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Sunitinib malate (SM) is a chemical compound belonging to the class of kinase inhibitors and is mainly used in cancer treatment. However, despite its effectiveness, SM can cause multiple side effects, including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can affect the patient's quality of life. Therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis of SM is very important in many fields, especially for human health. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), an improved method for identifying biological and chemical substances with very low concentrations, is fast, reliable, and accurate. In order to identify the SM drug, filter paper substrates covered with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as SERS biosensors. First, AgNPs were prepared using a chemical reduction method. Then, the characteristics of the produced AgNPs were examined using FE-SEM, TEM, XRD, AFM, and UV–Vis analyses. The AgNPs were then coated on the substrates to create plasmonic active sites for identifying molecular vibrations of the SM drug. By coating the SM drug onto these substrates, the AgNPs reacted with the SM drug, successfully identifying trace amounts of the drug. The detection limit of the SERS plasmonic substrates for identifying the SM drug was 10−10 M. The average RSD for six repeated measurements was calculated at 5.39%. The enhancement factor for identifying molecular vibrations of the SM drug was experimentally calculated at 2.741 × 105 and numerically as 2.504 × 105. Therefore, the results indicate that these substrates are suitable for identifying low concentrations of this drug and can be used for drug monitoring purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internationally, there is concern about the increased prescribing of pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). In part, this is related to limited knowledge about the long-term benefits and outcomes of opioid use for CNCP. There has also been increased injection of some pharmaceutical opioids by people who inject drugs, and for some patients, the development of problematic and/or dependent use. To date, much of the research on the use of pharmaceutical opioids among people with CNCP, have been clinical trials that have excluded patients with complex needs, and have been of limited duration (i.e. fewer than 12 weeks). The Pain and Opioids In Treatment (POINT) study is unique study that aims to: 1) examine patterns of opioid use in a cohort of patients prescribed opioids for CNCP; 2) examine demographic and clinical predictors of adverse events, including opioid abuse or dependence, medication diversion, other drug use, and overdose; and 3) identify factors predicting poor pain relief and other outcomes., Methods/design: The POINT cohort comprises around 1,500 people across Australia prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for CNCP. Participants will be followed-up at four time points over a two year period. POINT will collect information on demographics, physical and medication use history, pain, mental health, drug and alcohol use, non-adherence, medication diversion, sleep, and quality of life. Data linkage will provide information on medications and services from Medicare (Australia's national health care scheme). Data on those who receive opioid substitution therapy, and on mortality, will be linked., Discussion: This study will rigorously examine prescription opioid use among CNCP patients, and examine its relationship to important health outcomes. The extent to which opioids for chronic pain is associated with pain reduction, quality of life, mental and physical health, aberrant medication behavior and substance use disorders will be extensively examined. Improved understanding of the longer-term outcomes of chronic opioid therapy will direct community-based interventions and health policy in Australia and internationally. The results of this study will assist clinicians to better identify those patients who are at risk of adverse outcomes and who therefore require alternative treatment strategies.

The safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy in children, particularly preterms, neonates and infants, is limited by a paucity of good‐quality data from prospective clinical drug trials. A specific challenge is the establishment of valid biomarkers. OMICs technologies may support these efforts by complementary information about targeted and nontargeted molecules through systematic characterization and quantitation of biological samples. OMICs technologies comprise at least genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and microbiomics in addition to the patient's phenotype. OMICs technologies are in part hypothesis‐generating, allowing an in depth understanding of disease pathophysiology and pharmacological mechanisms. Application of OMICs technologies in paediatrics faces major challenges before routine adoption. First, developmental processes need to be considered, including a subdivision into specific age groups as developmental changes clearly impact OMICs data. Second, compared to the adult population, the number of patients is limited as are the type and amount of necessary biomaterial, especially in neonates and preterms. Thus, advanced trial designs and biostatistical methods, noninvasive biomarkers, innovative biobanking concepts including data and samples from healthy children, as well as analytical approaches (eg liquid biopsies) should be addressed to overcome these obstacles. The ultimate goal is to link OMICs technologies with innovative analysis tools, such as artificial intelligence at an early stage. The use of OMICs data based on a feasible approach will contribute to the identification complex phenotypes and subpopulations of patients to improve the development of medicines for children with potential economic advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tacrolimus is one of the most effective and prevalent drugs used to combat vascularized composite allotransplantation rejection. We have fabricated a rapid and easy-to-use six-layer paper based microfluidic device using the principles of competitive immunoassays and vertical flow microfluidics for colorimetric detection of tacrolimus in a