Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is hypothesised to reduce the risk of depressive relapse by teaching participants to adopt a mindful rather than a ruminative mode of information processing. This study aimed to examine the effects of state and trait ruminative and mindful modes of processing on Social Problem Solving (SPS) and affect in participants vulnerable to depressive relapse. Dysphoric participants with and without a history of depression were assessed for SPS and affect before and after manipulations designed to induce mindful (experiential) or ruminative (analytic) processing modes. Results indicated that increased trait rumination was associated with increased SPS ability following mindful processing only. Increased SPS ability was found following mindful processing for recovered depressed participants with less than three episodes of depression, but not for those with more than two. Trait mindfulness was found to influence SPS ability dependent upon processing condition and depression history. Processing conditions had equivalent effect on mood. These findings suggest that mindful processing may help reduce the risk of depressive relapse by increasing SPS in those with low mood and high levels of trait rumination. The influence of trait mindfulness and number of depressive episodes on the effectiveness of mindful processing inductions warrants further investigation.

Išanalizuoti ir įvertinti ciniškojo lyderio veiklos bruožus verslo ir politikos organizacijose. Pateikti praktines interpretacijas verslo ir politikos organizacijų vadovams. Mokslinėje literatūroje analizuojama cinizmo sąvokos samprata ir cinizmo ištakos, aptariami šiuolaikiniai ciniški lyderiai bei jų bruožai: avantiūrizmas, kritinis mąstymas, ironija. Remiantis moksline literatūra sukuriami šie cinizmo modeliai: kritiškasis modelis, hipinis (lėkštas) modelis, radikalusis modelis, autoritarinis modelis. Pateikiamos modelių charakteristikos. Siekiant nustatyti ciniškojo lyderio veiklos ir bruožų prototipus, atlikta kiekybinė Lietuvos verslo ir politikos atstovų apklausa. Atlikus Lietuvos politikų ir verslo organizacijų lyderių apklausą nustatyta, kad kritinis mąstymas yra svarbiausias tiek ciniškų verslo, tiek politikos lyderių bruožas. Savanaudiškumui tiek verslo, tiek politikos lyderiai teikia antrą prioritetą po kritinio mąstymo. Nors avantiūrizmas ir rizika būdingi abiems lyderių grupėms, tačiau, skirtingai nei pirmieji du ciniško lyderio bruožai, šie ciniško lyderio bruožai yra dažniau priskirtini verslo lyderiams. Remiantis literatūros analize bei tyrimo išvadomis pateiktos išvados ir praktinės rekomendacijos Lietuvos verslo ir politinių organizacijų vadovams. / Analize and evaluate activities and features of cynical leader in business and political organizations. Provide practical recommendations for leaders of business and political organizations. Academic literature analyses definition of cynicism and sources of cynicism. Scholars discuss contemporary cynical leaders and their attributes: adventurism, critical thinking and irony. Based on academic literature four models of cynicism are discussed: critical model, flat model, radical model and authoritarian model. Chraracteristics of the models are described. Quantitive survey of representatives of politics and business is conducted in order to determine prototypes of activities and features of cynical leader. The survey findings demonstrate that the key attiribute of cynical political and business leaders is critical thinking. Self-interest follows critical thinking as a priority. Even though adventurism and risk-taking feature in both groups, they are more prevalend among leaders of business organizations. The thesis provides practical recommendations for Lithuanian business and political leaders based on academic research and survey findings.

