Sarcoidosis: Psychotherapy and Long-Term Outcome—A Case Report

Sarcoidosis is a systemic, inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology, influenced by stressful life events and associated with a high incidence of alexithymic personality traits, and of depressive symptoms. The medical literature on sarcoidosis has called for a psychotherapeutic intervention to modify the perceived state of disease, the influence of stressful events and the depressive condition. Few studies have described cases treated with psychotherapy, and no information is available on its long-term outcome. We present the case of a patient with chronic sarcoidosis and periodical reacutizations with constantly pathological ESR. Twenty-four years after the diagnosis, a dynamic supportive-expressive psychotherapy for psychosomatic alexithymic patients was added to the medical therapy. At the beginning and at the end of the psychotherapy, and for the long-term outcome evaluations, Kellner's symptom questionnaire (SQ) was used to investigate psychological distress. The SQ scores, initially pathological, were normal at the end of the psychotherapy and for the following three years. Psychotherapy, without antidepressive drugs, resolved the depression. The depressive symptoms disappeared, along with the normalization and stabilization of the ESR. After three years, the outcome was positive. This is the first study describing a successful psychotherapy and its long-term outcome on a patient with sarcoidosis

Autoria à venda: ghost writers no Brasil

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Jornalismo.Este TCC consiste em uma grande reportagem impressa que pretende mostrar a atividade dos ghost writers, escritores contratados para elaborar textos sob encomenda que concedem a autoria destes por meio de contratos e termos de confidencialidade. Serão traçados o perfil desse tipo de profissional e o panorama do mercado no Brasil, além de responder se esta é ou não uma atividade clandestina, os motivos pelos quais alguém contrata um ghost writer e por que eles vendem seus textos e/ou suas ideias. A reportagem também vai abordar as questões éticas envolvidas, possíveis disputas jurídicas em torno de uma obra e os motivos para que esse assunto seja pouco tratado no Brasil, apesar de o ghostwriting ser uma prática bastante comum. As obras que vão entrar na apuração serão textos literários, livros técnicos, livros elaborados para empresas e (auto)biografias. A importância do crescimento desse mercado por ser uma possibilidade de emprego para jornalistas também é colocada em pauta

Study of the response of CFRP composite laminates to a laser-induced shock

Laser-induced shock yields to a local tensile stress within a sample. This high strain rate stress can be used to verify the bond strength between two layers. This method has been applied to Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite laminates, involved in aeronautic or defense industry. Experiments have been carried out on high power laser facility in the nanosecond regime. A velocimetry interferometer has been used to record the material velocity at the back surface of the samples. This study provides a comprehensive approach of the response of CFRP laminates of different thicknesses to a shock load normal to the fibres direction. The stress waves generation and propagation within the laminate and the induced delamination are key issues of this work. The main result is the ability of the technique to evaluate the out-of-plane strength of these laminate

Manifest Dream/Association Comparison: A Criterion to Monitor the Psychotherapeutic Field (2nd part) Field Transformations: A Clinical Case

Summary The present work focuses on the transformations of the psychotherapeutic field through the relationship dynamics that occur within it. The first part of this article starts with a brief outline of the Gestalt psychological understanding of the field concept, also in its application to the psychotherapeutic situation, followed by a brief review of the introduction of the field concept into the psychoanalytic theory formation. After this, the first author first presents the theoretical concept underlying a new approach he has developed for observing the relationship dynamics in psychotherapy. Mirroring a formation both psychoanalytic and gestaltic of the main author, this new approach is based on the combination of psychoanalytic and Gestalt psychological concepts. According to the clinical experience and insights of the author, the phenomenological and relational approach of Gestalt theory fits well with the psychoanalytic approach; on this basis, a criterion for recording the progress of therapy can be developed. This criterion is the phenomenology of the development of the qualities of the relationships of the client, as they become visible in his dream narrations and the subsequent associations in the analysis room, and continue to develop during the session and the further course of therapy. The relationship dynamics in the dream narration is thus compared with those that develop in the course of the subsequent associations. This is demonstrated and further elaborated in the second part of this paper on the basis of a clinical case. The clinical example shows how the relationship dynamics develop in this sense in the individual therapy sessions and over a longer course of therapy. The associated transformations of the therapeutic field give a good indication of the progress of therapy. The main author gained such insights into the transformations of the therapeutic field and the progression of therapy, which are visible in the course of therapy, from the careful application of the criterion "manifest dream/associations comparison of relational dynamics". In the specific case, there was also a high degree of correspondence between the results of the application of this phenomenological criterion and the empirical evidence of the symptom questionnaire, a self-report measure requested by the patient himself during the course of the therapy

Diagnosenübergreifende Psychoedukation: "Notbehelf" oder "Mittel der Wahl"?: Ergebnisse der Basler Psychoedukationsstudie

