Search

Background: The Chandler Regional Medical Center (CRMC) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) began a phased implementation of Eat-Sleep-Console (ESC) for the management of those at risk for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)., Purpose: The purpose of this initiative is to track short-term outcomes as well as the program's effect on nursing workflow and job performance rating/satisfaction., Methods: A retrospective review of the ESC implementation process at CRMC from the years 2018-2020. The study consisted of 3 epochs: (1) traditional pharmacologic management; (2) parent-led ESC management; and (3) parent/nurse-led ESC management. Length of stay (LOS), treatment pathway assignment, and proportion of infants treated with pharmacologic agents were compared between epochs. In addition, a survey of NICU nursing staff was distributed to measure nurses' perceptions and attitudes towards the ESC program and the management of infants with NOWS., Results: The proportion of infants treated via ESC increased (0%, 53%, and 100%), with an associated decrease in LOS (18.4, 10.5, and 9.3 days) during each epoch of the study period. Thirty-seven nurses completed the survey, with 94% of nurses reporting being comfortable caring for ESC patients and 89% feeling supported in their ESC nursing assignments, with only 11% stating that caring for ESC patients significantly alters their other nursing care processes., Implications for Practice and Research: Implementation of an ESC treatment program for infants with NOWS significantly decreased LOS and the proportion of infants treated pharmacologically. This phased implementation process was not associated with self-reported negative nursing perceptions of the program and its treatment goals/outcomes., (Copyright © 2024 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses.)

Objectives: Medicine reviews are an opportunity to identify and address inappropriate prescribing. The aim of this study was to explore changes in benzodiazepine use among older Australians following a medicine review., Study Type: Retrospective observational cohort study using linked administrative data., Methods: We used Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme claims from a random 10% sample of Medicare beneficiaries. We identified people aged 65 years or older who received a medicine review in 2013-14 and were using benzodiazepines at the time of review. We identified a propensity score matched comparison cohort of those using benzodiazepines who did not receive a review. Two outcome measures were used: any benzodiazepine use and changes to the quantity of benzodiazepines dispensed (diazepam equivalents) from baseline to 90 and 180 days following a medicine review., Results: We identified 4002 people using benzodiazepines on the day of their medicine review, of whom approximately one-third discontinued benzodiazepines within 90 days (29.7%) and 180 days (36.4%;) after the review. We observed a similar discontinuation rate in the comparison group (32.6%, p = 0.006; and 38.0%, p = 0.12, respectively). In people who were dispensed lower quantities of benzodiazepines (less than 250 mg of diazepam equivalents in the 90 days before the medicine review), we found that 50.3% ceased using benzodiazepines or used lower quantities (measured as diazepam equivalents) following the medicine review (28.7% and 19.7% respectively). We also observed a reduction in the quantities used in people where initial exposure was high (3.4% ceased; 59.4% decreased). We observed a similar change in volume within the matched comparison group., Conclusions: Medicine reviews are not associated with any additional reduction in benzodiazepine use among older adults, up to 180 days after review, beyond what was observed in the general population., Competing Interests: SAP and JB are members of the Drug Utilisation Sub Committee of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The views expressed in this paper do not represent those of the committee.

Manuka honey is a premium food product with unique antimicrobial bioactivity. Concerns with mislabeled manuka honey require robust assays to determine authenticity. Lepteridine is a Leptospermum -specific fluorescent molecule with potential as an authenticity marker. We describe a mass spectrometry-based assay to measure lepteridine based on an isotopically labeled lepteridine standard. Using this assay, lepteridine concentrations in manuka honey samples strongly correlated with concentrations quantitated by either high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) or fluorescence. A derived minimum lepteridine threshold concentration was compared with the New Zealand regulatory definition for manuka honey to determine "manuka honey" authenticity on a set of commercial samples. Both methods effectively distinguished manuka honey from non-manuka honeys. The regulatory definition excludes lepteridine but otherwise includes the quantification of multiple floral markers together with pollen analysis. Our findings suggest that the quantification of lepteridine alone or in combination with leptosperin could be implemented as an effective screening method to identify manuka honey, likely to achieve an outcome similar to the regulatory definition., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): The authors declare the following competing nancial interest(s): J.B and J.S are employees of Comvita NZ Ltd., (Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.)

