The evolution of social behaviors and risk preferences in settings with uncertainty.

Humans update their social behavior in response to past experiences and changing environments. Behavioral decisions are further complicated by uncertainty in the outcome of social interactions. Faced with uncertainty, some individuals exhibit risk aversion while others seek risk. Attitudes toward risk may depend on socioeconomic status; and individuals may update their risk preferences over time, which will feedback on their social behavior. Here, we study how uncertainty and risk preferences shape the evolution of social behaviors. We extend the game-theoretic framework for behavioral evolution to incorporate uncertainty about payoffs and variation in how individuals respond to this uncertainty. We find that different attitudes toward risk can substantially alter behavior and long-term outcomes, as individuals seek to optimize their rewards from social interactions. In a standard setting without risk, for example, defection always overtakes a well-mixed population engaged in the classic Prisoner's Dilemma, whereas risk aversion can reverse the direction of evolution, promoting cooperation over defection. When individuals update their risk preferences along with their strategic behaviors, a population can oscillate between periods dominated by risk-averse cooperators and periods of risk-seeking defectors. Our analysis provides a systematic account of how risk preferences modulate, and even coevolve with, behavior in an uncertain social world.

Comparing Methods for Identifying Post-Market Patient Preferences at the Point of Decision-Making: Insights from Patients with Chronic Pain Considering a Spinal Cord Stimulator Device.

Purpose: To compare three methods for identifying patient preferences (MIPPs) at the point of decision-making: analysis of video-recorded patient-clinician encounters, post-encounter interviews, and post-encounter surveys. Patients and Methods: For the decision of whether to use a spinal cord stimulator device (SCS), a video coding scheme, interview guide, and patient survey were iteratively developed with 30 SCS decision-making encounters in a tertiary academic medical center pain clinic. Burke's grammar of motives was used to classify the attributed source or justification for a potential preference for each preference block. To compare the MIPPs, 13 patients' encounters with their clinician were video recorded and subsequently analyzed by 4 coders using the final video coding scheme. Six of these patients were interviewed, and 7 surveyed, immediately following their encounters. Results: For videos, an average of 66 (range 33-106) sets of utterances potentially indicating a patient preference (a preference block), surveys 33 (range 32-34), and interviews 25 (range 18-30) were identified. Thirty-eight unique themes (75 subthemes), each a preference topic, were identified from videos, surveys 19 themes (12 subthemes), and interviews 39 themes (54 subthemes). The proportion of preference blocks that were judged as expressing a preference that was clearly important to the patient or affected their decision was highest for interviews (72.8%), surveys (68.0%), and videos (27.0%). Videos mostly attributed preferences to the patient's situation (scene) (65%); interviews, the act of receiving or living with SCS (43%); surveys, the purpose of SCS (40%). Conclusion: MIPPs vary in the type of preferences identified and the clarity of expressed preferences in their data sets. The choice of which MIPP to use depends on projects' goals and resources, recognizing that the choice of MIPP may affect which preferences are found.

Oral Cancer Risk and Screening Prevalence Among Hospitalized Women.

Background Oral cancer screenings are often on the back burner in the face of other cancer screenings. In high-risk individuals, early detection of oral cancer has a better prognosis and survival. Hospitalization may offer an opportunity to target high-risk populations. This study evaluates the prevalence of women at high risk for oral cancer among hospitalized women and their preference for oral cancer screening. Design and participants Five hundred and ten cancer-free women admitted to the hospital under the internal medicine service at an academic center were enrolled to participate in the study. Three hundred and seventy women were at high risk for developing oral cancer, defined by smoking status, alcohol use, or both. High-risk women received bedside smoking cessation counseling and oral cancer informational handouts and were offered oral screening examinations during hospitalization. Six months after discharge, study participants received a follow-up phone call to determine if these women discussed oral cancer screening with their primary care physicians at the follow-up visit. Results Seventy-three percent of the hospitalized women were at high risk for developing oral cancer. Fifty-seven percent of high-risk women reported having no primary dentist. High-risk women were more likely to be younger, reported a disability, and had a lower comorbidity burden than the average-risk group. Only 41% of high-risk hospitalized women received oral cancer screening examinations during the hospital stay. Post-hospitalization, 66% of high-risk patients discussed oral cancer screening with their primary care. Conclusion Almost three-fourths of hospitalized women are at high risk for developing oral cancer. Hospitalization provides an opportunity to educate and screen high-risk populations.

