of paramount significance for clinicians and families. Serum total bilirubin (TBIL) formed by activation of heme oxygenase 2, is associated with incidence and prognosis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, studies that based TBIL and DoC are limited. The study attempted to examine the association between serum TBIL levels and prognosis in patients with DoC. One hundred and sixty-eight patients with DoC in the Second hospital of Shandong University from June 2021 to June 2023 were recruited. The clinical characteristics and venous blood samples were collected within 24 h after admission. The diagnosis of DoC was determined by two skilled investigators employing various behavioral evaluations along the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R) and the investigators conducted follow-up assessments of diagnosis at 1, 3, and 6 months after admission. For statistical analysis, we categorized patients with an improvement in clinical diagnosis from study entry as having a "good outcome". In total, 139 individuals enrolled in the study. The median TBIL level was 8.2 µmol/L. Good recovery of DoC at 1, 3, and 6 months occurred in 25 (18.0%), 41 (29.5%), and 56 (40.3%) patients, respectively. After full adjustment, a significant association was found between TBIL levels and the prognosis of DoC at 1, 3, and 6 months. When TBIL levels were analyzed as categorical variables, an increasing trend in the tertiles of TBIL levels demonstrated a significant positive association with the recovery of DoC at 1, 3, and 6 months. Stratified analysis revealed that the association between serum TBIL levels and the recovery of DoC remained consistent across different sub-populations. A high serum TBIL level is associated with an improved likelihood of recovery of DoC. Additional research is required to elucidate the underlying pathophysiological causal association between TBIL levels and DoC.

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BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia globally. High-power, short-duration radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation (CA) for AF has recently emerged, reducing ablation times and enhancing patient tolerability with comparable efficacy and safety. While the benefits of general anesthesia (GA) for standard-power, standard-duration CA are well-established, data comparing GA to mild conscious sedation (MCS) for high-power, short-duration CA are limited. METHODS: We included patients undergoing high-power, short-duration CA for AF under GA (group 1) or MCS (group 2). Procedural characteristics, success rates, and mid-term outcomes were compared. RESULTS: In total, 131 patients, 47 in the GA group and 84 in the MCS group, were included. CA was performed for paroxysmal AF in 34 patients in group 1 (72.3%) and 68 patients in group 2 (80.9%). We found lower a mean total procedure time (100 [90-120] vs. 160 [130-180] min, p < 0.0001), lower radiation exposure (932.5 [625-1716] vs. 2445 [1228-4791] µGy, p < 0.0001 and 4.5 [3-7.1] 7.3 [4.2-13.5] min, p = 0.0003) and fewer RF applications (71 [54.8-83.8] vs. 103 [88.5-120.5], p < 0.0001) in the GA group. No major complications occurred. The 6-month AF recurrence rate was comparable between the groups (21.2% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.15). CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing high-power, short-duration RFCA for AF, the use of GA is associated with better procedural efficiency while simultaneously associated with an early recurrence rate comparable to MCS.