Decreasing the stigma surrounding alcohol use disorder.

Introduction: There is a paucity of data on educational interventions that prepare students to mitigate the stigma or burden of alcohol use disorder. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the impact of an interprofessional symposium on personal knowledge and stigma of alcohol use disorder and (2) inform future educational models.

Methods: The symposium highlighted the impact of alcohol at one private Midwestern university and reviewed the pharmacology of alcohol, diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder, and treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Possible apixaban-induced leukocytoclastic vasculitis.

Purpose: The development of leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) during apixaban therapy in a female patient being treated for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is reported.

Summary: A 74-year-old Caucasian woman weighing 102 kg presented to a walk-in clinic with complaints of mild pain and swelling in her left leg for 2 weeks. She was diagnosed as having left lower-extremity DVT.

Genetic and environmental risk for lymphoma in boxer dogs.

Background: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in humans is associated with environmental chemical exposures, and risk is enhanced by genetic variants in glutathione S-transferases (GST) enzymes.

Objective: We hypothesized that boxer dogs, a breed at risk for lymphoma, would have a higher prevalence of GST variants with predicted low activity, and greater accumulated DNA damage, compared to other breeds. We also hypothesized that lymphoma in boxers would be associated with specific environmental exposures and a higher prevalence of canine GST variants.

Impact of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences on Residency Interview Invitations.

To determine how postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency program directors perceive factors related to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) when selecting candidates for residency interviews. An online cross-sectional nationwide survey of 1,280 PGY1 residency program directors was conducted. Participants were asked to rank the overall influence of five APPE categories, including location, structure, elective type, timing, and preceptor references, as well as the desirability and necessity of APPE-related variables representing the five categories, in their assessment of residency candidates.

Using a design-based research framework to refine a desirable difficulties activity for sterile compounding in a skills-based laboratory course.

Background And Purpose: Design-based research (DBR) processes aim to connect educational research with instructional techniques by focusing on the development and evaluation of multiple iterations of learning activities for systematic improvement within learning environments. Desirable difficulties (DD) are purposeful challenges introduced to facilitate deeper learning of material. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a second iteration of a sterile compounding DD study in the context of DBR in order to allow for the identification and refinement of the educational methods.

Real-World Evaluation of Dosing in Patients Converted From Insulin Glargine (Lantus) to Insulin Glargine (Basaglar).

Basaglar, insulin glargine (BGlar; Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN), a follow-on biologic, was developed after the patent for Lantus, insulin glargine (LGlar; Sanofi-Aventis, Paris, France) expired. To compare the dosing and hemoglobin A (A1C)-lowering effects of BGlar compared with LGlar in a real-world setting. Adult patients, at 5 clinics, with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were converted from LGlar to BGlar were included in this retrospective observational study.

Rural Physician-Pharmacist Collaborative Practice Agreements Managing Patients in Supportive Living and Assisted Living Memory Care Facilities.

Setting: Supportive living and assisted living memory care facilities in a rural West-Central Illinois county.

Objectives: 1) Evaluate the impact of active pharmacist participation on patient care for residents living in supportive and assisted living facilities, 2) demonstrate feasibility and financial sustainability of rural community pharmacists providing disease state management services, 3) create processes for best practice to expand the clinical role of the community pharmacist.

Design: Case study.

Meeting report: 32nd International Conference on Antiviral Research.

The 32nd International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR), sponsored by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR), was held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on May 12-15, 2019. This report gives an overview of the conference on behalf of the Society. It provides a general review of the meeting and awardees, summarizing the presentations, and their main conclusions from the perspective of researchers active in many different areas of antiviral research and development.

Essential Elements for Core Required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

ince 2004, concerns and calls for greater quality assurance in experiential education have been published. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) "Standards 2016" provide limited differentiation across the four required practice experiences, and, as such, schools interpret them differently. Both schools and accreditation site visit teams would benefit from a common set of guidance for the required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs), so that they can ensure consistency and quality in student experiences across practice sites.

Apparent interference with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation by liposomal amphotericin B in a patient with disseminated blastomycosis receiving continuous renal replacement therapy.

Purpose: We describe the use of liposomal amphotericin B and amphotericin B deoxycholate in a critically ill patient with pulmonary blastomycosis receiving both venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).

Summary: A 50-year-old African American man presented for dyspnea and cough and was noted to have blastomycosis on bronchoscopy. He developed respiratory failure and acute kidney injury, requiring mechanical ventilation, ECMO, and CRRT.