Who do you Prefer to Take Care of you: A Jewish or an Arab Nurse? Nationality and Religion Preferences in Israeli Hospitals.

Studies show that there are patients who refuse treatment or demand that treatment be provided by a professional belonging to their ethnic group. We investigated whether patients have preferences for nationality and religion of nurses (PFNR), and which factors impact these preferences. The study included 1012 Jews and Arabs. Results show that Arabs and Jews prefer that a nurse of their own nationality and religion treat them. Trust is the most important factor that influences this preference. In the Israeli healthcare system, the patient-nurse encounter is affected by the strong bias that Jews and Arab Muslims hold against each other.

Measurement properties of utility-based health-related quality of life measures in cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention programs: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To identify utility-based patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention programs (CR) and appraise existing evidence on their measurement properties. Secondly, to link their items to the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) and the International Consortium of Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) domains for cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: Eight databases were searched. The review followed the COSMIN and JBI guidelines for measurement properties systematic reviews and PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines. Non-experimental and observational empirical studies of patients ≥ 18 years of age with CVD undergoing CR and assessed quality of life (QoL) or HRQoL using utility-based PROMs or one accompanied by health state utilities were included. RESULTS: Nine PROMs were identified with evidence on measurement properties for three measures: the German translations of SF-12, EQ-5D-5L, and MacNew heart disease HRQoL questionnaire. There was moderate quality evidence for responsiveness and hypothesis testing of the SF-12 and EQ-5D-5L, and high-quality evidence for responsiveness and hypothesis testing for the MacNew. All items of SF-12 and EQ-5D were linked to ICF categories, but four items of the MacNew were not classified or defined. All the PROM domains were mapped onto similar constructs from the ICHOM global sets. CONCLUSION: Three utility-based PROMs validated in CR were identified: the German versions of the EQ-5D and SF-12 and the MacNew questionnaire. These PROMs are linked to a breadth of ICF categories and all ICHOM global sets. Additional validation studies of PROMs in CR are required.

Exploring the Telephone Call Experience of Patients with Non-English Language Preference in Primary Care vs. Specialty.

BACKGROUND: Latine people, comprising 18.5% of the US population, constitute the largest ethnic minority group, with nearly one-third self-identifying as having non-English language preference (NELP). Despite the importance of the telephone in health care access, there is limited understanding of how NELP patients navigate telephone calls with primary and specialty care clinics. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study aims to capture how Spanish speakers with NELP characterize their telephone call experiences with primary and specialty care clinics. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Spanish-speaking participants from primary care clinics with a sizeable proportion of patients who prefer to communicate in a language other than English at an urban academic medical center in Boston, MA. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were selected from primary care clinics that were well-equipped to serve Spanish-speaking patients. A total of 24 Spanish-speaking patients with NELP, mainly women (83%), with a mean age of 55.8 years, participated. They represented diverse countries of origin, with an average length of time in the USA of 21.7 years. APPROACH: Interview questions prompted participants to describe their telephone call experiences with front desk staff, with attention to interpreter availability, ancillary assistance, health outcomes stemming from a lack of language services, and emotional consequences of language discordance on calls. KEY RESULTS: Patients perceived primary care clinics as providing familiarity and language concordance during telephone interactions, contrasting with specialty care clinics, seen as sources of monolingual English communication. Participants utilized various strategies, such as requesting interpreters, using concise English phrases, or seeking assistance from acquaintances, relatives, or primary care clinic staff, to mitigate language barriers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore significant challenges faced by Spanish-speaking patients with NELP in ambulatory specialty care telephone calls. The study emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive multilingual telephone environments, standardizing interpreter access, and reflecting the diversity of the communities served.

Inhibition of prefrontal cortex parvalbumin interneurons mitigates behavioral and physiological sequelae of chronic stress in male mice.

Chronic stress leads to hypofunction of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), mechanisms of which remain to be determined. Enhanced activation of GABAergic of parvalbumin (PV) expressing interneurons (INs) is thought to play a role in stress-induced prefrontal inhibition. In this study, we tested whether chemogenetic inhibition of mPFC PV INs after chronic stress can rescue chronic stress-related behavioral and physiological phenotypes. Mice underwent 2 weeks of chronic variable stress (CVS) followed by a battery of behavioral tests known to be affected by chronic stress exposure, e.g. an open field (OF), novel object recognition (NOR), tail suspension test (TST), sucrose preference test (SPT), and light dark (LD) box. Inhibitory DREADDs were actuated by 3 mg/kg CNO administered 30 min prior to each behavioral test. CVS caused hyperactivity in the OF, reduced sucrose preference in the SPT (indicative of enhanced anhedonia), and increased anxiety-like behavior in the LD box. Inhibition of PV IN after stress mitigated these effects. In addition, CVS also resulted in reduced thymus weight and body weight loss, which were also mitigated by PV IN inhibition. Our results indicate that chronic stress leads to plastic changes in PV INs that may be mitigated by chemogenetic inhibition. Our findings implicate cortical GABAergic INs as a therapeutic target in stress-related diseases.

