Peter Ström

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), characterized by fear of being scrutinized by others, has features that that are closely linked to the concept of shame. Despite this, it remains to be investigated whether shame is elevated in persons with SAD, and if cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for SAD could reduce shame experience. In the present study, we focused on internal shame, i.e. the type of shame that pertains to how we judge ourselves. Although guilt is distinctly different from shame, we also viewed it as important to investigate its role in SAD as the two emotions are highly correlated. The aim of this study was to investigate: (I) if persons with SAD differ from healthy controls on shame and guilt, (II) if shame, guilt, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety are associated in persons with SAD, and (III) if CBT can reduce internal shame in patients with SAD. Firstly, we conducted a case-control study comparing a sample with SAD (n = 67) with two samples of healthy controls, a main sample (n = 72) and a replication sample (n = 22). Secondly, all participants with SAD were treated with CBT and shame, measured with the Test of Self-Conscious affect, was assessed before and after treatment. The results showed that shame was elevated in person with SAD compared to the control replication sample, but not to the main control sample. In addition, shame, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated among participants with SAD. After CBT, participants with SAD had significantly reduced their shame (Cohen's d = 0.44). Guilt was unrelated to social anxiety. We conclude that shame and social anxiety are associated and that it is likely that persons with SAD are more prone to experience shame than persons without SAD. Also, CBT is associated with shame reduction in the treatment of SAD.

BACKGROUND: Although increasingly used, the benefit of surgical treatment of displaced 2-part proximal humerus fractures has not been proven. This trial evaluates the clinical effectiveness of surgery with locking plate compared with non-operative treatment for these fractures. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The NITEP group conducted a superiority, assessor-blinded, multicenter randomized trial in 6 hospitals in Finland, Estonia, Sweden, and Denmark. Eighty-eight patients aged 60 years or older with displaced (more than 1 cm or 45 degrees) 2-part surgical or anatomical neck proximal humerus fracture were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either operative treatment with a locking plate or non-operative treatment. The mean age of patients was 72 years in the non-operative group and 73 years in the operative group, with a female sex distribution of 95% and 87%, respectively. Patients were recruited between February 2011 and April 2016. The primary outcome measure was Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score at 2-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes included Constant-Murley score, the visual analogue scale for pain, the quality of life questionnaire 15D, EuroQol Group's 5-dimension self-reported questionnaire EQ-5D, the Oxford Shoulder Score, and complications. The mean DASH score (0 best, 100 worst) at 2 years was 18.5 points for the operative treatment group and 17.4 points for the non-operative group (mean difference 1.1 [95% CI -7.8 to 9.4], p = 0.81). At 2 years, there were no statistically or clinically significant between-group differences in any of the outcome measures. All 3 complications resulting in secondary surgery occurred in the operative group. The lack of blinding in patient-reported outcome assessment is a limitation of the study. Our assessor physiotherapists were, however, blinded. CONCLUSIONS: This trial found no significant difference in clinical outcomes at 2 years between surgery and non-operative treatment in patients 60 years of age or older with displaced 2-part fractures of the proximal humerus. These results suggest that the current practice of performing surgery on the majority of displaced proximal 2-part fractures of the humerus in older adults may not be beneficial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01246167.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that the Stockholm-3 model (S3M) outperforms prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening tool for prostate cancer. OBJECTIVE: To update the S3M, to give a detailed account of the value of each predictor in the S3M, and to evaluate the S3M as a reflex test for men with PSA ≥3ng/ml. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: During 2012-2015, the Stockholm-3 study evaluated the S3M relative to PSA as tests for Gleason score ≥7 prostate cancers among men aged 50-69 yr. The participants (n=59 159) underwent both tests, and biopsy was recommended if at least one was positive. A total of 5073 men had a biopsy because of elevated PSA (≥3ng/ml). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Logistic regression was used to update the S3M: intact PSA was removed, HOXB13 was included, and the model was fitted to data from the Stockholm-3 training and validation cohorts. To compare S3M with PSA, we fixed the sensitivity for detection of high-grade cancer and evaluated the performance as the number of biopsies needed to achieve that sensitivity for each test. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The updated S3M slightly improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve compared to previously published results (0.75 vs 0.74). When used as a reflex test for men with PSA ≥3ng/ml, S3M reduced the number of biopsies needed by 34% compared to the use of PSA alone, with equal sensitivity. A limitation is the ethnically homogeneous population. CONCLUSIONS: A major problem with PSA screening-too many unnecessary biopsies-can be mitigated if S3M is used as a reflex test. PATIENT SUMMARY: To find aggressive prostate cancer with the minimum number of negative biopsies and detection of clinically insignificant cancers, we evaluated the use of a personalized diagnostic prediction model as a second test for men with a positive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. We found that this two-step approach could reduce prostate biopsies by a third compared to using PSA alone.