Examination of Treatment Effects on Hazardous Drinking Among Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder are frequently comorbid and present significant treatment challenges. Unfortunately, since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the rates of PTSD and hazardous drinking among active duty service members have increased significantly. Previous research on PTSD has typically excluded participants with current substance abuse. However, there is some research examining independent treatments for PTSD and substance abuse provided consecutively, concurrently, or as enhancements to other treatment. The current study examined the association between current hazardous drinking and PTSD treatment among 108 active duty service members with PTSD in a randomized controlled trial of group cognitive processing therapy and group present-centered therapy. Total scores above 8 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test defined hazardous alcohol use. At baseline, 25.0% of the sample was categorized as hazardous drinkers, and the hazardous and nonhazardous drinking groups did not differ in PTSD symptom severity, F(1, 106) = 0.08, p = .777, d = 0.06. Over the course of treatment, the two groups also did not differ significantly in PTSD symptom severity change on the PTSD Checklist, F(1, 106) = 1.20, p = .280, d = 0.33. Treatment for PTSD did not exacerbate hazardous drinking, and the hazardous drinking group showed significant reductions in drinking following PTSD treatment. Limitations and implications for treatment considerations are discussed.

Spanish Abstracts by Asociación Chilena de Estrés Traumático (ACET) Examen de los efectos del tratamiento en el consumo problemático de alcohol entre miembros en servicio con trastorno de estrés postraumático CONSUMO PROBLEMÁTICO DE ALCOHOL DURANTE EL TRATAMIENTO DE TEPT El Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático (TEPT) y trastorno por uso de Alcohol son frecuentemente comórbidos y presentan desafíos significativos para el tratamiento. Desafortunadamente, desde el ataque terrorista del 11 de Septiembre del 2001 en los Estados Unidos, las tasas de TEPT y consumo problemático de alcohol han aumentado significativamente entre los miembros en servicio activo. Las investigaciones previas en TEPT clásicamente han excluido a los participantes con abuso de sustancias actual. Sin embargo, existen algunas investigaciones que examinan los tratamientos en forma independiente para TEPT y abuso de sustancias de forma consecutiva, concurrente o como potenciador de los tratamientos. Este estudio examinó la asociación entre consumo problemático de alcohol actual y tratamiento para TEPT entre 108 miembros en servicio activo con TEPT en un estudio aleatorizado controlado de terapia de procesamiento cognitivo grupal y terapia grupal centrada en el presente. Un puntaje total sobre 8 en el Test de Identificación de Trastornos por Uso de Alcohol definió el uso problemático de alcohol. A nivel basal, 25% de la muestra fue categorizada como bebedores problemáticos y los grupos de bebedores problemáticos y no problemáticos no difirieron en la severidad de los síntomas de TEPT, F(1, 106) = 0.08, p = .777.En el curso del tratamiento, los dos grupos tampoco difirieron significativamente en el cambio en la severidad de los síntomas de TEPT según la Lista de Chequeo para TEPT, F(1, 106) = 1.20, p = .280. El tratamiento para TEPT no aumentó el consumo problemático y el grupo del consumo problemático mostró reducciones significativas en el consumo de alcohol después del tratamiento del TEPT. Se discuten las limitaciones e implicancias para las consideraciones del tratamiento.

Interdisciplinary Treatment of Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: A Case Report.

Inpatient rehabilitation (IR) units represent a unique opportunity to provide comprehensive, wraparound care for typically treatment resistant Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder (FNSD) or conversion disorder. The case report presents one example of an IR program for a patient with FNSD-based cataplexia and paralysis symptoms. Orienting an FNSD-naïve staff and an operant behavioral-based treatment approach are discussed. Included are recommendations for use in an IR setting.

Can Pentoxifylline be used as Adjunct Therapy to ACE Inhibitors and ARBs in Preserving Kidney Function?

