By: Arya Mathew, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 –  About twelve percent of the U.S. population suffers from migraines, affecting adult women three times more than adult men.  Migraines are returning attacks of moderate to severe, throbbing or pulsing pain, usually on one side of the head.  Along with the severe pain, migraine sufferers also experience…

By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor and Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – In Volume 1 Issue1 of the Rho Chi Post, we were honored to have an interview with Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDE, and Director of Clinical Pharmacy at El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. She had started a petition to support…

By: Ansel Oommen, BS Toxicology Candidate c/o 2014 – DNA damage is the driving force behind aging, and, on a more serious note, the development of cancers.1 While the stresses of life can be taxing on cells, the human body possesses a remarkable repair mechanism to remedy them. Researchers from the University of Texas Medical…

By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – Pathogenic bacteria have been enemies to human health for centuries. As recently as last month, the Centers for Disease Control published an 80-page document informing the public about America’s biggest microbial threats. Most of the pathogens on the list exhibit antibacterial resistance. One particular bacterial species, ranked at threat…

By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – For the estimated 7.5 million individuals in the United States living with iron deficiency anemia (IDA), there is now a new alternative to iron supplements or time-consuming, repetitive infusions. On July 25, 2013, the FDA approved ferric carboxymaltose injection (Injectafer®) for the treatment of IDA, especially in patients who…

By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – On August 12,2013, a new weapon against HIV-1 infection was added to the existing armada. Dolutegravir, the third integrase strand transfer inhibitor to attain FDA approval, targets a protein essential to HIV replication. HIV-1 is the predominant type of HIV virus, the other being HIV-2, which is endogenous to…

By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on July 26th that oral dosage forms of ketoconazole (Nizoral®) should no longer be prescribed as first-line therapy for any fungal infections.1 The label and indication for oral ketoconazole were updated, and a new medication guide was added. Other dosage forms…

By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – On March 29th 2013, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved canagliflozin (Invokana®), a new form of a diabetic drug for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.1 Canagliflozin is in a new class of medications called sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and is the only oral, once-daily…

By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – Emily Whitehead, a 7-year-old girl who fought off relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), has captured the hearts and prayers of the masses. Her story is an inspiration to those battling any disease with a poor prognosis and particularly holds promise for the 15% of children with ALL resistant to…

Samad Tirmizi, Pharm. D. Candidate c/o 2014 – Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot formation that occurs within deep veins, generally in the legs. This can cause swelling and pain due to the engorged vessels, and can eventually result in further complications such as a pulmonary embolism. Patients at high risk for DVT are…

By Erica Dimitropoulos, Senior Staff Editor – If you were in charge of government spending, how would you allocate our funds? Would you put more money into public schools? Restructure the healthcare system? How about a multi-billion dollar project to remap the brain? A few months ago, President Obama announced his plans to invest in…

By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief & Bharat Kirthivasan, Co-Copy Editor – Frank A. Barile Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical and Applied Toxicology at St. John’s University.  He is also a St. John’s University alumnus, having received a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science, an M.S. in Toxicology, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology.  At St. John’s University, Dr.…

By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – On June 27, 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS.gov, and other national and local entities organized the 19th annual National HIV Testing Day. On this day, the theme of “Take the Test, Take Control” was employed to spread awareness of testing and prevention methods…

By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – When the seasons transition from winter into spring every year, healthcare providers brace for a shift into a time of increased sneezes, requests for cough medication, and vaccinations, otherwise known as flu season. The rounds of illness that pass each year are usually more of an annoyance than a…

By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – This year, on July 23rd, FDA advisers voted 7 to 6, with one abstention, in favor of approving the drug certolizumab (Cimzia®) for the indication of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). axSpA is a chronic imflammatory condition that includes ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spndyloarthristis (nr-axSpA).1,2 axSpA, AS and…

By: Praneeta Nagraj, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Summer is a great time to recover from the school year through reflection and relaxation, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to develop your career and discover where you belong within the pharmacy profession, which can be realized through work or an internship. What if I told…

By: Beatrisa Popovitz, Staff Editor –  You may have heard the countless horror stories passed on by upperclassman of how D&Ds seep into the crevices of our brains and take over our psyches to inevitably make us breathe, sleep, and speak pharmacy.  Stressing out over exams and investing what may seem like all of your…

By: Nathan Trustman, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013, AMSCOP at LIU – Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater. It is thought to be the result of an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, possibly due to a number of genetic and environmental factors.1 It is estimated…

