Search

During drug development, evidence can emerge to suggest a treatment is more effective in a specific patient subgroup. Whilst early trials may be conducted in biomarker-mixed populations, later trials are more likely to enroll biomarker-positive patients alone, thus leading to trials of the same treatment investigated in different populations. When conducting a meta-analysis, a conservative approach would be to combine only trials conducted in the biomarker-positive subgroup. However, this discards potentially useful information on treatment effects in the biomarker-positive subgroup concealed within observed treatment effects in biomarker-mixed populations. We extend standard random-effects meta-analysis to combine treatment effects obtained from trials with different populations to estimate pooled treatment effects in a biomarker subgroup of interest. The model assumes a systematic difference in treatment effects between biomarker-positive and biomarker-negative subgroups, which is estimated from trials which report either or both treatment effects. The systematic difference and proportion of biomarker-negative patients in biomarker-mixed studies are used to interpolate treatment effects in the biomarker-positive subgroup from observed treatment effects in the biomarker-mixed population. The developed methods are applied to an illustrative example in metastatic colorectal cancer and evaluated in a simulation study. In the example, the developed method improved precision of the pooled treatment effect estimate compared with standard random-effects meta-analysis of trials investigating only biomarker-positive patients. The simulation study confirmed that when the systematic difference in treatment effects between biomarker subgroups is not very large, the developed method can improve precision of estimation of pooled treatment effects while maintaining low bias.

Medical students face challenging but important topics they must learn in short periods of time, such as autonomic pharmacology. Autonomic pharmacology is difficult in that it requires students to synthesize detailed anatomy, physiology, clinical reasoning, and pharmacology. The subject poses a challenge to learn as it is often introduced early in medical school curricula. To ease the difficulty of learning autonomic pharmacology, we created a free web application, PharmaMemory (www.pharmamemory.com), that interactively depicts the effects of high-yield autonomic drugs on the human body. PharmaMemory provides users with the opportunity to read and quiz themselves on the mechanisms, side effects, indications, and contraindications of these drugs while interacting with the application. We provided PharmaMemory to first-year medical students for three consecutive years of quality improvement and assessed the application's perceived effects on learning via user surveys. Survey feedback showed that users viewed PharmaMemory favorably and self-reported increased knowledge and confidence in the subject of autonomic pharmacology. Comments revealed that users liked the website's visuals, opportunity for challenged recall, and conciseness. PharmaMemory utilizes challenged recall, visual stimulation, and interactive learning to provide users with a multifaceted learning tool. Preliminary data suggest that students find this method of learning beneficial. Further studies are needed to assess PharmaMemory compared with more traditional learning methods such as PowerPoint or text-based learning. Additionally, further research is needed to quantitatively assess reduction in cognitive load.

This study aimed to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the ethical considerations for returning individual pharmacogenomics research results to people living with HIV. A qualitative approach to investigation involved five focus group discussions with 30 Community representatives, 12 key informant interviews with researchers, and 12 in-depth interviews with research ethics committee members. In total, 54 stakeholders who were involved in pharmacogenomics research and HIV treatment and care contributed to the data collection between September 2021 and February 2022. The study explored five prominent themes: (i) defining the nature of research results to return to participants; (ii) preparing research participants to receive their results; (iii) obtaining informed consent for the return of results; (iv) opinions on health personnel to return the results to participants; and (v) opinions on how research results should be communicated to participants. Respondents identified various strategies for the return of individual results with minimal ethical risks including the setting up of a diverse and independent committee to undertake a risk-benefit assessment based on local context; ongoing discussions about the possible kinds of results and their implications throughout the study; and employing genetic counsellors to communicate results to participants. The strategies identified in this study should be further studied and independently verified.

We compared the influence of open-book extended duration versus closed book time-limited format on reliability and validity of written assessments of pharmacology learning outcomes within our medical and dental courses. Our dental cohort undertake a mid-year test (30xfree-response short answer to a question, SAQ) and end-of-year paper (4xSAQ, 1xessay, 1xcase) in pharmacology. For our first year medical cohort, pharmacology is integrated within a larger course, contributing 20xclinical vignette questions (to select the single best answer (SBA) to each question from a choice of 5 plausible answers) to a mid-year test and 3-5xSAQ to an end-of-year paper. Our experience indicates that SAQ are as reliable as SBA for closed-book time-limited assessments; reliability correlates with number of questions employed. We have found good correlation between mid-year and end-of-year performance (predictive validity), between questions (factorial validity) and between pharmacology and other subjects within the assessment (concurrent validity). Adoption of open-book extended duration assessments resulted in only modest reduction in reliability and validity.

