By: Azia Tariq, Staff Editor – The first recorded outbreak of the Ebola Zaire (ZEBOV), a strain of the ebola virus, occurred in 1976. Since then, three additional types of the deadly virus have been discovered: Sudan Ebola virus (SEBOV), Reston Ebola virus (REBOV), and Côte d’Ivoire Ebola virus (CIEBOV).1 The initial outbreak had, until…

By Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – The pain, nausea, and light or sound sensitivity that comprise a migraine attack afflict more than 10% of individuals around the world, easily making migraines one of the most globally debilitating diseases of the present day.1 According to the International Headache Society (IHS), migraines are defined by both…

By: Erica Dimitropoulos Co-Copy Editor [Content- Focused]  – On February 14, 2014, elosulfase alfa (Vimizim™) became an FDA-approved enzyme replacement therapy for Morquio A Syndrome, a type of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS IVA).1 Elosulfase alfa was granted priority review and was also the first drug to receive the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher that motivates the development…

By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief and Melissa Roy, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-Focused] – Dr. Mangione has been a prominent member here at St. John’s University both as a student and as a leader. Before becoming our dedicated Provost, Dr. Mangione was the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences since 1999. He joined the St.…

By: Jenny Park, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – On July 12, 2013, the FDA approved afatinib (GilotrifTM) as a new first-line treatment for patients with late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a type of carcinoma where specific types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations are expressed.1 The drug afatinib irreversibly blocks EGFR, also…

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 Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – For post-operative pain treatment, few drugs are as trustworthy, as tried-and-true, as codeine. Prescriptive confidence in the analgesic has promoted its use in children recovering from uncomplicated surgeries, but the spate of injuries and deaths of young children who had been given codeine after undergoing adenotonsillectomies has provoked a…

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: 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: 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: 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:  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: Tamara Yunusova, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Gene therapy? You scoff in disbelief as thoughts of designer babies, liberal eugenics, clones, and ruthless dystopian societies begin to reel in the back of your mind. Perhaps you may even stop to recall a scene or two from Jurassic Park or Star Trek. Undoubtedly, gene therapy…

By: Eugene Kolomiyets, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013, AMSCOP at LIU – Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene located on chromosome 7.1  The disease has been linked to thousands of possible mutations, but only as many as 25-30 are tested for…

By: Joo Hee Kwon, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – There are 3 antigenic types of influenza: A, B, and C. Influenza C causes mild illness and therefore does not cause epidemics.  In contrast, influenza A and B are capable of causing mild to severe flu and in some cases death.  An epidemic can occur depending…

By: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor –  What is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)? Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute complication of uncontrolled diabetes or hyperglycemia. It is usually observed in cases of extreme hyperglycemia (usually in excess of 500 mg/dl, though it can occur over 250 mg/dl).1,2  It is usually characterized by the presence of hyperglycemia,…

By: Neal Shah, Co Editor-In-Chief – Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA), also known as erythroblastopenia, is characterized by a suppression of erythrocytes in the bone marrow.  It is a peculiar oddity that the bone marrow’s progenitor cells still differentiate into white blood cells and platelets.1  PRCA has idiopathic, viral, auto-immune, and genetic etiologies.  Diamond-Blackfan syndrome…

By: Raymond Wu, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013   The 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5HT3) antagonists (e.g. ondansetron [Zofran®]) are commonly used in the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting in the inpatient setting.1  Overall, ondansetron is a well-tolerated medication with few side effects.1  Constipation, dizziness, and headache are the most commonly reported side effects associated…

By: Lila Ahmed, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Whether you wish to admit it or not, all of us have watched or at least heard of the Dr. Oz Show.  I am sure that many of us encounter patients in the pharmacy who say, “I saw this on Dr. Oz; where could I find it?”…

By: Neal Shah – Part I:              Preface. Part II:             Brief review of cardiac electrophysiology. Part III:           Ivabradine as a novel If blocker for the use of stable angina. Part IV:           On the horizon: trimetazidine. – PREFACE When viewed anatomically, the heart may seem like a simple organ.  However, the electrophysiological aspects of the heart are…