Community pharmacists' attitudes towards clinical utility and ethical implications of pharmacogenetic testing.

Aim: To examine community pharmacists' attitudes towards pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing, including their views of the clinical utility of PGx and the ethical, social, legal and practical implications of PGx testing.

Methods: A web-based survey administered to 5600 licensed community pharmacists in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania (USA).

Results: Of 580 respondents, 78% had a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy and 58% worked in a chain drug store.

Incorporating direct-to-consumer genomic information into patient care: attitudes and experiences of primary care physicians.

Aim: Despite predictions of increased clinical applications, little is known about primary care providers' (PCPs') readiness to apply genomics to patient care. The aim was to assess PCPs' current experience with genetic testing, their assessment of the understandability and clinical utility of information in sample direct-to-consumer reports for genomic assessment of disease risk and warfarin dosing and attitudes toward genomic medicine.

Materials & Methods: A web-based survey of PCPs who are members of Knowledge Networks' Physician Consulting Network was conducted.

Cost savings through molecular diagnosis for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Purpose: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant disorder of vascular development resulting in direct connections between the arterial and venous systems, bypassing capillaries. Symptoms and signs can appear throughout life and marked intrafamilial variability confounds diagnosis based purely on clinical criteria. We set out to determine the impact of genetic testing on the cost of screening for HHT in at-risk relatives.

Why is genetic screening for autosomal dominant disorders underused in families? The case of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Purpose: Appropriate management of autosomal dominant disorders reduces morbidity and mortality but relies on identifying which family members are affected. Genetic testing may identify relatives needing follow-up but is underused. We conducted this study to identify barriers to genetic testing for one disorder, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Association between mobility mode and C-reactive protein levels in men with chronic spinal cord injury.

Objective: To assess clinical determinants of systemic inflammation in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Veterans Affairs medical center.