[The State of the World's Nurses report analyzed by the International Council of Nurses].

Released in April 2020 by the World Health Organization, the State of the World's Nurses report marks a turning point for the profession. With a clear set of data on the numbers and composition of this professional group, it makes a compelling case for governments to no longer underfund the education, employment, leadership and practice of nurses. The report includes 10 key actions to shape the future direction of global nursing policy.

International Council of Nurses President Annette Kennedy reflects on her 4-year tenure as president.

Annette Kennedy's four year term as President of the International Council of Nurses ended during the organisation's virtual Congress in November. Here she writes about her time in office and the state of the world's nursing after 2 years of the pandemic. She acknowledges the strains that COVID-19 has put on nursing but affirms that nurses and nursing have come through the pandemic as a stronger, more influential and more cohesive profession.

The International Council of Nurses in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Council of Nurses President Annette Kennedy reviews the organization's contribution to nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes the Council's efforts to support nurses around the world and bring its National Nursing Associations together to share their experiences and best practices, and the lessons learned with other nations who are at different stages of the pandemic.

[Nursing leadership and the International Council of Nurses].

The development of nursing leadership constitutes a key objective for the International Council of Nurses. This international organisation proposes numerous initiatives, notably training actions, in order to obtain positive results in this area.

Quetiapine for the treatment of cocaine use disorder.

Background: Cocaine addiction continues to be a significant healthcare issue, yet there are no FDA approved medications for the treatment of cocaine use disorder within the United States.

Methods: This 12-week, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study examined the effectiveness of quetiapine (Seroquel XR™) versus matched placebo for the treatment of DSM-IV cocaine dependence in non-psychotic individuals. Subjects randomized to quetiapine (N = 29) were titrated up to a target dose of 400mg/day of quetiapine, while those in the placebo arm (N = 31) were given a matched placebo.

Open trial of injectable risperidone for methamphetamine dependence.

We tested acceptability and tolerability of long-acting injectable risperidone for methamphetamine (MA) dependence in an open trial with the hypothesis that participants would reduce MA use. Participants were also evaluated for changes in neurocognitive function and psychiatric symptomology. Participants with MA dependence (n = 34) entered a 7-day open-label run-in with oral risperidone.

Quetiapine for the treatment of cocaine dependence: an open-label trial.

The monaminergic properties of second generation antipsychotics are prompting research on their use to treat cocaine dependence, with inconclusive results to date. In preliminary reports, the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine has shown promise for the treatment of substance abuse disorders. The primary objective of the current study was to assess the efficacy of quetiapine in reducing cocaine cravings and use in nonpsychotic subjects with cocaine dependence over 6 weeks of open-label treatment.

Time to discontinuation and self-discontinuation of olanzapine and risperidone in patients with schizophrenia in a naturalistic outpatient setting.

Background: Although efficacy of antipsychotic medications is well documented, their effectiveness in real-world practice is less robust. We examined the effectiveness of olanzapine and risperidone in schizophrenia in a naturalistic setting.

Methods: We used an electronic medical records database at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center to conduct a retrospective study of all new outpatient medication trials of olanzapine (n = 221) and risperidone (n = 274) over a 2-year period beginning January 1999 in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Abstinence, anticipation, reduction, and treatment (AART): a stepwise approach to the management of atypical antipsychotic side effects.

Antipsychotic medications, specifically the atypical agents, serve as first-line treatment options for patients with psychotic disorders, including individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Atypical antipsychotics are also often prescribed off-label as either the primary treatment or as an adjunctive treatment for individuals with other disorders, including mood disorders without psychosis, behavioral disorders, and insomnia. Despite the generally superior side-effect profiles of atypical antipsychotics compared with typical antipsychotic agents, the atypicals have been associated with a number of serious side effects, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disorders, seizures, hyperprolactinemia, and movement disorders.