Effect of intravenous vitamin C on cytokine activation and oxidative stress in end-stage renal disease patients receiving intravenous iron sucrose.

Reticuloendothelial blockade in hemodialysis patients prevents optimal intravenous (IV) iron utilization. Vitamin C has emerged as a potential therapy to improve anemia treatment by enhancing iron mobilization. However, Vitamin C can act as a pro-oxidant in the presence of iron.

Medication adherence assessment in a clinical trial with centralized follow-up and direct-to-patient drug shipments.

Background: Assessment of adherence to study medications is a common challenge in clinical research. Counting unused study medication is the predominant method by which adherence is assessed in outpatient clinical trials but it has limitations that include questionable validity and burdens on research personnel.

Purpose: To compare capsule counts, patient questionnaire responses, and plasma drug levels as methods of determining adherence in a clinical trial that had 2056 participants and used centralized drug distribution and patient follow-up.

Chondroitin product selection for the glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention trial.

Objective: To select a high-quality chondroitin dosage form and/or an appropriate source of sodium chondroitin for the National Institutes of Health's Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT).

Design: Controlled experimental trials.

Setting: Laboratory.

Opioid dependence treatment, including buprenorphine/naloxone.

Objective: To review opioid dependence (OD) and its treatment. Pharmacologic treatments, including the use of buprenorphine/naloxone, are presented. Pharmaceutical care functions for outpatient OD treatment are discussed.