Drug-induced Adverse Events

Single-cell clonal tracking of persistent T-cells in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Front Immunol. 2023 Feb 10;14:1114368. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1114368. eCollection 2023.
ABSTRACT
The critical balance between intended and adverse effects in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) depends on the fate of individual donor T-cells. To this end, we tracked αβT-cell clonotypes during stem cell mobilization treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in healthy donors and for six months during immune reconstitution after transfer to transplant recipients. More than 250 αβT-cell clonotypes were tracked from donor to recipient. These clonotypes consisted almost exclusively of CD8+ effector memory T cells (CD8TEM), which exhibited a different transcriptional signature with enhanced effector and cytotoxic functions compared to other CD8TEM. Importantly, these distinct and persisting clonotypes could already be delineated in the donor. We confirmed these phenotypes on the protein level and their potential for selection from the graft. Thus, we identified a transcriptional signature associated with persistence and expansion of donor T-cell clonotypes after alloHSCT that may be exploited for personalized graft manipulation strategies in future studies.
PMID:36860867 | PMC:PMC9969884 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1114368
Infantile Hemangiomas: A Review and Future Opportunities
Mo Med. 2023 Jan-Feb;120(1):49-52.
ABSTRACT
Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are identified in about 5-12% of infants, making them the most common benign tumor of childhood (Figure 1). IHs are vascular growths characterized by an abnormal proliferation of endothelial cells and aberrant blood vessel architecture.1 IHs commonly involute after proliferation, traditionally leading to a non-interventional or "wait and see" management approach. However, a large subset of these growths can become problematic causing morbidities such as ulceration and scarring, disfigurement, or functional impairment. Another subset of these cutaneous hemangiomas may also be markers for visceral involvement or other underlying abnormalities. Historically, treatment options were often rife with unwanted side effects and modest results. However, with newer established treatments which are both safe and effective, there is a time-sensitive need for early identification of high-risk hemangiomas to ensure prompt delivery of treatment for best outcomes. Despite a more recent dissemination of awareness of IHs and these newer treatments, there remains a large subset of infants who still experience a delay in care and poor outcomes which are likely avoidable. There may be some avenues in Missouri to help mitigate these delays.
PMID:36860594 | PMC:PMC9970331
Four cases of disseminated herpes simplex virus following talimogene laherparepvec injections for unresectable metastatic melanoma
JAAD Case Rep. 2023 Jan 27;33:56-58. doi: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2022.12.023. eCollection 2023 Mar.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:36860805 | PMC:PMC9969237 | DOI:10.1016/j.jdcr.2022.12.023
Body mass index and patient-reported function, quality of life and treatment toxicity in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer
Support Care Cancer. 2023 Mar 2;31(3):196. doi: 10.1007/s00520-023-07637-2.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study investigates whether high body mass index (BMI) in women diagnosed with early breast cancer (BC) is associated with patient-reported symptom severity during chemotherapy.
METHODS: Women with Stage I-III BC completed toxicity reports for 17 side effects throughout regularly scheduled chemotherapy infusions. Toxicity reports were compared in women with obesity (BMI > = 30) versus no obesity (BMI < 30). Fisher's exact tests and 2-sample t-tests compared baseline patient characteristics. Risk ratios (RR) for women with obesity as compared to no obesity were estimated for individual symptoms that were patient-rated as moderate, severe or very severe (MSVS) severity, adjusting for marital status and race.
RESULTS: In a sample of 286 patients, Black women comprised 23% of the sample. The obesity rate was 76% among Black patients and 31% among White patients (p < .0001). Women with obesity rated an average of 6.9 side effects (standard deviation, SD 4.2) as MSVS vs 5.5 side effects (SD 3.7) among women with no obesity (p = .003). In adjusted analysis, women with obesity had significantly greater risk for MSVS fatigue (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.36), dyspnea (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.09-2.69), arthralgia (RR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10-1.97), peripheral neuropathy (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-2.08), edema of limbs (RR 1.84, 95% CI 1.18-2.88), and abdominal pain (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.07-2.87). There were no inter-group differences in BC stage or phenotype, chemotherapy treatment modifications, or hospitalizations.
