Rex W. Force

VULVOVAGINAL CANDIDIASIS: EPIDEMIOLOGIC, DIAGNOSTIC, AND THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS

Although it is the second most common vaginal infection in North America, vulvovaginal candidiasis is a non-notifiable disease and has been excluded from the ranks of sexually transmitted diseases. Not surprisingly, vulvovaginal candidiasis has received scant attention by public health authorities, funding agencies, and researchers. Epidemiologic data on risk factors and pathogenic mechanisms remain inadequately studied. Most important, standards of care, including diagnosis and therapy, remain undefined. A conference was held in April 1996 to define and summarize what is known and supported by scientific data in the areas of epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis; but, more important, the conference aimed at defining what is not known, poorly studied, and controversial. Guidelines for the treatment and diagnosis of the different forms of vulvovaginal candidiasis are suggested.

Intensive Glycemic Control Is Not Associated With Fractures or Falls in the ACCORD Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVE Older adults with type 2 diabetes are at high risk of fractures and falls, but the effect of glycemic control on these outcomes is unknown. To determine the effect of intensive versus standard glycemic control, we assessed fractures and falls as outcomes in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) randomized trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS ACCORD participants were randomized to intensive or standard glycemia strategies, with an achieved median A1C of 6.4 and 7.5%, respectively. In the ACCORD BONE ancillary study, fractures were assessed at 54 of the 77 ACCORD clinical sites that included 7,287 of the 10,251 ACCORD participants. At annual visits, 6,782 participants were asked about falls in the previous year. RESULTS During an average follow-up of 3.8 (SD 1.3) years, 198 of 3,655 participants in the intensive glycemia and 189 of 3,632 participants in the standard glycemia group experienced at least one nonspine fracture. The average rate of first nonspine fracture was 13.9 and 13.3 per 1,000 person-years in the intensive and standard groups, respectively (hazard ratio 1.04 [95% CI 0.86–1.27]). During an average follow-up of 2.0 years, 1,122 of 3,364 intensive- and 1,133 of 3,418 standard-therapy participants reported at least one fall. The average rate of falls was 60.8 and 55.3 per 100 person-years in the intensive and standard glycemia groups, respectively (1.10 [0.84–1.43]). CONCLUSIONS Compared with standard glycemia, intensive glycemia did not increase or decrease fracture or fall risk in ACCORD.

Cardiovascular outcomes using doxazosin vs. chlorthalidone for the treatment of hypertension in older adults with and without glucose disorders: a report from the ALLHAT study.

Insulin resistance underlies most glucose disorders in adults and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Alpha blockers decrease insulin resistance, whereas diuretics increase insulin resistance.

Salivary concentrations of ketoconazole and fluconazole: implications for drug efficacy in oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis.

Objective: To determine whether salivary concentrations of ketoconazole and fluconazole may explain the apparent disparity between in vitro activity and clinical efficacy observed with these drugs. Design: Healthy subjects received a single oral dose of ketoconazole 400 mg or fluconazole 100 mg in a randomized, crossover fashion. Saliva was collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours. Blood samples were obtained at 2 and 24 hours. Salivary concentrations and plasma concentrations for each drug were determined by HPLC. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing was determined in triplicate on 6 clinical isolates of Candida albicans, and times over the median MIC values were calculated. Participants: Eight subjects completed the study. Results: The mean (± SD) peak salivary concentration for ketoconazole was 0.119 ± 0.050 pg/mL at 3 hours; no subject had a detectable ketoconazole salivary concentration at 24 hours. At 2 and 24 hours, mean ketoconazole plasma concentrations were 7.64 ± 3.87 and 0.11 ± 0.05 μg/mL, respectively. The saliva to plasma concentration ratio at 2 hours was 0.01. The mean peak salivary concentration of fluconazole was 2.56 ± 0.34 pg/mL at 3 hours. At 24 hours, the mean salivary concentration was 1.44 ± 0.33 μg/mL. At 2 and 24 hours, mean fluconazole plasma concentrations were 4.39 ± 3.33 and 3.72 ± 2.83 pg/mL, respectively. The saliva to plasma concentration ratio at 2 hours was 0.55. Median MIC values were 0.0625 μg/mL (range 0.0313-0.125) for ketoconazole and 0.25 μg/mL (range 0.125-0.5) for fluconazole. Calculated times over which ketoconazole and fluconazole exceeded the median MICs in saliva were approximately 13 and greater than 24 hours, respectively. Conclusions: After a single oral dose, fluconazole achieved higher salivary concentrations than did ketoconazole. This may explain the increased clinical efficacy of fluconazole in the treatment of oropharyngeal-esophageal candidiasis when compared with ketoconazole.

Effect of Histamine H2-Receptor Antagonists on Vitamin B12 Absorption

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the potential of histamine H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) to cause malabsorption of vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). DATA SOURCES: Pertinent literature was identified via a MEDLINE search. Journals and references cited in published articles also were used as data sources. STUDY SELECTION: Studies evaluating the effect of H2RAs on vitamin B12 absorption were reviewed. DATA SYNTHESIS: H2RAs decrease acid secretion by the gastric parietal cells. Gastric acid and pepsin produced by these cells are required for the cleavage of vitamin B12 from dietary sources. Intrinsic factor (IF), also produced by gastric parietal cells, is required for vitamin B12 absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Although H2RAs have not conclusively been shown to decrease IF secretion, studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in food-bound vitamin B12 absorption secondary to decreased acid secretion in patients taking these drugs. CONCLUSIONS: H2RAs have the potential to cause vitamin B12 deficiency. This may be important in patients with inadequate stores of vitamin B12 (e.g., poor diet), particularly those receiving H2RA therapy continuously for more than two years. Healthcare providers should be aware of this potential adverse effect.

