PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES OF FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF BRIEF RESILIENCE STRESS TRAINING: A PILOT STUDY OF THE MARST PROGRAM

Human service professionals are at risk for stress-related psychological problems. Whilst there has been considerable research of the causes and effects of these problems, little research has been conducted on brief interventions to cultivate resilience in this at risk occupational group. Mindfulness-based interventions, which have shown promise in cultivating resilience, are also widely accepted as efficacious in the treatment of psychological disorders. The aims of this paper were to gather preliminary information regarding the feasibility of implementing a brief Mindful Awareness Resilience Skills Training program (MARST) to enhance resilience, mindfulness and positive emotions in human service professionals. The program consisted of resilience and mindfulness enhancement strategies. Twenty-two participants completed the two x oneday group training sessions over two weeks. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, which indicated a significant main effect of intervention. Post hoc analysis showed significant improvements between pre and post intervention scores on measures of resilience (p = .02) mindfulness (p < .001), positive reappraisal (p = .01) and positive emotions (p = .03). When comparisons were made between pre-MARST and one month follow up, positive effects of intervention were found on the measures of resilience (p < .001), mindfulness (p < .001), positive reappraisal (p < .001) and the reduction of negative emotions (p = .02). The participants provided positive feedback on the content and delivery of the MARST program. The results from this study provide preliminary support for the MARST program to enhance resilience, mindfulness, positive reappraisal and positive emotions and amongst human service professionals

Computed tomographic findings in a suspected disseminated primitive neuroectodermal tumour in a young dog

A two and a half-year-old American Staffordshire bull terrier was presented with seizures, unilateral blindness consistent with a lesion at the level of the optic nerve and bilateral hindleg ataxia progressing to paresis. Computed tomography <CT) of the brain and spine identified a mineralised suprasellar mass which extended along both optic nerves. The dog recovered uneventfully from anaesthesia but died within 24 hours. Necropsy and histopathology confirmed the CT findings, identifying neoplastic invasion of the cerebrum and brainstem with extensive meningeal dissemination involving the entire spinal cord. Histologic features and immunohistochemical staining were most consistent with a primitive neuroectodermal tumour, although some typical features, such as cellular pseudo rosettes, were not found. The difficulty in forming a definitive conclusion in this case is consistent with previous reports of other juvenile central nervous system tumours in which the presence of multiple cell types within the mass and conflicting immunohistochemical characteristics are confounding factors. This case highlights the clinical utility of computed tomography in characterising intracranial mass lesions in young dogs presenting with seizures and multifocal central neurologic abnormalities. Neoplasia resulting in these clinical and imaging findings in young dogs is commonly aggressive in nature and should be included as a differential diagnosis