Inter-rater Reliability of a Clinical Documentation Rubric Within Pharmacotherapy Problem-Based Learning Courses.

To evaluate a clinical documentation rubric for pharmacotherapy problem-based learning (PBL) courses using inter-rater reliability (IRR) among different evaluators. A rubric was adapted for use in grading student pharmacists' clinical documentation in pharmacotherapy PBL courses. Multiple faculty evaluators used the rubric to assess student pharmacists' clinical documentation.

The individual's role in maintaining a positive climate.

Introduction: This commentary adds to the discussion about academic workload challenges raised in the Mothers in Academic Pharmacy article. Outlined here are strategies for individual faculty members to proactively engage in developing a positive climate for all faculty.

Perspective: Faculty play an important role in building and maintaining a positive culture.

A Survey on Data Reproducibility and the Effect of Publication Process on the Ethical Reporting of Laboratory Research.

The successful translation of laboratory research into effective therapies is dependent upon the validity of peer-reviewed publications. However, several publications in recent years suggested that published scientific findings could be reproduced only 11% to 45% of the time. Multiple surveys attempted to elucidate the fundamental causes of data irreproducibility and underscored potential solutions, more robust experimental designs, better statistics, and better mentorship.

It's no debate, debates are great.

Introduction: A debate can be a pedagogical method used to instill essential functions in pharmacy students. This non-traditional teaching method may help to further develop a number of skills that are highlighted in the current Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016 and Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Educational Outcomes 2013.

Commentary: Debates have also been used as an educational tool in other health disciplines.

Comparison of Time to First Dose of Oral Morphine in the Treatment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Objective: To compare time to first dose of oral morphine used in the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) versus a special care nursery (SCN) setting.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed of patient data from two community hospitals in a single health network. Infants born at either facility between January 2013 and August 2015 were eligible for inclusion in the study if treated for NAS with a course of oral morphine.

Review of Pharmacologic Weight Loss Medications in a Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Per the Centers for Disease Control, 78 million adults were classified as obese in the United States in 2009 to 2010. Lifestyle modifications and pharmacologic treatment are appropriate options to combat obesity. The primary objective of the study was to assess change in body weight after 12 weeks in patients seen at a family medicine patient-centered medical home (PCMH) who were prescribed Food and Drug Administration-approved weight loss medications.

The Impact of Health Literacy Level on Inhaler Technique in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Inhaled medications are recommended as first-line treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can reduce exacerbations and hospitalizations. Low health literacy is associated with poor inhaler technique.

Objective: This study examined whether handouts written specifically for patients with low health literacy are more effective in showing patients how to use their medications when compared to standard education materials.

Increasing compliance with national quality measures for stroke through use of a standard order set.

Purpose: Results of a study to determine the impact of physician use of a medication order set on compliance with national quality standards for acute stroke treatment are presented.

Methods: The medical records of adult patients treated for ischemic stroke at three certified primary stroke centers within a large healthcare system were retrospectively reviewed to assess compliance with eight mandatory standards of care. Overall adherence to the standards and rates of compliance with individual standards were compared in random samples of patients treated with or without physician use of an order set providing guidance on acute stroke pharmacotherapy and other aspects of stroke management.

Individual- and area-level unemployment influence smoking cessation among African Americans participating in a randomized clinical trial.

African Americans suffer disproportionately from the adverse health consequences of smoking, and also report substantially lower socioeconomic status than Whites and other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Although socioeconomic disadvantage is known to have a negative influence on smoking cessation rates and overall health, little is known about the influence of socioeconomic status on smoking cessation specifically among African Americans.

Mediators of the association of major depressive syndrome and anxiety syndrome with postpartum smoking relapse.

Objective: Based on conceptual models of addiction and affect regulation, this study examined the mechanisms linking current major depressive syndrome (MDS) and anxiety syndrome (AS) to postpartum smoking relapse.

Method: Data were collected in a randomized clinical trial from 251 women who quit smoking during pregnancy. Simple and multiple mediation models of the relations of MDS and AS with postpartum relapse were examined using linear regression, continuation ratio logit models, and a bootstrapping procedure to test the indirect effects.

Differential effects of depression on smoking cessation in a diverse sample of smokers in treatment.

Background: Recent cross-sectional evidence suggests that the effect of depression on smoking prevalence and quit ratios differs by race/ethnicity.

Purpose: This study prospectively examined the main and interactive effects of race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms on smoking cessation during a specific quit attempt among smokers receiving cessation treatment.

Methods: Data from a longitudinal study of smokers in treatment were examined using continuation ratio logit modeling.

A randomized clinical trial of a palmtop computer-delivered treatment for smoking relapse prevention among women.

Relapse is the rule rather than the exception among smokers attempting to quit, and compared to men, women may have higher relapse rates. The current study was a randomized clinical trial testing a palmtop computer-delivered treatment (CDT) for smoking relapse prevention among women. The intervention was individualized based on key theoretical constructs that were measured using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).

Breast feeding is associated with postpartum smoking abstinence among women who quit smoking due to pregnancy.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between breast feeding and postpartum smoking abstinence among women who quit smoking due to pregnancy and who were participating in a randomized clinical trial of an intervention designed to prevent postpartum relapse.

Methods: A total of 251 women were enrolled in the intervention between 30 and 33 weeks postpartum and were followed through 26 weeks postpartum. Participant characteristics were assessed at the prepartum baseline visit, any breast feeding was assessed at 8 weeks postpartum, and smoking abstinence was assessed at 8 and 26 weeks postpartum.

