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Individuals who have maladaptive patterns of drinking alcohol fall into the category of vulnerable research participants for many reasons, not the least of which includes the stigma often placed on individuals who abuse alcohol. Vulnerable subgroups within the population of people who abuse alcohol include women; older adults; incarcerated, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and mentally ill individuals; as well as people from racial minorities. Thus, as research participants, individuals who abuse alcohol can be labeled a doubly vulnerable population. Belonging to more than one population simultaneously can lead to a compromised ability to protect one's own interests or greater susceptibility to harm related to participating in research studies. Arguments against including people who abuse alcohol as research participants will be presented, followed by the argument for including these individuals, which is suggested as the more ethically sound of the two points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) antibody encephalitis is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by the presence of anti-NMDA antibody in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, with a characteristic combination of psychological and neurological signs and symptoms. The scientific knowledge pertaining to the management of anti-NMDA-R encephalitis is growing. It is important that neuroscience nurses be aware of treatments as well as the newest novel treatment options available. Early aggressive intervention is imperative to recovery. The first line of treatment often includes high-dose steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and therapeutic plasma exchange. Second-line therapy for refractory NMDA-R encephalitis includes intravenous rituximab and cyclophosphamide. Even with these treatments, up to 25% of patients may be left with severe deficits or have a fatal outcome. It is well known that penetration of monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody therapy (rituximab) into the cerebrospinal fluid is 0.1% of that in the serum. Therefore, efficacy of rituximab in the treatment of NMDA encephalitis may be improved by intrathecal administration in selected cases with a poor response to intravenous rituximab. We present a case of anti-NMDA-R encephalitis that was refractory to first- and second-line therapies, who responded to intrathecal rituximab, to highlight a novel treatment that may be able to prevent long-term disability and improve clinical outcomes.

There are dwindling numbers of nurses in the professoriate due to large numbers of faculty retiring and retiring at a younger age, burnout, and an increasing array of options available to them outside the professoriate. Mentoring initiatives have been suggested as a means to boost retention of nursing faculty. This quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study utilized an Internet survey to examine whether the quality of mentoring relationships and the number of years of employment in the professoriate were related to occupational commitment among nursing faculty. A second purpose of this study was to examine whether having a mentor was related to nursing faculties' occupational commitment. Statistical support for the correlation between the sum score of the quality of a mentoring relationship and the sum score of nursing faculty's affective occupational commitment (r = .244, P = .018) was demonstrated. Mentoring initiatives may be a feasible option for decreasing attrition of nursing faculty., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)