Is one assessment enough? Patterns of helping alliance development and outcome

Early therapeutic alliance is usually measured by the rating of a single session (between the third and the fifth sessions). However, there is a strong argument in favor of viewing early alliance as a developing process. This study examined the relationship between patient's rating of the helping alliance (HAq) at each session and therapy outcome. This comparison was repeated using patterns of alliance over the course of treatment. Patterns of therapeutic alliance development were detected by clustering ratings of a sample of N = 70 outpatients across four sessions of very brief psychotherapeutic intervention. Cluster analysis revealed two main patterns (shapes) of alliance development: (i) stable alliance, and (ii) linear growth pattern. These patterns are more predictive of symptom improvement and social adjustment than single ratings, whereas single ratings measuring the strength of alliance are more correlated with patient's satisfaction. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of porcine pepsin as a milk clotting enzyme

An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of porcine pepsin in milk‐clotting enzyme preparations has been developed. The assay is capable of detecting porcine pepsin in the range 1 μgto 1 mg ml^‐1 without enhancement or modification. The specificity of the technique was studied by inhibition assay. Slight cross‐reactions with bovine rennet and Mucor miehei rennet occurred at high concentrations (1.0 mg ml^‐1). The ELISA used in this investigation appears to provide a quick, sensitive and specific method for the detection of porcine pepsin and has potential applications in the dairy industry.     

The Turner syndrome research registry: Creating equipoise between investigators and participants

To address knowledge gaps about Turner syndrome (TS) associated disease mechanisms, the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States created the Turner Syndrome Research Registry (TSRR), a patient‐powered registry for girls and women with TS. More than 600 participants, parents or guardians completed a 33‐item foundational survey that included questions about demographics, medical conditions, psychological conditions, sexuality, hormonal therapy, patient and provider knowledge about TS, and patient satisfaction. The TSRR platform is engineered to allow individuals living with rare conditions and investigators to work side‐by‐side. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept, architecture, and currently available content of the TSRR, in anticipation of inviting proposals to utilize registry resources.