By: David Ong, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Manipulating the renin-angiotensin system is one of the many ways drugs are used to treat hypertension. By blocking key steps in the renin-angiotensin cascade, blood pressure decrease may be achieved. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) represent one of the drug classes that utilize the aforementioned mechanism. ARBs…

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: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-Focused] – Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurological behavior characterized by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactive behavior, resulting in a wide range of emotional, functional, and neurocognitive impairments.1,2 First line therapy for ADHD consists of stimulant medications together with non-pharmacologic interventions, and has been shown to improve…

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: 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…

Davidta Brown, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 –      The debate on the nature of compounding practice and the extent to which it ought to be regulated has come to the forefront of public attention.  Those who regularly follow American news and politics are familiar with the series of events that have led to the present…

By Taryn Mondiello, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – From June 7th to June 9th, pharmacists from all over New York State gathered at the LaGuardia Marriott in East Elmhurst for the 135th annual PSSNY summer convention. The Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, better known as PSSNY, was founded in 1879 and is…

By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – On March 22, 2013, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) aired an episode of “Need to Know” on the safety of low to moderate risk medical devices. The episode closely followed the lawsuit of patient Linda Gross who has pelvic organ prolapse and was advised by her doctor to undergo…

By: Moisey Rafailov, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – It was early in the morning on New York’s Route 684 when a car hit a tractor-trailer and continued driving without regard. Imagine that, when later stopped by a police officer, the driver said that the accident was her pharmacist’s fault. What if I were to tell…

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: 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 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: 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:  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:  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:  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…

By: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor – A recent We the People petition on the White House official website has reached the 25,000 signature threshold needed to trigger an official response.  The petition tilted “Recognize pharmacists as health care providers”, was initiated by the current editor in chief of the Rho Chi Post, Steve Soman.1 …

By: John S Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – America’s focus on healthcare, as well as its position as one of the wealthiest nations of the industrialized world, is incongruous with the consequences of drug shortages suffered by its population. Shortages in pharmaceutical supply compromise quality of life while increasing health care costs. The pharmaceutical…

By: Maria Sorbera, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 at AMSCOP (LIU) – Author William S. Burroughs states in his novel, “The question is frequently asked: Why does a man become a drug addict?  The answer is that he usually does not intend to become an addict. You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Associate Student Editor – For the past few weeks, we have heard about the terrible breakout of fungal meningitis from contaminated methylprednisolone acetate vials manufactured by the New England Compounding Center (NECC).  Approximately 14,000 patients received medication from the contaminated lots.  So far, over 400 cases have been reported and over…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Associate Student Editor – Many of us have prepared for influenza season by receiving the flu vaccine.  (If you have not, please speak to your doctor or pharmacist soon!  Remember: even if you do not need it for your protection, get it for your patients’ well-being).  However, for the youngest members…

By Sunhae Chang, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – When patients complain of heartburn, the blame usually shifts to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Therefore, patients receive the “standard therapies for GERD”: antacids, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), or prokinetics.1,2  Luckily, most patients respond well to these agents.1,2  Unfortunately, the not-as-lucky ones, despite PPI…

By: Neal Shah, Co-Editor-in-Chief – Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a last-line procedure in the treatment of refractory depression, among other neuropsychological disorders.1 By inducing a seizure, neurotransmitters are released and the disease state may feature a modest mitigation in symptoms.1 Seizure medications such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates are prescribed to increase or heighten the seizure…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – We live in amazing times. Technology does not progress by steps anymore, it grows by leaps. Health-care has reaped the benefits of these advances just like any other industry. It was not a very long time ago that pharmacists would look up patient records in a book full of names…

By: Addolorata Ciccone, Student Copy Editor – As a fifth-year pharmacy student researching and ranking advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sites, I felt excited at the prospect of taking the knowledge and skills I obtained in the classroom and applying it to real world patients and scenarios.  My years of work in community pharmacies were…

By: Nandini Puranprashad, Pharm D. Candidate c/o 2013 – I’m sitting in a quaint coffee shop in Cherokee, North Carolina, sipping a dirty chai tea with some of my roommates with 1970s music chiming in the background as I write this article and words cannot describe my experiences at this rotation.  The most surprising aspect…

By: Marina Yermolayeva, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – “I’m allergic to the generic; I need the brand name medication,” is a common claim heard by many health care providers.  Managed care organizations get numerous calls from doctors and patients requesting prior authorizations to approve brand name medications whilst there are generic alternatives available on formulary.…

By: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor –  Match the following herbal products with their correct description: A. This product has been used to treat liver disease, including hepatitis and cirrhosis.  It has also been used as a protective agent after the liver was exposed to alcohol, acetaminophen, and carbon tetrachloride.B. This product is extracted from…

