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Twenty compulsive gamblers were randomly allocated, half to receive aversion-relief therapy and half to receive imaginal desensitization; both groups were followed-up for one year. Compared with those who received aversion-relief, gamblers who received imaginal desensitization reported a significantly greater reduction of gambling urge and behaviour; they also showed a significant reduction in trait anxiety at one year and in state anxiety at one month and one year following treatment. A high level of state anxiety at one month following treatment predicted failure to respond to treatment at one year in the subjects who received imaginal desensitization, but not in those who received aversion-relief. The relationship between reduction in anxiety and in gambling urge in response to imaginal desensitization was predicted from the theory that compulsive gambling is driven by aversive tension.

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Twenty subjects were randomly allocated to receive either imaginal relaxation (IR) or imaginal desensitization (ID) to reduce compulsive gambling. As predicted from a behavioral completion model, but not a stimulus control model, subjects' response to IR was comparable with that to ID. Also as predicted, response correlated with subjects' levels of tension following treatment. Detailed assessment of the situations in which subjects' gambling occurred was not necessary for effective IR therapy. The result established the treatment validity of the assessment used, this study being the first to compare the treatment validity of different behavioral assessments. The finding that manipulation of an organismic variable level of arousal is as effective as a manipulation of a stimulus variable in the treatment of compulsive gambling supports the trend among behavior therapists to place more emphasis on the importance of organismic variables as determinants of pathological behaviors.

The results show that our method of VL transfer may be a viable option for patients with severe abductor deficiency. Modest but clinically relevant early results are seen.

We studied the mechanical characteristics of cement-antibiotic combinations in vitro. Palacos R was tested without antibiotics, with gentamicin alone and with gentamicin plus vancomycin or flucloxacillin. Palacos LV was studied only with gentamicin added. CMW 1 was studied with gentamicin added, with gentamicin plus vancomycin, and with gentamicin plus flucloxacillin. We performed four-point bending tests on beams of cement to establish bending strength and modulus, and compared the values to ISO standards. Density was also assessed. Palacos R was the strongest of the cements (bending strength 80 MPa). Palacos formulations (apart from Palacos LV) had a higher density and bending modulus than CMW 1. Statistical comparison of various cements with plain Palacos R showed lower density in 4 of the mixtures, and lower bending strength and modulus in 6 of the mixtures. Palacos R/gentamicin plus vancomycin and CMW 1/gentamicin plus vancomycin had bending strength slightly above minimum ISO standards, suggesting that the addition of vancomycin during cement mixing may compromise the outcome in revision surgery for sepsis.