Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Elizabeth E. Krans
Summary: The opioid crisis in the United States has had significant impacts on pregnant individuals and their children. The rate of opioid-related diagnoses during pregnancy has been consistently rising across all states and demographic groups, and overdose has become a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Treatment with medications like methadone and buprenorphine is recommended to reduce the risks of overdose and preterm birth for pregnant individuals with opioid use disorder.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Leslie W. Young, Songthip T. Ounpraseuth, Stephanie L. Merhar, Zhuopei Hu, Alan E. Simon, Andrew A. Bremer, Jeannette Y. Lee, Abhik Das, Margaret M. Crawford, Rachel G. Greenberg, P. Brian Smith, Brenda B. Poindexter, Rosemary D. Higgins, Michele C. Walsh, Ward Rice, David A. Paul, Jessie R. Maxwell, Sucheta Telang, Camille M. Fung, Tanner Wright, Anne Marie Reynolds, Devon W. Hahn, Julie Ross, Jennifer M. McAllister, Moira Crowley, Sophie K. Shaikh, Karen M. Puopolo, Lori Christ, Jaime Brown, Julie Riccio, Kara Wong Ramsey, Erica F. Braswell, Lauren Tucker, Karen R. McAlmon, Krishna Dummula, Julie Weiner, Jessica R. White, Meghan P. Howell, Sarah Newman, Jessica N. Snowden, Lori A. Devlin
Summary: A study conducted at 26 hospitals in the United States found that the use of the "Eat, Sleep, Console" care approach significantly reduced the time until infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome were medically ready for discharge, without increasing specified adverse outcomes.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Daina B. Esposito, Krista F. Huybrechts, Martha M. Werler, Loreen Straub, Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, Helen Mogun, Brian T. Bateman
Summary: This study compared the risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) among neonates exposed to different types of opioids during the last 3 months of pregnancy, finding that strong agonists with long half-lives were associated with a higher risk of NOWS. This information can help healthcare providers make informed decisions when prescribing opioids for pain management in late pregnancy.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Brian Brocato, David Lewis, Fabien Eyal, Susan Baker, Casey Armistead, Alan David Kaye, Elyse M. Cornett, Richard M. Whitehurst
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the impact of a prenatal education program for opioid-dependent women on breastfeeding frequency, newborn hospital length of stay, and cost of care. The results showed that prenatal NAS education significantly increased breastfeeding initiation rates and decreased newborn length of stay.
ADVANCES IN THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Stephanie L. Merhar, Songthip Ounpraseuth, Lori A. Devlin, Brenda B. Poindexter, Leslie W. Young, Sean D. Berkey, Moira Crowley, Adam J. Czynski, Autumn S. Kiefer, Bonny L. Whalen, Abhik Das, Janell F. Fuller, Rosemary D. Higgins, Vaishali Thombre, Barry M. Lester, P. Brian Smith, Sarah Newman, Pablo J. Sanchez, M. Cody Smith, Alan E. Simon
Summary: A retrospective cohort study evaluated the outcomes of infants receiving secondary therapy with phenobarbital or clonidine for treatment of NOWS, in comparison to morphine treatment. Infants treated with phenobarbital had shorter hospital stays and durations of morphine treatment compared to clonidine-treated infants, with higher rates of continued medication use upon discharge.
Review
Pediatrics
Mohammad Y. Bader, Nahla Zaghloul, Ashley Repholz, Nadia Nagy, Mohamed N. Ahmed, Leslie Thompson, Ranjit I. Kylat
Summary: The addition of clonidine to morphine sulfate in the treatment algorithm for neonatal abstinence syndrome significantly reduced the cumulative and duration of exposure to morphine sulfate, compared to morphine monotherapy, leading to a decrease in hospital stay duration.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Ashley Stark, P. Brian Smith, Christoph P. Hornik, Kanecia O. Zimmerman, Chi D. Hornik, Sidart Pradeep, Reese H. Clark, Daniel K. Benjamin, Matthew Laughon, Rachel G. Greenberg
Summary: This study examined medication prescribing patterns in US neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from 2010 to 2018. The results showed that there were significant changes in medication use over time, with some medications experiencing a relative increase in use while others experienced a relative decrease.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Daniel Smolyak, Elizabeth M. Humphries, Abhinav Parikh, Mathangi Gopalakrishnan, Fulden Aycan, Margret Bjarnadottir, Seth A. Ament, Dina El-Metwally, Amber Beitelshees, Ritu Agarwal
Summary: Morphine treatment for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome has variable effectiveness. This study used early FNASS scores, PRS, and drug exposure to predict treatment response. The results showed meaningful connections between early FNASS scores and PRS, as well as between both of those and later in-hospital outcomes.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Yi Wang, Lawrence Berger, Christine Durrance, Russell S. Kirby, Daphne Kuo, Jessica Pac, Deborah B. Ehrenthal
Summary: Prenatal exposure to prescription opioid analgesics is associated with the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), particularly when exposure lasts for more than 30 days and occurs in the late stages of pregnancy (third trimester).