Metformin-Associated Nonketotic Metabolic Acidosis

OBJECTIVE: To document a case of anion gap, nonketotic metabolic acidosis occurring in a patient with acute renal failure who was receiving metformin. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old white man presented with a 9-day history of weakness, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty moving; he had also not eaten during the previous 2 days. The patient had numerous abnormalities on his serum chemistry panel and arterial blood gases, including a pH of 7.1 and an anion gap of 21 mEq/L. No ketones were detected in the urine. The patient was treated with intravenous fluids, sodium bicarbonate, insulin, and hemodialysis. All medications were discontinued. The acidosis resolved shortly after hemodialysis. The hospital course was complicated by the onset of atrial fibrillation occurring on day 2 that did not respond to chemical cardioversion. On day 6 the patient was discharged home with resolving acute renal failure and normal serum pH. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate of biguanide-induced lactic acidosis is approximately 50%; thus, early recognition and treatment are essential. Suspicion of lactic acidosis should be high when diabetic patients who are taking a biguanide present with acidosis. The majority of cases of metformin-induced lactic acidosis have occurred in patients with contraindications to the drug (i.e., renal dysfunction). Thus, it is important to maintain strict adherence to these contraindications and monitor patients for deteriorating renal function.

Barriers and Facilitators to Evidence-based Blood Pressure Control in Community Practice

Introduction: The Electronic Communications and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring trial (e-BP) demonstrated that team care incorporating a pharmacist to manage hypertension using secure E-mail with patients resulted in almost twice the rate of blood pressure (BP) control compared with usual care. To translate e-BP into community practices, we sought to identify contextual barriers and facilitators to implementation. Methods: Interviews were conducted with medical providers, staff, pharmacists, and patients associated with community-based primary care clinics whose physician leaders had expressed interest in implementing e-BP. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative template analysis, incorporating codes derived from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results: Barriers included incorporating an unfamiliar pharmacist into the health care team, lack of information technology resources, and provider resistance to using a single BP management protocol. Facilitators included the interventions perceived potential to improve quality of care, empower patients, and save staff time. Sustainability of the intervention emerged as an overarching theme. Conclusion: A qualitative approach to planning for translation is recommended to gain an understanding of contexts and to collaborate to adapt interventions through iterative, bidirectional information gathering. Interviewees affirmed that web pharmacist care offers small primary care practices a means to expand their workforce and provide patient-centered care. Reproducing e-BP in these practices will be challenging, but our interviewees expressed eagerness to try and were optimistic that a tailored intervention could succeed.

Erythropoietin-induced hypertensive urgency in a patient with chronic renal insufficiency: case report and review of the literature.

Hypertension is a potentially dangerous side effect of erythropoietin treatment; however, extreme elevations in blood pressure are rare. A 75‐year‐old woman with chronic renal insufficiency was treated with subcutaneous erythropoietin. Three weeks before she started receiving erythropoietin, her hematocrit was 27.2%; after 5 weeks of treatment, it rose to 45.7%. The patient came to the emergency department and was admitted with hypertensive urgency. During her hospital stay she was treated with nitroglycerin and nitroprusside infusions, extended‐release nifedipine, a variety of β‐blockers, clonidine, and furosemide. By day 3, her blood pressure was adequately controlled. Her renal insufficiency may have progressed as a result of the hypertensive episode, which probably was related to erythropoietin administration and the resultant rapid increase in her hematocrit. Erythropoietin dosing should be titrated to increase the hematocrit gradually, and blood pressure should be monitored closely to avoid serious side effects such as hypertensive emergencies.

Paradoxical Reduction in HDL-C With Fenofibrate and Thiazolidinedione Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes: The ACCORD Lipid Trial

OBJECTIVE To determine the occurrence of extremely low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) among participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Lipid Trial and to examine the relationship of this finding with treatment with fenofibrate and thiazolidinedione (TZD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The ACCORD Lipid Trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes at 77 clinical centers across the U.S. and Canada in a 5,518-patient subset of the larger 10,251 ACCORD Glycemia Trial. Patients were enrolled from 11 January 2001 to 29 October 2005 and followed until the end of study visits between 1 March and 30 June 2009. Follow-up in the ACCORD Lipid Trial was 4–8 years (mean 4.7 years). Patients were treated with blinded fenofibrate or placebo on a background of simvastatin therapy. The main outcome measures for these descriptive, post hoc analyses was the occurrence of extremely low HDL-C (defined as <25 mg/dL [0.647 mmol/L]) during the trial. RESULTS Among ACCORD Lipid Trial participants, the occurrence of extremely low HDL-C ever during study follow-up was 106% higher among those randomized to fenofibrate (10.1% fenofibrate vs. 4.9% placebo, P < 0.001). The occurrence of low HDL-C was associated with concurrent treatment with fenofibrate and TZD (7.0% for both vs. 2.2% for neither at 48 months postrandomization). CONCLUSIONS Idiosyncratic and marked reduction in HDL-C can occur in some patients treated with both fenofibrate and TZD. Practitioners should recognize this important potential idiosyncratic reaction and take appropriate corrective action.

Psychotic episode after melatonin

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