Albert Ellis (1913–2007).

Presents an obituary for Albert Ellis (1913–2007). Albert Ellis, originator of one of the major approaches to psychotherapy in the history of psychology, Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), died in New York City on July 24, 2007, at 93 years of age. Ellis began his professional life as a psychoanalyst but rejected its strong focus on early-life influences and its protracted therapeutic process. In the 1950s he developed his own cognitively oriented approach to therapy, which ultimately became REBT. It has been argued that these developments represented the first step in the cognitive revolution in psychotherapy, which culminated with cognitive approaches coming to a dominant position in contemporary therapy, not unlike the parallel dominant position of cognitive psychology in psychological science. REBT has been influential worldwide, being employed by therapists in many countries but also read about and used in self-help by a wide public. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The future of positive therapy.

Responds to commentary by S. J. Lopez and B. A. Kerr (see record 2006-07640-002) on the current author's original article (see record 2006-07640-001). In their commentary on strength-centered therapy (ST), Lopez and Kerr (2006) called for an open-source approach to developing positive psychological practices. In this rejoinder, the author responds to their comments, provides clarifications on ST, and discusses the future of positive therapy. Specifically, the author calls for future scholarship to address (1) the contributions of social constructionist therapies, (2) positive systemic influences in psychotherapy, and (3) diverse conceptualizations of strengths and optimal human functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

飞行员高血压药物治疗前后立位耐力和+Gz耐力观察

目的观察飞行员患高血压病及药物治疗后立位耐力和＋Gz耐力的变化。方法选择10例患高血压病的歼f强）击机飞行员,平均年龄（36±6）岁,经临床检查未发现心脑血管并发症,在药物治疗前和服降血压药血压恢复正常后分别进行20min立位耐力试验和＋Gz耐力试验。结果药物治疗前立位耐力试验显示,平卧位平均血压为f147±16／92±10）mmHg（1mmHg=0．133kPa）,立位（150±18／99±12）mmHg,卧立位舒张压差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;1例立位耐力试验结果阳性,5例＋Gz耐力未达到所飞机种要求。降压药物治疗后,平卧位血压（131±10／80±7）mmHg,立位（130±8／87±3）mmHg,较治疗前均明显下降（P〈0．01,P〈0．05）,立位耐力试验均为阴性;3例＋Gz耐力未能达到所飞机种要求。结论高血压病对立位耐力和＋Gz耐力有不利影响;药物治疗后＋Gz耐力改善与病情和用药种类、剂量有关。     

Analysis from a year of increased cases of Acanthamoeba Keratitis in a large teaching hospital in the UK

Purpose of the studyTo report an observational study of Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) in University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW), Coventry, UK and determine risk factors, outcomes as well as incidence rates.MethodsA retrospective analysis was done of consecutive patients who were treated for AK by the corneal service at UHCW from January 2017 to January 2018. Cases were identified from 2 sources; the department of microbiology and the hospital pharmacy. Patient data was collected by 3 of the authors using both paper and electronic medical records. Information was also gathered over the telephone using a predefined questionnaire. The primary endpoint used for assessing duration of disease was time to resolution after the initial diagnosis.Results9 eyes were identified over the 12-month period, a drastic increase from previous years. All were contact lens (CL) wearers and 3 used daily disposable CL’s. 8 out of 9 patients had an improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) which was consistent with their baseline levels pre-infection. The average length of treatment was 107.25 days for the 8 resolved cases. 1 case is still having ongoing treatment. No case has required surgical treatment. Several patients admitted to exposing their CL to unsterile water either via swimming, showering or tap water. All patients had purchased their lenses from contact lens practitioners.ConclusionOverall, our study shows excellent outcomes. Almost all patients had resolution of symptoms with medical treatment and an improvement in visual acuity. Several contributing factors have aided us in achieving this including early diagnosis, a robust treatment protocol and diagnostic modalities such as Polymer Chain Reaction (PCR) and Confocal Microscopy (CFM). However, the increased incidence compared to previous years is a worrying trend and there will be an ongoing analysis looking at patterns of incidence in the future.     

