Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Morphological Study Of Emulsion-Assisted Cholesterol Precipitation Processes, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Crystallization of cholesterol in chemical conditions that involve the presence of emulsions of three different types of surface active agents—cationic, anionic, and nonionic—was investigated by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopic analyses. In contrast with the previous attempts to modify the typical plate- and needle-shaped character of biaxially grown cholesterol crystals, the present study indicates that spherical templates of fine emulsion droplets may impose spherical morphologies to cholesterol particles nucleated within.

Intravenous Artesunate For Severe Malaria, Karl M. Hess, Jeffery A. Goad, Paul M. Arguin

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutic use of intravenous artesunate for the treatment of severe malaria.

DATA SOURCES: Literature was retrieved through PubMed (1999 March 2010), MEDLINE (1996 March 2010), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using the search terms artemisinin, artesunate, malaria, and severe malaria. In addition, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles in English that were identified from the data sources were reviewed. Focus was placed on post-marketing trials examining the safety and efficacy of artesunate in comparison with other regimens.

DATA SYNTHESIS …

Hcmv Pus28 Initiates Pro-Migratory Signaling Via Activation Of Pyk2 Kinase, Jennifer Totonchy, Susan Varnum, Ryan Melnychuk, Patricia Smith, Ljiliana Pasa-Tolic, Janani I. Shutthanadan, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been implicated in the acceleration of vascular disease and chronic allograft rejection. Recently, the virus has been associated with glioblastoma and other tumors. We have previously shown that the HCMV-encoded chemokine receptor pUS28 mediates smooth muscle cell (SMC) and macrophage motility and this activity has been implicated in the acceleration of vascular disease. pUS28 induced SMC migration involves the activation of the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) Src and Focal adhesion kinase as well as the small GTPase RhoA. The PTK Pyk2 has been shown to play a role in cellular migration and formation of cancer, …

Practice Patterns For Antibiotic De-Escalation In Culture-Negative Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia, M. Schlueter, C. James, A. Dominguez, Laura V. Tsu, G. Seymann

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background Published guidelines for the treatment of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) recommend initial broad-spectrum antibiotics with appropriate de-escalation based on culture results. Guideline recommendations are based on data from intubated patients, in whom cultures are easily obtained. The approach to antibiotic de-escalation for culture-negative patients has not been addressed. Consequently, there are no published reports that describe the current standard of practice. Patients and methods All patients admitted to a university hospital with a diagnosis of HCAP, as defined by use of a pneumonia orderset, were identified retrospectively over a 2-year period. Antibiotics prescribed on admission, during hospital stay, and on …

Plasma Pharmacokinetics And Tissue Disposition Of Novel Dextran- Methylprednisolone Conjugates With Peptide Linkers In Rats, Suman Penugonda, Hitesh K. Agarwal, Keykavous Parang, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The plasma and tissue disposition of two novel dextran prodrugs of methylprednisolone (MP) containing one (DMP-1) or five (DMP-5) amino acids as linkers were studied in rats. Single 5-mg/kg doses (MP equivalent) of each prodrug or MP were administered intravenously, and blood and tissue samples were collected. Prodrug and drug concentrations were quantitated using HPLC, and noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. Whereas conjugation of MP with dextran in both prodrugs substantially decreased the clearance of the drug by ∼200-fold, the accumulations of the drug in the liver, spleen, and kidneys were significantly increased by conjugation. However, the extent of accumulation …

Synthesis, Antiviral And Contraceptive Activities Of Nucleoside-Sodium Cellulose Sulfate Acetate And Succinate Conjugates, Hitesh K. Agarwal, Anil Kumar, Gustavo F. Doncel, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Chemical conjugates between sodium cellulose sulfate (CS), displaying contraceptive and HIV-entry inhibiting properties, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) (3′-azido-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (AZT), 3′-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (FLT), or 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (3TC)) were designed to simultaneously provide contraceptive and anti-HIV activity. Two linkers, acetate and succinate, were used to conjugate the nucleoside analogs with CS. The conjugates containing cellulose sulfate-acetate (CSA) (e.g., AZT-CSA and FLT-CSA) were found to be more potent than CS and other conjugates (e.g., AZT-succinate-CS, and FLT-succinate-CS). The presence of both sulfate and the acetate groups on cellulose were critical for generating maximum anti-HIV activity. In addition to showing equal potency against wild-type …