ABSTRACT

Pregnant substance users can benefit significantly from substance abuse treatment but treatment retention can be challenging. Two hundred pregnant substance users entering outpatient substance abuse treatment at 1 of 4 treatment programs were randomized to receive either 3 individual sessions of Motivational Enhancement Therapy for pregnant substance users (MET-PS) or the first 3 individual sessions normally provided by the program. All participants were encouraged to participate in all other treatment offered by the program. Outcome measures included treatment utilization according to clinic records, qualitative urine toxicology measures, and self-report of substance use. One hundred and sixty two participants (i.e., 81%) completed the 1 month active phase. Participants attended 62% of scheduled treatment on average and reported decreased substance use during the first month of treatment, with no differences between MET-PS and treatment as usual participants. There was some evidence that the efficacy of MET-PS varied between sites and that MET-PS might be more beneficial than TAU in decreasing substance use in minority participants. These results suggest that MET-PS is not more effective than treatment as usual for pregnant substance users in general but that there might be particular subgroups or treatment programs for which MET-PS might be more or less effective than treatment as usual.

Objective High smoking rates in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nicotine’s amelioration of ADHD suggest that effective ADHD treatment might facilitate abstinence in smokers with ADHD. The present study evaluated if using osmotic release methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) to treat ADHD enhances response to smoking cessation treatment in smokers with ADHD. Method A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 11-week trial with a one month follow-up conducted at six clinical sites between December 2005 and January 2008. Adults (18–55), meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and interested in quitting smoking were randomized to OROS-MPH titrated to 72 mg/day (n=127) or placebo (n=128). All participants received brief weekly individual smoking cessation counseling for 11 weeks and 21 mg/day nicotine patch starting on the smoking quit day (day 27) through study week 11. Outcome measures included prolonged smoking abstinence and DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) score. Results Of 255 randomized, 204 (80%) completed the trial. Prolonged abstinence rates, 43.3% and 42.2%, for the OROS-MPH and placebo groups, respectively, did not differ significantly (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.63 – 1.79; p=0.81). OROS-MPH, relative to placebo, evidenced a greater reduction in DSM-IV ADHD-RS score (p<0.0001) and in cigarettes per day during the post-quit phase (p=.016). OROS-MPH, relative to placebo, increased blood pressure and heart rate to a statistically, but not clinically, significant degree; medication discontinuation did not differ significantly between treatments. Conclusions ADHD treatment did not improve smoking cessation success; OROS-MPH, relative to placebo, effectively treated ADHD and was safe and generally well tolerated in this healthy sample of adult ADHD smokers.

The growing proportion of human populations living in urban areas, and consequent trends of increasing urban expansion and densification fuel a need to understand how urban form and land use affect environmental quality, including the availability of urban green spaces. Here we use Sheffield as a case study of city-wide relationships between urban green space extent, quality (vegetation cover and tree-cover), and gradients in urban form and topography. The total area of buildings and length of the road network are equally strong negative predictors of extent of green space, while the former predictor is a more important negative influence upon green space quality. Elevation positively influences extent of green space but negatively influences tree-cover. In contrast, slope of terrain positively influences green space quality and is the best predictor of tree-cover. Overall housing density is a more important negative predictor of extent of green space and tree-cover than the densities of individual housing types. Nevertheless, the latter are more important influences upon levels of vegetation cover. Threshold effects of densities of different housing types suggest opportunities for optimising green space quality, with implications for housing policy. Variation in ecological quality of green space may partly reflect different historical intensities of industrial activity

Visual inspection of limb alignment during surgery resulted in good to excellent clinical outcomes; however, 91% of tibiae were under- or overcorrected (mean, 6 degrees; median, 5 degrees). Limb alignment should be based on evaluation of immediate postoperative TTJO measurements, not solely on intraoperative visual assessment.