small volume of blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several new classes of drugs have recently been developed for the management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). In response, updated international guidelines have been published providing recommendations on how to incorporate these agents into existing treatment algorithms. Recent approval of these new therapies in South Africa has however raised many questions on how they should best be used in a local setting. Since no formal guidance is available, the South African Gastroenterology Society (SAGES) has put forward, in the present position paper, guidance on the best use of both existing and novel drug therapies in the management of IBD in the South African setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cost-effective, highly selective and sensitive paper-based potentiometric combined sensor for losartan potassium drug (LOS) is fabricated, characterized and used for the drug monitoring. The sensor consists of 2 strips of filter paper (20 × 5 mm each) as platform, each imprinted with 4 mm diameter circular spot of carbon. One carbon spot is covered by a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for use as a substrate for the recognition sensor and the other without rGO is used for the reference electrode. LOS molecularly imprinted drug polymer (MIP) is applied onto the graphene oxide containing strip to act as a drug recognition sensing material and a solid-state polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is applied onto the second carbon spot to act as a reference electrode. Performance characteristics of the combined sensor are examined with chronopotentiometry (CP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Increase effect of rGO on the interfacial double-layer capacitance of the sensing membrane and consequently on the potential stability is confirmed. The developed combined sensor (strip cell) displays a Nernstian slope of −58.2 ± 0.3 mV/decade (R2 = 0.9994) over the linear range 8.5 × 10−7 - 6.9 × 10−2 M with a detection limit of 2.7 ± 0.3 × 10−7 M. The sensor shows remarkable selectivity toward various related compounds especially those commonly used by the COVID-19 patients such as paracetamol, ascorbic acid and dextromethorphan. The assay method is validated and proved to be satisfactory for direct potentiometric determination of LOS-K in some pharmaceutical formulations and in spiked human urine samples. An average recovery of 96.3 ± 0.3–98.7 ± 0.6% of the nominal or spiked concentration and a mean relative standard deviation of ±0.6% are obtained. The use of an indicating and a reference electrodes combined into a single flexible disposable paper platform enables applications to a minimum sample volume due to the close proximity of the responsive membrane and the liquid junction. The efficiency of the proposed sensor in complex urine matrix suggests its application in hospitals for rapid diagnosis of overdose patients and for quality control/quality assurance tests in pharmaceutical industry. [Display omitted] • A novel paper-based potentiometric sensor for determination of losartan drug in some formulations and biological fluids. • Molecularly imprinted polymer and polyvinyl butyral are used as recognition receptor and reference electrode, respectively. • The two all solid state thin membranes configuration are used as a strip cell in a single miniaturized slide. • The sensor offers the possibility for integration in automated systems and wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to verify for older adults, the applicability of a recently developed measure of everyday problem solving, a performance-based observed assessment (the Chinese Version of Observed Tasks of Daily Living [OTDL-C]), by comparing with two other measures—a self-report questionnaire and a paper–pencil test. Totally 183 older adults (aged 60–84 years) completed demographic questionnaires and three everyday problem-solving assessments. All assessments measured the same instrumental domains of daily life (medication use, phone use, electric appliance use, and financial management). We observed significant differences in inter-individual variation, and found significant differences in the effects of age and education level on OTDL-C performance compared with self-report and paper–pencil measure performance. Additionally, the inter-individual variance was significantly greater for the OTDL-C and paper–pencil test than for the self-report questionnaire. Age remained a significant predictor of OTDL-C performance after controlling the scores of the self-report and the paper–pencil measures. Education level had more consistent effects on the total score and each domain score of the OTDL-C compared to the other two measures. Overall, our finding indicated that the OTDL-C had greater inter-individual variation, might be a more sensitive tool for examining age-related differences in the ability to solve everyday problem, and could be more applicable to older populations with diverse education levels compared to the self-report and the paper–pencil measures. In circumstances where a high sensitive assessment of everyday problem solving is needed to detect individual differences, the OTDL-C might be a more appropriate choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paper analytic device, the chemoPAD, was developed and validated to visually detect methotrexate, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin at concentrations commonly found in injectable dosage forms. By testing residual solution after patient treatment, the chemoPAD can be used to monitor drug quality without restriction of patient access to medication. The chemoPAD is produced by wax printing on Ahlstrom paper to create separate reaction areas and deposits small amounts of chemicals to create color changes in response to different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). This creates a unique color bar code to identify each medication. Internal validation studies show that the chemoPAD has excellent sensitivity and specificity to differentiate between samples of 100% and 0% API, which is the distinction relevant to the majority of reported falsified chemotherapy cases. The platinum-containing drugs, cisplatin and