Strategies for retention of nursing students: A scoping review.

Retention of students in nursing programs is a costly concern that affects the supply and demand of nurses to the healthcare system. Successful retention strategies require consideration of social and academic institutional systems with attention to student integration in a program. This systematic review explores implemented retention strategies in nursing programs worldwide and provides guidance for nursing programs and researchers considering the retention question. Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methods informed this review. CINAHL, ERIC, PsychINFO, and MEDLINE, databases were searched from January 1998 to December 2019. Data was extracted from 112 full text papers and dissertations. Papers were of varying quality and inconsistently evaluated, usually lacking theoretical grounding. Student participants in strategies were preselected by racial minority status or through various markers of academic performance. Retention strategies described in the literature are single program and multifactorial, with mentorship, study skills, literacy and language approaches, and tutoring the most common components. Reports of graduation rates or attrition rates through comparison with a pre-strategy time period or a comparison group were the most informative evaluations. Whole-program strategies that provided pathway options to students based on reading assessments or other academic criteria were the most comprehensive and effective strategies presented in the literature.

Cross-resistance and synergy with bendamustine in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Bendamustine (BEN) has structural similarities to an alkylating agent and a nucleoside analog, and effective against tumor cells that are resistant to standard therapy. In this study we compared the activities of BEN against that of the alkylating agent, chlorambucil (CLB), and the nucleoside analogs, fludarabine (FLU) and deoxyadenosine/pentostatin (dADO/PEN), in primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells in vitro. Cross-resistance was observed between BEN, CLB and FLU, with previously treated patients or those with a deletion 17p being most resistant. In contrast, some resistant CLL cells retained moderate sensitivity to dADO/PEN. Like FLU and CLB, BEN induced apoptosis through both the mitochondrial and death receptor pathways. There was a greater increase in DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) following FLU, as compared to BEN and CLB. Synergistic cytotoxicity was seen on combining BEN or CLB with FLU or dADO/PEN, but not when combining BEN with CLB. These results demonstrate that BEN acts as an alkylating agent, demonstrates cross-resistance to CLB and FLU and resistance to cells with a del 17p. Synergistic cytotoxic activity was seen between BEN and dADO/PEN suggesting that the combination of BEN and PEN should be evaluated in the clinic.