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This study explored the acceptability, feasibility, and initial efficacy of an expanded version of a PTSD treatment developed for residents of battered women's shelters, Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE) in women who received standard shelter services (SSSs). A Phase I randomized clinical trial comparing HOPE + SSSs (n = 30) to SSSs (n = 30) was conducted. Primary outcome measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (Blake et al., 1995) and the Revised Conflict Tactic Scales (Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, ). Participants were followed at 1-week, and 3- and 6-months posttreatment. Only 2 women dropped out of HOPE + SSS treatment. Latent growth curve analyses found significant treatment effects for PTSD from intimate partner violence (IPV) (β = -.007, p = .021), but not for future IPV (β = .002, p = .709) across follow-up points. Significant effects were also found for secondary outcomes of depression severity (β = -.006, p = .052), empowerment (β = .155, p = .022), and resource gain (β = .158, p = .036). Additionally, more women in HOPE + SSSs were employed at 3- and 6-month follow-up compared to those in SSSs only. Results showed the acceptability and feasibility of adding IPV-related treatment to standard services. They also suggested that HOPE may be a promising treatment for residents of battered women's shelters. Further research with a larger sample, utilizing more diverse shelter settings and a more rigorous control condition, is needed to confirm these findings., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.)

This quasi-experimental study compared bacterial growth in enteral feeding solution in six Kangaroo feeding bags filled with enteral formula diluted with sterile water vs six of the same diluted with tap water. Feeding bags, which were on continuous pumps in patient-occupied rooms, were rinsed and refilled every 8 hours, and formula cultures were obtained at 0, 24, and 48 hr. Acceptability of cultures was based on published recommended standards. Low levels of nonpathogenic staphylococci were found in sterile water bags; high levels of bacilli and Gram negative rods were found in tap water bags. No significant differences were found in the relationship between type of formula diluent and outcomes. Type of water diluent and acceptability were not related. There was a systematic relationship between length of use and outcome; with both diluents, bags used over 24 hr became unacceptably contaminated. Further study with a larger sample is needed to determine the effects of using tap water rather than sterile water as diluent.