PURPOSE: To determine if there is sufficient evidence to recommend the addition of pentoxifylline to standard ACE inhibitor and ARB therapy in chronic kidney disease patients to reduce proteinuria and preserve kidney function.  METHODS: A search of the literature was conducted using the PubMed.gov and ClinicalTrials.gov search engines and the search terms "pentoxifylline renoprotection", "pentoxifylline CKD", and "pentoxifylline nephropathy". RESULTS were limited to studies in human subjects and published in the English language. No date range was specified. Studies focused on the effects of pentoxifylline on drug induced nephropathy were excluded.  RESULTS: Nine relevant articles were retrieved and evaluated. The two main populations studied were patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and patients with CKD and comorbid type 2 diabetes. Six of the nine studies reported a significant reduction in proteinuria in pentoxifylline treated patients. Four studies reported a significant change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).  CONCLUSION: Addition of pentoxifylline to ACE inhibitor and ARB therapy may improve proteinuria in CKD patients. There is conflicting evidence as to whether pentoxifylline will improve kidney function as measured by eGFR. KEY WORDS: pentoxifylline renoprotection, pentoxifylline CKD , pentoxifylline nephropathy.This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire: psychometric analysis in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: To assist researchers and clinicians considering using the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ) with older-adult samples, the current study analyzed the psychometrics of SCSRFQ scores in two older-adult samples. METHOD: Adults of age 55 or older who had formerly participated in studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and/or depression were recruited to complete questionnaires. In Study 1 (N = 66), the authors assessed the relations between the SCSRFQ and other measures of religiousness/spirituality, mental health, and demographic variables, using bivariate correlations and nonparametric tests. In Study 2 (N = 223), the authors also conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of the SCSRFQ, as well as an item response theory analysis. RESULTS: The SCSRFQ was moderately to highly positively correlated with all measures of religiousness/spirituality. Relations with mental health were weak and differed across samples. Ethnic minorities scored higher than White participants on the SCSRFQ, but only in Study 2. Factor analyses showed that a single-factor model fit the SCSRFQ best. According to item response theory analysis, SCSRFQ items discriminated well between participants with low-to-moderate levels of the construct but provided little information at higher levels. CONCLUSION: Although the SCSRFQ scores had adequate psychometric characteristics, the measure's usefulness may be limited in samples of older adults.

An experimental and computational study of sulfur-modified nucleophilicity in a dianionic NiN2S2 complex.

The dianionic NiN2S2 complex, Ni(ema)2-, ema=N,N'-ethylenebis-2-mercaptoacetamide, known as a reasonable model of the tripeptide complex Ni(CGC)2- (C=cysteine; G=glycine) with respect to the two carboxyamido nitrogens and cis-dithiolates in a (N2S2)4- ligand scaffold as found in acetyl CoA synthase, has been explored for S-based reactivity toward oxygenation and alkylation. The isolation and structural characterization of a sulfinato species, [Et4N]2[Ni(ema).O2], prepared through a unique direct reaction of molecular O2 with crystalline [Et4N]2[Ni(ema)] is described. Reaction of [Et4N]2[Ni(ema)] with Br(CH2)3Br yields a neutral N2S2 macrocyclic complex shown by DFT computations and electrostatic-potential mapping to be opposite in electron distribution from the neutral NiN2S2 complexes in which the anionic charge is localized on sulfur.

Silver(I) 3-aminomethylpyridine complexes, part 1: effect of ligand ratio, pi-stacking, and temperature with a noninteracting anion.

The reaction of the asymmetric 3-aminomethylpyridine (3-amp) ligand with silver(I) tetrafluoroborate (AgBF4) produces an array of structural motifs that depend on the ratio of the reactants present and crystallization temperature. With a 1:1 ratio of 3-amp to silver, either a folded macrocycle, 1a, or a linear coordination polymer, 1, is formed, depending upon whether the crystals are grown at -35 or 5 degrees C. A 3:2 ratio forms two-dimensional sheets of 2 regardless of temperature of crystallization. The 2:1 ratio of ligand to metal again sees a temperature dependence with either a one-dimensional, 3a, or two-dimensional, 3, coordination polymer formed upon crystallization at low and high temperatures, respectively. Addition of 2,2'-bipyridine to any of the previous reaction mixtures stops the formation of their respective structures, instead constructing the discrete Ag-Ag-linked 4.

Silver(I) 3-aminomethylpyridine complexes, part 2: effect of ligand ratio, hydrogen bonding, and pi-stacking with an interacting anion.

Reaction of 3-aminomethylpyridine (3-amp) with silver(I) salts of triflate (OTf-) and trifluoroacetate (tfa-) produce a variety of multidimensional coordination networks whose structures depend on the stoichiometry of the components present. A 1:1 ratio of 3-amp to AgX produces a linear polymer, 1, when X = tfa- and a planar sheet, 2, when X = OTf-. Addition of a second equivalent of ligand increases the dimensionality of both structures by one to form a two-dimensional sheet, 3, and a three-dimensional system, 4, for their respective anions. Addition of 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) to solutions of any of the previous compounds produces the fixed-ratio complexes 5 (tfa- salt) and 6 (OTf- salt). The bipyridyl ligand halts the polymerization of compounds 1-4 by cutting the chain after each silver(I) link and forcing a 1:2:2 ratio of 3-amp to AgX to bipy. Compound 5, however, remains polymeric in nature due to the closed-shell Ag-Ag interactions of the planar metals holding the monomers together. Differences between structures of each ratio stem from the differences in basicity and in the extra degree of H-bonding ability that the OTf- anion has over tfa-.