Mechanisms linking socioeconomic status to smoking cessation: a structural equation modeling approach.

Objective: Although there has been a socioeconomic gradient in smoking prevalence, cessation, and disease burden for decades, these disparities have become even more pronounced over time. The aim of the current study was to develop and test a conceptual model of the mechanisms linking socioeconomic status (SES) to smoking cessation.

Design: The conceptual model was evaluated using a latent variable modeling approach in a sample of 424 smokers seeking treatment (34% African American; 33% Latino; 33% White).

Financial strain and smoking cessation among racially/ethnically diverse smokers.

Objectives: We evaluated the influence of financial strain on smoking cessation among Latino, African American, and Caucasian smokers of predominantly low socioeconomic status.

Methods: Smokers enrolled in a smoking cessation study (N = 424) were followed from 1 week prequit through 26 weeks postquit. We conducted a logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between baseline financial strain and smoking abstinence at 26 weeks postquit after control for age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational level, annual household income, marital status, number of cigarettes smoked per day, and time to first cigarette of the day.

Preventing postpartum smoking relapse among diverse low-income women: a randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Postpartum relapse rates are high among women who spontaneously quit smoking during pregnancy. This randomized clinical trial tested a Motivation and Problem-Solving (MAPS) treatment for reducing postpartum relapse among diverse low-income women who quit smoking during pregnancy (N = 251; 32% Black, 30% Latino, and 36% White; 55% <$30,000/year household income).

Methods: Pregnant women were randomly assigned to MAPS/MAPS+ or Usual Care (UC).

Pathways between socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors among African American smokers.

Although socioeconomic status is a major contributing factor to health disparities, the mechanisms through which socioeconomic status influences health remain unclear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate an a priori conceptual model of the pathways between socioeconomic status and modifiable health risk factors in a sample of 399 African Americans seeking smoking cessation treatment. A latent variable modeling approach was utilized to characterize the interrelationships among socioeconomic status, neighborhood disadvantage, social support, negative affect/perceived stress, and three specific modifiable risk factors (i.

The Smoking Consequences Questionnaire: Factor structure and predictive validity among Spanish-speaking Latino smokers in the United States.

Introduction: Much of the existing research on smoking outcome expectancies has been guided by the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (SCQ ). Although the original version of the SCQ has been modified over time for use in different populations, none of the existing versions have been evaluated for use among Spanish-speaking Latino smokers in the United States.

Methods: The present study evaluated the factor structure and predictive validity of the 3 previously validated versions of the SCQ--the original, the SCQ-Adult, and the SCQ-Spanish, which was developed with Spanish-speaking smokers in Spain--among Spanish-speaking Latino smokers in Texas.

Low-level smoking among Spanish-speaking Latino smokers: relationships with demographics, tobacco dependence, withdrawal, and cessation.

Introduction: Although recent research indicates that many Latino smokers are nondaily smokers or daily smokers who smoke at a low level (
Methods: The present study examined the associations of daily smoking level and demographics, tobacco dependence, withdrawal, and abstinence during a specific quit attempt among 280 Spanish-speaking Latino smokers (54% male) who participated in a clinical trial of a telephone counseling intervention. Daily smokers were classified as low-level (1-5 cigarettes/day; n = 81), light (6-10 cigarettes/day; n = 99), or moderate/heavy smokers (> or =11 cigarettes/day; n = 100).

Race/ethnicity and multiple cancer risk factors among individuals seeking smoking cessation treatment.

Smoking in combination with other behavioral risk factors is known to have a negative influence on health, and individuals who smoke typically engage in multiple risk behaviors. However, little is known about the clustering of risk behaviors among smokers of varying race/ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of cancer risk behaviors and to identify predictors of multiple risk behaviors in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of individuals seeking smoking cessation treatment.

Light versus heavy smoking among African American men and women.

The majority of smoking cessation research has focused on heavy smokers. African Americans (AA) are less likely than the general population to be heavy smokers. Thus, little is known about the smoking and psychosocial characteristics of lighter AA smokers.

Socioeconomic status, negative affect, and modifiable cancer risk factors in African-American smokers.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of cooccurring modifiable cancer risk factors among African-Americans seeking smoking cessation treatment and to evaluate previously hypothesized models of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health behavior. Overweight/obesity, at-risk alcohol consumption, and insufficient physical activity were measured in 399 African-American smokers. Analyses indicated that 92.

An updated meta-analysis approach for genetic linkage.

We present a meta-analysis procedure for genome-wide linkage studies (MAGS). The MAGS procedure combines genome-wide linkage results across studies with possibly distinct marker maps. We applied the MAGS procedure to the simulated data from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 in order to investigate power to detect linkage to disease genes and power to detect linkage to disease modifier genes while controlling for type I error.

Generation or birth cohort effect on cancer risk in Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Genetic anticipation is the increased incidence, earlier onset, or increased severity of a disease in successive generations. Before the biological basis of anticipation had been demonstrated, the phenomenon was thought to be due to sampling bias, epigenetic effects, gene conversion, or recombinant events. Since then, the biologic basis for anticipation in a number of neurodegenerative disorders has been shown to be attributable to trinucleotide repeat instability, with expansion of repeats clearly correlated with an earlier age of onset.