MRSA nares swab is a more accurate predictor of MRSA wound infection compared with clinical risk factors in emergency department patients with skin and soft tissue infections.

OBJECTIVES: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are prevalent in the emergency department (ED). We determined whether MRSA nasal carriage better identifies patients with MRSA wound infection than clinical risk factors or emergency medicine (EM) provider's choice of discharge prescriptions. METHODS: Adult patients presenting to a large academic medical centre ED in the USA with SSTI between May 2010 and November 2011 were screened. Research assistants administered a questionnaire regarding MRSA risk factors, and MRSA nares swab PCR testing, wound culture results and information on antibiotics prescribed at discharge were collected. Measures of classification accuracy for nares swab, individual risk factors and physician's prescription for MRSA coverage were compared with gold standard wound culture. RESULTS: During the study period, 116 patients with SSTI had both wound cultures and nares swabs for MRSA. S. aureus was isolated in 59.5%, most often MRSA (75.4%). Thirty patients (25.9%) had a positive MRSA nares swab and culture for a sensitivity of 57.7% and specificity of 92.2%. Positive predictive value (PPV) for MRSA nares swab was 85.7% and positive likelihood ratio was 7.4, while negative predictive value was 72.8% and negative likelihood ratio 0.5. None of the individual risk factors nor EM provider's prescription for MRSA coverage had a PPV or positive likelihood ratio higher than nares swabs. CONCLUSIONS: MRSA nares swab is a more accurate predictor of MRSA wound infection compared with clinical risk factors or EM provider's choice of antibiotics. MRSA nares swab may be a useful tool in the ED.

Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor-Associated Pancreatic Carcinoma: A Review of the FAERS Database.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is limited literature regarding the association between dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and pancreatic carcinoma. OBJECTIVE: To describe the comparative incidence of DPP-4 inhibitors and pancreatic carcinoma as reportedly available in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. The goal was to provide health care practitioners a general understanding of the drug-disease occurrence. METHODS: This is a case/noncase study utilizing Empirica Signal software to query FAERS from November 1968 to December 31, 2013. The software was used to calculate a disproportionality statistic--namely, the empirical Bayesian geometric mean (EBGM)--for reports of DPP-4 inhibitors-associated pancreatic carcinoma. The FDA considers an EBGM significant if the fifth percentile of the distribution is at least 2, defined as an EB05 ≥ 2. With use of a disproportionality analysis, DPP-4 inhibitors were compared with all agents listed in FAERS. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients experienced pancreatic carcinoma while receiving DPP-4 inhibitor therapy. An EB05 of 10.3 was determined for sitagliptin, 7.1 for saxagliptin, 4.9 for linagliptin, and 1.4 for alogliptin, compared with all other agents included in FAERS. Although an EB05 > 2 was achieved in 2 other antihyperglycemic agents, the findings were not consistent within their medication classes. CONCLUSION: There appears to be a statistical association between DPP-4 inhibitor use and pancreatic carcinoma. Causality cannot be inferred from the data provided. Additional clinical studies are needed to further explore this statistical association.

Comparison of dietary supplement product knowledge and confidence between pharmacists and health food store employees.

OBJECTIVES: To determine pharmacists' and health food store employees' knowledge about the safety and efficacy of common, nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements in a retail setting and confidence in discussing, recommending, and acquiring knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Central and western New York in May and June 2012. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Knowledge and confidence survey scores based on true/false and Likert scale responses. RESULTS: Pharmacists' mean knowledge score was significantly higher than that of health food store employees (8.42 vs. 6.15 items of 15 total knowledge questions). Adjusting for differences in experience, education, occupation, and confidence, knowledge scores were significantly higher for pharmacists and those with a higher total confidence score. Pharmacists were significantly less confident about the safety and efficacy of CAM comparatively (13 vs. 16 items of 20 total questions). CONCLUSION: Pharmacists scored significantly higher than health food store employees on a survey assessing knowledge of dietary supplements' safety and efficacy. Despite the significant difference, scores were unacceptably low for pharmacists, highlighting a knowledge deficit in subject matter.

Colon-targeted oral drug delivery systems: design trends and approaches.

