Obtaining samples of populations at risk for HIV challenges surveillance, prevention planning, and evaluation. Methods used include snowball sampling, time location sampling (TLS), and respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Few studies have made side-by-side comparisons to assess their relative advantages. We compared snowball, TLS, and RDS surveys of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Forteleza, Brazil, with a focus on the socio-economic status (SES) and risk behaviors of the samples to each other, to known AIDS cases and to the general population. RDS produced a sample with wider inclusion of lower SES than snowball sampling or TLS-a finding of health significance given the majority of AIDS cases reported among MSM in the state were low SES. RDS also achieved the sample size faster and at lower cost. For reasons of inclusion and cost-efficiency, RDS is the sampling methodology of choice for HIV surveillance of MSM in Fortaleza.

The adequate interpretation of facial expressions of emotion is crucial for social functioning and human interaction. New methods are being applied, and a review of the methods that are used to evaluate facial emotion recognition is timely for the field. An extensive review was conducted using the Web of Science, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases. The following keywords were used to identify articles that were published within the past 20 years: emotion recognition, face, expression, and assessment. The initial search yielded 291 articles. After applying the exclusion criteria, 115 articles were included in this review. Articles were analyzed using 3 different approaches: (a) non-behavior-dependent methodologies (MRI and electroencephalography [EEG]), (b) behavioral instruments that were used to assess facial emotion recognition, and (c) instruments or methods that were used to assess facial recognition impairment in health conditions. The behavioral instruments were further subdivided into 7 groups. Static human face stimuli were the most frequently used method, although there are some criticisms concerning the ecological validity of these types of stimuli. Nonvalidated instruments were also commonly used, especially in psychopathological studies. Computer-based morphing has been used to develop new visual stimuli, and brief videos are also being applied. Drawings, which may have lower validity, were often used for assessment in children. Research that uses functional and structural MRI or EEG as methodological alternatives has increased in the last decade. This is a rapidly changing field, and more studies are needed to compare methodologies that are used to explore impairments in facial emotion recognition.

No abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has anosognosia as one of its symptoms, defined as a change in the individual's ability to judge their difficulties, and is observed as having a significant impact on quality of life of caregivers. This study evaluated the impact of anosognosia related to AD in quality of life (QoL) of caregivers. Fifty AD patients were evaluated through the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination, Dementia Questionnaire-expanded, while caregivers were evaluated using the Scale of QoL in AD and Dementia Questionnaire (caregiver versions). We observed that caregivers of patients with signs of anosognosia had lower scores on QoL and these patients had worse cognitive scores. Anosognosia and QoL were negatively correlated, as QoL and cognitive functioning. Controlling for cognitive functioning, we observed that anosognosia has a greater impact on QoL in individuals with more severe cognitive impairments.