ScientiaCME Free CME Courses

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thalassemias belong to a group of recessively inherited blood disorders characterized by little or no hemoglobin production and chronic anemia of varying severity. Alpha-thalassemia (AT) is most commonly found in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African descent. Worldwide, 5% of people are AT carriers, with a much higher prevalence in certain regions (eg, up to 23% in Southeast Asia). AT is typically caused by deletions of one or more α-globin genes, of which there are 4 in total, leading to reduced or abolished α-globin production; nondeletional forms of AT can also occur and are generally more severe. The loss of functional α-globin disrupts the globin chain equilibrium, leading to excess γ- and β-globin chain formation and causing ineffective erythropoiesis.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: 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 AT.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Gastric cancer (GC) accounts for over 26,000 new cases and 11,000 related deaths in the U.S. annually, and while malignancies of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (GEJC) are associated with 19,000 and 15,000, respectively. GEJ tumors clinically more often resemble gastric than esophageal cancers, and GEJ cancers are often included in studies of GC. Adenocarcinomas represent more than 95% of gastric cancers and around 75% of esophageal cancers in the US. Staging of GC & GEJC depends on the tumor’s histopathology, location, and degree of spread, and 36% of patients in the U.S. are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease because the signs and symptoms are often initially clinically silent for most of the disease course, and missed opportunities for identification are not uncommon. The prognosis of GC & GEJC is poor: the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of GC is 32%, with the five-year OS rate of patients with advanced disease is six percent.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: Medical oncologists; physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in oncology; and any other clinicians involved or interested in the treatment of GC & GEJC.

At the conclusion of By the end of Treatment strategies in Gaucher disease, you will be able to:

• Describe the importance of appropriate GD (Gaucher Disease) diagnosis and treatment (use • for bullets)
• Determine the likelihood of GD using with established diagnosis methods, given a patient case
• Describe present therapies for the treatment of GD and the literature supporting their use
• Design a medical plan to treat a patient with GD, taking into account presently available therapies

Target Audience:

Physicians focusing on Cardiology, genetic disorders, hematology, oncology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, neurology and pediatrics.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is an ultrarare genetic disease characterized by the buildup of chylomicrons – the largest lipoprotein – as a result of loss of function of one of five genes responsible for lipolysis. Its estimated prevalence is one in one million people and affects patients of all ages. The clinical presentation of FCS varies but includes patients with triglyceride (TG) levels over 10 times and up to a hundred-fold times the upper limit of normal. Complications include eruptive xanthomas on the trunk and extremities, lipemia retinalis, recurrent abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, fatigue, cognitive disorientation, organ failure, necrosis, and pancreatitis, the latter of which is associated with a five- to 30-percent mortality rate in patients affected by FCS. Unfortunately, due in part to the rarity of the condition, patients are commonly undiagnosed, even by endocrinologists.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: endocrinologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with FCS.