APhA Foundation Incentive Grants: A Thirty-year descriptive review.

Objective: The objective of this project was to describe the breakdown of project topics and geographic reach of Incentive Grant funded projects from 1994-2024 and summarize the number of patients or survey respondents reached.

Methods: All available reports and supporting documents for the Incentive Grants program were reviewed using the APhA Foundation internal database. Projects were assigned a geographical region using US Census Bureau Divisions, and categorized using focus areas from grant calls-for-proposals.

qPRF: A system to accelerate population receptive field modeling.

BOLD response can be fitted using the population receptive field (PRF) model to reveal how visual input is represented on the cortex (Dumoulin and Wandell, 2008). Fitting the PRF model costs considerable time, often requiring days to analyze BOLD signals for a small cohort of subjects. We introduce the qPRF ("quick PRF"), a system for accelerated PRF modeling that reduced the computation time by a factor ¿1,000 without losing goodness-of-fit when compared to another widely available PRF modeling package (Kay et al.

Indirect Effects of Perceived Stress and Depression on the Relationship Between Insomnia Symptoms and Hazardous Drinking.

Insomnia is a risk factor for hazardous drinking, yet the mechanisms underlying this risk are not well characterized. Two factors that might contribute to the relationship between insomnia and drinking are stress and depression. Insomnia is strongly associated with increased stress and depression, which are, in turn, strongly linked to hazardous drinking.

Effect of famotidine on outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Adaptation of the right ventricle is a key determinant of outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Despite a compelling rationale to develop targeted therapies for the right ventricle in PAH, no such treatments exist. H-receptor antagonism is a potential myocardial-focused paradigm in heart failure.

Proton Beam Therapy for Pancreatic Tumors: A Consensus Statement from the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group Gastrointestinal Subcommittee.

Objectives: Radiotherapy manages pancreatic cancer in various settings; however, the proximity of gastrointestinal (GI) luminal organs-at-risk (OAR) poses challenges to conventional radiotherapy. Proton beam therapy (PBT) may reduce toxicities compared to photon therapy. This consensus statement summarizes PBT's safe and optimal delivery for pancreatic tumors.

Neuropharmacological potential of Mimosa tenuiflora in adult zebrafish: An integrated approach to GABAergic and serotonergic neuromodulation.

Mimosa tenuiflora ("jurema-preta") is traditionally used in folk medicine for various diseases. The study investigated the neuropharmacological potential of Mimosa tenuiflora bark fraction (FATEM) in adult zebrafish. This included the acute toxicity (LC50) of FATEM (0.

Impact of coronary artery tortuosity on outcomes following stenting with newer-generation drug-eluting stents. An analysis of the randomized BIOFLOW trials.

Introduction And Objectives: Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in vessels with moderate-to-severe tortuosity are at higher risk of adverse outcomes, but data are scarce in the era of newer-generation stents. We compared outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention in vessels with moderate-to-severe tortuosity using a bioresorbable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (BP-SES) vs a durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent.

Methods: A total of 2350 patients from the BIOFLOW II, IV, and V randomized trials were stratified into 2 groups based on target-vessel tortuosity: none-to-mild and moderate-to-severe.

Trends in use of tobacco and cannabis across different alcohol consumption levels in the United States, 2010-19.

Aims: People often drink alcohol and use other substances concurrently, increasing the risk of adverse health outcomes. Our aims were to: (i) assess temporal trends in tobacco and/or cannabis use by varying alcohol consumption levels and (ii) identify associated factors of polysubstance use in high-risk alcohol users.

Methods: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study combining 2010-19 U.

Target product profile for cell-based and gene-based therapies to achieve a cure for HIV.

This target product profile (TPP) highlights the minimal and optimal characteristics for ex-vivo and in-vivo cell and gene therapy-based products aimed at achieving an HIV cure (ie, durable antiretroviral-free viral control). The need for an effective, safe, scalable, affordable, accessible, and acceptable cure for HIV infection remains a major global priority. The possibilities for cell and gene therapy-based products for an HIV cure are rapidly expanding.

Assessing the Impact of Multidisciplinary Cancer Consultations on Cancer Quality Metrics.

Objective: Multidisciplinary cancer consultations play a critical role in the delivery of quality cancer care by promoting treatment planning and collaborative decision-making. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between multidisciplinary cancer consultations and receipt of guideline-recommended adjuvant treatments among breast, colorectal, or non-small cell lung cancer patients and assess these associations between and within racial and ethnic groups.

Methods: This is a population-based retrospective cohort study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER), Medicare-linked data (2006-2016) to identify Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast, colorectal, or non-small cell lung cancer.

A Survey of Forensic Pathologists Regarding Medicolegal Investigation of Perinatal and Stillborn Deaths.

Stillborn and perinatal deaths may be referred to medical examiners and coroners for investigation and determination of cause and/or manner of death. One of the key questions is determining a live birth from a stillbirth. We surveyed 147 forensic pathologists to assess their investigative practices for these deaths and for their ability to diagnose a live birth and a stillbirth.

In adults aged ≥75 y with NSTEMI, an invasive vs. conservative strategy did not improve a composite outcome at a median 4.1 y.

GIM/FP/GP: [Formula: see text] Cardiology: [Formula: see text] Geriatrics: [Formula: see text].

