Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons^™

A New Generation Of Inhaled Vaccines, Clark Chapman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Vaccines have stood the test of time as being one of the greatest developments in health history. Delivery of these life-saving vaccines has primarily remained reliant on intramuscular administration, which has its own collection of shortcomings. When considering what vaccine formulation is best suited to be a widely accessible and effective tool in the fight against respiratory pathogens, current data and science points to a number of improvements available to us. These improvements include:

• An inhaled formulation, uniquely stimulating mucosal immunity

• A dry powder formulation to improve long-term stability

• A live attenuated vaccine to increase immunogenic response …

Gene Expression Signatures Of Response To Fluoxetine Treatment: Systematic Review And Meta-Analyses, David G. Cooper, J. Paige Cowden, Patrick M. Vo, Parker A. Stanley, Jack T. Karbowski, Victoria S. Gaertig, Caiden J. Lukan, Ariel D. Worthington, Caleb Class

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

BACKGROUND: Genomic (and other ‘omic) data have provided valuable insights on the pharmacological signatures of antidepressant response, but results from individual studies are largely heterogeneous. In this work, we synthesized gene expression data for fluoxetine treatment in both human patients and rodent models, to better understand biological pathways affected by treatment, as well as those that may distinguish clinical or behavioral response.

METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for studies profiling humans or rodent models with treatment of the antidepressant fluoxetine, excluding those not done in the context of depression or anxiety, in an …

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 …

Exploration Of Ehealth Literacy Levels Among Butler University Students, Savannah Behn

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Background: Healthcare has shifted into predominantly an online presence through patient portals and electronic health records. Health literacy is crucial to understanding health information and making informed decisions, but little has been done to explore the impact of electronic health literacy (eHealth literacy) and its healthcare implications after the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world where everything is moving to online platforms, it is crucial to understand how eHealth literacy impacts young adults' health-seeking behaviors. Purpose: This study aims to explore eHealth literacy among Butler University students and its associated determinants. Methods: Sociodemographic data and eHealth literacy skills were collected using …

The Stereotype Surrounding The Dancer Body, Madison Lynn Menale

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

From a young age, athletes grapple with societal expectations surrounding body image, a phenomenon particularly pronounced in dancers, often leading to detrimental health habits. This research investigates the impact of such pressures on the mental well-being of athletes, focusing on the Butler University Dance Team, female members of Butler Athletics, and the a few Butler Ballet members. A comprehensive survey, comprising of 10 questions, was administered to explore participants' dance environments, the influence of teacher language, and the enduring effects on their mental health. Additionally, two in-depth interviews were conducted for deeper insights on the topic. By surveying both dance …

Perceptions Of Environmental Justice And Water Quality In The United States, Paige M. Jewell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

My thesis explores the comparisons of water quality and environmental justice. A survey was conducted that allowed for demographics, hometown information, and opinions on hometown water quality to be gathered from the Butler community. Based on the findings in the survey and current events found within an extensive literature review, three states were chosen to receive further analysis on their current water quality and environmental justice standards. For these three states, current water pollutants, current solution implementations, population impacted, and community involvement were all looked into and analyzed.

Analysis Of Medication Error Trends Occurring During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madison Beriault

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, medication errors were the leading cause of preventable harm in hospitals, negatively impacting approximately 1.5 million American patients each year.1 Since then, over thirty novel COVID-19 treatments have been authorized for patient use, introducing new challenges and exacerbating existing factors that contributed to medication errors.2 This research aims to identify and analyze medication error trends associated with COVID-19 related medications, vaccines, and treatment algorithms. To determine the most prominent medication errors occurring in the United States healthcare system during the beginning stages of the pandemic, literature reviews were conducted to identify the active treatments and …

Misophonia Development From Onset To College Age, Hope Horsfall

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Misophonia is a newly recognized disorder, defined as the hatred of specific trigger sounds and characterized by extreme negative emotional responses upon hearing trigger sounds (Webber, Johnson, Storch 2013). Although some studies have suggested that misophonia worsens with age (Rouw & Erfanian, 2018), little is yet known about this progression. The purpose of the current study was to examine how misophonia develops from onset until college, what sounds specifically trigger college-aged students, and how misophonia relates to sound-related skills such as playing instruments, taking music lessons, and speaking multiple languages. An online survey was conducted through Butler’s SONA system and …

