Diversity and Inclusion in Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amarilla Mandola
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Clinical Immunology ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Equal Part ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Full Support ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Physician Team

The complexity of most primary immunodeficiencies together with the increasingly complicated treatment regimens require a working partnership between the patient, their families, and the medical team. As a woman in medicine in general, and in clinical immunology and allergy in particular, I find it very important to work as a respected, valued, and equal part of a team, with a dedicated contribution to improve patient care and partake in research. Equally important is having the safety of a balanced family life and physical/mental health and wellness. I find myself very lucky at this point in my life, being part of a great physician team and having full support from my spouse

Analytical Methods for the Determination of Sartans in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Biological Fluids: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-222
Author(s):  
Miglena Smerikarova ◽  
Stanislav Bozhanov ◽  
Vania Maslarska
Keyword(s):  
Biological Fluids ◽  
Pharmaceutical Preparations ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Pharmaceutical Formulations ◽  
Treatment Of Hypertension ◽  
Therapeutic Doses ◽  
Reliable Methods ◽  
Improve Patient

Background: Sartans are mostly used as a part of combination with additional medicines in the therapy of essencial hypertension. Preferred combinations are ARB and thiazide diuretics (Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and Chlorthalidone (CHL)) or ARB and calcium antagonists. The number of sartans mostly prescribed by specialists is only seven - Candesartan (CDS), Eprosartan (EPS), Irbesartan (IBS), Losartan (LOS), Olmesartan (OMS), Telmisartan (TMS) and Valsartan (VLS). Methods: The widespread use of sartans in the treatment of hypertension requires reliable methods of analysis. Bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations should be analyzed to ensure the quality of the medicinal products reaching patients. On the other hand, the analysis of drugs in biological fluids aims to trace and improve patient care by adjusting the therapeutic doses of drugs. According to our knowledge, a review devoted to the analysis of sartans was published in 2014. Results: Spectral methods are widely used in the analysis of bulk drugs and pharmaceutical dosage forms due to their relatively simple procedures, low reagent and sample consumption, speed, precision and accuracy combined with accessibility and comparatively low cost of common apparatus. Many papers for determination of sartans in bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations based on liquid chromatographic techniques were published in the available literature. Among these methods, HPLC takes the leading place but UPLC and HPTLC are also present. Conclusion: The widespread use of sartans in the treatment of hypertension requires reliable methods of analysis. Bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations should be analyzed to ensure the quality of the medicinal products reaching patients. On the other hand, the analysis of drugs in biological fluids aims to trace and improve patient care by adjusting the therapeutic doses of drugs. Since 2014, many articles have been published on the sartans analysis and this provoked our interest to summarize the latest applications in the analysis of sartans in pharmaceutical formulations and biological media. Articles published from 2014 to 2018 are covered.

scholarly journals How will artificial intelligence and bioinformatics change our understanding of IgA in the next decade?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman David Bülow ◽  
Daniel Dimitrov ◽  
Peter Boor ◽  
Julio Saez-Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Immunoglobulin A ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Clinical Expertise ◽  
End Stage ◽  
The Complement System ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Generation Sequencing

AbstractIgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerulonephritis. It is characterized by the deposition of immune complexes containing immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the kidney’s glomeruli, triggering an inflammatory process. In many patients, the disease has a progressive course, eventually leading to end-stage kidney disease. The current understanding of IgAN’s pathophysiology is incomplete, with the involvement of several potential players, including the mucosal immune system, the complement system, and the microbiome. Dissecting this complex pathophysiology requires an integrated analysis across molecular, cellular, and organ scales. Such data can be obtained by employing emerging technologies, including single-cell sequencing, next-generation sequencing, proteomics, and complex imaging approaches. These techniques generate complex “big data,” requiring advanced computational methods for their analyses and interpretation. Here, we introduce such methods, focusing on the broad areas of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence and discuss how they can advance our understanding of IgAN and ultimately improve patient care. The close integration of advanced experimental and computational technologies with medical and clinical expertise is essential to improve our understanding of human diseases. We argue that IgAN is a paradigmatic disease to demonstrate the value of such a multidisciplinary approach.

scholarly journals Bargain Hunting for Buffered Lidocaine: A Collaborative Discovery of Cost-saving Strategies That Can Improve Patient Care

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis L Simmons ◽  
Laura K Harper ◽  
Kathryn J Holst ◽  
Nathan J Brinkman ◽  
Christine U Lee
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Bicarbonate ◽  
Hospital Pharmacy ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Medical Waste ◽  
Radiology Department ◽  
Access Pricing ◽  
Bundled Payments ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Procedure Room

