Guidance for New Motivational Interviewing Trainers When Training Addiction Professionals: Findings From a Survey of Experienced Trainers.

Guidance for New Motivational Interviewing Trainers When Training Addiction Professionals: Findings from a Survey of Experienced Trainers.

Motiv Interviewing. 2012 Jan 1; 1(1): 7-15
Schumacher JA, Coffey SF, Walitzer KS, Burke RS, Williams DC, Norquist G, Elkin TD

Evidence-based practices, such as motivational interviewing (MI), are not widely used in community alcohol and drug treatment settings. Successfully broadening the dissemination of MI will require numerous trainers and supervisors who are equipped to manage common barriers to technology transfer. The aims of the our survey of 36 MI trainers were: 1) to gather opinions about the optimal format, duration, and content for beginning level addiction-focused MI training conducted by novice trainers and 2) to identify the challenges most likely to be encountered during provision of beginning-level MI training and supervision, as well as the most highly recommended strategies for managing those challenges in addiction treatment sites. It is hoped that the findings of this survey will help beginning trainers equip themselves for successful training experiences. HubMed – drug

Healthy human CSF promotes glial differentiation of hESC-derived neural cells while retaining spontaneous activity in existing neuronal networks.

Biol Open. 2013 Jun 15; 2(6): 605-612
Kiiski H, Aänismaa R, Tenhunen J, Hagman S, Ylä-Outinen L, Aho A, Yli-Hankala A, Bendel S, Skottman H, Narkilahti S

The possibilities of human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cells from the basic research tool to a treatment option in regenerative medicine have been well recognized. These cells also offer an interesting tool for in vitro models of neuronal networks to be used for drug screening and neurotoxicological studies and for patient/disease specific in vitro models. Here, as aiming to develop a reductionistic in vitro human neuronal network model, we tested whether human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived neural cells could be cultured in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in order to better mimic the in vivo conditions. Our results showed that CSF altered the differentiation of hESC-derived neural cells towards glial cells at the expense of neuronal differentiation. The proliferation rate was reduced in CSF cultures. However, even though the use of CSF as the culture medium altered the glial vs. neuronal differentiation rate, the pre-existing spontaneous activity of the neuronal networks persisted throughout the study. These results suggest that it is possible to develop fully human cell and culture-based environments that can further be modified for various in vitro modeling purposes. HubMed – drug

Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Enterococcus faecalis Strains Isolated From Male Patients With Complicated Urinary Tract Infection.

Korean J Urol. 2013 Jun; 54(6): 388-393
Lee G

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most prevalent bacterial infections, and fluoroquinolone therapy is a well-known standard regimen for UTI. The prevalence and risk factor analysis of fluoroquinolone resistance in enterococcal UTIs are not well documented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility and risk factors for ciprofloxacin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from patients with complicated UTI.We evaluated 81 E. faecalis strains isolated from 81 male patients at a single teaching hospital over 3 years. The Vitek 2 automatic system was used for antimicrobial susceptibility analysis.Antimicrobial resistance rates were rare for ampicillin/sulbactam, imipenem, and vancomycin in E. faecalis. Forty-six percent of the E. faecalis strains were resistant to levofloxacin, 47% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and 58% were resistant to norfloxacin. E. faecalis strains were highly resistant to erythromycin (92%) and ftetracycline (96%). The risk factor analysis revealed that age intervals, the underlying diseases, catheterization, and the number of admissions did not increase the risk of ciprofloxacin resistance, whereas patients with hospital-acquired infection (odds ratio [OR], 18.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.46 to 95.13; p=0.001), patients who were treated in a urological department (OR, 6.15; 95% CI, 1.5 to 25.41; p=0.012), and patients who were transferred from health care centers (OR, 7.393; 95% CI, 1.32 to 41.22; p=0.023) had an increased risk of ciprofloxacin resistance compared with the matched controls.Ciprofloxacin is no longer a recommended therapy for E. faecalis from complicated UTI in men with risk factors. We suggest that ampicillin/sulbactam can be recommended as alternatives for treating ciprofloxacin-resistant E. faecalis strains associated with UTI in Korea. HubMed – drug

Management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Eur Urol Rev. 2011; 6(2): 90-96
Antonarakis ES

The management of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has taken several leaps forward in the last 2 years, with the demonstration of improved overall survival with three novel agents (sipuleucel-T, cabazitaxel, and abiraterone acetate), and a significant delay in skeletal-related events observed with denosumab. The pipeline of systemic therapies in prostate cancer remains strong, as multiple agents with a diverse array of mechanisms of action are demonstrating preliminary signs of clinical benefit, leading to more definitive phase III confirmatory trials. In this review, we will discuss the evolving landscape of treatment options for men with CRPC, with a particular focus on currently approved and emerging treatment options for these patients. Knowledge of these evolving standards will help to optimize delivery of care and long term outcomes in men with advanced CRPC. HubMed – drug