Introdução: Frente à dependência funcional de idosos após um acidente vascular cerebral (AVC), os cuidadores familiares enfrentam a falta de conhecimento e de habilidades para realizarem os cuidados necessários no domicílio, o que tende a influenciar sua sobrecarga. Objetivos: Comparar o efeito de intervenção educativa no domicílio na sobrecarga de cuidadores familiares de idosos após AVC, com orientações usuais de cuidado no período de um mês. Métodos: Ensaio clínico randomizado (ECR), denominado Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). O grupo intervenção (GI) recebeu o acompanhamento sistemático de enfermeiras por meio de três visitas domiciliares (VDs) no período de um mês, para preparo dos cuidadores na realização das atividades de vida diária (AVD) do idoso, suporte emocional e orientações para utilização dos serviços de saúde. O grupo controle (GC) contou com as orientações usuais de cuidado dos serviços de saúde. O desfecho primário foi a sobrecarga do cuidador, e os desfechos secundários foram a capacidade funcional e as reinternações hospitalares dos idosos, avaliados em sete dias e 60 dias após a alta. As análises foram realizadas por intenção de tratar e foi utilizado o programa SPSS 21.0. Para análise do efeito da intervenção nos desfechos foram utilizados os testes t-student pareado, com intervalo de confiança de 95% e t independente. Para verificação do efeito de interação foi realizada análise de variância (ANOVA) para medidas repetidas. / Introduction: Faced with the functional dependence of the elderly after a stroke, family caregivers face the lack of knowledge and skills to perform the necessary health care at home, which tends to negatively influence their overload. Objectives: Compare the effect of home educational intervention (SHARE), on the overload of family caregivers of the elderly with stroke when compared to usual care in one month. Methods: Randomized clinical trial denominated Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). The intervention group (GI) receive a systematic follow-up of nurses through three home visits (VDs) during one month, to prepare the family caregivers in performing daily life activities of the elderly, emotional support and orientations for the use of health services. The control group (CG) did not receive the VDs and had the usual care of the health services. The primary outcome was a caregiver burden, and the secondary outcomes were functional capacity and hospital readmissions of the elderly, evaluete at 7 days and 60 days after discharge. The analyzes were performed by intention to treat and the SPSS 21.0 program was used. For the analysis of the effect of the intervention on the results we used the t-student paired tests, with 95% confidence interval and independent t. For analysis of the interaction effect, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for repeated measures. A significant value was considered p <0.05. For the control of confounding factors, multivariate analyzes were used. The study was approved by the Research Committee of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre (nº 160181). Results: From May 2016 to September 2017, 48 elderly and their family caregivers were randomized, 24 for the intervention group (GI) and 24 for the CG. Among the elderly, 54.1% were female, and 95.8% had ischemic stroke. Of the caregivers, 87.5% were women, mean of 53.3 ± 12.9 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding burden (0.43 GI vs 0.78 GC, p = 0.717), functional capacity (16 GI vs 18.7 GC, p = 0.999) and hospital readmissions (17% GI vs. 8.3% GC, p = 0.854). Conclusion: The SHARE intervention seems to have not influenced in the outcomes. Other intervention compositions are suggested and evaluation of other outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02807012.

Introdução: Frente à dependência funcional de idosos após um acidente vascular cerebral (AVC), os cuidadores familiares enfrentam a falta de conhecimento e de habilidades para realizarem os cuidados necessários no domicílio, o que tende a influenciar sua sobrecarga. Objetivos: Comparar o efeito de intervenção educativa no domicílio na sobrecarga de cuidadores familiares de idosos após AVC, com orientações usuais de cuidado no período de um mês. Métodos: Ensaio clínico randomizado (ECR), denominado Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). O grupo intervenção (GI) recebeu o acompanhamento sistemático de enfermeiras por meio de três visitas domiciliares (VDs) no período de um mês, para preparo dos cuidadores na realização das atividades de vida diária (AVD) do idoso, suporte emocional e orientações para utilização dos serviços de saúde. O grupo controle (GC) contou com as orientações usuais de cuidado dos serviços de saúde. O desfecho primário foi a sobrecarga do cuidador, e os desfechos secundários foram a capacidade funcional e as reinternações hospitalares dos idosos, avaliados em sete dias e 60 dias após a alta. As análises foram realizadas por intenção de tratar e foi utilizado o programa SPSS 21.0. Para análise do efeito da intervenção nos desfechos foram utilizados os testes t-student pareado, com intervalo de confiança de 95% e t independente. Para verificação do efeito de interação foi realizada análise de variância (ANOVA) para medidas repetidas. / Introduction: Faced with the functional dependence of the elderly after a stroke, family caregivers face the lack of knowledge and skills to perform the necessary health care at home, which tends to negatively influence their overload. Objectives: Compare the effect of home educational intervention (SHARE), on the overload of family caregivers of the elderly with stroke when compared to usual care in one month. Methods: Randomized clinical trial denominated Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). The intervention group (GI) receive a systematic follow-up of nurses through three home visits (VDs) during one month, to prepare the family caregivers in performing daily life activities of the elderly, emotional support and orientations for the use of health services. The control group (CG) did not receive the VDs and had the usual care of the health services. The primary outcome was a caregiver burden, and the secondary outcomes were functional capacity and hospital readmissions of the elderly, evaluete at 7 days and 60 days after discharge. The analyzes were performed by intention to treat and the SPSS 21.0 program was used. For the analysis of the effect of the intervention on the results we used the t-student paired tests, with 95% confidence interval and independent t. For analysis of the interaction effect, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for repeated measures. A significant value was considered p <0.05. For the control of confounding factors, multivariate analyzes were used. The study was approved by the Research Committee of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre (nº 160181). Results: From May 2016 to September 2017, 48 elderly and their family caregivers were randomized, 24 for the intervention group (GI) and 24 for the CG. Among the elderly, 54.1% were female, and 95.8% had ischemic stroke. Of the caregivers, 87.5% were women, mean of 53.3 ± 12.9 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding burden (0.43 GI vs 0.78 GC, p = 0.717), functional capacity (16 GI vs 18.7 GC, p = 0.999) and hospital readmissions (17% GI vs. 8.3% GC, p = 0.854). Conclusion: The SHARE intervention seems to have not influenced in the outcomes. Other intervention compositions are suggested and evaluation of other outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02807012.

