Flat-band Friedrich-Wintgen bound states in the continuum based on borophene metamaterials.

Many applications involve the phenomenon of a material absorbing electromagnetic radiation. By exploiting wave interference, the efficiency of absorption can be significantly enhanced. Here, we propose Friedrich-Wintgen bound states in the continuum (F-W BICs) based on borophene metamaterials to realize coherent perfect absorption with a dual-band absorption peak in commercially important communication bands. Metamaterials consist of borophene gratings and a borophene sheet that can simultaneously support a Fabry-Perot plasmon resonance and a guided plasmon mode. The formation and dynamic modulation of the F-W BIC can be achieved by adjusting the width or carrier density of the borophene grating, while the strong coupling leads to the anti-crossover behavior of the absorption spectrum. Due to the weak angular dispersion originating from the intrinsic flat-band characteristic of the deep sub-wavelength periodic structure, the proposed plasmonic system exhibits almost no change in wavelength and absorption at large incident angles (within 70 degrees). In addition, we employ the temporal coupled-mode theory including near- and far-field coupling to obtain strong critical coupling, successfully achieve coherent perfect absorption, and can realize the absorption switch by changing the phase difference between the two coherent beams. Our findings can offer theoretical support for absorber design and all-optical tuning.

Two-Dimensional Sc2CCl2/XSe2(X=Mo, Pt) van der Waals Heterojunctions: Promising Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Materials.

In the field of photocatalysis, new heterojunction materials are increasingly explored to achieve efficient energy conversion and environmental catalysis under visible light and sunlight. This paper presents a study on two newly constructed two-dimensional van der Waals heterojunctions, Sc2CCl2/MoSe2 and Sc2CCl2/PtSe2, using density-functional theory. The study includes a systematic investigation of their geometrical structure, electronic properties, and optical properties. The results indicate that both heterojunctions are thermodynamically, kinetically, and mechanically stable. Additionally, Bader charge analysis reveals that both heterojunctions exhibit typical type II band properties. However, the band gap of the Sc2CCl2/MoSe2 heterojunction is only 1.18 eV, which is insufficient to completely cross the reduction and oxidation (REDOX) potential of 1.23 eV, whereas the band gap of Sc2CCl2/PtSe2 heterojunction is 1.49 eV, which is theoretically capable for water decomposition. The subsequent calculation of the Sc2CCl2/PtSe2 heterojunction demonstrate excellent hole carrier mobility and high efficiency light absorption in the visible light range, facilitating the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. More importantly, Sc2CCl2/PtSe2 vdW type II heterojunction can achieve full water decomposition from pH 1 to pH 4, and its thermodynamic feasibility is confirmed by Gibbs free energy results. The aim of this study is to develop materials and analyses that will result in optoelectronic devices that are more efficient, stable, and sustainable.

Strain-induced excellent photocatalytic performance in Z-scheme BlueP/γ-SnS heterostructures for water splitting.

Constructing Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency is a practical alternative to produce clean and recyclable hydrogen energy on a large scale. This paper presents the design of stable Z-scheme blue phosphorene (BlueP)/γ-SnS heterostructures with excellent photocatalytic activities by applying strains. The first-principles calculations show that the BlueP/γ-SnS heterobilayer is a type-I heterojunction with an indirect bandgap of 1.41 eV and strong visible-light absorption up to 105 cm-1. Interestingly, biaxial strains (ε) can effectively regulate its bandgap width (semiconductor-metal) and induce the band alignment transition (type-I-type-II). Compressive and tensile strains can significantly enhance the interfacial interaction and visible-light absorption, respectively. More intriguingly, compressive strains can not only modulate the heterojunction types but also make the band edges meet the requirements for overall water splitting. In particular, the Z-scheme (type-I) BlueP/γ-SnS bilayer at -8% (-2%) strain exhibits a relatively high STH efficiency of 18% (17%), and the strained Z-scheme system (-8% ≤ ε ≤ -6%) also exhibits high and anisotropic carrier mobilities (158-2327 cm2 V-1 s-1). These strain-induced outstanding properties make BlueP/γ-SnS heterostructures promising candidates for constructing economically feasible photocatalysts and flexible nanodevices.

A bicomponent synergistic MoxW1-xS2/aluminum nitride vdW heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: a first principles study.

