Weekly Summary -- January 18, 2019
Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Here are what Pharmacist's Briefing editors consider the most important developments for the week of January 18, 2019
More Americans Mixing Opioids With Sedatives
THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- As if the opioid crisis wasn't already bad enough, new research shows a sharp rise in the number of Americans taking dangerous combinations of opioids and sedatives.
When Your Medications Are the News
THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Would you stop taking a medication if you heard a negative news story about it?
Dermatologists Cut Back on Antibiotics But Still Prescribe the Most
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- U.S. dermatologists are prescribing fewer antibiotics overall but are writing more short-term orders for the drugs, a new study finds.
Heart-Healthy Living Also Wards Off Type 2 Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- There could be an added bonus to keeping your cardiovascular health on track -- a heart-healthy lifestyle can also prevent type 2 diabetes, researchers say.
AHA: Infection as a Baby Led to Heart Valve Surgery for Teen
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (American Heart Association) -- In middle school, Prince Pratt used to get short of breath walking between classes, walking up the stairs or when exercising. And he was gaining weight.
Vaccine, Screening Can Prevent Cervical Cancer Deaths
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- About 4,000 women in the United States die from cervical cancer each year -- even though there's a preventive vaccine and screening to catch the disease early.
Are Some Opioid Abusers Using Their Pets to Get the Drugs?
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- To fight America's opioid epidemic, lawmakers and regulators have clamped down hard on doctors' prescribing practices.
Type 2 Diabetes Before 40 Tied to Mental Illness Hospitalizations
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- People who develop type 2 diabetes before they turn 40 are twice as likely to be hospitalized for mental illness as those who develop the blood sugar disease after 40, a new study shows.
Stem Cell Transplant May Help Some With Aggressive MS
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A stem cell transplant may help some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) when standard drugs fail, a new clinical trial finds.
Want to Live Longer? Just Sit a Bit Less Each Day
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Take a stand for a longer life.
Teen Birth Control Use Up, But Still Too Many Unwanted Pregnancies
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Today's teens are better at using birth control when they first become sexually active, but many unexpected pregnancies still occur, new research finds.
More Evidence Pot May Damage the Teen Brain
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Smoking just a couple of joints may cause significant changes in a teenager's brain structure, a new study has found.
Personalized Tx May Extend Life in CKD With Small Renal Tumors
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Personalized treatment selection may extend life expectancy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and small renal tumors (≤4 cm), according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Radiology.
Dermatologists' Rx for Antibiotics Dropped From 2008 to 2016
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Dermatologists' use of antibiotics to treat inflammatory skin conditions like acne and rosacea is decreasing, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in JAMA Dermatology.
Breakdown of Blood-Brain Barrier May Drive Dementia
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may be an early biomarker of cognitive dysfunction, independent of amyloid or tau marker status, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in Nature Medicine.
Young-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Tied to Increased Hospitalization Risk
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Adults with young-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D; onset before age 40 years) have an increased hospitalization risk across their life span compared with those with usual-onset T2D, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Delayed Contraception Leads to Early Unwanted Pregnancy
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Delayed contraceptive initiation is associated with unwanted pregnancy within three months of sexual debut, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in Pediatrics.
USPSTF Recommends Risk-Reducing Meds for Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends risk-reducing medications for women at high risk for breast cancer who are at low risk for adverse events, but medications are not recommended for routine use. These recommendations form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Jan. 15 by the task force.
Short Sleep Duration Linked to Higher Atherosclerotic Burden
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Sleep duration less than six hours and fragmented sleep are associated with atherosclerosis, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Drug Repurposing May Provide More Psychiatric Tx Options
FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Three classes of drugs hold potential as repurposed agents to treat patients with serious mental illness, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Accidental IV Dislodgement Reported to Be Very Common
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Clinicians perceive accidental dislodgement of intravenous (IV) devices to be a common occurrence, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access.
Review Shares Best Practices for Evaluating Penicillin Allergy
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A new review, published in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, addresses best practices for the evaluation and management of reported penicillin allergies.
Vitamin D Supplementation Can Help Cut COPD Exacerbations
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Vitamin D supplementation safely and substantially reduces the rate of moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations in patients with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels <25 nmol/L, according to a review published online Jan. 10 in Thorax.
Guideline Issued for Treatment of Mild/Moderate Ulcerative Colitis
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A new clinical guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) published Dec. 18 in Gastroenterology focuses on the medical management of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).
Menopausal Hormone Tx Use Down Post-WHI Recommendations
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) recommendations for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use issued in 2002 have been widely adopted, according to a study published online Dec. 21 in Menopause.
Investigational Cream Promising for Atopic Dermatitis
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Topical application of a transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily, member 1 (TRPV1) antagonist may be an effective and safe treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a phase IIb study published online Jan. 8 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
1 in 4 Antibiotic Prescriptions Isn't Needed: Study
THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Nearly 25 percent of antibiotics prescribed in the United States are given for conditions they aren't meant to treat, a new study finds.
Opioids Now More Deadly for Americans Than Traffic Accidents
TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- For the first time in history, Americans' risk for dying from an opioid overdose is higher than their risk for dying in a car accident, the National Safety Council reported Monday.
800-662-HELP Underappreciated in Media, General Population
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national helpline (800-662-HELP) seems to be underappreciated in the media and by the general population, according to a research letter published online Jan. 14 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Expanding Pharmacist Practice Scope Could Reduce ED Overcrowding
MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The introduction of emergency department- or community-based pharmacists with an expanded scope of practice may cut emergency department overcrowding, according to a study recently published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.
