• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.86-90
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• 2018

Methallylescaline, 2-(3,5-dimethoxy-4-[(2-methylprop-2-en-1-yl)oxy]phenyl)ethanamine, is a new psychoactive substance with potent agonist of 5-HT receptor, but there is little information on its pharmacological effect, metabolism, and toxicity. It is necessary to characterize the metabolic profiling of methallylescaline in human hepatocytes using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Methallylescaline was metabolized to three hydroxy-methallylescaline (M1-M3) and dihydroxy-methallylescaline (M4) via hydroxylation in human hepatocytes. CYP2D6, CYP2J2, CYP1A2, and CYP3A4 enzymes were responsible for the metabolism of methallylescaline. The metabolites as well as methallylescaline would be used for monitoring the abuse of methallylescaline.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.120-130
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to analyze and to improve therapeutic drug monitoring(TDM) service of vancomycin in a local hospital. Patients with TDM service between September 2005 and December 2008 were included and the data were collected for vancomycin use and components of TDM. During that period, 421 cases of TDM service of vancomycin in 236 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The first dosages of vancomycin were appropriate in 135(57.2%) patients and administration of vancomycin was discontinued in 126(53.4%) patients due to therapeutic failure or adverse drug reaction. MRSA was identified in 191(80.9%) patients and 135(70.7%) samples for the identification were sputum. According to the TDM reports, 232(55.1%) serum samples were obtained at the steady-state conditions and 55.5% of the samples that were drawn before the steady-state was due to the physician's inappropriate knowledge about the steady-state. Based on the time of vancomycin administration, 35.8% of the samples were not obtained at the recommended sampling time. For the patients in general wards, the most common reason for the incorrect samples was routine serum sampling by the laboratory medicine phlebotomists between 6 and 8 a.m. except sunday. In contrast, samples drawn by nurses or physicians at inappropriate time were the most common reason for the incorrect samples with patients in the intensive care units. Physicians accepted 68.5% of the recommendations for vancomycin dosage and administration. In conclusion, TDM service of vancomycin needs to be improved in inappropriate sampling time and vancomycin dosage. For solving these problems, current team made of TDM pharmacists and physicians of laboratory medicine can be expanded to include a physician of infectious diseases, nurses and laboratory medicine phlebotomists as new members. Through the TDM service of vancomycin by the new team, we can settle the problems and make the guideline for the scientific controversies associated with therapeutic monitoring of vancomycin.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1290-1292
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• 2013

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.2535-2538
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• 2013

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2014

Objectives of this study are to investigate transition history of pharmacist license examination in Korea and to compare three suggestions for new examination system proposed by National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board, Korean Association of Pharmacy Education, and Korean Pharmaceutical Association. Future task to help the examination system meet global standard is also discussed. Regulations on the examination system were retrieved from the sources posted in Ministry of Government Legislation homepage. Efforts devoted by the three organizations to make amendment on the regulations were collected from reports, official documents, minutes, and handout materials issued by the organizations. Ministry of Health and Welfare made amendment on the examination system in 2013 by rearranging the existing natural science-based eleven subjects to two subjects along with addition of a new subject named clinical-practical pharmacy. Unfortunately, however, the amendment stipulates that the new subject should include manufacturing and quality control of pharmaceuticals as part of contents in the examination. It is strongly urged that the contents of the examination should focus on professional competency as pharmacist in clinical situation. Future task to make revision on this issue is warranted to help new pharmacist enable to provide pharmaceutical care service to patients.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2014

Objective: The aims of this study are to investigate the total volume of prescribed medicines against Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the trends of usage by analyzing the claims-data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service. Method: The demographic and claims-data were included the major AD treating medicines such as donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine, and analyzed during the period of 2010~2012. The assessing criteria were gender, age, habitation, types of medical institution, code of ingredients, outcomes of treatment, volume and amount of claims, and the numbers of patients with dementias. After trimming the data, it were analyzed by the market size, demographic traits, characteristics of medical service, characteristics of each anti-AD medicine, etc. Results: Among the chosen 4 medicines, donepezil had the top prescription volumes. Most prevalent prescribing preparations of donepezil were conventional types. However, among the non-conventional types, oro-dispersible formulation is the fast increasing one in both volume and growth rate. This specialized preparations to improve both toleration and adherence, tend to being prescribed generally at the tertiary medical institutions. While the younger patients with mild-to-moderate AD mostly treated by expensive medicines in resident at the tertiary hospitals, the rest older patients with severe AD have been treated non-expensive one at long-term care facilities. Conclusion: AD is a chronic illness therefore, long-term use of therapeutic medications are highly important. If an anti-AD treatment was applied steadily in the earlier stages, it would be achieved not only improving the quality of life of patient but also reducing the expenses in the medical and nursing cares. As the socioeconomical impacts of AD is expanding, healthcare professionals need to aware the importance of pharmacotherapy and to improve sociopolitical fundamentals.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2018

Objective: An automated process for medication preparation and dispensing is essential to improve the quality of work. To reduce night pharmacy workload, a new automated dispensing cabinet system was implemented in a hospital emergency medical center. The purpose of this study is to verify that implementation of an automated dispensing cabinet system will influence the efficiency of night pharmacy work. Methods: To evaluate the new system implementation, a retrospective study and survey was performed in the Ewha Womans University medical center. We compared the dispensing and near-miss error rates between the automated dispensing cabinet system and a night pharmacy. The degree of satisfaction of night shift workers with the new system was surveyed. Results: This study showed significantly reduced dispensing rates of night medications (56.1% and 37.3%; p < 0.01) and near-miss night medications (0.27% and 0.17%; p<0.01). Thirty-two persons responded to the survey, and the satisfaction score for the new system was 4.0 (${\pm}0.8$). The scores were high in order of efficiency, management, and convenience. Time requirement was also reduced because of the simple step of only reviewing in the pharmacy with the new system. Conclusion: Due to system implementation, workload was reduced and time was saved for not only night shift workers but also patients receiving emergency discharge medicine. It was suggested that this will have a positive effect on pharmacist medical service and patient safety.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2013

Objective: The study evaluated the impact of pharmacist inventions with the implementation of pharmacistinvolved nutritional support service at neonate intensive care unit in a tertiary teaching hospital. Method: A retrospective and observational study was carried out. The total of 58 infants in neonate intensive care unit was enrolled between January 2011 and October 2012. The pharmacist-involved total parenteral nutritional program was initiated in June of 2012. During the program, pharmacist actively participated in the multidisciplinary round with performing the interventions from reviewing the amount of combined total parenteral nutrition and enteral fluid intakes, the amount of total calories, the glucose infusion rate, and the amounts of proteins per weight in kilogram. The outcome was compared with the results from the control group which reflected the prior period of the program initiation. Result: The number of days of regaining birth weight was significantly shorter (14.5 vs. 19 days, p=0.049) and the percentage of total calorie days with >90 kcal/kg/day was increased significantly (40 vs. 13%, p=0.008) in intervention group compared to the values in control group. In addition, the total mean daily caloric intakes ($84.78{\pm}13.8$ vs. $74.86{\pm}15.36$ kcal/kg/day, p=0.018) was significantly higher in intervention group than those results in control group. There were no significant differences in safety parameters between two groups related to nutritional services of necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, proven sepsis, and also parenteral nutrition-induced hepatotoxicity. Conclusion: Pharmacist-involved total parenteral nutrition managed program was successfully implemented. The outcome showed the improved effectiveness of total parenteral nutrition with pharmacist interventions and no differences in adverse reactions. This could prove the positive effects of pharmacist involvement on nutritional therapy for neonate population.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2022

Background: Medication-related problems (MRPs) frequently occur during the discharge period. Elderly patients, particularly, are at high risk for these problems due to polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications. The purpose of this study was to build and implement collaboration between general hospital and community pharmacies to address MRPs among high-risk elderly patients before/after discharge. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between June and December of 2020. The inclusion criteria were patients with aged ≥65 years; residents of Jeonju; discharged from Jeonbuk National University hospital; either on medication of exceeding 10 medications (or high-risk medications) after hospitalization through the emergency room, or having severe illness. Patients received medication reconciliation and counselling by hospital pharmacists before discharge and home-visit pharmaceutical care as follow-up by community pharmacists after discharge. Results: Twenty-two patients agreed to home-visit pharmaceutical services. Fifteen and 11 patients completed the first and second home-visit pharmaceutical care service, respectively. Forty-two MRPs were identified in 15 patients. The types of high-frequency MRPs were incorrect administration of drug, adverse drug reactions, medication non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, lifestyle modifications, and expired medication disposal. After consultation with the pharmacist, 34 out of 42 MRPs were resolved. Conclusions: Transitional care for high-risk elderly patients before and after discharge was successfully built and implemented through a collaboration between general hospital and community pharmacies. This study suggests that home-visit pharmaceutical services may have positive effects on the safe use of drugs during the transition period; however, additional research is needed to expand on these findings.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.203-207
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• 2008

The present study aimed at assessing the protective effect of water extract from fruit body of the Grifola frondosa (GFW) on carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity. Rats orally administered with GFW 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 g/kg for 14 days were treated with $CCl_4$ to induce hepatotoxicity. Pretreatment with GFW remarkably prevented the elevation of serum AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, $\gamma$-GTP, and liver lipid peroxides in $CCl_4$-treated rat and GFW administration in liver injured rats by $CCl_4$ showed significant (p<0.05) protection of liver as evidenced from normal serum enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In the ultrastructural changes, administration of $CCl_4$-induced damage of hepatocytes with vacuolation, a highly damaged endoplasmic reticulum, and degenerating nuclei. However, pre-administration with GFW preserved normal ultrastructure of hepatocytes. These results suggest that GFW had an effect to inhibit $CCl_4$-induced liver injury in rat, and that it could be used as an effective hepatoprotective agent against chemical-induced liver damage.