Beers criteria

AIM: To assess the impact of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 (SSAA) on the alcohol environment from 2013 to 2015. METHOD: A mixed methods study incorporating key informant interviews and administrative data to assess changes between 2013 and 2015. Perceptions of the alcohol environment, policy enforcement and policy compliance were thematically analysed and quantitative ratings summarised. Concurrent changes to drink driving law were included. RESULTS: The SSAA led to a slight reduction in very late night availability in urban centres via the national 4am limit for on-licensed premises trading, which had strong compliance and enforcement...

INTRODUCTION: Posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA) aneurysm formation and thrombosis as overuse injury in the dominant shoulder can result in ischemia of the forearm, hand and digits due to arterial embolisms. Increased awareness among physicians is necessary as PCHA pathology (PCHAP) might be underdiagnosed. Knowledge of sports and professions at risk and risk-factors for obtaining PCHAP is essential for the development of future preventive measures. This study aims to identify sports and professions at risk as well as risk factors for PCHAP...

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to compare the application of three geriatric medication screening tools to the Beers Criteria alone for potentially inappropriate medication quantification and to determine feasibility of a pharmacist-led polypharmacy assessment in a geriatric oncology clinic. METHODS: Adult patients with cancer aged 65 and older underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment. A polypharmacy assessment was completed by a pharmacist and included a review of all drug therapies...

The aim of our study was to compare depicted pre-, intra-, and postoperative tumor volume of met-PET, perfusion-weighed MRI (PWI), and Gd-DTPA MRI. Further, to assess their sensitivity and specificity in correlation with histopathological specimen. Inclusion criteria of the prospective study were histological confirmed glioblastoma (GB), age > 18, and eligible for gross total resection (GTR). Met-PET was performed before and after surgery. Gd-DTPA MRI and PWI were performed before, during, and after surgery...

OBJECTIVE: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used but they increase the risk of gastrointestinal haemorrage among other adverse effects. The objective of this study was to compare potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) by NSAIDs using the original Beers Criteria, a global reference for evaluating elderly people's prescriptions, and the Spanish adaptation of the same; and the relation between PIM of NSAIDs and gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODS: The study was a retrospective observational study carried out located in a primary care district in the province of de Murcia, south-eastern Spain...

Importance: BRAF mutations are reportedly associated with aggressive tumor biology. However, in contrast with primary colorectal cancer, the association of V600E and non-V600E BRAF mutations with survival and recurrence after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) has not been well studied. Objective: To investigate the prognostic association of BRAF mutations with survival and recurrence independently and compared with other prognostic determinants, such as KRAS mutations...

AIM: To comparatively investigate the effects of hyperpolypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) on functional decline in older patients after hospital discharge. METHODS: Our series consisted of 733 patients aged ≥65 consecutively enrolled in a multicenter observational longitudinal study. PIMs were defined on the basis of updated versions of Beers and STOPP criteria. The occurrence of functional decline was defined as the loss of independency in at least 1 basic activity of daily living (BADL) from discharge through 3-month follow-up visit...

Hard drinking water seems protective against cardiovascular disease compared to soft water. Published data on calcium and magnesium in bottled water products were evaluated to determine water hardness. Data on water chemistry of thirty-three products were obtained from the internet and hardness, as calcium carbonate, was calculated. Approximately two thirds of the products were soft according to criteria of the US Geological Survey; only one fifth were very hard. Beer and wine also were found to be very hard...

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) may reduce morbidity in patients with endometrial cancer. The objective of this study is to estimate how many systematic lymph node dissections (LND) can be spared with an implementation of a SLN-procedure. METHODS: Retrospective, single-center study, SLND according to NCCN-Guidelines. RESULTS: In 109 patients of 154 consecutive patients, SLND was performed. The detection rate was 61% on both sides and 86% on at least one side...

BACKGROUND: As HIV-infected patients aged 50 years or older are at increased risk of comorbidities and multidrug treatments, we examined their exposure to the potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs) of antiretroviral (ARV) and other medications. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved the patients aged 50 years or older receiving ARV and non-ARV medications at our clinic. PDDIs were identified using the University of Liverpool HIV Drug Interaction Checker...

BACKGROUND: Up to 70% of lung cancer survivors are affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common, debilitating, comorbid disease. Lung cancer and COPD are both characterized by symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, and psychological distress. These distressing chronic symptoms are exacerbated by stress and detract from an individual's quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate evidence-based, commercially available apps for promoting mindfulness-based strategies among adults with a COPD or lung cancer history (ie, chronic lung disease)...

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine patient characteristics associated with potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use and its impact on outcomes for patients with breast or colorectal cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, linked to Medicare claims, was used. The cohort included patients who were 66 years old or older and were diagnosed with stage II or III breast or colorectal cancer between July 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009...

BACKGROUND: The accurate identification of children with a concussion by emergency physicians is important to initiate appropriate anticipatory guidance and management. OBJECTIVES: We compared the frequency of persistent concussion symptoms in children who were provided the diagnosis of concussion by an emergency physician versus those who met Berlin/Zurich international criteria for this diagnosis. We also determined the clinical variables independently associated with a physician-diagnosed concussion...

Background: Use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) among people with dementia is common. We assessed the patterns of medication use from one-year prior to dementia diagnosis, to one-year after dementia diagnosis, compared to patterns of medication use in people without dementia. Methods: We conducted longitudinal study using the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data. Adults ≥ 65 years newly diagnosed with dementia (n=2418) during 2005-2015 were year, age and sex matched 1:1 with controls...

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the characteristics of elderly patients with polypharmacy refusing deprescribing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in elderly patients accepting and refusing a deprescribing intervention and to investigate factors associated with deprescribing refusal. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study by analyzing the electronic medical records from a single hospital...

AIM: Lack of electronic assessment of medication lists in electronic health records is a barrier for more generalized use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) lists, designed for older adults. The aim was to construct a European repository of explicit criteria on PIM, suitable for electronic assessment. METHODS: PIM description, medication information, clinical information and level of evidence was entered. Criteria with unclear medication specifications were excluded...

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is important in diabetes therapy; however, not all SMBG systems are sufficiently accurate. In addition, some SMBG systems are influenced by the user's hematocrit value. METHODS: System accuracy and hematocrit influence was evaluated for four SMBG systems with built-in insulin dose advisors (Accu-Chek® Aviva Expert [1], FreeStyle InsuLinx [2], FreeStyle Precision Neo [3], MyStar DoseCoach® [4]) based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15197:2013 section 6...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponins are often elevated in patients with skeletal muscle disease who have no evidence of cardiac disease. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to characterize cardiac troponin concentrations in patients with myopathies and derive insights regarding the source of elevated troponin T measurements. METHODS: Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations were determined by using high sensitivity assays in 74 patients with hereditary and acquired skeletal myopathies...

Background: The use of drugs in the elderly is very extensive because of the frequent occurrence of chronic diseases. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) commonly occur in geriatric patients receiving multiple therapeutic regimens. In the literature, little attention has been given to ADRs in the elderly, and particularly to allergic reactions. Objective: The aim of the present study is to provide data on possible inappropriate prescriptions in the elderly in relation to allergic reactions and to identify a list of drugs which are likely inducers of allergic reactions...

PURPOSE: Despite improved treatment options, multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using 18 F-2'-deoxy-2'-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18 F]FDG) in MM patients shortly before and ~100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated [18 F]FDG-PET/CT-scans of 45 heavily pre-treated MM patients before and 27 patients after scheduled allo-HCT...