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 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: Anthony Botte and Tyler Valente, PharmD Candidates c/o 2016 – Diseases which are prevalent within the pediatric population require distinct protocols for treatment accompanied by the utmost care and precision. Pediatric hypertension (HTN) is one disease state in particular that has come to the forefront of medical practice in the United States over the…

By: Valentina DiGangi,PharmD Candidate c/o 2017, Brandon Hu, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor, Samantha Lau, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, and Seowoo Yoon, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018 – What does a clinician do when there is limited access to a particular drug, such as morphine? Should they treat a patient who is…

By: Amrita Singh, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Last November, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new lipid guidelines, which will transform the way we manage our patients with hyperlipidemia. Earlier, lipid management was based on the ATP-III guidelines, which emphasized the use of several lipid-lowering medications to reach target…

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: 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: 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…

Dear Readers, Christmas is just a few days away, and an amazing year of great challenges, pleasant surprises, and endeavors is coming to a close.  From working on your Drugs & Diseases courses to simply having the privilege of being part of the profession at the White Coat Ceremony, the students have endured much and…

By: James W.  Schurr & Stephen Argiro, PharmD Candidates c/o 2014 – Patients frequently utilize non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for a wide variety of conditions, including but not limited to arthritis, headaches, and generalized pain.  Despite an excellent safety profile, NSAIDs are associated with certain toxicities, including renal complications (particularly among at risk populations).1  Acute…

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: 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: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – A few months ago, a new product called AeroShot Pure Energy hit the markets in New York and Massachusetts.  AeroShot is a new inhaler that gives the user bursts of caffeine.  Each inhaler contains an estimated 100mg of caffeine, approximately the same amount as a large cup of coffee.  It…

By: James Schurr, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2014 – Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that results in a state of thyrotoxicosis, or a cause of hyperthyroidism, due to the Immunoglobulin G-mediated agonism of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors located on the thyroid.  Stimulation of TSH receptors causes an increase in circulating thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine…

By: Ebey P. Soman – With clearly established roles for pharmacists, compounding is recognized and upheld as a core foundation of the pharmacy profession.   It allows pharmacists to provide unique and tailored medication regimens for their patients.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thought otherwise when the agency sued Franck’s Lab, Inc., a Florida-based…

By Ebey P. Soman – Many living organisms occupy our intestines to aid us with metabolism, recycling of hormones, and, most importantly, protection against foreign pathogens.  When this normal flora of bacteria is altered or eliminated via antibiotic use, there is an opportunity for Clostridium difficile to infect us.  Stool transplant, or fecal bacteriotherapy, is…

By: Ebey P. Soman – Dear Sir or Madam, Christmas is just a few days away, and an amazing year of great challenges, pleasant surprises, and endeavors is coming to a close. From working on Drugs & Diseases courses to simply having the privilege of being part of the profession at the White Coat Ceremony,…