Introdução: Frente à dependência funcional de idosos após um acidente vascular cerebral (AVC), os cuidadores familiares enfrentam a falta de conhecimento e de habilidades para realizarem os cuidados necessários no domicílio, o que tende a influenciar sua sobrecarga. Objetivos: Comparar o efeito de intervenção educativa no domicílio na sobrecarga de cuidadores familiares de idosos após AVC, com orientações usuais de cuidado no período de um mês. Métodos: Ensaio clínico randomizado (ECR), denominado Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). O grupo intervenção (GI) recebeu o acompanhamento sistemático de enfermeiras por meio de três visitas domiciliares (VDs) no período de um mês, para preparo dos cuidadores na realização das atividades de vida diária (AVD) do idoso, suporte emocional e orientações para utilização dos serviços de saúde. O grupo controle (GC) contou com as orientações usuais de cuidado dos serviços de saúde. O desfecho primário foi a sobrecarga do cuidador, e os desfechos secundários foram a capacidade funcional e as reinternações hospitalares dos idosos, avaliados em sete dias e 60 dias após a alta. As análises foram realizadas por intenção de tratar e foi utilizado o programa SPSS 21.0. Para análise do efeito da intervenção nos desfechos foram utilizados os testes t-student pareado, com intervalo de confiança de 95% e t independente. Para verificação do efeito de interação foi realizada análise de variância (ANOVA) para medidas repetidas. / Introduction: Faced with the functional dependence of the elderly after a stroke, family caregivers face the lack of knowledge and skills to perform the necessary health care at home, which tends to negatively influence their overload. Objectives: Compare the effect of home educational intervention (SHARE), on the overload of family caregivers of the elderly with stroke when compared to usual care in one month. Methods: Randomized clinical trial denominated Nursing Home Care Intervention Post Stroke (SHARE). The intervention group (GI) receive a systematic follow-up of nurses through three home visits (VDs) during one month, to prepare the family caregivers in performing daily life activities of the elderly, emotional support and orientations for the use of health services. The control group (CG) did not receive the VDs and had the usual care of the health services. The primary outcome was a caregiver burden, and the secondary outcomes were functional capacity and hospital readmissions of the elderly, evaluete at 7 days and 60 days after discharge. The analyzes were performed by intention to treat and the SPSS 21.0 program was used. For the analysis of the effect of the intervention on the results we used the t-student paired tests, with 95% confidence interval and independent t. For analysis of the interaction effect, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for repeated measures. A significant value was considered p <0.05. For the control of confounding factors, multivariate analyzes were used. The study was approved by the Research Committee of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre (nº 160181). Results: From May 2016 to September 2017, 48 elderly and their family caregivers were randomized, 24 for the intervention group (GI) and 24 for the CG. Among the elderly, 54.1% were female, and 95.8% had ischemic stroke. Of the caregivers, 87.5% were women, mean of 53.3 ± 12.9 years. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding burden (0.43 GI vs 0.78 GC, p = 0.717), functional capacity (16 GI vs 18.7 GC, p = 0.999) and hospital readmissions (17% GI vs. 8.3% GC, p = 0.854). Conclusion: The SHARE intervention seems to have not influenced in the outcomes. Other intervention compositions are suggested and evaluation of other outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02807012.

