Corrected Minute Ventilation Is Associated With Mortality in ARDS Caused by COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The ratio of dead space to tidal volume (VD/VT) is associated with mortality in patients with ARDS. Corrected minute ventilation ([Formula: see text]) is a simple surrogate of dead space, but, despite its increasing use, its association with mortality has not been proven. The aim of our study was to assess the association between [Formula: see text] and hospital mortality. We also compared the strength of this association with that of estimated VD/VT and ventilatory ratio. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study with prospectively collected data. We evaluated 187 consecutive mechanically ventilated subjects with ARDS caused by novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The association between [Formula: see text] and hospital mortality was assessed in multivariable logistic models. The same was done for estimated VD/VT and ventilatory ratio. RESULTS: Mean ± SD [Formula: see text] was 11.8 ± 3.3 L/min in survivors and 14.5 ± 3.9 L/min in nonsurvivors (P < .001) and was independently associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.15, P = .01). The strength of association of [Formula: see text] with mortality was similar to that of VD/VT and ventilatory ratio. CONCLUSIONS: [Formula: see text] was independently associated with hospital mortality in subjects with ARDS caused by COVID-19. [Formula: see text] could be used at the patient's bedside for outcome prediction and severity stratification, due to the simplicity of its calculation. These findings need to be confirmed in subjects with ARDS without viral pneumonia and when lung-protective mechanical ventilation is not rigorously applied.

An Event-Related Potential Study on the Effects of Cannabis on Emotion Processing.

The effect of cannabis on emotional processing was investigated using event-related potential paradigms (ERPs). ERPs associated with emotional processing of cannabis users, and non-using controls, were recorded and compared during an implicit and explicit emotional expression recognition and empathy task. Comparisons in P3 component mean amplitudes were made between cannabis users and controls. Results showed a significant decrease in the P3 amplitude in cannabis users compared to controls. Specifically, cannabis users showed reduced P3 amplitudes for implicit compared to explicit processing over centro-parietal sites which reversed, and was enhanced, at fronto-central sites. Cannabis users also showed a decreased P3 to happy faces, with an increase to angry faces, compared to controls. These effects appear to increase with those participants that self-reported the highest levels of cannabis consumption. Those cannabis users with the greatest consumption rates showed the largest P3 deficits for explicit processing and negative emotions. These data suggest that there is a complex relationship between cannabis consumption and emotion processing that appears to be modulated by attention.

Interaction of threat expressions and eye gaze: an event-related potential study.

The current study examined the interaction of fearful, angry, happy, and neutral expressions with left, straight, and right eye gaze directions. Human participants viewed faces consisting of various expression and eye gaze combinations while event-related potential (ERP) data were collected. The results showed that angry expressions modulated the mean amplitude of the P1, whereas fearful and happy expressions modulated the mean amplitude of the N170. No influence of eye gaze on mean amplitudes for the P1 and N170 emerged. Fearful, angry, and happy expressions began to interact with eye gaze to influence mean amplitudes in the time window of 200-400 ms. The results suggest early processing of expression influence ERPs independent of eye gaze, whereas expression and gaze interact to influence later ERPs.