By: Beatrisa Popovitz, Staff Editor –  For the past decade, antibiotic resistant bacteria have been a growing concern in healthcare. Over the last few months, there has been a great deal of media attention surrounding strains of drug resistant bacteria in hospitals across the United States.  Most recently, there has been an increased effort to…

By: Aleena Cherian, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Although opioid analgesics are among the most effective drugs to treat pain, they are associated with a growing number of public health issues including addiction and severe, often fatal, overdoses. The recent increase in incidences of opioid overdose is directly correlated to rapidly increasing and widespread use…

By: Tamara Yunusova, Senior Staff Editor – Approximately 3.2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C infection.1 While acute cases are not common, rates of chronic hepatitis C continue to surge due to the recent discovery of the virus in 1989 and consequently, the establishment of a test screening for HCV antibodies in 1992.1 HCV has…

By Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – Angelina Jolie, the actress recognized for her charismatic beauty, revealed to the New York Times that she had undergone double mastectomy, the surgical removal of the breasts. Because her mother died of ovarian cancer at 56, when Jolie learned that she had a mutation in her BRCA1 gene,…

By: Tasnima Nabi, Content-focused Co-Copy Editor – The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has officially launched a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program and accepted applications for Fall 2013. Public Health has become an increasingly important area of study over the years as our country experiences rising numbers of chronic disease, health care…

By: Erica Dimitropoulos, Senior Staff Editor – Lupus is highly unpredictable and occurs without warning; there is no known cause and no known cure. It affects over 1.5 million Americans, 90% of whom are women between the ages of 15 – 44.1 No two cases of lupus are alike, making it a very difficult disease…

By: Andy Zhang, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – On March 28, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of Tecfidera™ (dimethyl fumarate) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults.1 Tecfidera™ (dimethyl fumarate) will be the third oral drug used for the treatment of MS. The manufacturer Biogen…

By: Frances Sousonis, Candidate c/o 2017 – Unfortunately, cancer is a disease about which many are able to share stories. All too often, beloved persons are diagnosed with cancer, or, more regrettably, loses their battle with the beast. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and around 150,000 people each…

By: Helen Dong, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014  – Pharmacy Day, or Legislative Day, is a whole day affair for pharmacy students to meet and speak to members of the federal and state legislature in order to discuss issues that affect pharmacists and to lobby for our profession. This year’s talking points were expanding immunization rights…

By: Sharon Janak, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – How can we distinguish between vascular injury and Purple Glove Syndrome (an adverse effect of phenytoin)?  What are the warning signs and symptoms? Phenytoin is an anticonvulsant used to treat generalized tonic-clonic and partial seizures. It stabilizes neuronal cell membranes of the motor cortex by facilitating the…

By: Mitesh Patel, PharmD Candidate 2014 – $1.2 trillion- This is what the United States spends on healthcare. At 17% of GDP, this sector accounts for more spending in the U.S. than education, defense, welfare, and pension.1 By 2016, our expenditure on healthcare will rise to $1.6 trillion.1 As our health care spending increases, Americans…

By: Ada Seldin – An impending storm is threatening to stagger the health care system and the nation at large. Alzheimer’s disease, which now affects as many as 5.1 million Americans, is projected to triple its toll by 2050, to 13.8 million Americans.1 These sky-rocketing rates can be attributed to aging of the ‘baby boomers.’2…

By: Bansri Patel – As of May 1st 2013, Plan B®, the brand name emergency contraception pill will now be available to women aged fifteen and older. It will also be sold in the drug store aisles, as opposed to its current location behind the pharmacy counter. When levonorgestrel (Plan B®) first entered the market,…

By: Erica Dimitropoulos, Senior Staff Editor – Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful and often debilitating autoimmune disease characterized by symmetric polyarthritis, most commonly of the proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints, elbows, knees, ankles, and spine.1 Its clinical manifestations vary, from a slowly progressing onset of fatigue and musculoskeletal discomfort to a sudden and worsening destruction…

By Taryn Mondiello and Frances Trosa, Pharm. D. Candidates c/o 2015 – On Saturday, April 13th, there was a Red Storm on campus. This Red Storm, however, was probably not the one you are thinking about. While the people were in fact wearing red, they were actually participants of the APhA-ASP’s event “Run for the…

By Beatrisa Popovitz, Staff Editor, Why does that pharmacist have to be two and a half feet higher than everybody else? Who the hell is this guy? “Clear out everybody I’m workin’ with pills up here. I’m taking pills from this big bottle and then I’m gonna put them in a little bottle! That’s my…