Preference Signaling in the Urology Match.

PURPOSE: This manuscript summarizes the introduction, evolution and current outcomes for preference signaling in Urology as well as its use in other medical specialties. Overapplication plagues the residency recruitment process and PS has emerged as a process to improve the bottleneck of the interview selection process. RECENT FINDINGS: PS has been shown to be associated with a higher likelihood of interview among many subspecialties. Applicants and programs report satisfaction with the process. Further solutions are needed to increase transparency of program information and selection criteria to applicants so that critical decisions on which programs an applicant should apply to can be data driven.

Selection of an alternate cementitious mortar using ceramic tile dust waste: a hybrid MCDM approach.

Selection of a suitable alternative material from a pool of alternatives with many conflicting criteria becomes a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem. In the present study, ternary blended mortars were prepared using ceramic tile dust waste (CTD), fly ash (FA), and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as binder components. Crusher dust (CD) was used as a fine aggregate component. Binder to aggregate ratios of 1:3 and 1:1 were prepared considering suitable flow. A total of 16 mortar mixes were cast. These mortars were tested for various conflicting criteria compressive strength, flexural strength, porosity, water absorption, bulk density, thermal conductivity, specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and thermal effusivity whose weightages obtained were 29.09%, 20.08%, 12.77%, 10.60%, 8.74%, 6.74%, 5.54%, 4.47%, and 1.97%, respectively, as per AHP analysis. Later, considering these different criteria and alternate mortars, it was observed that a 1:1 mortar with 20% CTD, 30% FA, and 50% GGBFS (RC20F30G50) is found to be the suitable mortar with the highest relative closeness coefficient of 0.861 and the highest net outranking flow of 0.316 with respect to MCDM techniques: technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations (PROMETHEE-II), respectively. The ranking of the mortar in both methods complies with the relative weightages of the criteria and the performance of the mortars with respect to the above criteria.

Patient preferences for preventive migraine treatments among Canadian adults: A discrete choice experiment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate preferences for key attributes of injected or infused preventive migraine treatments and assess heterogeneity in preferences among Canadian participants with migraine. BACKGROUND: Current treatment options for migraine prevention differ in their attributes, including mode of administration, efficacy, and dosing frequency; preferences for such attributes can vary among patients. With the advent of new therapies, evidence demonstrating patient preferences for injected or infused preventive migraine treatments is necessary. METHODS: Canadian adults self-reporting a diagnosis of migraine completed a cross-sectional, internet-based survey that included a discrete choice experiment. Participants were presented with attributes of preventive migraine treatments, including speed of onset, durability of efficacy, mode of administration, administration setting, and dosing frequency. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify subgroups of patients who differed in their treatment preferences. RESULTS: In total, 200 participants completed the survey. Participants' treatment preferences were most sensitive to improvements in the durability of effectiveness from "wears off 2 weeks before next dose" to "does not wear off before the next dose" (absolute difference in weights = |-0.95 to 1.07| = 2.02) and improvements from "cranial injections" to "intravenous infusions" (|-1.04 to 0.58| = 1.62); participants equally preferred self-injection and intravenous infusion from a health-care provider (mean weight = 0.58 and 0.47, respectively) as a route of administration over cranial injections (mean weight = -1.04). Three subgroups were identified with LCA: group one (n = 103) prioritized fast-acting and durable therapies, group two (n = 54) expressed aversion to cranial injections, and group three (n = 43) favored treatments administered in a health-care provider setting. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of Canadian adults with migraine, we showed that durability of effectiveness and mode of administration are key attributes influencing patient preferences for preventive migraine treatments; however, certain groups of patients may differ in their treatment priorities. Our results highlight the need for patient-provider discussions regarding treatment attributes and consideration of patients' preferences when selecting a preventive migraine treatment.

