Missing Control Group Research Articles

Alitretinoin abrogates innate inflammation in palmoplantar pustular psoriasis

Palmoplantar pustular psoriasis is often recalcitrant to therapy. Here we evaluated the therapeutic effect of alitretinoin in patients with recalcitrant palmoplantar pustular psoriasis and investigated subsequent immunopathological alterations. Seven patients with palmoplantar pustular psoriasis were treated with oral alitretinoin 30 mg once daily for 12 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by palmoplantar pustular psoriasis area and severity index (PPPASI), visual analogue scales (VAS) on intensity of pain and pruritus and an overall patient assessment. Immunohistochemical staining for neutrophil elastase, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD1a CD11c, CD303,CD68, CD69, CD208 and HLA-DR was on lesional skin biopsies obtained before and after 12 weeks of treatment. PPPASI and VAS for pruritus and pain decreased significantly after 12 weeks of treatment with alitretinoin. The overall patient assessment ranged from 60% to 90% clinical improvement. In correlation with clinical improvement a significant reduction, particularly of neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic cells, was also observed in the skin sections. Alitretinoin was well tolerated except for headache during the first month of treatment in two patients. Limitations of the study are a missing control group and the concomitant usage of topical therapy. Our findings suggest that alitretinoin may represent a new and promising therapy for recalcitrant palmo-plantar psoriasis and warrants further controlled studies to confirm efficacy and safety of alitretinoin in this disease.

The costs of repression: A meta-analysis on the relation between repressive coping and somatic diseases.

When Freud introduced the term repression, he stated its pathogenic potential. Since then, this notion was adapted and continued to date. Surprisingly, there is no attempt to synthesize research on the effect of repressive coping on somatic diseases quantitatively. The current study closes this gap and examines the association between repressive coping as operationalized by Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidson (1979) and the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and diabetes by applying meta-analytic techniques. An extensive literature search identified 22 studies that met all inclusion criteria and assessed a total of 6,775 participants. The study set was analyzed both as a whole sample (k = 22 studies) and disease-specific (k = 2-10 studies; no study found for diabetes). The results of the meta-analysis indicate a higher risk for repressive copers to suffer from one of the investigated diseases, especially cancer (logOdds after diagnosis: 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.73, p = .012) and hypertension (logOdds: 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.86, p < .0001). After application of a continuity correction due to a missing control group the results for coronary heart disease imply an increased risk for nonrepressors to be affected. Results for cardiovascular diseases in general, heart attack, and asthma did not reach significance. The current meta-analysis revealed significant associations between repressive coping, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension. These results add to the notion of repressive coping as a consequence of cancer as well as to its important role for the issue of hypertension.

O-71 An international survey of transfusion practices in children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

Introduction. Patients undergoing surgery of the thoracic aorta during deep hypothermic cardiac arrest (DHCA) are at risk of increased postoperative bleeding. We report our strategy to achieve postoperative haemostasis guided by thromboelastometry in this surgical population. Method. This retrospective one-centre study included 103 patients from January 2009 until December 2010 who underwent elective surgery of the ascending aorta during DHCA. Coagulation management was guided by an algorithm based on thromboelastometric measurements (ROTEM®). We evaluated the amount of transfused haemostatic and blood products as well as the postoperative blood loss from mediastinal drainages and recorded all surgical revisions within 24 hours of surgery. Results. Sixty patients (58%) received haemostatic products, but no blood products including erythrocyte and platelet concentrates or fresh frozen plasma within 24 hours including surgery. Twenty-six patients, 25% of the total studied, received no haemostatic and no blood product. In the other 77 patients, median (range) transfusion volumes were 1 (0-8) units of erythrocyte concentrate, 0 (0-8) units of fresh frozen plasma, 0 (0-3) units of platelet concentrate, 2 (0-9) grams of fibrinogen concentrate (Haemocomplettan®), 0 (0-2400) units of prothrombin complex concentrate (Prothromblex®), and 0 (0-200) units of factor VIII concentrate (Haemate®). Mean ( SD) postoperative blood loss within the first 24 h was 540 ( 360) ml. One patient died intraoperatively due to heart failure. Three (3%) patients underwent surgical revision within 24 h, all due to surgical re-bleedings. Conclusions. The over-all moderate need for allogeneic blood products together with the avoidance of any blood products in more than 50% of our patients suggests that the goal-directed coagulation management guided by thromboelastometry might be advantageous in patients undergoing aortic surgery during DHCA. Our findings are in agreement with recent publications [1,2], but a missing control group precludes definite conclusions.

