Effects of a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation outpatient clinic in Taiwan: evaluation of patient knowledge, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.

The study aimed to evaluate the improvement of patient knowledge of warfarin use, satisfaction with pharmacists, and the quality of international normalized ratio (INR) control after the implementation of an anticoagulant clinic (ACC) service. This was a prospective single-group pre- and post-comparison study. Patients who were at least 20 years of age and participated in a pharmacist-managed ACC service were enrolled from February 2012 to September 2015.

Pharmacokinetics and dosing of vancomycin in patients undergoing sustained low efficiency daily diafiltration (SLEDD-f): A prospective study.

Background/purpose: The pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in patients who undergo sustained low efficiency daily diafiltration (SLEDD-f) is not clear. This study aimed to determine the appropriate vancomycin dosage regimen for patients receiving SLEDD-f.

Methods: This prospectively observational study enrolled critically ill patients older than 18 years old that used SLEDD-f as renal replacement therapy and received vancomycin treatment.

Prognostic factors in epithelial ovarian cancer: A population-based study.

The overall survival (OS) of patients with ovarian cancer is poor while epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinico-pathologic characteristics, especially the prognostic factors, for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in Taiwan. Information about newly diagnosed patients with EOC from 2009 to 2012 was retrieved from the database of the Taiwan Cancer Registry.

Age- and gender-specific epidemiology, treatment patterns, and economic burden of osteoporosis and associated fracture in Taiwan between 2009 and 2013.

Unlabelled: This nationwide study investigated the epidemiology, treatment patterns, and economic burden of osteoporosis and associated fracture in Taiwan. The treatment of osteoporosis is alarmingly suboptimal, considering the significantly increased economic burden of major osteoporotic fracture. Osteoporosis men received lesser anti-osteoporosis drugs but had higher incremental costs attributable to osteoporotic fractures.

Bisphosphonate Use and the Risk of Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty in Osteoporotic Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Background: The use of bisphosphonates has been reported to have potential beneficial effects on knee osteoarthritis, but existing studies have limitations. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of bisphosphonate use with the risk of undergoing total knee arthroplasty and with the consumption of pain medication among osteoporotic patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: We identified patients who were newly diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis among a cohort of patients with osteoporosis from 2009 to 2012 in the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.

Use of Hypoprothrombinemia-Inducing Cephalosporins and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Events: A Nationwide Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: Existing data regarding the risk of hemorrhagic events associated with exposure to hypoprothrombinemia-inducing cephalosporins are limited by the small sample size. This population-based study aimed to examine the association between exposure to hypoprothrombinemia-inducing cephalosporins and hemorrhagic events using National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.

Design: A nationwide nested case-control study.

Factors driving the use of warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background/purpose: In the past, warfarin was the drug of choice for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Recently, non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been approved as an alternative to warfarin in nonvalvular AF. However, there is a limited amount of real-world data on how NOACs are currently being used in Taiwan.

The Effect of Different Carbapenem Antibiotics (Ertapenem, Imipenem/Cilastatin, and Meropenem) on Serum Valproic Acid Concentrations.

Background: Carbapenem antibiotics (CBPMs) may significantly reduce the serum concentration of valproic acid (VPA), but the extent of this effect among various CBPMs is unknown. This study compared the extent and onset of the interactions among ertapenem, imipenem/cilastatin, and meropenem.

Methods: A 5-year retrospective study was performed.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Acute Kidney Injury Following Mannitol Infusion in Patients With Acute Stroke: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Mannitol, an osmotic diuretic, is commonly used to treat patients with acute brain edema, but its use also increases the risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI). In this study, we investigated the incidence and risk factors of mannitol-related AKI in acute stroke patients.A total of 432 patients (ischemic stroke 62.

Risk factors of ifosfamide-related encephalopathy in adult patients with cancer: A retrospective analysis.

Background/purpose: Ifosfamide, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, has been frequently associated with encephalopathy. A larger-scale study was conducted to identify risk factors of ifosfamide-related encephalopathy, including hepatic function.

Methods: Adult patients who had completed at least one cycle of ifosfamide between January 2008 and December 2010 were included.

Pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in adults receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background/purpose: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) alters the pharmacokinetics (PK) of vancomycin in neonates; but data on adults is limited.

Methods: This is a prospective, matched cohort, single center, pharmacokinetic study. For each adult patient who received vancomycin therapy in the ECMO group (with either centrifugal pump or roller pump), a control patient was matched by age (≥ 60 years or < 60 years), gender, and creatinine clearance (CLCr) in intensive care units.

De novo cancer avoidance after renal transplantation: A case-control study on low-dose sirolimus combined with a calcineurin inhibitor.