The Maryland Action for Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Research (MADDPR) Program provides hands-on lab experience and mentoring to underserved minority high school students. Over 4 years, 93 high school students and their science teachers participated in the two-week summer camp program which was led by 15 faculty from the School of Pharmacy. Graduate student mentors led small student mentor groups. The program offered labs with a diverse set of topics ranging from drug design to applied clinical pharmacy. Across study years, student data showed that Black/African American, Hispanic and "Two or more races" groups accounted for 40, 13 and 11% of students, respectively. Survey data from pre- and post-sessions show that the MADDPR program significantly influenced students' career choices with most opting to choose future careers in life sciences, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Data from a demographically matched comparison group showed that the MADDPR respondents reported statistically significant higher levels of agreement with the statements "I know I would like to pursue a STEM career" (p=0.00424) and "I know I would like to pursue a biomedical science career" (p=0.0004) compared to a comparison group. The MADDPR program is supporting the STEM career exploration by minority underserved high school students to ultimately enhance the diversity of the biomedical workforce.

This paper uses speculative methods as a way of imagining futures for higher education in open, non-predictive ways. The complexity and 'unknowability' of the highly technologised, environmentally damaged and politically degraded futures we seem to be facing can mean that our conversations about the future of higher education have a tendency to spiral too quickly into dystopianism and hopelessness. Speculative methods can help open up new kinds of conversation capable of supporting active and fundamental hope. Working within a postqualitative framework, we argue that such approaches support the collaborative imagining of multiple alternatives, and represent a way of advocating for those that are preferable. The paper presents a series of speculative scenarios and microfictions focusing on worlds ruptured by climate change, artificial intelligence, revolution and the technological enhancement of humans, connecting each of these to current critical research focused on climate crisis, 'big tech', rising global injustice and 'big pharma'. It emphasises the vital contribution and place of higher education within such futures, and advocates for speculative methods as an approach to maintaining hope.

With the impactful nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this manuscript describes a teaching case for COVID-19 vaccinations to develop students' knowledge of analytics and supply chain management. The experiential learning activity is developed in the context of an undergraduate upper-level course on descriptive analytics and data visualization. The contributions of this teaching case are an experiential learning activity applied to a real-world current event and an experiential learning activity that allows students to apply and develop their course knowledge. The overall case objectives are to assess the 100 million doses in 100 days US vaccination goal capability and offer additional vaccination supply chain insights and recommendations to policymakers based on the analysis. The COVID-19 pandemic can be utilized as a real-world case study for teaching the next generation of analytics leaders and supply chain managers through an applied vaccine distribution and data analysis scenario.

The purpose of the study was to identify the - interventions that can be adopted for teaching chemistry disciplines to the graduates majoring in Pharmacy (Mpharm) in Ukraine. The study employed a systematic review methodology and a qualitative approach to synthesising the sources. The triangular assessment method was used to rate the short-listed instructional interventions for feasibility, transferability, and duplicability in the settings of teaching chemistry disciplines to pharmacy graduates in Ukraine. The review found seven eligible publications for the analysis. It was identified that the shortlisted instructional models were technology-mediated and positively affected students' skills and occupational knowledge. Three out of seven instructional models used chatbots and AI to automate the process of management of students learning activity which suggested that automation of the process of educational content delivery was becoming an emerging trend in instructional design. Having performed the triangular assessment method (TAM) analysis, three instructional models were given preference in terms of their use in medical education settings in Ukraine. These models were as follows: (a) PhET simulations-based model, (b) the model based on automated delivery of the course using the Smart Sender platform and (c) the model based on automation of the Moodle-driven e-course using Dialogflow chatbot.

Though there are a multiplicity of approaches that have been used to promote Nature of Science (NOS) among school students, an approach based on exploration of a scientific discovery indigenous to the sample population, of contemporary interest, and based on a topic outside the school science syllabus seems to be lacking in the literature. This study focused on Chinese high school students (N = 98), using the discovery of an anti-malarial drug by a recent Nobel Prize winning Chinese scientist as a focus. A popular science article on this discovery formed the basis for the intervention, and a mainly qualitative approach was used. Variants of an explicit-reflective approach were used for the three groups formed by random sampling for the intervention. The four NOS attributes targeted were: socio-cultural, empirical nature, scientific method, and creativity/imagination, and these were explicitly interrogated through four open-ended questions, respectively. Responses to these questions were parked into five rating levels, which helped to explicate the extent to which the samples were able to provide descriptors to characterize their understandings. The approach based on reading of the article followed by student discussions and mediation by the instructor showed, overall, more gains in NOS as compared to just: (1) reading/re-reading of the article and reflecting on it; and (2) reading of the article followed by small sub-group discussions and reflecting on it. It is suggested that there is a case for using indigenous scientific discovery as an approach to foster interest in NOS among students. Some implications of the study are discussed.

