Approximately one year following the injury, the veteran took a rehabilitation trip for injured combat veterans. According to the authors of the case report,

One evening during the trip the group attended a performance involving a professional stage hypnotist where the patient volunteered, and was persuaded to come on stage, and was subsequently hypnotized by a stage performer. The hypnotist had him perform numerous embarrassing acts. Although he reported to having had reservations, he was nevertheless compliant with the hypnotist’s suggestions. After the performance, the stage hypnotist told the patient that he was a “great hypnotic subject and the star of the show.” He further offered to pay for him to return anytime if he agreed to participate again in the show.

He and his companions reported that he had been in good spirits during the day prior to this event, and had consumed only two alcoholic drinks. There is no evidence of illicit drug use.

After leaving the stage hypnosis show, the veteran was not feeling well and reported feeling overwhelmed by the lights and sounds outside of the hotel where the hypnotist has performed. He then entered a dissociative state which lasted about three hours, for which he later had little to no recollection of his actions. When one of the group’s female guides accidentally bumped into him during that time, he grabbed her and began choking her, and was subsequently arrested. He later reported that he had believed himself to be a prisoner of war. He believed that the cell where he was being held was filling up with water and was terrified that he was about to drown. He finally awoke on a hospital gurney in four-point restraints, with some mild lingering symptoms of anxiety and hypervigilance. Upon being told of his violent outburst he expressed distress and fear of recurrence. He later experienced a number of flashbacks to the period after his stage hypnosis experience, along with other post-traumatic symptoms.

The veteran was referred for psychological treatment. His hypnotizability was assessed using Spiegel & Spiegel’s Hypnotic Induction Procedure (HIP), which indicated that he had a high level of hypnotic susceptibility (a score of 4 out of a possible 5). Hypnotic susceptibility has some correlation with dissociative capacity. Hypnosis was used as a primary treatment modality, with both cognitive and psychodynamic techniques being utilized. After six months of weekly treatment, the veteran was free of traumatic and dissociative symptoms related to both the stage hypnosis incident and his original IED injury, and has also gained control of the neuropathic pain associated with these injuries.

The authors argue that cases like this one provide strong support for closer scrutiny and regulation of the use of hypnosis as a form of entertainment. Although most people who participate in stage hypnosis shows report no negative effects or experiences, there have been a number of published cases in which psychological and even physical injury resulted from exposure to stage hypnosis.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Dissociative PTSD Symptoms Triggered By Stage Hypnosis.

The present meta-analysis examined the effects of green tea and green tea extract supplementation on weight loss and weight maintenance in a variety of clinical studies. Out of a total 49 published medical articles on green tea weight loss the authors’ inclusion criteria allowed them to consider only 11 studies. Their stated purpose was to determine whether green tea has any impact at all on body weight regulation.

The authors broke down their results based on the specific components of green tea, which is very helpful for those interested in supplementing with extracts of green tea. Catechin content in the green tea supplements used was found to have a small positive effect on weight loss, meaning that this specific component of green tea is likely to bring about weight loss when taken as a supplement. Green tea catechins also helped to maintain body weight after the initial weight loss dieting period.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Green Tea For Weight Loss.

The standard treatment for this condition, called thymidine-based nucleoside analog cessation, is only mildly effective and works extremely slowly. The present report provides a review of the literature on cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures for restoring this lost facial fat mass.

Injectable Cosmetic Filling Agents

Researchers have examined both permanent cosmetic filling agents, as well as biodegradable filling materials. The main benefit of the biodegradable agents is their safety profile: patients who receive this type of treatment have few major complications. However, the biodegradable products must be reinjected over time to maintain the cosmetic benefits. While the permanent facial filling agents last much longer and are available at a lower cost, the types of adverse effects that patients experience can sometimes be severe and long-lasting.

The authors of this paper note that although options for cosmetic augmentation of soft tissue are increasingly available and affordable, very few good studies have tested interventions for HIV-related facial fat loss. This means that we actually have very little data concerning the long-term safety of any treatments for this condition. An additional complication stems from the basic difficulty of measuring the severity of the condition due to its variable presentation and gradual onset.

What is currently known is that most currently available cosmetic filling agents are relatively safe in the short term, and can definitely provide aesthetic improvements for HIV-infected patients. This improvement in facial appearance tends to improve the patients’ overall well-being and quality of life, and to restore much of the lost social functioning we see in sufferers of facial lipoatrophy. However, the authors note that there is still a great need for additional research in this area, and a particular need for study designs that include “objectively assessed endpoints.”

