Adherence to guideline recommendations for asthma care in community pharmacies: actual and needed performance.

Pharmaceutical care guidelines aim to provide recommendations for pharmaceutical care, reduce unwanted pharmacy practice variation and ultimately improve the quality of healthcare. This study evaluated community pharmacists' adherence to recommendations for the provision of care to asthma patients with first dispensing and follow-up refill encounters in The Netherlands. Data were pharmacists' self-assessment of adherence to guideline recommendations, independent observations of dispensing encounters and a nationwide questionnaire on pharmacists' views on the desirable (clinical) necessity of applying guideline recommendations to their patient population.

The development of quality indicators for community pharmacy care.

Aims: To develop a national system of quality indicators for community pharmacy care, reported by community pharmacies.

Methods: After preliminary validation, an online consensus study was conducted. Pharmacy practice experts (round 1) and practising pharmacists (round 2) were approached.

Radiation-induced inhibition of tumor growth as monitored by PET using L-[1-11C]tyrosine and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose.

The potential use of PET to monitor radiotherapeutic effects on tumors has been evaluated with L-[1-11C]tyrosine and 18FDG. Single x-ray doses of 10, 30, or 50 Gy have been applied to rhabdomyosarcoma tumors growing in the flank of rats. Dose-dependent reductions of tracer uptake were registered by PET 4 and 12 days after treatment.

PET measurements of hyperthermia-induced suppression of protein synthesis in tumors in relation to effects on tumor growth.

Hyperthermia-induced metabolic changes in tumor tissue have been monitored by PET. Uptake of L-[1-11C]tyrosine in rhabdomyosarcoma tissue of Wag/Rij rats was dose-dependently reduced after local hyperthermia treatment at 42, 45, or 47 degrees C. Tumor blood flow, as measured by PET with 13NH3, appeared to be unchanged.

A comparative PET study using different 11C-labelled amino acids in Walker 256 carcinosarcoma-bearing rats.

In Walker 256 carcinosarcoma-bearing rats, the dynamic distribution of L-[1-11C]tyrosine, L-[methyl-11C]methionine, L-[1-11C]methionine and D-[1-11C]methionine has been measured by PET. An equivalent tumor-imaging potential was observed for each of the three L-amino acids. Thirty minutes after injection, the tumors accumulated 57% (P less than 0.