The COVID-19 Movement Control Order imposed by the government converted the delivery of lessons to online learning in the education sector. Pharmaceutical chemistry is a core subject for pharmacy students and first-year students were taught the elucidation of the absolute configuration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). The objective of this study is to investigate the pharmacy students' perceptions and performance on learning new knowledge related to the concept of absolute configuration on API through micro-learning. Students were introduced and assessed on the stereochemistry of new terminologies through micro-learning activities. Various 3D molecular model capture in video format was uploaded on YouTube(YT) and embedded in the Google Form (GF) online assessment. The students' video navigation was captured with YT video analytics, students learning performance was through GF quiz assessment responses, and the student's attitudes through questionnaire survey. In conclusion, the performance of student pharmacists in learning and applying new knowledge delivered through online distance micro-learning was comparable to face-to-face active learning. Both YT video analytics and GF responses allowed real-time monitoring and interventions. Nonetheless, students required more time to learn new knowledge online compared to face-to-face active learning. In conclusion, the designed virtual micro-learning enabled students to learn bite-sized new knowledge while training their spatial ability through the application of 3D molecular models with reinforcement through quizzes. The virtual micro-learning design is practical and economical without much technological investment or training for both the educator and learner with easy access in an open distance learning environment and post-COVID.

Computer-based learning applications and mobile technology have transformed many aspects of the educational experience over the last decade, producing software aimed at improving learning efficiency and streamlining the presentation of course materials. One such class of software, purpose-created to take advantage of spaced learning and spaced testing principles, are electronic flashcard applications. We provide a perspective on the novel use of the Quizlet flashcard application in a tertiary educational setting. To reduce cognitive load for international graduate dental students taking a pharmacology review course, we implemented Quizlet, which integrates both spaced learning and self-testing, to improve the student learning experience. This study assessed students' perceptions of the Quizlet flashcard system in a student cohort comprised of two consecutive years' classes (n = 51 students in total). Results indicated broad acceptance of Quizlet based on ease of use of the software and ease of study of the material. Our data provide insight into the use of this common software in a professional healthcare tertiary education setting and further demonstrate the successful application of electronic flashcards for a mixed international student cohort. Further research should include an assessment of the impact of flashcard on long-term knowledge retention in this setting.

Stressful events can cause a significant impact on education; however, it is not yet clear how the interplay between anxiety, work, and social dysfunction relates to learning impairments. In this study, we investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' learning and mental health. This study was conducted during four modules of a remote Psychopharmacology course between 5 October and 20 December 2020. We collected data from 28 Psychology undergraduate students at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. We used pre- and post-test multiple-choice questions to obtain a quantitative measure of learning. Students completed an online survey to report demographic information, functional impairment (Work and Social Adjustment scale; WSAS), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale; GAD-7), coronavirus anxiety (Brazilian adapted version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale; CAS-BR), and self-perception with the remote lectures' methodology. In our sample, 42.9% of respondents experienced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders (GAD-7 [greater than or equal to] 15), and 53.6% had moderate to severe functional impairment (WSAS > 20). We also observed an overlapping profile of highly anxious and dysfunctional students. A chi-square test of independence revealed a relation between pairs of multiple-choice questions answers and GAD-7 scores, indicating that less anxious students were more likely to perform better in pairs of pre- and post-tests. Intriguingly, the correlational analysis suggested that students with moderate to severe functional impairment (WSAS scores > 20) were less likely to change from an incorrect to a correct answer to pairs of pre- and post-tests. This data suggests that psychological distress and anxiety states might influence students' ability to coordinate social and work activities and performance during remote learning. Although this study evaluated a small sample of students, our data highlights the importance of investigating anxiety and functional impairment measures as part of the remote-learning curriculum.

Increasingly, the curricula of many clinical programs have been restructured to an integrated model in which foundational sciences such as physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology are taught side by side with clinical reasoning. Case studies are an excellent pedagogical strategy for enhancing such integration, especially if such cases are authentic, that is, they include a broad range of information that could influence the individualization and optimization of patient care. However, authentic cases may be too advanced and thereby dissuade preclinical students. We offered an optional semester-long authentic pharmacotherapy case study to undergraduate students in an introductory pharmacology class in a liberal arts college in the United States Midwest and sought to know what might motivate students to complete this challenging task. Connection with and relevance of the case study were assessed with an anonymous survey. Open-ended questions were analyzed qualitatively. Exploratory factor analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling were employed to investigate underlying commonalities and patterns in the motivations for participating in and relating to the case study. Students were motivated more by the perceived relevance and transferability of knowledge acquired to their future career than by their current clinical technician jobs or their personal lives. Rather than causing an information overload and dissuading students, this complex pharmacotherapy case assignment harnessed preclinical students' experiences from cognate cocurricular activities, created numerous points of relevant engagement with instructional content, and therefore motivated students to deeper learning. New & Noteworthy: Early introduction to clinical reasoning is widely advocated. Case studies are frequently used to enhance integration of foundational sciences with clinical reasoning. Preclinical students may be overwhelmed by complex cases because of the higher-order cognitive tasks involved. We find that complex cases permit connection with students' own experiences and aspirations. These preclinical students were motivated to engage in such challenging academic work because of the perceived transferability of knowledge to their future careers.

