American Pharmacists Association

About: American Pharmacists Association is a other organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Pharmacist & Pharmacy. The organization has 2413 authors who have published 1969 publications receiving 30470 citations. The organization is also known as: APhA & American Pharmaceutical Association.

Postthalamic Stroke Dystonic Choreoathetosis Responsive To Tetrabenazine

Abstract: Objective:To describe the case of a woman with poststroke choreoathetosis whose symptoms improved after treatment with tetrabenazine.Case Summary:A 48-year-old left-handed woman developed progressive involuntary dystonic choreoathetoid movements of her arm following a cerebrovascular event. Involuntary abnormal movements (IAMs) were treated with hatoperidol, but they worsened 6 months later, also involving her mouth, tongue, and perioral area. Because of the suspected occurrence of drug-induced tardive dyskinesia, treatment was switched to tetrabenazine (titration up to 100 mg/daily), with rapid remission of the involuntary abnormal movements (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score switching from 20 to 1). One month later, following discontinuation of tetrabenazine, the dystonic choreoathetoid movements rapidly reappeared. Subsequent rechallenge with tetrabenazine caused remission of her symptoms.Discussion:Poststroke IAMs are rare, and lesions involving the basal ganglia and/or thalamus seem to be par...

Safety of bioabsorbable implants in vitro

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the safety of bioabsorbable plates and screws in humans. For this purpose, an implant system based on [poly(lactic-co-glycolic acids)(85:15)] was designed. The system was tested for pH, temperature, and swelling and then its surface morphology was analyzed for surface porosity using environmental electron microscopy. Then, the effects of this bioabsorbable system on the viability and profileration of osteocytes were examined on a molecular level via in vitro experiments. A [poly(lactic-co-glycolic acids)(90:10)] bioabsorbable implant, which is commercially available and used in orthopedic surgery, was used as control group. For the statistical evaluation of the data obtained in the present study, the groups were compared by Tukey HSD test following ANOVA. The significance level was set as p < 0.05. It was observed that the osteocytes cultivated on the PLGA system designed in the present study included more live cells and allowed more proliferation compared to the control. One of the criteria in the selection of implants for orthopedic surgery is that a good implant should not need removal and thus a second surgery. In the present study, a bioabsorbable implant was designed considering this criterion. The present study is the first step to prove the safety of this new design by in vitro toxicity and viability experiments.

A comparison of pulse contour wave analysis and ultrasonic cardiac output monitoring in the critically ill

Abstract: Cardiac output (CO) is a key determinant of major organ blood flow and solute delivery to drug eliminating organs. As such, CO assessment is a key covariate in understanding altered drug handling in the critically ill. Newer minimally-invasive devices are providing unique platforms for such an application, although comparison data are currently lacking. In this study we evaluated the Vigileo (R) (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) and USCOM (R) (USCOM Ltd, Sydney, NSW) devices in 62 critically ill patients requiring antibacterial therapy. The mean COvigileo and COUSCOM for the first paired measurements were 8.20 +/- 2.65 l/minute and 6.84 +/- 2.57 l/minute respectively (P < 0.001). A significant correlation was evident in all patients (r=0.537, P < 0.001), although the recorded bias was large (1.36 +/- 2.51 l/minute, limits of agreement -3.6 to +6.3 l/minute). The overall percentage error was 65%. There was an improved correlation in those admitted with sepsis (r=0.639, P < 0.001) compared to trauma (r=0.373, P=0.066), although bias, precision and percentage error were similar in both subgroups. In 54 patients a second paired assessment was obtained at three hours. A weak, although significant correlation (r=0.377, P=0.005) was observed suggesting that gross trends over time were similar. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate poor agreement between these techniques suggesting that these devices are not simply interchangeable when assessing CO in a research or clinical setting.

Evaluation of total-dose iron sucrose infusions in patients with iron deficiency anemia.

Abstract: Purpose. The safety and efficacy of a total-dose iron sucrose infusion protocol used in a large, tertiary care teaching hospital were studied. Methods. Nondialysis-dependent patients ages 18 years or older who received ≥250 mg of iron sucrose as a single i.v. infusion between January 2005 and January 2007 were eligible for study inclusion. The protocol for total-dose iron sucrose infusion was the same for all patients. The total dose of iron sucrose for each patient was calculated using an equation that included the desired hemoglobin (Hb) value, observed Hb level, ideal body weight, and sex. The calculated dose was divided into portions, rounded to the nearest 250 mg, and administered over four hours every other day. Outcomes measured included Hb, transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin values. Results. A total of 26 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean ± S.D. Hb concentration before total-dose iron sucrose infusion was 9.37 ± 0.9 g/dL, and the mean ± S.D. corpuscular volume was 75 ± 7.1 μm3. The mean ± S.D. postinfusion Hb concentration for 19 patients for whom follow-up Hb levels were available was 11.4 ± 1.2 g/dL, significantly higher than the 9.45 ± 0.8 g/dL measured before the first infusion ( p = 0.03). No significant adverse effects were reported in 47 of 49 infusions, with 2 patients experiencing mild nausea. Conclusion. A treatment protocol consisting of alternate-day total-dose iron sucrose infusions was well tolerated and appeared to be effective in improving Hb concentrations in patients with iron deficiency anemia and without chronic kidney disease.