Resolving the Egg and Cholesterol Intake Controversy: New Clinical Insights Into Cholesterol Regulation by the Liver and Intestine.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death. Achieving American Heart Association low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol treatment goals is very difficult for many patients. The importance of a low cholesterol diet is controversial and not emphasized by most physicians. Of critical importance is determining whether each individual is a "hyper- or hypo-absorber" of dietary cholesterol. Furthermore, the quantity of each individual's baseline daily dietary cholesterol and saturated fat intake is important in assessing the effect of added egg yolk cholesterol and saturated fat on blood LDL cholesterol. METHODS: Gut cholesterol is absorbed via a specific enteric receptor (the Niemann- Pick-like receptor). Dietary cholesterol contributes one fourth of the absorbed cholesterol, while the remaining gut cholesterol is derived from secreted bile cholesterol. This dietary quantity of cholesterol is significant when other determinants are constant. For some individuals, dietary cholesterol has no adverse effects and in others, a significant elevation in blood LDL cholesterol may occur. RESULTS: There are no readily available blood tests to determine the effect of egg yolk cholesterol and saturated fat on an individual's plasma LDL cholesterol. However, a one month trial of a low cholesterol and saturated fat diet will provide the needed information to make clinical decisions. CONCLUSION: This article delineates the mechanisms that are altered by genetic and environmental factors that determine the net effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on circulating LDL cholesterol. It then makes a practical clinical recommendation based on these mechanisms.

Clinical Impact of a Rapid Streptococcal Antigen Test on Antibiotic Use in Adult Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Adult pharyngitis is rarely attributable to group A streptococci. Utilization of a rapid streptococcal antigen test (RADT) may improve appropriate prescribing for bacterial pharyngitis. METHODS: Clinic 1 performed RADTs with subsequent Group A DNA probe test (GADNA) from November 2014-March 2015 and November 2015-March 2016 while Clinic 2 was the control clinic, then implemented the RADT with a GADNA from November 2015-March 2016. All GADNA results were obtained for each clinic from October 2013-March 2016. RESULTS: At Clinic 1, 22.2% versus 8.5% of patients received inappropriately prescribed antibiotics for a GADNA or RADT result, respectively (p=0.048). For Clinic 2, 51.1% compared to 21.4% of patients were inappropriately prescribed antibiotic for a GADNA or RADT result, respectively (p=0.038). Overall, the total GADNA without RADT testing or RADTs with subsequent GADNA testing, 41.6% versus 11% of patients were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics, respectively (p=<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Utilizing the RADT prevented unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics in adults.

Carotid intima-media thickness determined vascular age and the Framingham Risk Score.

We examined carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT)-determined vascular age on the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and the Framingham Heart Age in patients of diverse ethnic origin without a history of diabetes or established cardiovascular disease. In this cross-sectional study, 2291 men and women had CIMT obtained by high resolution B-mode ultrasound in a routine examination between August 1, 2000 and October 1, 2001. We randomly split the population into a training subset (n = 1114) and an analysis subset (n = 1177) using the training subset to regress the average CIMT for each individual on chronologic age. We compared the FRS using CIMT-determined vascular age versus chronologic age in the analysis subset. On average, CIMT-determined vascular age was less than chronologic age, which was less than FRS-heart age in all gender and ethnic groups. For estimated 10-year cardiovascular-disease risk among non-Hispanic whites, only 45.5% of male and 55.6% of female patients were concordant for both measures, and simple Kappa values were low (0.28 for males, 0.32 for females). Among non-Hispanic whites, 40.7% of males and 32.1% of females had greater risk using chronologic age rather than when using CIMT-determined vascular age. Conversely, 13.8% of males and 12.3% of females had a greater risk using CIMT-determined vascular age rather than when using chronologic age. A similar pattern was noted in the other ethnic groups. Our results suggest that CIMT may be very useful in improving risk discrimination in the FRS, and that substituting CIMT-determined vascular age may improve individual cardiovascular risk prediction.

A cross-sectional study of intima-media thickness, ethnicity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk in 2268 study participants.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between intima-media thickness (IMT) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to examine if the addition of IMT to a traditional MetS definition adds value to the assessment of predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a large multiethnic population. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, carotid IMT was measured in 2268 men and women as part of a wellness physical examination between August 1, 2000, and October 1, 2001. The wellness examination included a fasting lipid panel, physical examination, and medical history. Mean IMT was described by sex, ethnicity, and the MetS. Predicted risk for CVD was determined with IMT as a component of the diagnostic criteria for MetS. RESULTS: Intima-media thickness increased with each additional component of the MetS, increasing from 0.516 mm for 0 components to 0.688 mm for 4 or more components (P<.001). In each ethnic group (non-Hispanic whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians), those with the MetS had higher mean IMT (increased by 0.084 mm to 0.134 mm) than those without MetS. The addition of IMT as a "new" component in the diagnosis of MetS allowed us to identify 78 (3.4%) participants who were not previously diagnosed as having MetS but who had a high 10-year estimated risk of MetS as measured by the Framingham risk score (11.67%). CONCLUSION: The addition of IMT to the traditional criteria for the diagnosis of the MetS may help identify individuals who otherwise would not have been identified to be at high risk of CVD.

Provision of pain management by a pharmacist with prescribing authority.

PURPOSE: The clinical and financial outcomes of a pain clinic managed by a pharmacist with prescribing authority are described. SUMMARY: Pharmacist clinicians in a for-profit, integrated health system recently received permission to bill for their services in certain ambulatory clinics. A pharmacist clinician, who had an individual Drug Enforcement Administration number and whose services are billable under New Mexico law, was chosen to assume the medication management responsibilities in a clinic where 90% of the patient population is treated for chronic non-cancer-related pain. No additional personnel were needed, and no additional space was required, eliminating overhead for the space and utilities needed for operating a new clinic. With the ability to bill for the pharmacist clinician's services, a new model for justification of clinical pharmacy services was developed for the ambulatory care clinics. The revenue generated was tracked by a medical billing system, and clinical outcomes were tracked using the clinic's database for patients' individual visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores. Between June 2004 and June 2005, an average of 18 patients were seen by the pharmacist clinician each day. The clinic generated 107,550 dollars of actual revenue and saved the health plan over 450,000 dollars. There was a consistent decrease in mean VAS pain scores with continued visits. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic non-cancer-related pain were managed effectively by a pharmacist with prescribing authority and refill authorization in a pain management clinic. The favorable clinical outcomes, revenue generated, and cost savings achieved justified the pharmacist clinician's services in this health system.