Colon-specific drug delivery systems (CDDS) are desirable for the treatment of a range of local diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, and colonic cancer. In addition, the colon can be a potential site for the systemic absorption of several drugs to treat non-colonic conditions. Drugs such as proteins and peptides that are known to degrade in the extreme gastric pH, if delivered to the colon intact, can be systemically absorbed by colonic mucosa. In order to achieve effective therapeutic outcomes, it is imperative that the designed delivery system specifically targets the drugs into the colon. Several formulation approaches have been explored in the development colon-targeted drug delivery systems. These approaches involve the use of formulation components that interact with one or more aspects of gastrointestinal (GI) physiology, such as the difference in the pH along the GI tract, the presence of colonic microflora, and enzymes, to achieve colon targeting. This article highlights the factors influencing colon-specific drug delivery and colonic bioavailability, and the limitations associated with CDDS. Further, the review provides a systematic discussion of various conventional, as well as relatively newer formulation approaches/technologies currently being utilized for the development of CDDS.

Information literacy skills retention over the first professional year of pharmacy school.

The authors aimed to determine if first-professional-year pharmacy students retain library literature search skills throughout the school year. Students (n = 61 consented) were given an identical seven-item quiz on basic library search skills prior to library instruction in the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester. There was no significant difference between median scores on the two quizzes, nor were any significant differences noted in subgroup analyses. Search competency may be retained to a higher degree if library instruction is moved later in the pharmacy curriculum when literature search skills are used more often.

Daptomycin experience in critical care patients: results from a registry.

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin is often the drug of choice in critically ill patients with gram-positive infections, although circumstances often prevent its use. In these situations, clinicians are frequently left with limited data regarding alternative agents. OBJECTIVE: To describe patients with reported sepsis receiving daptomycin in a critical care unit. METHODS: This multicenter, noncomparative, noninterventional study identified patients in critical care units, using the Cubicin Outcomes Registry and Experience (CORE) 2005-2009 registry. A descriptive account of patient characteristics, infectious etiology, outcomes at the end of daptomycin therapy, and 30-day mortality is reported. Nonevaluable patients were excluded from the efficacy analysis but included in the safety analysis. RESULTS: We identified 128 patients, 98 (77%) of whom were evaluable for efficacy. Patient characteristics for the efficacy population were 55 (56%) males, 30 (31%) aged 66 years or older, 38 (39%) had creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min, and 27 (28%) were on dialysis. Common underlying diseases included acute or chronic renal failure 44 (45%), hypertension 40 (41%), and diabetes 27 (28%). Seventy-two (73%) patients were bacteremic. The most common pathogens found were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (32%), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (21%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (20%). Prior to daptomycin, antibiotics were used in 84 (86%) patients, most commonly vancomycin (65/84; 77%). The median (range) initial daptomycin dose was 6 mg/kg (3-10) and duration of 10 days (1-58). Overall success rate was 70% (31% cured; 39% improved). Twelve adverse events possibly related to daptomycin were reported in 9 of 128 (7%) patients in the safety population; 4 of these in 4 (3%) patients were serious. The mortality rate within 30 days of completing daptomycin was 42 of 128 (33%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide preliminary results on the use of daptomycin in critically ill patients with complicated conditions. Controlled studies are needed to best evaluate daptomycin use in these patients.

Signal detection for bleeding associated with the use of direct oral anticoagulants.

PURPOSE: The potential link between serious or life-threatening bleeding and the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) was evaluated. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative reviews of case reports of bleeding events involving dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, and warfarin through March 31, 2017, were performed. A disproportionality analysis was conducted for each DOAC using an empirical Bayesian approach based on the relative reporting rate. Subanalyses were performed to assess (1) bleeding events (including mortality and life-threatening events) associated with DOACs among all adverse-event reports and (2) warfarin-related bleeding events. These analyses were conducted based on clinical definitions from the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. RESULTS: During the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) review period, 35 adverse-event terms (in any system organ class) with a disproportionality score (EB05) of >7.5 for DOACs were identified; this accounted for 40,109 adverse-event reports. Adverse events with the highest disproportionality scores included atrial thrombosis, increased factor X level, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, high-frequency ablation, pericardial hemorrhage, and internal hemorrhage. Adverse events with the highest EB05 (>5) included internal hemorrhage, hemorrhage, and exsanguination; events with the greatest number of patient experiences included hemorrhage (6,881 events), internal hemorrhage (2,569 events), and hematoma (1,995 events). Warfarin-related events (including death or life-threatening events) were also assessed. A total of 8,729 adverse events were associated with warfarin use. The most common of these included hemorrhage (6,225 events), hematoma (2,199 events), and internal hemorrhage (270 events). CONCLUSION: The disproportionality analysis of the FAERS database suggests a quantitative signal between DOAC use and life-threatening or serious bleeding.