oxaliplatin, can be detected semiquantitatively. The cards can be read either visually by comparison with a standard image or by using computer image analysis. Dosage forms were collected from the Ethiopian health care system and analyzed with the chemoPAD followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. A substandard sample was discovered and reported to the Ethiopian Food Medicine and Healthcare Administration and Control Authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and others receiving antiretrovirals are at risk for medication errors during hospitalization and at transitions of care. These errors may result in adverse effects or viral resistance, limiting future treatment options. A range of interventions is described in the literature to decrease the occurrence or duration of medication errors, including review of electronic health records, clinical checklists at care transitions, and daily review of medication lists. To reduce the risk of medication-related errors, antiretroviral stewardship programs (ARVSPs) are needed to enhance patient safety. This call to action, endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the HIV Medicine Association, and the American Academy of HIV Medicine, is modeled upon the success of antimicrobial stewardship programs now mandated by the Joint Commission. Herein, we propose definitions of ARVSPs, suggest resources for ARVSP leadership, and provide a summary of published, successful strategies for ARVSP that healthcare facilities may use to develop locally appropriate programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opioid stewardship is one essential function of pain and palliative care pharmacists and a critical need in the United States. In recent years, this country has been plagued by two public health emergencies: an opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the opioid epidemic through its economic and psychosocial toll. To develop an opioid stewardship program, a systematic approach is needed. This will be detailed in part here by the Opioid Stewardship Taskforce of the Society of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPPCP), focusing on the role of the pharmacist. Many pain and palliative care pharmacists have made significant contributions to the development and daily operation of such programs while also completing other competing clinical tasks, including direct patient care. To ensure dedicated time and attention to critical opioid stewardship efforts, SPPCP recommends and endorses opioid stewardship models employing a full time, opioid stewardship pharmacist in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Early research suggests that opioid stewardship pharmacists are pivotal to improving opioid metrics and pain care outcomes. However, further research and development in this area of practice is needed and encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vision loss and forgetfulness are two aspects of aging and are normal processes. The elderly may be affected by these deformities, which may put them at risk during daily activities. Inappropriate drug use is one of the most dangerous problems. These mistakes pose a great risk to the health and life of the elderly. In addition, current solutions to this problem are designed for professionals or the public, without covering the needs of the elderly. As the first part of a large collection of devices designed specifically for the elderly, imaging devices have been proposed to help fill this lack of assistance. The concept continues to use its form, size and material for steps such as photography and tablet. Colour Tablet data in the local database is used to characterize and store the system during operation. The same feature then calculates and analyses the data during the authentication process to provide users with useful information about the authenticated tablet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate time trends in the prevalence of antithrombotic and statin use in four European countries., Methods: Using population-based data from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain and Italy between 2010 and 2018, we calculated standardized annual prevalence proportions of antithrombotics and statin use, and changes in prevalence proportions (2018 vs. 2010)., Results: Prevalence proportion of statins increased from 24.8% to 24.6% (UK), 21.0% to 22.3% (Region of Southern Denmark [RSD]), 12.9% to 14.3% (Udine, Italy), and 20.3% to 23.2% (Spain). Prevalence proportions of antithrombotics declined in all four countries: 18.7% to 15.9% (UK; - 2.8% points), 18.9% to 18.1% (RSD; - 0.8% points), 17.7% to 16.6% (Udine; - 1.1% points) and 15.0% to 13.6% (Spain; - 1.4% points). These declines were driven by reductions in low-dose aspirin use: 15.3% to 8.9% (UK; - 6.4% points), 16.3% to 9.5% (RSD; - 6.8% points), 13.5% to 11.6% (Udine; - 1.9% points), and 10.2% to 8.8% (Spain; - 1.4% points). In the UK, low-dose aspirin use declined from 9.1% to 4.3% (- 4.8% points) for primary CVD prevention, and from 49.6% to 36.9% (- 12.7% points) for secondary prevention. Oral anticoagulant use gradually increased but did not fully account for the decrease in low-dose aspirin use., Conclusions: Antithrombotic use in the UK, RSD, Udine and Spain declined between 2010 and 2018, driven by a reduction in use of low-dose aspirin that is not completely explained by a gradual increase in OAC use. Use of statins remained constant in the UK, and increased gradually in the RSD, Udine and Spain., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the research, publication activities, and perspectives on clinical practices of rheumatology practitioners during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and methods: The survey-based cross-sectional study was designed online and included 24 closed-ended questions. After performing a pilot test and validation of survey, it was conducted among clinicians between September 2021 and December 2021. Results: One-hundred fifteen clinicians (54 males, 61 females; 78.1% in rheumatology practice for at least five years) responded to the survey. The respondents indicated that they worked in coronavirus-related departments, comprising inpatient service (50.4%), consultancy (42.6%), and outpatient clinic (27.8%). Around 40% of clinicians stated they spent less time on scientific research (43.1%) and clinical learning activities (43.2%), while almost the same proportion of them spent more (41.1% and 45.0%, respectively). This study revealed that 53.5% published at least one paper covering mostly COVID-19 in the scientific citation index (SCI) or SCI-expanded (SCI-E) indexed journals. However, nearly half of them did not have any papers published in the SCI/SCI-E (46.5%) or non-SCI/SCI-E indexed (44.6%) journals. Regarding the perspectives of clinicians about clinical practices, they considered fewer biological (57.0%) and nonbiological (55.0%) drug usage, reported fewer outpatient clinic visits (88.2%), more newly diagnosed rheumatic diseases (62.5%), and more disease exacerbations (31.2%). Most of the clinicians (range, 76.2 to 86.3%) thought they accurately managed their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Clinicians published mostly coronavirus-related papers in the pandemic era, and in the self-assessment, clinicians thought that they correctly manage their patients. In addition, this study reflected the frequency of academic publications and clinicians’ work routines during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharmacologic preparation of the endometrium before hysteroscopy may be achieved with the use of various drugs. This systematic review aims to summarize the available evidence regarding the use of desogestrel for endometrial preparation before hysteroscopic procedures. A literature search for suitable articles published in English language from inception of the database until August 2019 was performed using the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. All original articles concerning desogestrel-only pretreatment before hysteroscopic surgery were considered eligible. Reviews, case reports/series, conference papers, studies including the use of combined hormonal preparation, and articles in languages other than English were excluded from the analysis. The literature search retrieved 3 studies that met all the inclusion criteria. The data demonstrated that desogestrel may be considered as a hormonal pretreatment drug before hysteroscopic procedures. The drug was distinctly effective and assessed as helpful by the operating surgeon in numerous patients who were administered the pretreatment of 75 μg daily. Oral desogestrel is a cheap, easily available, safe, and quite efficient alternative for endometrial preparation before hysteroscopic procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To compare how nurses in two different paper-based systems perceive the impact of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on their medication-related activities. Setting: 13 non-surgical, adult inpatient wards in a Dutch academic hospital. Methods: Questionnaire survey of 295 nurses before and 304 nurses after the implementation of a CPOE system. These nurses worked with two different paper-based medication systems before the implementation: ‘Kardex-system’ and ‘TIMED-system’. In the Kardex-system, the structure of the nursing medication work was similar to that of after the CPOE implementation, while in the TIMED-system, it was different. ‘Adaptive Structuration Theory’ (AST) was used to interpret the results. Results: The response rates were 52.2% (154/295) before and 44.7% (136/304) after the implementation. Kardex-nurses reported more positive effects than TIMED-nurses. TIMED-nurses reported that the computerized system was more inflexible, more difficult to work with, and slower than the TIMED-system. In the TIMED group, the overall mean score of the computerized process was not significantly different from that of the paper-based process. Moreover, nurses in both groups were more satisfied with the post-implementation process than with the pre-implementation process. Nevertheless, none of groups reported a better workflow support in the computerized system when compared to that of the paper-based systems. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that not only the technology but also large differences between pre- and post-implementation work structure influence the perceptions of users, and probably make the transition more difficult. This study also suggests that greater satisfaction with a system may not necessarily be a reflection of better workflow support. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has contributed significantly to the monitoring of drug use and transmission of viruses that has been published in numerous research papers. In this paper, we used LitStraw, a self-developed text extraction tool, to extract, analyze, and construct knowledge graphs from nearly 900 related papers in PDF format collected in Web of Science from 2000 to 2021 to analyze the research hotspots and development trends of WBE. The results showed a growing number of WBE publications in multidisciplinary cross-collaboration, with more publications and close collaboration between the USA, Australia, China, and European countries. The keywords of illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals still maintain research hotness, but the specific research hotspots change significantly, among which the research hotspots of new psychoactive substances, biomarkers, and stability show an increasing trend. In addition, judging the spread of COVID-19 by the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage has become the focus since 2020. This work can show the development of WBE more clearly by constructing a knowledge graph and also provide new ideas for the paper mining analysis methods in different fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a novel method for generating context-rich knowledge about ‘hard-to-access’ places. We ground our discussion in a recent qualitative study of social settings of youth drug use in Denmark. The study confirmed that private house parties are common sites of youth drug use, although these parties presented limited opportunities for fieldwork. In response, a ‘map-task’ was introduced to the study to complement fieldwork and interviews. We assess the most significant methodological and epistemological features of this map-task, and explore how it may to used to conduct observations ‘from a distance’ in hard-to-access