Pharmaceutical Preparations Commons^™

The Impact Of Glucose Exposure On Organic Cation Transporters (Oct) Function In A Corneal Epithelial Cell Line, David A. Garza

Theses & Dissertations

Organic cation transporters (OCT) facilitate the movement of neurochemicals and medications, contribute to the removal of cellular waste, and facilitate neuronal communication. Three subtypes of these high-capacity, low-affinity transporters (OCT1, OCT2, and OCT3) are differently expressed in peripheral tissues such as the liver, kidneys, as well as the central nervous system. OCTs are also expressed in ocular tissues. Chronic hyperglycemia is a complication commonly associated with diabetes that can lead to ocular diseases such as diabetic keratopathy, which affects the cornea. In this project, we expose immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (HCE-S) to various glucose concentrations to study their impact …

May 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

Rural Rocks

Helping to build a better community by building each part of Rural Health Services

As we look ahead to an exciting summer, preparations are well underway for the transition into the new Jerry and Margaret Hodge Pharmacy & Rural Health Center. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for innovation, education, and expanded access to care across rural Oklahoma. Within the Jerry and Margaret Hodge Building will be the College of Pharmacy, the Rural Health Department, the Center for Health and Well being, as well as the Doctorate of Community Health Program. The Custer County Health …

Bioactive Constituents And Pharmacological Activities Of Curcuma Zedoaria: A Mini-Review, Abdulmutalib Allaq, Muneer M. Saleh Mohammed Saleh Alsayadi, Mustapha Salihu, Hasan M. Agha, Amena Hassan Hassan Gheeth, Fatimah Salim, Norrizah Jaafar Jaafar Sidik

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. (white turmeric) is a rhizomatous medicinal plant in the Zingiberaceae family, widely used in traditional Asian medicine. In recent years, increasing scientific attention has focused on its diverse pharmacological properties and bioactive constituents. This mini review summarises current knowledge of the phytochemical composition and biological activities of C. zedoaria, with particular emphasis on its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Phytochemical investigations using analytical techniques such as GC–MS and HPLC have revealed the presence of numerous bioactive compounds, including sesquiterpenes (example, germacrone, curzerenone, and curdione) and curcuminoids, which contribute to its therapeutic potential. Experimental studies demonstrate …

Transgenic Plant Cells For The Cost-Effective Production Of Pharmaceutical Proteins, Maria Gambaro

Create@State

Plant-based systems are becoming an important method for producing pharmaceutical proteins because they can be more cost-effective, and safer compared to traditional production methods which commonly use mammalian cells. This project aims to develop a transgenic plant cell system that can produce a pharmaceutical protein using molecular cloning techniques. A transgenic plant cell has the DNA of another plant integrated into its genome, altering its gene expression to produce different proteins. To begin, a plasmid carrying the gene of interest and the DNA components needed for expression will be designed. The plasmid will then be used to introduce the gene …

April 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

• Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program
• State Immunization Websites
• Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S.
• FDA to Address Unused Opioids in American Homes
• Immune cells may underlie sex differences in chronic pain
• STRESS AWARENESS MONTH

Antipsychotics As Adjunct Therapy In Risk Reduction Of Crisis Admission: An Analysis Of Historical Patient Data, Slawomir Piela, Eduardo Espiridion

Transformative Medicine

Introduction: Antipsychotics are a broad class of medication used in the management of psychotic symptoms in various disorders. In recent years, they have been approved for use as adjunct therapy in patients with treatment resistant depression and bipolar disorder. An outcome of this therapy that has not been extensively investigated is the associated likelihood of crisis events that necessitate admission to an emergency department or crisis center. Methods: In this study, we reviewed historic patient data to determine the association of risk of crisis admission in patients prescribed antipsychotics as adjunct therapy in the context of treatment resistant depression or …

Recent Progress In Nanogel Technology: From Molecular Design To Biomedical Applications, Fatima Raed Al-Ahmed, Mohammed Sabar Al-Lami

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

Nanogels, a hydrophilic polymer network at the nanoscale, combine the structural flexibility of hydrogels with the dynamic behavior of nanoparticles, offering unprecedented control over drug loading and release. Their large surface area, tunable porosity, high water content, biocompatibility, and stimuli-responsive behavior enable transport across biological barriers. This review critically examines nanogels’ unique properties, classifications, diverse methods of preparation, drug release mechanisms, characterization techniques, and various applications in therapeutic areas, such as cancer therapy, wound healing, transdermal and ocular drug delivery, and theranostics. Highlights are shed on nanogels’ potential to target specific sites, both by functionalization and stimuli-responsive behavior, therefore improving …