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Restorative Cosmetic Plastic Surgery for HIV.

Problems With The Current Studies On Teen Drug Abuse Treatment

The authors are highly critical of the methods of all of the studies under consideration. For example, while randomization of study participants was a prerequisite for inclusion in their review, they found that few of the studies reported on the measures that had been taken to ensure random assignment of the teen drug abusers involved. The authors report that the majority of the studies they looked at had used samples so small that they were at risk for failing to find positive treatment effects that a larger study would have found. They note that most studies failed to identify the primary hypotheses being tested, thereby putting the results at risk of overinterpreting the data through the analysis of multiple outcomes.

Fewer than 20% of the studies under review reported adequate blinding in the assessment of treatment outcomes, and fewer than 33% included all study participants in the final analysis. Nearly 20% of the studies billed as randomized clinical trials failed to use purely random methods to assign teenage drug abuse patients into treatment groups.

Effective Treatments for Teen Drug Abuse

Taking all of these methodological considerations into account, the authors state that the secondary goal of their study was to “evaluate the quality of evidence in support of different treatment models.” Some of the stronger teen drug abuse treatment modalities, picked from the most methodologically sound studies included in the review, included:

• Ecological Family Therapy
• Brief Motivational Intervention
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Of the treatment methods under review, teen drug abuse group therapy was the only one that was found to be ineffective in more than one of the better-quality studies under review.

The authors also note that research in the area of adolescent substance abuse is extremely challenging to perform, and that research methods in this area have improved over the past 2 decades. However, they assert that there is still a great deal of improvement to be made in this area in order that these studies can provide us with good quality information on the likelihood of teen drug abuse treatments to affect the desired outcomes.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Teen Drug Abuse Treatment Review.

In recent years, this is less and less the case, according to the authors. They report that plastic surgeons are receiving an increasing number of requests for minimally invasive cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, such as dermal fillers or injectable skin impants.

The motives of men opting for these types of facial plastic surgeries is also changing. Increasingly, male patients cite a youthful image and competitiveness in the workplace as the concerns leading them to opt for cosmetic plastic surgery. Undergoing these types of procedures is also becoming increasingly socially acceptable, and this is lowering barriers for men who have concerns about their facial appearance and functionality but might otherwise feel too self-conscious to seek out a cosmetic surgeon.

The authors stress that a shift in the patient population should prompt a renewed focus on patient selection and male facial anatomy. These considerations can help to ensure that facial plastic surgery for men retains the effectiveness and reputability that cosmetic plastic surgery for women has attained.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Plastic Surgery For Men.

Facial cosmetic plastic surgery procedures of all types are rapidly gaining popularity. However, the authors of this report cite research from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery which estimates that nearly 80% of all cosmetic procedures currently performed in the United States are non surgical procedures.

That still leaves almost two million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures being performed annually in this country alone. However, while the utilization of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures has increased a very respectable 19% over the past five years, non-surgical cosmetic procedures have increased a tremendous 47%.

The authors note that a substantial shift is also occurring in the demographics of patients seeking cosmetic procedures. Traditionally, both cosmetic plastic surgery and non surgical cosmetic procedures have been the domain of female patients concerned with their physical appearance. Over the last five years, more and more men have sought these types of treatments. This increase is plastic surgery for men could indicate not only a dramatic shift for providers of cosmetic surgery, but also a significant shift in US cultural values as a whole.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Facial Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Gaining Popularity For Men.

This is doubly true because of the rapid growth of the Hispanic community in general; they are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in numerous geographical regions. The authors of this paper point out that the emphasis for providing services to this group increasingly falls into the arena of understanding the range of their natural facial characteristics. This includes the particular types of aesthetic problems and difficulties that Hispanic individuals may tend to encounter and the types of cosmetic plastic surgery interventions that are best suited to correcting them.

Rhinoplasty, the authors contend, is a particularly good example of this need. The “nose job” is one of the most common elective procedures in the cosmetic plastic surgery arsenal, and is in particular one of the most popular facial surgery operations for members of the various Hispanic communities.

The authors conclude that facial aesthetic surgery such as rhinoplasty should be performed only after conducting a full evaluation of the patient’s unique individual facial geography. Any problems or unusual characteristics that the patient present should be accounted for in the planning stages of the cosmetic plastic surgery.

Furthermore, the authors assert that the final goals of treatment should be carefully aligned not only with the unique existing characteristics of the Hispanic patient, but also with their unique aesthetic ideals. A relatively full understanding of the cultural and aesthetic values of the Hispanic community in a plastic surgeon’s area of practice will therefore be helpful in providing services to this population.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in the Hispanic Community.

