Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Safe Injection To Prevent Infection: Specific Injection Practices Are Associated With Hepatitis C Exposure, Suggesting Opportunities For Targeted Harm Reduction Intervention For People Who Inject Drugs In Maine, N P. Sankar, K Murray, D Burris, K Thakarar

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2021

Background

• The U.S. opioid epidemic has contributed to an increase in infections related to IDU, such as HCV

• Transmission of HCV has been linked to unsafe injection practices

• This study aims to characterize risk factors associated with HCV exposure amongst people who inject drugs in Maine Methods

Preventive Healthcare Services Receipt And Primary Care Provider Utilization Among People Who Inject Drugs, E K. Nenninger, Kinna Thakarar

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2021

Introduction:

People who inject drugs (PWID) face barriers to accessing primary care providers (PCPs) and preventive services, but are at increased risk for preventable infections

Preventive services can be accessed through PCPs, or while hospitalized or at community organizations like syringe service programs (SSPs)

The Development Of A Cancer-Targeting Peptide-Drug Conjugate For The Treatment Of Melanoma, Cassandra Dill

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Cancer is an ongoing global pandemic which has caused a dramatic shift in research priorities. One of the most aggressive and difficult to treat has invariably remained metastatic melanoma. Although encompassing only 4% of overall skin cancer diagnoses, chances for recovery were slim until recent revolutionary development of immunotherapy adding to its regimen spectrum. This is due to its resistance to many standard-of-care treatment methods, along with its relatively high-metastatic potential. Within the past decade, eight new targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitors have gained FDA approval. The median life survival has increased significantly from 9 months to over 2 years …

Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural And Unnatural Amino Acids As Drug Delivery Tools And Antimicrobial Agents, David Salehi

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Cell-penetrating peptides containing arginine as positively charged residues and tryptophan or diphenylalanine as hydrophobic residues were synthesized. The synthesis was accomplished through the Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis in the presence of HBTU and DIPEA. The side-chain protected linear peptides were cleaved from the resin and cyclized in the presence of DIC and HOAt in the solution phase overnight. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used to characterize the peptides.

The cytotoxicity of the synthesized peptides was determined in CCRF-CEM (human, lymphoblast peripheral blood), and HEK-293 (human, embryonic epithelial kidney healthy) cells using the MTS assay. A concentration of 10 µM was found …

Meta-Analysis Comparing Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Vitamin K Antagonists In Patients With Left Ventricular Thrombus, Kazuhiko Kido, Yasir Abdul Ghaffar, James C. Lee, Christopher Bianco, Mikiko Shimizu, Tsuyoshi Shiga, Masayuki Hashiguchi

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for stroke or ST-elevation myocardial infarction recommend the use of oral vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) as a first-line anticoagulant. Although several studies have compared the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to VKAs for left ventricular thrombus (LVT) anticoagula- tion therapy, they are small scale and have produced conflicting results. Thus, this meta- analysis was performed to aggregate these studies to better compare the efficacy and safety of DOACs with VKAs in patients with LVT. Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, MED- LINE, and Web of Science database searches through January 10, 2021 were …

Viral Factors Influencing Early Infection Events During Ex-Vivo Kshv Infection, Ramina Nabiee

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

The enigma of Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus infection, and its persistence despite a quarter century of research on the virus, has given rise to an immediate need for addressing fundamental questions about basic immunology and virology knowledge regarding this virus. Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV), also known as Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), is the etiological agent of Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) and other lymphoproliferative cancers, such as Multicentric Castleman’s Disease (MCD), Primary Effusion Lymphoma (PEL), and a newly discovered rare disease called KSHV Inflammatory Cytokines Syndrome (KICS). Epidemic KS, also known as AIDS-KS, is the most common cancer in untreated HIV …

Aldo-Keto Reductases And Cancer Drug Resistance, Trevor M. Penning, Sravan Jonnalagadda, Paul C. Trippier, Tea Lanišnik Rižner

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Human aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) catalyze the NADPH-dependent reduction of carbonyl groups to alcohols for conjugation reactions to proceed. They are implicated in resistance to cancer chemotherapeutic agents either because they are directly involved in their metabolism or help eradicate the cellular stress created by these agents (e.g., reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides). Furthermore, this cellular stress activates the Nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2)-Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 pathway. As many human AKR genes are upregulated by the NRF2 transcription factor, this leads to a feed-forward mechanism to enhance drug resistance. Resistance to major classes of chemotherapeutic agents (anthracyclines, …

Site-Search Process For Synaptic Protein-Dna Complexes, Sridhar Vemulapalli, Mohtadin Hashemi, Yuri L. Lyubchenko

