Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Changes In The Utilization Of Osteoporosis Drugs After The 2010 Fda Bisphosphonate Drug Safety Communication, Bander Balkhi, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez, Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction

In October 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication regarding the risks of atypical fractures of the femur, with bisphosphonates drugs. This study evaluated the impact of the bisphosphonates FDA safety communication on the utilization of osteoporosis medications in Medicaid programs.

Methods

Osteoporosis drugs utilization data from the July 2006 to June 2014 were extracted from the national Summary Files from the Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We performed an interrupted time series analyses to evaluate trends in utilization of osteoporosis drugs before and …

Pneumonia Vaccines: Current Recommendations And Advocacy Opportunities, Laressa Bethishou

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Despite the demonstrated efficacy of these vaccines, only 66.9% of adults over age 65 years have ever received a pneumonia vaccine. Given the consequences of acquiring pneumonia, there is both a need and an opportunity to improve vaccination rates. The pharmacist can play a valuable role in identifying high-risk patients, providing education on benefits and risks, and advocating for pneumonia vaccination when indicated."

Difatty Acyl-Conjugated Linear And Cyclic Peptides For Sirna Delivery, Hung Do, Meenakshi Sharma, Naglaa Salem El-Sayed, Parvin Mahdipoor, Emira Bousoik, Keykavous Parang, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A number of amphiphilic difatty acyl linear and cyclic R5K2 peptide conjugates were synthesized by solid-phase peptide methods to enhance the interaction with the hydrophobic cellular phospholipid bilayer and to improve siRNA delivery and silencing. Binding to siRNA molecules was significantly less for the cyclic peptide conjugates. A gradual decrease was observed in the particle size of the complexes with increasing peptide/siRNA ratio for most of the synthesized peptides, suggesting the complex formation. Most of the complexes showed a particle size of less than 200 nm, which is considered an appropriate size for in vitro siRNA delivery. A number of …

Trkb-Enhancer Facilitates Functional Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury, John Marshall, Joanna Szmydynger-Chodobska, Mengia S. Rioult-Pedotti, Kara Lau, Andrea T. Chin, Siva K. Reddy Kotla, Rakesh Tiwari, Keykavous Parang, Steven W. Threlkeld, Adam Chodobski

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key player in regulating synaptic strength and learning, is dysregulated following traumatic brain injury (TBI), suggesting that stimulation of BDNF signaling pathways may facilitate functional recovery. This study investigates whether CN2097, a peptidomimetic ligand which targets the synaptic scaffold protein, postsynaptic density protein 95, to enhance downstream signaling of tropomyosin-related kinase B, a receptor for BDNF, can improve neurological function after TBI. Moderate to severe TBI elicits neuroinflammation and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, which is associated with memory deficits. Here we demonstrate that CN2097 significantly reduces the post-traumatic synthesis of proinflammatory mediators and inhibits the …

Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Patient Knowledge On Adherence To Oral Contraceptives Using The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (Mmas-8), Daniel M. Tomaszewski, Benjamin D. Aronson, Margarette Kading, Donald Morisky

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Preconception care, including family planning, is a vital component of healthcare for women of reproductive age. An average female spends the majority of her reproductive life trying to prevent a pregnancy. In order to prevent unintended pregnancy, women often rely on the use of hormonal contraceptives. In the United States, the majority of hormonal contraceptive users are prescribed oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Reduced adherence to OCPs decreases their ability to prevent pregnancy. The study aimed to measure OCP adherence among female college students, and explore the relationship between OCP adherence, knowledge, and self-efficacy.

Methods: This cross-sectional study …

Tumor-Targeted Delivery Of Sirna Using Fatty Acyl-Cgkrk Peptide Conjugates, Meenakshi Sharma, Naglaa Salem El-Sayed, Hung Do, Keykavous Parang, Rakesh Tiwari, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Tumor-targeted carriers provide efficient delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumor tissue. CGKRK is one of the well-known tumor targeting peptides with significant specificity for angiogenic blood vessels and tumor cells. Here, we designed fatty acyl conjugated CGKRK peptides, based on the hypothesis that hydrophobically-modified CGKRK peptide could enhance cellular permeation and delivery of siRNA targeted to tumor cells for effective silencing of selected proteins. We synthesized six fatty acyl-peptide conjugates, using a diverse chain of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids to study the efficiency of this approach. At peptide:siRNA weight/weight ratio of 10:1 (N/P ≈ 13.6), almost all the peptides …

Antimicrobial Hydroxyapatite-Gelatin-Silica Composite Pastes With Tunable Setting Properties, Vuk Uskoković, Shreya Ghosh, Victoria M. Wu

