A call for social accountability within pharmacy education: Concepts, relevance, and accreditation.

Introduction: Social accountability (SA) is a leap to excellence in health education. While pharmacists are ideally situated in the healthcare setting to practice SA through research, service, and practice, SA is underrepresented in pharmacy education.

Commentary: Here the foundational concepts of SA, the relevance to pharmacy education, as well as the accreditation considerations for the implementation of SA are discussed.

Polymer coated polymeric microneedles for intravitreal delivery of dexamethasone.

The polymer coated polymeric (PCP) microneedles (MNs) is a novel approach for controlled delivery of drugs (without allowing release of the excipients) to the target site. PCP MNs was explored as an approach to deliver the drug intravitreally to minimize the risks associated with conventional intravitreal injections. The core MNs was fabricated with polyvinyl pyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) and coating was with Eudragit E100.

A call for social accountability within pharmacy education: Partnership, competency, and leadership.

Introduction: To address the needs of the community, social accountability (SA) needs to be integrated in health education, especially pharmacy education. This is part one of a two-part commentary that focuses specifically on partnership, competency, and leadership as it relates to SA within pharmacy education.

Commentary: Here the need for partnership in SA, competency of SA in pharmacy education, and leadership in SA is discussed.

Two Sustained Release Membranes Used in Formulating Low Strength Testosterone Reservoir Transdermal Patches.

Introduction: Several Testosterone Replacement Therapies exist for hypogonadism, but an in-depth analysis of these products reveals a high dosing frequency and a high drug loading, up to 120 mg for a potent drug like Testosterone. This may lead to patient non-compliance and toxicity problems if used improperly. Androderm is the only 24-hour marketed transdermal patch.

Association between mental health and self-care behavior among older adults with diabetes according to Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2019.

Aim: To assess the association of mental health burden with diabetes-related self-care behaviors and healthcare utilization among older adults.

Method: This cross-sectional 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) study included ≥ 65 years old adults with self-reported diabetes. Three groups were used based on the number of days in the past month affected by mental health: 0 days (no burden), 1-13 days (occasional burden), and 14-30 days (frequent burden).

Assessing the Assessment-Developing and Deploying a Novel Tool for Evaluating Clinical Notes' Diagnostic Assessment Quality.

Background: Ambulatory diagnostic errors are increasingly being recognized as an important quality and safety issue, and while measures of diagnostic quality have been sought, tools to evaluate diagnostic assessments in the medical record are lacking.

Objective: To develop and test a tool to measure diagnostic assessment note quality in primary care urgent encounters and identify common elements and areas for improvement in diagnostic assessment.

Design: Retrospective chart review of urgent care encounters at an urban academic setting.

Exercise training restores weight gain and attenuates hepatic inflammation in a rat model of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Gluten intolerance is associated with several disorders in the body. Although research has grown in recent years, the understanding of its impact on different tissues and the effects of physical exercise in mitigating health problems in the condition of gluten intolerance are still limited. Therefore, our objective was to test whether gliadin would affect metabolism and inflammation in liver tissue and whether aerobic physical exercise would mitigate the negative impacts of gliadin administration in rodents.

Thin-Film Hydration Followed by Extrusion Method for Liposome Preparation.

One of the simplest ways to prepare liposomes in a research laboratory is the thin-film hydration method followed by extrusion. This method involves making a thin lipid film in a round-bottom flask by the removal of organic solvent. Upon the addition and agitation of the dispersion medium, heterogeneous liposomes are formed.

Preparation of Small Unilamellar Vesicle Liposomes Using Detergent Dialysis Method.

Small unilamellar liposomes are commonly used as model biomembranes and carriers for drug and gene delivery. Although methods which employ mechanical forces or organic solvents can be used to reduce the liposome size and the number of lipid bilayers, they are not suitable options when the purpose is to incorporate biologically active proteins into lipid bilayers or to encapsulate nucleic acid into liposomes. Detergent dialysis is a simple and inexpensive procedure to produce homogeneous small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs).

Adapting an In-Home Randomized Intervention Trial Protocol for COVID-19 Precautions.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the status of clinical trials in the United States, requiring researchers to reconsider their approach to research studies. In light of this, we discuss the changes we made to the protocol of the Home Air Filtration for Traffic-Related Air Pollution (HAFTRAP) study, a randomized crossover trial of air filtration in homes next to a major highway. The senior authors designed the trial prior to the pandemic and included in-person data collection in participants' homes.

Financial Toxicity Among Patients With Breast Cancer Worldwide: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Financial toxicity (FT) is the negative impact of cost of care on financial well-being. Patients with breast cancer are at risk for incurring high out-of-pocket costs given the long-term need for multidisciplinary care and expensive treatments.

Objective: To quantify the FT rate of patients with breast cancer and identify particularly vulnerable patient populations nationally and internationally.

CpH methylome analysis in human cortical neurons identifies novel gene pathways and drug targets for opioid use disorder.