places. Further, we argue that the map-task has a number of analytical and logistical advantages for scholars interested in the health and social aspects of ‘hidden’ phenomena, such as youth drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe Australians' prescribed medicine use on a typical day (September 25, 2018)., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using nationally representative dispensing claims data using the Australian Government Department of Human Services random 10% sample of all Australians eligible for prescription medicines subsidised through the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Our main outcome measures were the number and proportion of people using at least one prescribed medicine and the specific medicine groups and classes on the day. We estimated the proportion of Australians using these medicines using the mid-year Australian population as the denominator. We quantified multiple medicine use by calculating the number and proportion of people experiencing polypharmacy (the use of 5 or more unique medicines) and hyper-polypharmacy (the use of 10 or more unique medicines)., Results: We found that 9.0 million Australians used at least one PBS medicine on September 25, 2018; equating to 27.5 million medicines in use across Australia. "Cardiovascular system", "nervous system" and "alimentary tract and metabolism" medicines comprised the top three medicine groups. Over 1.8 million people experienced polypharmacy on the day, accounting for 13.6 million dispensed medicines. 1 022 590 (45%) people aged ≥70 years old experienced polypharmacy and 188 930 (8%) experienced hyper-polypharmacy., Conclusions: Rates of polypharmacy were high, particularly in the people most susceptible to polypharmacy-related harm. Strategies to optimise the risk-benefit ratio of medicines and to reduce polypharmacy through "choosing wisely" and "de-prescribing" in this age group are needed. Australia's national data provides a benchmark to inform global medicine utilisation practices., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To examine the prevalence of psychotropic medicine dispensing before and after older people enter residential care., Design: Retrospective national cohort study; analysis of Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) data., Setting, Participants: All concession card-holding residents of government-subsidised residential aged care facilities in Australia who entered residential care for at least three months between 1 April 2008 and 30 June 2015., Main Outcome Measures: Proportions of residents dispensed antipsychotic, benzodiazepine, or antidepressant medicines during the year preceding and the year after commencing residential care, by quarter., Results: Of 322 120 included aged care residents, 68 483 received at least one antipsychotic (21.3%; 95% CI, 21.1-21.4%), 98 315 at least one benzodiazepine (30.5%; 95% CI, 30.4-30.7%), and 122 224 residents at least one antidepressant (37.9%; 95% CI, 37.8-38.1%) during their first three months of residential care; 31 326 of those dispensed antipsychotics (45.7%), 38 529 of those dispensed benzodiazepines (39.2%), and 25 259 residents dispensed antidepressants (19.8%) had not received them in the year preceding their entry into care. During the first three months of residential care, the prevalence of antipsychotic (prevalence ratio [PR], 3.37; 95% CI, 3.31-3.43) and antidepressant dispensing (PR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07) were each higher for residents with than for those without dementia; benzodiazepine dispensing was similar for both groups (PR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99-1.02)., Conclusions: Dispensing of psychotropic medicines to older Australians is high before they enter residential care but increases markedly soon after entry into care. Non-pharmacological behavioural management strategies are important for limiting the prescribing of psychotropic medicines for older people in the community or in residential care., (© 2020 AMPCo Pty Ltd.)

In 2016, all prescription drugs included in the reimbursement system in Sweden were made available for children (age 0-17 years) without any patient fees. Our aim was to estimate the association between this intervention and the dispensing patterns of asthma medications among children. Dispensing data on asthma medications for all children living in Stockholm County during 2014-2017 were selected to include two years before (January 2014-December 2015) and after (January 2016-December 2017) the intervention. In an uncontrolled before and after study, the measures of utilization were as follows: the proportion of children with at least one dispensed asthma medication (prevalence); the number of children initiated on treatment after an 18-month drug-free period (incidence); the number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per child; and the number of children with at least two prescriptions with controller medication (inhaled corticosteroid or leukotriene receptor antagonist) dispensed during 18 months (persistence). In an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis, all measures were included except for persistence. Socio-economic status was defined using Mosaic data. The prevalence increased after the intervention (from 11.9% to 13.0%). However, the ITS analysis showed a positive trend already before the intervention, and consequently, the increase was not attributable to the intervention. For incidence, similar patterns were observed. There was an increase in dispensed volumes related to the intervention, 46.3 DDDs/child/month before and 51.1 after the intervention (P-value 0.01). The proportion of children with persistent asthma medication increased from 46.0% to 51.9% in children with low socio-economic status. In conclusion, the intervention was only modestly associated with changes in the dispensing patterns of asthma medication, with the volume dispensed per child increasing slightly, particularly in children with low socio-economic status., (© 2019 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).)

