Institute Website Research Articles

Web Alert

American Board of Ringside Medicine: www.ringsidephysicians.org/1.html Description: Interested in being a ringside physician? If so, tour the American Board of Ringside Medicine's Web site. The goal of this Web site is to educate medical professionals to provide quality and evidence-based medicine ringside care. This Web site offers a link to the first edition of the Journal of Ringside Medicine as well as a few articles relevant to injuries sustained while boxing. Be cautious, though, because some sources may not be current. Cost: Free U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Supplements: fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=274&topic_id=1329 Description: Dietary supplements and ergogenic aids are undeniably hot topics in sports medicine. This government Web site is a solid resource for those looking to enhance their understanding of dietary supplements, herbals, as well as ergogenic aids. The ergogenic aid page does contain multiple links to outside sites including the Australian Institute of Sports, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the International Society for Sports Nutrition. Specific topics addressed include anabolic steroids, caffeine consumption, vitamins, and minerals. Although this Web site was last modified in August 2010, many sources cited were published in the early 2000s. Cost: Free North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine: www.naspem.org Description: The North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine is an organization founded in 1985 composed of medical and exercise professionals interested in promoting exercise science, physical activity, and fitness in the pediatric and adolescent populations. One of the most interesting resources on this Web site for clinicians is the tab entitled "Training Programs." This link provides a list of academic institutions involved in research in exercise and physical fitness research in the pediatric and adolescent populations. Cost: Perusing the Web site is free, but if interested in joining, membership fees do apply. American Heart Association: www.heart.org/HEARTORG Description: This is an excellent Web site intended for both the general public and health care professionals. It contains information on how to adopt a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise, stress management techniques, smoking cessation resources, and certain medical conditions. It also provides links to information on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and locating advanced training classes including basic life support and advanced cardiac life support. Cost: Free Gatorade Sports Science Institute: www.gssiweb.com Description: The Gatorade Sports Science Institute Web site is a valuable resource for athletes and professionals alike. The site is easy to navigate and contains a Sports Science Library with sections containing articles on topics including Hydration, Sports Nutrition, Youth in Sports, Medical Conditions and Sports Injuries, and Training and Performance. Authors include names that are well known in the sports medicine field. There are "courses" that one may enroll in that provide continuing education credits for specific sports societies. As one would expect from the name, this is a commercially driven site, so bear this in mind when reviewing the literature. This Web site was previously reviewed in 2002. Cost: Free

Interpreting clinical assays for histone deacetylase inhibitors.

As opposed to genetics, dealing with gene expressions by direct DNA sequence modifications, the term epigenetics applies to all the external influences that target the chromatin structure of cells with impact on gene expression unrelated to the sequence coding of DNA itself. In normal cells, epigenetics modulates gene expression through all development steps. When “imprinted” early by the environment, epigenetic changes influence the organism at an early stage and can be transmitted to the progeny. Together with DNA sequence alterations, DNA aberrant cytosine methylation and microRNA deregulation, epigenetic modifications participate in the malignant transformation of cells. Their reversible nature has led to the emergence of the promising field of epigenetic therapy. The efforts made to inhibit in particular the epigenetic enzyme family called histone deacetylases (HDACs) are described. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have been proposed as a viable clinical therapeutic approach for the treatment of leukemia and solid tumors, but also to a lesser degree for noncancerous diseases. Three epigenetic drugs are already arriving at the patient’s bedside, and more than 100 clinical assays for HDACi are registered on the National Cancer Institute website. They explore the eventual additive benefits of combined therapies. In the context of the pleiotropic effects of HDAC isoforms, more specific HDACi and more informative screening tests are being developed for the benefit of the patients.