Understanding the Relationship Between User Game Preferences and Depressive Symptoms: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Following the initial measures taken to manage the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health conditions have become a critical concern. Mental health has become a foremost priority not only for health care providers but also for many other organizations, such as educational institutions, companies, and government agencies. A significant proportion of the Australian population having experienced mental disorders highlights the need for effective interventions. Those with pre-existing mental health issues experienced particularly pronounced effects. Among these challenges, advancements in technology offer new possibilities for mental health support. Videogames have shown effectiveness in mitigating symptoms of depression. Previous research has shown that game interface preferences correlate with players' emotional responses. This study aims to use MoodJumper, a game we designed, developed, and evaluated to examine the choice of game preferences in individuals with depressive symptoms. Materials and Methods: A pilot study was carried out after obtaining the Human Ethics committee's approval (n = 20). The participants were asked to fill out a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire. They then played with the MoodJumper game for 20-30 minutes. Upon completing the game session, they were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their experience. Results: The results indicate a nonsignificant correlation between music preference, the direction of movement, and depressive symptoms meaning no significant relationship was found between depressive symptoms and chosen settings. However, a significant negative correlation was found between decision-making ability regarding game preferences and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores showing the difficulty of choosing preferred settings when having depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This contribution paves the way for designing and evaluating more impactful game experiences for individuals with mental health challenges.

Spatial preference behavior of robo-pigeons induced by electrical stimulus targeting fear nuclei.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have confirmed that stimulating the mid-brain motor nuclei can regulate movement forcibly for robo-pigeons, but research on behavior modulation using non-motor nuclei is scarce. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we constructed a spatial preference behavior by stimulating the stratum griseum periventriculare (SGP), a nucleus correlated with fear and escape, for robo-pigeons. METHODS: The study was carried out in a square-enclosed experimental field, with a designated box serving as the 'safe' area for the robo-pigeons. If the robo-pigeon exits this area, the SGP will be stimulated. After a brief training period, the robo-pigeons will have a clear spatial preference for the box. RESULTS: The result from five pigeons has shown that, after simple training, the animals develop a spatial preference for the box. They can quickly return to the box in any situation when the SGP is stimulated, with a success rate exceeding 80% (89.0 ± 6.5%). Moreover, this behavior is highly stable and remains consistent, unaffected by changes in the location of the box or the interference box. CONCLUSION: The results prove that using the electrical stimulus could enable animals to accomplish more complex tasks. It may offer a novel approach to regulating pigeon behavior and further advance the study of cyborg animals.

Investigating Determinants of Client Psychotherapy Preference: An Analog Study.

Increased emphasis has been placed on elucidating the contribution of client variables, such as treatment preference, to optimize evidence-based practice. This analog study sought to better understand variables associated with treatment preference using a convenience sample of college students (n = 54) who read brief descriptions of three interventions for negative thoughts-defusion, noticing, and restructuring. They rated each on acceptability and practicality and completed measures of cognitive fusion, emotional distress, and experiential avoidance as possible moderating variables. Restructuring was overwhelmingly preferred and rated as more acceptable than the two alternatives by both the overall sample and a distressed subsample. Preference for defusion or noticing was not predicted by ratings of acceptability or practicality but by elevated levels of cognitive fusion and emotional distress consistent with a compensation model. Limitations of the study and its implications for further research on psychotherapy preference and its integration within evidence-based practice are discussed.

What are the needs in oral antitumor therapy? An analysis of patients' and practitioners' preferences.

