Publications by authors named "A H Birnbaum"

Background: Lamotrigine clearance can change drastically in pregnant women with epilepsy (PWWE) making it difficult to assess the need for dosing adjustments. Our objective was to characterize lamotrigine pharmacokinetics in PWWE during pregnancy and postpartum along with a control group of nonpregnant women with epilepsy (NPWWE).

Methods: The Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study was a prospective, observational, 20 site, cohort study conducted in the United States (December 2012 and February 2016).

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Objective: We aimed to quantify and predict lacosamide exposure during pregnancy by developing a pregnancy physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model, allowing the prediction of potential dose increases to support maintaining a patient's preconception lacosamide concentrations.

Methods: Models for nonpregnant adults and pregnant female patients were constructed using physiochemical and pharmacological parameters identified from literature review. Evaluation of plasma concentration data from human males was digitized from the literature.

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Aims: Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a painful sensation occurring in patients around the site of an amputation. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of cryoneurolysis in the management of phantom limb pain.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

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Importance: Antiseizure medications (ASMs) are potential teratogens commonly prescribed for multiple indications. ASM fetal exposure can impair neurodevelopment. Folate improves pregnancy outcomes, but higher doses may pose risks.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study explores blood biomarkers that can predict responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, addressing challenges like tumor sample variability.
  • Researchers enrolled 100 patients and analyzed blood immune profiles, focusing on factors like tumor mutational burden (TMB) and PD-L1 scores, with a goal to find associations with treatment outcomes.
  • Key findings revealed that high levels of neutrophils and monocytes were linked to worse survival, while higher CD4T cells correlated with better outcomes, highlighting the potential of using blood tests for predicting ICI treatment responses.
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