Development of Escitalopram Genomic Device by Using Candidate Gene Approach and Genome-Wide Scanning...
DepressionContinuous Antidepressant Abuse1 moreTo reveal the genetic determinants of the treatment outcome of escitalopram in depressed patients (by using candidate gene approach and whole genome scanning).
Studying the Performance of OCT C-scan in the Screening for Retinopathy Related to Synthetic Antimalarials...
ToxicityDrug1 moreMaculopathy induced by retinal toxicity of synthetic antimalarials is to be screened at the sub-clinical stage. Indeed, when the first visual symptoms appear, macular damage is already irreversible and the clinical picture may even continue to deteriorate for several years after the end of synthetic antimalarial use. In opposition, the early termination of hydroxychloroquine in patients showing recent alterations on the multifocal electroretinogram (nfERG) allowed he reversibility of toxic damage over a six month period. It is therefore critical to detect early retinal anatomic changes during retinotoxicity screening before the occurrence of irreversible anatomical and functional consequences. The usual patient monitoring consists of an annual eye examination, detecting subjective functional abnormalities (visual acuity, color vision, central visual field testing) or macular lesions (eye fundus). These abnormalities show a constituted infringement and do not contribute to the early diagnosis of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy. The mfERG is an objective examination, able to detect retinal damage whilst still reversible. It is recommended during the annual monitoring and is, today, the gold standard for the screening and diagnosis of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy. However, its realization is time consuming, requires a good patient cooperation and is difficult to access due to the few ophthalmology centers offering it. In practice, it is rarely done as a systematic annual screening for patients on long-term synthetic antimalarial treatment. It is often limited to second-line studies (for patients already showing functional or anatomical abnormalities) whereas its interest lies in the detection of early lesions. The Optical Coherence Tomography Spectral Domain (OCT-SD) is a non-invasive eye examination, commonly used since nearly 10 years. A special image analysis provides a panoramic viewing of the state of the photoreceptor layer, and a non-invasive detection of any anatomical changes, even subtle, within this layer. The concordance between the "en face" OCT and the mfERG in the screening of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy is considered in this study.
Feasibility of Using a Telemedicine Medication Delivery Unit for Older Adults
Medication AdherenceMedication Nonadherence1 moreCare transition interventions have been successful in reducing medication-related problems and associated rehospitalization primarily by focusing on medication reconciliation conducted by trained healthcare professionals. Programs to improve the medication reconciliation process have largely been effective, but have limitations including the expense associated with recruiting, training, and retaining care transition healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses and nurse practitioners) the ability to provide services within a finite geographic area, and the retrospective nature of the reconciliation process which usually occurs in the home following hospital discharge. Our short-term objective is to use Pennsylvania Department of Aging resources to assess the feasibility of using a telemedicine medication delivery unit for frail older adults that require medication assistance in their home immediately following an acute hospitalization. As part of this feasibility assessment, the investigators will assess (1) recruitment process and procedures, (2) data collection procedures, (3) resource utilization, (4) drop-out rates, (5) acceptability and usability of the EMMA® telemedicine medication delivery unit, (6) medication adherence, and (7) medication-reconciliation errors during transition from hospital to home.
Partnering With Patients for Improving Medication Safety During Transitions of Care: Implications...
Patient SafetyAdverse Drug EventThis project is to develop, implement, pilot evaluate, and disseminate a medication safety program (HomeTeam) that consolidates strategies to help patients by partnering with patients and their informal caregivers during transitions from hospital to home. Care transitions, especially from hospital to home, are high-risk periods for medication errors, and are frequently associated with serious adverse drug events (ADEs) and preventable readmissions. Older adults with multi-morbid conditions who have complex medication regimes are especially prone to these risks. Patients and family caregivers may experience a dramatic transition in roles and responsibilities immediately after hospital discharge. Patients and family caregivers are relatively passive recipients in their care and medication management in the hospital, but when patients arrive at home, patients have the primary responsibility for their care and medication use (with professional care providers switching to a 'supporting' function). Although this significant transition in the nature and intensity of patient work needs to be managed actively, often patients and family members are not adequately engaged and prepared in the hospital, and not effectively supported for safe medication use after hospital discharge. More specifically, patients and family members may not understand essential steps in the management of their condition, and have difficulty contacting appropriate health care practitioners for guidance. Although most organizations deploy multiple layers of interventions for improving care transitions, reducing postdischarge adverse drug events (ADEs), 30-day readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits, their impact to date has been small, and there remains significant and urgent need to fundamentally redesign the hospital-to-home care transition process. Investigators believe that one practical and potentially effective way for this 'much-needed' redesign is through engaging and supporting patients and families in safe medication use. Investigators' proposed program 'HomeTeam' will contain evidence-based tools and methods for engaging patients and shifting culture towards a truly patient-centered care for medication safety.
