Testing the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment for substance abuse in a community setting: within treatment and posttreatment findings.

This study evaluated the short-term effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for substance abuse delivered in a community setting. At entry into outpatient community substance abuse treatment, participants (N = 252) were randomly assigned to 3 conditions: high-standardization CBT, low-standardization CBT, and treatment as usual. Treatment consisted of 12 weekly individual therapy sessions. There was a significant decrease in substance use from baseline, with participants reporting being abstinent on 90% of within-treatment days and 85% of days during the 6 months posttreatment. However, there were no significant differences in outcomes across conditions. Findings do not support the hypothesis that disseminating CBT to community settings will improve outcomes and suggest that standard substance abuse counseling may be more effective than previously thought.

A rapid gas chromatographic assay for determining oxyradical scavenging capacity of antioxidants and biological fluids.

Herein, we report a new, rapid,and reliable method for measuring the protective antioxidant potential of pure antioxidant solutions or biological tissues. Peroxyl radicals generated by thermal homolysis of 2,2'-azobis-amidinopropane (ABAP) cause the oxidation of alpha-keto-gamma-methiolbutyric acid (KMBA) to ethylene; ethylene formation is monitored by gas chromatographic analysis of head space from the reaction vessel. The partial inhibition of ethylene formation in the presence of antioxidants that compete with KMBA for oxyradicals is the basis of the Total Oxyradical Scavenging Capacity Assay (TOSCA). The assay is shown to be reliable for quantifying ROS scavenging potential. The quantifiable parameters are consistent with the relative order of those predicted by the fluorescence- and oxygen electrode-based assays reported in the literature. Antioxidants competing for peroxyl radicals influenced the rate of KMBA oxidation in different ways, but the calculation of TOSC was not affected by such variations. Responses were linear over a wide range of sample concentrations and the TOSC values of classical soluble antioxidants showed the following relative order: Trolox > uric acid > ascorbic acid > GSH. The KMBA method was reliable for biological tissues; the TOSC for 1 microg rat liver cytosolic protein was 0.40 +/- 0.02 and for the microsomal membrane, 0.15 +/- 0.03. Soluble antioxidants accounted for 77% of the protective antioxidant potential in rat liver cytosol. When incorporated into the microsomal membrane, alpha-tocopherol markedly enhances antioxidant protection against peroxyl radical; thus, the assay is suitable for the assessment of fat-soluble antioxidants.