The coupling of two-dimensional van der Waals heterojunctions is an effective way to achieve photocatalytic hydrogen production. This paper designs the MoxW1-xS2/AlN (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) van der Waals heterojunction as a possible photocatalytic material. By using first-principles calculations, the effects of different Mo/W ratios on the band gap and photocatalytic hydrogen production performance of heterojunctions were investigated. The results show that the heterojunction is a direct Z-scheme photocatalyst and can achieve overall water splitting. By calculating the absorption spectrum, it is found that the heterojunction has a wider visible light absorption range when the bimetal is added, and there is still a strong absorption peak at 615 nm. With the increase of the Mo atom ratio, the absorption spectrum is red-shifted. The Gibbs free energy of the two-component Mo0.5W0.5S2/AlN heterojunction is only -0.028 eV. Our work provides a new perspective for the modification of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide photocatalytic heterojunctions.

The molecular mechanism of MiR-26a-5p regulates autophagy and activates NLRP3 inflammasome to mediate cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have found that miR-26a-5p plays an essential role in the progression of pathological cardiac hypertrophy, however, there is still no evidence on whether miR-26a-5p is related to the activation of autophagy and NLRP3 inflammasome. And the mechanism of miR-26a-5p and NLRP3 inflammasome aggravating pathological cardiac hypertrophy remain unclear. METHODS: Cardiomyocytes were treated with 200µM PE to induce cardiac hypertrophy and intervened with 10mM NLRP3 inhibitor INF39. In addition, we also used the MiR-26a-5p mimic and inhibitor to transfect PE-induced cardiac hypertrophy. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to detect the expressions of miR-26a-5p, NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1 in each group, and we used α-SMA immunofluorescence to detect the change of cardiomyocyte area. The expression levels of autophagy proteins LC3, beclin-1 and p62 were detected by western blotting. Finally, we induced the SD rat cardiac hypertrophy model through aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. In the experimental group, rats were intervened with MiR-26a-5p mimic, MiR-26a-5p inhibitor, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, and autophagy activator Rapamycin. RESULTS: In cell experiments, we observed that the expression of miR-26a-5p was associated with cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and increased surface area. Furthermore, miR-26a-5p facilitated autophagy and activated the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, which caused changes in the expression of genes and proteins including LC3, beclin-1, p62, ACS, NLRP3, and Caspase-1. We discovered similar outcomes in the TAC rat model, where miR-26a-5p expression corresponded with cardiomyocyte enlargement and fibrosis in the cardiac interstitial and perivascular regions. In conclusion, miR-26a-5p has the potential to regulate autophagy and activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, contributing to the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: Our study found a relationship between the expression of miR-26a-5p and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The mechanism behind this relationship appears to involve the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, which is caused by miR-26a-5p promoting autophagy. Targeting the expression of miR-26a-5p, as well as inhibiting the activation of autophagy and the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, could offer additional treatments for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Dampened motivation in schizophrenia: evidence from a novel effort-based decision-making task in social scenarios.

Apathy represents a significant manifestation of negative symptoms within individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ) and exerts a profound impact on their social relationships. However, the specific implications of this motivational deficit in social scenarios have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to examine effort-based decision-making in social scenarios and its relation to apathy symptoms in SCZ patients. We initially recruited a group of 50 healthy participants (16 males) to assess the validity of the paradigm. Subsequently, we recruited 45 individuals diagnosed with SCZ (24 males) and 49 demographically-matched healthy controls (HC, 25 males) for the main study. The Mock Job Interview Task was developed to measure effort-based decision-making in social scenarios. The proportion of hard-task choice and a range of subjective ratings were obtained to examine potential between-group differences. SCZ patients were less likely than HC to choose the hard task with strict interviewers, and this group difference was significant when the hard-task reward value was medium and high. More severe apathy symptoms were significantly correlated with an overall reduced likelihood of making a hard-task choice. When dividing the jobs into two categories based on the levels of social engagement needed, SCZ patients were less willing to expend effort to pursue a potential offer for jobs requiring higher social engagement. Our findings indicated impaired effort-based decision-making in SCZ can be generalized from the monetary/nonsocial to a more ecologically social dimension. Our findings affirm the critical role of aberrant effort allocation on negative symptoms, and may facilitate the development of targeted clinical interventions.

