Brian Lund

Rate of inpatient weight restoration predicts outcome in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVEnTo examine weight restoration parameters during inpatient treatment as predictors of outcome in anorexia nervosa (AN).nnnMETHODnAdolescent and adult females admitted for inpatient eating disorder treatment were recruited for an ongoing longitudinal study. This analysis examined several weight restoration parameters as predictors of clinical deterioration after discharge among participants with AN.nnnRESULTSnRate of weight gain was the only restoration parameter that predicted year 1 outcome. Clinical deterioration occurred significantly less often among participants who gained >or=0.8 kg/week (12/41, 29%) than those below this threshold (20/38, 53%) (chi(2) = 4.37, df = 1, p = .037) and remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders.nnnDISCUSSIONnWeight gain rate during inpatient treatment for AN was a significant predictor of short-term clinical outcome after discharge. It is unclear whether weight gain rate exerts a causal effect or is rather a marker for readiness to tolerate weight restoration and engage in the recovery process.

Renewed Interest in Chlorthalidone: Evidence From the Veterans Health Administration

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich).

Development of a computer algorithm for defining an active drug list using an automated pharmacy database

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEnIncreasingly, pharmacy databases are being used to assist in evaluating the appropriateness of drug therapy. Such determinations often require the creation of a drug regimen at a particular point in time. The objective of this study was to develop a computer algorithm for defining a cross-sectional active drug list.nnnMETHODSnElectronic pharmacy data were obtained as part of the Iowa Medicaid Pharmaceutical Case Management Program. The active drug lists generated by the computer algorithm were compared with active drug lists generated by independent pharmacist review of the pharmacy refill data.nnnRESULTSnIn a sample of 25 patients who received 379 potentially active medications, the interrater reliability between pharmacist reviewers was excellent (kappa=0.94). In a second sample of 100 patients who received 1476 potentially active medications, the computer algorithm had a sensitivity of 93.8% and specificity of 91.7%, using pharmacist review as the comparison standard.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe computer algorithm was found to be a valid method of processing electronic pharmacy data to yield a characterization of drug exposure at a point in time. The potential benefits and limitations of using this approach are discussed.

The Comparative Effectiveness of Hydrochlorothiazide and Chlorthalidone in an Observational Cohort of Veterans

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012; 14:623–629.

Different effects of valence neutrons on the isospin character of transitions to the first 2+ and 3− states of 90,92,94,96Zr

Abstract We have used the 90,92,94,96 Zr( 6 Li, 6 Li) reaction at E = 70 MeV to deduce the ratio of M n M p for transitions to the first 2 + and 3 − excited states. For the first 2 + state, we find M n M p increases from less than N Z to greater than N Z going from 90 Zr to 96 Zr. However, for the 3 − state we find that M n M p is significantly smaller than N Z for all four isotopes, a result which is in sharp disagreement with previous work. We find that our measured values of M n M p are well reproduced by random-phase-approximation calculations including pairing.