examined on admission to acute neurological and neurosurgical wards. There were 115 right-handers, seven left-handers and four for whom handedness was unknown.A diagnosis was established with the aid of appropriate investigations and surgery when indicated; investigations included computed tomography (CT scan), carotid angiography, myelography, electrophysiological studies and relevant haemotological, biochemical and bacteriological tests.

Renal impairment (RI) is known to influence the pharmacokinetics of nonrenally eliminated drugs, although the mechanism and clinical impact is poorly understood. We assessed the impact of RI and single dose oral rifampin (RIF) on the pharmacokinetics of CYP3A, OATP1B, P‐gp, and BCRP substrates using a microdose cocktail and OATP1B endogenous biomarkers. RI alone had no impact on midazolam (MDZ), maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), and area under the curve (AUC), but a progressive increase in AUC with RI severity for dabigatran (DABI), and up to ~2‐fold higher AUC for pitavastatin (PTV), rosuvastatin (RSV), and atorvastatin (ATV) for all degrees of RI was observed. RIF did not impact MDZ, had a progressively smaller DABI drug‐drug interaction (DDI) with increasing RI severity, a similar 3.1‐fold to 4.4‐fold increase in PTV and RSV AUC in healthy volunteers and patients with RI, and a diminishing DDI with RI severity from 6.1‐fold to 4.7‐fold for ATV. Endogenous biomarkers of OATP1B (bilirubin, coproporphyrin I/III, and sulfated bile salts) were generally not impacted by RI, and RIF effects on these biomarkers in RI were comparable or larger than those in healthy volunteers. The lack of a trend with RI severity of PTV and several OATP1B biomarkers, suggests that mechanisms beyond RI directly impacting OATP1B activity could also be considered. The DABI, RSV, and ATV data suggest an impact of RI on intestinal P‐gp, and potentially BCRP activity. Therefore, DDI data from healthy volunteers may represent a worst‐case scenario for clinically derisking P‐gp and BCRP substrates in the setting of RI.

Background Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder that presents with physical symptoms that can negatively impact numerous areas of one’s life, including occupational and psychological functioning, with decreased quality of life compared to a normative population. The purpose of the current study was to explore differences in the impact of psychological factors (anxiety and depression), quality of life and employment hope on barriers to successful employment between those with NF1 and matched controls. Methods A total of 212 individuals were stratified into two groups (NF1 and matched controls) using a cross-sectional design that collected a one-time response. Results A mediation analysis in which total barriers to successful employment on the differences between groups with quality of life, anxiety and depression as the mediators, and levels of employment hope as the co-variates were examined. The results confirmed a direct (.001) and indirect (< .001) relationship between barriers to successful employment with NF1 to matched controls, and with quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Conclusions The current findings indicate that the barriers to successful employment for individuals with NF1 impact their quality of life, anxiety, and depression more than that of the matched controls. Poorer barriers of employment observed amongst people with a genetic disease can impact mental health and quality of life.

Approximately 1.1 million veterans meet criteria for substance use disorders (SUDs) with 1 in 4 struggling with illicit drugs, 4 in 5 struggling with alcohol use, and 1 in 13 struggling with both. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of SUDs on closure status (exiting with employment, did not exit with employment) for veterans served in a Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration (VHA) vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. Data (N = 2,620) from a VHA VR program in the Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 network were obtained for the purpose of the present study and consisted of veterans enrolled from 2012 to 2018. Findings showed that veterans without SUDs were more likely to exit with employment, and veterans enrolled in transitional work and community-based employment were more likely to exit with employment compared to those within supported employment (SE). Given that SE helps to serve veterans with the most severe psychological or medical conditions (e.g., active psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury), findings suggest veterans are more successful with less serious mental health conditions.

No abstract