Promoting Third Graders' Executive Functions and Literacy: A Pilot Study Examining the Benefits of Mindfulness vs. Relaxation Training.

Research suggested that developing mindfulness skills in children improves proximal outcomes, such as attention and executive functions, as well as distal outcomes, such as academic achievement. Despite empirical evidence supporting this claim, research on the benefits of mindfulness training in child populations is scarce, with some mixed findings in the field. Here, we aimed to fill in this gap, by examining the effects of a mindfulness training on third graders' proximal and distal outcomes, namely, attention and executive functions (viz., inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) as well as literacy-related achievement (viz., handwriting fluency, text quality, Portuguese grades). These outcomes were measured with behavioral tasks and teacher ratings. Sixty-six Portuguese children were randomly allocated to an experimental group receiving mindfulness training (n = 29) or an active control group receiving relaxation training (n = 37). Both training programs were implemented by psychologists in two 30-min weekly sessions for 8 weeks. All students were assessed before and after the interventions. Three main findings are noteworthy: (a) mindfulness training enhanced teacher-rated cognitive flexibility and a performance-based composite score of executive functions among children with higher pretest scores; (b) relaxation training improved performance-based cognitive flexibility and the composite score of executive functions among children with lower pretest scores; (c) children receiving mindfulness training had higher handwriting fluency and better grades in Portuguese than those receiving relaxation training. These findings provide preliminary evidence on the benefits of mindfulness training in educational settings and highlight the moderating role of baseline performance on those benefits.

Design and Validation of a Simulator for Feline Cephalic Vein Cannulation-A Pilot Study.

In recent years there has been an increased use of alternative methods for teaching veterinary clinical skills, since ethical considerations preclude the use of live animals for demonstration or practice of many procedures. Skills training on cats (i.e., feline venipuncture) is a particularly challenging area. This study aimed to develop a simulator for cephalic venipuncture in cats and to validate this simulator using questionnaires answered by undergraduate students and experienced veterinarians. The simulator was developed to provide an experience that was close to reality, including an artificial blood system that flows through the catheter when venipuncture is correctly performed, while at the same time using simple methodology and accessible materials so that it could be reproduced in other universities. The experienced vets agreed (44.4%) or strongly agreed (55.6%) that the simulator was good for venipuncture training, and the most useful feature was the experience of catheter manipulation and fixation on the cat's limb. All the students agreed that the practical class with the simulator was important for learning this skill. Both groups (students and experienced veterinarians) unanimously agreed that it is important to train using a simulator before trying the procedure on a live cat. This simulator offers undergraduate students an alternative way to learn and practice venipuncture in cats helping to reduce the use of live animals in practical classes.

Alterations in Skin Blood Flow at the Fingertip Are Related to Mortality in Patients With Circulatory Shock.

OBJECTIVES: Skin blood flow is rapidly altered during circulatory shock and may remain altered despite apparent systemic hemodynamic stabilization. We evaluated whether changes in skin blood flow during circulatory shock were related to survival. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Thirty-five-bed medical-surgical university hospital department of intensive care. SUBJECTS: Twenty healthy volunteers and 70 patients with circulatory shock (< 12 hr duration), defined as the need for vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure greater than or equal to 65 mm Hg and signs of altered tissue perfusion. INTERVENTIONS: We assessed skin blood flow using skin laser Doppler on the fingertip for 3 minutes at basal temperature (SBFBT) and at 37°C (SBF37) (thermal challenge test) once in volunteers and at the time of inclusion and after 6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours in patients with shock. Capillary refill time and peripheral perfusion index were measured at the same time points on the contralateral hand. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The thermal challenge response (ΔSBF/ΔT) was calculated using the following formula: (SBF37-SBFBT)/(37-basal temperature). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to evaluate variables predictive of ICU mortality. At inclusion, skin blood flow and ΔSBF/ΔT were lower in patients than in volunteers. Baseline skin blood flow (31 [17-113] vs 16 [9-32] arbitrary perfusion units; p = 0.01) and ΔSBF/ΔT (4.3 [1.7-10.9] vs 0.9 [0.4-2.9] arbitrary perfusion unit/s) were greater in survivors than in nonsurvivors. Capillary refill time was shorter in survivors than in nonsurvivors; peripheral perfusion index was similar in the two groups. ΔSBF/ΔT (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.94 [0.88-0.99]) and SBFBT (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.83 [0.73-0.93]) had the best predictive value for ICU mortality with cutoff values less than or equal to 1.25 arbitrary perfusion unit/°C (sensitivity 88%, specificity 89%) and less than or equal to 21 arbitrary perfusion unit (sensitivity 84%, specificity 81%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in fingertip skin blood flow can be evaluated using a laser Doppler thermal challenge technique in patients with circulatory shock and are directly related to outcome. These novel monitoring techniques could potentially be used to guide resuscitation.

High emotional contagion and empathy are associated with enhanced detection of emotional authenticity in laughter.

Nonverbal vocalisations such as laughter pervade social interactions, and the ability to accurately interpret them is an important skill. Previous research has probed the general mechanisms supporting vocal emotional processing, but the factors that determine individual differences in this ability remain poorly understood. Here, we ask whether the propensity to resonate with others' emotions-as measured by trait levels of emotional contagion and empathy-relates to the ability to perceive different types of laughter. We focus on emotional authenticity detection in spontaneous and voluntary laughs: spontaneous laughs reflect a less controlled and genuinely felt emotion, and voluntary laughs reflect a more deliberate communicative act (e.g., polite agreement). In total, 119 participants evaluated the authenticity and contagiousness of spontaneous and voluntary laughs and completed two self-report measures of resonance with others' emotions: the Emotional Contagion Scale and the Empathic Concern scale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. We found that higher scores on these measures predict enhanced ability to detect laughter authenticity. We further observed that perceived contagion responses during listening to laughter significantly relate to authenticity detection. These findings suggest that resonating with others' emotions provides a mechanism for processing complex aspects of vocal emotional information.