Contribution of intravenous medication to water and sodium intake in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical patients.

Objectives: The quantitative importance of prescribed intravenous (IV) medication to water and sodium intake in routine clinical practice is undocumented, with uncertain influence on clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to redress this issue in surgical patients with gastrointestinal problems.

Methods: The prescription and administration of IV medication and fluids were retrospectively reviewed for water and sodium over 24-h periods in 86 patients in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical wards in two teaching hospitals.

Testing the Pharmacokinetic Interactions of 24 Colonic Flavonoid Metabolites with Human Serum Albumin and Cytochrome P450 Enzymes.

Flavonoids are abundant polyphenols in nature. They are extensively biotransformed in enterocytes and hepatocytes, where conjugated (methyl, sulfate, and glucuronide) metabolites are formed. However, bacterial microflora in the human intestines also metabolize flavonoids, resulting in the production of smaller phenolic fragments (e.

Awareness campaigns of atrial fibrillation as an opportunity for early detection by pharmacists: an international cross-sectional study.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for up to one third of strokes, one of the lead mortality causes worldwide. The European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend opportunistic screening as a means to increase the odds of early detection and institution of appropriate treatment according to risk factors identified. However, in most countries there are various barriers to effective uptake of screening, including low awareness.

Is computer-assisted aminoglycoside dosing managed by a pharmacist a safety tool of pharmacotherapy?

This pilot prospective study verified the hypothesis that use of computer-assisted therapeutic drug monitoring of aminoglycosides by pharmacists leads to better safety therapeutic outcomes and cost avoidance than only concentration measurement and dose adjustments based on a physician's experience. Two groups of patients were enrolled according to the technique of monitoring. Patients (Group 1, n=52) underwent monitoring by a pharmacist using pharmacokinetic software.

The effect of gabapentin and pregabalin on bone turnover and bone strength: A prospective study in Wistar rats.

Background: There are limited data on the effects of GBP on bone and no data for PGB. Some data suggest that there is a significant influence of sex hormone balance on the susceptibility of bone to antiepileptic drug-induced bone loss.

Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into six groups that were subjected to two surgeries, sham (noORX) or real orchidectomy (ORX), and were fed three diets, a SLD, a SLD enriched with GBP or a SLD enriched with PGB.

Representative sample survey on factors determining the Czech physicians' awareness of generic drugs and substitution.

Background: Generic drugs and generic substitution belong to the tools by which healthcare costs may be reduced. However, low awareness and reluctance among healthcare professionals towards generic drugs may negatively affect the rational use of generic substitution.

Methods: The study aimed to analyze opinions and attitudes towards generic drugs and generic substitution among Czech physicians including their understanding of generic substitution legislative rules and the physicians´ previous experience in this field.

Analysis of the fall-related risk of pharmacotherapy in Czech hospitals: A case control study.

Rationale, Aims, And Objectives: Falls are among the major problems occurring in hospital setting, when drugs are viewed as important modifiable risk factor of falling. The aim was to analyse the effect of pharmacotherapy on the risk of falls in hospitalized patients.

Methods: A multicentre prospective case-control study was conducted in 2017 retrieving data from four hospitals in South Bohemia, Czech Republic.

Applicability of EU(7)-PIM criteria in cross-national studies in European countries.

Background: The European Union (EU)(7)-PIM (potentially inappropriate medication) list presents the most comprehensive and up-to-date tool for evaluation of PIM prescribing in Europe; however, several country-specific studies have documented lower specificity of this list on pharmaceutical markets of some countries. The aim of our study was to describe approval rates and marketing of PIMs stated by EU(7)-PIM criteria in six EU countries [in comparison with the American Geriatric Society (AGS) Beers 2015 criteria].

Methods: Research teams of six EU countries (Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Hungary and Turkey) participated in this study conducted by WG1b EU COST Action IS1402 group in the period October 2015-November 2018.

The influence of microbial isoflavonoid specific metabolites on platelets and transition metals iron and copper.

Background: Isoflavonoids seem to possess positive cardiovascular and other beneficial effects in humans.

Hypothesis: Their low bioavailability, however, indicates that small isoflavonoid metabolites formed by human microflora can significantly contribute to these activities.

Study Design: Testing antiplatelet activity ex vivo in human blood and interaction with transition metals in vitro.

Breathing Out Completely Before Inhalation: The Most Problematic Step in Application Technique in Patients With Non-Mild Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Patient adherence to an inhaled medication application technique (A-ApplT) represents a major health-care issue in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, there is a lack of studies evaluating this issue thoroughly. The aim of our study was to introduce a universal easy-to-use method of assessing the A-ApplT to chronic medication in moderate to very severe COPD individuals.

Selected Risk Factors of Falls in Hospitalized Patients: A Case-Control Study.

Theory: Patients falls have a multifactorial character and typically have multiple causalities.

Goal: The goal of the study was to identify risk factors for falls of hospitalized patients.

