Generation of monoclonal antibody against 6-Keto PGF and development of ELISA for its quantification in culture medium.

Prostacyclin or prostaglandin I (PGI), a metabolite of arachidonic cyclooxygenase pathway, has been demonstrated as an effector of adipocyte differentiation. However, due to its instability in biological fluid, it is difficult to evaluate the role of PGI in regulating adipocyte differentiation in different stages in culture. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a simple and rapid method for the production of monoclonal antibody against 6-Keto PGFα, a stable PGI metabolite, and its quantification to determine the role of PGI in culture medium.

Seasonal fluctuations in BDNF regulate hibernation and torpor in golden-mantled ground squirrels.

Aphagic hibernators such as the golden-mantled ground squirrel (GMGS; ) can fast for months and exhibit profound seasonal fluctuations in body weight, food intake, and behavior. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates cellular and systemic metabolism via mechanisms that are conserved across mammalian species. In this study, we characterized regional changes in BDNF with hibernation, hypothermia, and seasonal cycle in GMGS.

Chemical stability of naloxone products beyond their labeled expiration dates.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical stability of previously dispensed, expired naloxone products.

Setting: When properly stored, certain products maintain stable, defined as within compendia acceptability, beyond their manufacturer's expiration date. Stockpiling life-saving medications such as the opioid overdose reversing agent naloxone nasal spray (NNS) or injection (NIJ) is of utmost importance to ensure public health emergency preparedness and response.

A 2-month post-COVID-19 follow-up study on patients with dyspnea.

Background And Aims: Dyspnea is one of the most common symptoms associated with the COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dyspnea, observe co-variables, and find predictors of dyspnea after 2 months of recovery from COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 377 patients were included in the study based on their responses and clinical findings during initial admission to the hospital with COVID-19.

A Simplified Method for Compounding Lidocaine Topical Gel: A Demonstration of Quality Assurance to Prevent Errors in 503A Pharmacies.

Quality assurance is a key element in the process of creating safe and effective preparations. Furthermore, the implementation of quality-assurance measures allows 503A pharmacies to ensure accurate, well-made preparations to their customers. When corrective and preventive measures are not implemented, the risk of errors is increased, like subtherapeutic or supratherapeutic compounded medications.

Enhancement of select cognitive domains with rosiglitazone implicates dorsal hippocampus circuitry sensitive to PPARγ agonism in an Alzheimer's mouse model.

Introduction: Several clinical studies have tested the efficacy of insulin-sensitizing drugs for cognitive enhancement in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, as type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a well-recognized risk factor for AD. Pilot studies assessing FDA-approved diabetes drugs in subjects with early-stage disease have found cognitive benefit in subjects comorbid for insulin resistance. In AD mouse models with concomitant insulin resistance, we have shown that 4 weeks of RSG can reverse peripheral and central insulin resistance concomitant with rescue of hippocampus-dependent fear learning and memory and hippocampal circuitry deficits in 9-month-old (9MO) Tg2576 mice with no effect in wild-type (WT) mice.

Speed and accuracy of pharmacy students' response to calculation problems with or without formula prompts.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amount of time spent per problem and the level of accuracy per problem, based on the presence or absence of a stressor. The impact on accuracy created by stress due to the lack of the formula prompt during an assessment is a major focus of this study.

Methods: Sixty-nine first-year pharmacy students were tested with four calculation questions (Qs) divided between two quizzes.

Statins decrease the expression of c-Myc protein in cancer cell lines.

Statins are potent inhibitors of the mevalonate/cholesterol biosynthetic pathway and are widely prescribed for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the effects of three statins, simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin, on six different cancer cell lines that include a P-glycoprotein-expressing, multidrug resistant variant of an ovarian cancer cell line. Incubation of all cancer cell lines with statins resulted in suppression of cell proliferation without inducing apoptotic cell death.

Incorporating Quality Assurance in Pharmaceutical Compounding-related Courses in the PharmD Curricula.

The art and the skill set of compounding fulfill the important need of tailor-made pharmaceuticals for use by both institutions and individual  patients. Over the last 20 years, there have been more than 200 adverse events involving compounded products; infections, poisonings, contaminations, and dosing inaccuracies have been problematic. The probability of a correlation between the lack of institutional training and number of serious events could be significant.

A Community Service Organization Focused on the Arts to Develop Empathy in Pharmacy Students.

To implement and assess pharmacy students' opinions of a new student organization that uses visual, linguistic, and performing arts to bring emotional support, joy, and healing to patients. Pro Mé, an on-campus, community-service organization was formed at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy for students with talent or background in the arts. Members organized performances and art events at local assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, hospitals, mobile medical clinics, schools, etc.

Compounding and Comparative Study of a Superior, Faster, and More Adaptable Lidocaine Dental Gel Formulation.

Compounding perfection confirms a safe, swift, and efficacious delivery of personalized compounded medication. A large variability of the potency of the finished product may stem from complicated formulation or difficult-to-adopt methods. Also, the formulation and compounding method may adversely affect the amount of time needed to finish the compounding and dispense the medication for the patient.

Sources of stress in a pharmacy student population.

Objective: To assess the sources of stress for pharmacy students and relationships to demographic factors and perceived stress.

Methods: Survey study of students at three pharmacy schools investigating student stress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10), a two-tiered sources of stress questionnaire and demographic information.

Results: Student perceived stress levels were significantly higher than standard populations, but consistent with other pharmacy student populations.

A Simplified, Specific HPLC Method of Assaying Thiamine and Riboflavin in Mushrooms.

