JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY AND THERAPEUTICS

VANCOmycin dose adjustments comparing trough levels to the ratio of the area under de curve to the minimum inhibitory concentration method using a BAYESian approach: A feasibility study
Bilodeau V, Huot J, Perreault C, Haraoui LP, Delorme C, Poudrette J, Marsot A and Crevier B
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE?: The latest published guidelines advocate for the area under the concentration-time curve to minimal inhibitory concentration (AUC /MIC) estimated with bayesian calculations. This recommended pharmacokinetic monitoring transition is not based on randomized controlled prospective data. METHODS: In this open-label feasibility RCT, patients were assigned to have their vancomycin dosing adjusted based on bayesian-guided AUC /MIC or trough levels. Primary outcomes were consent rate, number of patients recruited per month, compliance with blood sampling schedule and compliance with bayesian software recommendations. Secondary outcomes focused on target attainment, safety and operational impacts. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Forty-five patients underwent randomization (23 bayesian, 22 trough). Consent rate was 37,5% for an average of 9.8 patients recruited per month meeting pre-specified objectives of 30% (p = 0.073) and 10 (p = 0.74) respectively. A 74.8% compliance with blood sampling schedule was below the pre-specified objective of 80% (p = 0.038). There was no statistically significant difference between the 83.7% compliance with bayesian software recommendations and the pre-specified objective of 90% (p = 0.21). Although exploratory, key clinical results were significant increases in the bayesian group for proportion of levels at target (RR 1.32; 95% CI 1.01-1.72; P = 0.038), number of blood samplings for patients (p = 0.036) and pharmacists' time spent on monitoring (p < 0.0001). A tendency towards a reduced incidence of nephrotoxicity in the Bayesian group was observed (RR 0.57; 95% CI 0.16-2.12; p = 0.46). WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSIONS?: This trial demonstrates that it would be feasible to conduct a properly sized RCT comparing vancomycin Bayesian-guided AUC /MIC to trough level monitoring. Although exploratory, this trial also showed a tendency towards reduced incidence of nephrotoxicity and an increased proportion of dosages at therapeutic targets with Bayesian monitoring.
The efficacy and safety of intravenous tirofiban in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients with early neurological deterioration
Du Y, Li Y, Duan Z, Ma C, Wang H, Liu R, Li S and Lian Y
Many patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) develop early neurological deterioration (END), leading to disabilities or death. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravenous tirofiban in treating patients with AIS and END who missed the thrombolysis time window.
Six months multicentre pilot open label single-arm study to evaluate patient experience, acceptability and satisfaction of switching certolizumab pegol from a prefilled syringe or autoinjection pen to an AVA® e-Device in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis patients
Borrás-Blasco J, Vicente-Escrig E, Rodríguez-Lucena FJ, García-Monsalve A, Arroyo-Domingo E, Ferrando-Piqueres R, Casterá E and Navarro-Ruiz A
The study aimed to assess acceptability and patient experience of Certolizumab (CZP) self-injection with AVA® and clarify patient device preference after switching CZP from the syringe or auto-injection pen to AVA® in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients.
Progress of triazole antifungal agent posaconazole in individualized therapy
Shu Y, Shi Y, Yang Y, Dong Z, Yi Q and Shi H
Posaconazole is the second-generation triazole antifungal agent with widespread clinical application. Posaconazole exposure is influenced by various factors such as drug interactions, disease state and diet, resulting in a high interindividual variability in many patients and failure to ensure therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct individualized therapy on posaconazole to ensure the efficacy and safety of treatment.
Effectiveness and safety of path-based analgesic regimens designed by clinical pharmacists based on the type of biliary and pancreatic surgery
Xie H, Wang X, Xue M, Qiu Y and Ge W
As the incidence of postoperative pain in patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases has gradually increased, how to control postoperative pain has received increasing research attention. By reading pain management guidelines and multidisciplinary communication and cooperation, clinical pharmacists designed multi-mode analgesia regimens based on surgical types, in order to provide strong evidence for the effectiveness and safety of postoperative analgesia regimens and better serve patients.
Evaluation of off-label anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and steroid implant medication uses in macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion in Turkey
Yilmaz M, Citirik M, Rahmanlar H, Alkan A and Gursoz H
Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is one of the most common causes of vision loss. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs, ranibizumab and aflibercept, and corticosteroid implants are approved treatment options for RVO-related macular edema (ME) in Turkey. To the best of our knowledge, there is no data regarding the off-label use of these drugs for RVO in English literature. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of off-label drug use applications in Turkey for RVO.
Impact of mulberry consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials
Chen X, Sohouli MH, Nateghi M, Melekoglu E and Fatahi S
The current study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the potential effects of mulberry consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors in adults.
Concomitant administration of warfarin and toremifene: A case report
Peng W, Wang Y, Zhang Y and Lin Y
Antiestrogen agents have been reported to enhance the anticoagulant activity of warfarin. The use of tamoxifen with warfarin has been contraindicated. However, warfarin in combination with toremifene has not been reported. We report a case in which warfarin was combined with toremifene and applied warfarin dose prediction models to predict the dose of warfarin.
Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor combined with intravenous immunoglobulin and heparin for treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortion: A two-centre, retrospective, cohort study
Jiang Y, Zou Q, Zhang N, Chen J, Chen X, You Q and Wu H
Immune disorder is a key trigger of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA); meanwhile, tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) is a fundamental therapeutic for multiple immune and inflammatory diseases. Hence, this real-world study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of TNFi combined with intravenous immunoglobin (IVIG) and heparin therapy in RSA patients.
