bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of factors associated with prescription of a potentially inappropriate combination dermatological medication among US outpatient physicians
Authors: Balkrishnan Rajesh , Cook Jeffrey M. , Shaffer Matthew P. , Saltzberg Felicia B. , Feldman Steven R. , Fleischer Alan B. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeDespite concern associated with the necessity of an additional fluorinated, high potency topical corticosteroid, the clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate combination remains a frequently prescribed topical agent in the US. This research was performed to better understand the physician and patient characteristics associated with the prescription of this combination medication in outpatient settings.MethodsData from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1990–2000) were used to determine the patient and physician factors associated with a prescription for clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate. The most common diagnoses of patients treated with the drug were also determined.ResultsFamily medicine physicians were more than twice as likely (OR: 2.28, 95%CI: 1.56, 3.33) and internists were more than 3 times as likely (OR: 3.10, 95%CI: 1.99, 4.84) to prescribe clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate compared to pediatricians, the reference category. Dermatologists were less likely to prescribe these medications compared to pediatricians (OR: 0.35, 95%CI: 0.23, 0.54). Prescription for potentially inappropriate indications was detected across all specialties. Prescription rates of the combination medication were higher among patients of non‐white race (OR: 1.56, CI: 1.08, 2.26).ConclusionsThe increased risk of potentially inappropriate prescription of clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate by physicians across all specialties and increased probability of medication receipt in racial minorities is of concern, when safer alternatives such as antifungals or anti‐inflammatory medications without the side effects of the combination medication are easily available. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reported adverse drug reactions and their determinants in Dutch children outside the hospital
Authors: Schirm Eric , Tobi Hilde , van Puijenbroek Eugène P. , Monster‐Simons Margje H. , de Jong‐van den Berg Lolkje T. W. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeThe interpretation of the available studies on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children outside the hospital is hampered because none of these studies used a control group. The aim of this study was to describe ADRs in children outside the hospital, controlled for drug use in the paediatric background population.MethodsUsing a case‐control design, we compared drugs on which a suspected ADR was reported to the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre LAREB, and drugs used in the general paediatric population from the InterAction pharmacy database, both in the year 2001, for children aged 0–16 years.ResultsThe main findings are that ADRs were disproportionately more often reported on systemic drugs (OR 3.0; [95%CI: 1.9–4.8]), new drugs (2.4; [1.6–2.7]), anti‐infective drugs (1.7; [1.1–2.7]) and nervous system drugs (2.1; [1.3–3.5]), whereas unlicensed drugs (0.1; [0.0–0.4]), frequently used drugs (0.3; [0.2–0.5]) and dermatologicals (0.1; [0.0–0.4]) were less likely to be associated with a reported ADR. Overall, the proportion of off‐label prescriptions did not differ between drugs suspected of an ADR and drugs used by children in a general population.ConclusionsThe pattern of drugs associated with a reported ADR could not be solely explained on the basis of drug utilisation patterns in the general population. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Uptake of COX‐2 selective inhibitors and influence on NSAID prescribing in Northern Ireland
Authors: Girvin Briegeen , Rafferty Thérèse , Stevenson Michael R. , Johnston G. Dennis 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeRofecoxib and celecoxib have been recently introduced and promoted as ‘safer’ non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) regarding gastric toxicity. The primary aim was to measure their uptake and any impact on conventional NSAID prescribing. A secondary aim was to assess any change in proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescribing.MethodsPrescribing data in terms of defined daily doses (DDDs) were pooled from 1997 onwards. Linear trends in the data were tested for using regression analyses. Direct comparisons were made between the April–June quarter of the year 1999 (i.e. before the introduction of rofecoxib and celecoxib) and the same quarter 3 years later.ResultsOverall NSAID prescribing in Northern Ireland was found to be increasing linearly at an estimated rate of 154 000 DDDs per quarter since the introduction of celecoxib and rofecoxib. The rate of increase in the volume of prescribing of the two new drugs was found to be four times the rate of decrease in prescribing of the ‘older’ NSAIDs. Overall prescribing of anti‐inflammatory agents had increased from 37.8 to 47.7 DDDs/1000 patients/day over 3 years with no effect on the upward trend in PPI prescribing.ConclusionsThe introduction of rofecoxib and celecoxib has increased prescribing volume of anti‐inflammatory agents by 26% in Northern Ireland over the 3‐year period. This could pose safety problems in the future as more people are being prescribed anti‐inflammatory agents. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Survey of the use of complementary and alternative medicine among Korean diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: Lee Myung‐Suk , Lee Myeong Soo , Lim Hyun‐Ja , Moon Sun‐Rock 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeThis study was designed to measure the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among Korean diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.MethodsA 23‐question survey on DM was used and included questions on demographic information (7), clinical information (7) and the utilisation of CAM (9).ResultsOf 223 respondents, 145 (65%) had taken CAM products, while 78 (35%) had not. At the suggestion of family members and relatives, 43.5% of the respondents started taking CAM products. A total of 57.9% of the users felt that it was effective, 30.3% considered that it regulated the blood glucose level and 27.6% felt it was effective in achieving psychological relaxation. Of 93 CAM materials used by respondents, 63.7% were various types of plants, 21.6% were animal material and 14.7% were a mixture of both. The majority of DM patients (81.2%) were trying a new type of CAM, and one third of all patients were trying to start using a new type of CAM after consulting with their physicians.ConclusionsDoctors should recognise that complementary medicines are widely used by diabetic patients and should appreciate that these medicines can cause adverse effects. Doctors should therefore be prepared to question patients to determine what non‐conventional medicines they are using. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antibiotic use profile at paediatric clinics in two transitional countries
Authors: Palčevski Goran , Ahel Vladimir , Vlahović‐Palčevski Vera , Ratchina Svetlana , Rosovic‐Bazijanac Vesna , Averchenkova L. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeIn this study, we evaluated antibiotic utilisation pattern at two paediatric clinics in different European (transitional) countries: Croatia (Rijeka) and Russia (Smolensk).MethodsAntibiotic utilisation during the year 2000 was observed using the ATC/defined daily doses (DDD) methodology (ATC code‐J01). Drug‐usage data was expressed in numbers of DDD/100 bed‐days and the DU90% profile.ResultsIn Rijeka, 35 different systemic antibiotics were used and in Smolensk 22. The overall consumption of antibiotic drugs in Rijeka was more than three times higher than in Smolensk (28.96 vs 8.3 DDD/100 bed‐days). The top five antibiotic drugs used in Smolensk were amoxicillin, mydecamicin, ampicilin, doxycylin, gentamicin; and in Rijeka cefuroxime axetil, ceftriaxone, azytromycin, ceftibuten and amoxicillin.ConclusionDifferences in antibiotic prescribing patterns are greater than expected. The pattern of antibiotic utilisation in both countries implies that regional control measures and guidelines for antibiotic use in children should be urgently established. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How to estimate the population that is covered by community pharmacies? An evaluation of two methods using drug utilisation information
Authors: Schirm Eric , Monster Taco B. M. , de Vries Robin , van den Berg Paul B. , de Jong‐van den Berg Lolkje T. W. , Tobi Hilde 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposePharmacy‐dispensing data are valuable sources of drug information, but the population that is covered by the pharmacies is often difficult to determine. We evaluated two methods using drug utilisation information to estimate the population size: a drug‐use‐based extrapolation of a known part of the population and a capture‐recapture estimation without any prior knowledge of the population.MethodsUsing pharmacy‐dispensing data of three towns with known populations in the Netherlands, we estimated age‐and‐sex specific population sizes by extrapolating the proportion of drug‐using inhabitants. In addition, we applied two‐source and three‐source capture‐recapture models with all combinations of the following drug groups as different sources: anti‐asthmatics, analgesics, antibiotics and anti‐histamines.ResultsDrug‐use‐based extrapolation resulted in the best estimates with the least variability. All capture‐recapture models provided underestimations of the true population. Three‐source capture‐recapture resulted in better average estimates than two‐source capture‐recapture, but also had more variability.ConclusionsIf a part of the population is known, and if there is reason to assume that drug utilisation patterns do not vary within the region, it is best to use drug‐use‐based extrapolation. In all other situations capture‐recapture may be considered, with as main limitation that we found all models to underestimate the population considerably. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of pharmacovigilance system in Ukraine: first results
Authors: Stefanov O. , Sharayeva M. , Jajtchenja V. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe article is devoted to the establishment and development of the National Pharmacovigilance system in Ukraine. A drug safety centre of Ukraine started to form a pharmacovigilance system in 1996. It has been operating on a regular basis since 2000 and now provides the regulatory services that include data collection and analysis, database management, education, international contacts, and the publication and dissemination of information. Our ultimate goal is to foster a rational and safe drug use and to improve the quality of pharmacotherapy in Ukraine. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A retrospective survey on the safety of Replenine®, a high‐purity factor IX concentrate
Authors: Gascoigne E. W. , Dash C. H. , Harman C. , Wilmot D. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAn Erratum has been published for this article in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 13(4) 2004, 267.