Transient Hypoadrenocorticism in a 7-Week-Old Kitten.

A 7 wk old female spayed domestic shorthair was evaluated for 3 days of lethargy and anorexia 1 wk after ovariohysterectomy. On presentation, she was weak, dehydrated, and hypotensive. Blood work showed azotemia, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, and hyperproteinemia.

Trastuzumab Plus Pertuzumab Versus Cetuximab Plus Irinotecan in Patients With Wild-Type, HER2-Positive, Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (S1613): A Randomized Phase II Trial.

Purpose: overexpression/amplification in wild-type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC; human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]-positive mCRC) appears to be associated with limited benefit from anti-EGFR antibodies and promising responses to dual-HER2 inhibition; however, comparative efficacy has not been investigated. We conducted a randomized phase II trial to evaluate efficacy and safety of dual-HER2 inhibition against standard-of-care anti-EGFR antibody-based therapy as second/third-line treatment in HER2-positive mCRC.

Methods: Patients with -WT mCRC after central confirmation of HER2 positivity (immunohistochemistry 3+ or 2+ and in situ hybridization amplified [HER2/CEP17 ratio >2.

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Increased Likelihood Of Socioeconomic Disadvantages For Young Adults.

More than 60 percent of US adults report that they had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). For this study of 930,000 children born during the period 1999-2003, we used linked administrative, survey, and criminal justice data to measure the association between ACEs (parental death; separation; incarceration; or criminal charge for intimate partner violence, substance use disorder, or child sexual or nonsexual abuse) and socioeconomic disadvantages at ages 18-22 during 2017-21. After childhood socioeconomic status was controlled for, young adults with ACEs were more likely to have been charged with felonies, have become teenage parents, live in a household with poverty or housing assistance, be enrolled in Medicaid, and be employed, and were less likely to be enrolled in an educational institution.

Medicare Advantage Networks Include Few Black Or Hispanic Physicians, Making Concordant Care Inaccessible For Many.

Black and Hispanic patients who receive care from Black and Hispanic physicians have greater use of preventive care. However, receiving care from racially concordant physicians requires that such physicians are included in private insurance plan networks. Using data from 2019, we examined the extent to which racially concordant physicians are available in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, which disproportionately enrolls Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries, by linking MA physician networks to physician race and ethnicity to measure the diversity of in-network physicians.

Can Innovative Financing Move The Needle On Health Equity?

Communities and health organizations are testing novel ways to fund costly initiatives to advance health equity.

Tubal Sterilization And Vasectomy Increased Among US Young Adults After The Supreme Court Decision In 2022.

Young adults' access to contraception is shifting after the June 2022 United States Supreme Court decision. This concurrent mixed-methods study measured young adults' use of and perceptions about tubal sterilization and vasectomy after the leaked opinion in May 2022. Using national-level medical claims data from IQVIA, we conducted difference-in-differences analyses of tubal sterilizations and vasectomies by age and state policy; using open-text survey responses from national MyVoice surveys in 2022 and 2023, we thematically analyzed young adults' perspectives.

Medicare Enrollment Increased Visits To Primary Care Providers But Not Mental Health Care Providers, 2014-21.

Medicare enrollment increases provider visits among older adults; however, it remains unclear whether this increase is uniform across all types of providers. Using data from the 2014-21 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, we examined the effect of Medicare enrollment on office and outpatient visits across providers, using a regression discontinuity design. We found that Medicare enrollment at age sixty-five led to a 14 percent increase in visits to primary care providers and a 31 percent increase in visits to other providers, with the former more prominent among Medicare Advantage enrollees.

Current Use And Evaluation Of Artificial Intelligence And Predictive Models In US Hospitals.

Effective evaluation and governance of predictive models used in health care, particularly those driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, are needed to ensure that models are fair, appropriate, valid, effective, and safe, or FAVES. We analyzed data from the 2023 American Hospital Association Annual Survey Information Technology Supplement to identify how AI and predictive models are used and evaluated for accuracy and bias in hospitals. Hospitals use AI and predictive models to predict health trajectories or risks for inpatients, identify high-risk outpatients to inform follow-up care, monitor health, recommend treatments, simplify or automate billing procedures, and facilitate scheduling.

Organic matter and biomarkers: Why are samples required?

The search for evidence of past prebiotic or biotic activity on Mars will be enhanced by the return of samples to Earth laboratories. While impressive analytical feats have been accomplished by in situ missions on the red planet, accessing the capabilities of Earth's global laboratories will present a step change in data acquisition. Highly diagnostic markers of past life are biomarkers, organic molecules whose architecture can be attributed to once living organisms.

Fundamental constraints and questions from the study of martian meteorites and the need for returned samples.

Physical materials from planetary bodies are crucial for understanding fundamental processes that constrain the evolution of the solar system, as samples can be analyzed at high precision and accuracy in Earth-based laboratories. Mars is the only planet outside of Earth from which we possess samples in the form of meteorites. Martian meteorites (n > 350) have enabled constraints to be placed on various aspects of the red planet's formation and evolution, notably: that Mars accreted and differentiated rapidly; that the planet has a complex volatile element evolution; and that it has always been volcanically active with a rich and diverse magmatic history.