By: Benedette Cuffari, BS Toxicology Candidate c/o 2015 – Hemophilia B is an inherited bleeding disorder that is caused by a substantially reduced or complete lack of blood clotting factor IX. Therefore, people suffering from hemophilia B experience bleeding episodes that cause pain, irreversible joint damage, and life threatening hemorrhages. Approximately 28,000 people are currently…

Submit an article and letter of intent To [email protected] View the application: http://rhochistj.org/RhoChiPost/application/ Below are some FAQ; please email us for any other concerns! Who can join the Rho Chi post? Do I have to be a member of Rho Chi? You do not have to be a member of the Rho Chi Honor Society…

By: Diana Gritsenko, PharmD Candidate 2015 – Multiple complications can arise during pregnancy. While venous thromboembolism (VTE) has a prevalence rate of just 0.06% it is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. It is recommended that at-risk pregnant women receive anticoagulation therapy for a minimum of 3 months and VTE prophylaxis for the…

By: Kenny Ng, STJ AMCP Chapter President, PharmD c/o 2017, Kenny Chan, STJ AMCP Chapter President-Elect, PharmD c/o 2017, Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – While those who work tirelessly to combat the spread of Hepatitis B and C never have a day off, there is one day in the year during which special attention…

By: Sherin Pathickal, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – In 2006, the Institute of Medicine reported that over 1.5 million people in the US suffered from a medication error, errors that not only cost the economy billions of dollars, but endangered countless lives.1 Each year, approximately 7,000 deaths occur to due to preventable medication related errors.2…

By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Pressure ulcers can be a painful condition decreasing the quality of life of patients and prolonging hospital stays.1 About 10% of hospital inpatients and 26% of hospice admissions have pressure sores.2 Pressure ulcers are injuries that occur when pressure is applied for prolonged periods of time over bony prominences.1 There…

By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – On October 8th of 2013, Bayer’s new drug riociguat (Adempas®) was approved for the treatment of patients whose pulmonary hypertension (PH) belongs in WHO groups 1 and 4.1 Riociguat (Adempas®) is a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, and currently the only one of its kind on the market.…

By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – Since the first release of the Surgeon General’s Report on smoking 50 years ago, it has become clear that smoking results in premature death and a myriad of diseases, affecting almost every organ system. Public health initiatives to increase awareness, prevent initiation, and promote smoking cessation have been marginally…

By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – In August 2013, the results of a yearlong safety study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry.1 The study, which followed the health status of about 43,000 youths aged 6 to 24, confirmed and built upon a previously noted trend in adults: that the…

By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – For the brand new year, we present an interview with Sherif Guorgui, the current Vice-President of Pharmacy at the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the former 2011-2012 President of the Ontario College of Pharmacists in Canada. Mr. Guorgui graduated in 1998 from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University…

By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-Focused] and Jenny Prakash, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Starting your rotations in 5th year usually brings mixed emotions. On one hand, it’s a relief to finally be finished with labs and D&Ds…imagine, a whole year without any exams! But on the other hand, now you have to test how…

By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Marijuana, also known as “grass,” “pot,” “joint,” “weed,” “reefer,” “hashish,” and “Mary Jane,” is a very popular illicit drug.1 According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “In 2012, 5.4 million persons aged 12 or older used marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis in the past 12…

By: Joshua Bliss, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – Doctor – a word often utilized by both professionals and the general public alike to describe a physician. “Doctor” finds its origins in the Latin word for “teacher.” The word “physician,” however, carries a more complicated origin. It is derived from Latin’s “physicum,” meaning remedy.1 In Luke…

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…

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: 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 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: 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:  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: Tasnima Nabi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – The most memorable moment of a professional’s career is when he or she is handed a symbol of what represents the culture and esteem of the chosen profession. For pharmacy students embarking upon a very intensive yet rewarding path, a white coat welcomes us into the pharmacy…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Rho Chi Post, Rho Chi Beta Delta Chapter, or St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.   For the past few months, I have been on rotation at…

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: Steve Soman, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Bisphosphonates are proven to enhance bone density and reduce fracture incidence in post-menopausal women but recent data suggests they may have adverse effects with regards to bone quality.  The drugs in this class can be differentiated as non-nitrogen containing (older generation) and nitrogen containing (newer generation) medications.…

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Marie Huang – The amphitheater at Nassau University Medical Center fills up slowly as Dr. Alan Jay Cohen, a psychiatrist from Oakland, California, makes his way up to the podium to lead a talk about bipolar disorder, specifically differentiating between its presentations in adults versus in developing children. Among nonprofessionals, bipolar disorder is simply…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – As previously reported, there is currently great concern in the medical community because of the growing number of drug shortages.  Many of these are drugs that are critical to patient care, such as chemotherapy agents and antibiotics.  Last October, President Obama issued an executive order in an attempt to curb…

By: Ronik Saha, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Clopidogrel (Plavix®) is a thienopyridine antiplatelet agent, which exerts its antiplatelet effects via in vivo conversion to an active thiol metabolite that irreversibly blocks the P2Y-12 component of platelet ADP receptors.  This prevents activation of the GP2B/3A complex, thereby preventing platelet aggregation.  Along with aspirin, clopidogrel reduces…

By: Anon, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012 – This year’s ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting took place in New Orleans, Louisiana from December 4 – 8, 2011.  It was a keystone moment for many pharmacy students, and especially for those in their final year and in pursuit of a residency, fellowship, or hospital staffing position around the…

By: Christine Liaw, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition is the largest congregation for the pharmacy industry with an attendance of more than 20,000 professionals.  This year’s meeting included the New Practitioner’s Conference, CareerPharm’s Personnel Placement Service (PPS), the Residency Showcase, and an exhibit…

By: Marie Huang – Each month, Rho Chi Post editors have the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John’s University – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he or she wants to see in the…

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…

By: Neal Shah – The focus of pharmacy is rapidly shifting from simple filling and dispensing of prescriptions to preventative medicine and efficient clinical practice. The field of genetics has been incorporated in many defining therapies and will continue to shape how we treat our patients. Examples discussed here are the roles of human leukocyte…

By: Neal Shah – As the year comes to a close, many pharmacy students are turning their sights onto the process of residency interviews. Residencies provide a competitive edge and an educational fulfillment to future pharmacists who wish to engage in clinical practice. On October 26th, Rho Chi held its first Mock Residency Interviews, open…

By: Mohamed Dungersi – On behalf of the Rho Chi Honor Society Beta Delta Chapter, it is with immense pleasure that I present to you our monthly newsletter publication, Rho Chi Post. The Rho Chi Honor Society, which is the only national pharmacy honor society of its kind, works to create and recognize lifelong intellectual leaders…