Empowering early career pharmacists: Unleashing non-clinical competencies through pharmacy residency.

Introduction: Pharmacy residency programs traditionally prioritize clinical skills development. However, non-clinical competencies, such as leadership, conducting education, and innovation, are now emerging as pivotal factors in propelling pharmacists toward excellence in practice. The extent to which these non-clinical skills are effectively fostered by residency programs remains unclear.

Predicting the occurrence of thrombocytopenia from free valproate levels: A prospective study.

Purpose: The likelihood of valproate (VPA) induced thrombocytopenia increases with higher VPA levels. In critically ill patients, the biological active free VPA level cannot be predicted from the total serum level. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between trough free VPA serum levels and concomitant platelet counts and assessed risk factors for the development of thrombocytopenia with the aim of generating a formula specifying the probabilities of developing thrombocytopenia based on trough free serum VPA levels.

Coma With Absent Brainstem Reflexes and a Burst Suppression on EEG Secondary to Baclofen Toxicity.

Baclofen, a muscle relaxant prescribed for the alleviation of symptoms of spasticity acts primarily at the spinal level but with high doses, it penetrates the blood-brain barrier and can result in prominent central nervous depression. Baclofen toxicity has been associated with a variety of symptoms ranging from dizziness to deep coma. We report the clinical course, management, and outcome of a case of baclofen overdose who presented in deep coma with loss of brainstem reflexes and a burst suppression (BS) pattern on his electroencephalogram (EEG).

infection in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in the Middle East.

A critical step in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is to rule out a heterogeneous variety of multiple sclerosis mimickers, which is crucial in the era of powerful immune-modulator treatments. In this review, we discuss the background of toxocariasis in general, present central nervous system infection as one of the multiple sclerosis mimickers in the Middle East, and share our experience about the diagnosis and management of this condition. This entity seems very relevant in a region such as the Middle East, where displacement of populations and conflict can result in non-hygienic food and water management bundles.