Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons^™

Genetic And Pharmacogenetics Associations Of Cancer Disparities In Appalachia, Nan Lin

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Individuals residing in Appalachian regions have significant health disparities, including higher cancer incidence and mortality rates. Previous studies have addressed the impact of socioeconomic status and environmental risk factors on Appalachia cancer disparities, while few studies have evaluated genetic risk factors.

Germline whole exome sequencing samples from 7,078 individuals with cancer (759 Appalachians) were evaluated. Demographics and relatedness were assessed using KING. Ethnicity was verified by principal component analysis using TRACE, which included 6,034 individuals (85%) of European genetic ancestry. After QC filtering, 5,980 individuals were analyzed. To assess the overall predisposition of hereditary disease, gene level frequency of likely …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Proteomic And Genomic Data From Nsclc Tumors On Prognostic And Predictive Factors Of Immunotherapy Treatment, Mark Wuenschel

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Recent lung cancer research has led to advancements in molecular immunology, resulting in development of small molecule inhibitors, or immune checkpoint inhibitors, that propagate an anti-tumor T cell response. Despite increased overall and progression-free survival with reduced adverse effects compared to traditional chemotherapy, treating advanced stage lung adenocarcinoma patients remains non-curative, and evidence of non-responders or tumor recurrence to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is growing. Also, compared to traditional chemotherapy, there is a lower percentage of patients who respond to small molecule inhibitors. In this analysis of proteomic and genomic data from The Cancer Proteome Atlas and Global Data Commons …

Population-Based Evaluation Of Treatment Patterns, Drug-Drug Interactions, And Cardiovascular Risk In Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Yue Cheng

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Prostate cancer has the highest increasing rate and new cases among all cancer in men in the United States and has a higher risk in elderly men. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is the late stage of prostate cancer and associated with poor prognosis (median survival 13 months). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) use with novel hormone therapy or standard chemotherapy are recommended for mCRPC treatment. Although, the treatment options expanded significantly in recent years, new challenges are present because of the aging population, larger treatment spectrum and co-administrated medication use for other underlying medical conditions, especially for cardiovascular disease (CVD), …

Design And Synthesis Of Small Molecular Inhibitors Of Dcn1-Ube2m Interaction, Tucker J. Moseley

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Over the last century, advancements in medicine have been made to improve cancer patients' outcomes. The discovery of new druggable targets is essential to achieving this goal. Defective in Cullin Neddylation 1 is a proven oncogenetic driver that may lead to better clinical outcomes when targeted. In efforts to further improve a series of novel small molecular inhibitors of the DCN1 and UBE2M protein-protein interaction, the Guy lab has designed and synthesized 26 new compounds. These compounds were designed to specifically target the UBE2M N-Acetyl sub-pocket on DCN1 that was not occupied by compounds previously described in the literature.

Investigation Of Folate-Poly(Glutamic Acid)/Polyethylenimine/Dna Complexes For In Vitro Gene Delivery, Caleb Akers

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Gene therapy is currently being studied as a treatment for a variety of indications, including cancer, infectious disease, and cardiovascular diseases, among others. While many of the early treatments in the field involved the use of viral delivery methods, various safety, ethical, and financial concerns limit the potential uses of this methodology. As such, more recent research has focused on developing non-viral delivery platforms to alleviate some of the issues inherent in viral delivery. Recently, the release of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna represents a promising use of non-viral delivery as both utilized a lipid-based delivery vector.

Despite …

An Epidemiological And Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Investigation Into The Impact Of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales, Justin Clark

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Background: According to the 2019 CDC Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, leading to more than 35,000 deaths. Among the most urgent threats identified by the CDC are carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). Despite efforts to control the spread of these organisms, the number of estimated cases between 2012 and 2017 remained stable. In 2017, an estimated 13,100 hospitalized cases of CRE led to approximately 1,100 deaths and $130 million attributable healthcare costs. This dissertation seeks to address this issue from both a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic and epidemiological perspective.

Methods: We evaluated the …

Developing A Biocatalytic Toolbox To Aid In Understanding Nucleoside Antibiotics, Jasmine Brianna Woods

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria develop the ability to survive medications that normally terminate them. Instead, these super germs are able to survive in the body and produce a community of antibiotic resistance germs which can cause human fatalities. It is important to discover and develop new compounds and molecules that will improve this clinical obstacle. This research focused on analyzing the biosynthesis that incorporates distinctive chemical characteristic of various nucleoside antibiotics, ß-hydroxy amino acids and α-methyl-amino acids. ß-hydroxy amino acids and α-methyl-amino acids are considered an important class of industrially useful compounds, particularly for pharmaceutical development, and are found …

