A co-curricular interprofessional education activity to facilitate socialization and meaningful student engagement.

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice are important drivers of healthcare transformation. Early learning activities designed to foster socialization may help students develop an interprofessional identity, built on an understanding of their unique contributions to interprofessional teams.

Interprofessional Education Activity: At the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), an institution-wide initiative called Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration was started to advance IPE and strengthen students' attitudes, knowledge, and skills related to interprofessional teamwork.

Increasing Drug Loading of Weakly Acidic Telmisartan in Amorphous Solid Dispersions through pH Modification during Hot-Melt Extrusion.

Oral drug therapy requiring large quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can cause a substantial pill burden, which can increase nonadherence and worsen healthcare outcomes. Maximizing the drug loading of APIs in oral dosage forms is essential to reduce pill burden. This can be challenging for poorly water-soluble APIs without compromising performance.

Gabapentinoid Pharmacology in the Context of Emerging Misuse Liability.

This article will review the epidemiology and pharmacology of gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) relevant to their emerging misuse potential and provide guidance for clinical and regulatory management. Gabapentinoids are γ-aminobutyric acid analogues that produce their therapeutic effects by inhibiting voltage-gated calcium channels and decreasing neurotransmitter release. Recently gabapentinoid prescribing and use have increased tremendously.

Characterization of hospitalized patients who received naloxone while receiving opioids with or without gabapentinoids.

Introduction: Gabapentin and pregabalin (gabapentinoids) can be given with opioids for opioid-sparing and adjuvant analgesic effects. In the context of certain comorbidities and high dosages, coadministration of these agents can lead to respiratory depression or oversedation, necessitating naloxone administration.

Methods: A retrospective chart review from January 2015 to December 2017 was conducted to include patients who received naloxone and opioids with or without gabapentinoids.

Report of the 2020 Special Committee on Substance Use and Pharmacy Education.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe 2020 Special Committee on Substance Use and Pharmacy Education was charged to update the work of the 2010 Special Committee on Substance Abuse and Pharmacy Education Report (SAPER) specifically with recommendations on core curricular content and delivery processes on substance misuse and substance use disorder (SUD). This report provides information on the committee's process to address the charges, background information and resources pertaining to the charges, and rationale for SUD being a critical topic for curriculum at colleges and schools of pharmacy. This committee offers several recommendations to the Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) pertaining to the committee charges.

Pharmacists' intention to prescribe under new legislation.

Background: In 2017, Oregon passed legislation that authorized pharmacists to autonomously prescribe specified medications or devices that were included on the Formulary and Protocol Compendia (FPC). Factors that impact pharmacists' intention to prescribe from the FPC are not currently known.

Objectives: Identify factors that influence pharmacists' intention to prescribe.

Prothrombin Complex Concentrate Use in Intracranial Hemorrhage Patients With Cirrhosis Not on Prior Anticoagulation.

Background/objective: Patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) have a 30-day mortality rate up to 52%, and the risk of mortality is increased in patients with disease-induced coagulopathy such as cirrhosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether 4F-PCC administration mitigates hematoma expansion in ICH patients with cirrhosis not currently receiving anticoagulation therapy compared to standard of care therapies.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study comparing adult patients with ICH and history of cirrhosis who received 4F-PCC versus standard of care therapies.

Specific mechanical energy - An essential parameter in the processing of amorphous solid dispersions.

Specific mechanical energy (SME) is a frequently overlooked but essential parameter of hot-melt extrusion (HME). It can determine whether an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) can be successfully processed. A minimum combination of thermal input and SME is required to convert a crystalline active pharmaceutical product (API) into its amorphous form.

Medication Therapy Management for Texas MediCAID Patients With Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-A Pilot Study.

Background: Pharmacists can play an important role in providing medication therapy management (MTM) services, which focus on appropriate medication use. This pilot study aimed to describe pharmacists' MTM service provision, results/outcomes of pharmacists' recommendations and resolution/acceptance rate among patients with high-risk asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study of MTM services provided by community pharmacists to Texas Medicaid patients (5-63 years) with "high risk" asthma or COPD.

Considering the Potential Benefits of Over-the-Counter Naloxone.