Variability in the structures of [4-(aminomethyl)pyridine]silver(I) complexes through effects of ligand ratio, anion, hydrogen bonding, and pi-stacking.

The reaction of the asymmetric 4-(aminomethyl)pyridine (4-amp) ligand with silver(I) salts of trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate, OTf(-)), trifluoroacetate (tfa(-)), or tetrafluoroborate (BF(4)(-)) have produced a variety of one- and two-dimensional structural motifs depending upon the ratio in which the components are mixed. When the proportion of ligand to metal is 1:1, linear coordination polymers are formed with silver(I) OTf(-) (1) and tfa(-) (2). Altering the ratio to 2:1, a linear polymer of corner-shared boxes (3) is formed with tfa(-), a linear box-in-box "chain link" polymer (4) is formed with OTf(-), and a two-dimensional sheet (5) is constructed with BF(4)(-). Addition of 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine to a solution of 4-ampAgBF(4) disrupts the polymerization of the previous structure and results in the construction of the infinite metal-metal bound strings of 6a regardless of ratio of amp to silver present. H-bonding, pi-stacking, and closed-shell Ag-Ag interactions are all involved in the overall conformations of the final structures.

Anion-dependent silver(I) coordination polymers of the tridentate pyridylphosphonite: PPh(3-OCH2C5H4N)2.

Three new multidimensional coordination polymers have been constructed from the reaction of AgX, where X = OTf-, BF4-, or tfa-, with the novel phosphonite PhP(3-OCH2C5H4N)2, PCP-32, 1. It is seen that regardless of the ratio of reactants mixed, polymeric growth of the compounds always reveals a ligand-to-metal ratio of 1:2 for PCP-32AgOTf, 2, 1:1 for PCP-32AgBF4, 3, and 1:2 for PCP-32Ag(tfa), 4. The coordination number, metal environment, ligand conformation, and polymer dimensionality are found to vary greatly from 2 to 4 and are dependent upon the anion present. Coordination numbers from 2 to 4, representing linear, trigonal, and distorted tetrahedral environments are displayed. PCP-32AgOTf polymerizes as a linear chain containing both two- and four-coordinate silvers, PCP-32AgBF4 repeats a single trigonal motif throughout its structure, and PCP-32Ag(tfa) shows two unique distorted tetrahedral silver centers. Ligand flexibility allows for cross-ligand Ag-Ag distances to range from 3.1918(8) to 14.015(2) A. The coordination polymers have been characterized by elemental analysis, variable-temperature multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and fluorometric studies.

Self-assembly of a mixed-ligand silver-based coordination polymer.

The novel title silver(I) coordination polymer, catena-poly[[acetonitrilesilver(I)]-di-mu-4-[N-(diphenylphosphino)aminomethyl]pyridine-kappa(2)N(1):P;kappa(2)P:N(1)-[acetonitrilesilver(I)]-mu(3)-4-[N,N-bis(diphenylphosphino)aminomethyl]pyridine-kappa(3)N(1):P:P'-bis[acetonitrilesilver(I)(Ag-Ag)]-mu(3)-4-[N,N-bis(diphenylphosphino)aminomethyl]pyridine-kappa(3)P:P':N(1)] tetrakis(tetrafluoroborate) acetonitrile trisolvate], [[Ag(4)(C(2)H(3)N)(4)(C(18)H(17)N(2)P)(2)(C(30)H(26)N(2)P(2))(2)](BF(4))(4).3C(2)H(3)N](n), is formed by the self-assembly of the Ph(2)P(4-NHCH(2)C(5)H(4)N) and (Ph(2)P)(2)(4-NCH(2)C(5)H(4)N) ligands with silver tetrafluoroborate. The polymer consists of alternating rings (which lie about inversion centers) bridged by the pyridyl rings of the bis-phosphine-substituted ligands, with anions hydrogen bonded the length of the chain. Two distinctly different metal coordination environments exist in the polymer, viz. distorted tetrahedral and trigonal geometries.