I spy with my little eye: jurors' detection of internal validity threats in expert evidence.

This experiment examined whether jury-eligible community members (N = 223) were able to detect internally invalid psychological science presented at trial. Participants read a simulated child sexual abuse case in which the defense expert described a study he had conducted on witness memory and suggestibility. We varied the study's internal validity (valid, missing control group, confound, and experimenter bias) and publication status (published, unpublished). Expert evidence quality ratings were higher for the valid versus missing control group version only. Publication increased ratings of defendant guilt when the study was missing a control group. Variations in internal validity did not influence perceptions of child victim credibility or police interview quality. Participants' limited detection of internal validity threats underscores the need to examine the effectiveness of traditional legal safeguards against junk science in court and improve the scientific reasoning ability of lay people and legal professionals.

A systematic review on the effect of bevacizumab in exudative age-related macular degeneration: a response to a letter to the editor by Schmucker et al.

A systematic review on the effect of bevacizumab in exudative age-related macular degeneration: a response to a letter to the editor by Schmucker et al.

Can jurors recognize missing control groups, confounds, and experimenter bias in psychological science?

This study examined the ability of jury-eligible community members (N = 248) to detect internal validity threats in psychological science presented during a trial. Participants read a case summary in which an expert testified about a study that varied in internal validity (valid, missing control group, confound, and experimenter bias) and ecological validity (high, low). Ratings of expert evidence quality and expert credibility were higher for the valid versus missing control group versions only. Internal validity did not influence verdict or ratings of plaintiff credibility and no differences emerged as a function of ecological validity. Expert evidence quality, expert credibility, and plaintiff credibility were positively correlated with verdict. Implications for the scientific reasoning literature and for trials containing psychological science are discussed.

Einflüsse einer 7-wöchigen Wanderung auf die gegenwärtige Achtsamkeit/Aufmerksamkeit von Patientinnen nach Brustkrebs

INFLUENCES OF A 7-WEEK-HIKE ON THE AWARENESS / ATTENTION OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTSBreast cancer with its intensive medical therapy has a generalized and lasting influence on the concerning patient. Negative psychological effects can be observed still many years after diagnosis. These include depressions and the closely connected missing ability to focus the attention on the present. Fears and concerns shape the emotions of the female patients over many years. The present project sets at this problem. In April/May 2008, 12 women, in the condition after breast cancer, hiked the Camino de Santiago, a route distance of 815 km, for seven weeks. The questionnaire Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was filled out on the days − 2 (2 days before takeoff), 18, 36 and 54 (4 days after return) in order to examine the influences of a long hike on the attention. The results showed clearly positive changes on the focussing of attention during the hike. The participants showed a significant (p = 0,012) improvement in controlling the attention on the present. The small patient number and the missing control group permit only a limited conclusion of the study. Besides, this study is probably the first study, which observed the influence of physical activities with cancer patients in aftercare on the attention. Nevertheless, the results give cause for motivation to let further studies follow on this new field of activity.

The effects of peer review and evidence quality on judge evaluations of psychological science: are judges effective gatekeepers?

Scientifically trained and untrained judges read descriptions of an expert's research in which the peer review status and internal validity were manipulated. Seventeen percent of the judges said they would admit the expert evidence, irrespective of its internal validity. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal also had no effect on judges' decisions. Training interacted with the internal validity manipulation. Scientifically trained judges rated valid evidence more positively than did untrained judges. Untrained judges rated a study with a confound more positively than did trained judges. Training did not affect judge evaluations of studies with a missing control group or potential experimenter bias. Admissibility decisions were correlated with judges' perceptions of the study's validity, jurors' ability to evaluate scientific evidence, and the effectiveness of cross-examination and opposing experts to highlight flaws in scientific methodology.