Les modèles animaux d’arthrose permettent d’évaluer le potentiel d’agents thérapeutiques en phase préclinique de développement. Le présent ouvrage tient compte du chien comme modèle d’arthrose naturelle (chez l’animal de compagnie) ou expérimentale (par sectionnement chirurgical du ligament croisé crânial). Au sein des expérimentations, la force de réaction au sol verticale maximale, mesurée lors de l’analyse cinétique de la locomotion, est proposée comme témoin d’effets fonctionnels et structuraux sur ces modèles d’arthrose. Sur un modèle canin d’arthrose naturelle, le seuil de changement minimal détectable a été déterminé. Les changements au dysfonctionnement locomoteur peuvent désormais être cernés en s’affranchissant de la marge d’erreur inhérente à la mesure de la force verticale maximale. Il en découle l’identification de répondants lors d’essais cliniques entrepris chez le chien arthrosique. Une analyse rétrospective a, par la suite, déterminé un taux de répondants de 62.8% et d’une taille d’effet de 0.7 pour des approches thérapeutiques actuellement proposées aux chiens arthrosiques. Cette analyse détermina également que la démonstration d’une réponse thérapeutique était favorisée en présence d’un fort dysfonctionnement locomoteur. Sur un modèle canin d’arthrose par sectionnement chirurgical du ligament croisé crânial, la force verticale maximale a démontré une relation inverse avec certains types de lésions arthrosiques évaluées à l’aide d’imagerie par résonance magnétique. Également, la sensibilité de la force verticale maximale a été mise en évidence envers la détection d’effets structuraux, au niveau de l’os sous-chondral, par un agent anti-résorptif (le tiludronate) sur ce même modèle. Les expérimentations en contexte d’arthrose naturelle canine permettent de valider davantage les résultats d’essais cliniques contrôlés utilisant la force verticale maximale comme critère d’efficacité fonctionnelle. Des évidences cliniques probantes nécessaires à la pratique d’une médecine basée sur des faits sont ainsi escomptées. En contexte d’arthrose expérimentale, la pertinence d’enregistrer le dysfonctionnement locomoteur est soulignée, puisque ce dernier est en lien avec l’état des structures. En effectuant l’analyse de la démarche, de pair avec l’évaluation des structures, il est escompté de pouvoir établir la répercussion de bénéfices structurels sur l’inconfort articulaire. Cet ouvrage suggère qu’une plateforme d’investigations précliniques, qui combine le modèle canin d’arthrose par sectionnement chirurgical du ligament croisé crânial à un essai clinique chez le chien arthrosique, soit un moyen de cerner des bénéfices structuraux ayant des impacts fonctionnels. Le potentiel inférentiel de ces modèles canins d’arthrose vers l’Homme serait ainsi favorisé en utilisant la force verticale maximale. / Animal models of osteoarthritis are useful to evaluate the potential of osteoarthritis therapeutics at the preclinical stage of development. In this thesis, the dog is used as a model of naturally-occurring (i.e. companion animal) and experimentally induced (i.e. by surgical transection of the cranial cruciate ligament) osteoarthritis. The peak of the vertically-oriented ground reaction force, which is measured during kinetic gait analysis, is proposed to be an indicator of structural and functional benefits in these models of osteoarthritis. In a canine model of naturally-occurring osteoarthritis, the threshold of the minimal detectable change in peak vertical force was determined. An improvement in the locomotor disability can now be identified according to the measurement error (noise) of the peak vertical force. This allows the identification of responders when the peak vertical force is used as an outcome measure of functional benefits. A retrospective analysis later determined that current therapeutic approaches provided a responder rate of 62.8% with an effect size of 0.7 in dogs with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis. This analysis also determined that the therapeutic response is favored in cases of severe locomotor disability.   In a canine model of osteoarthritis induced by surgical transection of the cranial cruciate ligament, the peak vertical force demonstrated an inverse relationship with different types of structural changes, as evaluated upon magnetic resonance imaging. The sensitivity of the peak vertical force to detect structural benefits on the subchondral bone was also shown in this model using an antiresorptive agent (i.e. tiludronate). The experiments conducted in dogs with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis further validate findings from clinical trials in which the peak vertical force is used as an outcome measure of functional benefits. The practice of an evidence-based medicine is then expected. The experiments conducted in dogs with surgically-induced osteoarthritis support the recording of the locomotor disability, being in line with the level of the structural changes. By performing gait analysis in addition to structural evaluations, it is expected to establish the impact of structural benefits on joint discomfort This thesis suggests that a platform for preclinical investigations, which combines the canine model of osteoarthritis induced by surgical transection of the cranial cruciate ligament and a clinical trial in dogs with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis, offers the opportunity to discern structural benefits having functional impacts. A better prediction of outcomes for human clinical trials is expected by using the peak vertical force.