Minerva

A direct comparison of cognitive behavioural therapy with short term psychodynamic psychotherapy for generalised anxiety disorder (30 weekly sessions for each type of therapy) found that both therapies yielded significant, large, and stable improvements in symptoms of anxiety and depression at the completion of treatment and six months later (American Journal of Psychiatry 2009; published online 1 July, doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09030441). The results were backed up by two self report measures of anxiety. In measures of trait anxiety, worry, and depression, however, cognitive behavioural therapy came out top. The authors state that more subtle research is needed to identify the patients who would benefit most from each form of therapy.

Plastic and metal backed tibial components in total knee arthroplasty survive equally well after 10 years of wear, reports a prospective randomised controlled trial (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2009;91:1587-94, doi:10.2106/JBJS.G.01427). A total of 293 patients …