By: Bharat Kirthivasan – The UK government might soon become the platform for an explosive debate on the utility and ethics of three-person in vitro fertilization (three-person IVF). According to the Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority, there is no evidence to suggest that any form of IVF is unsafe for the mother or the fetus.…

By: Diana Gritsenko, Pharm D. Candidate c/o 2015 – Every flu season, it is the same story: long lines at doctors’ offices and pharmacy counters as patients scramble to get the year’s vaccine before supplies run out. Year after year, doctors and pharmacists groan while explaining over and over again to patients why they need…

By: Fawad Piracha, Pharm. D Candidate c/o 2016 – The 2012-2013 influenza season has developed into one of the greatest nationwide flu outbreaksof the decade.1 Amid this crisis, many flocked to healthcare providers with flu-like symptoms, while others scoured doctors’ offices, clinics, and pharmacies for the vaccine. With the flu claiming many lives throughout the…

By: James W. Schurr and David Gao, PharmD Candidates 2014 – A recent Op-ed in Newsday by Allen Frances, MD (of Duke University School of Medicine and chairman of the task force that produced the DSM-IV, the current guidelines for psychiatric disease diagnosis) criticizes the American Psychiatric Association for being “extravagantly indifferent to all matters…

By: Tamara Yunusova, Staff Editor – On December 3, 2012, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals became the first court in the nation to authorize off-label drug promotion under the First Amendment.  The heavily-disputed ruling, which is headed for further appeal, will have far-reaching implications for pharmaceutical companies and drug regulation policy. In a…

By: Bhavini Shah, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013  – Fycompa® (perampanel) has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures in patients with epilepsy aged 12 years and older.1  The drug, manufactured by Eisai Inc., is already approved for use in Iceland,…

By:  Christina Tarantola, PharmD, PGY-1 Resident at Kings Pharmacy – The New York State Department of Health issued a health advisory on November 8, 2012 in response to Hurricane Sandy. The document outlined guidelines on recommended immunizations and disaster relief efforts for volunteers and the general public. Due to an increased risk of exposure to…

By:  Erica Dimitropoulos, Assistant Student Editor – Although clinical trials can affirm the efficacy and advantages of all marketed medications, it is obvious that patients cannot benefit from a drug that they choose not to take. Therefore, promoting medication adherence is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to improve treatment outcomes. In order…

By:  Lila Ahmed, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – In the past, numerous research efforts have attempted to prove the benefits and risks of calcium and multivitamin supplements with little success. Most of the studies performed were inconclusive and did not provide us with significant data; while some studies have found that calcium is beneficial for…

By:  Miriam Maltz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013, AMSCOP, Long Island University – Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that is pursuant to insulin resistance, defects in insulin secretion, or both1. Chronic hyperglycemia is associated with detrimental effects on various organ systems that can increase mortality and impact the patient’s…

By:  Maria Sorbera, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013, AMSCOP, LIU – Hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, presenting a global health challenge.  Approximately 170 million people worldwide, 3% of the population, are infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), roughly 3.2 million of whom reside in the United States.  The…

By:  Jena Marion, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – It was a few weeks into the spring semester of my freshman year at St. John’s University when I earned my wings.  I was on a plane trip, flying cross-country to San Diego with friends that I had only known for a few months, on my way…

By: Steve Soman, Co-Editor-in-Chief – Varicella Zoster Immune Globulin (Varizig®) was approved by the FDA on December 21st of 2012. The Canadian pharmaceutical company Cangene Corporation, which is owned in-part by Apotex Inc., markets the new product.  The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce “the severity of chicken pox…

By:  Monica Correia, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – This past year of advanced pharmacy rotations, has been a tremendous learning experience for me; I was exposed to the day to day functions and roles of pharmacists in a multitude of environments.  While each experience allowed me to focus on a different aspect of pharmacy, the…

By: Tamara Yunusova – On Wednesday, July 25th a petition signed by the reform group Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) called on the FDA to implement opioid label changes that would restrict Chronic Non-Cancer (CNCP) opioid treatment for patients with severe pain only.  It wasn’t too long before another petition signed by PROP’s adversary,…

By: Alexandra Alleva, PharmD candidate c/o 2013 – As of December 28th, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer’s brand name oral anticoagulant, Eliquis® (apixaban), attained FDA approval.1  This occurred one month after its approval in  Europe and Canada, following longer than expected waits in the US due to further investigation requests by the FDA.2 The much-anticipated anticoagulant is…