A Call for Clarity: A Proposed Toolkit to Integrate Foundational Sciences into Pharmacy Curricula.

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit has been used across many schools of pharmacy to guide the depth and breadth of therapeutics coverage, but no counterpart for foundational science coverage in pharmacy education currently exists. Broad topic areas for the foundational sciences are outlined in Appendix 1 of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards, but the standards lack specific direction with regards to foundational sciences content needed in the professional pharmacy curriculum. Faculty are therefore challenged to determine the depth and breadth of foundational sciences to meet educational standards within limited curricular space, often resulting in curricular hoarding and overload.

Preclinical Multi-Omic Assessment of Pioglitazone in Skeletal Muscles of Mice Implanted with Human HER2/neu Overexpressing Breast Cancer Xenografts.

: Breast cancer (BC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and is accompanied by fatigue during both active disease and remission in the majority of cases. Our lab has measured fatigue in isolated muscles from treatment-naive BC patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (BC-PDOX) mice. Here, we conducted a preclinical trial of pioglitazone in BC-PDOX mice to determine its efficacy in ameliorating BC-induced muscle fatigue, as well as its effects on transcriptomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic profiles in skeletal muscle.

Impact of Point of Care Hemoglobin A1c Testing on Time to Therapeutic Intervention.

Without compromising accuracy, point of care testing (POCT) provides immediate results at the time of in person patient consultation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate time until therapeutic intervention with POCT HbA1c versus venipuncture, where venipuncture was considered standard of care.The primary outcome was time (hours) to implementation of a therapeutic intervention based on POCT HbA1c result, as compared with most recent venipuncture HbA1c before the study and its associated therapeutic intervention.

Describing the current landscape of pass/fail grading schemes within skills-based pharmacy curricula.

Introduction: Optimal methods for grading students in skills-based courses within pharmacy education have not been fully explored. This research aimed to assess the current landscape of pass/fail grading schemes within pharmacy skills-based courses and explore faculty perceptions of pass/fail grading schemes.

Methods: A 29-item, cross-sectional survey was electronically distributed to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Laboratory Special Interest Group.

Real-World Effectiveness, Economic, and Humanistic Outcomes of Selected Oral Antipsychotics in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review Evaluating Global Evidence.

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic mental health disorder that confers a substantial disease burden globally. Oral antipsychotic treatments (OATs) are the mainstay for treating early and advanced stages of schizophrenia. Our systematic review aimed to synthesize literature describing real-world effectiveness, economic, and humanistic outcomes of OATs (asenapine, brexpiprazole, cariprazine, iloperidone, lumateperone, lurasidone, olanzapine/samidorphan, paliperidone, and quetiapine) for successful management of the disease.

Pharmacy student perceptions of academically dishonest behavior in skills activities.

Introduction: Academic dishonesty is prevalent across pharmacy education. Understanding student perceptions and engagement in academically dishonest behaviors across skills activities is important, as skills curricula are essential components in assessing APPE readiness. The objectives of this study were to assess pharmacy student perceptions of academically dishonest behavior within a skills curriculum and to determine if correlations exist between students' perceived wrongness of a described behavior and their willingness to engage in the behavior or past engagement in that described behavior.

Using the social cognitive theory to examine spontaneous attempts to quit illicit substance use.

Rural areas in the US exhibit high rates of illicit substance use. This study aimed to investigate the Social Cognitive Theory factors associated with spontaneous attempts to quit illicit substance use in a sample of users. A cross-sectional survey was administered through face-to-face interviews.

Management of Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure: Practical Considerations and Implementation of Evidence-Based Iron Supplementation.

Iron deficiency (ID) is present in approximately 50% of patients with heart failure (HF) and even higher prevalence rate up to 80% in post-acute HF setting. The current guidelines for HF recommend intravenous (IV) iron replacement in HF with reduced or mildly reduced ejection fraction and ID based on clinical trials showing improvements in quality of life and exercise capacity, and an overall treatment benefit for recurrent HF hospitalization. However, several barriers cause challenges in implementing IV iron supplementation in practice due, in part, to clinician knowledge gaps and limited resource availability to protocolize routine utilization in appropriate patients.

Preclinical evaluation of ELP-004 in mice.

This study provides a detailed understanding of the preclinical pharmacokinetics and metabolism of ELP-004, an osteoclast inhibitor in development for the treatment of bone erosion. Current treatments for arthritis, including biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, are not well-tolerated in a substantial subset of arthritis patients and are expensive; therefore, new treatments are needed. Pharmacokinetic parameters of ELP-004 were tested with intravenous, oral, and subcutaneous administration and found to be rapidly absorbed and distributed.

