ScientiaCME Free CME Courses

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition with a diverse group of etiologies and whose common symptoms include discomfort or pain, visual disturbance, tear film instability, and ocular surface inflammation. Compared with those without the condition, patients with DED experience higher rates of loss of work productivity, impaired of daily activities, medical visits, and sleep and mood disorders, and worse emotion well-being and overall quality of life. Although the prevalence of DED varies based on a variety of patient factors, estimates place it as high as 20% of the adult population and more than 34% in the elderly. The aggregate U.S. economic impact is estimated be over $3 billion in direct medical expenses and $55 billion in indirect expenses annually. Nonetheless, DED is both underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: ophthalmology and optometry; physician assistants and nurse practitioners who practice or are interested in ophthalmology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with dry eye.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic blood disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide and approximately 100,000 Americans. Although it may be found in various areas of the world, SCD predominantly affects individuals of African or Hispanic heritage. It is caused by the inheritance of b-globin alleles that code for hemoglobin S, resulting in an amino acid substitution in hemoglobin’s b chain and clinical disease. Patients with SCD have impaired circulation, and lysis of the erythrocytes contributes to a chronic inflammatory response, causing severe pain and less efficient oxygen delivery. The hallmark clinical features of SCD are hemolytic anemia and painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which may lead to emergency department visits, hospitalization, and potentially fatal complications such as acute chest syndrome, stroke, or pneumonia.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with SCD.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a cancer that is borne and takes root in the nephrons. It is responsible for most cancers of the kidney and renal pelvis, which occur in 79,000 people and account for close to 14,000 deaths in the U.S. per year. The five-year survival rate is 93% for patients with early stages of the disease. However, in patients with advanced or metastatic disease, the five-year survival is 14%, representing an area of ongoing clinical need. Treatment selection in advanced, clear cell RCC treatment depends on prognostic scoring and may include mono- or combination therapy with immunotherapy and an antiangiogenic agent, and many of the same agents are used to treat advanced, non-clear cell RCC.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists and urologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in oncology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with RCC.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by fibrosis buildup in the bone marrow, inadequate hematopoiesis, and splenomegaly. MF is a rare form of cancer, with an incidence of about 0.4 per 100,000 person-years in the United States. MF is the most aggressive form of the Philadelphia-negative, BCR-ABL1 chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms, with a five-year mortality rate of 51%. In patients with other comorbidities at the time of or after diagnosis, such as diabetes, hypertension, pulmonary diseases, or obesity, even greater reductions in lifespan can be expected. It has a considerable effect on patient quality of life and is associated not only with feelings of fear, anger, and grief common of an oncologic diagnosis, but also a gradual loss of ability to perform activities of daily living and hobbies. MF imposes a significant financial burden through direct and indirect costs, and patients who are diagnosed at a younger age often become unemployed as the disease progresses.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and oncologists in the community and academic settings; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in oncology; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with MF.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is an immune-mediated response that occurs in recipients of allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). GvHD can be further categorized into acute and chronic cases. Maculopapular rash, follicular erythema, epidermolysis, are common manifestations of acute GvHD, in addition to liver and gastrointestinal dysfunction such as hyperbilirubinemia, nausea, and diarrhea. This activity focuses on chronic GvHD, which has more extensive multi-organ involvement including the liver, eyes, mouth, lungs, skin, genitalia, and gastrointestinal tract.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and oncologists; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who specialize in oncology; and those who otherwise commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with GVHD.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thalassemias are a group of recessively inherited blood disorders characterized by little or no hemoglobin production and chronic anemia of varying severity. Beta-thalassemia (BT) is most commonly found in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African descent. Worldwide, 1.5% of people are BT carriers, with about 40,000 infants born with BT annually. About half of patients with BT are transfusion-dependent, which may significantly impact patient quality of life. BT is caused by a point mutation in the gene encoding hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB), resulting in either lower beta-globin production (termed beta-plus [B⁺]) or the prevention of all beta-globin production (termed beta-zero [B⁰]). Disease severity depends on the extent of hemoglobin β and γ chain imbalance.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in hematology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with beta-thalassemia.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an ultra-rare genetic connective tissue disorder characterized by dysregulated chondrogenesis, with heterotopic ossification (HO) being the most typical feature. The global prevalence of FOP is estimated at 1.43 per million individuals, with a U.S. prevalence of 0.88 per million. FOP develops due to a mutation in the ACVR1 gene encoding the active receptor-like kinase (ALK2), with unique presenting symptoms including great toe malformations and the development of swelling in several areas of the body within the first decade of life.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: pediatricians, pediatric orthopedic surgeons, endocrinologists, and medical geneticists; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who practice in orthopedics, orthopedic surgery, and rheumatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with FOP.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in an estimated five to seven percent of term births and up to 90% of preterm births. The risk for neonatal RDS decreases with increasing gestational age,  such that at a gestational age of 37 weeks, the risk has fallen to just three times that of a full-term infant. In addition to premature birth, risk factors for neonatal RDS include maternal gestational diabetes, male sex, multiparity, abnormal fetoplacental circulation, fetal distress, Cesarean delivery, and low birth weight. The ability for the clinician to recognize neonatal RDS is a documented practice gap, and failure to do so is associated with mortality and complications that may include respiratory failure in the short-term and chronic lung disease in the long-term.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: neonatologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in neonatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with neonatal RDS.  

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in an estimated five to seven percent of term births and up to 90% of preterm births. The risk for neonatal RDS decreases with increasing gestational age,  such that at a gestational age of 37 weeks, the risk has fallen to just three times that of a full-term infant. In addition to premature birth, risk factors for neonatal RDS include maternal gestational diabetes, male sex, multiparity, abnormal fetoplacental circulation, fetal distress, Cesarean delivery, and low birth weight. The ability for the clinician to recognize neonatal RDS is a documented practice gap, and failure to do so is associated with mortality and complications that may include respiratory failure in the short-term and chronic lung disease in the long-term.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: neonatologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in neonatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with neonatal RDS.  

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder characterized by dysregulated hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH), usually caused by a GH-secreting, pituitary adenoma and leading to an overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Estimated at between 40 and 240 people per million, is not as high as other endocrine disorders, acromegaly has a significant impact on patient quality of life. Approximately 25 percent of people with acromegaly have elevated blood pressure, and 50 percent have evidence of insulin resistance, putting them at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in future. The mortality rates of acromegaly patients are three times higher than the general population, with most dying from respiratory or cardiac complications.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: endocrinologists and primary care providers; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who specialize in endocrinology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with acromegaly.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a relatively rare, aggressive cancer that most commonly affects the pleural space (81%) in cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), followed by the peritoneum (9%). Over 80% of MPM patients and 33% of patients with peritoneal MM have a documented prior exposure to asbestos or related minerals. It is thought that the inhaled asbestos fibers interact with mesothelial and inflammatory cells, leading to repeatedly prolonged cell cycles and direct DNA damage. There are three distinct histologic subtypes of MPM, but determining subtypes requires expert assessment and suitable biopsies that are not always available, which may lead to delays in the start of treatment.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists and pulmonologists; physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in oncology; and other clinicians who are involved in providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with malignant mesothelioma.