Use of Biosimilar Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor for Mobilization in Autologous and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

The biologic medication filgrastim is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to mobilize hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) for collection by leukapheresis for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The FDA-approved biologic tbo-filgrastim is currently used off-label for this indication in both autologous and allogeneic HSCT at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. The purpose of this review is to compare the efficacy of filgrastim and tbo-filgrastim for this indication.

Exercising with Veterans: How Social Interaction with a Pharmacy Student Improves Patient Care.

With the baby boomer population anticipated to explode between 2010 and 2030, it is essential that student pharmacists learn how to properly care for older patients. One way for pharmacy students to prepare for providing health care to the elderly is to partake in an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) elective course in geriatrics. Pharmacy students, and health care professionals in general, have an immense amount of information available to them that is not found in a patient's chart or textbook, but can be uncovered through increased social interaction with patients, promoting the best possible care.

Monitoring of Urate-Lowering Therapy Among US Veterans Following the 2012 American College of Rheumatology Guidelines for Management of Gout.

Background: With the prevalence of and hospitalizations for gout increasing, optimizing care for patients with gout is imperative. The 2012 American College of Rheumatology gout guidelines emphasize that timely monitoring is key to achieving serum urate (SUA) goals. Few studies have examined this metric following the 2012 update, and to our knowledge, none have examined a veteran population.

Pharmacist Screening for Risk of Osteoporosis in Elderly Veterans.

Objective: To assess the effect of pharmacist screening for osteoporosis risk with increased bone mineral density (BMD) testing.

Design: Prospective, quasi-experiment.

Setting: Veterans Affairs medical center Community Living Centers (CLC), home-based primary care, and outpatient geriatric clinic.

Evaluation of osteoporosis risk assessment in veterans receiving androgen-deprivation therapy.

Objective: To identify whether veterans receiving androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) are screened at any time by bone mass measurement.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VA-TVHS).

Retrospective review of megestrol use for weight loss in an elderly veteran population.

Objective: Evaluate the efficacy of megestrol acetate therapy for nonmalignancy and/or non-AIDS-related weight loss in the elderly.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Inpatients or outpatients at the West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center.