Digital Commons Network^™

Ramucirumab: A New Agent For Advanced Or Metastatic Gastric Junction Adenocarcinoma, Adam Smith, Rebecca Worden, Jessica Hoffert, Brendon Rasor, Hannah Stewart, David Koh

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Ramucirumab (Cyramza®), approved April 21, 2014, is a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) antagonist with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indication for the treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Gastric cancer is a prevalent cancer in the United States with a poor prognosis. The phase 3 trial, REGARD, shows that ramucirumab, when used within four months after the last dose of first-line chemotherapy or six months after the last dose of adjuvant chemotherapy, increases overall survival. Also, ramucirumab has been included in combination therapy, such as in the RAINBOW trial, which demonstrated its effectiveness …

Memantine: Can It Be Used To Treat Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder?, Austin Brown, Katherine Liu, Pul Lee, Rachel Muhlenkamp, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social, behavior and communicative skills. The current therapy for ASD only targets the associated symptoms such as aggression, self-harming acts or temper tantrums but not the core symptoms of social dysfunction. The pathology of ASD is not fully understood. Interestingly, imaging studies in ASD patients have reported abnormal high levels of glutamate in certain brain regions that play an important role in social interaction and communication. Thus, it has been hypothesized that medications attenuating glutamate transmission may be used as treatment for some of the core symptoms of …

Outbreak Of Ebola Virus Disease, Alexandra Dimit, Tiffany Kneuss, Joelle Farano, Haley Armstrong, Jodi Otte, Andrew M. Roecker

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Ebola virus disease (EVD) has existed as a major health concern with devastating and, many times, fatal symptoms. The recent outbreaks of EVD in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have incited international concern. In this article, the implications of EVD will be discussed including the etiology, transmission, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In addition to this discussion, the manner in which major health care organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are dealing with treating infected patients and containing spread of the disease will be covered.

Cannabinoids For The Treatment Of Chronic Headaches, Kevin Krivanek, Lucy K. Wagala, Brian Heilbronner, Kimberly Loughlin, David Kinder

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Species of the Cannabis plant genus were among the earliest medicinal plants cultivated by man, with historical accounts of their medicinal uses dating back before the Common Era. Despite its current legal status, Cannabis has garnered nationwide attention as a therapeutic agent for various disease states, including chronic headaches, due to its medical indications as an antispastic, analgesic, antiemetic, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agent. Since headaches have a high prevalence in the American population and greatly impair simple daily aspects of living, chronic headaches have become a particular point of interest in regard to the therapeutic potential of Cannabis. Clinical trials …

Marijuana And Its Cardiovascular Implications, Albert Bui, Daniel Powell, Victoria Cho, Kelsey Lindsley, Lindsey Peters

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

As marijuana becomes legalized for medical use, it is important for prescribers and pharmacists to be knowledgeable about the important aspects of marijuana such as mechanism of action, indications and abuse potential. Although marijuana's medicinal benefits are frequently reported, the risks, namely cardiovascular risks, associated with its utilization are often overlooked. Use of marijuana has been reported to increase the risk of myocardial infarction, tachycardia and hypotension, among others. Health care providers must determine if marijuana's benefits outweigh such risks when marijuana therapy is an option. It is also important for pharmacists to understand how to successfully counsel patients using …

Fda Approves New Inhaled Insulin: Afrezza® (Technosphere® Insulin), Benjamin Finley, Christina Ciccone, Kimberly Loughlin, Michelle Musser

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Diabetes is an endocrine disease caused by deficiency or malfunction of insulin that results in high blood glucose levels and places patients at higher risk for a number of complications. This chronic disease is difficult to manage and affects millions of people in the United States, costing the health care system billions of dollars a year. Of a variety of antidiabetic agents used to control blood glucose, insulin is perhaps the most effective, but until recently it was only available in injectable form. As of June 27, 2014, a new inhaled insulin called Afrezza® (Technosphere® insulin) was approved by the …

The Foundational Skills And Methods That Unify All First-Year Courses, Scott Rempell

