Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons^™

Essential Medicines Management During Emergencies In Pakistan, S. K. S. Bukhari, J.A.R. H. Qureshi, Rashid Jooma, K.M. Bile, G. N. Kazi, W. A. Zaibi, A. Zafar

Section of Neurosurgery

This paper illustrates the experiences of essential medicine management in providing cure and care to victims of Pakistan's 2005 earthquake in a safe, rational and effective mode. The health interventions assured access to essential medicine, sustained supply, inventory control through a computerized logistic support system and rational use of medicines. World Health Organization Pakistan outlined modalities for acceptance of donated medicines, assisted in speedy procurement of medicines and designed customized kits. Proper storage of medicines at controlled temperature was ensured in warehousing facilities in 12 locations. A steady supply of medicines and their consumption without stock-outs in the 56 first-level …

Role Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta In Corneal Function, Biology And Pathology, Ashish Tandon, Jonathan C. K. Tovey, Ajay Sharma, Rangan Gupta, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) is a pleiotropic multifunctional cytokine that regulates several essential cellular processes in many parts of the body including the cornea. Three isoforms of TGFβ are known in mammals and the human cornea expresses all of them. TGFβ1 has been shown to play a central role in scar formation in adult corneas whereas TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 have been implicated to play a critical role in corneal development and scarless wound healing during embryogenesis. The biological effects of TGFβ in the cornea have been shown to follow SMAD dependent as well as SMAD-independent signaling pathways depending upon cellular …

Gene Delivery In The Equine Cornea: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy, Dylan G. Buss, Ajay Sharma, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To determine if hybrid adeno-associated virus serotype 2/5 (AAV5) vector can effectively deliver foreign genes into the equine cornea without causing adverse side effects. The aims of this study were to: (i) evaluate efficacy of AAV5 to deliver therapeutic genes into equine corneal fibroblasts (ECFs) using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene and (ii) establish the safety of AAV5 vector for equine corneal gene therapy.

Animal Material—Primary ECF cultures were harvested from healthy donor equine corneas. Cultures were maintained at 370C in humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2.

Procedure—AAV5 vector expressing EGFP under control of hybrid cytomegalovirus (CMV) + chicken …

Chemosensitization Of Cancer Cells By Sirna Using Targeted Nanogel Delivery, Erin B. Dickerson, William H. Blackburn, Michael H. Smith, Laura B. Kapa, L. Andrew Lyon, John F. Mcdonald

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Chemoresistance is a major obstacle in cancer treatment. Targeted therapies that enhance cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents have the potential to increase drug efficacy while reducing toxic effects on untargeted cells. Targeted cancer therapy by RNA interference (RNAi) is a relatively new approach that can be used to reversibly silence genes in vivo by selectively targeting genes such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which has been shown to increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to taxane chemotherapy. However, delivery represents the main hurdle for the broad development of RNAi therapeutics.

Methods: We report here …

2010 Apothecary, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Apothecary

This publication is dedicated to the Southwestern College of Pharmacy faculty, staff, alumni, and students. We congratulate this year's graduating seniors and wish you success in your professional careers.

The 2010 Apothecary Staff would first like to thank those that provided us with their generous financial contributions to make this issue possible. Thank you for your continued support, we all greatly appreciate it.

Practice Patterns For Antibiotic De-Escalation In Culture-Negative Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia, M. Schlueter, C. James, A. Dominguez, Laura V. Tsu, G. Seymann

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background Published guidelines for the treatment of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) recommend initial broad-spectrum antibiotics with appropriate de-escalation based on culture results. Guideline recommendations are based on data from intubated patients, in whom cultures are easily obtained. The approach to antibiotic de-escalation for culture-negative patients has not been addressed. Consequently, there are no published reports that describe the current standard of practice. Patients and methods All patients admitted to a university hospital with a diagnosis of HCAP, as defined by use of a pneumonia orderset, were identified retrospectively over a 2-year period. Antibiotics prescribed on admission, during hospital stay, and on …

Efficacy And Safety Of Mitomycin C As An Agent To Treat Corneal Scarring In Horses Using An In Vitro Model, Dylan G. Buss, Ajay Sharma, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—Mitomycin C (MMC) is used clinically to treat corneal scarring in human patients. We investigated the safety and efficacy of MMC to treat corneal scarring in horses by examining its effects at the early and late stages of disease using an in-vitro model.

Procedure—An in-vitro model of equine corneal fibroblast (ECF) developed was used. The equine corneal fibroblast or myofibroblast cultures were produced by growing primary ECF in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ1) under serum-free conditions. The MMC dose for the equine cornea was defined with dose-dependent trypan blue exclusion and MTT [(3-4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assays …

Isolation And Cultivation Of Equine Corneal Keratocytes, Fibroblasts And Myofibroblasts, Dylan G. Buss, Elizabeth A. Giuliano, Ajay Sharma, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—To establish an in vitro model for the investigation of equine corneal wound healing. To accomplish this goal, a protocol to isolate and culture equine corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts and myofibroblasts was developed.

