A cross-sectional investigation of acceptance of health information technology: A nationwide survey of community pharmacists in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Health information technologies have become vital to health care services. In that regard, successful use of information technologies in pharmaceutical services is important to manage, control and maintain pharmaceutical transactions, which increase the quality of health care delivery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify influencing factors on pharmacists' acceptance of pharmaceutical service systems. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted employing a research model based on technology acceptance theories. A parsimonious model was developed, and a self-reported questionnaire was distributed online. Community pharmacists participated voluntarily via the website of Turkish Pharmacists' Association. The data was analyzed employing Structural Equation Modeling. RESULTS: From 77 out of 81 cities of Turkey, 2169 community pharmacists participated to the survey with 43% response rate. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, system factors and perceived behavioral control explained 47% of total variance in pharmacists' intention to use the pharmaceutical technology. CONCLUSION: The findings of the research provided insight about relations of influencing factors and practical implications regarding perceived behaviors and system use. Future researchers would benefit from the study design and findings. The study is also valuable for being the first nationwide study conducted on pharmacists about user attitudes toward a technology.

Adipokine, adropin and endothelin-1 levels in intrauterine growth restricted neonates and their mothers.

Intrauterine growth retardation/restriction (IUGR) is associated with fetal malnutrition. It has consequences for later life including increased incidence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and metabolic syndrome. Adipokines (adiponectin and leptin), adropin, and endothelin-1 are associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome regulation. Intrauterine changes in these mediators could affect programming of later adult obesity and metabolic syndrome. Our objectives were to compare the levels of these mediators in both cord and maternal blood between IUGR pregnancies and control, healthy pregnancies, and to study the correlation of adipokines with adropin and endothelin-1 in maternal and cord blood in IUGR pregnancies as well as in healthy control pregnancies. Maternal and cord blood samples were taken from 16 women with IUGR pregnancies and 16 women with healthy pregnancies. Serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, adropin, and endothelin-1 were measured by ELISA. Maternal blood adropin levels were significantly lower in the IUGR group than in the control group; the other mediators did not differ significantly. There was a positive correlation between maternal blood adropin and endothelin levels. (r=0.731, P=0.001) in the control but not the IUGR group. Cord blood adropin and adiponectin levels were significantly lower in the IUGR group compared with the control group, while leptin or endothelin-1 did not differ significantly. There was a negative correlation between adropin and leptin (r=-0.704, P=0.001) in the IUGR but not the control group cord blood. There were also positive correlations between endothelin and adropin for both groups (r=0.594, P=0.006; r=0.560, P=0.010, respectively); to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of such a correlation. Differences in fetal expression of adropin and adiponectin in IUGR could influence programming of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and CVD in later life.