New Tools For Biocatalysis: Studies On The Carminomycin 4-O-Methyltransferase Dnrk, Elnaz Jalali

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Methyltransferases (MTs) are ubiquitous enzymes commonly involved in biosynthesis and regulation. The fundamental goal of this thesis was to explore the permissive nature of methyltransferases and leverage this unique biocatalytic feature to develop a new platform for chemoselective intramolecular cyclization reactions. To realize this ambitious goal, this thesis project set out to probe the substrate specificity of multiple natural product tailoring enzymes (MTs and glycosyltransferases), identify model substrates common to multiple such tailoring enzymes and subsequently establish multi-enzyme tandem reactions that would set the stage for a subsequent chemoselective intramolecular cyclization reaction. Chapter One highlights current state of the art …

Studies Of Polypharmacy And Medication Therapy Management In Population-Based Cohorts, Ximena A. Oyarzun Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

According to the United States Census Bureau, 16.8% of the population was 65 years and older in 2021, and it is expected that by 2060 that number will increase to about 30% (about 114 million people). Aging is associated with physiological changes in all systems of the body. These changes impact the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic characteristics of drugs. Furthermore, older adults usually have several chronic conditions, which increases their exposure to medications. Increased vulnerability combined with increasing exposure puts elderly people at higher risk for drug interactions and adverse events.

Charlesworth et al. (2014) found that the prevalence of polypharmacy, …

Protective Effect Of Memantine And Bacopa Monnieri On Lps-Induced Shsy5y Cells Via Amyloidosis, Anti-Inflammatory And Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathways, Archi Anupam Thakor

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Background:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the extracellular accumulation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, causing neurotoxicity and leading to neurodegeneration. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is processed into various Aβ isoforms. It has been shown to contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, activating mitochondrial apoptotic pathways and pro-inflammatory factors and leading to neuronal cell death. Memantine (MN) and Bacopa Monnieri (BM) are postulated to have neuroprotective effects, most likely via anti-amyloidogenic and anti-apoptotic mechanisms. The in vitro models suggest a potential for further development of biologically based adjuvant therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. However, more precise identification …

The Combination Of Cucurbitacin B And Evodiamine Induces Apoptosis And Inhibits Cell Propagation In Glioma Cells, Vrutti Vikasbhai Mehta

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Background

Glioblastoma Multiform (GBM) is a lethal brain tumor. Despite aggressive treatment, the median survival time is 6 to 18 months. These malignant astrocytic tumors exhibit a high proliferation rate and acquire resistance against many existing therapeutic regimens. Temozolomide is a first line chemotherapeutic treatment prescribed along with surgery and radiation but due to the high resistance to the drug and a low patient survival rate, new drugs and drug combinations must continue to be investigated and developed. GBM cells like any cancer cells avoid differentiation and apoptosis. Thus, the induction of differentiation and apoptosis in glioblastoma cells may be …

Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Face-To-Face Vs. Virtual Team-Based Learning (Tbl) In The Didactic Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Study, Osama A. Shoair, Winter J. Smith, May H. Abdelaziz, Michael A. Veronin, Joseph S. Glavy, Shelby J. Pirtle

Pharmacy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction

Virtual TBL is an online adaptation of the team-based learning (TBL) instructional strategy, emphasizing collaborative learning and problem-solving. The emergency shift to virtual TBL during the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges. This study aims to 1) compare overall pharmacy students’ perceptions and attitudes toward face-to-face (FTF) TBL vs. virtual TBL in the didactic curriculum and stratify their perceptions and attitudes by various students’ characteristics; 2) evaluate students’ perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of virtual TBL.

Methods

This mixed-methods, pre-post, cross-sectional study utilized an anonymous survey to collect the data. Pharmacy students completed a survey to compare their perceptions …

Redlining And Opioid Overdose Outcomes: Do Historical Housing Policies Still Impact Health Today?, Sahana Paravantavida

Honors Theses

This study examines the relationship between historical housing policies and current health outcomes, specifically the impact of redlining on opioid overdose rates. Using data collected from the state of New Jersey, neighborhoods with a history of redlining have higher rates of opioid overdose deaths. My findings suggest that historical housing policies, which systematically excluded certain populations from accessing affordable housing and resources, continue to impact health outcomes today.

