Biobehavioral approach to distinguishing panic symptoms from medical illness.

Panic disorder is a common psychiatric diagnosis characterized by acute, distressing somatic symptoms that mimic medically-relevant symptoms. As a result, individuals with panic disorder overutilize personal and healthcare resources in an attempt to diagnose and treat physical symptoms that are often medically benign. A biobehavioral perspective on these symptoms is needed that integrates psychological and medical knowledge to avoid costly treatments and prolonged suffering.

Influence of Hydrodynamics and Hematocrit on Ultrasound-Induced Blood Plasmapheresis.

Acoustophoretic blood plasma separation is based on cell enrichment processes driven by acoustic radiation forces. The combined influence of hematocrit and hydrodynamics has not yet been quantified in the literature for these processes acoustically induced on blood. In this paper, we present an experimental study of blood samples exposed to ultrasonic standing waves at different hematocrit percentages and hydrodynamic conditions, in order to enlighten their individual influence on the acoustic response of the samples.

Stress-induced cortisol reactivity as a predictor of success in treatment for affective dimensions.

Background: Response rates to first-line treatments for depression and anxiety remain unsatisfactory. Identification of predictors or moderators that can optimize treatment matching is of scientific and clinical interest. This study examined the role of prolonged laboratory-induced stress cortisol reactivity as a predictor of outcome for a treatment of affective dimensions (TAD).

Anxiety Disorders and Medical Comorbidity: Treatment Implications.

Anxiety disorders are debilitating psychological disorders characterized by a wide range of cognitive and somatic symptoms. Anxiety sufferers have a higher lifetime prevalence of various medical problems. Chronic medical conditions furthermore increase the likelihood of psychiatric disorders and overall dysfunction.

Does d-cycloserine facilitate the effects of homework compliance on social anxiety symptom reduction?

Background: Prior studies examining the effect of d-cycloserine (DCS) on homework compliance and outcome in cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) have yielded mixed results. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DCS facilitates the effects of homework compliance on symptom reduction in a large-scale study for social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Methods: 169 participants with generalized SAD received DCS or pill placebo during 12-session exposure-based group CBT.