U.S. Pharmacist - August 2016

Issue: August 2016 • Archive

In This Edition		Featured Article		Featured CE
• Editor's Notebook • Counseling Pearls • It's the Law • Clinical Corner • TrendWatch • Educational Spotlight • Quick Poll – Health Insurance Exchanges		Guidelines for the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Management strategies for this common urologic disorder include lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy, and surgery.		A Review of the Management of Nephrolithiasis For patients with recurrent kidney stones despite adequate fluid intake, pharmacologic treatment is recommended to prevent formation.

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Editor's Notebook

For Men Only

Pharmacists can provide MTM services that benefit patients with prostate cancer, the second most common type of cancer in men.

Counseling Pearls

Urine Drug Screening: Minimizing False-Positives and False-Negatives to Optimize Patient Care

False results from immunoassays can lead to adverse consequences for both patients and providers. Pharmacists can help select appropriate drug therapies that are less likely to cause false readings.

Gonorrhea: Treatment and Management Considerations for the Male Patient

Gonorrhea is the second most common communicable disease in the United States. Because infected males are often asymptomatic, they may go undiagnosed, making prevention crucial in high-risk populations.

It's the Law

Sexual Misconduct by Pharmacists: Part 2: An Examination of Cases

Reported cases involved child pornography, inappropriate contact, indecent exposure, and drug diversion.

Clinical Corner

Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer

The prognosis for metastatic castration-resistant disease is poor, and novel therapies are needed. Immunotherapies initiate an immune response that can kill tumor cells for an extended time after administration of conventional treatment.

Fournier Gangrene in Males: An Overview

This polymicrobial necrotizing infection of the perineal, perianal, or genital area is most common in older males. It is a urologic emergency requiring prompt consultation for debridement and empiric treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics.

TrendWatch

Primary Causes of End-Stage Renal Disease

More than one-third of these patients are under a nephrologist's care for a year or more before kidney failure.

Educational Spotlight

Pulmonary Embolism Prevention and Treatment Update

Novel oral anticoagulant agents are a major addition to the CHEST antithrombotic guidelines.

Overview of Plaque Psoriasis Treatment

Treatment consists of a variety of options, including phototherapy, topical agents, oral agents, and biologics.

Safe Use of Analgesics in Acute Pediatric Pain

Pharmacists play an integral role in ensuring that pain medications are used properly and safely in children.

Newswire

Abaloparatide Reduces Fractures in Women With Osteoporosis
Lakewood, CO—
The synthetic peptide abaloparatide was found to significantly reduce the risk of new fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis after 18 months of daily injection. In a multicountry randomized trial led by the Colorado Center for Bone Research, 1,901 postmenopausal women (mean age 69 years) with osteoporosis received active treatment (abaloparatide or teriparatide) or placebo for 18 months. New vertebral fractures occurred less often in the abaloparatide group (event rate: 2.7% for abaloparatide, 3.3% for teriparatide, and 4.7% for placebo). Increases in bone mineral density were greater with abaloparatide versus placebo, and the incidence of hypercalcemia was lower with abaloparatide versus teriparatide. There were no differences in serious adverse events between abaloparatide and teriparatide.

Acetaminophen Does Not Exacerbate Asthma in Children
Boston, MA—
Contrary to earlier reports, asthma in young children is not worsened by acetaminophen, according to a multicenter, randomized, prospective trial conducted by Boston Children's Hospital. Families of 300 children aged 1 to 5 years with mild, persistent asthma were randomized to give them either acetaminophen or ibuprofen as indicated for pain or fever over 48 weeks. Both groups received the same asthma-control therapies, and medication adherence was closely monitored. The trial was completed by 75% of patients. The amounts of acetaminophen and ibuprofen used for pain or fever were similar between groups (median 5.5 doses). There were no between-group differences in asthma exacerbation or control, and researchers concluded that acetaminophen does not aggravate asthma in young children on controller therapy for mild asthma.

In Some Women, Calcium Supplements May Confer Dementia Risk
Gothenburg, Sweden—
Calcium supplements may be linked to a greater dementia risk in older women with cerebrovascular disease, according to a 5-year study of 700 women aged 70 to 92 years. At baseline, all women were dementia-free, 98 were taking calcium supplements, and 54 had had experienced a stroke. Women with cerebrovascular disease who took calcium were twice as likely as those not taking calcium to develop dementia. In women with a history of stroke, 6 of 15 who took calcium developed dementia, versus 12 of 93 who did not; in those without stroke, dementia developed in 18 of 83 who took calcium, versus 33 of 509 who did not. Because this study was observational, however, it cannot be assumed that calcium supplements cause dementia.

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