Pharmacists as clinical care partners: How a pharmacist-led intervention is associated with improved medication adherence in older adults with common chronic conditions.

Background: Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are 3 of the most common chronic conditions, but related medication adherence rates are far below 80%. Consequences of poor adherence include high health care utilization/costs and increased mortality. There is accumulating evidence in support of the benefits of affording pharmacists the opportunity to practice at the full scope of their licensure by engaging in patients' clinical care.

Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) Clearance May Predict Treatment Response in Neoadjuvant Colorectal Cancer Management.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is extracellular DNA released by tumors and has been proposed as a marker of residual disease as well as a predictor of disease recurrence in the adjuvant setting. However, data are lacking on the utility of this biomarker in the neoadjuvant setting. We performed a retrospective study of stage III and IV colorectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment at a single institution.

Microscopical recognition and characterization of solution dyed fibers.

Solution dyed fibers are synthetic fibers colored through the addition of insoluble pigmentation to the polymer prior to extrusion. This is in contrast to most textile fibers, which are traditionally colored via immersion in liquid dyebaths following extrusion. Solution dyed fibers are increasing in market share in numerous applications (e.

Designing self-tracking experiences: A qualitative study of the perceptions of barriers and facilitators to adopting digital health technology for automatic urine analysis at home.

Self-tracking technologies open new doors to previously unimaginable scenarios. The diagnosis of diseases years in advance, or supporting the health of astronauts on missions to Mars are just some of many example applications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a wide range of self-monitoring protocols emerged, revealing opportunities but also challenges including difficulties in understanding how to self-use monitoring systems, struggling to recognize the benefit of such systems and a high likelihood of abandonment.

Severe Hemolysis during Primaquine Radical Cure of Plasmodium vivax Malaria: Two Systematic Reviews and Individual Patient Data Descriptive Analyses.

Primaquine (PQ) kills Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites but can cause severe hemolysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. We conducted two systematic reviews. The first used data from clinical trials to determine the variety of definitions and frequency of hematological serious adverse events (SAEs) related to PQ treatment of vivax malaria.

A Community-Based Educational Intervention: Increasing Medication Adherence in Rural Older Adults.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based, interdisciplinary, medication education intervention for rural older adults.

Methods: The research design was a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. Self-efficacy, adherence to refills and medication, and knowledge were examined.

Impact of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Among Patients With Co-existing Mild to Moderate Mitral Regurgitation.

A subset of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) also has mitral regurgitation (MR). Clinical outcomes in these patients with combined MR and AS have varied. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical outcomes and echocardiographic outcomes after TAVI in patients with preprocedural MR.

Autoimmunity Is a Significant Feature of Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Autoimmunity is believed to play a role in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). It is not clear whether this is causative or a bystander of disease and if it carries any prognostic or treatment significance. To study autoimmunity in IPAH using a large cross-sectional cohort.

Schwartz Centre Rounds: qualitative exploration of panel members' experiences within a forensic mental health service.

Schwartz Centre Rounds (SCRs) provide a structured forum for staff from all disciplines to meet and discuss the difficult emotional and social challenges that arise in caring for patients. Research into the implementation of SCRs has shown that staff who attend report increased insight into the emotional and social aspects of care; greater understanding of the roles of their colleagues; improved teamworking and decreased feelings of isolation and stress. However, little research has explored the implementation of SCRs within forensic settings, and no research has focused solely on the experiences of panel members.

Bone density, microarchitecture and strength in elite figure skaters is discipline dependent.

Objectives: In elite figure skaters, to determine if there was a difference in volumetric bone mineral density and bone strength between 1) figure skaters and population-based normative data, 2) single or pair skaters and ice dancers, and 3) the landing and takeoff legs.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Methods: Figure skaters had their non-dominant distal radius and bilateral tibia scanned using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

A Novel Two-Dimensional Echocardiography Method to Objectively Quantify Aortic Valve Calcium and Predict Aortic Stenosis Severity.

Aortic valve calcium (AVC) is a strong predictor of aortic stenosis (AS) severity and is typically calculated by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). We propose a novel method using pixel density quantification software to objectively quantify AVC by two-dimensional (2D) transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and distinguish severe from non-severe AS. A total of 90 patients (mean age 76 ± 10 years, 75% male, mean AV gradient 32 ± 11 mmHg, peak AV velocity 3.

Improvements in global longitudinal strain after transcatheter aortic valve replacement according to race.

