Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
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Rivastigmine has been shown to be effective for patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Its effect on cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage has not been previously studied. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rivastigmine 3 mg/day over 12 weeks in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and persistent cognitive impairment. ⋯ The use of rivastigmine was safe in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage and persistent cognitive impairment. A prospective double-blind placebo-controlled trial is required to establish the efficacy of rivastigmine for patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage and persistent cognitive impairment and whether it can be translated to improvement in instrumental activity of daily living and quality of life.
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Lymphocyte immunosuppressant sensitivity test (LIST) is useful for predicting the pharmacological efficacy of immunosuppressive agents. In this study, the pharmacological efficacy of cyclosporine was estimated by LIST before and after renal transplantation. ⋯ Lymphocyte sensitivity to cyclosporine assessed by the LIST assay showed a high level of inter-subject variability particularly before and 1 month after transplantation. The observed difference in IC50 values was not associated with clinical outcome in this small study.
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The aim was to conduct a national cross-sectional survey of randomly selected Australian pharmacists to determine their attitudes towards and involvement in pharmacy practice research. This included the canvassing of perceived barriers and potential solutions to promote research activity in pharmacy practice. ⋯ There was overwhelming recognition of the value of research to the pharmacy profession. Important factors encouraging individual pharmacists to participate in research were a desire to improve the profession, the opportunity to learn more about disease management and to provide enhanced services to patients, and personal interest.
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Elderly patients are particularly vulnerable to inappropriate prescribing, with increased risk of adverse drug reactions and consequently higher rates of morbidity and mortality. A large proportion of inappropriate prescribing is preventable by adherence to prescribing guidelines, suitable monitoring and regular medication review. As a result, screening tools have been developed to help clinicians improve their prescribing. ⋯ Potentially inappropriate medications are prescribed in a significant proportion of elderly people in primary care, with significant economic implications.
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In paediatric pharmacotherapy, many drugs are prescribed to be given in ways and for conditions not approved in the marketing authorization (MA). Thus, off-label prescribing of drugs with no MA is widespread in paediatric wards. However, drug MA status and clinical practices differ across countries. In this prospective study, we studied the prescribing of off-label and unlicensed drugs in three paediatric wards in a tertiary hospital in Finland. Furthermore, we reviewed previous published studies to provide an up-to-date international perspective on prescribing of off-label and unlicensed drugs for hospitalized children. ⋯ This study indicates that the use of off-label and unlicensed drugs is widespread in all the different paediatric wards surveyed and was as extensive as those reported for other countries.