Analytical investigation of unidirectional reflectionless phenomenon near the exceptional points in graphene plasmonic system.

We propose a two-dimensional array made of a double-layer of vertically separated graphene nanoribbons. The transfer matrix method and coupled mode theory are utilized to quantitatively depict the transfer properties of the system. We present a way to calculate the radiative and the intrinsic loss factors, combined with finite-difference time-domain simulation, conducting the complete analytical analysis of the unidirectional reflectionless phenomenon. By adjusting the Fermi energy and the vertical distance between two graphene nanoribbons, the plasmonic resonances are successfully excited, and the unique phenomena can be realized at the exceptional points. Our research presents the potential in the field of optics and innovative technologies to create advanced optical devices that operate in the mid-infrared range, such as terahertz antennas and reflectors.

Optical force conversion and conveyor belt effect with coupled graphene plasmon waveguide modes.

We propose a double-layer graphene sheets side coupling to a strip of graphene to obtain the optical pulling or pushing force. Combined with coupled mode theory and finite-difference time-domain simulations, it is found that the conveyor belt effect can be realized in conjunction with the lateral optical equilibrium effect upon the radiation loss κe equal to the intrinsic loss κo. The maximum total optical force acting on the strip in the symmetric mode (S-mode) can be up to ∼5.95 in the unit of 1/c and the anti-symmetric (AS-mode) mode reach ∼2.75 1/c. The optical trapping potential Ux and optical trapping force Fx for the S-mode have a value around -22.5 kBT/W and 240 pN/W, while for the AS-mode can up to ∼-56 kBT/W and 520 pN/W, respectively. Our work opens a new avenue for optical manipulation with potential applications in optoelectronic devices and lab-on-a-chip platforms.

Extreme enhancement of optical force via the acoustic graphene plasmon mode.

We have investigated the effect of enhanced optical force via the acoustic graphene plasmon (AGP) cavities with the ultra-small mode volumes. The AGP mode can generate stronger field confinement and higher momentum, which could provide giant optical force, and has no polarization preference for the optical source. We have demonstrated that the trapping potential and force applied on polystyrene nanoparticle in the AGP cavities are as high as -13.6 × 102 kBT/mW and 2.5 nN/mW, respectively. The effect of radius of rounded corners and gap distance of AGP cavities on the optical force has been studied. Compared with an ideal nanocube, nanocube with rounded corners is more in line with the actual situation of the device. These results show that the larger radius of nanocube rounded corners, the smaller trapping potential and force provided by AGP cavities. Our results pave a new idea for the investigation of optical field and optical force via acoustic plasmon mode.

Polaritonic coherent perfect absorption based on self-hybridization of a quasi-bound state in the continuum and exciton.

Enhancement of light-matter interactions is of great importance for many nanophotonic devices, and one way to achieve it is to feed energy perfectly to the strongly coupled system. Here, we propose gap-perturbed dimerized gratings based on bulk WS2 for flexible control of the strong coupling or self-hybridization of a quasi-bound state in the continuum (quasi-BIC) and exciton. The simulation results show that when a gap perturbation is introduced into the system resulting in the Brillouin zone folding, BIC transforms into quasi-BIC whose quality factor (Q-factor) is related to the value of gap perturbation. The strong coupling results in the anti-crossover behavior of the absorption spectra, and thus a Rabi splitting energy of 0.235 eV is obtained. With the assistance of temporal coupled-mode theory, the conditions for the strong critical coupling are obtained, and finally successful achievement of polaritonic coherent perfect absorption in the proposed system. This work could provide ideas for enhancing light-matter interactions and strong theoretical support for all-optical tuning and modulation.

Topological plasmons in stacked graphene nanoribbons.

In this Letter, we theoretically study the topological plasmons in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model-based graphene nanoribbon (GNR) layers. We find that for the one-dimensional (1D) stacked case, only two topological modes with the field localized in the top or bottom layer are predicted to exist by the Zak phase. When we further expand the stacked 1D GNR layers to two-dimensional (2D) arrays in the in-plane direction, the topology is then characterized by the 2D Zak phase, which predicts the emergence of three kinds of topological modes: topological edge, surface, and corner modes. For a 2D ribbon array with Nx × Ny units, there are 4(Ny - 1), 4(Nx - 1), and 4 topological edge, surface, and corner modes, and the field is highly localized at the edge/surface/corner ribbons. This work offers a platform to realize topological modes in GNRs and could be important for the design of topological photonic devices such as lasers and sensors.

