Twelve-month frequency of drug-metabolizing enzyme and transporter-based drug-drug interaction potential in patients receiving oral enzyme-targeted kinase inhibitor antineoplastic agents.

Objective: To describe 12-month rates and patterns of coprescription of drugs that potentially create drug-drug interactions (DDIs) through shared metabolic or transport pathways for 9 enzyme-targeted kinase inhibitor oral antineoplastic drugs (OADs).

Patients And Methods: We used a deidentified pharmacy claims database identifying patients prescribed dasatinib, erlotinib, everolimus, imatinib, lapatinib, nilotinib, pazopanib, sorafenib, or sunitinib between January 1, 2008, and May 31, 2010. Coprescribing was 1 or more overlapping days of supply between the OAD and potential DDI drugs during the 12-month period beginning on the OAD index date.

A decade of postmenopausal hormone therapy prescribing in the United States: long-term effects of the Women's Health Initiative.

Objective: Nearly a decade ago, landmark clinical trials revealed an increase in the risks associated with hormone therapy in postmenopausal women, leading to early changes in prescribing patterns. Long-term prescribing patterns in the United States after these trials are unknown. The objective of this study was to describe changes in hormone therapy prescribing including dose, formulation, patient age, and prescriber specialty from 2000 to 2009.

A large pharmacy claims-based descriptive analysis of patients with migraine and associated pharmacologic treatment patterns.

Purpose: To investigate drug use, prescribing patterns, and comorbidities among patients with migraine in a large pharmacy claims database.

Methods: 104,625 migraine subjects (identified according to the criteria in the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9] for migraine or migraine-specific acute medication use) and an equal number of control patients were selected from a de-identified claims database; the prevalence of patients with migraine-specific claims was determined. Patient demographics, migraine-related medication use, other psychotropic medication use, and comorbidities over a 12-month period were compared between the migraine population and the control group and between migraine subgroups.

Adherence to statins, subsequent healthcare costs, and cardiovascular hospitalizations.

Statins are the primary agents used to decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Although adherence to statins improves the clinical outcomes, the affect of statin adherence on healthcare costs has not been well studied. To examine the relation among statin adherence, subsequent hospitalizations, and healthcare costs, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 381,422 patients, aged 18 to 61 years, using an integrated pharmacy and medical claims database.

General mortality from 1944 through 1994 for a silicon-based chemical company.

The objective of this study is to reevaluate the statistically significant elevated risk of lung cancer among men with >or=20 years of employment at Dow Corning Corporation, a manufacturer of silicon-based materials. The cohort included 712 deaths among 8266 employees who were hired from 1943 to 1992 with follow-up through 1994. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for 63 causes of death.

The independent correlation between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and subsequent major adverse coronary events.

Background: There is substantial evidence from clinical trials that lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduces cardiovascular risk. There is less evidence for the salutatory effects of raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The predictive strength of an initial HDL-C measurement and its change over time for major adverse coronary events is not well understood.

Antidiabetic therapy and the risk of heart failure in type 2 diabetic patients: an independent effect or confounding by indication.

Purpose: This study assesses the effect of the type of antidiabetic treatment on the risk of developing congestive heart failure (CHF) in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The study was derived from the U.K.

Glycemic control from 1988 to 2000 among U.S. adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes: a preliminary report.

Objective: To describe the changes in demographics, antidiabetic treatment, and glycemic control among the prevalent U.S. adult diagnosed type 2 diabetes population between the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994) and the initial release of NHANES 1999-2000.

Silicone gel breast implant rupture rates: research issues.

Documenting the rate of rupture of silicone breast implants appears to be deceptively easy. Largely because of the phenomenon of "silent rupture," it isn't. The authors explore the various technical biases (selection, misclassification, and confounding) and methodological problems that have plagued much of the research conducted to date.