Events at Dickinson Law

Many perceive LRW courses as important for practice yet largely distinct from the core “doctrinal” courses that purport to teach students how to “think like a lawyer.” However, a remarkably consistent core of skills and methods of thought unify all first-year courses. If these core skills and methods are at the heart of all first-year courses, then the professors who should cover them in class have to acknowledge they exist and work together to teach them. In short, to break down barriers, LRW professors have to bring to the surface the framework underlying core law school learning objectives – a …

Fentanyl: Abuse Potential And Prevention Strategies Tor Pharmacists, Margaret Rowland, Amanda Hoersten, Sarah Webb, H. Paige Stewart, Lindsey Hallman, Michael Milks

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

The abuse of fentanyl is becoming more prevalent, with patients devising new methods of extraction in order to abuse it. Fentanyl patches were originally intended for the opioid tolerant patients still requiring pain relief, but illicit use and drug diversion of this medication continues to grow at an alarming rate. Several cases of abuse have been documented in which patients were chewing patches for oral absorption, distilling the drug into liquid form for injection, or rectally inserting the patches. To discourage and prevent abuse, a keenly aware pharmacist can provide patients with important counseling points on proper use, disposal and …

Management Of Breakthrough Pain In Cancer Patients: Traditional And Novel Approaches, Courtney Porter, Nathaniel Hedrick, Katherine Salay, Lacey Shumate, Caitlin Swann, Kelly Reilly Kroustos

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Approximately 80 percent of career patients experience breakthrough pain (BTP) characterized by acute onset, short duration, and moderate-to-severe intensity. Treatment of BTP using current available medications is often insufficient, leading to the development of various novel approaches that focus on rapid onset of action and short duration of action. Most of these products are still in clinical trials, and future studies are needed to compare the novel approaches to currently available treatments. Non-medication related issues, which arise from a lack of communication and understanding between the patient, physician and pharmacist, are also barriers to adequate BTP management. By educating patients …

Prevention Of Cytomegalovirus Lntection In Pregnant Mothers And Neonates, Aisha Oliver, Taylor Gauthier, Breanne Rizzo, Alison Huet, Natalie Dipietro

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common virus spread in utero from mother to fetus, leading to more long-term problems and childhood deaths than other conditions such as Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, pediatric HIV/AIDS, or neural tube defects. The majority of congenital CMV infections are primary infections in which the mother acquires the infection during pregnancy. Current treatment options for CMV infection are available, but there is limited data on safety and effectiveness in pregnant mothers and neonates. Prevention by screening for CMV is associated with a high cost, and vaccines are currently unavailable. Studies show that education and …

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome And Hyperinsulinemia: Overview And Treatment, Amanda M. Meyer, Lauren D. Bajbus, Sarah E. Drake, Kristen M. Quertinmont, Ashley Overy, Anne Gentry

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a prevalent issue in women's health that is associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance and can lead to long-term health problems. The most highly recommended treatments are diet and lifestyle changes. If these changes alone are not enough, pharmacologic treatments may be employed which include metformin, spironolactone or thiazolidinediones, although more research is needed to fully realize their role. The role of the pharmacist in this disease state includes counseling patients on healthy lifestyle changes, consulting with the physician about prescribing the best medication for each patient, and monitoring therapy adherence in the patient.

Role Of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners In Obesity And Diabetes, Erica Schoenberger, Ellen Hazelet, Kaitlin Sanders, Lindsey Hallman, David Bright, Amy Stockert

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Artificial sweeteners have become a central component of the Western diet in order to facilitate weight loss and enhance glucose control. Despite their popularity, evidence supporting the benefits of artificial sweeteners remains contradictory; different trials have shown weight loss, weight gain or no change with artificial sweetener consumption. Multiple trials have correlated artificial sweetener usage, in the form of diet soda, with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome. Hypotheses speculate that individuals who consume larger loads of artificial sweeteners may be more likely to make unhealthy lifestyle choices, putting them at an increased risk for the development …

Management Of Hypertensive Emergencies In Pediatrics, Jennifer L. Bauer, Jamie L. Amero, Amanda C. Mcdavid, Ryan A. Fischer, Alison L. Huet, Karen L. Kier

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

As hypertension becomes more prevalent in the pediatric population, clinicians are more likely to encounter hypertensive emergencies in children, which require pharmacists and physicians to be educated on the therapeutic options for these emergencies. However, the strict governmental requirements on the testing of these drugs in pediatric patients have limited the amount of available evidence on which to base clinical decisions. This review will highlight the available evidence and preferred treatment options for the management of pediatric hypertensive emergencies.