Zusammenfassung: Trotz günstiger Evidenzlage werden die traditionell diagnosehomogenen psychoedukativen Gruppenprogramme aufgrund der oft zu geringen Patientenzahl pro Diagnose nicht routinemäßig eingesetzt. In einer explorativen randomisierten und kontrollierten Studie wurde die Wirksamkeit eines diagnosengemischten Programms hinsichtlich klinischer Variablen, Rehospitalisierungshäufigkeit und "compliance" sowie verlaufsrelevanter subjektiver Einstellungen und Theorien mithilfe quantitativer und qualitativer Methoden bei Patienten der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel (N = 82) über einen 1-jährigen "Follow-up"-Zeitraum untersucht. Signifikante Gruppenunterschiede zeigten sich hinsichtlich Compliance nach 3Monaten und hinsichtlich der Suizidrate zugunsten der Interventionsbedingung. Die Ergebnisse bei den meisten anderen erhobenen klinischen Zielvariablen ergaben deutliche Vorteile für die Psychoeduationsgruppe. Eine erste Analyse qualitativer Daten fand als Akuteffekt eine signifikant günstigere Entwicklung in der Interventionsgruppe. Die bisher einzigen empirischen Daten über eine störungsübergreifende Psychoedukationsgruppe rechtfertigen deren klinischen Einsatz und weitere Untersuchunge

On the Kite-Platform Interactions in Offshore Airborne Wind Energy Systems: Frequency Analysis and Control Approach

This study investigates deep offshore, pumping Airborne Wind Energy systems, focusing on the kite-platform interaction. The considered system includes a 360 m2 soft-wing kite, connected by a tether to a winch installed on a 10-meter-deep spar with four mooring lines. Wind power is converted into electricity with a feedback controlled periodic trajectory of the kite and corresponding reeling motion of the tether. An analysis of the mutual influence between the platform and the kite dynamics, with different wave regimes, reveals a rather small sensitivity of the flight pattern to the platform oscillations; on the other hand, the frequency of tether force oscillations can be close to the platform resonance peaks, resulting in possible increased fatigue loads and damage of the floating and submerged components. A control design procedure is then proposed to avoid this problem, acting on the kite path planner. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the approach

Análise do desempenho de uma nova técnica de reforço ao corte para elementos estruturais de betão armado

A formação de fendas de corte em elementos estruturais reforçados à flexão com materiais compósitos (FRP) deve ser evitada, uma vez que antecipa a ruína do elemento, impossibilitando o total aproveitamento das propriedades oferecidas pelo reforço. Neste trabalho estudou-se o comportamento de provetes de betão armado, reforçados ao corte com varões embebidos em adesivo segundo a técnica de reforço designada por “Core Drilled Mounted” (CDM). Catorze provetes foram divididos em seis grupos, de maneira a estudar influência de alguns parâmetros no desempenho da técnica proposta, designadamente: classe de resistência do betão; tipo de varões; tipo de adesivo; diâmetro dos varões, percentagem de reforço ao corte e existência de pré-fissuração. Os resultados mais significativos obtidos na investigação efectuada são apresentados no presente trabalho

Efficacy of bifocal diagnosis-independent group psychoeducation in severe psychiatric disorders: results from a randomized controlled trial

Despite evidence for its efficacy, diagnosis-specific psychoeducation is not routinely applied. This exploratory randomized controlled trial analyses the efficacy of an easily implementable bifocal diagnosis-mixed group psychoeducation in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders regarding readmission, compliance and clinical variables, for example global functioning. Inpatients of the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel (N=82) were randomly assigned to a diagnosis-mixed psychoeducational (PE) or a non-specific intervention control group. Relatives were invited to join corresponding family groups. Results at baseline, 3- and 12-month follow-ups are presented. Better compliance after 3months and a lower suicide rate were significant in favour of PE. For most other outcome variables, no significant differences, however advantages, in PE were found. In summary, it can be concluded that diagnosis-mixed group psychoeducation is effective in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders. The effects can be classified as induced by distinctive psychoeducational elements. Findings similar to those on psychosis-specific programmes justify clinical application and further investigatio

Reconciliation of Time Perspectives as a Criterion for Therapy Completion

none3siGiancarlo Trombini, the main author of this article, has demonstrated in a series of empirical studies based on treatment examples from psychoanalytic psychotherapy that the development of relational dynamics in therapy can be assessed in an objectively verifiable way using a phenomenological criterion based on the narrative content of each session. This criterion is the comparison between the manifest dream and the subsequent associations (MDAC; Trombini, 2010, 2014, 2015). This is a contribution to the reflexive pole of analytic psychotherapy, which is, after all, characterized by a constant oscillation between the pole of reflection and the pole of a “dreaming reception.” The present contribution continues this research with the treatment of the concluding phase of therapy, which is related to certain turning points in the processes of change in therapy (Di Chiara, 2003).https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/gth-2021-0005openTrombini, Giancarlo; Trombini, Elena; Stemberger, GerhardTrombini, Giancarlo; Trombini, Elena; Stemberger, Gerhar