Diseases Commons^™

Composites Comprising Cholesterol And Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Whereby cholesterol presents one of the major fatty substances in human body, carboxymethyl cellulose is a water-soluble derivative of cellulose, the most abundant dietary fiber. Whereas on one hand in vivo precipitation of cholesterol is the major cause of atherosclerosis, dietary fibers are on the other hand known for their ability to clean the fatty plaque deposited on intestinal pathways, and prevent its build-up in other critical areas within the organism. In this work, a method for the preparation of a composite material comprising cholesterol and carboxymethyl cellulose from 1-hexanol/water biphase mixtures is reported. Specificity of the interaction between the …

Effects Of Methylprednisolone And Its Liver-Targeted Dextran Prodrug On Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury In A Rat Liver Transplantation Model, Anjaneya Chimalakonda, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose. To evaluate the effectiveness of a liver-targeted dextran prodrug (DMP) of methylprednisolone ( MP) in cold preservation-warm reperfusion injury associated with liver transplantation.

Methods. The effects of donor pretreatment with single 5 mg/kg doses of MP or DMP on ischemia reperfusion damage to the liver were studied after 8 or 24 h of cold preservation in both isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) and syngeneic orthotopic rat liver transplantation (OLT) models.

Results. In IPRL studies, donor pretreatment with DMP, and to a lesser degree MP, significantly improved the uptake of hyaluronic acid (HA), a marker of endothelial …

Immunization Update, Karl M. Hess, Jeffery A. Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Immunization represents a very effective primary prevention strategy to curb the rate of vaccine preventable diseases...Pharmacists can play a leading role in vaccination by serving as an advocate, facilitator, and active immunizer. As an advocate, pharmacists provide vaccine education while motivating people to get immunized. As a facilitator, pharmacy’s can host other groups, such as the visiting nurses association, to come into the pharmacy and vaccinate. As an active immunizer, however, pharmacists serve their greatest role by giving immunizations to adolescents and adults."

Attenuation Of Acute Rejection In A Rat Liver Transplantation Model By A Liver-Targeted Dextran Prodrug Of Methylprednisolone, Anjaneya Chimalakonda, Donald L. Montgomery, Jon A. Weidanz, Imam H. Shaik, Justin H. Nguyen, John J. Lemasters, Eiji Kobayashi, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background. The use of methylprednisolone (MP) and other corticosteroids for the treatment of acute liver allograft rejection is associated with severe toxicities in nontarget tissues. Therefore, selective delivery of NIP to the liver may improve its efficacy and alleviate its side effects. We investigated the effects of a novel liver-targeted dextran prodrug of MP (DMP) in an orthotopic rat liver transplantation (OLT) model.

Methods. The model consisted of a high responder rejection strain combination (Dark Agouti donors and Lewis recipients). Liver recipients were intravenously administered saline or a single subtherapeutic dose of MP (5 mg/kg) as the parent …

Cost Prevention Of Hiv, Jerika Lam

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the late 1990s, management of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has improved where they are living longer and with fewer incidences of opportunistic illnesses. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in the understanding of the disease, the ability to quantify viral load and correlate with clinical outcomes, genotypic and phenotypic resistance assays designed to assess viral susceptibility, and a heightened awareness and appreciation of the importance of treatment adherence to ensure virologic suppression.' In spite of the benefits that HIV-infected patients may have acquired in terms of more …

The Science Of Prevention Strategies, Rachel Abrishami, Jeffery A. Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"From newborn screening for Phenylkentonurea (PKU) and the birth dose of Hepatitis B vaccine to prostate and breast cancer screening and pneumococcal immunization for older adults, the science of health maintenance is multi-tiered and spans the lifetime of an individual. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies are used in concert with each other to enable healthcare professionals and their patients to sustain and improve the quality of life."

Mouse Cytomegalovirus M33 Is Necessary And Sufficient In Virus-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migration, Ryan Melnychuk, Patsy Smith, Craig N. Kreklywich, Franziska Ruchti, Jennifer Totonchy, Laurel Hall, Lambert Loh, Jay A. Nelson, Susan L. Orloff, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) encodes two potential seven-transmembrane-spanning proteins with homologies to cellular chemokine receptors, M33 and M78. While these virus-encoded chemokine receptors are necessary for the in vivo pathogenesis of MCMV, the function of these proteins is unknown. Since vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration is of critical importance for the development of atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases, the ability of M33 to promote SMC motility was assessed. Similar to human CMV, MCMV induced the migration of mouse aortic SMCs but not mouse fibroblasts. To demonstrate whether M33 was required for MCMV-induced SMC migration, we employed interfering-RNA technology to specifically …

