Screening and referral programs for diabetes and cardiovascular disease: Can community pharmacists bridge the care gap?

Background And Objectives: Heart disease and diabetes are leading causes of death in the U.S., with timely screening, referrals, and education being critical for effective treatment.

Assessing pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of opioid management within different patient populations.

Background: Racial disparities in drug overdose exist, with black, indigenous, and Hispanic individuals experiencing higher rates of opioid overdose deaths. Opioid use disorder prevention services, such as opioid deprescribing and naloxone dispensing, have been identified as ways to prevent opioid overdose. Pharmacists can help use these strategies, but racial disparities in use exist.

Provision of Patient Care Services and Goals for Expansion in Community and Ambulatory Care Pharmacies in Southeastern North Carolina.

In February 2022, the North Carolina legislature expanded pharmacist dispensing authority without a prescription. We conducted a cross-sectional interview of currently licensed pharmacy managers of outpatient pharmacies located in five counties in southeastern North Carolina. Pharmacy managers were eligible to participate if their pharmacy was either a community pharmacy, clinic-based pharmacy, or outpatient health system pharmacy.

Community Pharmacy Recruitment for Practice-Based Research: Challenges and Lessons Learned.

To support the successful integration of community pharmacies into value-based care models, research on the feasibility and effectiveness of novel pharmacist-provided patient care services is needed. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, supported by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, designed the Community-based Valued-driven Care Initiative (CVCI) to (1) identify effective value-based patient care interventions that could be provided by community pharmacists, (2) implement and evaluate the feasibility of the selected patient care interventions, and (3) develop resources and create collaborative sustainability opportunities. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe recruitment strategies for CVCI and share lessons learned.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Community-Based Pharmacies: A Scoping Review.

As pharmacy practice shifts its focus toward population health care needs that serve public health, there is a need to understand community-based pharmacies' contributions to the reduction in health disparities. A scoping review was conducted to identify what community-based pharmacies in the United States are doing to target racial and ethnic disparities in community-based pharmacies. Forty-two articles revealed that community-based pharmacy services addressed racial and ethnic inequities in a variety of ways, including the types of interventions employed, as well as the ethnicities and conditions of the sample populations.

Leprosy (Hansen's disease): An Update and Review.

Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is caused by infection with bacilli of the complex. It is considered an exotic and rare diagnosis in Missouri. Past leprosy patients diagnosed locally have typically acquired it in areas of the world where leprosy is endemic.

Patterns and disparities in prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines for older adults in North Carolina.

Background: We characterized real-world prescribing patterns of opioids and benzodiazepines (BZDs) for older adults to explore potential disparities by race and sex and to characterize patterns of co-prescribing.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted using electronic health data for adults ≥65 years old who presented to one of 15 primary care practices between 2019 and 2020 (n = 25,141). Chronic opioid and BZD users had ≥4 prescriptions in the year prior, with at least one in the last 90 or 180 days, respectively.

Conservative treatment of gastric perforation after microwave ablation of a hepatocellular carcinoma: Case report.

Rationale: Microwave ablation (MWA) has been proven to be an efficient and safe method for local tumor control of liver tumors. Reported complications are rare, but include liver abscess, hematoma, pleural effusion, and occasional thermal injury of the adjacent colon. Intestinal perforation usually requires immediate surgical treatment to prevent generalized peritonitis and sepsis.

Outcomes of long-term von Willebrand factor prophylaxis use in von Willebrand disease: A systematic literature review.

Background: Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) is a common inherited bleeding disorder. Patients with VWD suffering from severe bleeding may benefit from the use of secondary long-term prophylaxis.

Aim: Systematically summarize the evidence on the clinical outcomes of secondary long-term prophylaxis in patients with VWD and severe recurrent bleedings.

Exploring the Evolving Scope of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in NSCLC.

While lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, lung cancer mortality has notably decreased in the past decade. Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors have played a noteworthy role in contributing to this improved survival, particularly for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, until now the benefits have primarily been seen in patients with advanced or metastatic disease.

Indoor light energy harvesting for battery-powered sensors using small photovoltaic modules.

As interest in Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices like wireless sensors increases, research efforts have focused on finding ways for these sensors to self-harvest energy from the environment in which they are installed. Photovoltaic (PV) cells or mini-modules are an intuitive choice for harvesting indoor ambient light, even under low light conditions, and using it for battery charging and powering of these devices. Characterizations of battery charging, for small rechargeable batteries from low charge to full charge, have been investigated using PV mini-modules of equal area.