Web Alert

Sports Trauma & Overuse Prevention (STOP) Campaign: www.stopsportsinjuries.org Description: The STOP campaign was initiated by the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and is supported by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and other reputable professional organizations. The STOP Web site contains information to educate medical providers, coaches, parents, and athletes about the prevalence of youth sporting injuries, opportunities to remove or minimize risk, and basic information about care. It also includes relevant consensus statements from professional organizations regarding the care of youth athletes. The site includes a search function, but information is most easily found via the dropdown menus. The quantity of material is somewhat limited, but it provides a reliable resource for coaches, parents, athletes, and physicians. Cost: Free. Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute: www.bhsi.org Description: The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute Web site was reviewed here several years ago (2004), but the Institute has continued to expand and update its information. It provides extensive information about bicycle helmets, including performance, comfort, fit, and effectiveness. There is a selection of downloadable PDF files addressing common questions and tools to encourage helmet use. They provide a brief summary of bicycle helmet laws in the United States and include links to many other resources. The site is logically arranged, enabling straightforward navigation to the information. It provides references for its statements and generously encourages use of its material to increase bicycle helmet use. It provides valuable information useful for sports medicine professionals trying to increase bicycle helmet use. Cost: Free. The Dr. Glass DPM Podcast: http://drglass.org Description: "Dr. Glass DPM-Learning Resources" is an alias for a team effort producing video podcasts and other academic educational material about foot and ankle injuries, biomechanics, and surgery. The volume of material is not extensive, but the quality of the videos and the narration this group has created is impressive. It is an excellent resource to improve understanding of foot and ankle mechanics and for teaching. The videos are available on YouTube and are easily accessed for teaching and review. Cost: Free. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society: www.aofas.org Description: This is the official site of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS). It provides information for patients regarding common foot complaints and treatment, children's feet and development, routine foot care, and shoe selection for both children and adults. Physician-level information regarding injury mechanisms and AOFAS position statements also are included. The information is reliable, and patients will intuitively navigate the site. Expanded content would significantly add to the site's value to physicians. Cost: Free access to the information above. Membership in AOFAS provides access to additional resources. Musculoskeletal MRI: www.freitasrad.net Description: An interactive introduction to normal musculoskeletal anatomy seen on magnetic resonance images (MRI). The site provides labeled MRI studies and allows the user to scroll through sample images as they would with a patient's MRI. It is an excellent learning tool for residents and fellows learning MRI interpretation. It also provides a convenient reference for the practicing physician. The volume of material is limited, but the design is straightforward, allowing rapid access to the images of interest. Cost: Free.

Oncologic Imaging: A Guiding Hand of Personalized Cancer Care

Our discipline is in a remarkably strong position to guide and advance the practice of medicine in the 21st century.

Graphic-enhanced information improves perceived risks of cigar smoking

The internet is a major source of health information and several notable health web sites contain information on the risks associated with cigar smoking. Previous research indicates that internet pages containing health information on cigars have high reading levels and are restricted to text material, which can decrease understanding. We examined the effects of existing text-only (from the United States National Cancer Institute website) versus novel graphic-enhanced information on smokers' perceptions of health risks associated with cigar smoking.The study was a laboratory-based single session of current cigarette smokers (n=102) who viewed cigar smoking risk information on a computer monitor then completed cigar risk questionnaire items. Participants were randomized to view either text-only or graphic-enhanced cigar information. The graphic version contained additional risk information about cigarillos and little cigars. Text-only participants were more likely to underestimate perceived health risks associated with cigar smoking compared to graphic-enhanced participants (47.1% versus 17.7%, p=.001); and, graphic-enhanced participants were more likely to report that they would share the cigar health risk information with friends compared to those viewing text-only, 47.0% versus 27.4%, p=.005. Employing graphics to convey health risks associated with cigar smoking increases understanding and likeliness to share information. Integrating information about little cigar and cigarillo risk in conjunction with large cigar risk information is an effective public health strategy to provide more comprehensive risk information. Utilizing graphics on health information internet pages can increase knowledge and perceived risks of cigar smoking.

Wikipedia and the National Cancer Institute Website Appear to Offer Similar Osteosarcoma Information for Patients

A Review of:
 Leithner, A., Werner, M., Glehr, M., Friesenbichler, J., Keithner, K., & Windhager R. (2010). Wikipedia and osteosarcoma: A trustworthy patients' information? Journal of the Medical Informatics Association, 17(4), 373-374. 
 
 Objective – To compare the completeness and accuracy of information about osteosarcoma in Wikipedia to information found on the patient and health professional versions of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) website.
 
