Little is known about the assessment and treatment of self-stigma in substance abusing populations. This article describes the development of an acceptance based treatment (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT) for self-stigma in individuals in treatment for substance use disorder. We report initial outcomes from a study with 88 participants in a residential treatment program. The treatment involves 6 h of a group workshop focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and values work in relation to self-stigma. Preliminary outcomes showed medium to large effects across a number of variables at post-treatment. Results were as expected with one potential process of change, experiential avoidance, but results with other potential mediators were mixed.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a serious and potentially fatal complication after solid organ and haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. The frequency of PTLD varies with the type of organ transplant but overall it affects 2-10% of all solid organ transplant recipients. Most cases develop within 1 year after the transplant, although occasional cases present 5-10 years later. Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder is clinically and pathologically heterogeneous - the majority are of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma type, whereas Hodgkin's lymphoma arising after transplantation is rare. We have retrospectively reviewed patients with a histological diagnosis of PTLD after a solid organ transplant. We present the imaging features and a clinical review of this condition. Early diagnosis of PTLD may alter the management and outcome of the disease. The radiologist can play a vital role in establishing the diagnosis by imaging features supplemented with percutaneous biopsy and also in monitoring the disease response to treatment.

Empirically validated methods for reducing stigma and prejudice toward recipients of behavioral health-care services are badly needed. In the present study, two packages presented in 1-day workshops were compared to a biologically oriented educational control condition in the alleviation of stigmatizing attitudes in drug abuse counselors. One, Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), utilized acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, and values methods. The other, multicultural training, sensitized participants to group prejudices and biases. Measures of stigma and burnout were taken pretraining, posttraining, and after a 3-month follow-up. Results showed that multicultural training had an impact on stigmatizing attitudes and burnout postintervention but not at follow-up, but showed better gains in a sense of personal accomplishment as compared to the educational control at follow-up. ACT had a positive impact on stigma at follow-up and on burnout at posttreatment and follow-up and follow-up gains in burnout exceeded those of multicultural training. ACT also significantly changed the believability of stigmatizing attitudes. This process mediated the impact of ACT but not multicultural training on follow-up stigma and burnout. This preliminary study opens new avenues for reducing stigma and burnout in behavioral health counselors.

Behavior therapy is relevant not just to the needs of victims of terrorism, but also to the understanding and modification of psychological processes that lead to the Perpetration of terrorist acts. A key Process of this kind is Prejudice. In this paper, human Prejudice is defined as the objectification and dehumanization of people as a result of their participation in evaluative verbal categories. Prejudice is difficult to deal with because (a) the same verbal processes that give rise to prejudice are massively reinforced in dealing with the external environment; (b) virtually all cultures openly amplify this process with stigmatized groups; (c) humans are historical beings and verbal/cognitive networks once formed tend to maintain themselves; and (d) many of the things humans do to change or eliminate undesirable verbal categorical processes are either inert or prone to making these processes more resistant to change. Mindfulness, Cognitive defusion, acceptance, and valued action are suggested as alternative methods of fighting the war behavior therapy needs to help human society win: not just a war on terrorism, but a war on Prejudice.

Aim This study examined and compared the inhibition of the antibacterial effect of saturated calcium hydroxide solution, chlorhexidine acetate and iodine potassium iodide by dentine, hydroxylapatite and bovine serum albumin.Methodology Enterococcus faecalis strain A197A prepared to a suspension of 3 x 10(8) cells per mi in 0.5% peptone water was used. Fifty muL of saturated calcium hydroxide solution, 0.05% chlorhexidine acetate or 0.2/0.4% iodine potassium iodide were incubated at 37 degreesC with 28 mg dentine powder (DP), hydroxylapatite (HA) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 50 muL water for 1 h before adding 50 muL of the bacterial suspension. Samples for bacterial culturing were taken from the suspension 1 and 24 h after adding the bacteria. In further experiments, the amount of dentine was stepwise reduced from 28 mg 150 muL(-1) to 2.8 mg 150 muL(-1).Results Calcium hydroxide was totally inactivated by the presence of 28 mg of DP, HA or BSA. Chlorhexidine (0.05%) was strongly inhibited by BSA and slowed down by dentine. However, HA had little or no inhibitory effect on chlorhexidine. The antibacterial effect of 0.2/0.4% on iodine potassium iodide on E. faecalis was totally inhibited by dentine (28 mg), but was practically unaffected by HA or BSA. A stepwise reduction of dentine from 28 mg 150 muL(-1) to 2.8 mg 150 muL(-1) was followed by a similar reduction of the inhibition of the antibacterial activity of chlorhexidine. Iodine potassium iodide was not inhibited at all with dentine amounts less than 28 mg. However, the effect of saturated calcium hydroxide solution was totally eliminated by dentine, in all four concentrations.Conclusion Inhibition by dentine of the antibacterial activity of calcium hydroxide, chlorhexidine and iodine potassium iodide occurs by different mechanisms. Different components of dentine may he responsible for the inhibition of these three medicaments. Calcium hydroxide was particularly sensitive to inhibition by both inorganic and organic compounds.