Management of presumed intraocular tuberculosis: possible role of the polymerase chain reaction

Sixty-eight patients with Crohn's disease who underwent intestinal resection were randomly divided into 2 groups: the stapled group (32 patients, 40 anastomoses) with functional end-to-end anastomoses made with linear staplers and with circular stapling anastomoses, and the hand-sewn group (36 patients, 48 anastomoses), with anastomoses achieved by layer-to-layer suturing. There were no significant differences in operative indications, age, sex, blood loss, or length of hospital stay between the groups. The operation times for right hemicolectomy and total colectomy in the stapled group were significantly shorter than those in the hand-sewn group. There were no significant differences in anastomotic dehiscence or recurrence between the stapling and hand-sewn procedures. These results indicate that these stapling techniques, even though producing an everted anastomosis, are not an adverse procedure for Crohn's disease.     

Measuring psychotherapy process with the Adolescent Psychotherapy Q-set (APQ): Development and applications for training.

This study presents the initial findings from the development of an adolescent version of the Child Psychotherapy Q-set (CPQ, Schneider, 2003). The CPQ is a psychotherapy process measure that utilizes Q-methodology to define psychotherapy process in an empirical form suitable for quantitative analysis. This new instrument, the Adolescent Psychotherapy Process Q-set (APQ), was developed to be pantheoretical in assessing the process of psychotherapy with adolescents. Panels of "expert" psychodynamic (PD) and cognitive-behavioral (CB) theoreticians and practitioners (N = 22) rated the 100 APQ items, and these ratings were factor analyzed to develop general prototypes of ideally conducted therapy for each respective orientation. Agreement between and amongst the experts was examined; in order to determine the reliability of, and shared variance between, each prototype. Coefficient alpha reliabilities were high for both PD (.93) and CB (.94) orientations. A significant correlation between the factor scores of each prototype (r = .31; p ≤ .01) was found. In a second study, a case example is provided to demonstrate the applications of the APQ and the prototypes in psychotherapy training and supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of an en masse and reversible B- to A-DNA conformational transition in prokaryotes in response to desiccation

The role that DNA conformation plays in the biochemistry of cells has been the subject of intensive research since DNA polymorphism was discovered. B-DNA has long been considered the native form of DNA in cells although alternative conformations of DNA are thought to occur transiently and along short tracts. Here, we report the first direct observation of a fully reversible en masse conformational transition between B- and A-DNA within live bacterial cells using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. This biospectroscopic technique allows for non-invasive and reagent-free examination of the holistic biochemistry of samples. For this reason, we have been able to observe the previously unknown conformational transition in all four species of bacteria investigated. Detection of this transition is evidence of a previously unexplored biological significance for A-DNA and highlights the need for new research into the role that A-DNA plays as a cellular defence mechanism and in stabilizing the DNA conformation. Such studies are pivotal in understanding the role of A-DNA in the evolutionary pathway of nucleic acids. Furthermore, this discovery demonstrates the exquisite capabilities of FTIR spectroscopy and opens the door for further investigations of cell biochemistry with this under-used technique.     

Psychoanalysis with avoidant personality disorder: A systematic case study.

This case study of process and outcome is based upon data obtained during a 5-year psychoanalysis of an adult male with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD). To date, no known systematic case studies, effectiveness studies, or randomized control trials exist for psychoanalysis in the treatment of AVPD. In this study, self-reported symptoms and observer-rated personality disorder (PD), global functioning, object relations, and psychological health were gathered at intake, after each year of treatment, and at 1-year follow-up. Process data was gathered to determine the extent to which the treatment adhered to prototypes of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and interpersonal therapy. Results indicated that the patient achieved clinically significant reductions in PD, symptom severity, and relational pathology. Gains were maintained at 1-year follow-up. The treatment significantly adhered to psychodynamic principles throughout, with some use of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal principles in the third year of treatment. These findings warrant further investigation of psychoanalysis for AVPD and demonstrate the usefulness of assessing multiple domains of patient functioning and treatment process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Space charge accumulation in two power cable grades of XLPE

The accumulation of space charge in XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene), cross-linked using DCP (dicumyl peroxide) or a silane-based grafting process, was studied via the LIPP (laser-induced-pressure-pulse) technique. Planar samples 0.5 mm thick were obtained from the XLPE insulation of power distribution cables. DC fields to 10 kV/mm were applied at temperatures in the range 20 to 90°C. Usually the DCP samples developed heterocharge, and the silane samples homocharge. However, the observed space charge densities were not very different. Nearly all of the charge accumulated within 100 μm of each electrode, with very little in the remainder of the volume. Both sample types showed a near-perfect inversion of the equilibrium space charge profiles on reversing the applied voltage polarity. This observation is explained in terms of charge injection at the electrodes, electron transfer between electrode and XLPE in either direction involving the same narrow `window' of combined donor and acceptor states in the insulator, centered on the Fermi level