By: Steve P. Soman – Mirabegron (Mybetriq®), known also by the brand name Betanis®in Japan, is a new once daily oral drug.   First in its class, it is a selective β(3)-adrenoceptor agonist that improves symptoms associated with over active bladder (OAB) such as urinary incontinence, urgency, and urinary frequency by enhancing storage function and relaxing…

By: Neal Shah, Co-Editor-in-Chief – Xerostomia, commonly known as dry mouth, is an anti-muscarinic side effect of numerous medications.  Antidepressants, analgesics, diuretics, and antihistamines have a high propensity to cause xerostomia.1  Xerostomia may also result from Sjogren’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and various chemotherapy agents.2  Traditionally, muscarinic agonists like pilocarpine have been used to reverse xerostomia.…

By: Lunbao (Jerry) Huang, Pharm.D.  Candidate c/o 2013 – Pain is a very difficult condition to manage, as clinicians have only subjective findings to work with.  Opioid medications are currently the cornerstones for the management of moderate to severe pain; however, it is often problematic to determine a patient’s real ‘need’ for opioids.  Physicians’ clinical…

By: Stanley Saji, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – I had a preconceived notion that advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) were just an application of concepts and therapies learned in pharmacy school.  Little did I know how real APPEs became… During my third rotation, I worked with Dr. Maha Saad, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department…

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: Jena Marion, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – I have traveled a lot these past few years.  I have packed and unpacked suitcases, measured three-ounce bottles of liquids, and printed plenty of boarding passes.  Most of my trips were for business, but a few were for pleasure.  Pharmacy, however, followed me along on each one…

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: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Associate Student Editor, with Special Thanks to Dr. Tomasz Jodlowski for his contributions to this article – In the 1990s, major urban and rural areas across the United States grappled with a common problem: drug addiction.  At that time, the drugs of choice were illicit substances (i.e. heroin).  In order to combat…

By: Maria A. Sorbera, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 –   Maria Sorbera was the 2011-2012 President of the Rho Chi Beta Theta Chapter at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy at Long Island University (LIU). She is a strong advocate of networking with fellow pharmacists regardless of their area of expertise, as well…

By: Lauren Kaveski, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – We see proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) used in many medication regimens, but it is unknown whether the majority of patients receive these medications for appropriate durations or indications.  For all labeled indications, other than Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (a rare condition characterized by damaging gastrin hypersecretion and subsequent hydrochloric…

By: Mohamed Dungersi & Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Associate Student Editors – Each month, the editors at the Rho Chi Post have the opportunity to interview one or more of our faculty members. This month, we had the tremendous opportunity to interview the dean of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Dean…

By: Sanjay Dave, Supervising Pharmacist, Class of 1985 St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions – Mr. Sanjay Dave is a St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Graduate, Class of 1985.  Since graduation, he has worked for Pathmark Pharmacies and is currently the supervising pharmacist at Pathmark Pharmacy…

By: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor – Dr. William Maidhof is an Assistant Professor and Industry Professional in the Clinical Pharmacy Practice department of the St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. He is an alumnus of St. John’s University who graduated in 1999 with a BS in Pharmacy and again in…

By: Marie Huang – Each month, the Rho Chi Post has the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he…

By: Nagma Gargi, Pharm D. Candidate 2013 – Traditionally, lipid panels are drawn under fasting conditions. Is there data supporting decreased accuracy in a non-fasting lipid panel? Cholesterol is an essential tool for our body for the synthesis of hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids. However, an excess of cholesterol pose a serious threat to…

By: Kathlynn Ferrer, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Nabiximols (Sativex®) is a buccal spray that has been approved for use in the UK, Spain, Germany, Denmark, New Zealand, and Canada. The active ingredients in this product are Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol, two kinds of cannabinoids1. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that stimulate cannabinoid receptors and are the…

By: Alexandra Alleva, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – On February 17, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first medication indicated specifically for patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, a hormone disorder characterized by elevated blood levels of cortisol.  Mifepristone (Korlym®) is for the treatment of glucose intolerance and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – In previous issues, we discussed prescription drug abuse and several bills currently on the floor of the NYS Legislature, sponsored by Sen. Hannon which addressed the issue. On February 7th, I sat down with Sen. Hannon’s director of communications, Mr. Phil Hecken, and his legislative aide, Mr. Timothy Broschardt to…

By: Nandini Puranprashad – This year we had an awesome turnout of 17 attendees representing the American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacist (APhA-ASP) chapter of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions at the APhA 2012 Annual Meeting & Exposition held in New Orleans from March 9th – 12th, 2012. New…