Decreasing Opioid Use in Pediatric Lower Extremity Trauma: A Quality Improvement Project.

Introduction: Perioperative anxiety increases postoperative pain and the risk of complications in hospitalized children. Nonpharmacologic pain resources provided by Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) are a viable adjunct for pain management.

Method: A routine CCLS consult was implemented for patients admitted to the orthopedic service with traumatic lower extremity injuries requiring surgery.

Pharmacodynamic Response of the MET/HGF Receptor to Small-Molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Examined with Validated, Fit-for-Clinic Immunoassays.

Purpose: Rational development of targeted MET inhibitors for cancer treatment requires a quantitative understanding of target pharmacodynamics, including molecular target engagement, mechanism of action, and duration of effect.

Experimental Design: Sandwich immunoassays and specimen handling procedures were developed and validated for quantifying full-length MET and its key phosphospecies (pMET) in core tumor biopsies. MET was captured using an antibody to the extracellular domain and then probed using antibodies to its C-terminus (full-length) and epitopes containing pY1234/1235, pY1235, and pY1356.

Impact of nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs on health care utilization and costs: findings from the RANSOM study.

Purpose: To study the impact of nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on health care utilization and direct medical costs in a Medicaid population.

Methods: A retrospective cohort design was employed using state Medicaid claims data from Florida, Iowa, and New Jersey during the period from January 1997 to June 2006. Patients aged >or=18 years with one or more neurologist visit with an epilepsy diagnosis and two or more pharmacy claims for AEDs were included.

Costs, quality of life and treatment compliance associated with antibiotic therapies in patients with cystic fibrosis: a review of the literature.

Background: Cystic fibrosis is the most common incurable hereditary disease in the US. Persistent respiratory infection is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis patients.

Objective: This study aimed to review the literature on economic and quality of life outcomes and treatment compliance associated with antibiotic therapies for cystic fibrosis patients.

Management of anaemia: a critical and systematic review of the cost effectiveness of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents.

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are genetically engineered forms of erythropoietin that are used in the treatment of anaemia. Their successful use in the treatment of anaemia associated with renal disease, cancer and other diseases, as well as the development of multiple agents, has increased the visibility of these agents in the clinical and health economics literature. The circumstances under which the use of ESAs is cost effective, or indeed, whether it is cost effective, is of central concern for clinicians and payers who must make informed decisions regarding the management of these costly resources.

The economic consequences of generic substitution for antiepileptic drugs in a public payer setting: the case of lamotrigine.

Generic substitution of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may increase pharmacy utilization, thus counterbalancing per-pill savings. The purpose of our study was to analyze the economic impact of government-mandated switching from branded to generic lamotrigine. Patients in a Canadian public pharmacy claims database using branded lamotrigine (Lamictal GlaxoSmithKline, UK) in 2002 converted to generic lamotrigine in 2003 and were observed from July 2002 to March 2006.