Human Cytomegalovirus Chemokine Receptor Us28-Induced Smooth Muscle Cell Migration Is Mediated By Focal Adhesion Kinase And Src, Daniel N. Streblow, Jennifer Totonchy, Patsy Smith, Ryan Melnychuk, Laurel Hall, Dora Pancheva, Martine Smit, Paola Casarosa, David D. Schlaepfer, Jay A. Nelson

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The human cytomegalovirus-encoded chemokine receptor US28 induces arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration; however, the underlying mechanisms involved in this process are unclear. We have previously shown that US28-mediated SMC migration occurs by a ligand-dependent process that is sensitive to proteintyrosine kinase inhibitors. We demonstrate here that US28 signals through the non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinases Src and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and that this activity is necessary for US28-mediated SMC migration. In the presence of RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted), US28 stimulates the production of a FAK Src kinase complex. Interestingly, Src co-immunoprecipitates with US28 in …

Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Jeffery A. Goad, J Nguyen

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) viruses are diverse and include arenaviruses, bunyaviruses, filoviruses, and flaviviruses. Lassa fever, South American hemorrhagic fever (HF), Rift Valley HF, Crimean-Congo HF, Ebola, Marburg, yellow fever, and dengue fever are well known examples of the hemorrhagic fever viruses. They are often difficult to diagnose and treat resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Transmission varies from vector borne to person-to-person. The common clinical presentation includes fever, myalgia, microvascular damage, and hemorrahage as well as a history of travel to the tropics. If VHF is suspected, strict infection control procedures must be implemented to prevent the spread of …

Stereospecific Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics Of Beta-Adrenergic Blockers In Humans, Reza Mehvar, Dion R. Brocks

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The beta-blockers comprise a group of drugs that are mostly used to treat cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, or ischemic heart disease. Each of these drugs possesses at least one chiral center, and an inherent high degree of enantioselectivity in binding to the b-adrenergic receptor. For beta-blockers with a single chiral center, the (-) enantiomer possesses much greater affinity for binding to the b-adrenergic receptors than antipode. The enantiomers of some of these drugs possess other effects, such as antagonism at alpha-adrenergic receptors or Class III antiarrhythmic activity. However, these effects generally display a lower level of stereoselectivity …

Novel Approaches For Designing 5'-O-Ester Prodrugs Of 3'-Azido-2'3'-Dideoxythymidine (Azt), Keykavous Parang, Leonard I. Wiebe, Edward E. Knaus

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

3'-Azido-2'3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT, 1, zidovudine, RetrovirTM) is used to treat patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. AZT, after conversion to AZT-5'-triphosphate (AZT-TP) by cellular enzymes, inhibits HIV-reverse transcriptase (HIV-RT). The major clinical limitations of AZT are due to clinical toxicities that include bone marrow suppression, hepatic abnormalities and myopathy, absolute dependence on host cell kinase-mediated activation which leads to low activity, limited brain uptake, a sort half-life of about one hour in plasma that dictates frequent administration to maintain therapeutic drug levels, low potential for metabolic activation and/or high susceptibility to catabolism, and the rapid development of resistance by HIV-1. …

The Common Cold: What Pharmacists Need To Know, Peggy Han, Peggy Mcmillan, Jeffery A. Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A primer on the common cold for pharmacists, including its causes and pathophysiology and how to assess and treat patients.

Reversible Nonthrombocytopenic Palpable Purpura Associated With Metoclopramide, Jeffery A. Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of reversible nonthrombocytopenic palpable purpura associated with metoclopramide.

CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old white man was admitted for worsening palpable purpura over a two-day period. Two days prior to admission, metoclopramide 10 mg orally three times per day was started for a gastrointestinal condition. Upon admission, all drugs were continued except metoclopramide. Over the next two days, the purpura began to resolve. Platelet count was within normal limits on admission and the patient developed no serious consequences because of the purpura.

DISCUSSION: According to the literature, reversible nonthrombocytopenic palpable purpura has not been …

Question: What Is The Difference Between Volmax® And Proventil Repetabs®?, Jeffery A. Goad, Robert Andonian, Chris Chang, Greg Thompson

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Answer: There are noticeable differences between Volmax and Proventil Repetabs, two of the available oral forms of administering albuterol to patients suffering from asthma. These differences are discussed below.