Parachuting (also called bombing) is a method of drug delivery where illicit drugs or medicines are ingested after wrapping the substance. There are little data describing parachuting in the literature. To provide a description of this practice, all cases of parachuting reported to the national addictovigilance network up to 31 December 2014 were identified from spontaneous reports and specific surveillance programs. Cases were described according to the type of substance used, patient age and gender, type of complications, context of use and year of the event. Forty-five cases of parachute use were identified and most ( n = 43) occurred after 2011. Patients were mostly men (60%), and mean age was 28.9 years. The context of use, known in 19 cases, was mostly recreational. Complications were present in 24 cases, of which eight were serious. The substance was supposed to be 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA) in the majority of cases (64.4%); research chemicals were more involved in the most recent years. The physical form was mainly granular (51.6%). The wrappers were a cigarette paper (nine cases) and in one case plastic package; in the other cases, the term of parachute was used without further details. The reason for use was not explained in the majority of cases; two patients indicated using a parachute for faster effect than with a methadone capsule. Clinicians should be aware of this delivery form as the results suggest that it is common and can involve a great variability of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature suggests that increases in the medical use of opioids over the early 1990s did not contribute to increased morbidity secondary to opioid abuse. Our objective was to evaluate the period 1997–2001 to analyze trends in medical use and medical abuse of three classes of opioid analgesics that are commonly used in sustained-release formulations: fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone. A retrospective analysis of the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) database and the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS) database for the years 1997–2001 was used for this study. The analysis of the DAWN database showed that there was an 83.5% increase in all opioid analgesic mentions from 1997 to 2001. Mentions involving any fentanyl compound increased 249.8%, any morphine compound increased 161.8%, and any oxycodone-containing compound increased 267.3%. Mentions of each of these three classes of opioids remained less than 2% of all total drug mentions per year for each year studied. Medical use of the selected opioid classes, as reported in the ARCOS database and measured by grams distributed, all increased substantially (fentanyl 151.2%, morphine 48.8%, oxycodone 347.9%). Using this method of analysis, the rates of drug abuse, and resultant morbidity secondary to the use of opioid analgesics, remain low in spite of the increase in medical use of these substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the U.S. there are significant racial and gender disparities in the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Black Americans represented 14% of PrEP users in 2022, but accounted for 42% of new HIV diagnoses in 2021 and in the South, Black people represented 48% of new HIV diagnoses in 2021 but only 21% of PrEP users in 2022. Women who use drugs may be even less likely than women who do not use drugs have initiated PrEP. Moreover, women involved in community supervision programs (CSP) are less likely to initiate or use PrEP, More PrEP interventions that focus on Black women with recent history of drug use in CSPs are needed to reduce inequities in PrEP uptake. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis from a randomized clinical trial with a sub-sample (n = 336) of the total (N = 352) participants from the parent study (E-WORTH), who tested HIV negative at baseline were considered PrEP-eligible. Black women were recruited from CSPs in New York City (NYC), with recent substance use. Participants were randomized to either E-WORTH (n = 172) an HIV testing plus, receive a 5-session, culturally-tailored, group-based HIV prevention intervention, versus an HIV testing control group (n = 180). The 5 sessions included an introduction to PrEP and access. This paper reports outcomes on improved awareness of PrEP, willingness to use PrEP, and PrEP uptake over the 12-month follow-up period. HIV outcomes are reported in a previous paper. Results: Compared to control participants, participants in this study assigned to E-WORTH had significantly greater odds of being aware of PrEP as a biomedical HIV prevention strategy (OR = 3.25, 95% CI = 1.64–6.46, p = 0.001), and indicated a greater willingness to use PrEP as an HIV prevention method (b = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.06–0.32, p = 0.004) over the entire 12-month follow-up period. Conclusions: These findings underscore the effectiveness of a culturally-tailored intervention for Black women in CSP settings in increasing awareness, and intention to initiate PrEP. Low uptake of PrEP in both arms highlight the need for providing more robust PrEP-on-demand strategies that are integrated into other services such as substance abuse treatment. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02391233. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Governmental regulations of drug registration and licensing are not always followed by healthcare providers. OBJECTIVE: To explore the global research growth and patterns on systemic use of off-label and unlicensed drugs to gain knowledge about the magnitude of the problem and the main research themes encountered in this field. METHODS: SciVerse Scopus was searched for papers on off-label and unlicensed drug use from 1990 until December 31, 2020, without any language limitations. A bibliometric methodology was adopted to present the following indicators: top-cited documents, the most productive countries, top active journals, international research collaboration, the most frequent author keywords, and research themes. RESULTS: The search query returned 1320 papers with an h-index of 66, published in 721 different journals. The Hospital Pharmacy journal ranked first (n = 43, 3.3%). In total, 5777 authors (median = 3) from 85 different countries contributed to the retrieved papers. The USA (n = 381, 28.9%) ranked first, followed distantly by Germany and Italy. The percentage of