Background/purpose: Full-dose sirolimus (SRL) therapy without a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) reduces the incidence of malignancy after renal transplantation, but with significant side effects. We hypothesized that de novo therapy with low-dose SRL combined with a CNI could still prevent cancer in renal transplant recipients.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed to assess the cancer incidence among renal transplant patients who had undergone surgery in our transplant centers between January 2000 and June 2012.

Medication knowledge to be improved in participants in community universities in Taiwan: Outcome of a nationwide community university program.

Background/purpose: To assess knowledge improvement by the participants in a pharmacist-facilitated national community education program over a 4-month semester and to identify the educational needs of adults related to medications.

Methods: This was a single-group, pre- and post-program comparative study. From February 2005 to February 2006, 1983 community residents participating in the education program implemented at 57 community universities nationwide were included.

Formulation and stability of an extemporaneous 0.02% chlorhexidine digluconate ophthalmic solution.

Background/purpose: Acanthamoeba keratitis is difficult to treat because Acanthamoeba cysts are resistant to the majority of antimicrobial agents. Despite the efficacy of 0.02% chlorhexidine in treating Acanthamoeba keratitis, a lack of data in the literature regarding the formulation's stability limits its clinical use.

Depletion of arginine by recombinant arginine deiminase induces nNOS-activated neurotoxicity in neuroblastoma cells.

The abnormal regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Recombinant arginine deiminase (rADI) is a selective NO modulator of iNOS and eNOS in endothelial cells, and it also exhibits neuroprotective activity in an iNOS-induced neuron-microglia coculture system. However, the effect of rADI on nNOS remains unknown.

Comparison of warfarin therapy clinical outcomes following implementation of an automated mobile phone-based critical laboratory value text alert system.

Background: Computerized alert and reminder systems have been widely accepted and applied to various patient care settings, with increasing numbers of clinical laboratories communicating critical laboratory test values to professionals via either manual notification or automated alerting systems/computerized reminders. Warfarin, an oral anticoagulant, exhibits narrow therapeutic range between treatment response and adverse events. It requires close monitoring of prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) to ensure patient safety.

Intracellular delivery of recombinant arginine deiminase (rADI) by heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesion peptide restores sensitivity in rADI-resistant cancer cells.

Recombinant arginine deiminase (rADI) has been used in clinical trials for arginine-auxotrophic cancers. However, the emergence of rADI resistance, due to the overexpression of argininosuccinate synthetase (AS), has introduced an obstacle in its clinical application. Here, we have proposed a strategy for the intracellular delivery of rADI, which depletes both extracellular and intracellular arginine, to restore the sensitivity of rADI-resistant cancer cells.

Statins and the risk of liver injury: a population-based case-control study.

Objective: This case-control study investigated the association between statin use and liver injury using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.

Methods: Our study subjects included 4165 cases (patients who had been admitted with a primary diagnosis of liver injury between 2002 and 2009) and 16 660 age-matched, sex-matched and index date-matched controls. Multivariable conditional regression models were used to estimate the association between statin use and liver injury.

Intracellular delivery of cytochrome c by galactosylated albumin to hepatocarcinoma cells.

In some cancer cells, translocation of cytochrome c (Cyt c) from mitochondria to the cytoplasma is inhibited. This inhibition prevents cells from undergoing apoptotic cell death and can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. Increasing cytoplasmic concentration of Cyt c can induce apoptosis in cancer cells as a strategy of cancer therapy.

Use of inhaled corticosteroids in patients with COPD and the risk of TB and influenza: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD. However, the risks of other respiratory infections, such as TB and influenza, remain unclear.Methods: Through a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.

Sex differences in the treatment and outcome of patients with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention: a population-based study.

Background: This study was performed to assess the influence of sex on drug therapy and long-term outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of ACS patients who underwent PCI [women (n=8,884) and men (n=23,937)] between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007, with at least a 1-year follow-up, based on the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Propensity score was used to identify a 1:1 matched cohort (n=17,768) for multivariable adjustment.

Assessment of an automatic robotic arm for dispensing of chemotherapy in a 2500-bed medical center.

Background/purpose: Automation has long been awaited in parenteral drug dispensing. Pharmacists can benefit much in theory from a good automated device to handle the hazardous drugs used in chemotherapy. This paper describes the performance of the first chemotherapy-dispensing robot in the oncology pharmacy of a 2500-bed medical center.

Effectiveness of education programs about oral antibiotic suspensions in pediatric outpatient services.

Background: The effectiveness of education programs for pediatric patients receiving oral antibiotic suspension was unclear.

Methods: When pediatric patients were prescribed antibiotics in powder form for suspension at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital, the responsible 150 caregivers were consecutively allocated into three education programs: Group 1 subjects read the package insert; Group 2 read a photograph-designed educational sheet; and Group 3 received a face-to-face medication education from a pharmacist with the photograph-designed educational sheet. The effectiveness of the three education programs for pediatric patients' caregivers was evaluated using a questionnaire comprised of 12 questions.