Background: Since the European approval of CDK4/6 inhibitors in 2016, the treatment of patients with hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer has changed significantly. Compared with chemotherapy, endocrine-based therapy has different treatment regimens and is associated with new side effects. Oral therapy aims for optimal drug efficacy and long treatment times while maintaining maximum independence and quality of life resulting in the conservation of medical staff resources. Methods: A monocentric analysis of therapy preferences of practitioners (25 nurses and physicians) and patients (11 on endocrine monotherapy, 17 on endocrine-based therapy, and 14 on intravenous chemotherapy) was performed using specific questionnaires. Preferences were assessed using a four-point Likert scale or bidirectional response options. Results: All patients were highly supportive of oral therapy (mean agreement score on the Likert scale 1.3, p < 0.001 vs. all other options) and a consultation interval of 4 weeks (2.0, p = 0.015 vs. 3 weeks). Practitioners also preferred oral therapy (1.4) and visits every 4 weeks (1.6). In general, patients on oral therapies reported higher compatibility of their therapy with daily life than patients on chemotherapy (1.6 and 1.7 vs. 2.6, p = 0.006). Outpatient oncology is the main source of information for all patients, mainly in case of side effects (2.0) and open questions (1.8). Regarding oral antitumor therapy regimens, patients do not show a significant preference for a specific regimen, while practitioners prefer a continuous regimen (1.6) over a 21/7 regimen (21 days on and 7 days off therapy, 2.5). Patients are likely to accept mild side effects (e.g., neutropenia, diarrhea, polyneuropathy, fatigue) and would still adhere to their initial choice of regimen (continuous or 21/7). Only when side effects occur with a severity of CTCAE grade 3 do patients prefer the regimen in which the side effects occur for a shorter period of time. Conclusion: Patients and practitioners prefer oral antitumor therapy-both continuous and 21/7 regimens-over other application forms. Patient education and proper therapy management, supported by additional tools, contribute to the specific management of side effects and high adherence. This allows quality of life to be maintained during long-term therapy with CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

BACLOFEN PREVENTS MORPHINE REWARDING EFFECTS AND ASSOCIATED BIOCHEMICAL ALTERATIONS IN MALE AND FEMALE MICE.

Previous studies from our laboratory have shown sex differences in the behavioral, molecular, and neurochemical manifestations of morphine withdrawal and they were related to an increased sensitivity to morphine effects in males. In addition, we observed an interaction between the GABAergic and opioid systems that could also be sex-dependent. Baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist, prevented the somatic expression and the molecular and neurochemical changes induced by morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice. On the contrary, little is known about baclofen effects in the rewarding properties of morphine in male and female mice. The present study aimed to explore the effect of baclofen (1, 2 and 3 mg/kg, i.p.) pretreatment in the rewarding effects induced by morphine (7 mg/kg, s.c.) and its effect on c-Fos and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression induced by the rewarding properties of morphine in prepubertal male and female mice. Baclofen (2 mg/kg) pretreatment prevented the rewarding effects of morphine only in male mice, while baclofen (3 mg/kg) reduced these effects in both sexes. Moreover, the rewarding effects of morphine were associated with a decrease of BDNF and c-Fos expression cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens shell, cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), and cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) areas of the hippocampus only in male mice. In addition, baclofen pretreatment prevented these changes in BDNF, but not in c-Fos expression. In conclusion, our results show that GABAB receptors have a regulatory role in the rewarding effects of morphine that could be of interest for a potential future therapeutic application in opioid use disorders.

A Microbiological and Sensory Evaluation of Modified Atmosphere-Packed (MAP) Chicken at Use-By Date and Beyond.

Consumers are responsible for a large proportion of food waste, and food that has reached its use-by or best-before date is often discarded, even if edible. In this study on fresh chicken, the suitability of use-by dates currently used in the EU was evaluated by using microbial and sensory analyses. This was carried out by analyzing bacterial populations of chicken breast fillets (M. pectoralis major) at three different time points (use-by date, 2 days past use-by date, 4 days past use-by date) and two different storage temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C). A discrimination triangle test was performed to check for sensory differences between chicken breast fillets cooked at the three selected time points for both storage temperatures. A consumer preference test was also performed for chicken breast fillets that had been stored at the highest recommended temperature (4 °C) and after being cooked at the three time points. Changes in populations of total aerobic count (TAC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were recorded over time. Despite large differences in bacterial counts at the selected time points, with TAC populations of approximately 6.5 and 8.0 log CFU/g at use-by date and four days after use-by date, respectively, storage for two or four extra days had no significant effect on the sensory parameters of cooked chicken compared with chicken consumed at its use-by date. Since the TAC populations were close to or above levels that are associated with spoilage, more work is needed to explore if shelf life can be extended.