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Rena Eudy-Byrne, Nicole Zane, Susan C. Adeniyi-Jones, Marc R. Gastonguay, Ana Ruiz-Garcia, Gagan Kaushal, Walter K. Kraft
Summary: Sublingual buprenorphine had better treatment outcomes in infants with NOWS compared to oral morphine. Increasing the rate of medication titration can shorten stabilization and weaning times, while the starting dose has minimal impact on stabilization time and weaning and cessation times are dose-dependent.
CTS-CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthijs W. van Hoogdalem, Brooks T. McPhail, David Hahn, Scott L. Wexelblatt, Henry T. Akinbi, Alexander A. Vinks, Tomoyuki Mizuno
Summary: Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) often occurs in infants born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy. The pharmacological treatments for NOWS exhibit substantial variability in pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD), with current treatments largely relying on empirical treatment of patient symptoms. Further research on the PK/PD relationship of medications used in the treatment of NOWS is needed.
EXPERT OPINION ON DRUG METABOLISM & TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Anna E. Austin, Vito Di Bona, Mary E. Cox, Scott K. Proescholdbell, Rebecca B. Naumann
Summary: This study aims to compare the mortality rate and causes of mortality among infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, taking into account whether their mothers received medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy. The results show that infants of mothers who did not receive medication for opioid use disorder had a higher mortality rate, primarily due to sudden unexpected infant death syndrome. This highlights the importance of assessing potential differences in outcomes according to whether infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome were exposed to medication for opioid use disorder, and calls for equitable access to medication and support services during pregnancy.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Michael W. Kuzniewicz, Cynthia Campbell, Sherian Li, Eileen M. Walsh, Lisa A. Croen, Sandra D. Comer, Samuel D. Pimentel, Monique Hedderson, Lena S. Sun
Summary: This study found that diagnostic codes have low accuracy in identifying Prenatal Opioid Exposure (POE) and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). Improving case identification would involve including pharmacy and laboratory results, as well as clearly defining criteria for evidence of withdrawal.
JOURNAL OF PERINATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Elizabeth Yen, Nathan Gaddis, Lauren Jantzie, Jonathan M. Davis
Summary: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a challenging condition to diagnose, predict, and manage due to its highly variable expression. Biomarker discovery in NAS is crucial for risk stratification, resource allocation, longitudinal outcome monitoring, and development of novel therapeutics. Genetic and epigenetic changes have been associated with NAS severity and outcome, indicating their potential importance in medical decision making, research efforts, and public policy. Novel research efforts using polygenic risk scores and salivary gene expression are being explored to understand neurobehavioral modulation in NAS. Emerging research on neuroinflammation from prenatal opioid exposure may lead to the development of future therapeutics.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Leslie W. Young, Zhuopei Hu, Robert D. Annett, Abhik Das, Janell F. Fuller, Rosemary D. Higgins, Barry M. Lester, Stephanie L. Merhar, Alan E. Simon, Songthip Ounpraseuth, P. Brian Smith, Margaret M. Crawford, Andrew M. Atz, Lesley E. Cottrell, Adam J. Czynski, Sarah Newman, David A. Paul, Pablo J. Sanchez, Erin O. Semmens, Cody Smith, Christine B. Turley, Bonny L. Whalen, Brenda B. Poindexter, Jessica N. Snowden, Lori A. Devlin
Summary: The study found significant variations in various parameters of treatment for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) across different healthcare institutions, including prenatal care, medication treatment, toxicology screening, and post-discharge care.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hazel Hummels, Daphne Bertholee, Douwe van der Meer, Jan Pieter Smit, Bob Wilffert, Peter ter Horst