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

The assembly of synaptic protein-DNA complexes by specialized proteins is critical for bringing together two distant sites within a DNA molecule or bridging two DNA molecules. The assembly of such synaptosomes is needed in numerous genetic processes requiring the interactions of two or more sites. The molecular mechanisms by which the protein brings the sites together, enabling the assembly of synaptosomes, remain unknown. Such proteins can utilize sliding, jumping, and segmental transfer pathways proposed for the single-site search process, but none of these pathways explains how the synaptosome assembles. Here we used restriction enzyme SfiI, that requires the assembly of …

Sex-Specific Gene Expression In Flupirtine-Treated Cln3Δex7/8 Mouse Brain, Joelle Makoukji, Sara Saab, Katia Maalouf, Nadine J. Makhoul, Angelica V. Carmona, Nihar Kinarivala, Paul C. Trippier, Rose-Mary Boustany

Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Gene expression is a powerful tool to understand structure-function relationships in the nervous system. This study reports global gene expression changes induced by flupirtine in brain of male and female Cln3Δex7/8 mice, exposing potential flupirtine targets at the molecular level. Gene expression analysis of male and female Cln3Δex7/8 mouse brain was determined following oral administration of flupirtine for 14 weeks, using Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array Chips and an Affymetrix platform. Fifty-six genes in males and 79 in females were differentially expressed in flupirtine- versus vehicle-treated Cln3Δex7/8 mouse brain. Flupirtine altered several pathways in Cln3Δex7/8 mouse brain: apoptosis, the complement …

Medication Use Evaluation Of Ceftriaxone Dosing In Pediatric Patients, Sara Frey Pharmd, Kristin M. Held Wheatley Pharmd, Bcop

Department of Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of The Therapeutic Efficacy Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments, Kacy Smith Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that causes chronic joint pain and destruction. The current standard regimen of monotherapy disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatments may not be as effective as that of combination therapy of a DMARD and a biologic agent in treating RA. The purpose of this study was to answer the question, is there a difference in the therapeutic efficacy of combination DMARD treatments with a biologic, compared to monotherapy DMARDs without a biologic, in U.S. Caucasian women between the ages of 30 and 60 that have been diagnosed with RA? Guided by the theoretical framework …

A Semiparametric Modeling Approach For Analyzing Clinical Biomarkers Restricted To Limits Of Detection, Sandipan Dutta, Susan Halabi

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Before biomarkers can be used in clinical trials or patients' management, the laboratory assays that measure their levels have to go through development and analytical validation. One of the most critical performance metrics for validation of any assay is related to the minimum amount of values that can be detected and any value below this limit is referred to as below the limit of detection (LOD). Most of the existing approaches that model such biomarkers, restricted by LOD, are parametric in nature. These parametric models, however, heavily depend on the distributional assumptions, and can result in loss of precision under …

Development Of An Online Warfarin Dosing Platform Using R Programming Language To Facilitate Healthcare Professional Duties And Limit Medication Related Errors., Monther Alsultan

Graduate Research Posters

Development of an online warfarin dosing platform using R programming language to facilitate healthcare professional duties and limit medication related errors.

Monther Alsultan, Joshua M. Morriss, Daniel Contaifer Jr, Suad Alshammari; Silas Contaifer, Rachel W Flurie, Dayanjan S. Wijesinghe^#

Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcome Sciences

Objective: 1) Gain experience in developing platform agnostic, fully operational and clinically relevant web applications for effective pharmacist led patient care. 2) Create a decision- support tool using open source software to facilitate evidence-based management therapy of warfarin in clinical settings where it is available for everyone to use at anytime and anywhere.

Introduction: …

Frequency Of Genetic Polymorphisms Of Cyp2c19 In Native Hawaiian, And Asian And Pacific Islander Subgroups: Implications For Personalized Medicine, Khalifa Y. Alrajeh, Youssef Roman Dr

Graduate Research Posters

Pharmacogenetic testing, where prescriptions are tailored to the individual patient based on his/her genetic makeup, increases the ability to predict individual drug response. However, little is known about the prevalence of clinically actionable pharmacogenes in diverse populations. This study seeks to assess the prevalence of select drug-gene alleles that are implicated in the metabolism of commonly prescribed drugs, so-called Very Important Pharmacogenes (VIPs). The results of this study will fill in the gaps of knowledge of VIPs in underrepresented populations and characterize their potential risk for drug adverse events or due to their underlying genetic polymorphisms, especially in patients of …

Pharmacogenomics And Ssris Appropriateness In Older Community Dwelling African Americans, Wint War Phyo, Lana Sargent, Elvin T. Price

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Depressive and anxiety disorders are among the most common illnesses experienced by older adults (age > 60). The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are preferred class of antidepressants for these disorders due to their high efficacy and safety profiles among older adults. However, SSRIs are metabolized by highly polymorphic cytochrome P450 enzymes, specifically CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. This can lead to variable dose-response outcomes, especially among older African American population.

Objective: Analyze the frequency of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms in African American older adults who are taking SSRIs and identify potential inappropriate use of SSRIs in these older adults using the …

Peptidomimetic And Non- Peptidomimetic Derivatives As Possible Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease (Mpro) Inhibitors, Mohammed A. Al Awadh, Mohini S. Ghatge Ph.D, Mona A. Al Khairi, Faik N. Musayev, Akua K. Donkor, Mohammed H. Al Mughram, Abdelsattar M. Omar Ph.D, Moustafa M. El-Araby Ph.D, Martin K. Safo Ph.D

Graduate Research Posters

To design novel inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), we investigated the binding mode of the recently reported α-ketoamide inhibitors of this enzyme. Following, we utilized in-silico screening to identify 168 peptidomimetic and non-peptidomimetic compounds that are high probability Mpro binding candidates. The compounds were synthesized in 5 to 10 mg for initial screening for their potential inhibition of Mpro using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) assay. The study was conducted using the main protease, MBP-tagged (SARS-CoV-2) Assay Kit (BPS Bioscience, #79955-2), and the fluorescence due to enzymatic cleavage of substrate measured using BMG LABTECH CLARIOstar™, a fluorescent microplate …

Science-Based Regulation Of Pharmacological Substances In Competition Horses, Jacob Machin

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Current testing methodologies within equine forensic toxicology focus on arbitrary thresholds and zero-tolerance policy. Modern analytical chemistry’s limits of detection are low enough that oftentimes femtogram-per-milliliter amounts of a substance can readily be identified in both blood and urine of a horse. For most pharmacologically relevant compounds, these concentrations have no relevance to pharmacological effect. It is therefore crucial that testing methodologies to determine appropriate thresholds and cut-offs be developed that are driven by biological activity rather than arbitrary limits of detection. This dissertation looks to address this by suggesting a system of calculated Effective Plasma Concentrations by which a …

Development Of An Online Warfarin Dosing Platform Using R Programming Language To Facilitate Healthcare Professional Duties And Limit Medication Related Errors., Monther Alsultan

Graduate Research Posters

Development of an online warfarin dosing platform using R programming language to facilitate healthcare professional duties and limit medication related errors.

Monther Alsultan, Joshua M. Morriss, Daniel Contaifer Jr, Suad Alshammari; Silas Contaifer, Rachel W Flurie, Dayanjan S. Wijesinghe

Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcome Sciences

Objective: 1) Gain experience in developing platform agnostic, fully operational and clinically relevant web applications for effective pharmacist led patient care. 2) Create a decision- support tool using open source software to facilitate evidence-based management therapy of warfarin in clinical settings where it is available for everyone to use at anytime and anywhere.

Introduction: Healthcare …

Digging Deeper: Improving Health Communication With Patients, Jennifer Ko, Miranda Steinkopf, Abby A. Kahaleh, Sharon Connor

Pharmacy Faculty Books and Book Chapters

At the end of this activity, students will be able to:

• Identify five theories and models that can be used to facilitate the patient-provider health communication process
• Describe opportunities to optimize communication with patients in healthcare settings
• Apply health communication theories within patient care, providing specific approaches and language to utilize

A Case Of Primary Infertility Treated With Icsi And Tesa, Saumya Raj

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

No abstract provided.

2021 Apothecary, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Apothecary

It is with great honor we present the 2021 Apothecary issue. This year’s Apothecary was made possible by the provision of generous financial contributions from many stores, businesses, and Southwestern College of Pharmacy alumni. We greatly appreciate and thank you for your continued support.

The Apothecary staff would like to thank Dr. David Ralph and Adina Foust for their patience, countless hours, and unfailing efforts throughout this year. We also want to give huge thanks to the SWOSU Design Studio for their hard work in creating this year’s amazing cover and dividers. You always help bring our ideas to life …

2021 Edition, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

The Sig

The Sig Newsletter from the Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy - 2021 Edition

Nsu College Of Pharmacy_Brochure_2021, Nova Southeastern University

Health Professions Divisions Course Catalogs and Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Development Of Mucoadhesive Polymeric Nanoparticles For Intranasal Delivery Of Favipiravir In Treating Sars-Cov-2 Infection, Khent Alcantara

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as an effective carrier for transmucosal delivery of drugs through their prolonged residence time and deposition, or the enhanced permeation through the mucosa. In this study, we aimed to design a nanocarrier using the combined mucoadhesive (M) properties of chitosan (CS) and alginate (ALG) polymers for the intranasal delivery of favipiravir (FVR) in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. The optimized FVR-loaded mucoadhesive CS-coated ALG-NPs (FVR-MCS-ALG-NPs) rendered suitable size (233.5 nm), zeta potential (-21.6 mV), loading capacity (26.0%), and encapsulation efficiency (84.6%) for transmucosal delivery. Superior mucoadhesiveness and higher permeation and deposition in the porcine nasal mucosa of …

Development Of Thiol Specific Fluorogenic Benzofurazan Derivatives For Live Cell Subcellular Organelle Thiol Imaging, Shenggang Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Glutathione Derivatives As Brain Targeting Agents, Yue Huang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s diseases, and brain tumors, is still a challenge due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB as a membrane barrier that separates systemic blood circulation from the CNS is structurally formed by endothelial cells, astrocyte, pericyte and neurons and is one of the crucial protection mechanisms for the CNS. The BBB protects the brain by preventing foreign compounds (non-endogenous compounds) from entering the brain and helps maintain brain homeostasis. In addition, the presence of drug efflux pumps (i.e., P-glycoproteins, multidrug-resistance proteins) in the BBB helps …

Development And Evaluation Of Wound Healing Property Of In-Situ Hydrogel Formulation For Topical Delivery Of Short-Chain Hyaluronic Acid In Dental Use, Porniweat Rosaming

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Regeneration of damaged periodontal tissues becomes one of the biggest challenges that is hard to overcome, even without the presence of any pathogens. Tissue engineering was proposed as a possible technique for the lost tissues’ restoration. In this study, methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) hydrogel was developed with different concentrations of low molecular weight (short-chain) hyaluronic acid to achieve the hydrogels with suitable physical properties and biological properties for dental tissue regeneration. The results revealed that short-chain hyaluronic acid (sHA) could interfere with some behaviors of networking systems; however, overall properties (including gelation time, mechanical properties, swelling and degradation profiles, and …

Effect Of 5-O-(N-Boc-L-Alanine)-Renieramycin T In The Suppression Of Lung Cancer Stem Cells, Darinthip Suksamai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive aggressiveness and metastasis by utilizing stem cell-related signals. In this study, 5-O-(N-Boc-L-alanine)-renieramycin T (OBA-RT) was demonstrated to suppress CSC signals and induce apoptosis. OBA-RT exerted cytotoxic effects with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of approximately 7 µM and mediated apoptosis as detected by annexin V/PI and nuclear staining assays. Mechanistically, OBA-RT exerted dual roles, activating p53-dependent apoptosis and concomitantly suppressing CSC signals. A p53-dependent pathway was indicated by the induction of p53 and the depletion of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 proteins. Cleaved PARP was detected in OBA-RT-treated cells. Interestingly, OBA-RT exerted strong CSC-suppressing activity, reducing the …

Anti-Addictive Activity Of Quinuclidine Derivatives In Nicotine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference Test In Mice, Saranda Nianpanich

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Quinuclidine derivatives (s)-T1, (s)-T2, and (s)-T6 are the ligands of α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). α3β4 nAChRs are highly expressed in medial habenula (MHb). The MHb connects to the brain rewarding pathway and mediates nicotine induce rewarding effect. Various α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine antagonists have been investigated for their anti-addictive effect in animal models of nicotine addiction. The present study was aimed to evaluate the anti-addictive effects and mechanisms of quinuclidine derivatives, (s)-T1, (s)-T2, and (s)-T6 in nicotine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice. In the first experiment, mice received either nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.), (s)-T1 (1, 3, or 10 mg/kg, …

Reward-Related Effects Of Amphetamines Administered By Electronic Cigarette, Lucas Wohler

Theses and Dissertations

While e-cigarette vaporizers are primarily used for the delivery of nicotine, they can also be used to administer a wide range of other substances of abuse including stimulants such as d-amphetamine and methamphetamine. Methamphetamine and prescription amphetamines are widely abused throughout the United States and across the world leading us to believe there may be abuse potential with vaping methamphetamine as vaping becomes increasingly popular. In the present study, methamphetamine and amphetamine vapor were assessed using vapor capture methods. The vapor samples were then analyzed using liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS). Three experiments were carried out to examine the abuse …