March 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

• Understanding the PREVENT Calculator in the 2025 AHA Hypertension Guidelines
• CMS Releases Medicaid and CHIP Beneficiary Profile and Infographic
• FDA Requests Removal of Suicidal Behavior and Ideation Warning from Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1 RA) Medications
• Walgreens: Flu reaches highest level in U.S. in 25 years
• Walmart boosts pay potential for pharmacy technicians, elevates 3,000 roles
• FDA Launches PreCheck Pilot Program to Strengthen Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
• Pharmacy undergoes a tech takeover
• President Trump signs landmark PBM reforms into law
• Pharmacy through generations

Microbiome-Responsive Hydrogels: From Biological Cues To Smart Biomaterials, Rajesh Vadlapatla, Amir Nasrolahi Shirazi, Ajoy Koomer, Judy Weng, Matthew Ernest Ghilarducci, Alai Qudus, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Stimuli-responsive hydrogels (SRHs) are smart polymeric materials that undergo reversible physicochemical changes in response to abiotic cues and externally applied fields, enabling applications in drug delivery, wound healing, and tissue engineering. However, they exhibit limited biological specificity and do not adequately reflect the dynamic, disease-relevant complexity of native tissue microenvironments. Microbe-colonized tissues display distinctive biochemical features driven, shaped by microbial metabolism, including localized pH gradients, short-chain fatty acid production, secretion of quorum-sensing molecules, biofilm formation, and expression of specialized enzymes. These endogenous, spatiotemporally regulated signals are closely linked to host physiology and pathology but remain underutilized in hydrogel …

Controlled Antibiotic Release From Emulsion-Loaded Alginate And Fibrin Hydrogels Using Ultrasound, Ziba Ghareh Nazi Fam, Asia Winslow, Mario Fabiilli, Sam Varghese, Brian Oeffinger, Flemming Forsberg, Noreen Hickok, Lauren Delaney

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Postoperative infections remain a major complication after spinal fusion surgery, often caused by biofilm-forming bacteria that resist short-term antibiotic prophylaxis. Vancomycin (VAN) is sometimes delivered locally during surgery; however, levels diminish rapidly, leaving patients vulnerable to late-onset infections. We developed a composite hydrogel integrating perfluorohexane-based emulsions within alginate or fibrin matrices to enable both sustained and ultrasound-triggered VAN release. Water-in-oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using fluorosurfactant-stabilized perfluorohexane as the volatile oil phase, then embedded in hydrogels and exposed to ultrasound (2.5 MHz, 5.5 MPa peak negative pressure) to initiate acoustic droplet vaporization for triggered release. Drug release was quantified spectrophotometrically and …

February 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

• Current Indications for Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors
• CMS unveils LEAD, its new 10-year accountable care model
• UnitedHealthcare pauses effort to cut RPM coverage after stating the tech has 'no evidence'
• Walgreens unveils PharmStart to strengthen tech-to-pharmacist pipeline
• Rural Health Transformation Program awards announced—Here's who's getting the most in FY2026
• FDA Grants Two National Priority Vouchers
• 2026 Outlook: Hybrid care companies poised for growth driven by economic, policy tailwinds
• Brain Drain: Retail pharmacy struggles to retain pharmacists, pharmacy technicians
• The 5 biggest challenges facing retail pharmacy
• Retail pharmacy must mine the gaps
• CMS Establishes Office of Rural Health Transformation Nationwide …

Fda Policy Shift On Clinical Efficacy Study Requirements For Monoclonal Antibody Biosimilars, Rileigh Rahrig, Madilyn Paphanchith, Allie Honigford, Daniella Egbujor, Haley Brown, Jenny Magana Figueroa, Connor Dains, Brenna Hissong, Kyle W. Parker

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Biologic products are widely used in the treatment of various disease states, including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancers, and genetic diseases. These products are derived from proteins and genes produced by living organisms and are subsequently used to treat specific disease states. Due to the complexity of biological products, the costs of research and production are high. Currently, the United States approval pathway requires extensive testing for biologics to be designated as biosimilars, meaning there are no clinically meaningful differences in safety or purity of their active components. These required tests can be redundant, as biosimilars are developed using …

Impact Of Apitegromab On Motor Function In Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Jordyn Linfield, Ashley Jacob, Haylee Whyde, Owen Fox, Kaitlyn Bowden, Connor Dains, Brenna Hissong, Manoranjan D'Souza

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder characterized by the progressive loss of alpha motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, atrophy, and impaired motor function.¹ SMA remains an extensive and difficult-to-treat condition, with only three disease-modifying therapies currently available to patients. A new investigational agent with a unique mechanism of action, apitegromab (SRK-015), has shown promising results in recent clinical trials. The safety and efficacy of apitegromab in patients with SMA have been explored in several clinical trials, with the TOPAZ and SAPPHIRE studies being the most notable. This …