Extended-release naltrexone for people with alcohol use disorder on therapeutic anticoagulation: A case series
Ciraldo K, Seraydarian M, Gasper J, DeFries T and Martin M
Individuals with medication adherence challenges or a preference for long-acting medications may benefit from extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Individuals on therapeutic anticoagulation were excluded from XR-NTX studies and its safety in this population has not been reported.
The 50% and 95% effective doses of remimazolam tosilate with adjuvant sufentanil for sedation in patients with liver cirrhosis undergoing oesophagogastric varices screening endoscopy
Cao YH, Chi P, Zhou C, Lv WF, Quan ZF and Xue FS
Sedation is routinely provided for patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy. Remimazolam tosilate is a novel and short-acting sedative agent that has been used for sedation during endoscopic procedures. The optimal dose of remimazolam in gastrointestinal endoscopy for patients with liver cirrhosis has not been elucidated.
Effects of caregiver counselling on medication persistence and adherence in patients with dementia at a pharmacist-managed clinic: A pilot study
Huang CY, Hu CJ, Huang LK and Chang EH
Low treatment persistence and adherence in patients with dementia results in a rapid loss of disease control. This pilot study evaluated the impact of pharmacist-provided caregiver counselling on treatment persistence, adherence, quality of life (QoL) in patients with dementia, as well as caregiver's knowledge of dementia, and caregiver burden.
A descriptive analysis of pharmacological management of aggression and/or agitation in patients with traumatic brain injury in a Southwest Virginia inpatient population
Rahmani E, Lemelle T, Sharp H, Smarbafzadeh E and Kablinger A
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability, and it has been associated with agitation and aggression. In a previous study, we reviewed the literature to identify evidence-based pharmacological agents for treatment of agitation in TBI. Based on the results of our previous study that summarizes the findings of several systematic reviews, the use of haloperidol and benzodiazepines is not supported by the available evidence while the use of amantadine, beta blockers, antiepileptics and methylphenidate is supported by the limited available evidence. In this study, we describe the psycho-pharmacological agents that were administered to patients with agitation and/or aggression in the context of TBI in inpatient facilities of a private, non-profit health care system in southwest Virginia. We will also compare the psycho-pharmacological agents ordered before and after psychiatric consultation.
A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled phase I clinical study on safety and efficacy of the G-Rup® syrup (a mixture of ginger extract and honey) in symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis
Afshar F, Abdolahi N, Amin G, Esmaily H, Ziayie S, Azimi S, Darvishi B and Afshar S
Present study evaluated the safety profile and efficacy of G-Rup® syrup (100 mg/ml ginger extract plus 150 mg/ml honey) in symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus apatinib compared to apatinib monotherapy as third-line or above therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer patients: A retrospective cohort study
Li C, Yu F and Xu W
Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors synergize apatinib for anti-tumour effect by regulating tumour microenvironment, vascular endothelial growth factor, hypoxia condition, immune response, etc. This study aimed to investigate the treatment efficacy and safety of camrelizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) plus apatinib as third-line or above therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.
Management of biologics in pregnant, lactating patients with inflammatory bowel disease and the impact on neonatal vaccination: A systematic review of clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements
Ding N, Zhao L, Zhu L, Sun W, Li D, Li J, Zhang J and Zhang S
The management of biological agents during pregnancy poses challenges as maternal and infant safety must be addressed. This study aims to compare the recommendations of existing guidelines on managing the use of biologics during pregnancy, lactation for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and the influence on neonatal vaccination.
Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of high-dose tigecycline, by Monte Carlo simulation, in plasma and sputum of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia
Qin X, Kong L, Wu C, Zhang X, Xie M and Wu X
To Investigate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) parameters of high-dose tigecycline in plasma and sputum of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and provide a therapeutic regimen of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) infections.
The efficacy of oral corticosteroids for treatment of Tietze syndrome: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial
Elsayed HH, Ali I, Abdel-Gayed M, Warda AM and Moharram AA
Tietze syndrome is a rare form of chest wall costochondritis with joint swelling which can cause significant chest pain and decline in ability of daily activities. There is no standardized treatment protocol. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of adding oral steroids in addition to other non- steroidal treatment in improvement of pain and quality of life (QOL) in patients with Tietze syndrome.
Severe lung injury induced by CD38 monoclonal antibody Daratumumab and bortezomib-containing regimen in a patient with preexisting interstitial lung disease: a case report and literature review
Chen M, Zhao L, Yao F and Yang XD
Daratumumab, an anti-CD38 monoclonalantibody, is a safe and effective antibody used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), which is rarely reported to cause severe pulmonary complications.
Real-world use of IBI305, a bevacizumab biosimilar, in a tertiary caner-specialized hospital in China
Chen Z, Wang Y, Yang J, Zhou H and Li G
To investigate and describe the real-world use of IBI305, a biosimilar of bevacizumab, across all approved indications in the first 12 months since its entry in National cancer center of China.
Impact of pharmacist-initiated educational interventions on improving medication reconciliation practice in geriatric inpatients during hospital admission in Vietnam
Dong PTX, Pham VTT, Nguyen LT, Le AV, Nguyen TT, Vu HD, Nguyen HTL, Nguyen HT, Hua S and Li SC
Unintentional medication discrepancies (UMDs) are common in geriatric patients during care transitions, resulting in frequent undesirable consequences. Medication reconciliation could be a useful practice to prevent or ameliorate UMD. However, this practice in Vietnamese hospitals has not been well established or standardized. This study aims to determine the effect of pharmacist-initiated educational interventions on improving medication reconciliation practice.