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2016)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Johannes J. van Wattum, Thomas M. Leferink, Bob Wilffert, Peter G. J. ter Horst
BASIC & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
(2019)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elise J. Smolders, Peter J. G. ter Horst, Sharon Wolters, David M. Burger
CLINICAL PHARMACOKINETICS
(2019)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Anne Henrieke Tavenier, Renicus Suffridus Hermanides, Jan Paul Ottervanger, Peter Gerrit Johannes Ter Horst, Elvin Kedhi, Adriaan W. J. van't Hof
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Daphne den Besten-Bertholee, Douwe Hedzer van der Meer, Peter Gerrit Johannes ter Horst
BREASTFEEDING MEDICINE
(2019)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elise J. Smolders, Anouk M. E. Jansen, Peter G. J. ter Horst, Juergen Rockstroh, David J. Back, David M. Burger
CLINICAL PHARMACOKINETICS
(2019)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Peter ter Horst, Elise J. Smolders, Daphne den Besten
BREASTFEEDING MEDICINE
(2020)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Inge J. Arfman, Elisabeth A. Wammes-van der Heijden, Peter G. J. ter Horst, Danielle A. Lambrechts, Ilse Wegner, Daan J. Touw
CLINICAL PHARMACOKINETICS
(2020)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elise Joelle Smolders, Guillemette Emma Benoist, Chloe Corrie Hans Smit, Peter ter Horst
Summary: Extravasation refers to the leakage of intravenously administered solution into surrounding tissues, causing serious damage to patients. The impact of extravasation is determined by its location, volume, and the physicochemical properties of drugs. Pharmacists play a crucial role in managing extravasation by considering osmolality, pH, pKa, and buffering capacity of drugs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL PHARMACY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Kelly L. Niggebrugge-Mentink, Marieke M. Beex-Oosterhuis, Peter G. J. ter Horst, Matthijs E. C. van de Poll, Hetty G. Dieleman, Charlotte van Kesteren
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY AND THERAPEUTICS
(2020)
Article
Psychiatry
E. A. Damer, M. A. Edens, M. L. M. van der Loos, J. van Esenkbrink, I Bunkers, E. N. van Roon, P. G. J. ter Horst
Summary: The study found that continuing exposure to MPD during pregnancy was associated with neonatal birth weight, but lost significance after adjusting for covariates. There were no significant differences in Apgar scores and congenital malformations between neonates exposed and unexposed to MPD.
GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Meike Schelhaas, Ilse Wegner, Mireille Edens, Elisabeth Wammes-Van der Heijden, Daniel Touw, Peter Ter Horst
Summary: This study found that the concentration/dose ratio of levetiracetam decreases during pregnancy, but there is still a new target concentration range that is relatively safe. For patients who have had seizures within one year before pregnancy, the decrease in levetiracetam concentration is significantly correlated with seizure frequency deterioration.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hennique Knobbe, Elvera A. A. Damer, Mireille A. A. Edens, Bas S. W. A. Nij Bijvank, Marieke A. C. Hemels, Peter G. J. ter Horst
Summary: This study aimed to compare the gestational age of neonates exposed to benzodiazepines (BDZs) with nonexposed controls. The results showed that BDZ exposure was not associated with a lower gestational age. However, women in the exposed group had a higher risk of prolonged psychiatric care.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Economics
Job F. H. Eijsink, Mohamed N. M. T. Al Khayat, Cornelis Boersma, Peter G. J. ter Horst, Jan C. Wilschut, Maarten J. Postma
Summary: The study evaluated the public health and economic impact of HCV screening and treatment among pregnant women in the Netherlands, finding that universal screening is cost-effective in reducing the burden of disease. However, considering the budget impact of the intervention, it may be reasonable to target specific risk groups for screening.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elise J. Smolders, Pleun S. van Egmond, Joan Doornebal, Harry Naber, Peter G. J. ter Horst, Sabine H. A. Diepeveen
DRUGS & THERAPY PERSPECTIVES
(2019)
