The Annals of pharmacotherapy
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Are you a "spiritual" pharmacist? I define being spiritual as having an ongoing relationship with God regardless of whether one is physically healthy, "stressed out," or sick; I encourage pharmacists to pray for, and with, their patients when opportunities present themselves and patients are receptive. Spiritual healing can be as dramatic as physical and emotional healing. ⋯ Imagine office-based and hospital employees, from accounting, to housekeeping, to pharmacy, to nurses and physicians, praying daily. Many patients and their healthcare providers believe that faith-based prayers to God are important instruments for healing, and spiritual pharmacists may wish to consider integrating prayer into their professional practice.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Solifenacin for overactive bladder with incontinence: symptom bother and health-related quality of life outcomes.
Approximately one-third of patients with overactive bladder (OAB) experience incontinence, a bothersome symptom with a clear negative effect on quality of life. ⋯ Patients reporting urge incontinence as their most bothersome OAB symptom can be expected to demonstrate significant improvements in multiple patient-related outcomes following treatment with flexibly dosed solifenacin.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Electrocardiographic and hemodynamic effects of coenzyme Q10 in healthy individuals: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an endogenous cofactor required for mitochondrial energy production and touted to treat heart failure and prevent statin-induced myopathy. In guinea pig ventricular myocytes, CoQ10 prolongs action potential duration, an effect that might prolong the QTc interval in humans. Additionally, CoQ10 reduced blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension. ⋯ One dose of CoQ10 does not have any effect on ECG variables and exhibits only mild and transient effect on systolic blood pressure in young, healthy people.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Perioperative nesiritide versus milrinone in high-risk coronary artery bypass graft patients.
Patients with left-ventricular dysfunction have an increased risk of developing heart failure after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Therapies to maintain cardiac output in such patients warrant investigation. Nesiritide is unique among intravenous medications used to manage heart failure. It mediates natriuresis and vasodilation and suppresses the reninangiotensin-aldosterone axis. Nesiritide may attenuate the body's neurohormonal response to myocardial stretch after CABG and provide clinical benefit in the immediate postoperative period. ⋯ Nesiritide does not decrease postoperative intensive care unit stay or other clinical parameters compared with milrinone in high-risk patients with hemodynamically stable left-ventricular function undergoing CABG surgery.
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To review the literature concerning the use of hypertonic saline (HS) in patients with cystic fibrosis and explain the rationale for its use. ⋯ HS preceded by a bronchodilator is an inexpensive, safe, effective additional therapy in cystic fibrosis patients with stable lung function. Its use has been associated with a modest improvement in lung function and reduced frequency of pulmonary exacerbations.