Chemical and Pharmacologic Phenomena Commons^™

Prophylactic Intravenous Prehydration With Sodium Bicarbonate Or Sodium Chloride In The Prevention Of Contrast Induced Acute Kidney Injury, Briana Lockett, Caroline Dong

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Introduction: Iodinated contrast media is a crucial component in the diagnostic work up of many life-threatening illnesses. However, it has been reported to cause acute kidney injury after administration, especially in patients with pre-existing renal disease. Several prophylactic treatments have been studied in hopes of minimizing these adverse events. The current standard of care in this patient population is prophylactic intravenous volume administration with either sodium chloride or sodium bicarbonate. Objective: The goal of this literature review is to determine if prophylactic intravenous volume administration with either saline or sodium bicarbonate prior to contrast administration decreases the incidence of contrast …

Impact Of Alcohol On Bone Health In People Living With Hiv: Integrating Clinical Data From Serum Bone Markers With Morphometric Analysis In A Non-Human Primate Model, Alexandra Denys, Allison Norman, Daniel S. Perrien, Larry J. Suva, Liz Simon, Lee S. Mcdaniel, Tekeda Ferguson, Kim Pedersen, David Welsh, Patricia E. Molina, Martin J.J. Ronis

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

People living with HIV (PLWH) represent a vulnerable population to adverse musculoskeletal outcomes due to HIV infection, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and at-risk alcohol use. Developing measures to prevent skeletal degeneration in this group requires a grasp of the relationship between alcohol use and low bone mass in both the PLWH population and its constituents as defined by sex, age, and race. We examined the association of alcohol use with serum biochemical markers of bone health in a diverse cohort of PLWH enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) study. To explore the effects of alcohol on bone …

Frontiers In The Self-Assembly Of Charged Macromolecules, Khatcher O. Margossian

Doctoral Dissertations

The self-assembly of charged macromolecules forms the basis of all life on earth. From the synthesis and replication of nucleic acids, to the association of DNA to chromatin, to the targeting of RNA to various cellular compartments, to the astonishingly consistent folding of proteins, all life depends on the physics of the organization and dynamics of charged polymers. In this dissertation, I address several of the newest challenges in the assembly of these types of materials. First, I describe the exciting new physics of the complexation between polyzwitterions and polyelectrolytes. These materials open new questions and possibilities within the context …

Associations Between Cannabis, Psychosis, And Schizophrenia In Adolescents, Lauren Moment

Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research

The effects of cannabis use on the brain, mind, and body have been studied for decades. The developing brain, particularly the adolescent and young adult brain, undergoes critical development that makes it especially susceptible to the effects of cannabis use. Among the adverse effects of cannabis use in adolescence and young adulthood, psychosis and psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) have been examined. The association of cannabis use with schizophrenia was first elucidated in a Swedish study of army conscripts. Specifically, conscripts reported their cannabis use exposure and were followed longitudinally to assess the emergence of schizophrenia. The authors found that those …

Visualizing Depressive Symptom Improvement: Implementing The 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Briana Raterman

Dissertations

Visualizing Depressive Symptom Improvement: Implementing the 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

Abstract

Problem

Depression, a mental health diagnosis, has affected about 18.5% of adults (Villarroel & Terlizzi, 2020). Ketamine, a medication initially used as an anesthetic, has improved depressive symptoms in individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression.

Method

This quality improvement (QI) project used the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale questionnaire to assess depressive symptom changes in patients receiving intramuscular ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. The questionnaire was administered to patients pre-and post-intramuscular ketamine administration. The data was collected on injections one, three, and six on each participant’s set schedule of injections …

A Conserved Mechanism For Hormesis In Molecular Systems, Sharon N. Greenwood, Regina G. Belz, Brian P. Weiser

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Hormesis refers to dose-response phenomena where low dose treatments elicit a response that is opposite the response observed at higher doses. Hormetic dose-response relationships have been observed throughout all of biology, but the underlying determinants of many reported hormetic dose-responses have not been identified. In this report, we describe a conserved mechanism for hormesis on the molecular level where low dose treatments enhance a response that becomes reduced at higher doses. The hormetic mechanism relies on the ability of protein homo-multimers to simultaneously interact with a substrate and a competitor on different subunits at low doses of competitor. In this …

Channelopathy Of Small- And Intermediate-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels, Young-Woo Nam, Miles Downey, Mohammad Asikur Rahman, Meng Cui, Miao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small- and intermediate-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (K_Ca2.x/K_Ca3.1 also called SK/IK) channels are gated exclusively by intracellular Ca²⁺. The Ca²⁺ binding protein calmodulin confers sub-micromolar Ca²⁺ sensitivity to the channel-calmodulin complex. The calmodulin C-lobe is constitutively associated with the proximal C-terminus of the channel. Interactions between calmodulin N-lobe and the channel S4-S5 linker are Ca²⁺-dependent, which subsequently trigger conformational changes in the channel pore and open the gate. KCNN genes encode four subtypes, including KCNN1 for K_Ca2.1 (SK1), KCNN2 for K_Ca2.2 (SK2), KCNN3 for K …

Riluzole For Pediatric Patients With Treatment-Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Maheen Mohammad, Stuti Parikh

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) occurs in about 1-3% of the pediatric population, but many do not respond to standard therapies. Riluzole, a glutamate antagonist, has shown to be an effective treatment for refractory OCD in adults, however few trials have been conducted to show the effectiveness of Riluzole in children to treat refractory OCD. The study investigates the potential use of riluzole in children to treat refractory OCD.