Resisting The Resistance: How The Environment Is Impacting Antibiotic Resistance, Hannah Hinrichs

BUHealth

Upon their discovery, antibiotics were known as “wonder drugs” due to their ability to cure serious bacterial infections. While antibiotics are still revolutionary in healthcare today, the emergence of antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to public health. Antibiotic resistance is simply a normal adaptive response where bacteria evolve over time. However, overuse of antibiotics, sub-optimal treatment regimens, and environmental exposures create optimal conditions for antibiotic resistance to develop and spread. Common ways antibiotics enter the environment are via wastewater and agricultural use. Even with properly functioning wastewater treatment systems, full removal of resistant bacteria may not be possible as …

You Are What You Eat, Allyson Ditmars

BUHealth

The gut microbiome is the wide array of good and bad bacteria found in the digestive tract of all humans. Although the composition of gut microbiota is developed before someone is even born, there are nutritional decisions made in adulthood that can impact the health of the gut. Certain nutritional foods can increase the diversity of the gut and create a beneficial environment. On the other hand, many foods found in the common American diet can negatively impact the microbiome. The gut can suffer from a poor diet when the permeability of the intestinal barrier and the diversity richness is …

Locked Up: A Look Into Healthcare Behind Bars, Ella Davis

BUHealth

The United States incarceration rate is the highest in the world. Incarcerated individuals are guaranteed a right to healthcare but, it falls short in many correctional facilities, as systemic barriers and inadequate funding often result in substandard care and poor health outcomes. There are multiple challenges that come with providing healthcare in prisons such as limited resources, lack of funding, and staff shortages. Prisoners at every level of the correctional system are known to be less healthy than the general population, and despite multiple efforts to improve healthcare, many prisoners still receive inadequate healthcare. Improving prison healthcare and increasing funding …

A Cost-Effectiveness Study Comparing Ready-Toadminister And Traditional Vial-And-Syringe Method For Opioids, Prachi Arora, Maria Muehrcke, John Hertig

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

No abstract provided.

Patient Harm Associated With Illegal Online Sellers Of Covid- 19 Drug Products: A Year In Review, Kyla Rae Maloney

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

As the online marketplace continues to expand, more patients are turning to the internet for their needs, including COVID-19 pharmaceuticals. However, the current online marketplace is saturated with illegal sellers offering substandard and falsified (SF) products with the potential of causing harm to patients. The primary objective of this thesis is to identify documented cases of harm resulting from illegal online sale of SF COVID-19 related drug or vaccine products. This review utilizes reports by the Medicines Quality Monitoring Globe (MQM Globe) to assess patient harm associated with illegal online sales of COVID-19 marketed pharmaceuticals. This review found 28 references …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Substance Use And Mental Health On A College Campus, Georgia Coffman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In this research the authors surveyed a university population to determine the impact COVID-19 has had on substance use and mental health. Current research provides significant data indicating worsening mental health and substance use. This paper looks at how applicable those trends are to a small, private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The data included 261 respondents composed of students, faculty, and staff of the university. The results reveal college students, faculty, and staff experienced statistically significant increases in feelings of unhappiness, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, agitation, and irritability during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Data analysis of survey responses reveals COVID-19 …

Proposing An Educational Framework For Healthcare Professionals On The Topic Of Substandard Or Falsified Medications And Illegal Online Pharmacies, Margo Elaine Whitehead

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Background: Substandard or falsified medication prevalence in countries like the United States is documented with much more consistency than developing nations. On the contrary, although online pharmacies have been around for several decades, there is very limited data published establishing the prevalence of online pharmacy use by the general population (Fitler). Currently, there is no standardized curriculum regarding substandard or falsified medications and illegal online pharmacies offered to healthcare providers to combat the problems raised by counterfeits. Therefore, it is necessary to assess institutions’ current stance on implementing concepts in the curriculum and to create an educational framework based on …

Stem Cell Architecture Drives Myelodysplastic Syndrome Progression And Predicts Response To Venetoclax-Based Therapy, Irene Ganan-Gomez, Hui Yang, Feiyang Ma, Guillermo Montalban-Bravo, Natthakan Thongon, Valentina Marchica, Guillaume Richard-Carpentier, Kelly Chien, Ganiraju Manyam, Feng Wang, Ana Alfonso, Shuaitong Chen, Caleb Class, Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, Justin P. Ingram, Yamini Ogoti, Ashley Rose, Sanam Loghavi, Pamela Lockyer, Benedetta Cambo, Muharrem Muftuoglu, Sarah Schneider, Vera Adema, Michael Mclellan, John Garza, Matteo Marchesini, Nicola Giuliani, Matteo Pellegrini, Jing Wang, Jason Walker, Ziyi Li, Koichi Takahashi, Joel D. Leverson, Carlos Bueso-Ramos, Michael Andreeff, Karen Clise-Dwyer, Guillermo =Garcia-Manero, Simona Colla

