Redefining Success: A Qualitative Investigation of Therapeutic Outcomes for Noncompleting Drug Court Clients

ABSTRACT

Utilizing a convenience sample from a drug court program, the authors investigated the benefits of treatment for noncompleting drug court clients (n = 30). Using an as-treated design, the qualitative investigation assessed whether noncompleters received any benefit from their drug court experience. In-depth interviews were conducted to determine both benefits gained and reductions in harm that occurred as a result of drug court participation. Data analysis was guided by the grounded theory method. Outcomes of coding indicated that participants' motivation and self-efficacy were enhanced through the intervention. Further, participants reported that their relationships with family, therapists, or peers were improved as a result of their involvement with drug court. Individuals in the study sample reported abstinence or decreased substance use, as well as improvements in employment and/or educational attainment. Participants’ perceptions of barriers to program completion were also noted. Study outcomes suggest that expansion of a harm reduction approach in social service practice may have utility for drug-abusing populations. Limitations of the research, including lack of generalizability, are discussed. Further research of harm reduction effects with a larger, heterogeneous sample size is recommended.     

Treatment Utilization Among Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Participants of Corrections-Based Substance Abuse Programs Reentering the Community

ABSTRACT

This study examines differences in drug use and recidivism outcomes at 12 months postrelease from jail or prison as a function of geographic location and treatment utilization. Participants (N= 700) were previously enrolled in drug treatment during the last 6 to 9 months of their incarceration and were released to the community on either parole or serve-out. Findings from this study indicated that offenders returning to metropolitan areas reported more use of community treatment services following release than offenders in nonmetropolitan areas. Although offenders in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas who reported community treatment following release were less likely to be reincarcerated, community treatment utilization was not a significant correlate of relapse. Findings are discussed, and future directions include favorable outcomes when community treatment is utilized.     

The HOPE Family Project: A Family-Based Group Intervention to Reduce the Impact of Homelessness on HIV/STI and Drug Risk Behaviors

The HOPE Family Project (HIV Prevention for Parents and Early Adolescents) is an eight- session, family-based group intervention modeled on three evidence-based curricula targeting HIV/AIDS and alcohol and drug abuse prevention. The design and implementation of the HOPE Family Project was carried out by an established community collaborative board. The project aims to educate and provide tailored support to families and their youth (ages 11–14), residing in homeless shelters, regarding HIV and alcohol abuse prevention. The group model proved successful in offering an informal social support network for families living in homeless shelters and improving family functioning and youth mental health outcomes.     

When Everyone Is an Orphan: Against Adopting a U.S.-Styled Orphan Drug Policy in Canada

Putting aside whether diseases that affect only small numbers of people (“rare diseases”) should be prioritized over diseases that are otherwise orphaned, in this article I argue that a new approach to rare, orphan diseases is needed. The current model, first signaled by the United States' Orphan Drug Act and subsequently emulated by several other jurisdictions, relies on a set of open-ended criteria and market-based incentives in order to define and encourage drug therapies for rare, orphan diseases. Given a) the biopharmaceutical industries' growing interest in orphan diseases, b) progress in the sphere of personalized medicines enabling more and more common diseases to be reclassified as rare, and c) empirical evidence suggesting that the most orphan drugs target only a limited, lucrative subset of rare diseases, I argue that Canada, which recently announced plans to develop its own “orphan drug framework” should not follow the United States' orphan drug model.     

论我国药品专利链接制度的完善

在促进仿制药上市的过程中,药品专利链接制度是保护专利药厂利益的重要工具。21世纪伊始,我国开始尝试构建本土化的药品专利链接制度,目前正逐步从松散走向紧密、从形式走向实质。与美国药品专利链接制度的三个阶段相比,我国药品专利链接制度明确了药品专利信息登记、药品专利链接路径选择与实施两个阶段,但是对第三阶段市场独占期尚未确定。在改革和完善我国药品专利链接制度的过程中,既应保障药品专利信息登记的完整性、真实性与准确性,也应协调好药品专利链接路径设置与展开过程中专利药厂和仿制药厂的利益冲突,最终通过实施市场独占期机制来完成仿制药挑战专利药的利益补偿,不断强化药品专利链接制度的实施效果。     