 Design – Comparative study, test against 20 item questionnaire and expert opinion.
 
 Setting – n/a. 
 
 Subjects – n/a.
 
 Methods – The authors developed a 20-item questionnaire to test the completeness and accuracy of information on osteosarcoma in Wikipedia and on the “patient version and the health professional version of the National Cancer Institute’s website as ‘official’ reference websites” (p. 373). Three independent observers, two surgeons specializing in musculoskeletal tumour surgery and a medical student, tested the English language version of Wikipedia and the NCI “websites” on April 3, 2009. Answers to the 20 questions found on the websites were scored from zero to three and were discussed with a member of the “German board for guidelines in musculoskeletal surgery” (p. 373) and verified against international guidelines published by the World Health Organization. Data was analyzed using SPSS and group comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney U test with p-values of less than 0.05 significance.
 
 Main Results – The quality of information about osteosarcoma found in the English language version of Wikipedia was good but inferior to the patient information from NCI. Out of a total of 60 points Wikipedia scored 33, NCI patient information 40 and NCI professional information 50. There was no significant difference between the NCI patient information and Wikipedia but a significant difference (p=0.039) between Wikipedia and NCI professional information.
 
 Conclusion – Non-peer reviewed websites providing health information, such as Wikipedia, should include links to sites such as NCI and other more definitive sources such as professional and international organizations. Frequent checks should be used to ensure external links are of the highest quality.

Intensified 1st Cycle Rituximab (R) Plus 8th Cycles of R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone) Chemotherapy In Patients with Advanced or Bulky CD20+ Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL); Open-Labelled, Multicenter Phase II CISL Study-Interim Analysis.

AbstractAbstract 1786 Background:Six to Eighth cycles of R-CHOP (Rituximab + cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisolone) has been widely used as standard regimen for the advanced stage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the optimal dose and number of rituximab application have not been determined to date. According to the recent German DENSE-R-CHOP-14 trial, additional use of rituximab (12th dose of rituximab) showed increased complete remission (CR) rate in high risk DLBCL patients. Based upon the promising results of DENSE-R-CHOP-14 chemotherapy in DLBCL, we have been investigated the efficacy and safety of additional 1st cycle Rituximab + 8th cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy (R+8th R-CHOP, every 3 weeks) in patients with previously untreated stage III/IV or bulky DLBCL. Methods:92 patients with advanced stage DLBCL (Bulky stage II or Stage III or IV) from 21 institutions received 8th cycles of R-CHOP-21 with additional rituximab on days 0 of 1st cycle between January 2009 and December 2009. The primary endpoint was complete response rate after 3rd cycles of treatment. Among 92 patents who were initially enrolled this study, 14 patients had no response data after 3rd cycles of chemotherapy (3 refuse consent, 2 early death, 7 no evaluation, 1 transfer to other institution, 1 serious toxicity). The DLBCL patients who were treated with 6–8th cycles of R-CHOP-21 will be analyzed for historical control data. The trial is registered on National Cancer Institute website, number NCT01054781. Results:Fifty two patients (56.5%) were older than 60 years (median age; 63); 16 (17.4%) had a poor performance status (ECOG 3 2); 64 (69.6%) had an elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and 89 (93.5%) had stage III/IV disease. According to the International Prognostic Index (IPI), 5 (5.4%) patients had low risk, 28 (30.4%) had low–intermediate risk, 43 (46.7%) had high–intermediate risk, and 16 (17.4%) had high risk disease. According to the revised IPI, 33 (35.9%) patients had good prognostic group (IPI score 1–2), and 59 (64.1%) patients had poor prognostic group (IPI score 3–5). Among the 78 evaluable DLBCL patients, complete remission (CR) rate was 42.3% (33/78) after 3rd cycles of chemotherapy. Response rate after 3rd cycles of chemotherapy was 96.2% (42.3% CR + 53.8% partial remission). CR were observed in 80% (4/5) of low IPI patients, 65.2% (15/23) of low intermediate IPI, 32.4% (12/37) of high intermediate IPI and 15.3% (2/13) of high IPI (P = 0.087). And CR also observed in 67.9% (19/28) of the patients with good revised IPI and 28% (14/50) of the patients with poor revised IPI (P = 0.007). Infection was one of the most frequent 3 grade 3 adverse events (17/92; 18.5%). Two (2.2%) treatment related deaths (infection) were observed. Other grade 3 and 4 adverse events were occurred as follows; neutropenia (47.8%), anemia (13.1%), thrombocytopenia (5.4%), generalized weakness (6.5%), diarrhea (3.3%), anorexia (2.2%), abdominal pain (2.2%), neuropathy (1.1%) and muscle pain (1.1%). Conclusion:The addition of rituximab on days 0 of 1st cycle of R-CHOP to the standard 8th cycles of R-CHOP-21 for advanced DLBCL showed acceptable response rates after 3rd cycles of chemotherapy and acceptable toxicities. We will evaluate the long-term follow up results and the comparison analysis with historical controls receiving standard R-CHOP-21. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Travel diaries as a therapeutic tool: My interior road to noh, waka, haiku, and renga

