Autonomous VR Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders Using Conversational AI—Ethical and Technical Implications and Preliminary Results

The need for psychotherapy is very high and the lack of care causes a lot of suffering and high costs. This paper presents an interdisciplinary approach to creating an AI-guided exposure therapy for fear of heights in virtual reality (VR). First, ethical principles for the use of conversational AI in psychotherapy were translated into technical requirements and made measurable. Based on this, an autonomous virtual reality exposure therapy was iteratively developed with a therapist. The feasibility and implementation of the ethical principles were tested with a patient. The patient was very satisfied with the VR setup. The AI therapist was also rated positively, although there is still room for improvement regarding conversational skills. Overall, the paper shows how AI can contribute responsibly to improving the psycho-therapeutic supply. It also provides guidelines that make ethical principles tangible and measurable for developers.

The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Soldier:A Systematic Review

The objective of this systematic review is to examine the effectiveness of psychotherapy in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)in military personnel.PubMed,Web of Science,The Cochrane Library,EBSCO and CNKI databases were searched from 1 January,2000 to November 2022 for Randomized Controlled Trials(RCTs)on psychotherapeutic interventions for military PTSD.The physical Therapy Evidence Database(PEDro)scale was used to evaluate the quality of the literature.Two researchers conducted literature screening,data extraction,and risk bias assessment in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria.Ultimately,49 RCTs were included,involving a total of 5073 veterans,retired and active military from four countries.The average score on the PEDro scale was 7.60.The primary psychotherapeutic modalities for military PTSD intervention include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy,Exposure Therapy,Mindfulness interventions,psychotherapy based on new technological tools,and other emerging psychotherapeutic tools.The review highlights that Cognitive Processing Therapy(CPT)and Prolonged Exposure Therapy(PET)stand out as the primary psychotherapeutic modalities for treating PTSD in military personnel.In cases where CPT and PET yield limited benefits,Mindfulness interventions emerge as effective alternatives.Moreover,considering the diverse needs and high dropout rates in the military,population,the review suggests using web-based,computer,and virtual reality technology tools as supplements to first-line treatments(CPT/PET)to enhance overall intervention effectiveness.For the advancement of future psychotherapeutic initiatives,there is a pronounced emphasis on prioritizing proven first-line interventions,CPT and PET while also recognizing the potential of mindfulness-based interventions as credible alternatives.In tandem with this,the active integration of technological tools is advocated to amplify the therapeutic impact of conventional psychological treatment modalities.

Polymeric microneedle-mediated sustained release systems: Design strategies and promising applications for drug delivery

Parenteral sustained release drug formulations, acting as preferable platforms for longterm exposure therapy, have been wildly used in clinical practice. However, most of these delivery systems must be given by hypodermic injection. Therefore, issues including needle-phobic, needle-stick injuries and inappropriate reuse of needles would hamper the further applications of these delivery platforms. Microneedles (MNs) as a potential alternative system for hypodermic needles can benefit from minimally invasive and self-administration. Recently, polymeric microneedle-mediated sustained release systems (MN@SRS) have opened up a new way for treatment of many diseases. Here, we reviewed the recent researches in MN@SRS for transdermal delivery, and summed up its typical design strategies and applications in various diseases therapy, particularly focusing on the applications in contraception, infection, cancer, diabetes, and subcutaneous disease. An overview of the present clinical translation difficulties and future outlook of MN@SRS was also provided.

Virtual reality-based rehabilitation in patients following total knee arthroplasty:a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background:Physical therapy is regarded as an essential aspect in achieving optimal outcomes following total knee arthroplasty(TKA).The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has made face-to-face rehabilitation inaccessible.Virtual reality(VR)is increasingly regarded as a potentially effective option for offering health care interventions.This systematic review and meta-analysis investigate VR-based rehabilitation's effectiveness on outcomes following TKA.Methods:From inception to May 22,2021,PubMed/Medline,Embase,Web of Science,the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials,Scopus,PsycINFO,Physiotherapy Evidence Database,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,and Wanfang were comprehensively searched to identify randomized controlled trials(RCTs)evaluating the effect of VR-based rehabilitation on patients following TKA according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.Results:Eight studies were included in the systematic review,and seven studies were included in the meta-analysis.VR-based rehabilitation significantly improved visual analog scale(VAS)scores within 1 month(standardized mean difference[SMD]:−0.44;95%confidence interval[CI]:−0.79 to−0.08,P=0.02),the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)within 1 month(SMD:−0.71;95%CI:−1.03 to−0.40,P<0.01),and the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score(HSS)within 1 month and between 2 months and 3 months(MD:7.62;95%CI:5.77 to 9.47,P<0.01;MD:10.15;95%CI:8.03 to 12.27,P<0.01;respectively)following TKA compared to conventional rehabilitation.No significant difference was found in terms of the Timed Up and Go(TUG)test.Conclusions:VR-based rehabilitation improved pain and function but not postural control following TKA compared to conventional rehabilitation.More high-quality RCTs are needed to prove the advantage of VR-based rehabilitation.As the COVID-19 pandemic continues,it is necessary to promote this rehabilitation model.