Abstract Buffered lidocaine is a local anesthetic option during percutaneous needle-directed procedures in the breast. At our institution, sodium bicarbonate (the buffer) is dispensed in volumes that frequently lead to medical waste and shortages. In this study, we describe how moving the buffering of lidocaine from the procedure room to our clinical hospital pharmacy results in a reduction in costs and improves satisfaction across the breast radiology department. While cost savings are difficult to tease out in practices that opt for bundled payments, we were able to access pricing and supply data and coordinate with our pharmacy to change our practice. Making these changes saves our practice $26 000 a year and allows us to continue to offer buffered lidocaine even during sodium bicarbonate shortages. This manuscript describes how these changes came about and their economic impact.

Sports Medicine and Artificial Intelligence: A Primer

2021 ◽  
pp. 036354652110086
Author(s):  
Prem N. Ramkumar ◽  
Bryan C. Luu ◽  
Heather S. Haeberle ◽  
Jaret M. Karnuta ◽  
Benedict U. Nwachukwu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Sports Medicine ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Athlete Injury ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Applications Of Ai

Artificial intelligence (AI) represents the fourth industrial revolution and the next frontier in medicine poised to transform the field of orthopaedics and sports medicine, though widespread understanding of the fundamental principles and adoption of applications remain nascent. Recent research efforts into implementation of AI in the field of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine have demonstrated great promise in predicting athlete injury risk, interpreting advanced imaging, evaluating patient-reported outcomes, reporting value-based metrics, and augmenting the patient experience. Not unlike the recent emphasis thrust upon physicians to understand the business of medicine, the future practice of sports medicine specialists will require a fundamental working knowledge of the strengths, limitations, and applications of AI-based tools. With appreciation, caution, and experience applying AI to sports medicine, the potential to automate tasks and improve data-driven insights may be realized to fundamentally improve patient care. In this Current Concepts review, we discuss the definitions, strengths, limitations, and applications of AI from the current literature as it relates to orthopaedic sports medicine.

Abstract 11119: Real-Time Nanopore Sequencing for Bacterial Pneumonia After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest, a Pilot Proof-of-Concept Study

Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 144 (Suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Weissman ◽  
Mariam Bramah Lawani ◽  
Thomas Rohan ◽  
Clifton W CALLAWAY
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Antibiotic Administration ◽  
Nanopore Sequencing ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Improve Patient

Introduction: Pneumonia is common after OHCA but is difficult to diagnose in the first 72 hours following ROSC, this results in early untargeted antibiotic administration based on non-specific imaging and laboratory findings. Antibiotic resistance is rising, is influenced by untargeted antibiotic administration, and can increase patient morbidity and mortality as well as healthcare costs. Precision methods of bacterial pathogen detection in OHCA patients are needed to improve patient care. This proof-of-concept pilot study aimed to assess feasibility of bacterial pathogen sequencing and comparability of sequencing results to clinical culture after OHCA. Methods: Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were obtained from residual clinical specimens collected within 12 hours of ROSC. Bacterial DNA was extracted using the Qiagen PowerLyzer PowerSoil DNA kit, sequenced using the MinION nanopore sequencer, and analyzed with Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ EPI2ME bioinformatics software. Sequencing results were compared to culture results using McNemar’s chi-square statistic. Study-defined pneumonia was based on presence of at least two characteristics within 72 hours of ROSC: fever (temperature ≥38°C); persistent leukocytosis >15,000 or leukopenia <3,500 for 48 hours; persistent chest radiography infiltrates for 48 hours per clinical radiology read; bacterial pathogen cultured. Results: We enrolled 38 consecutive OHCA subjects: mean age 61.8 years (18.0); 16 (42%) female; 25 (66%) White, 7 (18%) Black, 6 (16%) “Other” race; 7 subjects (18%) survived and 31 (82%) died; 16 (42%) subjects had pneumonia. Sequencing results were available in 12 hours while culture results were available in 48-72 hours after collection. There was a non-significant difference in the proportion of the same pathogens identified for each method per McNemar’s chi-square: p = 0.38, difference of 0.095 (-0.095, 0.286). Conclusions: Nanopore sequencing detects pathogenic bacteria comparable to clinical microbiologic culture and in less time. This technology can produce a paradigm shift in early bacterial pathogen detection in OHCA survivors, which can improve patient care. The technology is applicable to other patient populations and for viral and fungal pathogens.

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