Synthesis, Structural Characterization, And In Vitro Biological Assessment Of Trans- Platinum (Ii) Thionate Complexes As Potent Anticancer Agents, Mia Alshami

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

The content of this thesis has been originally reported in our published paper, “trans-Platinum (II) Thionate Complexes: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and in vitro Biological Assessment as Potent Anticancer Agents” ChemPlusChem 2019 84, 1525-1535, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201900394, in which I served as coauthor. Cancer caused 9.6 million deaths in 2018 worldwide, with 18.1 million new diagnoses during that same year.The most widely used metal in anticancer drugs is platinum (Pt), and these drugs are used to treat almost 50% of cancer patients. To optimize drug effectiveness, trans-configured Pt(II) complexes have been introduced as a strategy to potentially overcome the …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices And Their Effect On Veterinary Medicine, Erin N. Bradstreet

Honors College

Antimicrobials are essential in the treatment of diseases in both humans and animals, but antimicrobial resistance threatens their efficacy. As more microorganisms become resistant to an ever-growing list of antimicrobials, diseases that used to be simple to treat are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. The major factors contributing to antimicrobial resistance are overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. In order to combat the problem of resistance, antimicrobial stewardship programs that aim to improve antimicrobial prescribing and use practices are becoming increasingly widespread. These programs are quite common in human medicine, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of life, including antimicrobial …

Arkansas Women In Stem Conference Presentation: Investigations Of Salvia Officinalis Secondary Metabolites, Maria Ines Ines Dow

Arkansas Women in STEM Conference

Salvia officinalis or Sage (The “Salvation Plant”) is known to have various health benefits. Salvia officinalis has been known to treat menstrual cycle pains, gastroenteritis problems, improve liver function, as well as in applications for anticancer remedies and neurodegenerative diseases. This fragrant plant is most often found in the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and South America. This research aims to test the raw and vinegar-baked medicinal plant to investigate the change in its chemistry and its biological effect. The plant was purchased as dry leaves and stems. It was then grounded and extracted. The extractions were done via a Soxhlet extraction …

Late-Stage Chemoenzymatic Installation Of Hydroxy-Bearing Allyl Moiety On The Indole Ring Of Tryptophan-Containing Peptides, Nagaraju Mupparapu, Lauren Brewster, Katrina F. Ostrom, Sherif I. Elshahawi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The late-stage functionalization of indole- and tryptophan-containing compounds with reactive moieties facilitates downstream diversification and leads to changes in their biological properties. Here, the synthesis of two hydroxy-bearing allyl pyrophosphates is described. A chemoenzymatic method is demonstrated which uses a promiscuous indole prenyltransferase enzyme to install a dual reactive hydroxy-bearing allyl moiety directly on the indole ring of tryptophan-containing peptides. This is the first report of late-stage indole modifications with this reactive group.

Channelopathy-Causing Mutations In The S45A/S45B And Ha/Hb Helices Of KCa2.3 And KCa3.1 Channels Alter Their Apparent Ca2+ Sensitivity, Razan Orfali, Young-Woo Nam, Hai Minh Nguyen, Mohammad Asikur Rahman, Grace Yang, Meng Cui, Heike Wulff, Miao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small- and intermediate-conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium (K_Ca2.x and K_Ca3.1, also called SK and IK) channels are activated exclusively by a Ca²⁺-calmodulin gating mechanism. Wild-type K_Ca2.3 channels have a Ca²⁺ EC₅₀ value of ∼0.3 μM, while the apparent Ca²⁺ sensitivity of wild-type K_Ca3.1 channels is ∼0.27 μM. Heterozygous genetic mutations of K_Ca2.3 channels have been associated with Zimmermann-Laband syndrome and idiopathic noncirrhotic portal hypertension, while K_Ca3.1 channel mutations were reported in hereditary xerocytosis patients. K_Ca2.3_S436C and K_Ca2.3_V450L channels with …

The Benefits Of Astaxanthin To Improve Pain Relief In Patients With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: An Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial, Rizaldy Taslim Pinzon, Mary Rose Angelina Budi Harsana