In 2006, after returning from my trip to Japan to study Noh with my Master Teacher, I completed a haibun (travel diary) inspired by Basho who originally created it as a special form of literature. I edited my haiku poetry and notes written during my trip into a travel diary including photos. I made it available at Ilmatar Institute's web site for a while. This current travel diary is substantially shortened and edited version capturing only some parts of my trip, but more importantly it documents my inner learning about the ancient Japanese literature of Noh plays, waka, haiku, and renku. A half kazen renku created by a renku group in Tokyo, Japan, lead by a Renku Master, Shokan, is included in the end. The renku stanzas were originally created both in Japanese and English and translated into English by Shokan during the session. Familiarity with Basho's haibun is recommended. The concept of haibun with this example is introduced here as a useful form of literature for both poetry therapists and poetry therapy groups.

Wikipedia and osteosarcoma: a trustworthy patients' information?

The English version of the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, has been recently reported to be the prominent source of online health information. However, there is little information concerning the quality of information found in Wikipedia. Therefore, we created a questionnaire asking for scope, completeness, and accuracy of information found on osteosarcoma. Three independent observers tested the English version of Wikipedia, as well as the patient version and the health professional version of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) website. Answers were verified with authoritative resources and international guidelines. The results of our study demonstrate that the quality of osteosarcoma-related information found in the English Wikipedia is good but inferior to the patient information provided by the NCI. Therefore, non-peer-reviewed commonly used websites offering health information, such as Wikipedia, should include links to more definitive sources, such as those maintained by the NCI and professional international organizations on healthcare treatments. Furthermore, frequent checks should make sure such external links are to the highest quality and to the best-maintained aggregate sites on a given healthcare topic.

Low Awareness of and Referral to National Cancer Information Resources Among Physicians

