Characterizing Antibiotic Regimen Modification Behavior, Patient Characteristics, and Outcomes for Patients with Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections, A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Few studies describe the frequency of antibiotic regimen modification behaviors in the acute care setting. We sought to ascertain patient and treatment characteristics, details of regimen modification, and clinical outcomes with antibiotic modifications. This retrospective study included patients admitted to Hoag Memorial Hospital from 1 January 2019-31 March 2021 with a complicated infection caused by a Gram-negative organism resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins or with the potential for resistance (AmpC producers).

Changes in real-world dispensing of ADHD stimulants in youth from 2019 to 2021 in California.

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common pediatric neurobehavioral disorders in the U.S. Stimulants, classified as controlled substances, are commonly used for ADHD management.

Real-World Dispensing of Buprenorphine in California during Prepandemic and Pandemic Periods.

Introduction: The opioid overdose crisis in the United States has become a significant national emergency. Buprenorphine, a primary medication for individuals coping with opioid use disorder (OUD), presents promising pharmacokinetic properties for use in primary care settings, and is often delivered as a take-home therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the scarcity of access to buprenorphine, leading to dire consequences for those with OUD.

Effects of Transition from Closed-Book to Open-Book Assessment on Students' Scores in a Pharmacokinetics Course.

Closed-book summative assessment of student learning, common in pharmacy education, is challenging to administer in a remote setting due to the need for costly and intrusive monitoring technology. Therefore, open-book assessments without monitoring have been considered an alternative in remote settings. The present study investigated the effects of the transition from in-person closed-book to remote open-book format on the students' scores in different assessment categories in a Pharmacokinetics course.

Comparison of Virtual Simulations with Peers versus Actors as Standardized Patients on Virtual OSCE Scores.

Objective: This study's primary aim is to assess the use of different types of standardized patients (SPs) during formative simulation activities on summative objective structured clinical exams (OSCE) in a PharmD curriculum.

Methods: Randomized-controlled study with first-year pharmacy students in a Pharmacist Patient Care Lab (PCL) course. Students were randomized into groups with either hired actors or their peers as SPs for virtual simulation activities.

Factors Affecting Initiation and Retention of Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) within a Pilot Pharmacist-Involved Practice Model at a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid-related overdose deaths increased. Although Medication-Assisted Treatment or Recovery (MAT or MAR) is available, initiation and retention rates vary. The goal of this study was to evaluate clinical, demographic, and Social Determinant of Health factors affecting MAR initiation, on-time initiation of medications, and successful retention in the program.

The effect of interprofessional simulations on pharmacy and physician assistant students' learning of advanced cardiac life support concepts.

Background: The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) defined core competencies for IPE in 2011, and use of simulation in interprofessional education (IPE) continues to be developed in prelicensure health education programs.

Interprofessional Education Activity: In this prospective, observational study, interprofessional student teams addressed reversible causes of cardiac arrest in weekly simulations during an Emergency Medicine course. Each simulation was followed by sequential team debriefs, first regarding the IPEC core competencies of interprofessional communication, teamwork, and roles and responsibilities, and second regarding the patient-related content of the case.

Predicting survival of NSCLC patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: Impact and timing of immune-related adverse events and prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) produce a broad spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) affecting various organ systems. While ICIs are established as a therapeutic option in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, most patients receiving ICI relapse. Additionally, the role of ICIs on survival in patients receiving prior targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy has not been well-defined.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of a pharmacist-led outpatient benzodiazepine-tapering clinic.

Background: Benzodiazepines are commonly used among older adults, despite well-known risks. Clinical pharmacists can lead tapering efforts, leveraging their clinical expertise and relieving time-pressured primary care providers.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of an outpatient pharmacist-led benzodiazepine-tapering clinic.

Effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To evaluate the cardiovascular outcomes of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Materials And Methods: We searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials reporting event rates for a composite cardiovascular outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with T2DM and CKD receiving GLP1-RA or placebo. Studies were restricted to those reporting specific event rates for patients with CKD separately from the overall population.

A Nonrestrictive Approach to Fluoroquinolone Stewardship at Two Community Hospitals.