In an academic semester, living in social isolation and under restrictions of the pandemic, we organized weekly multidisciplinary seminars from a postgraduate course program in Curitiba, Southern Brazil, integrating students from different regions of Brazil and South America. Outstanding researchers from Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, England, and United States' institutions gave seminars on chronic and infectious diseases with immunological, pharmacological, biochemical, cellular, and molecular biology point of views. The meetings were longer than traditional seminars, containing a part with scientific debate and other with a humanization or deconstruction of the researcher including trajectory, hobbies, scientific, and social thoughts. To facilitate learning and conceptualization, the seminars were available through YouTube and we applied weekly questionnaires to be answered rescuing scientific and motivational topics to give companionship and support to the students in pandemic times. Here, we are defending the creation of permanent platforms for scientific diffusion, with higher accessibility, connecting centers of different levels and giving academic excellence and opportunities for young researchers. Feedback received from participants indicates that this seminar structure can increase confidence and improve their perception of scientific processes and inspire researchers with development trajectories. We have discussed multidisciplinarity, scientific excellence, regional isolation and economic inequality, integration, humanization, and the value of science in society.

Systematic reviewers are advised to search trials registers to minimise risk of reporting biases. However, there has been little research on the impact of searching trials registers on the results of meta-analyses. We aimed to evaluate the impact of searching clinical trials registers for systematic reviews of pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical interventions. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index, and Education Collection for systematic reviews with meta-analyses indexed from 2 November to 2 December 2020. A random sample of systematic reviews was initially drawn, and for reviews which considered randomised trials eligible for inclusion, which had not searched a trials register, we searched ClinicalTrials.gov, EudraCT, ANZCTR, and the WHO ICTRP search portal for eligible trials. We compared meta-analytic effect estimates before and after including results from additional trials identified. We found additional trials for 63% (63/101) of eligible reviews; however, trials with results that could contribute to a meta-analysis were identified for only 20% (20/101) of the reviews. On average, there was no difference in the meta-analytic effect estimates before versus after adding the new trials. In summary, searching clinical trial registers led to identification of additional trials for many reviews; however, very few trials had results available for inclusion in meta-analyses. Including results from the new trials led to no change in the meta-analytic estimates, on average. Trials registers would be even more valuable to systematic reviewers if more trialists made use of them (i.e., registered their trials and posted results in a timely manner).

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling requires an understanding of chemical, physiologic, and pharmacokinetic principles. Active learning with PBPK modeling software (GastroPlus) may be useful to teach these scientific principles while also teaching software operation. To examine this issue, a graduate-level course was designed using learning objectives in science, software use, and PBPK model application. These objectives were taught through hands-on PBPK modeling to answer clinically relevant questions. Students demonstrated proficient use of software, based on their responses to these questions, and showed an improved understanding of scientific principles on a pre- and post-course assessment. These outcomes support the effectiveness of simultaneous teaching of interdependent software and science.

As virtual reality (VR) technologies have been increasingly adopted in the educational field, careful consideration and evaluation of instructional modes to support learning with VR are needed. This study focuses on evaluation of two instructional modes: direct interaction and manipulation of the VR learning environment; and the vicarious approach of observing how a novice peer and an expert learn with VR. An experimental design was utilized with two comparison conditions: direct VR interaction (n = 72) and the vicarious approach (n = 69). Participants' knowledge and emotional engagement were evaluated via self-report questionnaires. Results showed that though learning with the direct VR condition was associated with more intense emotional engagement, there was no significant difference in knowledge gains between the two study conditions. The findings suggest that each of the two instructional modes has specific instructional affordances and that the cognitive and emotional components of learning via VR should be further explored. Since learning vicariously through observing the dialogue between an expert and a peer can have immediate knowledge gains comparable to the direct VR interaction, there is an effective and more accessible opportunity for VR-based learning. Future research should evaluate this instructional effect on knowledge retention.

As we enter a world of blended learning in higher education, an increased need for adaptation of teaching strategies to enhance engagement has been recognised to amplify learning outcomes online. Gamification has been identified as a creative tool to engage the current cohort of learners who are also characteristically tech-savvy. To this end, escape room games have gained considerable traction in medical and pharmacy education to promote learning, critical thinking and teamwork. In this pilot study we describe the implementation of a 60-minute, web-based hepatitis-themed escape room game within a Year 3 Pharmacotherapy unit at Monash University. A total of 418 students participated in this activity. Students' knowledge gain on the topic was assessed through a pre- and post-intervention assessment, whereby a statistically significant improvement was seen in the knowledge score following implementation of the gaming activity (58.66% pre-intervention vs. 72.05% post-intervention, p < 0.05). The innovative learning activity was also well perceived by the students. Virtual escape room game is a viable pedagogical approach to teach and reinforce clinical concepts among pharmacy students. With the evolving landscape of education and learner demographics, investment in technology- enhanced game-based learning is a promising trajectory to support students' growth in a learner-centered environment. A comparison between virtual escape room game and traditional teaching will further inform effectiveness of the gamification on long term knowledge retention.