Dual-mode tunable absorber based on quasi-bound states in the continuum.

In this Letter, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, dual-mode tunable absorber that utilizes quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC) based on the periodically arranged silicon cylinders tetramer. By introducing asymmetry perturbation through manipulating the diameters of diagonal cylinders in the all-dielectric structure, the symmetry-protected BIC (SP-BIC) transforms into q-BIC, leading to the emergence of one transmission and one reflection Fano-like resonant mode. The relationship between the quality factor of each mode and the asymmetry parameter α is analyzed, revealing an exponential dependence with an exponent of -1.75, i.e., Q ∝ α-1.75. To explain the underlying physics, multipole decomposition analysis and Aleksandra's theory are applied. Subsequently, a monolayer graphene is introduced to the all-dielectric structure to demonstrate the application of the dual-mode tunable absorber. When the critical coupling condition is satisfied, each mode can achieve the theoretical maximum absorption, demonstrating the distinctive capability of our proposed absorber for tuning and efficient light absorption. This research provides valuable insights into light-matter interactions and opens up possibilities for optical modulation and the development of graphene-based devices.

Two-dimensional AlN/g-CNs van der Waals type-II heterojunction for water splitting.

A type-II van der Waals heterojunction photocatalyst is not only an ideal material for hydrogen production by water splitting, but also an important way to improve efficiency and produce low-cost clean energy. In this work, we unexpectedly found that monolayers of AlN and C2N, g-C3N4, and C6N8 all formed type-II heterojunctions according to density functional theory, and we report a comparison of their photocatalytic performance. Among them, the AlN/C2N heterojunction has an appropriate band gap value of 1.61 eV for visible light water splitting. It has higher carrier mobility than the AlN/g-C3N4 heterojunction (electron 253.1 cm2 V-1 s-1 > 31.6 cm2 V-1 s-1 and hole 11043.4 cm2 V-1 s-1 > 524.7 cm2 V-1 s-1), and an absorption peak similar those of monolayer C2N in visible light (8 × 104 cm-1) and monolayer AlN in ultraviolet light (11 × 104 cm-1). The Bader charge shows that the charge transfer number of the AlN/g-C3N4 heterojunction is higher than that of the AlN/C2N heterojunction, and its Gibbs free energy (-0.22 eV) is smaller than that of single-layer g-C3N4 (-0.30 eV). The AlN/C6N8 heterojunction also has a perfect band gap of 2.16 eV and an absorption peak of over 10 × 104 cm-1 in the UV region. Since a type-II heterojunction can effectively promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and prevent their rapid recombination, the above heterojunctions are promising candidates for new photocatalysts.

Two-dimensional AlN/TMO van der Waals heterojunction as a promising photocatalyst for water splitting driven by visible light.

In this study, the photocatalytic properties of AlN/TMO heterojunctions formed by coupling MoO2 and WO2 of transition metal oxides with AlN are studied in detail using first-principles calculations with the aim of finding efficient and low-cost photocatalysts for water splitting to produce hydrogen to reduce environmental pollution. The AIMD, phonon spectrum, and elastic constants demonstrated the thermodynamic, kinetic, and mechanical stabilities of the AlN/TMO heterojunction. The results showed that the AlN/MoO2 (1.55 eV) and AlN/WO2 (1.99 eV) heterojunctions have typical type-II energy band arrangements, which can effectively promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and hole pairs. Meanwhile, the AlN/MoO2 heterojunction showed excellent carrier mobilities (electron, 250.05 cm2 V-1 S-1 and hole, 45 467.07 cm2 V-1 S-1), which greatly exceeded those of each component. The AlN/WO2 heterojunction showed an excellent HER (-0.07 eV) performance, which was close to the expected value. For the AlN/WO2 heterojunction, a suitable band gap value, excellent HER, and other properties indicated that it has the potential to become a new candidate for photocatalytic water splitting. Our study enriches the theoretical research of transition metal oxide materials and wide-band gap materials by providing a reference direction for the design of reasonably high-quality photocatalysts.

