Assessing user perspectives on clinical pharmacogenomics consultation documentation: a user-centered evaluation.

The University of Florida Health Precision Medicine Program plays a crucial role in delivering pharmacogenomics (PGx) result notes to providers who request PGx testing. Despite this, there is currently a lack of a formal assessment of provider needs and established best practice design principles to guide the ongoing development of PGx result notes. This study aims to enhance the content and format of the PGx consult note at UF Health by incorporating valuable feedback from healthcare providers. Through in-depth user sessions involving 11 participants, we evaluated the usability of our consult note template. While overall satisfaction with the content was noted, specific sections, including those addressing phenoconversion and the medication list, were identified for revision to enhance clarity based on insightful provider feedback.

A Pharmacogenetics-Based Approach to Managing Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Current Perspectives and Future Steps.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used medications to treat acid-related conditions, including gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Gastroenterology guidelines mention the importance of CYP2C19 in PPI metabolism and the influence of CYP2C19 genetic variations on variable responses to PPIs, but do not currently recommend the genotyping of CYP2C19 prior to prescribing PPIs. There are strong data to support the influence of CYP2C19 genetic variations on the pharmacokinetics of PPIs and clinical outcomes. Existing pharmacogenetic guideline recommendations for dose increases focus on H. pylori and erosive esophagitis indications, but PPIs are also the main therapy for treating GERD. Recent data suggest GERD patients being treated with a PPI may also benefit from genotype-guided dosing. We summarize the literature supporting this contention and highlight future directions for improved management of patients with GERD through precision medicine approaches.

Implementation of CYP2C19 genotyping to guide proton pump inhibitor use at an academic health center.

PURPOSE: To describe the implementation of CYP2C19 testing into clinical practice at University of Florida (UF) Health Gainesville hospital to guide proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dosing and the lessons learned from this experience. SUMMARY: Different CYP2C19 genotypes are associated with variability in PPI plasma concentrations and intragastric pH, which may contribute to the risk of treatment failure due to subtherapeutic concentrations and adverse effects (eg, infection, bone fracture, renal dysfunction) with sustained supratherapeutic concentrations. Based on evidence available prior to the availability of pertinent Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines, the UF Health Precision Medicine Program (PMP) developed clinical recommendations, provided through automated alerts at the time of a PPI order, to (1) increase the PPI dose for individuals with genotypes linked to increased CYP2C19 enzyme activity (ie, rapid and ultrarapid metabolizers) to improve the likelihood of drug effectiveness and (2) decrease the dose for individuals with decreased CYP2C19 activity (ie, intermediate and poor metabolizers) to reduce the risk of harm. The CYP2C19-PPI implementation was an iterative process that taught us key implementation lessons. Most notably, physician engagement is essential, problem lists in the medical record are unreliable, and special populations (eg, pediatric patients) need to be considered. CONCLUSION: Guiding PPI prescribing based on CYP2C19 genotype is a practical approach to potentially improve the benefit-risk ratio with PPI therapy. Physician engagement is key for successful implementation. A CPIC guideline on CYP2C19 genotype-guided PPI dosing is now available, and automated alerts may be instituted to facilitate implementation.

Acid exposure disrupts mucus secretion and impairs mucociliary transport in neonatal piglet airways.

Tenacious mucus produced by tracheal and bronchial submucosal glands is a defining feature of several airway diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF). Airway acidification as a driving force of CF airway pathology has been controversial. Here we tested the hypothesis that transient airway acidification produces pathologic mucus and impairs mucociliary transport. We studied pigs challenged with intra-airway acid. Acid had a minimal effect on mucus properties under basal conditions. However, cholinergic stimulation in acid-challenged pigs revealed retention of mucin 5B (MUC5B) in the submucosal glands, decreased concentrations of MUC5B in the lung lavage fluid, and airway obstruction. To more closely mimic a CF-like environment, we also examined mucus secretion and transport following cholinergic stimulation under diminished bicarbonate and chloride transport conditions ex vivo. Under these conditions, airways from acid-challenged pigs displayed extensive mucus films and decreased mucociliary transport. Pretreatment with diminazene aceturate, a small molecule with ability to inhibit acid detection through blockade of the acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC) at the doses provided, did not prevent acid-induced pathologic mucus or transport defects but did mitigate airway obstruction. These findings suggest that transient airway acidification early in life has significant impacts on mucus secretion and transport properties. Furthermore, they highlight diminazene aceturate as an agent that might be beneficial in alleviating airway obstruction.