There are currently more than 11 million cancer survivors in the United States (1). With improvements in cancer screening technology and treatment, this number is likely to increase. The information needs of cancer patients and survivors could strain an already burdened health-care system, underscoring the need for reliable cancer information from credible sources (2–4). Although many quality cancer information resources are available, recent data (5) indicate that health-care professionals are the most trusted source for health information, followed by US government health agencies that produce and scientifically vet materials for patients and health-care professionals, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Cancer Institute's Web site (www.cancer.gov) and the Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER) serve as NIH's primary cancer information resources. The CDC Web site (www.cdc.gov) also serves as a cancer information resource. To assess the awareness of and referral to national cancer information resources among primary care physicians, we analyzed data from the National Survey of Primary Care Physicians’ Recommendations and Practice for Breast, Cervical, Colorectal, and Lung Cancer Screening. The survey was fielded in 2006 and 2007 as a mailed questionnaire. The sample was drawn from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile by using a systematic sample design that was stratified by medical specialty type. Eligible respondents were nonfederal office-based family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, and obstetricians and gynecologists aged 75 years or younger. A total of 1212 physicians completed the survey for a 73.4% cooperation rate and a 67.5% response rate. Details about sampling and survey methodology are published elsewhere (6). Respondents were asked “Are you aware of, and have you ever referred a patient to, any of the following services for cancer information: 1-800-4-CANCER; www.cancer.gov; and www.cdc.gov?” Response options were “aware and referred,” “aware of it, never referred,” and “not aware of it.” Awareness and referral were assessed by physician and practice characteristics. SUDAAN software, version 10 (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC), was used to calculate weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cross tabulations with two-sided χ2 and t tests and a multinomial regression analysis were conducted to discern physician and practice characteristics associated with awareness and referral. Awareness and referral to national information resources was low: 6.2% of physicians reported awareness and referral to 1-800-4CANCER, 14.0% reported awareness and referral to www.cancer.gov, and 23.1% reported awareness and referral to www.cdc.gov (Table 1). Greater awareness of and referral to at least one of these resources was associated with more time spent teaching (P = .046 [t test]) and conducting administrative duties (P = .046 [t test]). Lower awareness and referral was observed among physicians who were in private practice (P = .001 [χ2 test]), had larger patient loads (P = .015 [χ2 test]), or had a higher percentage of uninsured patients (P = .015 [χ2 test]). A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with physicians in university settings, those in private practice were less likely to be aware of and refer to national cancer information resources (odds ratio = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.34 to 0.74) and less likely to report awareness and no referral (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.74). Table 1 Physician awareness of and referral to national cancer information resources Low levels of awareness of and referral to national cancer information resources were observed across physician and practice characteristics. Efforts to raise awareness and use of these resources could improve informational support to health-care providers, cancer patients, and survivors.

Analysis of cancer clinical trials in the United States with comparison of National Institute of Health (NIH) and pharmaceutical industry (PHARMA)-sponsored studies.

6084 Background: We performed this study in order to describe the nature of current cancer trials in the US. Methods: From the National Cancer Institute website, we obtained a list of 2,262 therape...

Characterization of the Apical Membrane Antigen-1 in Italian Strains of Babesia bigemina

Babesia bigemina is a parasite endemic in different parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One of the few genes characterized in this species codifies for the Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA-1), a trans-membrane antigen recently identified. In this research, we characterized the ama-1 gene from three Italian B. bigemina strains, two B. bigemina strains obtained from Ragusa, Sicily (ITA1 and ITA3) and a third one obtained from Benevento, Campania (ITA2). Italian sequences were compared with those of the Australian strain obtained from the Sanger Institute web site and to strains from different parts of the world. The results obtained confirmed that this newly described ama-1 gene is highly conserved among Italian and foreign strains which has implications for vaccine development.

Readability of Patient Information Regarding Breast Cancer Prevention from the Web site of the National Cancer Institute

The increasing use of the Internet for gathering information regarding preventative health measures creates a unique dilemma. Access to the Internet is almost universal in the USA. Web sites presenting health information regarding breast cancer must create information that is understandable to the general public, meaning a reading level of around seventh grade. Text was obtained from the National Cancer Institute's Web site, and an examination of the text's grade level was performed. The text was written at between a 10th and 12th grade level. This indicates that information regarding breast cancer prevention obtained from the National Cancer Institute's web site is written at far too high of a level.

Comparative Effectiveness Research: What It Means for Radiology

The coming years will be an ideal time for investigators in radiology to develop a comparative effectiveness research (CER) initiative and to establish a lasting precedent for CER in our field.

Re: First Trimester Procedural Abortion in Family Medicine

To the Editor: I read with some disbelief the statement cited by Lyus et al[1][1] that “almost half” of American women will have had an abortion. Following the first reference (to the Guttmacher Institute website), the national overview presently states: “At current rates, about one in three

