Why do fewer than 10% of eligible older adults receive the herpes zoster vaccine?
A secondary report from the Shingles Prevention Study provides evidence that the herpes zoster vaccine is safe and well tolerated in older immunocompetent adults.
In a prospective analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative, postmenopausal women who used proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were found to have a modestly increased risk of clinical spine fractures, forearm or wrist fractures, and total fractures. PPI use was not associated with hip fractures.
Patient Safety Alert
Ongoing Review of Triclosan
• Beginning January 1, 2011, consumers will not be able to purchase nonprescription medications with funds from flexible spending accounts (FSAs) unless the medication is prescribed by a health care provider. The change is included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which was signed into law on March 23.
In a group of 334 Japanese schoolchildren, preventive intake of vitamin D3 supplements (1,200 IU/day) during winter and early spring was found to reduce the incidence of seasonal influenza A.
In a study conducted in eight hospital headache centers in Italy, a protocol for the treatment of medication overuse headache—abrupt discontinuation of the overused medication, accompanied by i.v. fluid replacement, dexamethasone, metoclopramide, and benzodiazepines for 7 to 15 days—was found to be generally effective, safe, and well-tolerated.
What happens after community pharmacists identify patients as having undiagnosed osteoarthritis of the knee?
The largest meta-analysis to date to examine a possible adverse interaction between clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provides no clear answers regarding cardiovascular outcomes and mortality.
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