CONCLUSIONS: Among women with early BC, patients with obesity reported higher chemotherapy toxicity as compared to patients without obesity; however, this did not result in differences in treatment completion.
PMID:36859693 | DOI:10.1007/s00520-023-07637-2
The risk of second primary malignancies in colorectal cancer patients using calcium channel blockers
Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 1;13(1):3490. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29535-7.
ABSTRACT
Calcium channel blockers are among the most commonly used agents in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. There are several known side-effects associated with their long-term use, whereas other potential adverse effects are yet to be proven. This study aims to evaluate the association between calcium channel blockers exposure and the incidence of second primary malignancy. We established a cohort of 1401 patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed in our institution between January 2003 and December 2016. Patients were followed-up until December 2020. The tumor characteristics and basic clinical data including medication information were obtained from the hospital information system database. Second malignancy was detected in 301 patients (21.5%), and occurred in 27.8% of patients who used calcium channel blockers compared to only 19.9% among non-users. Their use was associated with an increased incidence of bladder cancer in particular. Subanalysis of patients with second malignancy displayed a higher proportion of right-sided colon cancer compared to rectal carcinoma in non-users. Survival analysis revealed significantly better outcomes in early-stage colorectal cancer patients without a history of calcium channel blockers treatment or second primary malignancy.
PMID:36859505 | PMC:PMC9977965 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-29535-7
Curcumin: a natural organic component that plays a multi-faceted role in ovarian cancer
J Ovarian Res. 2023 Mar 1;16(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s13048-023-01120-6.
ABSTRACT
Curcumin, a natural organic component obtained from Curcuma longa's rhizomes, shows abundant anti-tumor, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pharmacological activities, among others. Notably the anti-tumor activity has aroused widespread attention from scholars worldwide. Numerous studies have reported that curcumin can delay ovarian cancer (OC), increase its sensitivity to chemotherapy, and reduce chemotherapy drugs' side effects. It has been shown considerable anticancer potential by promoting cell apoptosis, suppressing cell cycle progression, inducing autophagy, inhibiting tumor metastasis, and regulating enzyme activity. With an in-depth study of curcumin's anti-OC mechanism, its clinical application will have broader prospects. This review summarizes the latest studies on curcumin's anti-OC activities, and discusses the specific mechanism, hoping to provide references for further research and applications.
PMID:36859398 | PMC:PMC9976389 | DOI:10.1186/s13048-023-01120-6
The efficacy of nalmefene on anesthetic recovery of patients: a study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial
Trials. 2023 Mar 1;24(1):156. doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07169-4.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: So far, the recovery quality after general anesthesia is still unsatisfied. Nalmefene is a drug to treat opioid overdose and reverse opioid actions. We aim to investigate the efficacy of nalmefene on optimizing the recovery quality of patients after general anesthesia.
METHODS: It is a prospective, placebo-controlled, two-arm parallel groups, multicentre, double-blind, randomized (PPPMDR) clinical trial. The participants (n = 520) will be randomly assigned into two groups. Each patient will receive either: a single dose of nalmefene 0.25 µg/kg in the intervention group, or the same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution in the control group at the end of the surgery. The primary outcome will be the time interval between the end of anaesthesia and recovery endpoints achieved (Aldrete recovery score ≥ 9) in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The other variables are the time interval from the end of operation to extubation; Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score at extubation; the time at Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) orientation score ≥ 5; visual analog scale (VAS) score and adverse effects including postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and pruritus in PACU and 24 h postoperatively.
ANALYSIS: This trial aims to study whether small dose of nalmefene can shorten the time from the end of surgery to Aldrete score ≥ 9 and improve opioid-induced side effects.This trial focuses on providing the reliable clinical evidence for satisfactory quality of recovery.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This clinical trial has been approved and supported by the ethics committee of the Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine (KY2020-150); Shanghai Tongren Hospital (2021-030-01);The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (2021-032); and The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University(2021-KY-0495-003). Analysis of the study results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04713358, Registered on September 23, 2021.
PMID:36859316 | PMC:PMC9976492 | DOI:10.1186/s13063-023-07169-4
Are some COVID-19 vaccines better than others regarding the short-term side effects?