With the emergence of innovative technologies, including combinatorial chemistry, high-throughput screening, computer-aided drug design (CADD), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, the importance of drug design in the field of drug discovery and development is increasing. Additionally, education in drug design plays an important role in the training of pharmaceutical talent. Starting with undergraduates, cultivating pharmaceutical design thinking, developing innovation and creativity, and establishing an interdisciplinary knowledge system will not only provide students with a solid knowledge basis but also promote the development of the pharmaceutical industry in China. This article presents the current status of pharmaceutical education and the distribution of drug design courses in China and summarizes the employment prospects of graduates, thus providing valuable references and evidence for global pharmaceutical design education.

New assessment types that include multimodal and digital elements are increasingly being used to assess university students' 'soft skills' such as communication, as well as their science content knowledge. However, very little is known about how or how well such products assess communicative elements, particularly when these elements are so intricately linked with disciplinary knowledge. This paper presents a novel way of looking at these new digital assessments in science. Using semantic density, a concept from the framework of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) that conceptualises complexity, we consider how to characterise learners' communication of complex science in the digital products. Results show that successful products 'negotiate' complexity in distinct ways and that language and image work together in the products to build meaning. This approach is a 'first step' in characterising discipline-based communication skills through the development of a preliminary conceptual framework that will inform pedagogies and assessment practices surrounding student-generated digital products, in an effort to improve outcomes for science students.

Over the past decades, the integration of content and language in education has been gaining ground in different design formats and at various levels of education worldwide. This study describes a pilot project carried out at the School of Pharmacy of an Italian University, using a partial-CLIL format, as this was the only model accepted for experimentation by the School. The terms "partial CLIL" and "adjunct CLIL" describe different degrees of integration. Since this was the first trial with students from the Pharmacy program, the main concern was finding out how they would respond to such an "'innovative" approach. Despite the plethora of literature available on CLIL in higher education, there is a lack of research regarding students' views on the issue; no consideration seems to be given to the main protagonists who undergo this "novel" approach. Hence, the aim of the study was to seek students' voice on the experience--their thoughts and feelings. Student perceptions are essential for future didactical applications. A mixed method approach to data collection was employed to give strong validity to the data (direct observation, focus group interview followed by a survey questionnaire). The preliminary findings gathered from the qualitative and quantitative analysis contribute positively to the organization of CLIL courses in higher education. Overall, the results reveal positive student views, but, at the same time, encourage reflections for teachers and stakeholders on how to prepare students for CLIL lessons and on structuring CLIL programs for future implementations.

Collaboration between industry and universities is a driving force for scientific and technological advancements. Due to the role of AstraZeneca (AZ), a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis of the collaboration between the company and universities in the UK is of importance. Here, the collaboration of AZ with top UK universities, namely the University of Cambridge (UoC), the University of Oxford (UoO), Imperial College London (ICL) and University College London (UCL), is investigated. The investigation is based on two different measures: the well-developed Salton's measure and the scientific impact of collaboration (SIC). The former considers the scientific articles published by each party as well as the joint articles published in the period 2010-2021. The SIC, which is introduced for the first time in this article, involves the number of joint articles and citations to them in the same period. An unprecedented increase in the value of the Salton's measure for the collaboration between AZ and UoO is observed in 2021, and this is discussed with regard to the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The findings support the argument that strategic alliances are more important than co-location in drug discovery and development.

During drug development, a biomarker is sometimes identified as separating a patient population into those with more and those with less benefit from evaluated treatments. Consequently, later studies might be targeted, while earlier ones are performed in mixed patient populations. This poses a challenge in evidence synthesis, especially if only aggregated data are available. Starting from this scenario, we investigate three commonly used network meta-analytic estimation methods, the naive estimation approach, the stand-alone analysis, and the network meta-regression. Additionally, we adapt and modify two methods, which are used in evidence synthesis to combine randomized controlled trials with observational studies, the enrichment-through-weighting approach, and the informative prior estimation. We evaluate all five methods in a simulation study with 32 scenarios using bias, root-mean-squared-error, coverage, precision, and power. Additionally, we revisit a clinical data set to exemplify and discuss the application. In the simulation study, none of the methods was observed to be clearly favorable over all investigated scenarios. However, the stand-alone analysis and the naive estimation performed comparably or worse than the other methods in all evaluated performance measures and simulation scenarios and are therefore not recommended. While substantial between-trial heterogeneity is challenging for all estimation approaches, the performance of the network meta-regression, the enriching-through weighting approach and the informative prior approach was dependent on the simulation scenario and the performance measure of interest. Furthermore, as these estimation methods are drawing slightly different assumptions, some of which require the presence of additional information for estimation, we recommend sensitivity-analyses wherever possible.