Objective: In the United States, racial minorities are underrepresented among patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and data regarding their outcomes is limited. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a measure left ventricular function and has independently predicted outcomes after TAVR. The aim of this study is to assess changes in GLS after TAVR according to race and factors predicting these changes.

Bioprosthetic Valve Fracture for Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Rationale, Patient Selection, Technique, and Outcomes.

Patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) is common after surgical valve aortic replacement. A significant percentage of patients with a small annulus have moderate to severe PPM. The outcomes for patients with larger effective orifice areas and lower gradients are better than for patients with PPM.

Locating, Identifying, and Comparing Sub-visible Paint Particles.

Forensic paint comparisons are generally conducted on samples which, while small relative to their source, are still visible to the unaided eye and are thus located and analyzed without great difficulty. Here we demonstrate that a more detailed examination of candidate transfer surfaces can capture materials (questioned samples), even when such traces are invisible to the unaided eye. While certain analytical details (such as layer sequence or a pure FTIR spectrum) may not be obtainable from such traces due to their size and condition, a detailed analysis of the sample characteristics that are analytically accessible may still provide sufficient analytical data to arrive at a probative result.

History of High-Resolution Anoscopy.

High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) is a form of low-resolution anal microscopy currently utilized in the screening and management of anal squamous dysplasia. No randomized controlled trials, national or international guidelines exist on the use of HRA for this purpose. Much of our understanding of this entity has been adapted from the literature on cervical squamous dysplasia, including the technique of HRA itself.

Does the Good Behavior Game evoke negative peer pressure? Analyses in primary and secondary classrooms.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom management system that employs an interdependent group contingency, whereby students work as a team to win the game. Although previous anecdotal data have suggested that this arrangement may promote prosocial behavior, teachers may have concerns about its fairness and potential to evoke negative peer interactions (especially toward students who break the rules). We evaluated disruptive behaviors and social interactions during the GBG in a secondary classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as in a primary classroom for students with mild developmental disabilities.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation alters susceptibility to pulmonary hypertension in Bmpr2-deficient mice.

Increasing evidence suggests that patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) demonstrate abnormalities in the bone marrow (BM) and hematopoietic progenitor cells. In addition, PAH is associated with myeloproliferative diseases. We have previously demonstrated that low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent stimulus for the development of PAH in the context of a genetic PAH mouse model of BMPR2 dysfunction.

Microparticles Locally Deliver Active Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist In Vivo.

Despite significant research in therapeutic protein delivery, localized and sustained delivery of active therapeutic proteins remains a challenge. Delivery is a particular challenge for therapeutic proteins with a short half-life. Herein, localized delivery of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) by mineral coated microparticles (MPs) is assessed in a healing rat medial collateral ligament (MCL).

A Generalized Approach to Forensic Dye Identification: Development and Utility of Reference Libraries.

While color is arguably the most important optical property of evidential fibers, the actual dyestuffs responsible for its expression in them are, in forensic trace evidence examinations, rarely analyzed and still less often identified. This is due, primarily, to the exceedingly small quantities of dye present in a single fiber as well as to the fact that dye identification is a challenging analytical problem, even when large quantities are available for analysis. Among the practical reasons for this are the wide range of dyestuffs available (and the even larger number of trade names), the low total concentration of dyes in the finished product, the limited amount of sample typically available for analysis in forensic cases, and the complexity of the dye mixtures that may exist within a single fiber.

Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Acquired Thrombocytopenia After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Pooled, Patient-Level Analysis of the CHAMPION Trials (Cangrelor Versus Standard Therapy to Achieve Optimal Management of Platelet Inhibition).

Background: The influence of cangrelor on the incidence and outcomes of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) thrombocytopenia is not defined. We aimed to explore the incidence, predictors, and clinical impact of thrombocytopenia after PCI in cangrelor-treated patients.

Methods And Results: This was a pooled, patient-level analysis of the CHAMPION trials (Cangrelor Versus Standard Therapy to Achieve Optimal Management of Platelet Inhibition), which compared cangrelor with clopidogrel for prevention of thrombotic complications during and after PCI.

"It's good, they're like me; the same but different." An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the identities of women with down's syndrome.

Background: For people with disabilities, identity formation is based on responses to hierarchical values determined by able populations. Some adopt a disability identity, whereas others may seek to conceal their disability. No research has focused on how women with Down's Syndrome form an identity.