Natural products containing a lumazine motif were first isolated from natural sources in 1940. These natural products are relatively rare, with fewer than 100 lumazines known to occur in Nature. This review discusses the isolation of lumazines, their biological activity, and their biosynthesis, where known.

Background: The global Choosing Wisely campaign has identified the following psychotropic prescribing as low-value (harmful or wasteful): (1) benzodiazepine use in the elderly, (2) antipsychotic use in dementia and (3) prescribing two or more antipsychotics concurrently. We aimed to quantify the extent of these prescribing practices in the Australian population., Methods: We applied indicators to dispensing claims of a 10% random sample of Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme beneficiaries to quantify annual rates of each low-value practice from 2013 to 2016. We also assessed patient factors and direct medicine costs (extrapolated to the entire Australian population) associated with each practice in 2016., Results: We observed little change in the rates of the three practices between 2013 and 2016. In 2016, 15.3% of people aged ≥65 years were prescribed a benzodiazepine, 0.5% were prescribed antipsychotics in the context of dementia and 0.2% of people aged ≥18 years received two or more antipsychotics concurrently. The likelihood of elderly people receiving benzodiazepines or antipsychotics in the context of dementia increased with age and the likelihood of receiving all three practices increased with comorbidity burden. In 2016, direct medicine costs to the government of all three practices combined, extrapolated to national figures, were > $21 million AUD., Conclusions: Our indicators suggest that the frequency of these three practices has not changed appreciably in recent years and that they incur significant costs. Worryingly, people with the greatest risk of harm from these prescribing practices are often the most likely to receive them.

Ma̅nuka honey, made from the nectar of Leptospermum scoparium, has garnered scientific and economical interest due to its nonperoxide antibacterial activity. Biomarkers for genuine ma̅nuka honey are increasingly in demand due to the presence of counterfeit ma̅nuka honey. This work reports the identification of a compound previously unreported in ma̅nuka honey by HPLC, and determination of the structure of the as 3,6,7-trimethyllumazine using NMR, MS, IR, and UV/vis spectroscopy. This assignment was confirmed by total synthesis. The natural product, renamed lepteridine, was only observed in ma̅nuka honeys and could potentially serve as a biomarker for genuine ma̅nuka honey.

Background: The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is Australia's national drug subsidy program. This paper provides a practical guide to researchers using PBS data to examine prescribed medicine use., Findings: Excerpts of the PBS data collection are available in a variety of formats. We describe the core components of four publicly available extracts (the Australian Statistics on Medicines, PBS statistics online, section 85 extract, under co-payment extract). We also detail common analytical challenges and key issues regarding the interpretation of utilisation using the PBS collection and its various extracts., Conclusions: Research using routinely collected data is increasing internationally. PBS data are a valuable resource for Australian pharmacoepidemiological and pharmaceutical policy research. A detailed knowledge of the PBS, the nuances of data capture, and the extracts available for research purposes are necessary to ensure robust methodology, interpretation, and translation of study findings into policy and practice.

Intoxicated adolescents seen in hospital emergency departments are frequently treated for their immediate complaints, but fail to have follow-up assessments for underlying alcohol/drug abuse and/or psychosocial problems. We undertook a prospective study of 171 acutely intoxicated adolescents (12 to 18 years of age) admitted to the emergency department of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison. A comparison group randomly selected from the community demonstrated that the emergency department patients were at a significantly higher risk for alcohol and polydrug abuse and psychological dependency. To adequately serve this potentially high-risk group, follow-up assessment must be done, including the gathering of in-depth information regarding legal, psychosocial, and alcohol/drug use status. This study indicates that the general hospital, with its 24-hour emergency department services and other resources, can play a vital role not only in the crisis management of intoxicated adolescents, but in their follow-up, assessment, and, when indicated, appropriate referral for treatment.