In the current day and age, innovation is the fodder that keeps companies and institutions running, and universities play an important role. During the crisis and in the post-crisis period, financial support for research and development have undergone significant changes especially at universities. The aim of this research is to conduct a patent focus analysis of the public and state universities in the Czech Republic and to analyze the development in patenting focus structure and to identify perspective and suitable research area. Hierarchical clustering was chosen for its clustering overview clarity and due to the relatively small sample size. Ward's method was chosen as the clustering algorithm with squared Euclidean distance as the system of measurement. Each cluster was characterized by five dominant IPC subsections to describe the patent focus. The patent focus segmentation of 115 public and state universities identified five main groups: medical/pharmacological, material, organic, construction and mixed measuring and material processing. Universities today are centers of knowledge. In addition, they support the innovation that spurs economic activity in a society. Universities have the potential to spur industrial activity with innovation and then pass information on to private firms.

This study aimed to explore experiences and practices of key research team members in obtaining informed consent for pharmacogenetics research and to identify the approaches used for enhancing understanding during the consenting process. Data collection involved 15 qualitative, in-depth interviews with key researchers who were involved in obtaining informed consent from HIV infected individuals in Uganda for participation in pharmacogenetic clinical trials. The study explored two prominent themes: approaches used to convey information and enhance research participants' understanding and challenges faced during the consenting process. Several barriers and facilitators for obtaining consent were identified. Innovative and potentially effective consenting strategies were identified in this study that should be studied and independently verified.

The purpose of Science Education Against Drug Abuse Partnership (SEADAP) is to use the planarian animal model to develop an inquiry-based program to teach the science of drug addiction and pharmacology of drugs being abused. Upon completion of a SEADAP teacher professional development, study data reveals a favorable increase in teacher awareness of careers related to biomedical research, knowledge of the hazards of using addictive substances, knowledge about the science of drug addiction and skills related to the use of animals in scientific research. Additionally, SEADAP supported professional development (PD) for teachers is of high quality, relevant to their needs, and meets their expectations in providing important resources for teaching and learning. SEADAP teacher participants gain relevant knowledge about drug addiction and abuse to incorporate it into instruction about the scientific process. Teacher SEADAP participants administered a pretest to middle school students prior to SEADAP-related instruction and a posttest was administered to student participants after SEADAP-related instruction had concluded. Student mean posttests scores on knowledge about drugs, biomedical careers and animal model research significantly increased from pretest scores. This indicates that the implemented lessons of the SEADAP teachers impact students.

Research has shown that the use of practical examples in undergraduate education promotes the retention of historically underrepresented students in STEM majors and lowers achievement gaps within courses. Since many students of color and women aspire toward careers in healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, efforts to incorporate medicinal chemistry into the organic chemistry and advanced chemistry lab curriculum could potentially help enhance diversity and retention. There is currently a dearth of laboratory experiments that are medically relevant and technically accessible for incorporation into the undergraduate organic chemistry lab curriculum. The theoretical framework for optimization of drug leads and design of chemical libraries used in the exploration of structure-activity relationships is typically introduced in senior-level courses without hands-on laboratory training. In response to this, we have designed a laboratory experiment that translates the typical medicinal chemistry synthesis of a chemical analogue library into a method that can readily be deployed within an undergraduate laboratory setting through the synthesis of the clinically important antihypertensive drug prazosin and its analogues. By the use of commercially available starting materials, a small library of prazosin analogues can be synthesized utilizing nucleophilic aromatic substitution and amide-bond-forming condensation reactions. The experiment introduces a variety of concepts, including (1) retrosynthetic analysis in the design of chemical libraries, (2) methods in extraction and purification, and (3) instrumental analyses via [superscript 1]H and [superscript 13]CNMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and melting point determination.

A course centered around transition-metal catalysis in modern drug discovery was designed to illustrate the central role of organic chemistry in driving small-molecule drug development. The course highlighted both fundamental and applied concepts, first with a focus on the drug discovery process, followed by foundational principles in catalysis and modern catalytic methods. Finally, these topics were unified in the last portion of the course, where case studies served to highlight the use of transition-metal catalysis in the synthesis of modern drugs. Three graduate students designed and taught the course, with mentorship from a faculty member, leading to several notable teaching outcomes. Additionally, experts in the fields of catalysis and drug discovery served as guest lecturers throughout the duration of the course. This approach spotlighted the various careers that organic chemists play in the development of new medicines. We hope that this course motivates the creation of other courses in STEM that unify fundamental concepts with applications and career outcomes.

