Drug- and patient-related factors are the strongest predictors of endocrine therapy adherence in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Medication non-adherence to treatment regimens can severely impact the mortality of patients afflicted with breast cancer.The purpose of this study was to identify factors that contribute to non-adherence to endocrine therapy in breast cancer treatment plans.

Methods: Thirty-two women with a breast cancer diagnosis were surveyed by pharmacists and pharmacy students to identify the patient- related factors (e.

Field Observations of Body Temperature for the Wolf Spider, Rabidosa rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae), Differ From Reported Laboratory Temperature Preference Suggesting Thermoconforming Behavior.

Temperature affects all aspects of ectotherm ecology, behavior, and physiology. Descriptions of thermal ecology are important for understanding ecology in changing thermal environments. Both laboratory and field estimates are important for understanding thermal ecology.

Augmentation of core decompression with synthetic bone graft does not improve mechanical properties of the proximal femur.

Core decompression is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to treat patients with avascular necrosis of the femoral head. The procedure requires an entry hole in the lateral cortex of the femur which potentially leaves patients susceptible to subtrochanteric fractures. The purpose of this study was to determine if filling the core decompression tract with synthetic bone-graft mechanically strengthens the proximal femur.

Significance of Multiple Bioactivation Pathways for Meclofenamate as Revealed through Modeling and Reaction Kinetics.

Meclofenamate is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of mild-to-moderate pain yet poses a rare risk of hepatotoxicity through an unknown mechanism. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) bioactivation is a common molecular initiating event for hepatotoxicity. Thus, we hypothesized a similar mechanism for meclofenamate and leveraged computational and experimental approaches to identify and characterize its bioactivation.

Significance of Competing Metabolic Pathways for 5F-APINACA Based on Quantitative Kinetics.

In 2020, nearly one-third of new drugs on the global market were synthetic cannabinoids including the drug of abuse -(1-adamantyl)-1-(5-pentyl)-1-indazole-3-carboxamide (5F-APINACA, 5F-AKB48). Knowledge of 5F-APINACA metabolism provides a critical mechanistic basis to interpret and predict abuser outcomes. Prior qualitative studies identified which metabolic processes occur but not the order and extent of them and often relied on problematic "semi-quantitative" mass spectroscopic (MS) approaches.

Examining Factors That Contribute to Delayed Wound Healing in Children with Tracheostomy Wounds.

Objective: To identify variables that may contribute to delayed wound healing times in pediatric patients with tracheostomy wounds.

Design: Researchers identified 134 charts spanning January 2013 to June 2017; 95 charts met the inclusion criteria. The study examined Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores, pressure injury staging, and albumin levels.

The Report of the 2018-2019 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: The Role of Educators in Pharmacy Practice Transformation.

The 2018-2019 Professional Affairs Committee examined the potential roles and needs of clinical educators (faculty and preceptors) in leading transformation in pharmacy practice. The committee was charged to (1) discuss the potential roles and responsibilities of faculty and preceptors leading transformation and enhanced patient care services in pharmacy practice; (2) describe factors, including clinician well-being and resilience, which may influence faculty and preceptor involvement in practice transformation and the enhancement of patient care services; and (3) recommend how the efforts and successes of faculty and preceptors involved in pharmacy practice transformation can be replicated and recognized as well as identify the types of continuing professional development (CPD) that should be available to enable the influence and implementation of patient care services. This report provides a framework for addressing the committee charges by examining the roles of advocacy, collaboration, continuing professional development, and clinician resilience and well-being.

Maternal Depression: Relationship to Food Insecurity and Preschooler Fruit/Vegetable Consumption.

: Maternal Depression (MD) has been implicated in the etiology of obesity. The present study investigated MD and both child fruit/vegetable consumption (FVC) and household food insecurity (FI) in an early childhood population. : This cross-sectional study was conducted in Arkansas, United States, in 26 Head Start centers.

Pediatric Tracheostomy Wound Healing: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare wound products by measuring time to granulation tissue and time to complete wound healing for tracheostomy wounds in the pediatric population.

Methods: Investigators identified 134 charts of patients treated January 2013 and June 2017; 93 charts met the inclusion criteria. This study compared the use of a foam dressing (n = 34) to the foam dressing plus a wound filler (n = 59) in patients who developed or were admitted with a wound caused by a tracheostomy device.

Effect of Aromatase Inhibition (Exemestane) on Urine Concentration of Osteoprotegerin in Healthy Postmenopausal Women.

This pilot study examined how exemestane (an aromatase inhibitor [AI]) affected osteoprotegerin (OPG) urine concentrations in postmenopausal women. Exemestane (25 mg, single dose) was given to 14 disease-free women past menopause in this nonrandomized, open-label study. Before dosing, urine specimens were gathered.

Exemestane may be less detrimental than letrozole to bone health in women homozygous for the UGT2B17*2 gene deletion.

Purpose: UGT2B17 gene deletion (UGT2B17*2) has been reported to affect bone health as well as the pharmacokinetics of aromatase inhibitor (AI) drugs such as exemestane. The goal of this study was to assess associations between UGT2B17 gene deletion and bone health prior to and after 24 months of AI treatment in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer.

Methods: Bone health in women with HR+ breast cancer enrolled on the prospective randomized Exemestane and Letrozole Pharmacogenetics (ELPh) trial was determined by measuring bone turnover markers (BTM) and bone mineral density (BMD) pre-treatment and after 3 BTM and 24 BMD months of treatment with either the steroidal AI exemestane or the nonsteroidal AI letrozole.

