A qualitative study exploring experiences of racial minority stress in pharmacy education and practice.

Background: Despite 49.1% of registered pharmacists in the UK being from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, senior management roles within pharmacy are dominated by white males. People from BAME communities may experience minority stress which contributes to a professional attainment gap compared with non-BAME colleagues.

Syncope due to idiopathic paroxysmal atrioventricular block: long-term follow-up of a distinct form of atrioventricular block.

Objectives: We present data on patients with syncope due to paroxysmal atrioventricular (AV) block unexplainable in terms of currently known mechanisms.

Background: Paroxysmal AV block is known to be due to intrinsic AV conduction disease or to heightened vagal tone.

Methods: We evaluated 18 patients presenting with unexplained syncope who had: 1) normal baseline standard electrocardiogram (ECG); 2) absence of structural heart disease; and 3) documentation, by means of prolonged ECG monitoring at the time of syncopal relapse, of paroxysmal third-degree AV block with abrupt onset and absence of other rhythm disturbances before or during the block.

Paradoxical effects of interatrial conduction delay in a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patient in the long-term: time is a great healer.

We present a unique case where early proarrhythmic and late antiarrhythmic characteristics of interatrial conduction delay were observed during the long-term progression of HCM. Occurrence of AT constantly increased as the interatrial conduction delay became more prominent, while the P-wave width in sinus rhythm and the AT cycle length both showed an instantaneous increase in parallel. As the interatrial delay reached a critical point, the right and left atrial P-wave became virtually separated, as demonstrated by the findings of ECGs and echocardiography.

Unilateral ectopic right kidney, an incidental finding during pelvic sonogram.

An ectopic renal kidney was found incidentally during pelvic sonogram of a woman with incomplete abortion. The importance of pelvic ectopic kidney in obstetrics and gynecology and the significance of looking for a contralateral kidney before any pelvic surgery is embarked upon are discussed. A short review of significant differential diagnosis was also made.

Risperidone dose and blood level variability: accumulation effects and interindividual and intraindividual variability in the nonresponder patient in the clinical practice setting.

Risperidone blood levels were measured every 2 weeks after initiation of therapy in 24 refractory chronic schizophrenic patients referred to a locked, skilled nursing facility for long-term treatment. Blood levels were assessed on 285 occasions over a 1- to 16-month treatment program. Drug plasma level increases peaked by 2 months for risperidone at 334% and by 6 months for 9-hydroxy-risperidone at 104% over the baseline levels.

Haloperidol dose and blood level variability: toxicity and interindividual and intraindividual variability in the nonresponder patient in the clinical practice setting.

Haloperidol levels in blood were measured monthly in 43 refractory chronic schizophrenic patients referred to a locked skilled nursing facility for long-term treatment. Gross toxic side effects (seizures, catatonia, confusion) and Neuroleptic Induced Deficit Syndrome in conjunction with blood levels over 30 ng/ml were identified in 13 of our 43 patients. Blood level reductions contributed to a reduction of side effects and clinical improvement and led to the expedited discharge of 6 of these 13 patients of the toxic subgroup.

Effectiveness of vitamin E for treatment of long-term tardive dyskinesia.

Eleven patients with tardive dyskinesia were treated in a double-blind study of vitamin E or placebo for 12 weeks. Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) ratings were performed before and after treatment. Patients receiving vitamin E showed a significant reduction in their AIMS scale score, but patients receiving placebo showed no significant change.