Purpurogallin (PPG), an orange-red crystalline compound from nutgalls and oak bark, is an exemplar of numerous, ubiquitous natural colorants, biosynthesized through oxidative dimerization-decarboxylation of phenolic compounds. It possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, a robust method is presented to allow students to expediently make this interesting compound that contains a tropolone ring, whose identity initiated a paradigm shift in the understanding of aromaticity. 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic data ([superscript 1]H, [superscript 13]C-DEPT-Q, HSQC, HMBC) were used to identify which protons are connected to carbon atoms. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction were used to provide complementary information. Importantly, sufficient historical detail is given to provide a useful narrative that highlights the shift from deductive and synthetic proof of structural identity to modern methods of structural elucidation. As a minor, but important, aspect of iron gall inks, PPG links the work of important western historical documents from Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man to the United States Declaration of Independence. In the experience of the authors, such a pedagogic approach enlivens students with practical exercises which place them within the historical arc and reasoning of notable scientists, adding a sense of scientific discovery.

This paper reports the development of a digital escape room for high school students using Genially, a web-based media platform. The escape room was used to aid understanding of basic concepts in chemistry and mostly enhance students' classes participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The activity entitled "The thalidomide mystery" covered the concepts of chemical bonding, pH, acid and base, and laboratory glassware. The narrative of the game revolves around the drug named thalidomide; this drug was developed in the 1960s and its use caused several cases of phocomelia. WhatsApp chat groups were formed to stimulate an active engagement of the participants and maintain a collaborative and cooperative learning experience among them. Students were required to solve four chemistry puzzles to obtain the final password to reach the end of the game. The results obtained showed that the game was very useful for students mainly because it presented an innovative way of teaching chemistry, different from the traditional way in which the students are usually taught in their classrooms. The game helped the students to review the contents covered and was able to stimulate the active participation of both the students who like to study chemistry and those who do not.

Developing innovation in medical education is a vital part of improving the learning outcomes. One such learning innovation in medical education is to learn using game as a tool. The Husenynov antihypertensive drug game (HAG) was developed as an innovation to assist the learning process for studying pharmacology. The study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of HAG and traditional educational method (lecture) on knowledge and perception of medical students. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 221 second year students from the Universitas Padjadjaran Faculty of Medicine. There were two subject groups: the game group and the lecture group. Duration (two hours) and learning content were similar for both activities. A pre-post test was performed to compare the percentage of students with increased knowledge between groups, while a questionnaire of perception was distributed at the end of the study. The number of students who experienced increased knowledge (post-test score better than pre-test score) was higher in the game group than the lecture group (68% vs 54%, respectively). Students who played the game had a knowledge score 1.8 times higher compared to those who had the lecture (crosstab, OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.04-3.09)). Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of students had positive perceptions regarding the learning method in the game group (83% vs 45%, p < 0.01). The Husenynov antihypertensive drug game (HAG) promotes better-increased knowledge and positive perceptions than the traditional educational method (lecture).

This interventional study implemented flipped classroom pedagogy to enhance pharmacy students' academic performance in a physiology course. Ninety-six Pharm. D students enrolled at a private-sector University of Islamabad, Pakistan were provided with video lectures and reading material for pre-sessional learning followed by a faculty-led face-to-face session for case-studies, class discussions and post-class quiz. Students' feedback was recorded through Likert-scale survey and comments on method employed. Up to 90% of students completed the pre-session preparation. Around 90% of students gave positive responses towards flipped classroom. Students reported that they developed a better understanding of the concepts (1.5 ± 0.65), their class participation was improved (1.45 ± 0.56) and they could pay close attention in the class (1.41 ± 0.62), compared to the regular lectures. It is concluded that flipped classroom is an effective way of enhancing students' engagement and active learning and can be used as a tool in Pharmacy education.

Research experience is becoming an increasingly crucial element of today's undergraduate science curriculum. In recent years, the establishment of the Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Network (CUREnet) has provided a framework for the development of courses aiming to cultivate students' proficiency in undergraduate research techniques while fostering scientific curiosity in a laboratory setting. Capstone Laboratory is one such course that was designed to provide second-year pre-medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar with exposure to laboratory techniques to develop their repertoire of research skills. For the past 3 years, Capstone Laboratory has incorporated a project-based learning component involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The research element of the NSAID-surfactant theme investigated the partitioning of various drugs into cationic surfactant micelles. Structural elements and enzyme inhibition characteristics of NSAIDs were also investigated, while integrating principles of biochemistry, general chemistry, and experimental organic chemistry. By studying drug properties in these contexts, students integrate their learning and develop skills needed for the study and practice of medicine.

