Health related quality of life for multiple myeloma patients according to treatment strategy after autologous stem cell transplant: a cross-sectional study using EORTC, EQ-5D and MY-20 scales.

Maintenance (MT) may be prescribed after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) but there are often concerns about the impact on quality of life (QoL). QoL was compared between baseline patients (30-100 days post-ASCT and had not commenced MT); MT patients (>100 days post-ASCT and receiving MT), and no MT (>100 days post-ASCT and not receiving MT). Patients completed the EuroQoL five dimension (EQ-5D), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the QoL Questionnaire Myeloma 20 module (QLQ-MY20). Differences between groups were explored with ordinary least squares regressions. Across US and Canada, 303 patients participated. Regression analyses found few differences between MT and no MT. Only diarrhea (EORTC-QLQ C30) and future perspectives (MY-20) domains differentiated; patients on MT scored worse for diarrhea (+9.43; p = .0358) and future perspectives (-11.39; p = .0196). Collectively, the results suggest that MT is not associated with a notable QoL detriment.

Effects of performance feedback on cardiovascular reactivity and frontal EEG asymmetry.

The process of goal-setting may be captured by psychophysiological variables, such as cardiovascular reactivity (representative of effort mobilisation) and frontal EEG asymmetry (motivational disposition). The current study exposed 32 participants to false performance feedback in order to manipulate goal-setting and mental effort investment. Participants performed five consecutive blocks of the n-back task and received false performance feedback. One group received repeated positive feedback (i.e. performance steadily improved over the five blocks) whilst a second group were exposed to repeated negative feedback (i.e. performance deterioration over five blocks). Blood pressure, power in the mid-frequency and high-frequency component of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), heart rate, frontal EEG asymmetry and subjective self-assessment data were collected. Sustained and repeated positive feedback led to increased systolic blood pressure reactivity and a suppression of the 0.1Hz component of HRV. Increased relative left hemisphere activation was observed at F3/F4 and FC1/FC2 over successive task blocks in the presence of feedback regardless of positive or negative direction. It is argued that upward goal adjustment accounted for the psychophysiological changes observed in the positive feedback condition.