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A combination immunotherapy of interleukin-21 (IL-21) and interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) in combination with antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective in generating highly functional natural killer (NK) cells that can help control and reduce simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in animal models.

Smart agent systems designed to automate insulin dose selection for critically ill patients could potentially optimize the safety and efficiency of insulin infusion practices in intensive care unit settings, according to a study published in BMJ Quality & Safety.

Pharmacy Times® spoke with Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM, practicing health care provider, and associate vice president for clinical resources at Vizient, about vaccine hesitancy among health care workers.

Digital tools can help pharmacists and other health care providers ensure effective and safe drug use.

As accessible health care providers with links to all facets of the health care system, pharmacists are perfectly positioned to organize COVID-19 vaccine distribution in their communities.

If half of the US population is vaccinated by the summer rather than the fall, 5.8 million cases of COVID-19 could be prevented.

The study authors sought to examine prescription drug and health care use after SARS-CoV-2 infection not requiring hospital admission.

The incidence of colorectal cancer in adults between the ages of 40 and 49 years has increased by nearly 15% since 2000.

Exercise, nutrition, sleep, and supplements can help slow cognitive decline in older individuals.

The trial found positive results in both the overall study population of patients with advanced cervical cancer as well as subgroups with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

The findings contrast with those for adult BMI, which indicate that women who gain weight after menopause have an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

The durvalumab plus chemotherapy arm demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in PFS versus chemotherapy in the previous analysis, but the OS trend observed in this analysis did not achieve statistical significance.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' (ASHP) Pharmacy Residency Match program continued its growth trend with nearly 5500 pharmacy students and residents paired with residency positions in 2021.

As breast cancer becomes an increasingly treatable disease, clinicians should provide personalized follow-up care to address varying burdens of symptoms up to 5 years after diagnosis.

Finding the right medication or drug combination for individual patients is critical.

High engagement and collaboration between health systems and health plans is essential to implementing value-based models, according to a session at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance 2021 Annual Conference.

Policy changes impacting the star ratings for 2022 include additional flexibility provided during the COVID-19 pandemic and a revised Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances policy.

The KEYNOTE-522 trial met its dual primary endpoints of pathologic complete response and event-free survival, showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in EFS compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone.

Slightly less than 1% of the pregnant patients died from COVID-19 compared to 3.5% of nonpregnant patients, according to the study findings.

The implementation of multi-gene panel testing may be a necessary part of the standard of care for all colorectal cancer patients.

Pharmacy Times® interviewed the CEO of US Pharmacopeia (USP) Ronald Piervincenzi, PhD, to discuss USP’s history, the role of the pharmacist both in that history and in USP’s work today, and USP’s outlook on the future of pharmacy.

Seeing the vital role of pharmacists during the pandemic has solidified many students' desire to join the profession.

Nasir Iqbal, PharmD, Rphl, the director of pharmacy at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, discusses the COVID-19 vaccine rollout at the Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx.

Pharmacy practice is becoming more integrated into the health system and features more collaborative practice opportunities.

Further integration with care teams and using data to demonstrate the value of pharmacists will be essential to maintaining the momentum created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ed Zacharias, a managing partner of the Boston office at McDermott Will & Emery and a partner in the health industry advisory group, discusses the intersection of telemedicine and cybersecurity, specifically in relation to ransomware attacks.

Approximately 450,000 cases of Clostridioides difficile infection occur each year in the United States and approximately 25% of patients treated for an initial episode will experience recurrence.

The researchers analyzed health outcomes in 283 heart attack survivors between 18 and 61 years of age, with an average age of 51 years.

According to the authors, increased arterial stiffness was found in young adults, which may impact heart health.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Melissa Santibañez, PharmD, BCCCP, assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and critical care clinical pharmacist at Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, Florida, discusses the value of a pharmacist on a patient care team.