Background/Aims: Although pharmacist intervention for patients with chronic diseases has been shown to improve medication adherence, few studies have evaluated its effects on the objective clinical outcomes. We investigated the impact of pharmacist intervention on medication adherence and clinical outcomes in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: Patients with UC and low medication adherence were divided into two groups, based on pharmacist intervention. Their medication possession ratio and nonadherence rate for 6 months before and after the baseline were investigated. The partial Mayo score, flare-up incidence, and factors influencing flare-up events for 1 year after the baseline were analyzed. Results: Of 99 patients, 33 and 66 were included in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The nonadherence rate significantly declined in the intervention group 6 months after the baseline (60.6% before vs 30.3% after; p=0.013). The groups showed a significant difference regarding time-related partial Mayo scores (p=0.002). Intervention was significantly negatively correlated with time and the partial Mayo score (r2 =0.035, p=0.013). A significant difference was observed in the flare-up incidence (33.3% in the intervention group vs 54.6% in the control group; p=0.046). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that pharmacist intervention (adjusted odds ratio, 0.370; 95% confidence interval, 0.145 to 0.945; p=0.038) independently reduced the flareup risk. Conclusions Pharmacist intervention significantly decreased the nonadherence rate, improved the partial Mayo score, and reduced the flare-up incidence compared with the control group in a cohort of UC patients identified to have low medication adherence.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stress, Psychological* ; Suicide*

PURPOSE: We evaluated the accuracy of 18FFDG PET/CT for the detection of recurrence or metastasis after treatment in patients with primary head and neck cancer, and compared the results with those of CT/MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 34 patients with the diagnosis of head and neck cancer, who underwent treatment and follow up with 18FFDG PET/CT and CT/MRI. The patients were divided into two subgroups based on the difference in follow-up time interval and the type of treatment. Accuracy was evaluated by follow-up information and histopathology findings. The results of the 18FFDG PET/CT and CT/MRI were compared by statistical analysis. RESULTS: For the 18FFDG PET/CT results, 19 FDG uptake lesions were detected in 17 patients. Among these lesions, 18 were confirmed as recurrent or metastatic lesions and one as an inflammatory reaction from radiation therapy. Four lesions that had high FDG uptake were not detected by the CT/MRI. The sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 94.4% for the 18FFDG PET/CT and 77.8% and 94.4% for the CT/MRI (p<0.05). For the subgroup that received radiation therapy, 18FFDG PET/CT was more sensitive than CT/MRI (sensitivity = 100% vs. 63.6%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that 18FFDG PET/CT was a useful screening modality for detecting recurrent or metastatic disease after treatment of patients with head and neck cancer, especially post-radiation.
Diagnosis* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head and Neck Neoplasms* ; Head* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity