Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Application Of Bioactive Materials Primary Cilia As A Novel Delivery Vehicle, Ayan K. Barui, Farideh Amirrad, Vansh Goel, Sharareh Ohadi, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Ashraf M. Mohieldin, Andromeda M. Nauli, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Primary cilia are hair-like structured cell organelles functioning as cellular antennae with chemosensory and mechanosensory roles. Dysfunction of cilia results in ciliopathies, including renovascular diseases (polycystic kidneys, hypertension, aneurysm), mental impedances (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia), metabolic diseases (obesity, developmental skeleton defects), blindness, and so on. With a diameter of 150 nm, cilia can be cleaved, released and circulated in the body as injury biomarkers. We here assessed the potential use of isolated cilia as a novel delivery vehicle. Cilia were isolated from renal epithelial cells, and a specific-targeting chemotherapeutic was designed on the cilia. The data show a remarkable …

Over-The-Counter Cold Medication Usage Self-Efficacy Among Undergraduate Students In The United States, Ray Goodwin

Honors Theses

Background

This study looks at the trends in over-the-counter medication usage and self-efficacy among undergraduate college students in the United States. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications serve as the most easily accessible and commonly purchased medications and can be used as a basis to determine this demographic’s attitudes and behaviors towards self-medication. In addition, undergraduates represent a diverse population for analyzing differences among demographic groups.

Methods

A Qualtrics survey was sent out to undergraduates across the US via a panel, and the team received 403 useable responses. As part of a larger study, the survey presented participants with four different scenarios at …

A Local Assessment Of Glp-1 Use For Weight Loss: An Interview Study, Maci Bradley

Honors Theses

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a novel class of medications used primarily for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, as well as for chronic weight management. The first GLP-1 medication, exenatide, was FDA-approved in April of 2005 for glycemic control, however, it was not until December of 2014 when liraglutide became the first GLP-1 FDA-approved for weight loss. There are now eight FDA-approved GLP-1s, only two of which are approved for weight loss. GLP-1 use has become increasingly popular in recent years, even extending to the college-aged population. The purpose of this study is to examine the trends in …

Valproic Acid Loaded Niosomal In Situ Gel: A Novel Approach For Epilepsy Treatment, Rutuja Bastapure, Akshay Gawali, Gopal Lohiya, Kranti Satpute, Mahesh Birajdar, Sameep Sonvane

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Valproic acid is an antiepileptic medication that is primarily used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. This investigation was designed with three objectives in mind. First, improve the solubility and bioavailability of the BCS class II medicine valproic acid; second, make it easy to give the drug to an epileptic patient during an episode; and third, lower the dosage for long-term treatment. Niosomal formulations were optimized using various Tween and Span range ratios. The formulations were made using the ether injection method. The formulation's morphological characterization, entrapment efficiency, viscosity, and particle size were evaluated. Valproic acid niosomes prepared with Tween …

Development And Assessment Of Liposomal Nasal Spray For The Treatment Epilepsy, Sayali Dongare, Sushmaji Sontakke, Gopal Lohiya, Shoeb Syed, Rohit Sarda

International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Abstract:

Background: Levetiracetam is a pyrrolidine class antiepileptic drug mainly used to treat epilepsy and seizures.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to synthesize a liposomal nasal spray incorporating levetiracetam for nose to brain delivery in epilepsy.

Materials and methods: The preparation method employed thin film hydration to prepare liposomes loaded with levetiracetam with lecithin and tween 80 at different concentrations. The liposome formed were characterized in terms of particle size and entrapment efficiency. Finally, the prepared liposomes were converted into nasal spray and characterized for drug content, pH, viscosity, in vitro release profile, clarity, Ex-vivo permeation study. …

The Legacy Of William M. Pardridge (1947–2024) On The Science And Fields Concerned With The Physiology Of The Blood-Brain Barrier And The Transport Of Drugs To The Brain, Ruben J. Boado, Ulrich Bickel, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This article highlights the scientific achievements and professional career of William M. Pardridge, who passed away on 18th of June 2024. He was born in 1947 in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. William, known affectionately as Bill, was one of the most influential researchers in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) field. Bill’s research contributions to the field spun over 6 decades at the University of California, Los Angeles, and it was focused on the molecular physiology of the BBB, including the carrier-mediated transport of nutrients and small molecule drugs, the receptor-mediated transport of peptides and molecular Trojan horses, gene therapy of the brain …

Effect Of Rehabilitation Exercises And Antioxidants On Patients With Stable Heart Failure, Shimaa Mohamed Abu Zeid, Walid A. Ali

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

The research aims to find out the effect of rehabilitation exercises and antioxidants in some physical and physiological abilities, free radicals and the degree of pain for patients with stable heart failure, and the research sample was selected randomly and whose ages ranged between 40–45 years and their number is 30 female patients with this disease, and the researcher used the experimental approach as the most appropriate approach to solve the research problem, as the sample was divided into two groups equal in number, each of which (15) patients (experimental and control), and the tribal tests were carried out after …

Classification Of Brain Tumor Using Hybrid Pre-Trained Networks And Mrmr Algorithm, Mustafa Ridha Al-Yasari, Mohammed Qasim Alazzawi, Sarmad Jawad, Mohammed Alshujairi, Zamzam Ali Abood Noory Al-Shafiee, Jaber Parchami, Heba. G. Abdelzaher, M. A. Abdelzaher

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Brain tumor classification is one of the crucial uses of medical image processing. A longer life is possible if the tumor is correctly and promptly diagnosed. Because manually segmenting brain tumors for cancer diagnosis is difficult and time-consuming, automatic classification of brain tumor images is necessary for this task. Pre-processing, feature extraction, feature selection, and classification are the four stages of the general framework for automatic tumor detection from MRI images. The method for automatic brain tumor classification described in this research combines machine learning and deep learning algorithms. We used three pre-trained deep networks to extract the most detailed …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Derivatives Of Imides 1,2,4-Triazole Polymers Via Microwave And Study Biological Activities, Bahaa Fadhil Hamzah

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

New derivatives of imides 1,2,4-triazole polymers as pharmaceutical compounds were prepared from the synthesis of amic acid compounds (1A-E) by reacted of benzocaine with different cyclic anhydrides. Then cyclic imide compounds (2A-E), which prepared from converted amic acid compounds by using acetic anhydrate (CH₃CO)₂O and anhydrous sodium acetate CH₃COONa as a water drawer agent. Compounds (2A-E) were react with nucleophilic addition of hydrazine hydrate to ester cyclic imide compound to produce acid hydrazide cyclic imide compounds. Thereafter, cyclization of compounds (4A-E) and (5A-E) were prepared from react of acid hydrazide cyclic imide compounds with …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of A Nurse-Led Family-Focused Program On The Physical Health Domain Of Children With Congenital Heart Defects, Maha Abdul Hussein Mutasher Al-Barki, Wameedh Hamid Shaker Alzubeidi

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Background: Assessing the effectiveness of a nurse-led family-focused program on the physical health domain of children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is a critical area of research. CHDs are among the most common congenital anomalies, affecting nearly 1 in 100 live births. physical activity plays an important role in overall health and recovery congenital heart disease. Quality of life educational include specific directions to increase level of physical activity, such as walking daily or exercising regularly. Objectives: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led family-focused program in improving the physical health outcomes of children with CHDs. Methods …

Evaluation Of Rbc Indices And Significance Of Mentzer Index For Differentiation Between Iron Deficiency Anemia And Beta Thalassemia Trait, Raghda Hameed Jasim, Rasha Hussain Aouda

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Background: Anemia is a global public health problem affecting developed and adversely affecting developing countries. About 1.62 billion peoples are affected worldwide, currently pregnant women are the most vulnerable population corresponding to 24.8%. Objective: To evaluate RBC indices and significance of Mentzer index for differentiation between Iron deficiency anemia and Beta thalassemia trait. Patients and methods: Cross sectional study was conducted in Babylon Maternity and Pediatrics Teaching Hospital for a period of 4 months. Data was collected prospectively after approval of the research proposal was gained, the study involved 114 patients that were referred to the Babylon Maternity and Pediatrics …

Post-Discharge Telephone Intervention With A Clinical Pharmacy Specialist For Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Patients, Jane E. Rogers, Michael Leung, Amanda Sirisaengtaksin, Jennifer Zadlo, Van Nguyen, Morgan Mace, Wendy Covert, Makenna Smack, Stacy Diao, Zhou Fang, Andrea Landgraf, Mariela Blum Murphy

Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement

Background: Oncology patients are a vulnerable population with medication-related problems spanning across care settings. Gastrointestinal medical oncology (GIMO) patients often have unique medication challenges due to extensive treatment history. High-quality medication reconciliation aids in preventing medication discrepancies and potential adverse events during transitions of care. We conducted a pilot post-hospital discharge intervention with clinical pharmacy specialists for GIMO patients.

Objective: The primary objective was to identify the frequency of medication discrepancies.

Methods: GIMO patients discharged from our hospital were identified and called within 7 days of discharge. Clinical pharmacy specialist telephone encounters occurred between December 2021 and February 2022.

Results: …

Pharmacist-Led Statin Initiation In Adults With Diabetes At An Adult Internal Medicine Clinic, Kevin Le, Michael Takach, Linh Gagnon, Dylan Atchley

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2025

Purpose: Implement and evaluate a pharmacist-led program addressing the current underutilization of statins among these high-risk patients with diabetes

Long-Term Use Of Oral Factor X(A) Inhibitors Is Associated With Increased Rates Of Pancreatic Necrosis At 30- And 90-Days In Patients With Acute Pancreatitis: A Multinational Multicenter Analysis, Do Han Kim Md, Donghyun Ko, Pedro Palacios Argueta Md, Wilhelm S. Basegoda Md, Jose A. Porres, Frank J. Lukens Md, Paul T. Kroner Md

Posters

The aim of this study is to explore the association between use of long-term anticoagulation with FXaI and the odds of pancreatic necrosis in patients with AP using a large multinational database.

Evolocumab Is Associated With Lower Mortality When Compared To Statin In Masld/Mash Patients: A Multinational Analysis, Donghyun Ko, Do Han Kim Md, Wilhelm S. Basegoda Md, Jose A. Porres, Cristina H. Makarian, Luis M. Nieto Md, Pedro Palacios Argueta Md, Paul T. Kroner Md, Frank J. Lukens Md

Posters

Evolocumab is typically used as an add-on or replacement therapy for patients with dyslipidemia who are already on the maximum tolerated dose of statins or are intolerant to statins. While statins are effective in lowering lipid levels and have been shown to improve liver-related outcomes and reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), statin intolerance is increasingly encountered with their widespread use. The aim of our study is to compare the benefits of using evolocumab as monotherapy versus statins as monotherapy in patients with metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated With Pembrolizumab In Dmmr/Msi-H Colorectal Cancer: A Single Arm Safety Meta-Analysis, Joshi Simran, Saman Javid, Gaurav Sharma, Corinne Caissie, Armando Dominguez-Diaz

Posters

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, enhances immune response and has proven effective against various cancers, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Clinical trials have also shown its efficacy in treating various types of cancers with different mismatch-repair statuses. However, the spectrum and frequency of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in the dMMR (deficient mismatch repair) / MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high) colorectal cancer remain underexplored.

Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to evaluate pembrolizumab's safety profile in this colorectal cancer subset.

The Promise Of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy For Opioid Use Disorder, Craig Kimble, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

The opioid epidemic presents a profound and escalating public health and economic crisis in the United States. According to the CDC, the economic burden of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in the U.S. reached an estimated $1.02 trillion in 2017 alone, encompassing healthcare costs, lost productivity, criminal justice expenditures, and premature mortality. While current pharmacologic treatments—such as methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone—have proven efficacy, they are not without limitations, including high relapse rates, issues with compliance, stigma, and insufficient engagement in long-term recovery. These shortcomings necessitate an exploration of innovative, cost-effective interventions. One such promising alternative is psilocybin-assisted therapy. …

Functional Characterization Of The C-Terminal Cholinesterase-Like (Chel) Domain Of The Thyroid Hormone Precursor Protein, Berenice Morales-Rodriguez

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Vertebrate life is unsustainable without thyroid hormones. The only known precursor for thyroid hormone synthesis is thyroglobulin (Tg), composed of upstream regions I-II-III and a C-terminal cholinesterase-like (ChEL) domain, which bears 47% similarity to acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Mutations in Tg cause congenital hypothyroidism, the most common congenital endocrinopathy affecting 1 in 2,000-4,000 newborns, with a varying degree of phenotypic manifestations. Tg protein, regulated by TSH, is secreted to the lumen of thyroid follicles, where thyroxine (T₄) is formed primarily at the N-terminus, and triiodothyronine (T₃) is formed primarily in the ChEL domain. Previous in vitro studies indicated …

No Guts, No Glory: The Latest In H. Pylori Management, Charlie Wright Pharmd, Bcps, Ian Hendryx

Faculty Research ​and Publications

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) remains a significant global health concern, affecting nearly half the world’s population and contributing to peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, and gastric cancer. The management of H. pylori infection has evolved over time, with preferred treatment regimens changing due to increasing􀀠antibiotic resistance and the emergence of novel therapies. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) recently released its 2024 guidelines, refining the treatment approach to improve eradication rates and reduce antibiotic resistance-related failures.

Exploring The Landscape Of Pharmacist-Led Hormonal Contraceptive Counseling By Indiana Pharmacists, Anna Rose Greathouse

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Indiana pharmacists were authorized to prescribe birth control in 2023. An over-the-counter birth control pill was approved in 2024. It is imperative to understand and address pharmacist comfort when counseling on these medications. The purpose of this research project is to understand pharmacist confidence in counseling on hormonal birth control and identify barriers to hormonal contraceptive counseling in pharmacies in Indiana. An 18-question survey was sent to all members of the Indiana Pharmacist Association listserv. Pharmacists were invited to participate in the survey. This study was approved by the Butler University Institutional Review Board. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze …

Advancing Drug-Drug Interaction Prediction Using Multi-Modal Feature Integration With Graph Neural Networks, Ernest C. Chianumba

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Pharmaceutical treatments are essential for managing medical conditions, but drug-drug interactions (DDIs) pose significant risks to patient safety and healthcare outcomes. This research integrates Knowledge Graphs and Graph Neural Networks to predict DDIs by exploring complex drug relationships. We construct a comprehensive knowledge graph using DrugBank data (1,000 drugs, 155,774 interactions) enriched with molecular features from PubChem. Our methodology introduces a novel multi-modal approach by integrating transformer-based embeddings (ChemBERTa, SPECTER, and SBERT) to create 1152-dimensional feature vectors that capture structural, biomedical literature, and semantic properties of drugs. Formulating DDI prediction as a link prediction task, we compare three Graph Neural …

Respect Rx Remedy: Dosage Of Decency, Decreasing Bullying And Incivility, Sophia Corso, Olivia Edwards, Elise Kimball, Lillie Le, Hannah Sauer

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

May 2025, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

This is the May 2025 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Detection Of Covid-19 Variants, Christina Aglieco

Honors Scholar Theses

The outbreak of Covid-19 in December 2019 was devastating to many but led to major advancements in vaccine research and development. The development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection offers protection for the public but cannot eliminate the risk of contracting Covid-19 due to the many viral mutations since the initial wild-type strain isolation in 2019. Analysis of these viral mutations will allow for the development of vaccines with greater protection against the new variants of the coronavirus. Secondary to Covid-19 infection seen in the pediatric population is Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C. Through qPCR analysis of pediatric …

Machine Learning And Protein Engineering Approaches To Understanding Kinesin-5 Activity, Jason Eden Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cancer is a term describing a collection of diseases that result in uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer has manifold etiologies and underlying cancers are rouge biochemical pathways involving many different proteins. In the current work, two approaches are used to enhance knowledge of kinesin-5, a potential cancer target involved in cell division. Kinesin-5 promotes cell division by cross-linking and separating microtubules in dividing cells. The first approach uses machine learning (ML) to identify small molecule inhibitors for kinesin-5. Though decades of research have uncovered classes of small-molecules which inhibit kinesin-5 in vitro and in vivo, no candidates have reached phase III …

Commencement Program 2025, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

2 | Message from the President

3 | 2025 Events of Commencement

5 | The Academic Procession

6 | Institutional Administration

7 | Board of Trustees

8 | Significance of Academic Regalia

9 | University History Highlights

11 | Criteria for Institutional Awards

13 | Loma Linda University Health and Loma Linda University Honorees

The Programs, The School Honorees, and The Speakers

29 | School of Medicine

50 | School of Pharmacy

63 | School of Dentistry

81 | School of Public Health

94 | San Manuel Gateway College

101 | School of Allied Health Professions - Allied Health …

Case Report: Herba Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed) Toxicity With Severe Muscle Spasms And Elevated Creatine Kinase And Creatinine, Tucker A. Ledo, Dhara Patel, Wayne Tamaska, James Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Here we present the case of a 33-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a complaint of severe muscle spasms of a ten-hour duration. He noted that he took a supplement which he purchased over the internet called Epimedium, also known as Horny Goat Weed, for the purpose of improving his mood and sense of energy and reducing his sense of anxiety. He noted that he started this supplement one month prior to ED presentation, coincident with the first episodes of muscle cramps. In the ED, he had elevations of his CK and creatinine and required hospital …

Evaluation Of Avenanthramide-A As A Skin Penetration Enhancer: In Vitro And In Vivo Testing On Permeation Of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate And Diclofenac Sodium From Topical Gels, Darshil Dhiren Shah

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Topical and transdermal drug delivery are favored to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients directly to the skin as an alternative to oral administration for systemic effects. In either case, the active molecules must cross the stratum corneum and epidermis to reach the site of action. The stratum corneum serves as a primary barrier limiting compounds from fully penetrating the skin. Therefore, it is necessary to add penetration enhancers to topical formulations to enhance drug delivery through the skin. Often, penetration enhancers are also irritant to the skin. Earlier research in our pharmaceutical laboratory showed that an addition of colloidal oatmeal, produced …

A Review Of Praziquantel Resistance In Schistosomes And The Future Of Schistosomiasis Control, Gabriela G. Eastham

Senior Honors Theses

Schistosomiasis is a group of both acute and chronic parasitic trematode infections of the genus Schistosoma. Praziquantel (PZQ) has been the drug of choice to treat schistosomiasis for decades. Though it is effective against all three clinically relevant species, heavy reliance on PZQ has led to concerns of schistosome resistance, especially in areas that have implemented this drug in mass drug administration (MDA) programs. Although there is currently insufficient evidence to conclude that schistosomes are becoming resistant to PZQ on a large scale, other control methods are a necessity to best treat and eliminate schistosomiasis. This article summarizes the …

Association Of Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Use With Reduced Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease Risk, Joseph Magagnoli Ph.D., Ms, Meenakshi Ambati, Tammy H. Cummings, Joseph Nguyen, Claire C. Thomas, Vidya L. Ambati, S. Scott Sutton, Bradley D. Gelfand, Jayakrishna Ambati

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION

Inflammasome activation is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously demonstrated that nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), drugs approved to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B, also inhibit inflammasome activation.

METHODS

We evaluated the association between NRTI exposure and subsequent development of AD in the United States Veterans Health Administration over a 24-year period and in the MarketScan database over a 14-year period using propensity score-matched multivariate Cox hazards regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses.

RESULTS

We report that in humans, NRTI exposure was associated with a significantly lower incidence of AD in two of the largest health insurance …