A randomized clinical trial of motivational enhancement therapy for alcohol problems in partner violent men.

This study examined the efficacy of brief alcohol intervention in the context of community-based treatment for partner violence. In a randomized clinical trial, 228 partner-violent men with hazardous or problem drinking were recruited at three Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) treatment agencies and randomly assigned to receive one of two 4-session alcohol interventions: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET: N = 110) or Alcohol Education (AE: N = 118). After completing alcohol intervention, participants received standard agency counseling services for IPV. Participants completed assessments of alcohol use, drug use, and IPV at pre-treatment, post-alcohol intervention, and quarterly follow-ups for 12 months. At the end of the 4-session alcohol intervention, MET participants displayed greater acknowledgment of problems with alcohol than AE participants (Partial ή2 = 0.039, p = 0.006). Significant changes from baseline across treatment conditions (at p < 0.001) were observed for percent days of alcohol abstinence [95% empirical CI for Partial ή2 =0.226, 0.296], heavy drinking [0.292, 0.349], illicit drug use [0.096, 0.156] and partner violence [0.282, 0.334]. No significant condition differences (treatment by time interactions) were found for alcohol abstinence [95% empirical CI for Partial ή2 = 0.007, 0.036], heavy drinking [0.016, 0.055], illicit drug use [0.005, 0.035] or partner violence [0.001, 0.004]. Results encourage continued use of brief alcohol interventions in community IPV services, but do not provide evidence of a unique benefit of MET in reducing alcohol use in this population.

Developing curriculum recommendations for environmental health in nursing.

In 2010, the American Nurses Association (ANA) added an environmental health standard to the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice requiring that nurses implement environmental health strategies in nursing practice. To prepare nurse educators to integrate environmental health at all educational levels, nursing faculty members from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments developed environmental health competencies and curricular recommendations that address this need. Internet URLs are included for environmental health curricula for each level of nursing education.

Effects of central or peripheral leptin administration on norepinephrine turnover in defined fat depots.

Leptin preserves lean tissue but decreases adipose tissue by increasing lipolysis and/or inhibiting lipogenesis. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is a primary regulator of lipolysis, but it is not known if leptin increases norepinephrine turnover (NETO) in white adipose tissue. In this study, we examined the effect of leptin administered either as a chronic physiological dose (40 microg/day for 4 days from ip miniosmotic pumps) or as an acute injection in the third ventricle (1.5 microg injected two times daily for 2 days) on NETO and the size of brown and white fat depots in male Sprague Dawley rats. NETO was determined from the decline in tissue norepinephrine (NE) during 4 h following administration of the NE synthesis inhibitor alpha-methyl-para-tryrosine. The centrally injected leptin-treated animals demonstrated more dramatic reductions in food intake, body weight, and fat pad size and an increase in NETO compared with the peripherally infused animals. Neither route of leptin administration caused a uniform increase in NETO across all fat pads tested, and in both treatment conditions leptin decreased the size of certain fat pads independent of an increase in NETO. Similar discrepancies in white fat NETO were found for rats pair fed to leptin-treated animals. These results demonstrate that leptin acting either centrally or peripherally selectively increases sympathetic outflow to white fat depots and that a leptin-induced change in fat pad weight does not require an increase in NETO.

Involvement in 12-step programs among persons with dual diagnoses.

Although many people with substance use problems are referred to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), few studies have examined characteristics of persons who comply with such referrals. In particular, little is known about self-help meeting attendance by persons with dual diagnoses. This study examined rates of AA and NA attendance among 351 persons with dual diagnoses who were treated in a hospital setting. It also explored the relationship between diagnosis and meeting attendance. Ten months after hospitalization, the study participants demonstrated rates of AA or NA attendance that were similar to those of persons who were diagnosed as having substance use disorders without severe mental illness. However, patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders reported significantly fewer days of AA or NA meeting attendance.