A practical guide for pharmacists to successfully implement penicillin allergy skin testing.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to offer practical guidance for pharmacists to successfully implement penicillin allergy skin testing (PAST).

Summary: Less than 10% of patients labeled as having a penicillin allergy are confirmed as present upon skin testing. This labeling results in use of alternative antibiotics and thus unwanted adverse consequences including potentiated antimicrobial resistance, increased costs, and worse clinical outcomes.

A preliminary model for faculty workload for a highly integrated curriculum delivered by team-based learning.

Introduction: We detail the process of developing a workload calculation model (WCM) for a highly integrated curriculum delivered by team-based learning, rationale for workload multipliers, and preliminary results of our effort to implement the WCM.

Methods: Our WCM includes teaching, service, and scholarship, with a time buffer. The WCM utilizes multipliers for most work activities (teaching and service).

Lessons learned from an investigation exploring association between grit and student performance in a pharmacy skills laboratory course.

Background: A challenge for many pharmacy educators is early identification of students who may struggle with various aspects of the pharmacy curriculum. While grade point average, demographic factors, and personality traits may be helpful considerations, we felt there was a need to further explore methods for readily identifying at-risk students who may benefit from early intervention. The Grit Scale has recently been explored, presented, and published in academic pharmacy.

Suggested pharmacy practice laboratory activities to align with pre-APPE domains in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum.

Our Situation: The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education outlines ability statements that pharmacy students should be able to demonstrate prior to beginning their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). Practice laboratory courses offer extensive opportunities for students to participate in activities and assessments that enable them to meet the objectives outlined in the Pre-APPE Core Domains in Standards 2016. This review identifies selected published literature, activities, and assessment methods that can be adapted and implemented in practice laboratory courses to help achieve the abilities outlined within the Pre-APPE Core Domains.

Targeting the terminase: An important step forward in the treatment and prophylaxis of human cytomegalovirus infections.

A key step in the replication of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the host cell is the generation and packaging of unit-length genomes into preformed capsids. Enzymes required for this process are so-called terminases, first described for double-stranded DNA bacteriophages. The HCMV terminase consists of the two subunits, the ATPase pUL56 and the nuclease pUL89, and a potential third component pUL51.

In vitro evaluation of current and novel antivirals in combination against human cytomegalovirus.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause severe disease in patients with compromised or immature immune systems. Currently approved pharmacotherapies for the treatment of systemic HCMV infections [ganciclovir (GCV), cidofovir (CDV), foscarnet] are limited by a high incidence of adverse effects and/or the development of drug resistance. Given that many of these drugs have the same viral target (HCMV-encoded DNA polymerase), cross-resistance is relatively common.

Meeting report: 31 International Conference on Antiviral Research.

The 31 International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) was held in Porto, Portugal from June 11-15, 2018. In this report, volunteer rapporteurs provide their summaries of scientific presentations, hoping to effectively convey the speakers' goals and the results and conclusions of their talks. This report provides an overview of the invited keynote and award lectures and highlights of short oral presentations, from the perspective of experts in antiviral research.

Pharmacy Student Knowledge, Confidence and Attitudes Toward Medical Cannabis and Curricular Coverage.

To assess pharmacy student confidence in their knowledge of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use in the US and their attitudes toward curricular coverage of medical cannabis. Students were asked to complete an electronic survey to measure knowledge and confidence in various domains of medical cannabis treatment, including qualifying conditions, adverse effects, and other patient care skills. There were 238 students who completed the survey.

Ozenoxacin: A Novel Topical Quinolone for Impetigo.

Objective: To review the data supporting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling of ozenoxacin and evaluate its place in therapy for impetigo.

Data Sources: A literature search was conducted using PubMed (1966 to May 2018) and Google Scholar (2000 to May 2018) with the search terms ozenoxacin, T-3912, and GF-001001-00. Other resources included clinicaltrials.

Preceptor Perceptions of Virtual Quality Assurance Experiential Site Visits.

To determine preceptor perceptions of the value of experiential quality assurance site visits between virtual and onsite visits, and to gauge preceptor opinions of the optimal method of site visits based on the type of visit received. Site visits (12 virtual and 17 onsite) were conducted with 29 APPE sites located at least 200 miles from campus. Participating preceptors were invited to complete an online post-visit survey adapted from a previously validated and published survey tool measuring preceptor perceptions of the value of traditional onsite visits.