Virtual grocery shopping and cookie consumption following intranasal insulin or placebo application.

Insulin receptors are present in brain areas that are involved in the control of hunger and satiety, and intranasal insulin is assumed to have an anorexigenic effect. This known influence of insulin on satiety encouraged us to investigate the effect of intranasal insulin on feeding-related behaviors. The aim of the current study was to explore the influence of 40 IU of intranasal insulin on the grocery shopping behavior and cookie consumption in a group of 30 healthy young men, using a crossover randomized double-blind design. Using a virtual mock supermarket, we tested whether the intranasal administration of insulin influences purchase behavior in comparison to a placebo or control condition. The participants also provided hedonic ratings of food pictures, as well as their subjective feeling of hunger. We calculated an objective measure of hunger from the amount of cookies eaten. In contradiction to our hypotheses, no significant differences regarding ratings, calorie content of purchased food products, and cookie consumption were found between the treatment conditions. Our conclusion is that 40 IU intranasal insulin had no influence on the evaluation of pictured foods in healthy young men in our task. Acknowledging that previous studies have found effects for intranasal insulin and food cue processing, we suggest that future research should focus on chemosensory stimulation or cognitive tasks in behavioral experiments and carefully consider the doses of intranasal insulin. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Can silicone models replace animal models in hands-on training for endovascular stroke therapy?

PURPOSE: Since thrombectomy has become a standard treatment technique for stroke, there is great demand for well-trained interventionalists. We offer practical courses on both silicone models and porcine models, and conducted a survey to evaluate whether ex vivo training models could replace in vivo models in the future. METHODS: In total, 110 neurointerventionalists participating in 30 training courses were included in our survey using a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The level of experience in thrombectomy maneuvers was almost balanced in our sample (52% experienced and 48% less-experienced participants). Silicone models were regarded as useful training tools regardless of the participants' experience (p = 1.000): 94% of less-experienced and 92% of experienced participants considered a silicone model to be a useful introduction for training with animal models. Of the participants, 95% indicated that training on animal models was helpful and necessary, even if they already had experience in performing interventions in humans (p = 1.000). After joining this course, 97% of all participants felt well prepared to perform thrombectomies in humans. CONCLUSION: Even experienced participants benefit from silicone models. Silicone models are a good preparation for animal models but cannot replace them. Categorizing participants depending on their experience and their individual needs before practical training may allow for more efficient endovascular training.

Intra-arterial pulse wave analysis during thrombectomy for the assessment of collateral status - A feasibility study.

PURPOSE: Knowledge of the collateralization of an occluded vessel is important for the risk-benefit analysis of difficult revascularization maneuvers during mechanical thrombectomy. If the territory behind a clot is well perfused, one could desist from performing a risky thrombectomy maneuver. The arterial pulse pressure curve may serve as an indicator for the collateralization of an occluded target vessel. We investigated the feasibility of arterial pulse measurements with a standard microcatheter. METHODS: We measured the intra-arterial blood pressure proximal and distal to the clot in 40 thrombectomy maneuvers in a porcine stroke model. We used a microcatheter (Trevo Pro 18, Stryker, Kalamazoo, CA, USA), a pressure transducer (MEMSCAP SP844), an AdInstruments Powerlab 16/35 workstation, and LabChart 8 Software (AdInstruments, Dunedin, New Zealand). RESULTS: Median arterial blood pressure proximal and distal to the clot was 96.0 mmHg (IQR, 23.8 mmHg) and 47.5 mmHg (IQR, 43.5 mmHg), respectively (p < .001). The median difference between systolic maximum and diastolic minimum proximal and distal to the clot decreased significantly from 1.8 mmHg (IQR, 3.6 mmHg) to 0.0 mmHg (IQR, 0.5 mmHg) (p < .001). There was loss of the curve in 26 of 40 cases and loss of pressure in 23 of 40 cases (p = .008). There was no significant correlation between vessel diameter and either loss of the pulse pressure curve (p = .20) or overall pressure loss (p = .31). CONCLUSION: It is possible to measure the pulse pressure proximal and distal to the clot with a standard microcatheter used during mechanical thrombectomy.