Space Radiation and Plasma Effects on Satellites and Aviation: Quantities and Metrics for Tracking Performance of Space Weather Environment Models.

The Community Coordinated Modeling Center has been leading community-wide space science and space weather model validation projects for many years. These efforts have been broadened and extended via the newly launched International Forum for Space Weather Modeling Capabilities Assessment (https://ccmc.gsfc.

Engaging in Collaborative Research: Focus on the Pharmacy Practitioner.

Research offers an opportunity for investigators to explore unanswered questions, highlight best practices, and engage in collaboration. Clinical research can engage health care professionals to identify treatments or procedures to enhance patient care, quality of life, and outcomes. Research may also include experiences in a unique practice site or teaching methodology of trainees, staff, or patients.

High-Dose Sedation and Analgesia During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Focus on the Adjunctive Use of Ketamine.

Use of ketamine in patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has rarely been reported, and the optimal dosing strategy remains unclear. A patient admitted with hypoxic respiratory failure required ECMO in addition to continuous infusion of low-dose ketamine following titration of opioid and sedative medications to high doses. After initiation of ketamine, infusion rates of opioids and/or sedatives were maintained or decreased.

The use of activated recombinant factor VII in a patient with fulminant hepatic failure requiring placement of an intracranial pressure monitor.

Objective: To evaluate the use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in a patient with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) requiring placement of an intracranial pressure monitor.

Case Summary: A 21-year-old female with no significant medical history was admitted to an outside hospital with elevated results of liver function tests. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.

Clinical usefulness of recombinant activated factor VII in patients with liver failure undergoing invasive procedures.

Objective: To evaluate the use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in patients with liver failure undergoing invasive procedures.

Methods: An OVID/MEDLINE and PubMed search (1997-June 2011) was performed to identify literature on the use of rFVIIa to reduce bleeding risk in patients with liver failure undergoing invasive procedures.

Study Selection And Data Extraction: English-language data evaluating the efficacy of rFVIIa to reverse coagulopathies prior to invasive procedures in patients with liver disease were included.

Terlipressin in hepatorenal syndrome.

Objective: To compare the pharmacology, dosing, and adverse reactions of vasopressin and terlipressin for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) and assess the efficacy of the investigational drug terlipressin for HRS.

Data Sources: Articles evaluating prospective studies for vasopressin and terlipressin were discussed after being identified through PubMed (1966-November 2010), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-November 2010), and EMBASE (1985-November 2010) with combinations of the following terms: vasopressin, terlipressin, and hepatorenal syndrome. In addition, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed.

Efficacy of short-course, low-dose corticosteroid therapy for acute pulmonary sarcoidosis exacerbations.

Background: Although corticosteroids are the drug of choice for acute exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis, the dose and duration of therapy is not standardized. We reviewed the short-term treatment outcome (median duration = 21 days) of 36 patients with acute exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis using low-dose corticosteroid therapy (20 mg or less of daily prednisone equivalent). To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest period of time over which the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis with corticosteroids has been assessed.

Relationships between colleges of pharmacy and academic medical centers.

Purpose: The nature of the relationships between academic medical centers and colleges of pharmacy, particularly in respect to experiential education, was studied.

Methods: A 22-item questionnaire was developed to assess the extent and type of student experiences academic medical centers offered, the presence of a contractual agreement, satisfaction level, role of pharmacy staff and residents, and perceived value of the relationship. The questionnaire was distributed electronically to pharmacy directors at 90 University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) academic medical centers, with subsequent responses analyzed with descriptive statistics.

Common problems in critically ill obstetric patients, with an emphasis on pharmacotherapy.

Pharmacological treatment of critically ill obstetric patients can be especially challenging due to the complexity of caring for 2 patients, with a paucity of research to support practice. This review will provide practitioners with primary recommendations for management of the critical illnesses most commonly encountered in pregnancy and will discuss the scientific and clinical merit of these recommendations.

Evaluation of an intensive insulin protocol for septic patients in a medical intensive care unit.

Objective: Intensive insulin therapy to normalize blood glucose may improve outcome in intensive care unit patients. We prospectively evaluated the implementation of an intensive insulin protocol in medical intensive care patients to identify and overcome obstacles that this complex therapy creates.

Design: This prospective, quality assessment study was designed to establish a standard protocol for glucose control in critically ill patients.

Treatment of sarcoidosis with infliximab.

Background/objectives: Many patients with sarcoidosis are unable to tolerate corticosteroids or alternative therapeutic agents due to side effects or have disease refractory to these agents. We report our experience using infliximab to treat such patients.

Methods: A group of patients in whom traditional sarcoidosis therapy failed, either due to drug failure or intolerable side effects, were prescribed infliximab.

Intravenous ethanol for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in critically ill patients.

Critically ill patients with alcoholism are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality from alcohol withdrawal syndrome than are patients without alcoholism. Benzodiazepines are considered the drugs of choice for the prevention and treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, but some studies have suggested that intravenous ethanol may be as effective as those agents, as well as being less sedating. We evaluated the evidence regarding the use of intravenous ethanol for the prevention and treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in critically ill patients in order to determine its role in this patient population.

Fatality related to a 30-g venlafaxine overdose.

A 30-g venlafaxine overdose resulted in death for a 39-year-old woman whose 43-day clinical course was highlighted by refractory hypotension and the resulting complications of bowel ischemia and perforation. Her venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine levels, analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography one day after ingestion, were 21.82 mg/L (therapeutic range 0.

Treatment of corticosteroid-resistant neurosarcoidosis with a short-course cyclophosphamide regimen.

Background/objectives: Many patients with neurosarcoidosis have disease that is refractory to corticosteroids or they are unable to tolerate high-dose corticosteroids because of detrimental side effects. We examined a short-course, pulse-dose regimen using cyclophosphamide to treat such patients.

Methods: We identified a population of patients with neurosarcoidosis refractory to standard therapy with corticosteroids.