Graduate education and postdoctoral training opportunities in history of psychology at North American universities and colleges.

This article aims to provide an orienting overview of education in the the history of psychology to anyone considering or actively seeking advanced training in it. Its primary audience thus includes both undergraduates weighing different graduate study possibilities and "working" psychologists and historians who seek to move from other specialities into history of psychology. This series of articles will ultimately emphasize (by the time all the reports have appeared) the full range of universities and colleges offering graduate study and postdoctoral training in the field, including both history of science programs and, especially, departments of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate education in psychology.

Reviews some of the previous major conferences on graduate education in psychology since the 1st conference was held in 1949 in Boulder, Colorado. Planning for the 1987 conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, is described, including selection of issues, selection of participants, and structure of the conference. The themes of unity, diversity, quality, and humanity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate education in microscopic anatomy

One of the most striking changes to affect the direction of current biomedical research is the increasing use of transgenic or gene-targeted mice as models of gene function and human disease. The proliferation of transgenic and gene-targeting technology has contributed to a rebirth of histology as an important research tool and is driving the need for broadly trained investigators with expertise at both the molecular and organismal levels. Since the ultimate goal of graduate-student education is the training of the next generation of independent scientists, it is important that graduate training programs provide students with the background required to take advantage of the unique resources provided by these mouse models. Anatomists are well suited to provide such training by incorporating mouse anatomy, physiology, and genetics into traditional coursework in microscopic anatomy.     

Thoracic surgery and liver dysfunction

Lung resection results in loss of lung parenchyma including residual healthy lung tissue and in reduction in pulmonary vascular bed. A decrease in residual pulmonary vascular bed after lung resection causes an increase in right heart afterload, and in some patients, it would be associated with an increase in right heart preload and consequent the changes in hepatic circulation which would lead to liver damage. Preceding thoracotomy, unilateral pulmonary arterial occlusion test (UPAO) was performed to simulate the hemodynamic changes after lung resection to evaluate the increase in right heart preload after surgery. Patients with the decreases in cardiac index or PaO2 during UPAO showed a higher levels of GPT during postoperative period when compared with those with the increase in either parameters. In a surgical treatment for empyema, bronchiectasis, or other infectious lung diseases, bronchial angiography (BAG) and also bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) were useful methods to prevent from exceeding bleeding during thoracotomy, which is one of the risk factors to cause liver damage after surgery. These results suggest that, in the field of thoracic surgery, the preoperative assessment of the hemodynamic changes caused by lung resection and the preoperative attempt to prevent from bleeding during thoracotomy are both important to protect from liver damage caused by surgical stress.     

Graduate education in primary care: the challenge

One can summarize the current status of calcium antagonists to treat heart failure as follows: Usually there is a favorable acute response to these drugs in heart failure patients but long-term effects in the patients treated with nifedipine, diltiazem, and verapamil have produced rather disappointing results. Thus, they should not be used routinely in heart failure patients. Their main problems were related to the negative inotropic effects of the drugs, the lack of reduction in ventricular filling pressure, and activation of the neurohumoral systems which have an adverse effect on cardiovascular performance, for example, renin-angiotensin. In contrast, the second-generation calcium antagonists have more selective vasodilating properties and fewer negative inotropic properties, which, I believe, justifies their use in selected heart failure patients. Unfortunately, there are no large randomized controlled long-term trials to evaluate morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients treated with these agents. One can rationalize that the symptomatic elderly patient with isolated diastolic dysfunction can be treated effectively with calcium antagonists but, once again, there are no major trials evaluating any drug in the management of patients with isolated diastolic function not due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Rationale for using calcium antagonists could be best supported in patients with active ischemic heart disease and symptoms of heart failure. In this instance the coronary vasodilator effects may relieve myocardial ischemia and, by that mechanism, improve myocardial systolic and diastolic function.     

Graduate education then and now.

A comparison of graduate schools of the 1930s with those of today shows that there have been losses with respect to some values (e.g., purity of motives for intellectual work), and gains for other values, such as democracy in admissions. Changes in the university can be understood as responses to new and almost overwhelming demands upon it, which began with World War II and have continued to the present. More recent social changes and our present knowledge may make possible some reform in graduate education. Personal observations of the psychology departments at Harvard University, in the 1930s, and the University of California, Berkeley, in 1940 and thereafter, are used to exemplify trends that seem to be revealed through study of the history of American higher education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate education of Negro psychologists.

The "Council on Psychological Resources in the South was impressed with the dearth of psychologists in the South, particularly Negro psychologists" and appointed a committee "… to study the facts in this regard and to make recommendations for pertinent action." Fifty-six (98.2%) of fifty-seven graduate departments of psychology surveyed answered questionnaires concerning Negro psychologists receiving graduate degrees and the undergraduate origin of these students. "Negro personnel in psychology come in considerable proportion (one-third) from Negro undergraduate schools in the South." "In the process of bridging the gap between inadequate undergraduate training and high level graduate work, Howard University is making an exceptional contribution toward training in scientific and professional psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rare complications and procedural errors in thoracic surgery

Analysis of postoperative mortality is carried out by the authors on the basis of studying case records, operation records, follow up lists of complicated patients, results of autopsy as well as clinico-anatomical conferences and personal cases of 418 operated patients. It was established that methodical and technical defects during the operation on the lungs contributed to lethal outcomes in 13.8% of all dead patients. Majority of methodical and technical defects in their basis resulted from errors in anatomical orientation. Among the causes of these defects of great importance are some elements of carelessness and inattentiveness in working with large vessels and in performing hemostasis. Prophylaxis of fatal defects during the operation is based on a good anatomical and surgical school, personal experience, knowledge and abilities of surgeons.     

Clipping of the thoracic duct with video-assisted thoracic surgery in the treatment of chylothorax after pulmonary resection

We describe a procedure for video-assisted thoracoscopic clipping of the thoracic duct to treat postoperative chylothorax. This technique was successfully performed on a 62-year-old man who developed chylothorax following right lower lobectomy and partial resection of the 11th and 12th vertebral bodies for squamous cell lung cancer. Because conservative therapy for 7 days failed to reduce the amount of pleural effusion, we performed thoracoscopic examination of the thoracic duct and found a site leaking chylous fluid. The thoracic duct was successfully and easily clipped resulting in complete elimination of the effusion in 2 days. Generally, chylothorax complicating pulmonary resection has been managed by medical treatment first, followed by surgical intervention in case that fail to respond to initial therapy. The newly designed video-assisted thoracic surgery procedure reduces the trauma, shortens the drainage period and hospital stay, and provides better exposure of the thoracic duct. We believe that this procedure can be carried out shortly after the occurrence of chylothorax.     

对脑外科手术后病人护理的沟通体会

目的:探讨在脑外科手术后对患者进行有效的沟通护理所取得的临床效果,为脑外科术后的心理护理提供有效的临床资料.方法:选取2007年6月～2010年5月在我院颅脑外科进行手术治疗的患者116例,随机分为两组,在观察组患者的脑外科术后护理过程中,除采用常规护理的方法外,特别针对患者的临床特点进行心理护理的沟通.结果:观察组患者在经过护理沟通后,通过心理评估问卷评估的显效率为13.79%,有效率为62.07%,总有效率为75.86%,与对照组相比具有显著性差异(p＜0.05).结论:适当的沟通护理对脑外科手术后患者的心理健康恢复有着重要的积极作用,加强沟通的训练、深入做好护理沟通对于术后护理有显著的效果.