Telephone-based social health screening by pharmacists in the nonadherent Medicare population.

Unmet social health needs are associated with medication nonadherence. Although pharmacists are well positioned to address medication nonadherence, there is limited experience with screening for and addressing social health needs. To compare the prevalence of social health needs among Medicare patients with higher vs lower social health risk using a predictive model.

Effectiveness of Bundled Hyperpolypharmacy Deprescribing Compared With Usual Care Among Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Older patients using many prescription drugs (hyperpolypharmacy) may be at increased risk of adverse drug effects.

Objective: To test the effectiveness and safety of a quality intervention intended to reduce hyperpolypharmacy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial allocated patients 76 years or older who used 10 or more prescription medications to a deprescribing intervention or to usual care (1:1 ratio) at an integrated health system with multiple preexisting deprescribing workflows.

Validity of the McMurray Test for Meniscal Tear in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the accuracy of the McMurray test in the adolescent and pediatric population.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary care, institutional.

Retrospective analysis of a pilot pharmacist-led hospice deprescribing program initiative.

Context: Medication deprescribing in palliative care settings has been insufficiently studied.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a deprescribing program in hospice patients with limited life expectancy.

Design: Pharmacist-led, single arm, single-centered, retrospective analysis of a pilot deprescribing program in an integrated healthcare delivery organization between 9/1/2018 to 1/31/2019.

Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Managed Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Deprescribing Program in an Integrated Health Care System.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat symptoms of chronic inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; however, they are also associated with various adverse effects, including gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and renal harm. As patients get older, some medications may no longer be beneficial or may even cause harm. Deprescribing is defined as the planned and supervised process of dose reduction or discontinuation of medications.

Cleavage of Carbon Disulfide by n-Propyldiphenylphosphine and Nickel(II) Bromide.

Carbon disulfide is cleaved by n-propyldiphenylphosphine and nickel(II) bromide in a one-step process, to form two unprecedented complexes: orange, [Ni(S C (P PrPh ) )Br(P PrPh )]Br⋅CS (1) and purple [Ni{η -SC(P PrPh ) }Br(P PrPh )]Br⋅0.5CS (2). Orange (1) contains a dithiolene-related ligand that results from carbon-carbon bond formation, while purple (2) contains a remarkable ligand in which two n-propyldiphenylphosphine molecules have added to a carbon atom of a CS unit that is coordinated to nickel.

Vascular endothelial growth factor stimulates bone repair by promoting angiogenesis and bone turnover.

Several growth factors are expressed in distinct temporal and spatial patterns during fracture repair. Of these, vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF, is of particular interest because of its ability to induce neovascularization (angiogenesis). To determine whether VEGF is required for bone repair, we inhibited VEGF activity during secondary bone healing via a cartilage intermediate (endochondral ossification) and during direct bone repair (intramembranous ossification) in a novel mouse model.

A human antibody that inhibits factor IX/IXa function potently inhibits arterial thrombosis without increasing bleeding.

10C12, a human antibody F(ab')2, which specifically binds to the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain of factor IX/factor IXa (F.IX/IXa), interferes with all known coagulation processes in which F.IX/IXa is involved.

Identification of an angiogenic mitogen selective for endocrine gland endothelium.

The known endothelial mitogens stimulate growth of vascular endothelial cells without regard to their tissue of origin. Here we report a growth factor that is expressed largely in one type of tissue and acts selectively on one type of endothelium. This molecule, called endocrine-gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF), induced proliferation, migration and fenestration (the formation of membrane discontinuities) in capillary endothelial cells derived from endocrine glands.

Recent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use increases the risk of early recurrence of bleeding in patients presenting with bleeding ulcer.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use is a well-known risk factor for ulcer formation and ulcer complications. The purpose of this study was to determine whether recent NSAID use increases the risk of early recurrence of bleeding in patients who present with bleeding ulcer.

Methods: Clinical and endoscopic data were collected prospectively.

Successful reversal of Barrett's esophagus with multipolar electrocoagulation despite inadequate acid suppression.

Background: Barrett's epithelium is a risk factor for esophageal cancer. In this study we attempted to reverse Barrett's epithelium in an acid-reduced environment by using multipolar electrocoagulation.

Methods: All patients had specialized columnar epithelium of at least 2 cm in length.

