Hepatic safety of ambrisentan alone and in combination with tadalafil: a post-hoc analysis of the AMBITION trial.

Treatment with endothelin receptor antagonists (ERA) can result in adverse hepatic effects in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We evaluated the hepatic safety of ambrisentan (ABS), an ERA, used as monotherapy, or with tadalafil (TAD), a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor as initial combination therapy (ABS + TAD) in the AMBITION trial. This was a retrospective analysis set in academic and private outpatient clinics and research centers.

Orphan Drug Debate: A Cheat Sheet.

In some respects, the 1983 Orphan Drug Act is a success story. But high prices and allegations that some drug companies have twisted the law to their advantage have made it controversial. Here are some of the main points in the debate.

Key rates for the grades and transformation ability of glioma: model simulations and clinical cases.

Tumor progression to higher grade is a fundamental property of cancer. The malignant advancement of the pathological features may either develop during the later stages of cancer growth (natural evolution) or it may necessitate new mutations or molecular events that alter the rates of growth, dispersion, or neovascularization (transformation). Here, we model the pathological and radiological features of grades 2-4 gliomas at the times of diagnosis and death and study grade development and the progression to higher grades.

Schizophrenia: overview and treatment options.

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder characterized by an array of symptoms. This heterogeneity has resulted in a lack of consensus regarding diagnostic criteria, etiology, and pathophysiology, and has complicated efforts to devise effective treatments.

Evolving Role of Pharmacists in Care Coordination: A National Survey.

Care coordination focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration to provide high-quality health care at reduced costs. Pharmacists have integrated themselves into collaborative teams and are expected to continue expanding their role in order to provide services to patients throughout the continuum of care. This report details an online survey that was used to determine whether pharmacists envision an expanded role in care coordination in the next 5 years, in light of health care reform and the US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), and to determine the types of tools pharmacists will need to better facilitate care coordination.