PurposeTo assess the safety of a plasma‐derived highly purified factor IX concentrate (Replenine®) in routine clinical use.MethodsFollowing guidelines entitled Safety Assessment of Marketed Medicines (SAMM), safety data were collected in the UK by retrospective review of the hospital notes of 114 patients who received an estimated 14.8 million IU of Replenine®. Included were 41 patients undergoing 44 surgical procedures or dental extractions.ResultsThe study detected a total of nine adverse events (AEs), four of which were possibly product‐related, four that were unrelated to the product and one whose causality was unknown. None of these cases had been notified to the manufacturer through conventional spontaneous reporting procedures. One patient was switched from Replenine® because of infusion site irritation, but no unexpected adverse reactions were noted. There were no reports of virus transmission or new factor IX inhibitor development. The mean factor IX recovery value was 1.44 IU/dl per IU/kg (95%CI: 1.31–1.57 IU/dl per IU/kg).ConclusionsThe study was a practical application of the SAMM guidelines to the collection of pharmacovigilance data on patients with Haemophilia B. Replenine® is well tolerated in routine clinical practice. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antihypertensive drug therapy and the risk of lower extremity amputations in pharmacologically treated type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Erkens Joëlle A. , Klungel Olaf H. , Stolk Ronald P. , Spoelstra José A. , Grobbee Diederick E. , Leufkens Hubert G.M. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPurposeThe objective of this study was to determine the association between different antihypertensive drug therapies and lower extremity amputations (LEAs) in type 2 diabetes patients.MethodsData were obtained from the PHARMO Record Linkage System comprising pharmacy records and data on hospitalisations for all 450 000 residents of eight Dutch cities. In a nested case‐control study among 12 140 type 2 diabetes patients who used antihypertensive drugs, 26 cases with a first LEA and 94 controls without a LEA matched on age, sex and calendar time were identified. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk of LEA and to adjust for potential confounding factors.ResultsAmong type 2 diabetes patients who used antihypertensive drugs, subjects who used thiazide diuretics, alone or in combination, had a higher risk of LEA compared to subjects who used Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitor monotherapy (crude odds ratio (OR): 6.11 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32–28.27]). The use of thiazide diuretics was also associated with an increased risk of LEA when compared to the use of any non‐thiazide antihypertensive drug (adjusted OR: 7.04 [1.10–45.30]). The increased risk of LEA associated with the use of thiazides compared to the use of non‐thiazides depended on the duration of use (adjusted OR≤365 days, 4.82 [0.61–38.34] and adjusted OR>365 days, 26.16 [1.02–674.02], p‐trend = 0.01).ConclusionsTreatment with thiazide diuretics compared to treatment with other antihypertensive drugs was associated with excess amputations in type 2 diabetes patients. Due to several limitations of this study, our findings do not preclude the use of thiazides in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients as yet. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The psychosocial needs of breast cancer survivors; A qualitative study of the shared and unique needs of younger versus older survivors
Authors: Thewes B. , Butow P. , Girgis A. , Pendlebury S. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractDue to improvements in medical treatment and survival following breast cancer, researchers have turned their attention to investigating the needs of breast cancer survivors. There is disagreement about the extent to which survivors continue to experience psychological morbidity after treatment ends. Whilst the majority of women adjust well to breast cancer, some may have continued psychosocial needs. Available research suggests that younger pre‐menopausal women are at increased risk of psychological morbidity following breast cancer. The present study aimed to gather preliminary qualitative data on the psychosocial needs of breast cancer survivors and to identify the shared and unique needs of younger versus older survivors. A qualitative methodology was chosen as this was a relatively unexplored area of enquiry. Patients treated for early‐stage breast cancer who had completed their hospital‐based treatment 6–24 months prior to participation were recruited. Sampling was discontinued when informational redundancy was achieved. Eighteen telephone interviews were conducted. A wide variety of on‐going psychosocial and information needs were reported by breast cancer survivors including support needs, psychological needs, practical needs, physical needs and information needs. Younger women reported more needs than their older counterparts. Several needs reported by younger women were directly related to being of younger age or pre‐menopausal at the time of diagnosis. Clinical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The skull beneath the skin: Cancer survival and awareness of death
Authors: Little Miles , Sayers Emma‐Jane 
Published: March 2004

AbstractTerror management theory predicts that people made aware of their own mortality (mortality salience) will seek to boost their self‐esteem in order to buffer the anxiety they feel. One common resource to achieve this is strengthening social bonds with an admired in‐group. It would also seem to predict that cancer survivors and those close to them would be driven to a greater closeness. A similar closeness might be predicted between those with terminal illness and their families and other supporters. Some empirical observations suggest that there are other forms of death‐related salience which do not conform to the predictions of terror management theory.We suggest that some of those who have recovered from cancer may be made death salient, while those close to them remain mortality salient. Death salience seems to turn people inward to the resources and challenges of their deep (subconscious and unconscious) minds, and confronts them with the realities of their deep identities. A third form of salience, dying salience, affects those who have terminal illness. Distinguishing between death salience and mortality salience provides one explanation for the frequency with which close relationships break down after recovery from cancer. The distinctive nature of dying salience raises important questions about the inappropriateness of survivors as providers of support for the dying. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Immune function and adjustment style: Do they predict survival in breast cancer?