Combination of bone marrow and TGF-beta1 augment the healing of critical-sized bone defects.

A 1.5 cm segmental defect in the radius of rabbits was used to compare healing at sites administered TGF-beta, with or without autologous bone marrow, to autogenous cortical bone graft. The carrier for TGF-beta consisted of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) granules and hetastarch.

Development of tricalcium phosphate/amylopectin paste combined with recombinant human transforming growth factor beta 1 as a bone defect filler.

Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) was combined with amylopectin to form a deliverable carrier paste for recombinant human transforming growth factor beta 1 (rhTGF-beta 1) intended for bone repair applications. Approximately 80% of rhTGF-beta 1 was released from the carrier within 24 h following in vitro incubation in serum. Full biological activity was maintained, suggesting the growth factor was stable in this formulation before and after in vitro release.

Assessment of technical competence during ERCP training.

Background: Successful performance of diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP requires skillful manipulation of the duodenoscope and accessories. The evaluation process for assessing competency is still in evolution. Recommendations for the number of examinations has ranged from 35 to 200, made without the benefit of prospective data.

The validation of the Peer Assessment Rating index for malocclusion severity and treatment difficulty.

The Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index is a British occlusal index that measures the severity of dental malocclusion and has been used in several investigations that have evaluated the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment provision in Europe. As part of its development, the PAR index was validated for malocclusion severity, by using the opinions of a panel of 74 dentists and orthodontists. The present investigation was carried out to validate the PAR index, by using the opinion of an American panel of orthodontists.

Clinical and histologic predictors of response to interferon-alpha in patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection.

To evaluate if any pretreatment characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) can be used to predict response to the current recommended dose (3 million units three times a week) and higher doses of interferon-alpha (IFN), we retrospectively assessed the response of 37 patients with HCV who were treated with IFN. Sixteen patients (43%) responded to the standard dose of IFN with normalization of ALT. Weight and liver histology were found to be significant factors for response.

Diagnosis of acute hepatitis E infection utilizing enzyme immunoassay.

Acute hepatitis E infection was diagnosed in a Pakistani immigrant admitted to the University of Illinois Hospital. Utilizing enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests, specific IgG and IgM class antibodies to three different epitopes of hepatitis E virus (HEV) were detected 12 weeks after the onset of illness and in the early convalescent stage. Sixteen months after the onset of hepatitis, IgM anti-HEV was no longer detectable.

One systemic administration of transforming growth factor-beta 1 reverses age- or glucocorticoid-impaired wound healing.

The role of intravenously administered recombinant human transforming growth factor-beta 1 (rhTGF-beta 1) on the healing of incisional wounds in rats with impaired healing due to age or glucocorticoid administration was investigated. The administration of methylprednisolone to young adult rats decreased wound breaking strength to 50% of normal control. Breaking strength of incisional wounds from 19-mo-old rats was decreased approximately 27% compared with wounds from normal healing young adult rats.

Characterization of radioiodinated recombinant human TGF-beta 1 binding to bone matrix within rabbit skull defects.

Bone healing is regulated in part by the local production of TGF-beta 1 and other growth factors produced by cells at the site of injury. The single application of recombinant human TGF-beta 1 (rhTGF-beta 1) to calvarial defects in rabbits induces an accelerated recruitment and proliferation of osteoblasts within 3 days. This ultimately results in the formation of new bone and the complete closure of the defect within 28 days.

TGF-beta 1 induces bone closure of skull defects: temporal dynamics of bone formation in defects exposed to rhTGF-beta 1.

The temporal dynamics of bone repair in a skull defect in rabbits was examined to characterize the in vivo cellular events occurring following a single local application of recombinant human TGF-beta 1 (rhTGF-beta 1). Rabbits received vehicle or 0.4, 1, 2, or 5 micrograms rhTGF-beta 1 applied to 12 mm defects at the time of surgery.

Rapid publication. TGF-beta 1 induces bone closure of skull defects.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is a multifunctional regulatory protein. It is capable of inducing site-specific healing responses by increasing collagen synthesis and deposition as well as remodeling at sites of soft tissue repair. Large bony defects in the skull heal by fibrous connective tissue and never form bone unless osteoinductive bony fragments or powders are placed in the defect.