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous neoplastic disorders of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The current standard of care for patients with MDS is hypomethylating agent (HMA)-based therapy; however, almost 50% of MDS patients fail HMA therapy and progress to acute myeloid leukemia, facing a dismal prognosis due to lack of approved second-line treatment options. As cancer stem cells are the seeds of disease progression, we investigated the biological properties of the MDS HSCs that drive disease evolution, seeking to uncover vulnerabilities that could be therapeutically exploited. Through integrative molecular profiling of HSCs and progenitor cells in large patient cohorts, we found …

Oxidative Phosphorylation Is A Metabolic Vulnerability In Chemotherapy-Resistant Triple-Negative Breast Cance, Kurt W. Evans, Erkan Yuca, Stephen S. Scott, Ming Zhao, Natalia Paez Arango, Christian X. Cruz Pico, Turcin Saridogan, Maryam Shariati, Caleb Class, Christopher A. Bristow, Christopher P. Vellano, Xiaofeng Zheng, Ana Maria Gonzalez-Angulo, Xiaoping Su, Coya Tapia, Ken Chen, Argun Akcakanat, Bora Lim, Debu Tripathy, Timothy A. Yap, Maria Emilia Di Francesco, Giulio F. Draetta, Philip Jones, Heffernan P. Heffernan, Joseph R. Marszalek, Funda Meric-Bernstam

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is an active metabolic pathway in many cancers. RNA from pretreatment biopsies from patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated that the top canonical pathway associated with worse outcome was higher expression of OXPHOS signature. IACS-10759, a novel inhibitor of OXPHOS, stabilized growth in multiple TNBC patient-derived xenografts (PDX). On gene expression profiling, all of the sensitive models displayed a basal-like 1 TNBC subtype. Expression of mitochondrial genes was significantly higher in sensitive PDXs. An in vivo functional genomics screen to identify synthetic lethal targets in tumors treated with IACS-10759 found several potential …

Short-Term Treatment With Multi-Drug Regimens Combining Braf/Mek-Targeted Therapy And Immunotherapy Results In Durable Responses In Braf-Mutated Melanoma, Michael G. White, Robert Szczepaniak Sloane, Russell G. Witt, Alexandre Reuben, Pierre Olivier Gaudreau, Miles C. Andrews, Ningping Feng, Sarah Johnson, Caleb Class, Christopher Bristow, Khalida Wani, Courtney Hudgens, Luigi Nezi, Teresa Manzo, Mariana Pettaccia De Macedo, Jianhua Hu, Richard Davis, Hong Jiang, Peter Prieto, Elizabeth Burton, Patrick Hwu, Hussein Tawbi, Jeffrey Gershenwald, Alexander J. Lazar, Michael T. Tetzlaff, Willem Overwijk, Scott E. Woodman, Zachary A. Cooper, Joseph R. Marszalek, Michael A. Davies, Timothy P. Heffernan, Jennifer A. Wargo

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Targeted and immunotherapy regimens have revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma patients. Despite this, only a subset of patients respond durably. Recently, combination strategies of BRAF/MEK inhibitors with immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy (α-CTLA-4 or α-PD-1) have increased the rate of durable responses. Based on evidence from our group and others, these therapies appear synergistic, but at the cost of significant toxicity. We know from other treatment paradigms (e.g. hematologic malignancies) that combination strategies with multi-drug regimens (>4 drugs) are associated with more durable disease control. To better understand the mechanism of these improved outcomes, and to identify and prioritize …

Activation Of Gene Expression By Detergent-Like Protein Domains, Bradley K. Broyles, Andrew T. Gutierrez, Theodore P. Maris, Daniel A. Coil, Thomas M. Wagner, Xiao Wang, Daisuke Kihara, Caleb Class, Alexandre M. Erkine