Animal material—Equine corneal buttons were aseptically harvested from healthy research horses undergoing humane euthanasia for reasons unrelated to this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was performed prior to euthanasia by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist to ensure that all samples were harvested from horses free of anterior segment disease.

Procedure—Equine corneal stroma was isolated using mechanical techniques and stromal subsections were then cultured. Customized media at different culture conditions was used …

"Transduction Efficiency Of Aav 2/6, 2/8 And 2/9 Vectors For Delivering Genes In Human Corneal Fibroblasts ", Ajay Sharma, Arkasubhra Ghosh, Eric T. Hansen, Jason M. Newman, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

In the present study, cellular tropism and relative transduction efficiency of AAV2/6, AAV2/8 and AAV2/9 vectors have been tested for the cornea using primary cultures of human corneal fibroblasts. The AAV6, AAV8 and AAV9 serotypes having AAV2 ITR plasmid encoding for alkaline phosphatase (AP) gene were generated by transfecting HEK293 cell line with pHelper, pARAP4 and pRep/Cap plasmids. Primary cultures of human corneal fibroblasts were exposed to AAV infectious particles at two different doses (1×105 and 2×105 MOI). Cytochemistry and enzyme assays were used to measure delivered transgene expression in samples collected at 4 and 30 hours after AAV infection …

Impaired M3 And Enhanced M2 Muscarinic Receptor Contractile Function In A Streptozotocin Model Of Mouse Diabetic Urinary Bladder, K. J. Pak, Rennolds S. Ostrom, M. Matsui, F. J. Ehlert

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

We investigated the contractile roles of M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors in urinary bladder from streptozotocin-treated mice. Wild-type and M2 muscarinic receptor knockout (M2 KO) mice were given a single injection of vehicle or streptozotocin (125 mg kg−1) 2–24 weeks prior to bladder assays. The effect of forskolin on contractions elicited to the muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine-M, was measured in isolated urinary bladder (intact or denuded of urothelium). Denuded urinary bladder from vehicle-treated wild-type and M2 KO mice exhibited similar contractile responses to oxotremorine-M, when contraction was normalized relative to that elicited by KCl (50 mM). Eight to 9 weeks after …

Vector Delivery Technique Affects Gene Transfer In The Cornea In Vivo, Rajiv R. Mohan, Ajay Sharma, Tyler C. Cebulko, Ashish Tandon

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: This study tested whether controlled drying of the cornea increases vector absorption in mouse and rabbit corneas in vivo and human cornea ex vivo, and studied the effects of corneal drying on gene transfer, structure and inflammatory reaction in the mouse cornea in vivo.

Methods: Female C57 black mice and New Zealand White rabbits were used for in vivo studies. Donor human corneas were used for ex vivo experiments. A hair dryer was used for drying the corneas after removing corneal epithelium by gentle scraping. The corneas received no, once, twice, thrice, or five times warm air for …

Clinical Outcomes Of Antimicrobial Lock Solutions Used In A Treatment Modality: A Retrospective Case Series Analysis, P Brandon Bookstaver, Katherine R. Gerrald, Robert R. Moran

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial lock therapy (ALT) may be considered as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) when catheter removal is not a favorable option. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes associated with ALT as adjunctive treatment of CRBSI. METHODS: This was a 24-month retrospective case series analysis evaluating patients treated for more than 24 hours with ALT. The primary outcome was blood culture sterilization for 30 days posttherapy. The impact of ALT duration and time to initiation on central venous catheter (CVC) salvage were evaluated. Logistic regression modeled the association between ALT and sterilization rates, with a prespecified …

Expression Of The Intestinal Biomarkers Guanylyl Cyclase C And Cdx2 In Poorly Differentiated Colorectal Carcinomas., Brody Winn, Rosemarie Tavares, Andres Matoso, Lelia Noble, Jacqueline Fanion, Scott A Waldman, Murray B Resnick

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Guanylyl cyclase C, a receptor for bacterial diarrheagenic enterotoxins, is expressed selectively by intestinal epithelium and is an endogenous downstream target of CDX2. The expression of Guanylyl cyclase C is preserved throughout the adenoma/carcinoma sequence in the colorectum. Detection of Guanylyl cyclase C expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction is currently being validated as a technique to identify occult lymph node metastases in patients with colorectal cancer and for circulating cells in the blood for postoperative surveillance. Although Guanylyl cyclase C is widely expressed by well-differentiated colorectal cancer, its expression in poorly differentiated colorectal cancer has not been evaluated. A …

Computational Prediction And Analysis Of The Napp – Dr6 Interaction: Implications For Alzheimer's Research, Joseph Audie, Sergei Y. Ponomarev