Methodology: This was a case-control study.

Pharmacotherapy as major risk factor of falls - analysis of 12 months experience in hospitals in South Bohemia.

This study aimed to analyze the effect of fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) and drug-related factors relative to falls through clinical pharmacy service in hospitalized patients, focusing on the relevance of clinical pharmacist evaluation in the context of physician assessment. A prospective study of inpatient falls was conducted in 2017 retrieving data from 4 hospitals in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. An online database was developed to collect patient and fall-related data, and fall evaluation records.

Patterns in anticoagulant utilization in the Czech Republic during 2007-2017.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have gradually entered the Czech market as alternatives to vitamin K antagonists and parenteral anticoagulants since 2008. Considering the eventual changes, the aim was to evaluate drug use and expenditure patterns on anticoagulants in the Czech Republic. A retrospective utilization study was conducted retrieving data from the State Institute for Drug Control database, including reports on drug supplies from distributors with anatomical therapeutic chemical classification (ATC) codes B01AA, B01AB, B01AE, B01AF, and B01AX.

Medication use in older patients and age-blind approach: narrative literature review (insufficient evidence on the efficacy and safety of drugs in older age, frequent use of PIMs and polypharmacy, and underuse of highly beneficial nonpharmacological strategies).

Introduction: The importance of rational drug therapy is increasing with the aging of the population. Since one of the main reasons for inappropriate drug prescribing is also the "age-blind" approach, which results in ageist practices, this narrative literature review focuses on the description of the main barriers related to insufficient individualization of drug regimens associated with such age-blind approaches.

Methodology: A narrative literature review using the PubMed, WoS, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted by the EU COST Action IS1402.

Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium versus Salmeterol/Fluticasone in Patients with COPD-A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in the Czech Republic.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents an illness with significant healthcare and societal impacts. Fixed combinations of long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) and inhaled corticosteroids have been used for COPD treatment as the standard of care for many years. A daily dose of indacaterol and glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) at 110/50 µg has recently been gaining attention due to its improved efficacy and tolerability versus the standard of care.

Range of motion after total knee arthroplasty in hemophilic arthropathy.

Background: Outcomes of total knee replacement in cases of hemophilic patients are worse than in patients who undergo operations due to osteoarthritis. Previous publications have reported varying rates of complications in hemophilic patients, such as infection and an unsatisfactory range of motion, which have influenced the survival of prostheses. Our retrospective study evaluated the data of hemophilic patients regarding changes in the development of the range of motion.

Atmospheric metal pollution records in the Kovářská Bog (Czech Republic) as an indicator of anthropogenic activities over the last three millennia.

Three peat cores were extracted from the Kovářská Bog in the central Ore Mountains to study anthropogenic pollution generated by mining and metallurgy. The core profiles were C dated, and concentrations of selected elements were determined by ICP MS and HG-AAS. Principal component analysis indicated that Pb, Cu, As and Ag may be useful elements for the reconstruction of historical atmospheric pollution.

Patient Access, Unmet Medical Need, Expected Benefits, and Concerns Related to the Utilisation of Biosimilars in Eastern European Countries: A Survey of Experts.

This policy research aims to map patient access barriers to biologic treatments, to explore how increased uptake of biosimilars may lower these hurdles and to identify factors limiting the increased utilisation of biosimilars. A policy survey was developed to review these questions in 10 Central and Eastern European (CEE) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Two experts (one public and one private sector representative) from each country completed the survey.

The effect of levetiracetam on rat bone mineral density, bone structure and biochemical markers of bone metabolism.

Some data suggest that exposure to levetiracetam (LEV) might be associated with a risk for bone health in the model of orchidectomized rats. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is any significant risk of LEV for bone health in the model of gonadally intact animals. Wistar rats were divided into a control group and a test group, 8 rats in each group.

Correction to: Pharmacists' confidence when providing pharmaceutical care on anticoagulants, a multinational survey.

In the original publication of this article, the article note has been missed and published online.

Pharmacists' confidence when providing pharmaceutical care on anticoagulants, a multinational survey.

Background Guidelines on the management of orally anticoagulated patients are continuously evolving, leading to an increased need for pharmacists to be fully integrated in care provision. Objective To identify self-reported gaps in confidence among practicing pharmacists in the area of anticoagulation. Setting Pharmacists in different work settings in different countries.

Behavioral effects of antiepileptic drugs in rats: Are the effects on mood and behavior detectable in open-field test?

Purpose: Behavioral side effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are common including both positive and negative effects on mood, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. We aimed to evaluate behavioral patterns in rats after administration of lamotrigine, levetiracetam, phenytoin, topiramate, carbamazepine, gabapentin, pregabalin, and zonisamide.

Methods: The open-field test was performed and locomotion, rearing, grooming, central latency and defecation were recorded over a 5min interval for each rat (8 rats in each group receiving AED and 16 controls).