Careers in Basic Cardiovascular Research

Received August 2, 2008; accepted January 28, 2009. The opportunities in basic science for graduating PhD students and for aspiring physician-scientists have never been so extraordinary. The sequencing of the human genome and the development of the human haplotype map have enabled scientists to begin to unravel the basis of complex multigenic disorders. Rapid developments in stem cell biology are affecting many areas of cardiovascular biology and may enable repair of injured myocardium. High-throughput chemical genetic screening, proteomics, and metabolomics are changing the approaches with which investigators characterize novel signal transduction pathways and develop new therapeutic paradigms. Rapidly evolving molecular imaging technologies are noninvasively illuminating the fundamental processes contributing to cardiovascular diseases. New insights into the mechanisms involved in cardiac myocyte hypertrophy and dysfunction have important therapeutic implications for an expanding population of patients with congestive heart failure. For the young scientist looking to the future, there are major benefits in pursuing a basic science career including the excitement of discovery, the opportunity for life-long learning, and the potential to broadly affect cardiovascular science and medicine. On the other hand, the young investigator considering a basic science career is confronted by many challenges. The budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has remained essentially unchanged for 5 years (when the impact of inflation is considered). The success rate of R01 grant applications has consistently declined since 2000, and the average age when an investigator receives a first R01 grant (or equivalent) increased to 42.6 in 2007 (NIH Extramural Data Book at www.report.nih.gov/index.aspx). At the same time, the increased costs of undergraduate and medical school educations have burdened potential young investigators with ever-increasing financial commitments. Many academic leaders have suggested that an entire generation of young scientists is “at risk” (www.BrokenPipeline. org). Long hours at the laboratory bench are compensated …

Occupation as Socioeconomic Status or Environmental Exposure? A Survey of Practice Among Population-based Cardiovascular Studies in the United States

Decisions about how occupation is used in epidemiologic research can affect conclusions about the importance of socioeconomic and environmental factors in explaining disparities for outcomes such as cardiovascular disease. A review of practices in the collection and use of occupational data was conducted among population-based cardiovascular studies in the United States. Studies were identified for review from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website and the biomedical database, Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects, by use of selected criteria. Data collection instruments and study publications were retrieved and reviewed for 30 of 33 studies (91%). Most of the studies (83%) collected at least descriptive occupational data, and more than half (60%) collected data on workplace hazards. The reviewed studies produced 80 publications in which occupational data were used in analyses, most often as an indicator of socioeconomic status. Authors rarely acknowledged known conceptual and empirical links among socioeconomic status, employment stability, and working conditions. Underutilization of data on workplace conditions was found. Existing data could be used more effectively to examine the contribution of work-related social and environmental conditions to the development of modifiable cardiovascular disease through multiple pathways.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, http://www.gilderlehrman.org. Created by Thirteen/WNET and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Maintained by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York, N.Y. Reviewed Jan. 1-7, 2008

The co-chairmen Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman founded the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History (gli) in 1994 in New York to promote “the study and love of American history.” The gli serves several audiences including historians, educators, students, and the general public. The institute's Web site is at once an archive, a teaching resource, an electronic exhibit, and a central repository for American history resources. Historians and teachers can find the resources that most pertain to their profession by going to the links designated for them. The collection specializes in the colonial, revolutionary, antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras, as well as in slavery and women's history during those periods, but it also includes an impressive range of resources and documents covering U.S. history to the present day. To limit my analysis, I focused on what the site offers regarding the experiences of freed slaves in the...

Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Sociology of Religious Organizations

Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Sociology of Religious Organizations

Personality and Self-Reported Treatment Effectiveness in Depression

The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between eight personality styles and retrospective self-reported response to a wide range of treatments for depression, including pharmacological, psychological and alternative strategies. An online survey posted on the Black Dog Institute website was completed by 3486 respondents reporting a history of treatment for depression. Inclusion criteria resulted in a sample of 2692 respondents. Participants completed the Temperament and Personality Questionnaire, which assesses eight personality dimensions: anxious worrying, perfectionism, personal reserve, irritability, social avoidance, rejection sensitivity, self-criticism and self-focus. A series of linear regressions quantified that the personality dimensions--as well as age and gender--accounted for very little of the variance in self-reported treatment effectiveness (1-7%). Self-criticism was associated with a poorer response to most treatments, and social avoidance was associated with a poorer response to psychological treatments (e.g. cognitive behaviour therapy) and behavioural strategies (e.g. exercise). Several other weak associations are reported. The association between personality style and retrospective self-reported treatment response was overall weak at most. The association between a personality style of self-criticism and poor treatment response warrants clarification.