Mushrooms have been used as part of the average diet and as a nutraceutical for thousands of years due to their immense health benefits. The purpose of this study was to develop a simple, fast, accurate, specific, reproducible, and robust chromatographic method to identify and quantify two water-soluble vitamins: thiamine (B1) and riboflavin (B2) in mushrooms. The method employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of these vitamins was Reversed Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) equipped with Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Detector.

A 6-week laboratory research rotation in pharmacogenomics: a model for preparing pharmacy students to practice precision medicine.

Comparison of human genome sequences from different individuals has unraveled that genes involved in the drug efficacy and metabolism are polymorphic, harboring mutations, splicing variations and other alterations. These data provide a reasonable explanation for the inter-individual variations observed in drug therapy. Thus, a detailed molecular analysis and an in-depth knowledge of these genes is a prerequisite to practice pharmacogenomics-based medicine.

Metabolic characteristics of Appalachian children.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to assess the physiological characteristics and the resting metabolic rates of a representative population of children in Buchanan County in order to identify those factors that may be contributing to the predisposition for being overweight or obese and provide nutritional and physical activity guidance for prevention.

Methods: Twenty-three volunteers from grades 5, 6 and 7 from Buchannan County, VA underwent parametric and metabolic testing over three consecutive years in order to determine their height, weight, BMI, percent body fat, resting oxygen consumption (VO), resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and daily energy expenditure (DEE) and consumption.

Results: Over the 3 year study period, subjects' BMI increased significantly over time (p = 0.

Adulteration and Counterfeiting of Online Nutraceutical Formulations in the United States: Time for Intervention?

Global prevalence of nutraceuticals is noticeably high. The American market is flooded with nutraceuticals claiming to be of natural origin and sold with a therapeutic claim by major online retail stores such as Amazon and eBay. The objective of this commentary is to highlight the possible problems of online-sold nutraceuticals in the United States with respect to claim, adulterants, and safety.

Inhibition of VEGF and Angiopoietin-2 to Reduce Brain Metastases of Breast Cancer Burden.

For metastases in the central nervous system, angiogenesis enhances metastatic potential and promotes progression. Primary factors which drive vessel growth are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2. Preclinical models show inhibition of either factor reduces metastases spread and inhibits growth.

Surface-bound galectin-4 regulates gene transcription and secretion of chemokines in human colorectal cancer cell lines.

One long-term complication of chronic intestinal inflammation is the development of colorectal cancer. However, the mechanisms linking inflammation to the colorectal tumorigenesis are poorly defined. Previously, we have demonstrated that galectin-4 is predominantly expressed in the luminal epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract, and its loss of expression plays a key role in the colorectal tumorigenesis.

A Process for Curricular Improvement Based on Evaluation of Student Performance on Milestone Examinations.

To identify and address areas for curricular improvement by evaluating student achievement of expected learning outcomes and competencies on annual milestone examinations. Students were tested each professional year with a comprehensive milestone examination designed to evaluate student achievement of learning outcomes and professional competencies using a combination of multiple-choice questions, standardized patient assessments (SPAs), and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) questions. Based on student performance on milestone examinations, curricular changes were instituted, including an increased emphasis on graded comprehensive cases, OSCE skills days, and use of patient simulation in lecture and laboratory courses.

Anti-cancer Antibody Trastuzumab-Melanotransferrin Conjugate (BT2111) for the Treatment of Metastatic HER2+ Breast Cancer Tumors in the Brain: an In-Vivo Study.

Purpose: The ability of human melanotransferrin (hMTf) to carry a therapeutic concentration of trastuzumab (BTA) in the brain after conjugation (in the form of trastuzumab-melanotransferrin conjugate, BT2111 conjugate) was investigated by measuring the reduction of the number and size of metastatic human HER breast cancer tumors in a preclinical model of brain metastases of breast cancer.

Methods: Human metastatic brain seeking breast cancer cells were injected in NuNu mice (n = 6-12 per group) which then developed experimental brain metastases. Drug uptake was analyzed in relation to metastasis size and blood-tumor barrier permeability.

Semi-automated rapid quantification of brain vessel density utilizing fluorescent microscopy.

Background: Measurement of vascular density has significant value in characterizing healthy and diseased tissue, particularly in brain where vascular density varies among regions. Further, an understanding of brain vessel size helps distinguish between capillaries and larger vessels like arterioles and venules. Unfortunately, few cutting edge methodologies are available to laboratories to rapidly quantify vessel density.

Test-Enhanced Learning in an Immunology and Infectious Disease Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmacology Course.

Objective. To develop a series of active-learning modules that would improve pharmacy students' performance on summative assessments. Design.

Adulterated and Counterfeit Male Enhancement Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements Pose a Real Threat to the Management of Erectile Dysfunction: A Global Perspective.

Erectile dysfunction prevalence globally is noticeably high. This is accompanied by an increase in the use of nutraceuticals for male enhancement. However, the global market is invaded by counterfeit and adulterated nutraceuticals claimed to be of natural origin sold with a therapeutic claim.

Are Currently Available Wearable Devices for Activity Tracking and Heart Rate Monitoring Accurate, Precise, and Medically Beneficial?

Objectives: The new wave of wireless technologies, fitness trackers, and body sensor devices can have great impact on healthcare systems and the quality of life. However, there have not been enough studies to prove the accuracy and precision of these trackers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and overall performance of seventeen wearable devices currently available compared with direct observation of step counts and heart rate monitoring.