Taste Preference for Salt Predicts Salt Intake in a Chinese Population.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the association between taste preference for salt and actual salt intake, thus guiding and refining personal and public health campaigns designed to lower salt intake in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1489 residents aged 18 to 69 years was conducted in 2017 in China. A multistage random sampling strategy was used, and a combination of questionnaires and physical and laboratory measurements were conducted to collect baseline characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB) related to salt. A 24 h urine collection was obtained for sodium and potassium excretion analysis. Participants were divided into two groups, light taste preference and salty taste preference, according to their answer to the question "Compared to others, how do you think your taste preference is for salt?". RESULTS: The mean age of the 1489 participants was 46.26 years, 48.9% were males, over 1/3 (35.7%) were identified as hypertensive, and 317 (21.3%) self-reported a salty taste preference. The mean of 24 h urinary sodium excretion was 167.32 mmol/24 h, corresponding to 9.79 g salt/d intake, and the sodium-to-potassium ratio (Na/K) was 4.90. The 24 h urinary sodium excretion of salty taste preference (177.06 mmol/24 h) was significantly higher than that of light taste preference (164.69 mmol/24 h). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the salty taste preference group had significantly higher 24 h urinary sodium (ORa(95%CI) = 1.004(1.002-1.006)), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), proportion of greasy food preference, and drinking levels, but lower potassium excretion, response levels to most KAB questions, and regular physical activity compared to the light taste preference group. CONCLUSION: Self-reported taste preference for salt predicted actual salt intake, which was verified by 24 h urinary sodium monitoring. Taste preference for salt could be used as a proxy for intake in terms of targeted salt intake, nutrition, and health education.

Patient and Clinician Preferences for Biologic Treatments for Severe Uncontrolled Asthma: A Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE).

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the preferences of patients with asthma and asthma-treating clinicians for attributes of biologic treatments, to compare patients' and clinicians' preferences, and to better understand the reasons for their preferences. METHODS: Adults with moderate-to-severe asthma and clinicians who treat asthma in the US completed a cross-sectional, online survey including a discrete choice experiment (DCE) that consisted of seven attributes spanning treatment efficacy, risk and convenience. Marginal utilities were estimated using a mixed logit model, and relative attribute importance scores calculated. Clinicians were also asked about the value of biomarker agnostic biologic treatments. The survey was followed by qualitative interviews targeting a sub-sample of survey participants, in which the rationale behind their survey responses was discussed. RESULTS: In the DCE, both patients and clinicians placed the most importance on exacerbation and hospitalization rate reduction, and risk of injection site reaction. Patients valued location of administration more than clinicians. Rationale for individual-level preferences varied, with patients and clinicians reporting their preference depended on event frequency and anticipated quality of life impacts. Clinicians mentioned compliance and financial impacts, while patients mentioned personal experience, particularly around site reactions. Most patients and clinicians would value a biomarker agnostic asthma treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma treatment preferences are largely driven by treatment efficacy and minimizing the risk of site reactions, although preferences differ between patients and clinicians across other attributes, highlighting the need for shared decision-making and individualized care.

Short-latency preference for faces in primate superior colliculus depends on visual cortex.

Face processing is fundamental to primates and has been extensively studied in higher-order visual cortex. Here, we report that visual neurons in the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) of macaque monkeys display a preference for images of faces. This preference emerges within 40 ms of stimulus onset-well before "face patches" in visual cortex-and, at the population level, can be used to distinguish faces from other visual objects with accuracies of ∼80%. This short-latency face preference in SC depends on signals routed through early visual cortex because inactivating the lateral geniculate nucleus, the key relay from retina to cortex, virtually eliminates visual responses in SC, including face-related activity. These results reveal an unexpected circuit in the primate visual system for rapidly detecting faces in the periphery, complementing the higher-order areas needed for recognizing individual faces.

Study on the antidepressant activity of (2R,6R; 2S,6S)-Hydroxynorketamine (HNK) and its derivatives.

OBJECTIVE: This study mainly explores (2R,6R; 2S,6S)-HNK and its compounds whether there are antidepressant effects. METHODS: Four HNK compounds were obtained from 2-(Chlorophenyl) Cyclopentylmethanone. Forced swimming test, locomotor sensitization test, and conditioned location preference test were used to screen the antidepressant activity of the synthesized target compounds. RESULTS: In the case of 10 mg HNK treatment, compared with saline, the immobile time of mice in the HNK group, I5 group and I6 group at 1 h and 7 days had statistical significance. In the case of 10 mg HNK treatment, compared with saline, the immobile time of compound C and D groups in the glass cylinder area was significantly different. In the locomotor sensitization test, the movement distance of compound C and D groups on day 15 and day 7 mice increased significantly compared with the first day. In the conditioned place preference experiment, compound C and compound D induced conditioned place preference in mice compared with the Veh group. CONCLUSION: The results of the forced swimming test, locomotor sensitization test, and conditioned location preference test showed that compounds C and D may have certain anti-depressant activity. However, HNK exerts a rapid and significant antidepressant effect within 1 week, but the duration is short.