Ceska Slov Farm. 2023 Winter;72(1):45-54.
ABSTRACT
Controlling the pandemic is primarily achieved through vaccination against COVID-19. Although various COVID-19 vaccines are used worldwide, little is known about their safety and side effects. As a result, the objectives of this research are to identify the shortterm side effects of the different COVID-19 vaccines used in Iraq. Furthermore, exploring the association between experienced side effects and the brand of vaccine received. The current study evaluated the shortterm side effects of Pfizer, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines among healthcare workers in Iraq. The study used a questionnaire that consisted of dedicated sections to collect demographic data, the brand of COVID-19 vaccine received, the short-term side effects, and the willingness to receive a third booster dose. Regarding the post-vaccination side effects, the studied COVID-19 vaccines showed a comparable range of side effects, such as headaches, fever, muscle pain, joint pain, malaise, tenderness, redness, as well as pain at the site of vaccination. However, the Pfizer vaccine showed a higher incidence of pain and tenderness at the site of injection and fever compared to AstraZeneca and Sinopharm, respectively. On the other hand, the Sinopharm vaccine was associated with a higher occurrence of headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, and malaise in comparison to the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, respectively. In summary, the short-term side effects of the three vaccines were comparable; however, the AstraZeneca vaccine was associated with a lower risk of side effects.
PMID:36858979
Patient Safety Management Practices by Community Pharmacy Pharmacists~Telephone Follow-up by Community Pharmacy Pharmacists in Cancer Drug Therapy~
Yakugaku Zasshi. 2023;143(3):229-232. doi: 10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-4.
ABSTRACT
As a patient safety management practice in outpatient cancer drug therapy at community pharmacies, continuous follow-up after the dispensing of medication is required. In 2013, QOL Pharmacy Kohoku and its affiliated stores started the "Telephone Follow-up for Cancer Patients" program, which utilizes telephones and information communication devices to communicate with patients and provide information to hospitals. Specifically, follow-up, including phone calls, is used to ascertain medication status and side effects before the next visit to the hospital, and feedback is provided to the prescribing source using trace reports. In some cases, this initiative has led to an early detection of side effects, reduction in the usage of anticancer drugs, and enhancement of supportive care, leading to patient safety and security. In addition, on August 1, 2021, a new pharmacy accreditation system was launched with two new functional categories, namely "Community Cooperative Pharmacies" and "Specialty Medical Institution Cooperative Pharmacies." Specialty medical institution-linked pharmacies are defined as pharmacies that can provide specialized and more advanced pharmacological management and dispensing of medications in cooperation with other pharmacies and medical institutions for patients who require specialized pharmacological management, such as in the case of cancer. Following our certification as a specialized medical institution collaborative pharmacy, we intend to continue the efforts we have invested to date and create a community that can assume a prevailing role in patient safety management.
PMID:36858553 | DOI:10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-4
Patient Safety Management Practiced by Pharmacy Pharmacists Using Their Training at Oncology Hospital
Yakugaku Zasshi. 2023;143(3):223-228. doi: 10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-3.
ABSTRACT
Recent changes in the environment surrounding community pharmacists include "follow-up after dispensing" becoming mandatory, initiation of "certified pharmacy system with specific functions," with the discussions on post-graduate training, lifelong training and specialization, refill of prescriptions, as well as pros and cons of hospital pharmacies in preparation for the 2022 dispensing fee revision. In this regard, since 2019, I have been receiving training at The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR). In addition, to implementing community pharmacists' perspectives into collaboration between community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists, a tracing report model incorporating the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) ver. 5.0 has been created. And, a regimen of drugs and operation describing necessary supportive care has been published in The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR website. As a practice of patient safety management at pharmacies, we are working on the standardization of questionnaire criteria to assess the severity of adverse medication reactions in cancer patients and the measurement of health-related quality of life using EuroQol 5 dimensions 5-level (EQ-5D-5L), introduced with cooperation of universities, hospitals, and pharmacies. As medical care is advancing day by day, especially in cancer medication therapy, patient safety management by pharmacists becomes essential, when dealing with the complexity of administration schedule and the wide variety of side effects. For patient safety management, community pharmacists need to practice with pharmaceutical and medical knowledge, and have skills to acquire and convey information, with a researcher's perspective.