Introduction: DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic mechanism, has been associated with opioid use disorder (OUD) in preclinical and human studies. However, most of the studies have focused on DNAm at CpG sites. DNAm at non-CpG sites (mCpHs, where H indicates A, T, or C) has been recently shown to have a role in gene regulation and to be highly abundant in neurons.

Disparities in Access to Paid Sick Leave During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: This study sought to assess disparities in access to paid sick leave in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic based on demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: The percentage of workers with access to paid sick leave was calculated according to age group, sex, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, region, health insurance coverage, receiving public assistance, income, occupation, and industry.

Results: A total of 65.

Characteristics of Occupational Environmental Heat Injuries/Illnesses: Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2011 to 2019.

Objective: This study describes the characteristics of workers experiencing occupational heat-related injuries/illnesses in the United States and explores the associations between states' average annual temperatures and heat-related injury/illness rates.

Methods: The number and rate of occupational environmental heat injuries/illnesses were calculated according to age group, gender, race/ethnicity, occupation group, and state from 2011 to 2019.

Results: Injury/illness rates were higher among Black and Hispanic workers.

Combining Influenza and COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Strategy to Improve Vaccination Uptake Necessary for Managing the Health Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The uptake of COVID-19 booster vaccines has been significantly low. Therefore, it is questionable whether combining the COVID-19 booster vaccines with influenza vaccines can increase the population’s interest in taking such vaccines and manage the health pandemic effectively. Methodology: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a synthesis of the findings and summary of a total of 30 research articles based on the topic, ‘combining influenza and COVID-19 booster vaccination strategy’ was undertaken.

by Pekka Louhiala.

Pekka Louhiala crosses disciplines and decades to present a remarkably detailed review of the existing literature on placebos, placebo effects, and related concepts. The problem at hand-and Louhiala does aptly frame it as a problem-is a striking lack of consensus among researchers, scholars, and clinicians regarding virtually all aspects of the placebo topic. In capturing the complexity of this problem, Louhiala expertly compiles an extensive catalog of placebo literature that effectively gives the reader both a map of the territory and a legend to decipher it.

Effects of probiotics supplementation on blood pressure: An umbrella meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aims: Several meta-analyses have revealed that probiotics could lower blood pressure (BP), but the findings were inconsistent. In this regard, an umbrella meta-analysis was carried out to provide a more accurate estimate of the overall impacts of probiotics supplementation on BP.

Data Synthesis: We searched the following international databases till November 2021: PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

The veteran-centered care conferences: interprofessional education and community involvement facilitated by the health sciences librarian.

Background: Veterans have a variety of unique healthcare needs and receive care from both the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and private healthcare systems. Because healthcare students will likely treat veterans at some time during their career, it is important they gain exposure to working with veterans during their professional degree programs.

Case Presentation: This case report presents the development of an annual Veteran-Centered Care Conference (VCCC) at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

An Overview of Conventional Drugs and Nano Therapeutic Options for the Treatment and Management of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a common form of pediatric cancer affecting the lymphoblast, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow. In this disease, the normal lymphoblast cells transform into leukemic cells and subsequently enter the bloodstream. Leukemic cells found in patients with ALL have shown differences in cholesterol uptake and utilization.

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for the Treatment of Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive treatment option for intracranial tumors that are challenging to treat via traditional methods; however, its safety and efficacy are not yet well validated in the literature. The objectives of the study were to assess the available evidence of the indications and adverse events (AEs) of LITT and 1-year progression-free survival and 1-year overall survival in the treatment of primary and secondary brain tumors.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through the databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library until October 2021.

Clinical Dental Hygienists' Experience Returning to Work After Closure of Dental Offices Due to COVID-19: A qualitative study.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare providers includes physical, psychological, financial, and childcare issues. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of dental hygienists returning to clinical practice after the March 2020 closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used with virtual focus groups.

Patients' Fear, Stress, and Anxiety Toward Attending Dental Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted dental care for individuals due to dental practice closures beginning in March 2020. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between fear or stress related to COVID-19, dental anxiety and attending dental visits among adults in the United States (US).: A cross-sectional survey research design was used with a non-probability sample of adults residing in the US.

Vitamin D protects against depression: Evidence from an umbrella meta-analysis on interventional and observational meta-analyses.

Meta-analyses of interventional and observational studies investigating the efficacy and the relationship between vitamin D and depression provided inconsistent results. The current umbrella meta-analysis was conducted to assess the available evidence and provide a conclusive outcome in this regard. The following international databases were systematically searched till March 2022: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

Transcranial Doppler and computed tomography angiography for detecting cerebral vasospasm post-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Cerebral vasospasm is a life-threatening complication following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). While digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the current gold standard for detection, the diagnostic performance of computed tomography angiography (CTA) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) remains controversial. We aimed to summarize the available evidence and provide recommendations for their use based on GRADE criteria.