Study of the relationship between the development of sensory fatigue and the presence of health disorders among respondents

The article discusses the features of sensory fatigue which persons with impaired health of different nosological groups may experience. During the study, visual, sound and tactile triggers of sensory fatigue in respondents were identified; as well as the frequency and periods of development of this functional state and the duration of cases of sensory fatigue in respondents from different groups. Analysis of the results of the study showed that respondents with impaired health and a conditionally healthy group have different reasons for the development of sensory fatigue and the manifestation of mental responses to the intense effects of external stimuli.

Bifactor Model of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool Symptom Checklist: Replication and Invariance Across Time in the CARE Consortium Sample

Background: Identifying separate dimensions of concussion symptoms may inform a precision medicine approach to treatment. It was previously reported that a bifactor model identified distinct acute postconcussion symptom dimensions. Purpose: To replicate previous findings of a bifactor structure of concussion symptoms in the Concussion Assessment Research and Education (CARE) Consortium sample, examine measurement invariance from pre- to postinjury, and evaluate whether factors are associated with other clinical and biomarker measures. Study Design: Cohort study (Diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Collegiate athletes were prospectively evaluated using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool–3 (SCAT-3) during preseason (N = 31,557); 2789 were followed at <6 hours and 24 to 48 hours after concussion. Item-level SCAT-3 ratings were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Bifactor and higher-order models were compared for their fit and interpretability. Measurement invariance tested the stability of the identified factor structure across time. The association between factors and criterion measures (clinical and blood-based markers of concussion severity, symptom duration) was evaluated. Results: The optimal structure for each time point was a 7-factor bifactor model: a General factor, on which all items loaded, and 6 specific factors—Vestibulo-ocular, Headache, Sensory, Fatigue, Cognitive, and Emotional. The model manifested strict invariance across the 2 postinjury time points but only configural invariance from baseline to postinjury. From <6 to 24-48 hours, some dimensions increased in severity (Sensory, Fatigue, Emotional), while others decreased (General, Headache, Vestibulo-ocular). The factors correlated with differing clinical and biomarker criterion measures and showed differing patterns of association with symptom duration at different time points. Conclusion: Bifactor modeling supported the predominant unidimensionality of concussion symptoms while revealing multidimensional properties, including a large dominant General factor and 6 independent factors: Headache, Vestibulo-ocular, Sensory, Cognitive, Fatigue, and Emotional. Unlike the widely used SCAT-3 symptom severity score, which declines gradually after injury, the bifactor model revealed separable symptom dimensions that have distinct trajectories in the acute postinjury period and different patterns of association with other markers of injury severity and outcome. Clinical Relevance: The SCAT-3 total score remains a valuable, robust index of overall concussion symptom severity, and the specific factors identified may inform management strategies. Because some symptom dimensions continue to worsen in the first 24 to 48 hours after injury (ie, Sensory, Fatigue, Emotional), routine follow-up in this time frame may be valuable to ensure that symptoms are managed effectively.

Is triangle test more powerful than tetrad test in case of high alcoholic beverages?

Tetrad test is theoretically more powerful than triangle test. However, in the presence of sensory fatigue-caused foods, the advantage of the tetrad test is lost. In case of alcohol beverage containing 50%abv, triangle test is recommended as a standard protocol because the sensory fatigue caused by ethanol is great enough that leads tetrad test be less powerful than triangle test. In this study, the association between alcohol concentration and power of tetrad as well as triangle was established in cases of alcoholic beverages lower than 50%abv. Based on this result, the alcohol concentration at which the tetrad test is more powerful than triangle test was determined. The power comparisons between triangle test and tetrad test were extended to some alcohol beverages containing 40 and 30%abv. 240 panelists were divided into 8 panels. In each session, both triangle test and tetrad test were performed by a same panel (N = 30) on the samples made from the same alcohol beverage basic with and without citric acid. There were four sessions for each product that corresponded with four increasingly levels of added citric acid (2.192, 3.1, 4.384, 6.2g/L). By applying logistic regression, the power comparison between two tests was based on the correct response proportions (Pc) which were predicted from two variables: acid concentration and protocol. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that there was 84% chance and 38% chance for the tetrad’s Pc to be higher than triangle’s Pc in case of beverage containing 30 and 40%abv, respectively. The results shown that increase alcohol concentration will reduce the power of both triangle and tetrad tests. It was noteworthy that tetrad test was affected more strongly by alcohol than triangle test. These findings suggest that the triangle test can be used as a suitable testing methodology for alcoholic beverages which alcohol concentration is not lower than 40%abv. In case of beverage containing 30%abv, triangle test should be replaced by tetrad test due to the increased reliability of information.

EFFECTS OF PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF SYNTHETIC PHEROMONE ON MATING DISRUPTION OF SPRUCE BUDWORM MOTHS IN A WIND TUNNEL

Male spruce budworm moths were kept in a wind tunnel for 4 days and assayed each day to determine their ability to locate calling females that were surrounded by rubber septa loaded with synthetic pheromone, a 95:5 blend of E:Z-11-tetradecenal. As the concentration of synthetic pheromone increased, the numbers of males successfully locating females decreased, the latency of response increased, and the speed of flight decreased. At release rates from the septa close to those of a calling female, 6–60 ng/h per septum, most disrupted males flew to a septum instead of the females. At the highest release rate tested, 600 ng/h, many males were inactive or flew to the sides of the tunnel, which indicates sensory fatigue. This effect was more pronounced among males that were continuously exposed to the synthetic pheromone for the 4 days than among males kept in pheromone-free air between assays. About a quarter of the males died or became unable to fly after the 4 days, but there was no change in the proportions of the different responses of males, or in their response times, with increasing age, nor was there evidence that males were conditioned by their experience on previous days. The results led to the conclusion that time-averaged atmospheric concentrations of the synthetic pheromone as high as 20 ng/m3 are necessary to achieve effective disruption of the orientation of male spruce budworm moths to calling female moths.