PMID:36858552 | DOI:10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-3
Sharing Patient Safety Management Skills in Oncology Pharmaceutical Outpatient Service
Yakugaku Zasshi. 2023;143(3):217-221. doi: 10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-2.
ABSTRACT
Important tasks performed by pharmacists include dispensing medicines based on prescriptions and explaining medication to patients. However, pharmacists are now required not only to perform these tasks but also to provide patients with pharmacotherapy that maximises the efficacy of drugs and minimises side effects. In particular, chemotherapy has a wide variety of side effects and a higher incidence of side effects than pharmacotherapy for lifestyle-related diseases. The Cancer Institute Hospital has conducted a oncology pharmacist outpatient clinic for patients undergoing chemotherapy, pharmacists meet with patients on an outpatient basis. The content of these visits includes assessing the severity of side effects and adherence to oral anti-cancer drugs, and proposing supportive therapy to doctors. This symposium will focus on hand-foot syndrome caused by 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) anticancer drugs and molecular-targeted drugs, and will share information on skills in assessing the severity of these side effects and on side-effect management based on reducing doses of anticancer drugs, taking off drugs and proposing supportive therapy. Furthermore, how the pill counts and Self-report methods are used in clinical practice to assess adherence to oral anti-cancer drugs will be shared. Recently, trainees from insurance dispensing pharmacies have been accepted and training has been provided on the management of adverse effects of chemotherapy and adherence assessment of oral anticancer drugs in the oncology pharmacist outpatient clinic. This symposium will share details of pharmaceutical care practices such as side-effect management in chemotherapy and adherence assessment of oral anticancer drugs, and discuss the skills required for patient safety management.
PMID:36858551 | DOI:10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-2
Education Aimed at Patient Safety Management of Chemotherapy Conducted at University Education Sites
Yakugaku Zasshi. 2023;143(3):213-216. doi: 10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-1.
ABSTRACT
The School Education Law was revised in 2006, and the university pharmacy education system and the national pharmacist examination system were changed. In line with the advancement of medical technology and the division of labor, 16 years have passed since the length of undergraduate pharmacy education was extended from 4 to 6 years in order to foster highly qualified pharmacists. During this period, the curriculum for practical training has been revised, and lectures and exercises focused on clinical education have been incorporated to foster pharmacists who can be useful in the medical field. In the area of cancer drug therapy, the university provides students with opportunities to learn about the basic mechanisms of action and side effects of anticancer drugs, but there is little coverage of clinical guidelines and pharmacological management of the latest therapies, such as cancer immunotherapy. Prior to my arrival at Hoshi University, I was involved in clinical work and clinical research at an oncology hospital for 13 years. Since my arrival, I have been exploring the gap between oncology pharmacotherapy and pharmacy education, and have been working to fill it. We have incorporated new curricula, such as exercises in formulation suggestions, lectures to deepen understanding of guidelines and supportive care, and information on the latest cancer drug therapies, such as cancer immunotherapy. This paper outlines the pharmacy education required to produce pharmacists who can practice safe cancer drug therapy.
PMID:36858550 | DOI:10.1248/yakushi.22-00160-1
Personal drug education to learn evidence-based medicine
Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi. 2023;158(2):112-118. doi: 10.1254/fpj.22092.
ABSTRACT
A variety of new methods are being tried in education of pharmacology for medical students, to make pharmacology be directly oriented to practical medical treatment. Among them, thinking that the method of "selection of personal drug (P-drug)" is suitable for learning "evidence-based medicine (EBM)", I have been engaged in "P-drug education" in Kyushu university for many years. If doctors carefully select medicines that are indispensable for their medical treatment based on clinical evidence, are made familiar with how to use them, and in principle perform daily medical treatment using only those medicines, EBM can be really practiced. And moreover, it may also lead to the suppression of medical errors and adverse drug reactions. Such essential medicines for an individual doctor are called P-drug. Since 2003, I have adopted "P-drug selection" in the education of pharmacology for upper grade medical students. After more than 15 years of trial and error, I have been able to create an educational model using "P-drug selection" that I think could be easily adopted at any medical school. At this symposium, I talked about the relationship between "P-drug selection" and EBM and demonstrate the "P-drug education" model.