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The mechanisms by which transcriptional activation domains (tADs) initiate eukaryotic gene expression have been an enigma for decades because most tADs lack specificity in sequence, structure, and interactions with targets. Machine learning analysis of data sets of tAD sequences generated in vivo elucidated several functionality rules: the functional tAD sequences should (i) be devoid of or depleted with basic amino acid residues, (ii) be enriched with aromatic and acidic residues, (iii) be with aromatic residues localized mostly near the terminus of the sequence, and acidic residues localized more internally within a span of 20–30 amino acids, (iv) be with both …

Prmt1-Dependent Regulation Of Rna Metabolism And Dna Damage Response Sustains Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Virginia Giuliani, Meredith A. Miller, Chiu-Yi Liu, Stella R. Hartono, Caleb Class, Christopher A. Bristow, Erika Suzuki, Lionel A. Sanz, Guang Gao, Jason P. Gay, Ningping Feng, Johnathon L. Rose, Hideo Tomihara, Joseph R. Daniele, Michael D. Peoples, Jennifer P. Bardenhagen, Mary K. Geck Do, Qing E. Chang, Bhavatarini Vangamudi, Christopher Vellano, Haoqiang Ying, Angela K. Deem, Kim-Anh Do, Giannicola Genovese, Timothy P. Heffernan, Jeffrey J. Kovacs, Michael Kim, Jason B. Fleming, Ernesto Guccione, Andrea Viale, Anirban Maitra, M. Emilia Di Francesco, Timothy A. Yap, Philip Jones, Giulio Draetta, Alessandro Carugo, Frederic Chedin, Timothy P. Heffernan

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer that has remained clinically challenging to manage. Here we employ an RNAi-based in vivo functional genomics platform to determine epigenetic vulnerabilities across a panel of patient-derived PDAC models. Through this, we identify protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) as a critical dependency required for PDAC maintenance. Genetic and pharmacological studies validate the role of PRMT1 in maintaining PDAC growth. Mechanistically, using proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, we demonstrate that global inhibition of asymmetric arginine methylation impairs RNA metabolism, which includes RNA splicing, alternative polyadenylation, and transcription termination. This triggers a robust downregulation of multiple …

Development And Evaluation Of A Diabetes Themed Escape Room For Students Completing An Ambulatory Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience, Katherine Frances Brown

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Introduction: Escape rooms are a novel form of entertainment that have become increasingly popular in the United States. The idea of an escape room has great potential for educational purposes as well. In professional healthcare schooling, they have been used to supplement what students learn in the classroom. Interactive learning through the use of an escape room has been studied in the setting of pharmacy students completing their third year of traditional didactic learning. As of yet, there is no published literature that analyzes the use of escape rooms in the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) setting.

Objectives: The primary …

The Impact Of Infographics For Health Education On A Short-Term Medical Service Trip To The Dominican Republic, Patricia Devine Pharmd, Lauren Wathen Pharmd

BU Well

This study evaluated the impact of an infographic on patient recall of health information during a medical service trip. During two service trips in May 2018 and May 2019, patients with a history of high blood pressure from an underserved community in the Dominican Republic received an anonymous four-question pre assessment evaluating their knowledge of high blood pressure prevention and treatment. The provider then educated the patients about high blood pressure prevention and treatment using an infographic. The patients received an identical post-assessment. The median total scores for 2018 and 2019 were 75% on the pre-assessment versus 87.5% on the …

Evaluating Patient's Knowledge Regarding Opioid Prescriptions In An Independent Community Pharmacy: A Pilot Study, Lauren Chars Pharmd, Patricia Devine Pharmd, Tyler Girton Pharmd

BU Well

This study evaluated patients’ knowledge regarding their opioid prescriptions and identified what resources were used to educate patients on their opioid prescriptions. Patients receiving an opioid prescription from an independent pharmacy were given a link to complete a nine-question anonymous survey about their awareness of their prescription being an opioid, how and what education they received, and from whom. The authors hope that the findings of this research will help to better understand effective ways to combat the opioid epidemic and promote patient safety through effective opioid education.

A Workout A Day Keeps Depression Away, Hannah Voss

BU Well

The issue of mental health in adolescent females is vastly growing in America, especially depression. Depression is largely treated by pharmacologic therapy, but that can result in many side effects and is associated with a harsh stigma that can deter the patient from continuing their medication regimen. With this said, it remains important to look at other means to treat depression, and one of the best alternative solutions right now is exercise. This article presents research that shows how exercise can greatly improve and prevent depressive symptoms, while also decreasing the stigma associated with treating depression, particularly among adolescent females.

