A comparative study of cognitive behavioural therapy and shared reading for chronic pain

The case for psychosocial interventions in relation to chronic pain, one of the most common health issues in contemporary healthcare, is well-established as a means of managing the emotional and psychological difficulties experienced by sufferers. Using mixed methods, this study compared a standard therapy for chronic pain, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), with a specific literature-based intervention, shared reading (SR) developed by national charity, The Reader. A 5-week CBT group and a 22-week SR group for patients with chronic pain ran in parallel, with CBT group members joining the SR group after the completion of CBT. In addition to self-report measures of positive and negative affect before and after each experience of the intervention, the 10 participants kept twice-daily (12- hourly) pain and emotion diaries. Qualitative data were gathered via literary-linguistic analysis of audio/video�recordings and transcriptions of the CBT and SR sessions and video-assisted individual qualitative interviews with participants. Qualitative evidence indicates SR’s potential as an alternative or long-term follow-up or adjunct to CBT in bringing into conscious awareness areas of emotional pain otherwise passively suffered by patients with chronic pain. In addition, quantitative analysis, albeit of limited pilot data, indicated possible improvements in mood/pain for up to 2 days following SR. Both findings lay the basis for future research involving a larger sample siz

Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax in an adult patient with cystic fibrosis

Pneumothorax is a common complication in cystic fibrosis and is associated with worsening of lung function. However, bilateral simultaneous pneumothorax in cystic fibrosis is a rare condition. We describe the case of a 17-year-old female with cystic fibrosis who presented with spontaneous pneumothorax. Clinically, she presented right-sided chest pain and progressive breathlessness. The pneumothorax failed to resolve after the initial treatment (chest drainage). However, the patient was later successfully treated with additional chest drainage and talc pleurodesis. We also discuss the etiology and management of pneumothorax in patients with cystic fibrosis, since pneumothorax is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among such patients

Effect of Antibiotic Treatment on Bacteriophage Production by a Cystic Fibrosis Epidemic Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa▿

Phage production in response to antibiotics varied among four isolates of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis (CF) epidemic strain. Whereas ciprofloxacin induced higher levels of phage production, other CF-relevant antibiotics led to reduced production. We detected free phages directly in CF patient sputum samples by both plaque (40% positive) and PCR (76% positive) assays. Our observations suggest that the choice of antibiotics could influence the number of free phages within the CF lung environment