塔吉克斯坦禁毒斗争简述

20世纪90年代初,中亚地区成为阿富汗毒品输送到俄罗斯、欧洲乃至世界各地的重要通道,而塔吉克斯坦是中亚毒品贩运量最大的国家之一。塔政府实施了积极而严厉的禁毒政策和措施,与国际社会密切合作,在禁毒斗争中取得了不少成果,但由于多种原因其禁毒效果很不理想,禁毒形势依然严峻。     

Righteous Dopefiend：公共人类学摄影民族志

Righteous Dopefiend是一本对海洛因成瘾的流浪汉群体进行研究的公共人类学摄影民族志代表作,作者Philippe Bourgois和Jeff Schonberg历经12年,来展现和描绘城市边缘中人们“视而不见”但却有感情、讲义气的流浪汉群体,立体而鲜活的呈现他们的苦难和挣扎。本文从民族志研究和抱团取暖的群体,“灰色地带”中的摄影民族志、个人生命历程的书写等方面对本书进行评述。     

HPLC测定氨酚伪麻美芬片Ⅱ/氨麻苯美片中对乙酰氨基酚血药浓度

目的建立高效液相色谱法测定氨酚伪麻美芬片Ⅱ/氨麻苯美片中对乙酰氨基酚的血药浓度。方法血浆样品用6%高氯酸沉淀蛋白。色谱柱为Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18柱（150 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm）,流动相为0.02 mol·L-1甲酸铵溶液（含甲酸0.2%）-甲醇-乙腈（91∶4.5∶4.5）,流速为1.0 mL·min-1,紫外检测波长245 nm。结果血浆中内源性物质对样品测定无干扰。本方法线性范围为0.1～20 μg·mL-1 (r=0.999 6),最低定量浓度为0.1 μg·mL-1,方法回收率为99.8%～101.5%,日内、日间RSD均小于12%。结论本法简便、准确,适用于对乙酰氨基酚药代动力学的研究。     

强化干预代谢综合征改变心脑血管事件发生风险的纵向随访研究：社区人群心脑血管事件前瞻性研究系列之四

目的了解药物综合干预代谢综合征（MS）是否可以改变发生心脑血管事件的风险。方法采用随机整群抽样南宁市两个社区的1215人符合纳入标准为本次综合干预治疗的研究对象,随机分为强化干预组和对照组。强化干预组人群按照是否患有MS及其相关疾病、疾病前状态（包括高血压、血压前期、肥胖、超重、糖尿病、糖耐量减退、血脂异常）等分别采取不同的强化治疗方案进行干预;对照组人员维持志愿就诊和志愿服药的正常医疗状态,每年随访1次,按WHO—MONICA方案心血管病事件（CVD）的诊断标准登记本年度发生的CVD和死亡事件。结果前瞻性随访研究43．5个月后：①经比较对照组中MS亚组与非MS亚组,MS患者发生心脑血管事件比非MS显著增高（P=-0．02）;②经比较干预组中MS亚组与非MS亚组,干预后MS心脑血管事件下降明显,MS患者发生心脑血管事件与非MS相比无差异（P〉0．05）;③经比较干预和对照两组MS亚组之间心脑血管事件的发生率,干预组为2．7％,对照组为10．1％,差异显著（P=0．03,OR值=4．01,95％CL：1．07—15．10）;两组非MS亚组之间心脑血管事件的发生率分别为2.3％和4．2％,无显著性差异（P=0．12）。结论药物综合干预代谢综合征（MS）可以改变发生心脑血管事件的风险,与对照相比干预后风险降低了约4倍。     

论孙中山的禁烟拒毒思想

文章首次从七个方面深入阐述了孙中山禁烟拒毒思想的主要内容,并对此进行了评析。笔者认为,孙中山的禁烟拒毒思想是时代的产物,符合中国的国情,更符合中华民族的根本利益。由于时代和阶级的局限性,孙中山的禁烟拒毒思想未能达到彻底根除鸦片流毒的目的,但这一思想却对当时中国及其以后的禁烟拒毒运动起了一定的推动作用,并为后来中国共产党彻底根除鸦片毒祸提供了可资借鉴的经验和教训。孙中山的禁烟拒毒思想及其与毒品作坚决斗争的精神,对我们当今的反毒品斗争仍具有启迪和鼓舞作用。