Weekly Summary -- January 25, 2019
Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Here are what Pharmacist's Briefing editors consider the most important developments for the week of January 25, 2019
Many Cancer Patients Have Undiagnosed Hepatitis
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A large number of U.S. cancer patients with hepatitis B and C don't know they have the virus, which can cause life-threatening complications during some cancer treatments, researchers say.
As More Smoke Pot, Are Their Jobs at Risk?
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- As increasing numbers of Americans use marijuana, there is a rising risk of job loss among those who use the drug, a new study suggests.
Diet or Exercise -- or Both?
MONDAY, Jan. 21, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- There's no doubt that an unhealthy diet and couch potato lifestyle put your health at risk, but when considering improvements, should you change one at a time or both at once?
Many Parents Wrong About What Prevents Colds in Kids
MONDAY, Jan. 21, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- No parent wants to see their child catch a cold, but some take prevention measures that have little basis in science, a new survey shows.
Fried Chicken, Fish Linked to All-Cause, Cardiovascular Death
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Among postmenopausal women, fried food consumption, especially fried chicken and fish/shellfish, is associated with an increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in The BMJ.
Measles Outbreak Prompts Public Emergency in Washington State
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- An ongoing measles outbreak has led to a public health emergency being declared in Clark County, Washington.
Smoking Tied to Peripheral Artery Disease in African-Americans
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Cigarette smoking is associated with measures of subclinical peripheral artery disease (PAD) in African-Americans, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Flu-Like Illness Tied to Increased Relative Mortality in ESRD
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Community activity for influenza-like illness (ILI) is associated with seasonal variation in all-cause mortality among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Marketing of Opioids Linked to Increased OD Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Marketing of opioids to physicians is associated with increased mortality from opioid overdoses, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in JAMA Network Open.
FDA Chief Threatens to Halt E-Cigarette Sales
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Sales of electronic cigarettes could be halted if companies do not stop marketing the devices to youth, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., warned.
Many New Cancer Patients Unaware of Their Hepatitis Status
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A substantial proportion of patients with newly diagnosed cancer and concurrent hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are unaware of their viral infection at the time of cancer diagnosis, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in JAMA Oncology.
Poor Glycemic Control in Type 1 Diabetes Tied to Fracture Risk
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Poor glycemic control is associated with an increased risk for fracture in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) but not in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Heberden's Nodes in Fingers Tied to Knee Osteoarthritis
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The presence of Heberden's nodes (HNs) in finger joints may also indicate structural damage associated with knee osteoarthritis, according to a study published online Jan. 9 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Many Teens Not Up to Date on HPV Vaccination
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Many adolescents do not complete human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination before turning 13 or 15 years old, according to a report published online Jan. 17 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Home-Based Program Achieves Hypertension Control
FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- A new home-based care delivery program can provide efficient and effective blood pressure (BP) control in individuals with hypertension, according to a study recently published in Clinical Cardiology.
Short Duration Between Dinner, Bed Has No Effect on HbA1c
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Ensuring a short duration between dinner and bedtime has no effect on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in middle-aged and older Japanese adults, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
Levodopa + Carbidopa Does Not Modify Disease in Early Parkinson
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- For patients with early Parkinson disease, treatment with levodopa combined with carbidopa has no disease-modifying effect, according to a study published in the Jan. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Herd Protection Seen With 4-Valent HPV Vaccination
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- From 2006 to 2017, there was a decrease in 4-valent vaccine-type human papillomavirus (HPV) detection among vaccinated and unvaccinated women, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Pediatrics.
Guidelines Developed for Managing Severe Atopic Dermatitis
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Guidelines have been developed for the management of severe atopic dermatitis (AD); the recommendations have been published as a clinical management review in the January issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
Medical Cannabis Decisions Being Made by Users, Not Doctors
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Many patients use medical cannabis without their mainstream health care provider's knowledge, and further, they self-adjust their pharmaceutical use in response to cannabis use, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Messages for Increasing Parental Confidence in HPV Vaccine ID'd
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Providing information on the benefits of vaccination, including cancer prevention, and avoiding expressing urgency to vaccinate can increase parent confidence in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Pediatrics.
Prostate Drug Finasteride Can Safely Lower Cancer Risk, Study Says
THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- Finasteride, best known as the enlarged-prostate medicine Proscar, is a safe, effective way to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, according to long-term findings from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT).
CDC: Opioid Prescribing Higher in Rural Versus Urban Areas
TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (Pharmacist's Briefing) -- The percentage of individuals prescribed an opioid is higher in rural than urban areas, according to research published in the Jan. 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
