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| Editor's Notebook |
Taking Patient Counseling to Heart
The counseling of cardiovascular patients by pharmacists has a potentially enormous health-outcomes payoff. |
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| Counseling Pearls |
 Management of Coronary Artery Disease and Chronic Stable Angina
Angina pectoris, characterized by discomfort typically located in the chest, neck, or left arm, is a clinical manifestation of CAD. Risk-factor reduction can be achieved through optimal treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. |
 Recognizing and Treating Venous Stasis Ulcers
Venous ulcers, which are perceived to be the most common cause of ulcerations affecting the lower extremities, can be severe and debilitating in nature. Primary risk factors include older age, previous leg injury, deep venous thrombosis, and phlebitis. |
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| Senior Care |
Myocardial Infarction in Women: Milder Symptoms, Aspirin, and Angioplasty
About one-third of women do not experience chest pain during a heart attack. |
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| Clinical Corner |
 Updated Treatment Options in the Management of Hyperkalemia
Until recently, FDA-approved therapies for the management of hyperkalemia had remained unchanged for more than 50 years. Patiromer was recently approved for chronic hyperkalemia, and other medications are in development. |
 Triple Therapy for a Cardiac Indication in a Veteran Population
Concomitant use of aspirin, a thienopyridine, and an anticoagulant tends to result in higher bleeding rates, even in patients with appropriate indications. After this regimen was altered to preemptively reduce the bleeding risk, no episodes occurred in follow-up. |
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| Consult Your Pharmacist |
OTC Supplements for the Management of High Cholesterol
Nonprescription options that may be beneficial include immediate-release niacin, omega-3 fatty acids, and soluble fiber. |
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| Educational Spotlight |
Antiepileptic Drugs for Epilepsy
Available AEDs are associated with a number of adverse effects and drug-drug interactions. |
Pharmacologic Management of HIV-Associated Wasting Syndrome
The key goals are to promote weight gain and prevent further reduction of lean body mass. |
Care and Treatment of Dementia
As the population ages, the human and economic costs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are significant. |
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| Newswire |
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Discovery Could Enable Earlier CV Disease Detection
London, England—
Research from Guy's and St. Thomas' and King's College indicates that screening methods for cardiovascular (CV) diseases such as strokes and heart attacks could be improved by measuring different biological signposts than those currently being assessed. Currently, the chief focus is on apolipoprotein (apo) A1 and apoB, which are the main components of HDL and LDL, respectively. Using mass spectrometry, researchers found that apoE, apoC2, and apoC3, which are associated with very-low-density lipoproteins and are linked predominantly to triglycerides, had a stronger association with CV disease than apoA1 and apoB did. This discovery could allow doctors to better predict the development of CV disease at an earlier stage, as well as offer patients more personalized treatment. |
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Antiepileptics During Pregnancy Likely Not Harmful to Child's Health
Aarhus, Denmark—
Previous studies have showed that antiepileptics taken during pregnancy could cause congenital fetal malformations and affected the child's brain development. However, a new study of 963,010 children born between 1997 and 2012 found that those whose mothers took antiepileptics during pregnancy (n = 4,478) did not visit the doctor more often than children who were not exposed to these agents in utero, and being born to a mother who took antiepileptics during pregnancy appeared not to harm the child's health. A lack of knowledge remains regarding the general health of children exposed to antiepileptics in utero, but this new study is reassuring for women who need to take these medications while pregnant. |
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Collaborative Care Improved Symptoms in Older Adults With Mild Depression
York, England—
According to University of York researchers, collaborative care versus usual care in older adults with subthreshold depression resulted in improvements in depressive symptoms after 4 months. Of 704 adults aged 65 years and older, 344 received collaborative care and 361 received usual primary care; participants completed an average of six weekly sessions of behavioral activation, and functional impairments were evaluated. During follow-up assessments, the proportion of collaborative-care patients meeting criteria for depression was lower than that of usual-care patients. However, the clinical importance of this finding is uncertain. "Although differences persisted through 12 months, findings are limited by attrition, and further research is needed to assess longer-term efficacy," the researchers noted. |
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U.S. Pharmacist is a monthly journal dedicated to providing the nation's pharmacists with up-to-date, authoritative, peer-reviewed clinical articles relevant to contemporary pharmacy practice in a variety of settings, including community pharmacy, hospitals, managed also useful to pharmacy technicians, students, other health professionals and individuals interested in health management. Pharmacists licensed in the U.S. can earn Continuing Education credits through Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. |
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