Background: Fluoroquinolones are one of the most prescribed antimicrobials in the United States and have been increasingly used in inpatient and outpatient settings to treat various infectious diseases syndromes. Due to the unwanted collateral effects on antibiotic resistance, poor susceptibility rates among Gram-negative pathogens, and adverse effects, fluoroquinolones are often targeted by hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs to prevent overutilization. This study describes the association of nonrestrictive antimicrobial stewardship interventions at 2 nonacademic community hospitals on levofloxacin utilization, prescribing patterns on alternative antibiotics, and nonsusceptibility rates to levofloxacin.

Clinical application and feasibility of utilizing the PEDI-CAT to assess activity and participation among children receiving physical therapy incorporating hippotherapy.

Background: Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a physical therapy (PT) treatment tool using equine movement to improve mobility for children with movement impairments. Although research suggests HPOT improves body structure and function, there is limited evidence regarding its impact on activity and participation outcomes in a clinical setting. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) may be useful in HPOT settings to highlight changes in activity and participation.

Gaps in Patient Education on Safe Handling and Disposal of Oral Chemotherapy Drugs: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Survey Study.

Background: Oral anticancer chemotherapy (OC) has been misperceived as being safer than intravenous chemotherapy, leading to its increased risk of improper handling and disposal. This survey study assessed the knowledge, practices and attitudes of pharmacists and patients regarding OC handling and disposal, gaps in knowledge and barriers to patient education.

Methods: Surveys were developed based on literature review and pilot study validation results.

Evaluation of step-down oral antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated streptococcal bloodstream infections on clinical outcomes.

Background: Despite the severity and frequency of streptococcal bloodstream infections (BSIs), the effectiveness of oral definitive therapy remains unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of step-down oral antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated streptococcal BSIs.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, adult patients admitted with uncomplicated streptococcal BSI between June 2015 and June 2017 were included.

Clinical Implications of Combinatorial Pharmacogenomic Tests Based on Cytochrome P450 Variant Selection.

Despite the potential to improve patient outcomes, the application of pharmacogenomics (PGx) is yet to be routine. A growing number of PGx implementers are leaning toward using combinatorial PGx (CPGx) tests (i.e.

Design and application of hybrid cyclic-linear peptide-doxorubicin conjugates as a strategy to overcome doxorubicin resistance and toxicity.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is used for breast cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma treatment as an effective chemotherapeutic agent. However, Dox use is restricted due to inherent and acquired resistance and an 8-fold increase in the risk of potentially fatal cardiotoxicity. Hybrid cyclic-linear peptide [RK]WA and linear peptide RKWA were conjugated with Dox through a glutarate linker to afford [RK]WA-Dox and RKWA-Dox conjugates to generate Dox derivatives.

Ciliary extracellular vesicles are distinct from the cytosolic extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membrane vesicles that are released into the extracellular space. EVs encapsulate key proteins and mediate intercellular signalling pathways. Recently, primary cilia have been shown to release EVs under fluid-shear flow, but many proteins encapsulated in these vesicles have never been identified.

Evaluating risk factors for acute graft versus host disease in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients receiving tacrolimus.

To identify the clinical and pharmacological risk factors associated with tacrolimus pharmacodynamics for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in pediatric patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from a matched related donor. A retrospective cohort single center chart review study was conducted with pediatric patients who received tacrolimus prophylaxis after allogeneic HSCT between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Potential risk factors were tested separately between aGVHD and non-aGVHD cohorts and were further analyzed in a logistic regression model with backward elimination and a partial least squares discriminant analysis.

Risk Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in Golfers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context:: Low back pain is common in golfers. The risk factors for golf-related low back pain are unclear but may include individual demographic, anthropometric, and practice factors as well as movement characteristics of the golf swing.

Objective:: The aims of this systematic review were to summarize and synthesize evidence for factors associated with low back pain in recreational and professional golfers.

Effects of a Multicourse, Composite Examination Method on the Performance of PharmD Students in a Basic Pharmacokinetics Course.

To investigate the effects of multicourse, composite examinations on student performance in a pharmacokinetics course. A linear, mixed-effects model was used to analyze student performance in identical daily quiz and examination questions in a pharmacokinetics course at two pharmacy schools. The same instructor taught the entire course at both institutions.