documents with international authors for active countries was from 8.8% for China to 42.3% for the Netherlands. The most frequent author keyword next to off-label was children/pediatrics. The keyword unlicensed was less frequently encountered than that for off-label. Major research themes in the retrieved papers focused on off-label drug use in hospitalized children/pediatrics, biological drugs such as rituximab and rFVIIa, psychiatric disorders, regulations, and questionnaire-based knowledge/attitude studies among community pharmacists and physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Research activity on off-label drug use has witnessed a general increase in the past two decades. The major research theme was off-label drug use in hospitalized children/pediatrics/neonates. The USA and certain European countries made a major contribution to this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is 1 of the most challenging potential complications following total joint arthroplasty. Several surgical treatment strategies have been proposed for management of this diagnosis. The single-stage approach has been gaining popularity in contemporary literature. 1 fundamental aspect in the management of hip PJI is the administration of antibiotics, usually intravenously immediately after surgery, followed by a period of oral antibiotics. The optimal duration of the period of antibiotic therapy is undecided. The aim of this paper is to examine the trend in intravenous antibiotic use over the last 18 years and examine the influence this has had on the results of single-stage revision over that time period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interest in the health and well-being of university students has increased in the UK and Ireland in the past two decades as their numbers have grown. Recent high-profile deaths of students after using illicit drugs have highlighted the importance of the topic for policy makers. This scoping review maps the state of the existing literature evaluating use of illicit drugs in university students in the UK and Ireland. It aims to highlight research gaps and inform policy. Method: We conducted a systematic search of papers related to psychoactive drug use in university students in the UK and Ireland published before August 2021. The 18 extracted study characteristics included author(s); year of publication; journal; location of data collection; study design; delivery method (e.g., online survey, in-person, postal survey); number of participants; response rate; participant course of study, year of study, degree level (i.e., undergraduate, postgraduate), gender and age; time-period assessed (e.g., lifetime, current use, past 12 months); primary aim; primary outcome; ethical approval; and funding source. Results: The PRISMA-guided search strategy identified 1583 papers for abstract review; of 110 papers retained for full-text review, 54 studies met criteria for inclusion for this paper. Primary outcomes were coded into five groups: prevalence and patterns of drug use; factors associated with drug use; attitudes and knowledge about, and motivation for, drug use; supply of drugs; consequences of drug use. The results show that there is no coherent body of research in this area. The prevalence of reported drug use has crept up and the range of substances reported has broadened over time, and attitudes to drugs on average have normalised. However, there are significant methodological limitations that limit the utility of these findings. There was little evidence of published work on prevention of, or intervention to reduce, drug-related harms. Conclusion: The domains identified offer a framework for university administrators, researchers and policy makers to understand the potential response to drug use in university students in the UK and Ireland. Recommendations are made to fill the gaps in the research evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational methods have gained prominence in healthcare research. The accessibility of healthcare data has greatly incited academicians and researchers to develop executions that help in prognosis of cancer drug response. Among various computational methods, machine‐learning (ML) and deep‐learning (DL) methods provide the most consistent and effectual approaches to handle the serious aftermaths of the deadly disease and drug administered to the patients. Hence, this systematic literature review has reviewed researches that have investigated drug discovery and prognosis of anticancer drug response using ML and DL algorithms. Fot this purpose, PRISMA guidelines have been followed to choose research papers from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Sciencedirect websites. A total count of 105 papers that align with the context of this review were chosen. Further, the review also presents accuracy of the existing ML and DL methods in the prediction of anticancer drug response. It has been found from the review that, amidst the availability of various studies, there are certain challenges associated with each method. Thus, future researchers can consider these limitations and challenges to develop a prominent anticancer drug response prediction method, and it would be greatly beneficial to the medical professionals in administering non‐invasive treatment to the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug checking services (DCS) provide harm reduction support and advice to individuals based on chemical analysis of submitted substances of concern. Whilst there are currently no DCS in Scotland, community-based services are being planned in three cities. Methods: In this paper, we report qualitative findings based on interviews with 43 participants, focused on perceptions of DCS and their implementation. Participants were relevant professionals, those with experience of drug use, and family members of those with experience of drug use. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to inform data collection and analysis. We report findings under nine constructs/themes across the five CFIR domains. Results: Participants noted the importance of DCS being implemented in low-threshold, trusted services with a harm reduction ethos, and outlined a range of further service design considerations such as speed of testing, and information provided through the analysis process. In relation to the 'inner setting', a key finding related to the potential value of leveraging existing resources in order to expand both reach and effectiveness of drug trend communication. The approach of local and national police to DCS, and the attitudes of the public and local community, were described as important external factors which could influence the success (or otherwise) of implementation. Bringing together a range of stakeholders in dialogue and developing tailored communication strategies were seen as ways to build support for DCS. Overall, we found high levels of support and perceived need for DCS amongst all stakeholder groups. Conclusions: Our findings present initial implementation considerations for Scotland which could be further explored as DCS are operationalised. Further, our focus on implementation contexts is relevant to research on DCS more generally, given the minimal consideration of such issues in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl 2-[2-(1-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]butanedioate (DIHB) and 8-(3-chlorophenyl)-2,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazine-3,4-dione (HDIT) are promising candidates for anticancer agents, the first analytical procedures of which are presented in this paper. The commercially available unmodified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used as a sensor for the individual and simultaneous differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) determination of these possible anticancer drugs. The findings concerning the electrochemical behaviour indicated that DIHB and HDIT display at GCE, as a sensor, the oxidation peaks at 1.18 and 0.98 V, respectively (vs. Ag/AgCl, 3.0 mol L−1 KCl) in the 0.125 mol L−1 acetate buffer of pH = 4.5, which were employed for their quantification. Various experimental parameters were carefully investigated, to achieve high sensitivity in voltammetric measurements. Finally, under the optimised conditions (t of 60 s, ΔEA of 75 mV, ν of 225 mV s−1, and tm of 2 ms), the proposed DPV procedure with the GCE demonstrated broad linear sensing ranges (1–200 nmol L−1—DIHB and 5–200 nmol L−1—HDIT), boasting the detection limits of 0.18 nmol L−1 for DIHB and 1.1 nmol L−1 for HDIT. Moreover, the developed procedure was distinguished by good selectivity, repeatability of DIHB and HDIT signals and sensor reproducibility. The practical application of this method was demonstrated by analysing the urine reference material without any prior treatment. The results showed that this environmentally friendly approach, with a modification-free sensor, is suitable for the sensitive, selective and rapid quantification of DIHB and HDIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Harm reduction is a crucial approach in addressing the multifaceted challenges of injectable drug use. This paper presents an analysis and mapping of the existing literature on harm reduction research in the context of injectable drug use. By reviewing a comprehensive set of scholarly articles, this study identifies research hotspots, knowledge gaps, and future directions in the field. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to guide future research efforts and inform evidence-based harm reduction interventions. Methods: Data for the study was obtained from the Scopus database, using keywords and phrases related to harm reduction and injectable drug use. Validation methods were employed to verify the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the search strategy. Data analysis involved identifying growth patterns, key contributors, mapping frequent terms, identifying research hotspots, and identifying emerging research directions. Results: A total of 971 articles were found, with a notable increase from 2015 to 2022. The International Journal of Drug Policy (n = 172, 17.7%) and the Harm Reduction Journal (n = 104, 10.7%) were the most prolific journals, and the United States (n = 558, 57.5%) had the highest number of publications. The Johns Hopkins University (n = 80, 8.5%) was the most prolific institution. Mapping of frequent author keywords revealed the main keywords, including harm reduction, HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid overdose. The highly cited articles cover a broad time span and focus on topics like naloxone distribution, HIV and hepatitis C transmission, while recent articles concentrate on emerging issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, fentanyl-related concerns, stigma reduction, and needle and syringe programs. Both sets of articles share a common focus on harm reduction strategies, but recent publications highlight current challenges and developments in the field. Conclusions: This study provides insights into research landscape on harm reduction in injectable drug use. Research is concentrated in high-income countries, emphasizing the need for more research in low- and middle-income countries. Recent publications focus on emerging challenges like COVID-19 and fentanyl. Research gaps highlight the need for studies in diverse populations, social determinants, program evaluation, and implementation strategies to enhance harm reduction interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersections between two phenomena that have shaped eastern Kachin State in Myanmar's northern borderlands with China since the late 1980s: the transformation of once-remote spaces into resource frontiers shaped by overlapping and cumulative forms of export-oriented resource extraction, and the upsurge of opium cultivation and drug use. Through the analytic of extractivism, we examine how the modalities surrounding logging and plantations in the Myanmar-China borderlands offer critical insights into how drugs have become entrenched in the region's political economy and the everyday lives of people 'living with' the destruction, violence and insecurity wrought by extractive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The White Paper on Opioids and Pain: A Pan-European Challenge, which was presented to the European Parliament, has led to legislation in Austria to improve opioid usage. Process and outcomes of this work are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]