Genetic Variations In A Cytochrome P450 Enzyme And The Effects On Clopidogrel Bioactivation And Metabolism, Maryanne Ventura, Lauren Desko, Kimberly Gathers, Ashley Overy, David Kisor

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Clopidogrel, the top prescribed antiplatelet medication for individuals who have experienced a myocardial infarction or cerebral vascular accident or who have peripheral arterial disease, is administered orally as a prodrug. It relies on hepatic metabolism through cytochrome P450 enzymes for conversion to its active form. Current research shows that allelic variation m the gene coding for CYP2C19 is the main factor contributing to the variability of response associated with clopidogrel treatment. Through the promotion of genetic testing for variability in the CYP2C19 gene and competently interpreting test results, pharmacists have the opportunity to use these findings to significantly impact clopidogrel …

Recent Advances Spark Significant Guideline Change: Antiretroviral Therapy (Art) At High Cd4+ Counts In The Treatment Naïve Patient, Joshua Ilenin, Kelly Fargo, Lisa Berni, Kristen Thatcher, Caitlin Swann, Andrew Roecker

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) targets CD4+ lymphocytes, a critical component to proper functioning of the human immune system. HIV is a significant public health concern, having resulted in over 27 million deaths since its discovery. Currently, several different treatment options exist, with combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the forefront. Despite the success of ART therapy, there are number of problems, including poor patient compliance. Due to this, the appropriate time to initiate therapy in the treatment naïve patient is under continuous scrutiny. Recently, several trials have demonstrated evidence suggesting that initiating ART at high CD4+ counts in the treatment naïve …

The Haunting Of Medical Literature, Brieann Miller, Tana Peterman

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Ghostwriting, or using the names of academic researchers to validate studies commissioned by pharmaceutical companies, has become a growing concern within medical literature. Omission from authorship of the names of individuals making considerable contributions to a paper is one of the most significant aspects of ghostwriting. Policy prohibiting medical ghostwriting is lacking, and it is nearly impossible to prevent the practice without strict and thorough guidelines. More strict guidelines banning ghostwriting, denying government funds to organizations without such policies, and development of databases to track offending authors and organizations could decrease the impact of ghostwriting in medical literature.

Smart Display Color Inversion, Laine Herron

Defensive Publications Series

A color inversion module is described that enables a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, a mobile device, a tablet, etc.) to selectively invert colors of content (e.g., a desktop background, text, an image, a graphic, an animation, a video, etc.) to be displayed, and thereby potentially reduce an amount of light output by a display of the computing device. Reducing the amount of light emitted by the display may improve display clarity and reduce eye strain when using the computing device, particularly when using the computing device in low light conditions (e.g., at night in a dark or low …

Security Camera Module, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

Our idea is simply to use a magnet and magnetic reed switch to turn off the

power to the camera and microphone module when the module is locked in

the down position.

The advantage of this is to ensure that personal privacy and conversations

are not compromised by preventing hackers from using the camera and

microphone module to listen and/or record a user without her knowledge.

Unified Information Processing For Detecting, Triaging, And Responding To Crisis Events, Mor Schlesinger, Jeremy Moskovich

Defensive Publications Series

Timely detection of dynamically unfolding crisis events is challenging. Further, determining which information is accurate and whether reports represent disinformation attacks is challenging. Parsing available data and transforming it into complete information that can be presented to end users may also add overhead to crisis response processes. This disclosure describes a system to detect, triage, and respond to a variety of crisis events. System performance may improve over time, e.g., by evaluating prior events and corresponding output from the system using machine learning techniques.