Portable Hepa Filtration Successfully Augments Natural-Ventilation-Mediated Airborne Particle Clearance In A Legacy Design Hospital Ward, Mehael Fennelly, S. Hellebust, J. Wenger, D. O'Connor, G.W. Griffith, B.J. Plant, A.P.C. Microbiome Institute

Articles

As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 pandemic has proceeded, ventilation has been recognized increasingly as an important tool in infection control. Many hospitals in Ireland and the UK do not have mechanical ventilation and depend on natural ventilation. The effectiveness of natural ventilation varies with atmospheric conditions and building design. In a challenge test of a legacy design ward, this study showed that portable air filtration significantly increased the clearance of pollutant aerosols of respirable size compared with natural ventilation, and reduced spatial variation in particle persistence. A combination of natural ventilation and portable air filtration is significantly more …

Elafibranor Modulates Ileal Macrophage Polarization To Restore Intestinal Integrity In Nash: Potential Crosstalk Between Ileal Il-10/Stat3 And Hepatic Tlr4/Nf-Κb Axes, Andrew Hakeem, Mohamed M. Kamal, Rasha A. Radwan, Basma A. Abdelrahman, Olfat A. Hammam, Mohey M. Elmazar, Aiman S. El-Khatib, Yasmeen M. Attia

Pharmacy

Experimental and clinical evidence implicate disrupted gut barrier integrity in provoking innate immune responses, specifically macrophages, towards the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), a subset of the nuclear receptor superfamily, act to fine-tune several metabolic and inflammatory processes implicated in NASH. As such, the current study was carried out to decipher the potential role of dual PPAR α/δ activation using elafibranor (ELA) on ileal macrophage polarization (MP) and its likely impact on the liver in a NASH setting. To achieve this aim, an in vitro NASH model using fat-laden HepG2 cells was first used to validate …

Gender Differences In Administration Of Tpa In Treatment Of Ischemic Stroke, Christina Annerino

CURE Proceedings

As medicine and pharmacology advance through the years, new life-saving treatments are studied or discovered every day, and a medical emergency is no longer a death sentence. Even with conditions as serious as ischemic stroke, there is hope for survival and rehabilitation with the ‘clot-busting’ drug, tissue plasminogen activator, colloquially known as ‘tPA’. tPA is a thrombolytic agent, a substance that acts on fibrin in clots to dissolve them so they can no longer cause ischemia in blood vessels that results in a stroke. (Vega, 2022). tPA is an extremely effective treatment for ischemic stroke, demonstrated in 2013 by a …

Chronic Anemia Revealing An Idiopathic Watermelon Stomach: Case Report, Hanane Delsa, Imane Rahmouni, Yassamin Benhayoun Sadafyine, Fatima Belabbes, Anass Nadi, Fedoua Rouibaa

Health Sciences

Watermelon stomach, also known as gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) syndrome, is a rare entity. Patients often present with profound unexplained anemia with or without bleeding externalization. We made the diagnosis during a digestive endoscopy for an etiological assessment of this anemia. Endoscopically, antral erythematous lesions in stripes with a punctate appearance, sometimes hemorrhagic, may suggest a watermelon stomach. The pathophysiology of the watermelon stomach remains complex and unclear. Although several pathologies remain implicated, sometimes, it can be idiopathic. The effectiveness of numerous treatments has been evaluated with relatively satisfactory results. This is a rare case of an idiopathic watermelon …

The Strength Of Motivation For Dental Students, Manal Elhijazi, Ihsane Benyahya

Health Sciences

Context: Motivation plays a key role in academic success. It is a dynamic process that maintains perseverance and tenacity in the face of difficulty. The purpose of our study was to measure and compare the strength of dental students' motivation at the beginning and the end of their training Material and methods: an anonymous self-administered voluntary questionnaire was distributed to 1st and 6th year students at the Faculty of Dentistry in Casablanca This questionnaire consisted of 30 closed questions divided into 3 sections, the first of which provided information on socio-demographic data, the second is devoted to measuring the strength …

Identifying Unexpected Inflammation Resulting From Drug-Drug Interactions, Keegan Jolly

All Master's Theses

Adverse drug events result in nearly 1.3 million emergency room visits per year in the United States of America. As much as 30% of these adverse events are a result of drug-drug interactions (DDI’s). There is a gap in knowledge concerning these DDI outcomes especially when it comes to inflammation. Inflammation is linked to a variety of chronic health conditions and non-infectious diseases such as cancer. Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine how many active drug ingredients from FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), when combined (in groups of two or more), elicit an inflammatory response …

Factors Influencing Disposal Methods Of Unused Medicines: A Systematic Review, Guu Nandar Chit

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Objective: This systematic review aimed to describe how people store and dispose of unused and expired medicines, explore the extent of proper storage and disposal and examine factors influencing these behaviors. A comprehensive search of five databases, PubMed, Scopus, Springer Link, Science Direct, and EBSCO. The QualSyst assessment tool was applied to evaluate the quality of the included studies. The review encompassed 55 eligible studies from 27 countries, involving 31,246 participants. The refrigerator was the most common storage location (40% average) while discarding in household trash was the universal disposal method. Medicine storage at home ranged from 17.9% to 97%, …