Róbert Járai

Cognitive and affective aspects of thigmotaxis strategy in humans.

The present article describes the cognitive and emotional aspects of human thigmotaxis (a wall-following spatial strategy) during exploration of virtual and physical spaces. The authors assessed 106 participants with spatial and nonspatial performance-based learning-memory tasks and with fear and anxiety questionnaires. The results demonstrate that thigmotaxis plays a distinct role at different phases of spatial learning. The 1st phase shows a positive correlation between thigmotaxis and general phobic avoidance, whereas there is no association between thigmotaxis and general phobic avoidance during later phases of learning. Furthermore, participants who underperformed in working memory tests and in a spatial construction task exhibited greater thigmotaxis and a higher potential for fear response. Findings are interpreted in the framework of interactions among emotion-, action-, and knowledge-controlled spatial learning theories.

Usefulness of Pre-Operative Copeptin Concentrations to Predict Post-Operative Outcome After Major Vascular Surgery

The aim of this study was to investigate whether preoperative determination of plasma copeptin levels in addition to plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) could help improve risk stratification in patients who undergo major vascular surgery. One hundred ninety-eight consecutive patients who underwent major vascular surgery (58.6% infrainguinal aortic reconstruction, 23.7% abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery, 17.7% carotid endarterectomy) were included in this study. Patients were monitored for in-hospital and long-term (2-years) major adverse cardiac events, consisting of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and emergent coronary revascularization. Overall, 40 patients (20.2%) reached the primary end point, and most of these events occurred during the index hospital stay (n = 18 [45%]). In univariate Cox regression analysis, increasing concentrations of copeptin were significant determinants of outcome as a continuous variable (hazard ratio [HR] 1.012, p = 0.005) and as a dichotomized variable according to the recommended cutoff of 14.0 pmol/L (HR 4.116, p <0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed that especially patients at low estimated risk according to plasma NT-pro-BNP levels were at significantly higher risk for worse outcomes with higher copeptin levels (HR 5.983, p = 0.002). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, copeptin concentrations >14 pmol/L were significant independent predictors of outcome (HR 2.842, p = 0.002) in addition to type of surgery, history of myocardial infarction, elevated levels of cardiac troponin T, and NT-pro-BNP levels. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that preoperative determination of this new biomarker could substantially improve prediction of perioperative and postoperative outcomes in vascular surgery patients.

Personality and Psychopathology in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

RESEARCH ARTICLE Personality and Psychopathology in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Krisztina Csókási , Rita Hargitai, Róbert Járai, László Nagy, László Czirják and Enikő C. Kiss Department of Personality and Health Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary Department of General and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary