Governance of the RCVS: is there an acceptable solution?

Bruce Vivash Jones argues that RCVS council must address the question 'By what authority can they scrap elections?' before this proposal proceeds any further.

Human microbiome: Impact of newly approved treatments on C. difficile infection.

Disclaimer: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Methicillin-Resistant Bacteremia Treated With Vancomycin Calculated by Area-Under-the-Curve in Patients With Elevated Vancomycin Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations.

Vancomycin is recommended as first-line treatment of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) bacteremia, dosed by area-under-the-curve (AUC) with an assumed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1 mcg/mL via broth microdilution. The purpose of this study was to compare effectiveness of AUC-based and trough-based dosing in MRSA bacteremia with an MIC > 1 mcg/mL via Etest. This was a retrospective, observational cohort that compared vancomycin dosed by AUC or trough between January 1, 2017 and September 1, 2022.

Counting the Cost of Daptomycin Versus Vancomycin in Hospitalized Patients: A Cost Minimization Analysis.

Daptomycin use for gram-positive infections has increased. This cost minimization analysis aimed to determine cost and/or time savings of daptomycin over vancomycin. The estimated hospital cost savings was US$166.

The prevalence of gram-negative bacteria with difficult-to-treat resistance and utilization of novel β-lactam antibiotics in the southeastern United States.

Objective: To evaluate temporal trends in the prevalence of gram-negative bacteria (GNB) with difficult-to-treat resistance (DTR) in the southeastern United States. Secondary objective was to examine the use of novel β-lactams for GNB with DTR by both antimicrobial use (AU) and a novel metric of adjusted AU by microbiological burden (am-AU).

Design: Retrospective, multicenter, cohort.

A Baker's Dozen of Top Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Publications in 2022.

Keeping abreast of the antimicrobial stewardship-related articles published each year is challenging. The Southeastern Research Group Endeavor identified antimicrobial stewardship-related, peer-reviewed literature that detailed an actionable intervention during 2022. The top 13 publications were selected using a modified Delphi technique.

Dalbavancin Sequential Therapy for Gram-Positive Bloodstream Infection: A Multicenter Observational Study.

Introduction: Long-acting lipoglycopeptides such as dalbavancin may have utility in patients with Gram-positive bloodstream infections (BSI), particularly in those with barriers to discharge or who require prolonged parenteral antibiotic courses. A retrospective cohort study was performed to provide further multicenter real-world evidence on dalbavancin use as a sequential therapy for Gram-positive BSI.

Methods: One hundred fifteen patients received dalbavancin with Gram-positive BSI, defined as any positive blood culture or diagnosed with infective endocarditis, from 13 centers geographically spread across the United States between July 2015 and July 2021.

Injuries and Factors Associated with Injuries Among U.S. Army Band Musicians.

Unlabelled: The Department of Defense is the largest employer of full-time musicians. In the U.S.

Eravacycline, the first four years: health outcomes and tolerability data for 19 hospitals in 5 U.S. regions from 2018 to 2022.

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, especially MDR Gram-negatives, poses a significant challenge to clinicians and public health. These resilient bacteria have rendered many traditional antibiotics ineffective, underscoring the urgency for innovative therapeutic solutions. Eravacycline, a broad-spectrum fluorocycline tetracycline antibiotic approved by the FDA in 2018, emerges as a promising candidate, exhibiting potential against a diverse array of MDR bacteria, including Gram-negative, Gram-positive, anaerobic strains, and Mycobacterium.

Physical and behavioral characteristics of soldiers acquiring recommended amounts of sleep per night.

Objectives: Only one-third of U.S. Army Soldiers meet the recommended sleep guideline of 7 or more hours per night.

Demographic, psychosocial, and physical fitness predictors of successful graduation from U.S. Army Ranger School.

U.S. Army Ranger School is an arduous 64-day leadership training course designed to simulate the stressors of combat.

Penicillin-allergy delabelling resources for clinicians practicing in resource-limited settings: a full educational resource review of the grey literature.

Background: The clinical and financial consequences associated with a penicillin-allergy label are increasingly evident and have garnered support from international organizations to prioritize penicillin-allergy delabelling programmes. Most settings lack access to resources including drug allergy specialists and rely on general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists.

Objectives: The aim of this scoping review was to identify and describe freely available penicillin-allergy delabelling materials to guide clinicians practising in resource-limited settings with initiative application.

A Baker's Dozen of Top Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Publications for Hospitalized Patients in 2021.

Keeping abreast of the antimicrobial stewardship-related articles published each year is challenging. The Southeastern Research Group Endeavor (SERGE-45) identified antimicrobial stewardship-related, peer-reviewed literature that detailed an "actionable" intervention among hospitalized populations during 2021. The top 13 publications were selected using a modified Delphi technique.

Evaluation of Dalbavancin in Vancomycin Allergic Patients: A Case Series.

Purpose: There is a paucity of data regarding dalbavancin use in patients with a vancomycin allergy because of potential cross-reactivity between the 2 glycopeptide antibiotics.

Methods: A retrospective medical record review was performed between February 2016 and February 2021 in patients with a listed vancomycin allergy who received dalbavancin as an outpatient infusion and had a listed vancomycin allergy in the electronic health record.

Findings: There were 559 unique patients during the study period who received dalbavancin as an outpatient infusion, 10 of whom had a documented vancomycin allergy in the electronic health record.

Where Have All the FLOWERS Gone? A Multicenter Investigation of Frequent Users of Midwest Emergency Department Services During the COVID-19 Stay-at-home Orders.

Introduction: In this study we aimed to determine the impact of the mandatory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic stay-at-home order on the proportional makeup of emergency department (ED) visits by frequent users and super users.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of existing data using a multisite review of the medical records of 280,053 patients to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home order on ED visits. The primary outcomes included analysis before and during the lockdown in determining ED use and unique characteristics of non-frequent, frequent, and super users of emergency services.

Clinical Outcomes of Eravacycline in Patients Treated Predominately for Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Forty-six patients were treated with eravacycline (ERV) for Acinetobacter baumannii infections, where 69.5% of isolates were carbapenem resistant (CRAB). Infections were primarily pulmonary (58.

Rethinking residency recruitment, application, and interview processes to benefit applicants and programs long-term.

Pharmacy residency recruitment and interviews have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many traditional recruitment events and interviews were transitioned from in-person to virtual, and new approaches to recruitment, such as virtual open houses, were developed. There are limited data on how these changes impacted pharmacy residency applicants and programs, and the future of virtual events is currently unknown.

Assessing Community-Based Public Health Plans: An Example From US Army Injury Prevention.

Context: The US Army requires community health coalitions to develop action plans for their top public health priorities.

Objective: To date, the US Army has not implemented a standardized review process for community action plans.

Design: This project used the Plan Quality Index (PQI), an evidence-based, standardized tool, to evaluate injury prevention action plans created by injury prevention teams (IPTs).

Evaluation of Pharmacy Residency Recruitment and Interview Processes during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2021 Application Cycle).

Introduction: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most pharmacy residency programs changed to an all-virtual format for recruitment and interviews for the 2020-2021 application cycle. There are no data evaluating the experiences and perceptions of these changes from the perspective of pharmacy residency programs and applicants.

Methods: An electronic cross-sectional survey was distributed via email to post-graduate year 1 (PGY1) and post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs and applicants across the Southeastern United States.