Negative schizotypal traits predict the reduction of reward motivation in effort-reward imbalance.

The schizotypy construct is useful for studying the effects of environmental stress on development of subclinical negative symptoms. The relationship among self-report motivation, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), and schizotypal features has seldom been studied. We aimed to examine the possible moderation effect of schizotypal traits on ERI and reward motivation. Eight-hundred-and-forty-three college students were recruited online to complete a set of self-reported measures capturing schizotypal traits, effort-reward imbalance and reward motivation, namely the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), the Effort-Reward Imbalance-School Version Questionnaire (C-ERI-S) and the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self Report (MAP-SR). We conducted multiple linear regression to construct models to investigate the moderating effects of schizotypal traits on the relationship between ERI and reward motivation. Stressful ERI situation predicted the reduction of reward motivation. Negative schizotypal traits showed a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between ERI and reward motivation, while positive and disorganized schizotypal traits had significant positive moderating effects. Schizotypal traits subtypes differently moderate the relationship between ERI and reward motivation. Only negative schizotypal traits and stressful ERI situation together have negative impact on reward motivation.

Reward motivation adaptation in people with negative schizotypal features: development of a novel behavioural paradigm and identifying its neural correlates using resting-state functional connectivity analysis.

Reward motivation in individuals with high levels of negative schizotypal traits (NS) has been found to be lower than that in their counterparts. But it is unclear that whether their reward motivation adaptively changes with external effort-reward ratio, and what resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) is associated with this change. Thirty-five individuals with high levels of NS and 44 individuals with low levels of NS were recruited. A 3T resting-state functional brain scan and a novel reward motivation adaptation behavioural task were administrated in all participants. The behavioural task was manipulated with three conditions (effort > reward condition vs. effort < reward condition vs. effort = reward condition). Under each condition were rated 'wanting' and 'liking' for rewards. The seed-based voxel-wise rsFC analysis was conducted to explore the rsFCs associated with the 'wanting' and 'liking' ratings in individuals with high levels of NS. 'Wanting' and 'liking' ratings of individuals with high levels of NS significantly declined in the effort > reward condition but did not rebound as high as their counterparts in the effort < reward condition. The rsFCs in NS group associated with these ratings were altered. The altered rsFCs in NS group involved regions in the prefrontal lobe, dopaminergic brain regions (ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra), hippocampus, thalamus and cerebellum. Individuals with high levels of NS manifested their reward motivation adaptation impairment as a failure of adjustment adaptively during effort-reward imbalance condition and altered rsFCs in prefrontal, dopaminergic and other brain regions.

Altered neural mechanism of social reward anticipation in individuals with schizophrenia and social anhedonia.

Altered social reward anticipation could be found in schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and individuals with high levels of social anhedonia (SA). However, few research investigated the putative neural processing for altered social reward anticipation in these populations on the SCZ spectrum. This study aimed to examine the underlying neural mechanisms of social reward anticipation in these populations. Twenty-three SCZ patients and 17 healthy controls (HC), 37 SA individuals and 50 respective HCs completed the Social Incentive Delay (SID) imaging task while they were undertaking MRI brain scans. We used the group contrast to examine the alterations of BOLD activation and functional connectivity (FC, psychophysiological interactions analysis). We then characterized the beta-series social brain network (SBN) based on the meta-analysis results from NeuroSynth and examined their prediction effects on real-life social network (SN) characteristics using the partial least squared regression analysis. The results showed that SCZ patients exhibited hypo-activation of the left medial frontal gyrus and the negative FCs with the left parietal regions, while individuals with SA showed the hyper-activation of the left middle frontal gyrus when anticipating social reward. For the beta-series SBNs, SCZ patients had strengthened cerebellum-temporal FCs, while SA individuals had strengthened left frontal regions FCs. However, such FCs of the SBN failed to predict the real-life SN characteristics. These preliminary findings suggested that SCZ patients and SA individuals appear to exhibit altered neural processing for social reward anticipation, and such neural activities showed a weakened association with real-life SN characteristics.

Bridge centrality network structure of negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia.