Descriptive Analysis of Acceptance by Prescribers and Economic Benefit of Pharmacist Recommended Interventions in a Critical Care Unit.

Background: Pharmacist clinical intervention is defined as the action that identifies and prevents medication-related problems and optimizes patient's medication therapy in cooperation with other healthcare professionals. Types of clinical interventions may vary, but each is patient specific. Few studies have focused on clinical pharmacists interventions in a critical care setting at a rural hospital.

Peripheral Infiltration and Extravasation Injury Methodology: A Retrospective Study.

Peripheral infiltration is defined as the inadvertent delivery of nonvesicant fluid or medication into surrounding tissue that has the potential to harm the patient. Vesicant fluid that has leaked into the tissue space is called extravasation. At present, there is no agreement in the literature on the best practice for managing these injuries in pediatric patients.

Urine Specific Gravity as a Practical Marker for Identifying Suboptimal Fluid Intake of Runners ∼12-hr Postexercise.

The legitimacy of urine specific gravity (USG) as a stand-alone measure to detect hydration status has recently been challenged. As an alternative to hydration status, the purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic capability of using the traditional USG marker of >1.020 to detect insufficient recovery fluid consumption with consideration for moderate versus high sweat losses (2.

Influence of Transporter Polymorphisms on Drug Disposition and Response: A Perspective From the International Transporter Consortium.

Advances in genomic technologies have led to a wealth of information identifying genetic polymorphisms in membrane transporters, specifically how these polymorphisms affect drug disposition and response. This review describes the current perspective of the International Transporter Consortium (ITC) on clinically important polymorphisms in membrane transporters. ITC suggests that, in addition to previously recommended polymorphisms in ABCG2 (BCRP) and SLCO1B1 (OATP1B1), polymorphisms in the emerging transporter, SLC22A1 (OCT1), be considered during drug development.

Reliability and Validity of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background And Purpose: Clinical measurement of physical function that is both specific to the individual and generates comparable outcome data is a fundamental need in physical therapy examination. The Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of physical function in patients with musculoskeletal disorders and may have applications for other patient populations. However, the reliability and the validity of the PSFS have not been evaluated in older adults.

Biomechanical, Anthropometric, and Psychological Determinants of Barbell Back Squat Strength.

Vigotsky, AD, Bryanton, MA, Nuckols, G, Beardsley, C, Contreras, B, Evans, J, and Schoenfeld, BJ. Biomechanical, anthropometric, and psychological determinants of barbell back squat strength. J Strength Cond Res 33(7S): S26-S35, 2019-Previous investigations of strength have only focused on biomechanical or psychological determinants, while ignoring the potential interplay and relative contributions of these variables.

Strong viral associations with SLE among Filipinos.

Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is considered an important environmental factor in SLE aetiology, but the relationship between SLE and EBV in the Filipino population is unknown. We tested associations between SLE, lupus-associated autoantibodies and seropositivity for EBV and other herpes viruses in the Filipino population.

Methods: Sera from Filipino patients with SLE (n=233), unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs, n=543) and unrelated controls (n=221) were tested for antibodies against EBV, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) by standardised ELISAs.

Impact of the OATP1B1 c.521T>C single nucleotide polymorphism on the pharmacokinetics of exemestane in healthy post-menopausal female volunteers.

What Is Known And Objective: OATP1B1 mediates the transport of a diverse range of amphiphilic organic compounds that include bile acids, steroid conjugates and hormones. This retrospective pharmacogenetic study was conducted to assess the impact of the OATP1B1 c.521T>C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the pharmacokinetics of the steroidal aromatase inhibitor drug exemestane in healthy volunteers.

COX2 induction: a mechanism of endocrine breast cancer resistance?

Purpose: Urine prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels have shown to be a risk factor of breast cancer, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is known to be beneficial in preventing breast cancer risk and/or recurrence with or without aromatase inhibitors. We hypothesized that the use of an aromatase inhibitor triggers the activation of the inflammatory pathway via release of PGE2.

Methods: A single oral 25 mg dose of an aromatase inhibitor (exemestane) was given to 14 healthy postmenopausal female volunteers.

Inhibition of VEGF and Angiopoietin-2 to Reduce Brain Metastases of Breast Cancer Burden.

For metastases in the central nervous system, angiogenesis enhances metastatic potential and promotes progression. Primary factors which drive vessel growth are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2. Preclinical models show inhibition of either factor reduces metastases spread and inhibits growth.

Clinical Interpretation of Urine Drug Tests: What Clinicians Need to Know About Urine Drug Screens.

Urine drug testing is frequently used in clinical, employment, educational, and legal settings and misinterpretation of test results can result in significant adverse consequences for the individual who is being tested. Advances in drug testing technology combined with a rise in the number of novel misused substances present challenges to clinicians to appropriately interpret urine drug test results. Authors searched PubMed and Google Scholar to identify published literature written in English between 1946 and 2016, using urine drug test, screen, false-positive, false-negative, abuse, and individual drugs of abuse as key words.

Clinical impact of pharmacogenetic profiling with a clinical decision support tool in polypharmacy home health patients: A prospective pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: In polypharmacy patients under home health management, pharmacogenetic testing coupled with guidance from a clinical decision support tool (CDST) on reducing drug, gene, and cumulative interaction risk may provide valuable insights in prescription drug treatment, reducing re-hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits. We assessed the clinical impact of pharmacogenetic profiling integrating binary and cumulative drug and gene interaction warnings on home health polypharmacy patients.

Methods And Findings: This prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial was conducted at one hospital-based home health agency between February 2015 and February 2016.