The role of presence in the level of anxiety experienced in clinical virtual environments

Recent reviews point towards that Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) can be an effective medium to provide exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. The concept of presence, usually defined as the sense of being inside the virtual environment, has been considered the principal mechanism that leads to the experience of anxiety in clinical virtual environments. The present study sought to examine the relationship between sense of presence and in-session anxiety in a sample of 210 students showing high and low test anxiety when exposed to both clinical and non-stressful virtual environments. This is the largest study conducted to date with the aim of examining the relationship between presence and anxiety in clinical virtual environments, and the first to explore separately the relationship between presence and state-anxiety in phobic and non-phobic participants. The results suggest that presence was not related to anxiety in a non-stressful environment. It was also found that although presence is related to anxiety in both groups of students when exposed to clinical virtual environments, this relationship was clearly stronger for high test anxiety students. This line of research will broaden our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the efficacy of VRET.     

Learning more about those who play in session: The National Play Therapy in Counseling Practices Project (Phase I).

Through a joint research committee sponsored by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the American Counseling Association (ACA), The National Play Therapy in Counseling Practices Project conducted the first phase of investigation. Findings offered a snapshot of mental health providers of play therapy, regarding the nature of who they are and what they do. In terms of training, play modalities, theoretical orientation, and employment setting, comparisons were made based on membership of participants in ACA or APT. Further research was suggested to examine the effectiveness of play therapy with specific therapeutic issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children: Three-Year Follow-Up.

This study reports the results of a 3-year follow-up assessment of children and adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (social phobia) and treated with Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children (SET-C), a comprehensive behavioral treatment program combining social skills training, peer generalization, and individualized exposure. Among 32 children initially treated with the protocol, 29 completed the follow-up assessment and were evaluated with a multidimensional assessment strategy, including self-report, parental report, clinician ratings, and behavioral assessment. Results indicated that the majority of posttreatment gains were maintained at 3-year follow-up, and 72% of treated children continued to be free of a social phobia diagnosis 3 years later. These findings support the long-term efficacy of SET-C for children and adolescents suffering from social phobia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

原发性纵隔大B细胞淋巴瘤研究进展

原发性纵隔大B细胞淋巴瘤(PMBCL)是弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤(DLBCL)的一种特殊类型,具有独特的临床表现及病理学、分子生物学特征.目前尚无标准的治疗方案,回顾性分析表明第三代的化疗方案优于CHOP方案,利妥昔单抗的应用缓解了这种差异,是否需要接受联合放疗尚无定论.未来将脱氧葡萄糖-正电子发射计算机断层显像(FDG-PET)用于PMBCL的疗效评估,如果能提供可靠的预后信息,就可以减轻治疗强度.     

Applicability of cognitive-behavior therapy with American Indian individuals.

There is little empirical evidence to support the claim that cognitive- behavior therapy (CBT) is an especially suitable treatment for culturally diverse clients. The purpose of this study was to compare the applicability of CBT in a community sample of European American and American Indian individuals. Participants completed the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Applicability Scale (CBT-AS), in which they rated their preference for characteristics consistent with three tenets of CBT. European Americans rated a stronger preference for CBT's focused in-session behavior and structured therapeutic relationship than did American Indians. Both groups rated the active stance domain of CBT as mutually acceptable. On the basis of the findings, several modifications to CBT for therapists working with American Indian clients are proposed for future investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Augmenting continuing education with psychologically focused group consultation: Effects on adoption of group drug counseling.

This study examines whether adding psychologically focused group consultation to a standard 1-day continuing-education workshop on Group Drug Counseling (GDC), a group therapy with evidence of effectiveness in the treatment of substance abuse problems, improves GDC adoption. Counselors who had taken a 1-day workshop were randomly assigned to an 8-week course of group consultation that met for 1.5 hr per session (n = 16) or to no additional contact (n = 14). The group consultation used Relapse Prevention and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy principles to help participants overcome psychological barriers to the adoption of GDC. Results showed that the 1-day workshop resulted in attempts by trainees to implement the new therapy, but that the consultation condition maintained significantly higher levels of adoption and 2- and 4-month followups. Additionally, those in the group consultation condition reported a higher sense of personal accomplishment at the 4-month followup. These findings suggest that empirically supported psychotherapy models can be used to decrease clinicians' psychological barriers to adoption of evidence-based psychotherapy methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)