Antagonistic Effects Of Glucagon And Insulin On 5-Fluorouracil Efficacy In Colorectal Cancer, Gabriel M. Randolph, Andrea Florian

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Prior research on the combined effects of insulin and glucagon with low-dose chemotherapy in cancer treatment has yielded contradictory conclusions. Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT), a longstanding but understudied approach, is broadly claimed to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy; however, it has also been characterized as pseudoscience lacking physiological merit. Adding further complexity, glucagon, insulin's antagonist hormone, has been shown to produce anti-cancer effects when combined with chemotherapeutic agents. The present study aims to observe the individual effects of both hormones on colorectal cancer cells in combination with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), to clarify their respective roles in combination therapy. Through the modulation of both …

Investigating The Role Of Humic Acid In The Adsorption Mechanics Of Acetaminophen On Potassium Persulfate-Aged Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet), Andrew Littleton, Maria Danielle Garrett, Phd

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Pharmaceutical contaminants such as acetaminophen (APAP) are showing a rising presence in aquatic environments, where their interactions with microplastics (MPs) can potentially modulate natural degradation mechanisms. Concurrent presence of the two substances has been shown to potentiate increase their individual harmful effects. This study investigates whether oxidative aging and humic-acid surface modification of PET microplastics influence APAP adsorption.

In this study, UV-aging was reproduced using an iron (II)-activated potassium persulfate (Fe(II)-KPS) oxidation system. Aqueous dissolved organic matter (DOM) is simulated using multi-hour exposure to humic acid. The MPs are then removed from the solution to examine adsorption mechanisms. While most …

Tezepelumab's Effects On Patient-Reported Symptoms In Severe Asthma, Overall And With History Of Comorbid Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps (Crswnp), Njira L. Lugogo, Joseph K. Han, Anju T. Peters, Stella E. Lee, Monica Kraft, Mary Kay Margolis, Sonia F. Shenoy, Nicole Martin, Shradha Chandarana, Christopher S. Ambrose

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Background

Tezepelumab (an anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin monoclonal antibody) treatment resulted in reduced exacerbations and improved sino-nasal symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in the NAVIGATOR study.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of tezepelumab versus placebo on sleep disturbances, activity levels, and physical exertion tolerance in NAVIGATOR patients with SUA overall and in those with past medical history of comorbid CRSwNP.

Methods

Patients (12-80 years old) with SUA were randomized to receive tezepelumab 210 mg or placebo subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. Patient responses to …

The Weight Of Stigma, Rebekah A. King, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

Many health care providers, both implicitly and explicitly, perpetuate stigma in their treatment of patients classified as obese. While medical professionals understand that a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment is ineffective, patients classified as obese are frequently offered limited treatment options that fail to account for their unique needs. Access to a range of effective treatment options has historically been limited, but new GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide), have shown incredible promise in addressing the obesity crisis. Unfortunately, these transformative drugs are costly, in high demand, and not widely covered by insurance, rendering them inaccessible for …

Green Modification Of A Coupling Reaction Between N-Acetylated Amino Acids And P-Nitrothiophenol, Kaitlyn S. Marley, Hannah M. Werle, John P. Morgan

SURF Posters 2026

Native Chemical Ligation (NCL) is a process by which smaller peptides can be linked together to form larger peptides and proteins, but the preparation of necessary thioester starting materials often relies on hazardous reagents. We report a greener synthesis of S-(4- nitrophenyl) N-acetylphenylalaninethioate, building upon the methodology reported by Raines et al.1 This literature synthesis uses N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent in the final thioester coupling step to accommodate the limited solubility of N-acetylphenylalanine in less polar solvents. However, DMF is a known reproductive toxin and environmental hazard. Our research demonstrates that acidic water serves as a highly effective, benign alternative …

January 2026, Swosu Rural Health Center

RURAL ROCKS

• Age-Friendly Requirements for Hospital Quality Reporting
• APhA secures key congressional win allowing pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine with specialized training
• "When the hospital leaves town"
• Med Spa Illicit GLP-1s | Supply Chain Safety
• CMS unveils new model aimed at functional, lifestyle medicine

Absolute Quantification And Identification Of Rna From Rna-Lipid Nanoparticles Using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Jason C. Funderburk

Theses and Dissertations

RNA therapeutics are a rising drug category with potential use for a range of conditions encompassing infectious diseases to therapies for cancer, diseases, and genetic disorders. RNA-lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNPs) are the prominent delivery method for these therapeutics approved products include mRNA vaccines and polyneuropathy treatments. The emergency use authorizations and orphan drug status of current RNA-LNP drugs has allowed approval without finalization of the regulatory analytical procedures for quality monitoring. The objective of the study was to develop an LC-MS assay to simultaneously measure identity and concentration of two therapeutically relevant intact RNA constructs extracted from RNA-LNPs to enhance quality …