Negative symptoms are complex psychopathology. Although evidence generally supported the NIMH five consensus domains, research seldom examined measurement invariance of this model, and domain-specific correspondence across multiple scales. This study aimed to examine the interrelationship between negative symptom domains captured by different rating scales, and to examine the domain-specific correspondence across multiple scales. We administered the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), the Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS), and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) to 204 individuals with schizophrenia. We used network analysis to examine the interrelationship between negative symptom domains. Besides regularized partial correlation network, we estimated bridge centrality indices to investigate domain-specific correspondence, while taking each scale as an independent community. The regularized partial correlation network showed that the SNS nodes clustered together, whereas the SANS and the BNSS nodes intermingled together. The SANS attention domain lied at the periphery of the network according to the Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm. The SANS anhedonia-asociality (strength = 1.48; EI = 1.48) and the SANS affective flattening (strength = 1.06; EI = 1.06) had the highest node strength and EI. Moreover, the five nodes of the BNSS bridged the nodes of the SANS and the SNS. BNSS blunted affect (strength = 0.76; EI = 0.76) and SANS anhedonia-asociality (strength = 0.76; EI = 0.74) showed the highest bridge strength and bridge EI. The BNSS captures negative symptoms and bridges the symptom domains measured by the SANS and the SNS. The three scales showed domain-specific correspondence.

A comparative study on the efficacy and safety of propofol combined with different doses of alfentanil in gastroscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Propofol can be used alone or in combination with opioids during gastroscopy. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous propofol and different doses of alfentanil in patients undergoing gastroscopy. METHODS: A total of 300 patients undergoing sedative gastroscopy were randomly divided into four groups, and 0.9% saline (group A), 2 µg/kg alfentanil (group B), 3 µg/kg alfentanil (group C) or 4 µg/kg alfentanil (group D) were injected intravenously 1 min before the intravenous injection of 1.5 mg/kg propofol. If body movement and coughing occurred during the procedure, 0.5 mg/kg propofol would be administered intravenously. The primary outcome (awakening time) and secondary outcomes were recorded and analyzed, including hemodynamic changes, the incidences of body movement, coughing, hypoxemia, hypotension, hypertension, bradycardia, tachycardia, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness and dizziness. RESULTS: Patients in group C (7.0 [5.0 to 8.0] min) and group D (6.0 [5.0 to 7.0] min) woke up significantly earlier than those in group A (8.0 [6.0 to 10.0] min) (P < 0.001). Patients in group A experienced more body movement (P = 0.001) and coughing (P < 0.001) than the other groups. With the increasing dose of alfentanil, the morbidity of hypotension and bradycardia increased significantly (P = 0.001), while the incidence of dizziness decreased significantly (P = 0.037). The incidences of hypoxemia, tachycardia, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting were similar among the four groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous 1.5 mg/kg propofol combined with 3 µg/kg alfentanil is more suitable for patients undergoing gastroscopy, and the dose of alfentanil can be reduced according to the patient's actual physical condition.

The effect of music intervention on sedation in elderly patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate under spinal anesthesia: a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE: Music intervention is commonly used as a non-pharmacologic therapeutic modality to alleviate anxiety in perioperative patients. This study aimed to assess the sedative and anxiolytic effects of music on elderly patients receiving transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) under spinal anesthesia. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial on patients who aged over 60 and received TURP under spinal anesthesia. Participants were randomized to the music group or the control group (no music). The primary outcome was perioperative BIS values, and the secondary outcomes were patient's perioperative anxiety levels, heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and patient satisfaction score. RESULTS: A total of 82 patients were analyzed. The perioperative BIS values in the music group were significantly lower than those of the control group at almost all time points (P < 0.001), as well as showed a significant reduction compared with baseline (P < 0.001), whereas the control group did not. In comparison with the control group, systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly decreased in the music group at the beginning (mean difference, - 8.0 mmHg; 95% CI - 15.70 to 0.35; P = 0.041) and the 60th minute (mean difference, - 7.9 mmHg; 95% CI - 15.30 to 0.51; P = 0.037) of TURP. Furthermore, compared with baseline within the music group, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and HR significant reduced at whole time points (P < 0.05), yet the control group not. CONCLUSION: Music intervention effectively provided slight sedation for elderly patients when undergoing TURP under spinal anesthesia without sedatives.