Gynecologic and obstetric management of women with von Willebrand disease: summary of 3 systematic reviews of the literature.

von Willebrand disease (VWD) disproportionately affects women because of the potential for heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), delivery complications, and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). To systematically synthesize the evidence regarding first-line management of HMB, treatment of women requiring or desiring neuraxial analgesia, and management of PPH. We searched Medline and EMBASE through October 2019 for randomized trials, comparative observational studies, and case series comparing the effects of desmopressin, hormonal therapy, and tranexamic acid (TxA) on HMB; comparing different von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels in women with VWD who were undergoing labor and receiving neuraxial anesthesia; and measuring the effects of TxA on PPH.

Surgical management of patients with von Willebrand disease: summary of 2 systematic reviews of the literature.

von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited bleeding disorder. The management of patients with VWD who are undergoing surgeries is crucial to prevent bleeding complications. We systematically summarized the evidence on the management of patients with VWD who are undergoing major and minor surgeries to support the development of practice guidelines.

Hospitalization at the end of life in patients with multiple myeloma.

Background: Despite advances in treatment, multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Further research investigating where MM patients die and characterization of end-of-life hospitalizations is needed.

Methods: We utilized the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to explore the hospitalization burden of MM patients at the end of their lives.

Defining Double Capsules: A Clinical and Histological Study.

Background: Macrotextured breast implants are associated with double capsules. There is little agreement as to what defines double capsules, how they present, and whether different degrees of double capsule exist.

Objectives: This study aimed to define double capsules and report an association between double-capsule type and degree of tissue adherence.

Observation of liquid glass in suspensions of ellipsoidal colloids.

Despite the omnipresence of colloidal suspensions, little is known about the influence of colloid shape on phase transformations, especially in nonequilibrium. To date, real-space imaging results at high concentrations have been limited to systems composed of spherical colloids. In most natural and technical systems, however, particles are nonspherical, and their structural dynamics are determined by translational and rotational degrees of freedom.

Preparation and Tracking of Oblate Core-Shell Polymethyl-Methacrylate Ellipsoids.

Although single-particle level studies on prolate ellipsoidal colloids are relatively abundant, similar studies on oblate ellipsoids are rare because suitable model systems are scarcely available. Here, we present the preparation of monodisperse hard core-shell oblate ellipsoids that can be imaged and tracked in 3D with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Using a thermomechanical squeezing method, we transform spherical core-shell polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) particles into oblate ellipsoids.

A retrospective review of breast reconstruction outcomes comparing AlloDerm and DermaCELL.

Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) has become an accepted and advantageous adjunct to alloplastic breast reconstruction. The increase in demand has led to an upsurge of dermal-based products, both human and animal derived. There are few direct ADM comparative studies, but it is unclear whether there are any differences in complication rates.

Formation of nematic order in 3D systems of hard colloidal ellipsoids.

Suspensions of hard ellipsoidal particles exhibit complex phase behavior as shown by theoretical predictions and simulations of phase diagrams. Here, we report quantitative confocal microscopy experiments of hard prolate colloidal ellipsoids with different aspect ratio a/b. We studied different volume fractions φ of ellipsoids in density and refractive index matched suspensions.

Anticancer effects of NSC‑631570 (Ukrain) in head and neck cancer cells: In vitro analysis of growth, invasion, angiogenesis and gene expression.

NSC‑631570 (Ukrain) is an aqueous extract of Chelidonium majus, a herbaceous perennial plant, one of two species in the genus Chelidonium, which has been demonstrated to selectively kill tumor cells without affecting non‑malignant cells. In the present study, the components of NSC‑631570 were examined by combined liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC‑MS) and the effects of NSC‑631570 on HNSCC cell lines, as well as primary cells, were analyzed with respect to growth, apoptosis, invasion, angiogenesis and gene expression. LC‑MS identified chelerythrine and allocryptopine as the major alkaloids of the extract.

Intra-arterial EmboCept S® and DC Bead® effectively inhibit tumor growth of colorectal rat liver metastases.

Background: Intra-arterial therapy with embolics is established for the treatment of malignancies of the liver. However, there are no studies comparing the different effects of various embolics used in clinical practice. Herein, we analyzed the effect of 3 different embolics on tumor growth in a rat model of colorectal liver metastases.