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Bone grafting is one of the commonest surgical procedures, yet all bone substitutes developed so far suffer from specific weaknesses and the search for a bone graft material with ideal physical and biological properties is still ongoing. Calcium phosphate pastes are the most frequently used synthetic bone grafts, yet they (a) often take an impractically long time to set, (b) release the drug content too fast, and (c) do not form pores large enough to accommodate host cells and foster osseointegration. To make up for these deficiencies, we introduced gelatin and silica to pastes composed of 5–15 nm sized hydroxyapatite …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Antimicrobial Activity Of [R4w4k]-Levofloxacin And [R4w4k]-Levofloxacin-Q Conjugates, Neda Riahifard, Kathy Tavakoli, Jason Yamaki, Keykavous Parang, Rakesh Tiwari

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The development of a new class of antibiotics to fight bacterial resistance is a time-consuming effort associated with high-cost and commercial risks. Thus, modification, conjugation or combination of existing antibiotics to enhance their efficacy is a suitable strategy. We have previously reported that the amphiphilic cyclic peptide [R4W4] had antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.97 g/mL against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Herein, we hypothesized that conjugation or combination of the amphiphilic cyclic peptide [R4W4] with levofloxacin or levofloxacin-Q could improve the antibacterial activity of levofloxacin and levofloxacin-Q. Fmoc/tBu solid-phase chemistry was employed to synthesize conjugates of …

Effects Of Phosphodiesterase 3a Modulation On Murine Cerebral Microhemorrhages, Rachita K. Sumbria, Vitaly Vasilevko, Mher Mahoney Grigoryan, Annlia Paganini-Hill, Ronald Kim, David H. Cribbs, Mark J. Fisher

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are MRI-demonstrable cerebral microhemorrhages (CMH) which commonly coexist with ischemic stroke. This creates a challenging therapeutic milieu, and a strategy that simultaneously protects the vessel wall and provides anti-thrombotic activity is an attractive potential approach. Phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A) inhibition is known to provide cerebral vessel wall protection combined with anti-thrombotic effects. As an initial step in the development of a therapy that simultaneously treats CMB and ischemic stroke, we hypothesized that inhibition of the PDE3A pathway is protective against CMH development.

Methods: The effect of PDE3A pathway inhibition was studied in the inflammation-induced and …

Tumor Necrosis Factor Α Inhibition For Alzheimer's Disease, Rudy Chang, Kei-Lwun Yee, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) plays a central role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Food and Drug Administration–approved biologic TNF-α inhibitors are thus a potential treatment for AD, but they do not cross the blood-brain barrier. In this short review, we discuss the involvement of TNF-α in AD, challenges associated with the development of existing biologic TNF-α inhibitors for AD, and potential therapeutic strategies for targeting TNF-α for AD therapy.

The Autocrine Role Of Proteoglycan-4 (Prg4) In Modulating Osteoarthritic Synoviocyte Proliferation And Expression Of Matrix Degrading Enzymes, Ali Alquraini, Maha Jamal, Ling Zhang, Tannin Schmidt, Gregory D. Jay, Khaled A. Elsaid

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Lubricin/proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) is a mucinous glycoprotein secreted by synovial fibroblasts and superficial zone chondrocytes. Recently, we showed that recombinant human PRG4 (rhPRG4) is a putative ligand for CD44 receptor. rhPRG4-CD44 interaction inhibits cytokine-induced rheumatoid arthritis synoviocyte proliferation. The objective of this study is to decipher the autocrine function of PRG4 in regulating osteoarthritic synoviocyte proliferation and expression of catabolic and pro-inflammatory mediators under basal and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)- stimulated conditions.

Methods: Cytosolic and nuclear levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) p50 and p65 subunits in Prg4+/+ and Prg4-/- synoviocytes were studied using western blot. Nuclear …

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (Apss) #3a: Medication Errors, Ron Jordan, Jerika Lam, Anne Lyren, Nathaniel Sims, Coco Yang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This report presents a plan of action for introducing a program to reduce medication errors, which are a major cause of patient morbidity and mortality.

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (Apss) #3d: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events, Ron Jordan, Jerika Lam, Nathaniel Sims, Anne Lyren, Coco Yang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This report presents a plan of action for introducing a "program to reduce the incidence of pediatric adverse drug events (pADEs) and harm ... [that] combine[s] leadership strategies, software (healthcare IT), hardware (drug compounding systems, drug delivery technology, and physiological monitoring systems), and most importantly people (changes in clinical practice, protocols and education)" to protect pediatric patients.