Authors: Osborne Richard H. , Sali Avni , Aaronson Neil K. , Elsworth Gerald R. , Mdzewski Bogdan , Sinclair Andrew J. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the role of immune status and psychosocial factors in survival from early breast cancer (N=61). Baseline assessments included lymphocyte number and function, natural killer cell activity (NKA), plasma cortisol and prolactin level. Psychosocial measures included anxiety, depression and mental adjustment to cancer and social support. Length of follow‐up was 6.1–7.9 years with 14 (23%) breast cancer deaths. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for lymph node status two parameters predicted longer survival, low NKA (HR 29 per LLU, p=0.003) and minimizing the illness adjustment (HR 0.64 per scale point, p=0.012). These data provide little evidence for a psychoneuroimmunological mechanism in the survival from breast cancer. While this study is limited due to small sample size, and therefore the possibility of inflated estimates, longer survival in those minimizing the illness is a finding consistent with recent studies; however, the counter‐intuitive finding that high NKA predicts shorter survival may be a marker for current disease or response to treatments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The quality of life for cancer children (QOLCC) in Taiwan (part I): Reliability and construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis
Authors: Yeh Chao‐Hsing , Chao Kuo‐Yu , Hung Li‐Chen 
Published: March 2004

AbstractPart 1, the current paper describes the development and testing of a quality‐of‐life (QOL) assessment specifically designed for Taiwanese pediatric cancer patients (7–18 years) and their parents/caregivers. The assessment instrument was established based on a qualitative study, then refined using recognized item‐analysis methods and pilot tested on a group of 25 patients. The final assessment instrument included three versions of the same instrument, a patient self‐report (QOLCC‐7–12, for children aged 7–12 years; QOLCC‐ADO for adolescent aged 13–18 years) and a parent proxy‐report (QOLCC‐PAR). The final seven‐subscale tool has a total of 34 items and was tested among 106 young cancer patients and 106 their parents. Psychometric properties of the measure were tested using item analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and a confirmatory factor analysis. Results suggest acceptable reliability and goodness of fit of this seven‐scale measure. In order to test the factor validity of QOLCC, an independent group of 42 children with cancer participated. The results of confirmatory factor analysis shows the goodness of fit in QOLCC. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The quality of life for cancer children (QOLCC) for Taiwanese children with cancer (part II): Feasibility, cross‐informants variance and clinical validity
Authors: Yeh Chao‐Hsing , Hung Li‐Chen , Chao Kuo‐Yu 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe quality of life in childhood cancer (QOLCC) is a research instrument that has been developed to assess the quality of life for children and adolescents who suffer from cancer in Taiwan. The current paper is the second of a two‐part series of research reports. Part I is reported in this journal (Yeh et al., 2003). Part II describes the range of measurement, concordance of cross‐informants reports, and clinical validity of Taiwanese pediatric cancer children (7–12 years) and adolescents (13–18 years) and their parents/caregivers. Due to the cognitive ability of children and adolescents, data were analyzed for children and adolescent separately. The validity of cross‐referenced information between parent and child forms was subsequently examined using Pearson product correlation. The feasibility (percentage of missing values per item) and range of measurement [percentage of minimum (floor effect) and maximum (ceiling effect) possible scores] was calculated for the five QOLCC and the total scale score. The findings of medium to high correlation of the patient/parent responses strongly imply that relevant information might be obtainable through parents when children are unable or unwilling to complete the assessment instrument. Feasibility for the QOLCC was very good. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Depressive symptoms after breast cancer surgery: Relationships with global, cancer‐related, and life event stress
Authors: Golden‐Kreutz Deanna M. , Andersen Barbara L. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractFor women with breast cancer, rates of depression are the third highest of any cancer diagnostic group. Stress, defined as life events or perceptions of stress, is associated with depressive symptoms. However, little is known about the relationships between different types of stress and these symptoms in women with breast cancer. This relationship was tested in 210 women assessed after initial surgical treatment for regional breast cancer. Using Hierarchical Multiple Regression, three types of stress were examined: the occurrence of five stressful life events in the year prior to cancer diagnosis, perceptions of global stress, and perceptions of cancer‐related traumatic stress. Other potentially relevant correlates of depressive symptoms were also examined, including the personality trait neuroticism, sociodemographics, and disease/treatment characteristics. Fifty‐three percent of the variance in depressive symptoms was accounted for by three stress variables (perceptions of global and cancer‐related traumatic stress and the life event‐major financial difficulty) and two control variables (neuroticism and racial group). Specifically, global stress perceptions coupled with cancer‐related intrusive thoughts and financial concerns along with the tendency towards negativity (neuroticism) may conspire to heighten a women's risk for depressive symptoms. Assessing multiple sources of stress would improve our ability to identify women ‘at risk’ for depressive symptoms and provide appropriate intervention. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.