PMID:36858488 | DOI:10.1254/fpj.22092
Mechanisms of antigen-induced reversal of CNS inflammation in experimental demyelinating disease
Sci Adv. 2023 Mar;9(9):eabo2810. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abo2810. Epub 2023 Mar 1.
ABSTRACT
Autoimmune central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases are a major public health burden and poorly controlled by current immunosuppressants. More precise immunotherapies with higher efficacy and fewer side effects are sought. We investigated the effectiveness and mechanism of an injectable myelin-based antigenic polyprotein MMPt (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein, truncated). We find that it suppresses mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis without major side effects. MMPt induces rapid apoptosis of the encephalitogenic T cells and suppresses inflammation in the affected CNS. Intravital microscopy shows that MMPt is taken up by perivascular F4/80+ cells but not conventional antigen-presenting dendritic cells, B cells, or microglia. MMPt-stimulated F4/80+ cells induce reactive T cell immobilization and apoptosis in situ, resulting in reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and chemokine production. Our study reveals alternative mechanisms that explain how cognate antigen suppresses CNS inflammation and may be applicable for effectively and safely treating demyelinating diseases.
PMID:36857453 | DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abo2810
Identifying adverse drug reactions from patient reviews on social media using natural language processing
Health Informatics J. 2023 Jan-Mar;29(1):14604582221136712. doi: 10.1177/14604582221136712.
ABSTRACT
Drugs have the potential of causing adverse reactions or side effects and prior knowledge of these reactions can help prevent hospitalizations and premature deaths. Public databases of common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) depend on individual reports from drug manufacturers and health professionals. However, this passive approach to ADR surveillance has been shown to suffer from severe under-reporting. Social media, such as online health forums where patients across the globe willingly share their drug intake experience, is a viable and rich source for detecting unreported ADRs. In this paper, we design an ADR Detection Framework (ADF) using Natural Language Processing techniques to identify ADRs in drug reviews mined from social media. We demonstrate the applicability of ADF in the domain of Diabetes by identifying ADRs associated with diabetes drugs using data extracted from three online patient-based health forums: askapatient.com, webmd.com, and iodine.com. Next, we analyze and visualize the ADRs identified and present valuable insights including prevalent and less prevalent ADRs, age and gender differences in ADRs detected, as well as the previously unknown ADRs detected by our framework. Our work could promote active (real-time) ADR surveillance and also advance pharmacovigilance research.
PMID:36857033 | DOI:10.1177/14604582221136712
AIMedGraph: a comprehensive multi-relational knowledge graph for precision medicine
Database (Oxford). 2023 Feb 28;2023:baad006. doi: 10.1093/database/baad006.
ABSTRACT
The development of high-throughput molecular testing techniques has enabled the large-scale exploration of the underlying molecular causes of diseases and the development of targeted treatment for specific genetic alterations. However, knowledge to interpret the impact of genetic variants on disease or treatment is distributed in different databases, scientific literature studies and clinical guidelines. AIMedGraph was designed to comprehensively collect and interrogate standardized information about genes, genetic alterations and their therapeutic and diagnostic relevance and build a multi-relational, evidence-based knowledge graph. Graph database Neo4j was used to represent precision medicine knowledge as nodes and edges in AIMedGraph. Entities in the current release include 30 340 diseases/phenotypes, 26 140 genes, 187 541 genetic variants, 2821 drugs, 15 125 clinical trials and 797 911 supporting literature studies. Edges in this release cover 621 731 drug interactions, 9279 drug susceptibility impacts, 6330 pharmacogenomics effects, 30 339 variant pathogenicity and 1485 drug adverse reactions. The knowledge graph technique enables hidden knowledge inference and provides insight into potential disease or drug molecular mechanisms. Database URL: http://aimedgraph.tongshugene.net:8201.
PMID:36856726 | DOI:10.1093/database/baad006
Randomized controlled trial of nalfurafine for refractory pruritus in hemodialysis patients
Ren Fail. 2023 Dec;45(1):2175590. doi: 10.1080/0886022X.2023.2175590.