Solithromycin: A novel ketolide antibiotic.

PURPOSE: The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, antimicrobial activity, clinical safety, and current regulatory status of solithromycin are reviewed. SUMMARY: Solithromycin is a novel ketolide antibiotic developed for the treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Its pharmacologic, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties provide activity against a broad range of intracellular organisms, including retained activity against pathogens displaying various mechanisms of macrolide resistance. Phase III clinical trials of solithromycin demonstrated noninferiority of both oral and i.v.-to-oral regimens of 5-7 days' duration compared with moxifloxacin for patients with moderately severe CABP. Nearly one third of patients receiving i.v. solithromycin experienced infusion-site reactions. Although no liver-related adverse events were reported in patients receiving oral solithromycin, more patients receiving i.v.-to-oral solithromycin experienced asymptomatic, transient transaminitis, with alanine transaminase levels of >3 to >5 times the upper limit, compared with those treated with moxifloxacin. These results led the Food and Drug Administration to conclude that the solithromycin new drug application was not approvable as filed, adding that the risk of hepatotoxicity had not yet been adequately characterized. The agency further recommended a comparative study of patients with CABP to include approximately 9,000 patients exposed to solithromycin in order to exclude drug-induced liver injury events occurring at a rate of 1 in 3,000 with 95% probability. CONCLUSION: Solithromycin is a novel ketolide antibiotic with activity against a broad spectrum of intracellular organisms, including those displaying macrolide resistance. While demonstrating noninferiority to a current first-line agent in the treatment of CABP, concerns for drug-induced liver injury and infusion-site reactions have placed its regulatory future in doubt.

Methadone and Corrected QT Prolongation in Pain and Palliative Care Patients: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Methadone (ME) is commonly used in pain and palliative care (PPC) patients with refractory pain or intolerable opioid adverse effects (AEs). A unique ME AE is its corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation risk, but most evidence exists in methadone maintenance therapy patients. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to identify QTc interval prolongation risk factors in PPC patients receiving ME and other medications known to prolong the QTc interval and develop a risk stratification tool. DESIGN: We performed a case-control study of adult inpatients receiving ME for pain management. Settings/Subjects: Adult inpatients receiving ME with a QTc >470 msec (males) and >480 msec (females) were matched 1:2 according to age, history of QTc prolongation, and gender with ME patients who did not have a prolonged QTc interval. QTc prolongation risk factors were collected for both groups. Covariates were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the ME dose associated with QTc prolongation. RESULTS: Predictors of QTc prolongation included congestive heart failure (CHF) (OR: 11.9; 95% CI: 3.7-38.2; p < 0.00), peptic ulcer disease (PUD) (odds ratio [OR]: 8.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.4-28.9; p < 0.00), hypokalemia (OR: 6.5; 95% CI: 1.5-28.2; p < 0.01), rheumatologic diseases (OR: 4.7; 95% CI: 1.6-13.9; p < 0.00), taking medications with a known torsades de pointes (TdP) risk (OR: 4.4; 95% CI: 1.8-10.7; p < 0.01), malignancy (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.2-9.3; p < 0.03), hypocalcemia (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 0.9-4.8; p < 0.07), and ME doses >45 mg per day (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 0.8-4.8; p < 0.16). Mild liver disease was protective against QTc prolongation (OR: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.0-0.46; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Predictors of QTc prolongation in our multivariate conditional logistic regression model included CHF, PUD, hypokalemia, rheumatologic disorders, use of medications with a known TdP risk, malignancy, hypocalcemia, and ME doses >45 mg per day.