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves a devastating clinical course and lacks an effective treatment. A biochemical model for neuronal development, recently proposed by Nikolaev and co-workers, hinges on a novel protein-protein interaction between the death cell receptor six (DR6) ectodomain and an N-terminal fragment of amyloid precursor protein (NAPP). The model provides a coherent and satisfying framework for better understanding AD pathophysiology. Moreover, the DR6-NAPP interaction offers a tempting target for novel pharmacological intervention. Given all of this, we constructed a structural model of the DR6-NAPP interaction using the neurotrophin p75 receptor as a template. …

Willingness To Influence Indication-Based Off-Label Prescribing: An Investigation Of Hospital Pharmacists, Ram Sankar Basak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Off-label prescribing is a comand legal practice in the United States. However, off-label prescribing occurs oftentimes with inadequate evidence of effectiveness. Such practice, especially when prescribing for disease conditions different from approved clinical indications (indication-based off-label prescribing), brings about controversy and raises different issues with various stakeholders. Although indication-based off-label prescribing offers advantages in terms of providing innovative therapy, it raises concerns because the safety and efficacy of such use may not be evaluated adequately. Thus, the objective of the study was to examine whether pharmacists are willing to influence physicians while evaluating an indication-based off-label medication order. Based on …

Type 2 Diabetes In Children: Estimates Of Epidemiology, Quality Of Care, Costs And Resource Utilization In A Medicaid Population, Vennela Thumula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: the primary goal of this study was to assess the current state of diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes in Mississippi Medicaid enrolled pediatric population. Background: Diabetes is the most prevalent pediatric chronic condition. Recent trends indicate that type 2 diabetes in children is increasing. Epidemiology estimates of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents are limited. Quality of care and their health care utilization estimates are not available. Methods: 2002 - 2004 Mississippi Medicaid claims data were used for this study. A combination of ICD-9 codes (250.0x - 250.9x, where x=0 or 2) and/or oral hypoglycemic (OHG) drug use …

Fungi-Derived Natural Products With Binding Affinities For Human Opioid Or Cannabinoid Receptors, Jiangtao Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Both opioid and cannabinoid receptors belong to the large superfamily of GPCRs and play an important role in a variety of processes including pain, craving, neurodegeneration, metabolic regulation, anxiety and immune function. Therefore, recent advances and discoveries in opioid and cannabinoid receptors have paved the way for a very exciting future for opioid and cannabinoid receptors-based therapies to potentially treat a variety of conditions. However, the growing realizations of the complexity of these two receptors regulation in physiological and pathological conditions have discouraged the development of new therapeutics. So, it is important for us to identify new chemical scaffolds which …

Hcmv Pus28 Initiates Pro-Migratory Signaling Via Activation Of Pyk2 Kinase, Jennifer Totonchy, Susan Varnum, Ryan Melnychuk, Patricia Smith, Ljiliana Pasa-Tolic, Janani I. Shutthanadan, Daniel N. Streblow

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been implicated in the acceleration of vascular disease and chronic allograft rejection. Recently, the virus has been associated with glioblastoma and other tumors. We have previously shown that the HCMV-encoded chemokine receptor pUS28 mediates smooth muscle cell (SMC) and macrophage motility and this activity has been implicated in the acceleration of vascular disease. pUS28 induced SMC migration involves the activation of the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) Src and Focal adhesion kinase as well as the small GTPase RhoA. The PTK Pyk2 has been shown to play a role in cellular migration and formation of cancer, …

Evaluating The Target Pipeline In A Pharmaceutical Acquisition, Daniel Vass

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Many firms in the pharmaceutical industry turn to acquisitions when faced with gaps in their drug development pipelines and patent expirations as an alternative to making long-term investments in internal research and development. Investors are generally negative on this strategy, and upon the announcement of a pharmaceutical acquisition the stock of the acquiring firm often drops. This decline in share price creates an opportunity for the investor who can identify the characteristics of a target firm that increase the probability that the transaction will ultimately be a success, as measured by the subsequent appreciation in the acquirer's stock. It is …

Resolution Of Clinical Signs In Trauma Intensive Care Unit Patients Following Diagnosis Of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, Kathryn A. Connor, Joseph M. Swanson, G. Christopher Wood, Bradley A. Boucher, Louis J. Magnotti

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

PURPOSE: The ATS/IDSA Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) guidelines suggest that clinical improvement of VAP should be apparent within 3-6 days. Anecdotally, such improvement has not been noted in trauma patients at our institution. The current study was conducted to evaluate resolution of clinical signs of VAP following diagnosis.

METHODS: Critically injured adults admitted to the trauma intensive care unit (TICU) from 6/1/06-12/31/07 and subsequently diagnosed with VAP were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical signs, including derangements of maximum temperature (Tmax), white blood cell (WBC) count and Pa02/FiO2, were evaluated on days 1-16 following VAP diagnosis. Data are presented as mean ± SD unless …