Preclinical Multi-Omic Assessment of Pioglitazone in Skeletal Muscles of Mice Implanted with Human HER2/neu Overexpressing Breast Cancer Xenografts.

Unlabelled: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer worldwide and is accompanied by fatigue during both active disease and remission in the majority of cases. Our lab has measured fatigue in isolated muscles from treatment-naive BC patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (BC-PDOX) mice. Here, we conducted a preclinical trial of pioglitazone in BC-PDOX mice to determine its efficacy in ameliorating BC-induced muscle fatigue, as well as its effects on transcriptomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic profiles in skeletal muscle.

Impact of Outpatient Beta Blocker Therapy Adjustment on Tachyarrhythmias in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Admitted for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Limited data exists to evaluate the optimal management of outpatient beta blocker therapy when patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are admitted for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This study aimed to compare the effects of holding or decreasing the dose of outpatient beta blocker therapy vs continuation of therapy on rates of tachyarrhythmias during admission for ADHF. This single-center, retrospective cohort study divided patients with HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction less than or equal to 40%) admitted for ADHF into two cohorts: one that had their outpatient beta blocker continued at the same dose upon admission and one that had it held or dose decreased.

Frontline Perspectives on Buprenorphine for the Management of Chronic Pain.

Due to the prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain in the US, a significant percentage of the population is prescribed opioids for pain management. However, opioid use disorder is associated with reduced quality of life, along with fatal opioid overdoses, and is a significant burden on the US economy. Considering the clinical needs of patients with intractable chronic pain and the potential harms associated with prescribed and illicit opioids in our communities, having a deep understanding of current treatment options, supporting evidence, and clinical practice guidelines is essential for optimizing treatment selections.

Personality and Academic Performance During Years Two and Three of a Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum.

Objective: To evaluate academic success among students with different dominant personality styles as determined by DiSC (dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) assessment via a comparison of grade point average (GPA) during the 3-year didactic portion of a PharmD curriculum.

Methods: This was a prospective evaluation of students admitted to the PharmD program as part of the graduating classes of 2019-2022 who provided written informed consent, completed an online DiSC assessment, and forwarded their personality style results to study investigators. Participant demographics were collected upon enrollment and individual course grades, semester, and cumulative GPA, and any academic standards penalties imposed were collected at the end of each semester.

A systematic review of the real-world effectiveness and economic and humanistic outcomes of selected oral antipsychotics among patients with schizophrenia in the United States: Updating the evidence and gaps.

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic, relapsing, and burdensome psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 0.25%-0.6% of the US population.

Survival analysis of posterior composite restorations in National Dental PBRN general dentistry practices.

Objective: Quantify the survival of posterior composite restorations (PCR) placed during the study period in permanent teeth in United States (US) general dental community practices and factors predictive of that survival.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted utilizing de-identified electronic dental record (EDR) data of patients who received a PCR in 99 general dentistry practices in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (Network). The final analyzed data set included 700,885 PCRs from 200,988 patients.

Flash nanoprecipitation allows easy fabrication of pH-responsive acetalated dextran nanoparticles for intracellular release of payloads.

Acetalated dextran (Ac-Dex) nanoparticles are currently of immense interest due to their sharp pH-responsive nature and high biodegradability. Ac-Dex nanoparticles are often formulated through single- or double-emulsion methods utilizing polyvinyl alcohol as the stabilizer. The emulsion methods utilize toxic organic solvents such as dichloromethane or chloroform and require multi-step processing to form stable Ac-Dex nanoparticles.

Communication with physicians and family about breast Cancer recurrence.

Objective: Adequate physician-patient communication about cancer recurrence is vital to quality of life and to informed decision-making related to survivorship care. The current study was guided by a cognitive-affective framework to examine communication with family and physicians about breast cancer recurrence risk.

Methods: A survey of recently-diagnosed, early-stage breast cancer patients in Appalachia investigated physician-patient and familial communication about breast cancer recurrence risk.

Factors Influencing the Medication Adherence in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Impact on Healthcare Utilization.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the factors influencing medication adherence among adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and impact of central nervous system stimulants (CNS) adherence on healthcare utilization (HCU). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2013 to 2019, with participants (≥18 years of age) with ADHD and had at least one CNS prescription. Multivariate logistic and linear regression were utilized to evaluate the medication adherence and its impact on HCU, respectively.