Utilizing Consistent User Inputs For System-Wide Undo And Redo Operations For Computing Devices, Jeff Pierce

Defensive Publications Series

A computing device, such as a smartphone or tablet, provides a consistent mechanism across applications and/or the operating system by which a user may cause the computing device to perform editorial operations, such as an undo operation and/or a redo operation. The computing device includes a data store that stores information for a plurality of user commands (e.g., typing new text, deleting text, dismissing a message, etc.) for each application and the operating system of the computing device. When the computing device receives a user input or gesture indicative of a command to perform an editorial operation, the computing device …

Pacing Data Consumption For Computing Devices Using Daily Data Allocations, David Hoffman

Defensive Publications Series

Network providers (e.g., a cellular data provider, cable internet provider, or other network provider) allocate a finite or fixed amount of cellular data or mobile data to a computing device for use during a time period (e.g., one month). A computing device may partition or divide the total amount of data into a general data pool and a reserve data pool. The computing device may divide the general data pool for the time period into smaller amounts of data for a portion of the time period (e.g., daily). For example, the computing device may determine a daily data allocation, allotment, …

Board Of Directors Quarterly Meeting - Packet 12/06/2019, Uc Hastings Board Of Directors

2019 Board of Directors Agenda and Materials

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Lynching: On Representation, Remembrance, And Reconciliation, Jackie Chesser

Liberal Arts Capstones

The Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial of Peace and Justice is a memorial rooted in recognizing and naming the victims of lynching and racial terror. This memorial is a safe space for people to connect with history and learn about the injustices faced by their ancestors, and, conversely, the injustices wrought upon others by their ancestors. This memorial doesn’t stop at recognizing the victims, it also explains the effects of racial terror beyond lynching, including the Jim Crow Era and mass incarceration.

The National Memorial of Peace and Justice is also focused on extending its impact though its Memorial Monument …

Curriculum Library Book Fair: December 2019, Central Washington University

Brooks Library Events

Scholastic book fair hosted by the CWU curriculum library in Black Hall.

Faculty Senate Minutes - December 6, 2019, Usm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Resolution 1 - December 6, 2019, Usm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Resolutions

No abstract provided.

Perceptual Experience And Understanding Language, Seong Oh

Open Access Dissertations

Can we literally see and hear meanings? In my dissertation, I argue first that we have a conscious understanding experience which is (1) non-inferential, (2) cognitively impenetrable, and (2) with a specific sensory modal. Under the characterization of the experience, I conclude that the experience is literally perceptual. Thereafter, I argue that this characterized understanding experience is conceptual by virtue of being a high-level perceptual experience, and then plays the role of epistemic justifier for the belief of what an utterance means just as high-level perceptual experience in general performs as a justifier for perceptual belief.

Cervical Cancer Prevention And Control In Haitian Women Living In South Florida And The Central Plateau Of Haiti, Rhoda K. Moise

Open Access Dissertations

The cervical cancer burden in Haiti is among the highest in the world, despite being a largely preventable disease through primary (i.e., vaccination against Human papillomavirus (HPV), the principal cause of cervical cancer), and secondary (i.e., routine cervical cancer screening) prevention strategies. Haitian women likely face multiple barriers to disease prevention though knowledge of these barriers remains limited, particularly from a multilevel, transnational orientation. This dissertation aims to fill this gap. Guided by the PEN-3 model and the tenets of Community Engaged Research, the three associated papers rely on mixed methodologies to articulate the complex interplay between socio-cultural, environmental, political, …

The Nato Allies And Intervention In Libya, Jimmy M. Wong

Open Access Dissertations

In 2011, protest movements calling for political reform in the Middle East and North Africa proliferated throughout the region. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany each would respond in a variety of ways gradually moving towards finding these protest movements within their national interests. Tracking each state’s response to the Arab Spring, this dissertation seeks to understand how and why they found it within their national interest eventually to intervene militarily, or not, in Libya. This exegetical study utilizes a securitization theory approach to understand the process by which these protest movements did or did not move …

Air-Sea Interaction Dynamics Under Hurricane Wind Conditions, Sanchit Mehta

Open Access Dissertations

Understanding turbulent fluxes of momentum, mass, and energy across the air-sea boundary are fundamental to our ability to model and parameterize a number of multidimensional geophysical processes, such as wind-wave generation, oceanic circulation, and air-sea gas transfer. The physical nature of the near surface boundary layer remains less known, especially under high winds due to the development of an intermediate substrate layer of large spray droplets known as spume, between the atmosphere and ocean surface. Presence of these spume droplet effects the aerodynamic resistance of the prevailing winds over the surface and thus the behavior of surface drag coefficient. The …