ABSTRACT
Background: Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is very common and sometimes refractory to treatment in hemodialysis patients. In a trial conducted in Japan, nalfurafine, effectively reduced itching of treatment-resistant CKD-aP. Our present bridging study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nalfurafine in Chinese cohort with refractory CKD-aP.Methods: In this phase III, multicenter bridging study conducted at 22 sites in China, 141 Chinese cases with refractory CKD-aP were randomly (2:2:1) assigned to receive 5 μg, 2.5 μg of nalfurafine or a placebo orally for 14 days in a double-blind manner. The primary end point was the mean decrease in the mean visual analogue scale (VAS) from baseline.Results: A total of 141 patients were included. The primary endpoint analysis based on full analysis set (FAS), the difference of mean VAS decrease between 5 μg nalfurafine and placebo group was 11.37 mm (p = .041); the difference of mean VAS decrease between 2.5 μg and placebo group was 8.81 mm, but not statistically significantly different. Both differences were greater than 4.13 mm, which met its predefined success criterion of at least 50% efficacy of the key Japanese clinical trial. The per protocol set (PPS) analysis got similar results. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was 49.1% in 5μg, 38.6% in 2.5 μg and 33.3% in placebo group. The most common ADR was insomnia, seen in 21 of the 114 nalfurafine patients.Conclusions: Oral nalfurafine effectively reduced itching with few significant ADRs in Chinese hemodialysis patients with refractory pruritus.
PMID:36856148 | DOI:10.1080/0886022X.2023.2175590
Pharmacotherapies for Treatment-Resistant Depression: How Antipsychotics Fit in the Rapidly Evolving Therapeutic Landscape
Am J Psychiatry. 2023 Mar 1;180(3):190-199. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230025.
ABSTRACT
One in three adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not experience clinically significant improvement after multiple sequential courses of antidepressants and have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The presence of TRD contributes to the morbidity and excess mortality associated with MDD and has been linked to significantly increased health care expenses. In the absence of a consensus definition of TRD, this report takes a broad approach by considering inadequate response to one or more courses of antidepressants and focuses on atypical antipsychotics that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of depression (aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, cariprazine, extended-release quetiapine, and olanzapine-fluoxetine combination). While multiple acute-phase studies have demonstrated the efficacy of these medications in improving depressive symptoms, clinically meaningful improvement (i.e., remission) remains limited, with significant concerns about side effects (including weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, extrapyramidal symptoms, and tardive dyskinesia), especially with long-term use. With the rapidly evolving landscape of antidepressant treatments over the past few years, which has witnessed approval of rapid-acting antidepressants (e.g., esketamine nasal spray and dextromethorphan-bupropion combination) and several more in the late-stage pipeline (e.g., zuranolone and psilocybin), it remains to be seen whether the use of atypical antipsychotics will go the way of the older and rarely prescribed antidepressants (such as tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors). Pragmatic clinical trials are needed to compare the effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics with TRD-specific pharmacotherapies and neuromodulation treatments and to identify the optimal sequencing of these varied approaches for patients with MDD. When using atypical antipsychotics, clinicians and patients are encouraged to use a shared decision-making approach by personalizing treatment selection based on anticipated side effects, tolerability, cost, and feasibility.
PMID:36855876 | DOI:10.1176/appi.ajp.20230025
Common street drug names for the anesthesiologist and pain physician
Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Mar 1:rapm-2022-104189. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2022-104189. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
People who use or sell drugs develop their own in-group terms and language, much like any other group of people with a common experience. Slang terms are derived from a wide variety of sources. These might include the physical appearance and/or type of drug, the place where it originates, the effect it has on users, or how it is packaged for sale. To assist and educate the clinical practitioner who may deal with this nomenclature, we have compiled a list of some of the most common street names and some explanations (when known) of their origins.
PMID:36858482 | DOI:10.1136/rapm-2022-104189
Lipid emulsion for reversal of acute cannabinoid toxicity?
Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2023 Mar 1:rapm-2023-104429. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2023-104429. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:36858481 | DOI:10.1136/rapm-2023-104429