According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 10 Americans aged 12 and older takes antidepressant medications. The majority of these drugs are metabolized by the body’s highly genetically variable CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 pathways. Response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a commonly prescribed type of antidepressant, may also be affected by variations in … Read More
All that wheezes is not asthma: Doctor uses YouScript to solve puzzling patient case
As cardiopulmonologist Mark Pamer, DO, goes about his day at his South Florida practice, one adage from medical school that sticks in his mind is: “All that wheezes is not asthma.” “[As doctors], we probably all heard that. Did we understand it? You know, probably not,” said Dr. Pamer. “We understood it later on in residency or fellowship or in life.” This adage proved itself during Dr. Pamer’s treatment of a puzzling … Read More
Study: Pharmacogenomic knowledge gaps persist among physicians
More work seems needed to better familiarize physicians with the concept of pharmacogenomic testing, according to the results of a recent study. The study in the August edition of Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine found that just 12.6 percent of the 300 physicians surveyed strongly or somewhat agreed with the question, “How familiar are you with pharmacogenomics?” Study authors Johansen Taber and Dickinson report this study gels with past research on … Read More
Smart medication management key to fall prevention
Falls among the elderly are nothing to take lightly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cite falls as the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among Americans 65 and older. In 2012, 2.4 million nonfatal falls among this age group were treated in emergency departments, and more than 722,000 of these patients were hospitalized. In 2011, about 22,900 members of this demographic died from unintentional fall injuries. Multiple government and nonprofit … Read More
YouScript cumulative interactions feature: Unique in healthcare software
Drug interaction checkers are common to most EHRs and e-prescribing solutions, but while other types of drug-interaction software will alert you about how two medications could potentially interact, they don’t take into account the effects multiple medications combined could have on each other. These cumulative interactions are more likely to be problematic than a single drug-drug interaction because they are more complex and often additive. In these scenarios, the magnitude of the increase or decrease in drug … Read More
FDA warns supplements, meds can be dangerous blend
Mixing medications with dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbal products, can be dangerous, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cautioned. Certain dietary supplements can boost the effects of other medications as well as change how the human body processes medications, according to the FDA, thereby changing the blood levels of that medication. “[Patients] may be getting either … Read More
Genelex named top-10 fastest-growing business in Seattle
A national business magazine has named Genelex the 10th fastest-growing private company in Seattle. In the fifth such listing for Genelex this year, Inc. magazine has included the Seattle-based company at the number 10 spot in its list of the top-10 fastest-growing private companies in Seattle. Genelex is the only healthcare software and genetic testing company included on the list. … Read More
Study: 32 percent of people with cancer have anxiety or other mental health disorder
A recent study has found that just more than 30 percent of people with cancer in Germany also experienced some form of clinically relevant mental health disorder. The article, published earlier this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that 32 percent of people with cancer, or about one in three, had also experienced a clinically meaningful level of … Read More
The Pharmacist’s Corner: What roles can pharmacists play in pharmacogenetics?
By Rachel Sass, PharmD What is your perception of a pharmacist? Someone in a white coat at the local pharmacy who fills your prescriptions, answers your questions and helps you pick out the right over-the-counter medicine? This is how pharmacists have historically been remembered, and while this area of pharmacy is still critical to the field, the pharmacist’s role has … Read More
Genelex named to top 100 fastest-growing businesses list for 2014
For the third time since Genelex was founded, the Seattle-based company leading the way in DNA sensitivity testing to help combat adverse drug events has been named one of Washington’s 100 fastest-growing private companies. The Puget Sound Business Journal has released its list of the state’s fastest-growing companies, and Genelex is included for the second year in a row. The … Read More