Since 1999, annual opioid-related overdose (ORO) mortality has increased more than six-fold. In response to this crisis, the US Department of Health and Human Services outlined a 5-point strategy to reduce ORO mortality which included the widespread distribution of naloxone, an opioid antagonist that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. Increased distribution has been facilitated by the implementation of naloxone access laws in each US state aimed at increasing community access to naloxone.

Gabapentinoid misuse, abuse and non-prescribed obtainment in a United States general population sample.

Background Reports of gabapentinoid (gabapentin and pregabalin) misuse are on the rise, but few studies have assessed this within the general US population. Objective Describe lifetime misuse/abuse/non-prescribed obtainment of gabapentinoids and descriptive characteristics associated with such actions in a US general population sample. Setting This cross-sectional questionnaire was administered online by Qualtrics research panel aggregator via quota-based sampling.

Identifying subgroups within at-risk populations that drive late HIV diagnosis in a Southern U.S. state.

We aimed to identify subgroups within age, racial/ethnic, and transmission categories that drive increased risk for late HIV diagnosis (LHD).A 1996-2013 retrospective study of HIV-diagnosed individuals (N = 77,844) was conducted. The proportion of individuals with LHD (AIDS diagnosis within 365 days of HIV diagnosis) was determined, stratified by age, race/ethnicity, and transmission category.

Opioid-Related Education Provided by Continuing Education Divisions at US Pharmacy Schools.

To quantify the number and type of new opioid-related continuing pharmacy education (CPE) activities offered by continuing education divisions (CEDs) at US schools and colleges of pharmacy from 2015 through 2018, and to determine the number of pharmacists who completed opioid-related CPE activities. Data was derived from the database of CPE activities maintained by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), which is the sole accreditation agency for all providers of CPE, including pharmacy schools. Data were filtered to include only pharmacy school CPE providers.

National outpatient medication utilization for opioid and alcohol use disorders from 2014 to 2016.

Background And Aims: Research has recommended a combination of pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapy to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD). The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of U.S.

The association between hydroxyurea adherence and opioid utilization among Texas Medicaid enrollees with sickle cell disease.

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) suffer from recurrent catastrophic pain crises that are often managed by opioid analgesics. Being adherent to hydroxyurea has been associated with decreased health care resource use for pain; however, evidence of its association with opioid use is limited. To determine if adherence to hydroxyurea is associated with opioid use among patients with SCD.

Efavirenz versus Protease Inhibitors in Patients with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Efavirenz- and protease inhibitor (PI)-based regimens remain viable options across the globe. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness of efavirenz-based regimens relative to PI-based regimens. EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.

Lofexidine for acute opioid withdrawal: A clinical case series.

Introduction: Maintaining abstinence through the opioid withdrawal period is a substantial barrier to treatment for patients with opioid use disorder. The alpha-2 agonist lofexidine has demonstrated efficacy and safety in clinical trials, but pragmatic studies describing its use in clinical practice are lacking. This case series describes the use of lofexidine for opioid withdrawal symptoms in an inpatient addiction treatment facility.

Pre-plasticization of thermal binder facilitates processing and granule growth during melt granulation of gabapentin using co-rotating twin screw extruder.

Plasticization, a common method of reducing the polymer melt viscosity in plastics extrusion, was investigated to improve the processability of a pharmaceutical formulation during twin-screw melt granulation. The thermolabile drug gabapentin was used as a model compound given previous work showed the benefit of preparing 80% drug loading gabapentin granules with hydroxypropyl cellulose as thermal binder. The plasticizer triethyl citrate was selected based on physicochemical compatibility with both the thermal binder and gabapentin by assessing polymer melt rheology and drug stability, respectively.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Metolazone Compared to Chlorothiazide for Treatment of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Treatment of volume overload in the setting of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is typically achieved through the use of loop diuretics. While they are highly effective, some patients may develop loop diuretic resistance. One strategy to overcome this scenario includes sequential nephron blockade with a thiazide-type diuretic; however, it is unknown which thiazide-type diuretic used in this setting is most effective.

The impact of rapid diagnostic testing, surveillance software, and clinical pharmacist staffing at a large community hospital in the management of Gram-negative bloodstream infections.

Rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) combined with an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) has shown improved outcomes in bloodstream infections (BSIs). We assessed the impact of RDT, surveillance software, and ASP pharmacist staffing on time to optimal therapy (TOT) in Gram-negative BSIs. Adults with Gram-negative BSIs were included in this retrospective evaluation across 2 study periods.