Reducing Adverse Drug Events in the Nursing Home
Adverse Drug EventsMedications are the single most common form of treatment in the long-term care setting, and often represent the most efficacious (and cost-effective) therapeutic modality used in this clinical setting. However, the residents of nursing homes are at increased risk for experiencing adverse drug events. This risk is increased by the physiologic decline and pharmacologic changes that occur with aging, and also by the special clinical and social circumstances that characterize institutional long-term care. In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging (AG 14472), we have previously determined that adverse drug events are common and often preventable in the nursing home setting and that the more serious the adverse drug event, the more likely it is to be preventable. This study will test whether a computer-based clinical decision support system can lower the rate of adverse drug events (ADEs) and potential ADEs in the long-term care setting. The study design is a randomized trial based in the resident care units of two large long-term care facilities. Within each facility, half of the resident care units will be randomized to an intervention arm receiving the computer-based clinical decision support system which will display warnings, messages, and prompts based on resident and drug use characteristics; with over-rides by the prescriber required for some warnings. Rates of ADEs and potential ADEs will be tracked by the study's on-site clinical pharmacists prior to and during the intervention period. Rates will be compared between units receiving and not receiving the computer¬based clinical decision support system and to baseline, pre-intervention rates in the same units. We will track all project costs directly related to the development and installation of the computer-based clinical decision support system. We will also develop and test the sensitivity and specificity of a computerized adverse drug event monitor and assess the validity of a nursing home resident risk model developed in our prior study of adverse drug events in the nursing home setting.
Amifostine & High-Dose Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Acute ML or CML
Drug/Agent Toxicity by Tissue/OrganLeukemia2 moreRATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Chemoprotective drugs, such as amifostine, may protect normal cells from the side effects of chemotherapy. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of amifostine and high-dose combination chemotherapy in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia or chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Assessment of Immediate Adverse Reactions From Dotarem in Children Under 2 Years of Age
Adverse Reaction to DrugAllergic Reaction to Contrast MediaOur primary outcome is to assess the safety of Dotarem in children <2 years old up to 24 hours after Dotarem injection. Patients will be monitored for any adverse events that occur for 2 hours following the completion of the MRI exam. The type of event, time of onset, duration of symptoms, intensity of the reaction (mild, moderate, severe), causality (not related, probably related, related, definitely related, unclassifiable), and subsequent outcome (required treatment, favorable outcome, recovery with sequela, or death) will be documented. Parents will be given instruction sheets on who and when to call should any adverse event occur after discharge. Parents will be called by the radiology department the next day to identify any adverse events that occurred during the first 24 hours after discharge from the hospital. Our secondary outcome is to assess image quality of the exam. The pre-contrast images will be compared to the combined pre- and post-contrast images following administration of Dotarem by radiologists who are blinded to the patients' clinical information to assess for improvement of image quality and delineation of structures with contrast.
Phase I Pharmacokinetic Study of RX0041-2
Drug Reaction to Analgesic NosThis Phase I study is to examine the systemic pharmacokinetics of RX0041-002 following acute, topical, intranasal administration to healthy male and female volunteers.
Serum Interleukin -21 Level in Patients With Severe Adverse Cutaneous Drug Reaction.
Adverse Cutaneous Reaction to Alternative Medical TherapyAdverse cutaneous drug reactions are undesirable and typically unanticipated reactions independent of the intended therapeutic purpose of a medication. It may be either immunologic (eg, drug allergy) or non-immunologic. Adverse cutaneous drug reaction produce a wide range of clinical manifestations such as pruritus, maculopapular eruptions, urticaria, angioedema, phototoxic and photo allergic reactions, fixed drug reactions, erythema multiforme,vesiculobullous reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis) and serum sickness .They must be considered in the differential diagnosis of sudden symmetric eruption
Adverse Drug Reactions in Pediatrics: Experience of a Regional Pharmacovigilance Center
Child With Adverse Drug ReactionsAim. - To describe the adverse drug reactions (ADR) and the drugs involved in pediatrics. Methods. - An observational study on all ADR notifications recorded in the French pharmaco-vigilance database by the Regional Pharmacovigilance Center of Champagne-Ardenne between 1 January 1985 and 31 December 2014 involving children from 0 to 17 years inclusive was performed. For all notifications, we studied the patient and the ADR characteristics