The Future Electronic Pharmaceutical Brain, Steve Varghese

BU Well

With the rise of technology in the healthcare setting, it is important to consider which form of technology will make the most beneficial change. The technology that can make that change is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is being implemented more and more in our world, so it is the time for pharmacy to consider integrating it into its own field.

Animals On Drugs: The Role Of Pharmacists In Veterinary Medicine, Kylie Kelley

BU Well

With medication errors and unpreparedness of pharmacists in handling pet prescriptions becoming more prevalent, to compensate the deficiency there should be an increase in education and interprofessional collaboration. By providing pharmacists with a thorough education of animal pharmacology, pharmacists would more effectively thrive within their scope of practice and improve pet safety and collaboration with other veterinary healthcare providers. Whether a student pharmacist wants to specialize in veterinary pharmacy or retail pharmacy, it is important for the animal’s well-being that someone who verifies the prescriptions does so correctly and with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions for animal patients.

Aerosolized In Vivo 3d Localization Of Nose-To-Brain Nanocarrier Delivery Using Multimodality Neuroimaging In A Rat Model—Protocol Development, Michael C. Veronesi, Brian D. Graner, Shih-Hsun Cheng, Marta Zamora, Hamideh Zarrinmayeh, Chin-Tu Chen, Sudip K. Das, Michael W. . Vannier

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The fate of intranasal aerosolized radiolabeled polymeric micellar nanoparticles (LPNPs) was tracked with positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) imaging in a rat model to measure nose-to-brain delivery. A quantitative temporal and spatial testing protocol for new radio-nanotheranostic agents was sought in vivo. LPNPs labeled with a zirconium 89 (89Zr) PET tracer were administered via intranasal or intravenous delivery, followed by serial PET/CT imaging. After 2 h of continuous imaging, the animals were sacrificed, and the brain substructures (olfactory bulb, forebrain, and brainstem) were isolated. The activity in each brain region was measured for comparison with the corresponding PET/CT region of …

Evaluation Of Student Pharmacists’ Attitudes And Perceptions Of Hormonal Contraception Prescribing In Indiana, J. Henry Papineau, Jenny L. Newlon, Ryan S. Ades, Veronica Vernon, Tracey A. Wilkinson, Lynn M. Thoma, Ashley H. Meredith

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Community pharmacists’ scope of practice is expanding to include hormonal contraceptive prescribing. Prior to introducing statewide legislation, it is important to assess the perceptions of future pharmacists. A cross-sectional survey was distributed to 651 third- and fourth-year professional students enrolled at three colleges of pharmacy in Indiana. Data were collected between September and October 2019 to assess students’ attitudes about prescribing hormonal contraceptives, readiness to prescribe, perceived barriers, and desire for additional training. In total, 20.9% (n = 136) students responded. Most (89%, n = 121) believe that pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraceptives would be beneficial to women in Indiana, and 91% …

Pharmacists’ Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Drug Importation Into The State Of Florida, John Hertig, Jade M. Jochem, Allissa M. Long

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

Background: The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration released the Safe Importation Action Plan in July 2020 detailing methods to import medicines from Canada to combat increasing drug costs. In November 2020, Florida became the first state in the United States to create and propose an importation plan from Canada. This study examines the proposal submitted by Florida, Florida pharmacists’ perceptions of the program on patient safety, and Florida pharmacists’ thoughts on the pharmacy operational impact.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study utilizing an electronic questionnaire sent to pharmacist members of the Florida Pharmacy …

The Relationship Between Fake News And Fake Medicines: How Misinformation Has Fuelled The Sale Of Covid-19 Substandard And Falsified Medical Products, Oksana Pyzik, John Hertig, Hoda Kanso, Anika Chamba, Sofia Khan

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

As waves of COVID-19 continue to threaten public health, an increasing volume of disease related information is widely accessible, and not all of it is accurate or reliable. The World Health Organisation (WHO) described this overabundance of information, misinformation, and disinformation as an "infodemic", making it difficult for many to distinguish fact from fiction. These definitions are complex and transitional; however, misinformation is defined as the "inadvertent sharing of false information", whereas disinformation is more sinister in origin and constitutes "the deliberate creation and sharing of information known to be false." The infodemic encapsulates both intentional and unintentional erroneous sources. …