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Treatment of diabetic neuropathy is still carried out by providing symptomatic therapy, which only improves ± 50% of the total symptoms felt by patients, but does not tackle the underlying causes of the disease. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic carotenoid that could be an additional treatment option. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of administering astaxanthin as an additional therapy to improve the impact of pain and discomfort experienced daily by diabetes mellitus patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. We conducted a randomized experimental study with an open label design of 36 patients who had been diagnosed with …

Recombinant Human Proteoglycan 4 Regulates Phagocytic Activation Of Monocytes And Reduces Il-1Β Secretion By Urate Crystal Stimulated Gout Pbmcs, Sandy Elsayed, Gregory D. Jay, Ralph Cabezas, Marwa Qadri, Tannin A. Schmidt, Khaled A. Elsaid

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

To compare phagocytic activities of monocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from acute gout patients and normal subjects, examine monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU) crystal-induced IL-1β secretion ± recombinant human proteoglycan 4 (rhPRG4) or interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), and study the anti-inflammatory mechanism of rhPRG4 in MSU stimulated monocytes.

Methods

Acute gout PBMCs were collected from patients in the Emergency Department and normal PBMCs were obtained from a commercial source. Monocytes in PBMCs were identified by flow cytometry. PBMCs were primed with Pam3CSK4 (1μg/mL) for 24h and phagocytic activation of monocytes was determined using fluorescently labeled latex beads. MSU …

Physiological Roles Of Mammalian Transmembrane Adenylyl Cyclase Isoforms, Katrina F. Ostrom, Justin E. Lavigne, Tarsis F. Brust, Roland Seifert, Carmen Dessauer, Val J. Watts, Rennolds S. Ostrom

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Adenylyl cyclases (ACs) catalyze the conversion of ATP to the ubiquitous second messenger cAMP. Mammals possess nine isoforms of transmembrane ACs, dubbed AC1-9, that serve as major effector enzymes of G protein-coupled receptors. The transmembrane ACs display varying expression patterns across tissues, giving potential for them having a wide array of physiologic roles. Cells express multiple AC isoforms, implying that ACs have redundant functions. Furthermore, all transmembrane ACs are activated by Gα_s so it was long assumed that all ACs are activated by Gα_s-coupled GPCRs. AC isoforms partition to different microdomains of the plasma membrane and form …

Substance Abuse Relapse Is Not About Willpower But Is The Culmination Of Psychological And Socioeconomic Stress, Paul A. Steffes

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

The author reflects on the impact of non-judgmental listening on patient care outcomes.

Analysis Of Potentially Toxic Contaminants In Milk Powder, Magdalena Mititelu, Lucian Hîncu, Emma Adriana Ozon, Daniela Luiza Baconi, Ioana Paunica, Oana Denisa Bălălău

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was to identify potentially toxic contaminants in milk powder. Powdered milk contains a range of toxic and non-toxic substances that are present in a wide variety, also having very different origins. A number of seven milk powder samples from different producers sold on the Romanian market were analyzed, the samples that were collected from the original packaging: P1, P 2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7. The concentration of the following elements was analyzed using the X-ray (XRF) fluorescence method: potassium (K), chlorine (Cl), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and aluminum (Al). The vast majority of …

Uplc-Ms/Ms Analysis Of The Michaelis-Menten Kinetics Of Cyp3a-Mediated Midazolam 1′- And 4-Hydroxylation In Rat Brain Microsomes, Devaraj Venkatapura Chandrashekar, Barent Dubois, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Midazolam (MDZ) is a short-acting benzodiazepine with rapid onset of action, which is metabolized by CYP3A isoenzymes to two hydroxylated metabolites, 1′-hydroxymidazolam and 4-hydroxymidazolam. The drug is also commonly used as a marker of CYP3A activity in the liver microsomes. However, the kinetics of CYP3A-mediated hydroxylation of MDZ in the brain, which contains much lower CYP content than the liver, have not been reported. In this study, UPLC-MS/MS and metabolic incubation methods were developed and validated for simultaneous measurement of low concentrations of both hydroxylated metabolites of MDZ in brain microsomes. Different concentrations of MDZ (1–500 µM) were incubated with …

Synphilin-1 And Its Effects On Pathogenesis Of Parkinson’S Disease, Mirghani Mohamed

Honors Scholar Theses

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative and movement disorder primarily caused by the degradation of dopaminergic neurons. Known markers of neurodegeneration in PD are Lewy Bodies, which are fibrillar aggregates that are found in the brains of PD patients. Lewy Bodies can accumulate from specific mutations in the SNCA gene that codes for alpha-synuclein, a protein enriched in presynaptic neurons. A mutated SNCA gene can cause conformational aggregates of alpha-synuclein to form toxic species mediating neuronal death. Research into alpha-synuclein has led to the discovery of a binding partner known as synphilin-1 that is also found in protein aggregates …