UK Media Portrayal of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether such a skewed public perception actually exists, and to what extent. To do this, the authors performed a search of every newspaper article published in the UK during the year 2006 which contained the term “plastic surgery.” Of the nearly twelve hundred newspaper articles that the researchers analyzed, almost 90% referred strictly to cosmetic plastic surgery. Only 10% of the articles they found referred to reconstructive plastic surgeries.

The researchers did find, rather unsurprisingly, that articles which included quotes from plastic surgeons who were members of the UK’s General Medical Council tended to have a somewhat more balanced view than articles which did not. However, articles which included quotes from these non cosmetic plastic surgeons were much more likely to include mentions of potential plastic surgery complications and risks. Overall, the authors concluded that the medical profession needs to go to greater lengths to educate the public and members of the media about applications of aesthetic surgery procedures that go above and beyond cosmetic plastic surgery.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at The Media Focus on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery.

Additionally, weight loss surgery recipients tend to hit a plateau in their weight loss, after which they “become candidates for body contouring surgery” and other elective cosmetic surgeries. The present study aimed to highlight the nutritional deficiencies often found in the post surgery weight loss diet as they relate to subsequent body contouring operations. To accomplish this, the authors performed an extensive search of the literature on bariatric surgery procedures and attempted to compile that information into a cohesive review.

Nutritional deficits in post surgery weight loss diets

The authors report that the literature to date points to a pervasive protein deficiency in patients’ post surgery weight loss diets, as well as numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies. These deficiencies are especially pertinent given the delicate nature of the surgeries and the need for adequate healing after the procedures.

They conclude that plastic surgeons working with patients who have undergone weight loss surgery need to be aware of the nutritional aspects of their patients’ overall condition at the time of consultation. The nutritional deficiencies seen in these patients can be minimized fairly easily by reinforcing post-surgical eating guidelines and by prescribing nutritional supplements.

Nutritional deficiency leads to slow healing times and poor quality of wound healing. While the optimal post surgery weight loss diet and nutrient densities cannot be established given the current literature, certain nutrient requirements can be ascertained.

Helpful nutrients in the period following weight loss surgery

The average patient who has received weight loss surgery will likely benefit from the following supplements:

• Protein
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Arginine
• Glutamine
• Zinc
• Selenium

The authors state that each of these nutrients has been solidly established as playing a significant role in promoting wound healing and on enhancing immune system functioning. Ensuring that each of these nutrients is obtained from a post surgery weight loss diet is essential for proper healing and maintenance of surgery-induced weight loss.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Post Surgery Weight Loss Diets Are Often Deficient.

Comparison Of Two Low Calorie Weight Loss Diets

The diets that were compared in this study both restricted the amount of total food energy that participants were allowed to consume, and so both were low calorie weight loss diets. The difference between them was the macronutrient ratio, or the ratio of carbohydrate to protein. So one group of study participants followed a “traditional” high-carbohydrate, low calorie diet while the other group followed a high-protein, restricted carbohydrate diet.

To determine the differences in effect between these two diets, nineteen obese men were randomly assigned to follow one diet or the other for a total of eight weeks. The small number of participants and the relatively short duration of the study are limiting factors in the interpretation of the results. However, significant results were found within the context of these limitations.

Weight Loss Diet Results

Study participants who followed the high-protein, low carb weight loss diet lost significantly more weight than those following the “traditional” high-carbohydrate low calorie diet. The low carb group lost an average of around 8 pounds, while the high carb group averaged around 5 pounds.

In addition to the improved weight loss, the researchers found that mitochondrial oxidation was “activated” in the study participants consuming the high protein diet. The researchers propose that such a diet may actually be increasing the dieter’s metabolism, providing a metabolic advantage over weight loss diets that are higher in carbohydrate and lower in protein.

Effects of Very Low Carb Weight Loss Diets Not Addressed

An interesting consideration that is not mentioned in the study is the fact that the “low-carbohydrate” diet group was consuming a much larger amount of carbohydrate than is typically prescribed for individual following a low carb weight loss diet. Carbohydrates still accounted for 40% of this group’s total caloric intake. This means that “low carb” study participants were still eating approximately 150 grams of carbohydrate each day.

Additional research may reveal whether the increase in protein alone may have produced the metabolic advantage seen in these study participants, or whether further reduction in carbohydrate intake might enhance this effect.

This post is syndicated from AllSci.org, your source for human-readable synopses of clinical research. The original article can be found at Metabolic Advantage Found In High-Protein Weight Loss Diet.