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Prediction of treatment response to trauma-focused psychotherapy remains a difficult task. This study evaluated treatment response to Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (BEPP) dependent on pre-treatment variables, symptom progression, and manual adherence. We tested differences in pre-treatment variables and symptom time course between treatment responders and non-responders in 27 patients, using exact regression analyses and general linear models. Associations of therapists´ adherence to the treatment manual during different therapy phases with response status were also studied using independent samples t-test. Lower education and complete inability to work were negatively related to therapy outcome. Significant differences in symptom time course between responders and non-responders were detected from session nine onwards, whereas adherence to treatment was not related to outcome during any treatment phase. Our results indicate that early identification of treatment response may meaningfully expand previous research on outcome predicton based on pre-treatment variables in trauma-focused psychotherapy. Furthermore, adaptations of treatment protocols for specific groups of patients with increased risk of poor treatment outcomes may be advisable. If replicated by more naturalistic designs, our results could contribute towards limiting the requirement of strict manual adherence to efficacy studies in posttraumatic stress disorder treatment research.

Posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) implantation is a widely accepted and performed refractive surgery for correction of moderate and high myopia used when corneal laser ablation procedures are not suitable. This paper analyzes literature data to reveal the advantages and limitations of the technology.

Purpose: To investigate the dependence of the area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) on axial eye length (AL) and to develop a feasible method for correcting this dependence., Material and Methods: The study involved 209 patients over the age of 18 years (209 eyes), of them 52 patients with AL of 20-22 mm (hyperopia group), 60 patients with AL of 25.5-28.5 mm (myopia group) and 97 patients with AL of 22.5-24.5 mm (emmetropia group). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) examination was performed on Cirrus HD-OCT 5000 with AngioPlex («Carl Zeiss Meditec», Germany)., Results: FAZ area was corrected using the Littmann-Bennett formula modified by A.A. Shpak and M.V. Korobkova. FAZ area values both in emmetropic patients and in patients with refractive errors varied over a very wide range. Before correction, AL had a significant influence on the FAZ area (mm 2 ), which compared to the emmetropia group (0.27±0.09) was significantly reduced in the myopia group (0.21±0.07; p <0.000) and increased in the hyperopia group (0.31±0.11; p =0.015). The corrected FAZ area values did not differ in the compared groups. After correction the FAZ area decreased on average by 19% in the hyperopia group and increased by 25% in the myopia group. A chart and an Excel (Microsoft)/LibreOffice Calc program have been developed for correction of the FAZ area depending on the AL., Conclusion: Refractive errors, especially high-degree ones, have a significant effect on the FAZ area. This study proposes an original chart and a calculation program for correct interpretation of FAZ area measurements in patients with refractive errors, providing an accessible and quick way to assess the obtained results.

Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is a new chapter in the history of cataract surgery. The use of femtosecond laser allows automation of the main stages of operation such as capsulotomy, lens fragmentation and creation of corneal incisions; it improves predictability and safety of the procedure and improves refractive outcomes. This article analyzes advantages and disadvantages of the new technology based on literature data and authors' own experience.

The paper gives an overview of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines updated in 2017. The revised and amended guidelines for areas, such as dual antiplatelet therapy (DAT), treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and management of patients with valvular heart disease and peripheral artery disease, were presented in late summer of this year. The authors of this paper present an independent analysis and discussion of new data on the key issues of diagnosis and treatment in patients in the above areas. The recommendations on DAT pay special attention to the timing of the therapy and to the choice of its drugs. The updated data on the treatment of patients with STEMI accurately determine the time to percutaneous coronary interventions, approaches to revascularization; the updates touch upon fibrinolytic therapy and new approaches to lipid-lowering therapy too. Recommendations for the management of patients with peripheral artery atherosclerosis propose for the first time a section devoted to the choice of antiplatelet therapy (an antiaggregant and/or an anticoagulant) depending on the clinical situation.