Objective: Describe the frequency and characteristics of unclaimed prescriptions from a pharmacy embedded within a student health services clinic. Methods: Cross-sectional study of prescriptions received by an on-campus pharmacy between September 1-December 31, 2017 and September 1-December 31, 2018. Prescription data were extracted from the pharmacy administrative database and then categorized into medication classes and claimed versus unclaimed. Results: The pharmacy received 18,337 prescriptions during the study periods. Medications classified as central nervous system (n = 5101, 27.8%), hormones (n = 3976; 21.7%), and anti-infective (n = 3262, 17.8%) medications were most common. A total of 2,609 prescriptions (14.2%) were left unclaimed by patients. The frequency of unclaimed prescriptions varied across medication classes, ranging from 9.0% (anti-infective) to 34.1% (genitourinary). Conclusions: Approximately one in seven prescriptions went unclaimed at this on-campus pharmacy. Future research is needed to identify predictors for unclaimed prescriptions to develop effective interventions that improve medication adherence.

The European Open Platform for Prescribing Education (EurOP2E) seeks to improve and harmonize European clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) education by facilitating international collaboration and sharing problem-based, online, open educational resources. The COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to switch to virtual modalities, highlighting the need for high-quality online teaching materials. The goal of this study was to establish the online problem-based teaching resources needed to sustain prescribing education during the pandemic and thereafter. A nominal group technique study was conducted with prescribing teachers from 15 European countries. Results were analyzed through thematic analysis. In four meetings, 20 teachers from 15 countries proposed and ranked 35 teaching materials. According to the participants, the most necessary problem-based-online teaching materials related to three overarching themes. Related to learning outcomes for CPT, participants proposed creating prescription scenarios, including materials focusing on background knowledge and resources on personalized medicine and topical/ethical issues such as the prescription's impact on planetary health. Second, related to teaching, they proposed online case discussions, gamification and decision support systems. Finally, in relation to faculty development, they recommend teacher courses, a repository of reusable exam questions and harmonized formularies. Future work will aim to collaboratively produce such materials.

Recent decades have been marked by a wave drug treatment research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This work has resulted in improved ability to treat commonly occurring behavioral challenges associated with ASD including most prominently irritability marked by aggression, self-injurious behavior, and severe tantrums. While treatment of interfering behavior has progressed in our field, there remain several areas of unmet medical need including most prominently a lack of any approved drug therapies for the core, defining symptoms of autism. We outline the progress to date in the field of autism drug treatment while taking a future look forward into how decades of work can inform better future steps in this field.

UK drug discovery and development is increasingly being shaped through a complex interaction of research, policy and practice. However, our understanding of this innovation system is partially due to the dearth of systems-level empirical studies and to simplistic conceptual approaches. This study uses a Triple Helix systems approach to illustrate how a novel database of Research Excellence Framework 2014 impact case studies may be used both to advance empirical understanding of UK drug discovery and development and for theory development. The authors refine the Triple Helix system by identifying relationships between its three components (academia, government and industry) and various social actors. The paper also make two contributions to practice, concerning the relative unimportance for impact generation of geographical clusters relative to strategic alliances, network linkages and knowledge spillovers, and the strong bias towards national and Anglo-American academic--practitioner linkages with few or no links to emerging knowledge economies.

The aim of this work was to design, deliver, and evaluate group case studies focused on the integration of analytical and medicinal chemistry with pharmacy practice. A patient-centered beta-blocker workshop was developed and delivered to year two MPharm and BSc students. Students were tasked with reviewing patient clinical data along with analytical spectra presented as patient case studies, and were asked to identify the correct beta-blocker in each scenario. They had to explain their results by discussing the structure-related pharmacology of the drug, thereby integrating analytical and medicinal chemistry with clinical pharmacy skills. Students' perception of the value of chemistry to pharmacy practice was evaluated following attendance at the workshop. There were 97 students who attended the noncompulsory sessions. Over 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the workshops helped them to "integrate pharmaceutical science and practice" with 97% positively indicating that the workshop helped them to understand the relevance of chemistry to pharmacy practice. Appropriately designed case studies are an effective method for helping students to integrate analytical and medicinal chemistry with clinical pharmacy. With pharmacists having increased clinical remits, teaching of analytical and medicinal chemistry must be designed to support students for their future roles.

An experiment in teaching students to use the literature to devise and defend a plan for novel research is presented as part of a graduate-level course in heterocyclic chemistry. Students in three successive iterations of the course completed an assignment during which they were assigned novel heterocyclic cores that were selected by varying or relocating the heteroatoms of a known drug. They were then asked to identify potential research areas related to their assigned cores and to determine whether the structures containing these cores were likely to have practical applications. The students presented their results as though they were a collaborative research group in an industrial setting requesting funding for future research. A full description of the assignment and a summary of the student outcomes and ideas for future development are discussed.

Throughout the different phases of a drug development program, randomized trials are used to establish the tolerability, safety and efficacy of a candidate drug. At each stage one aims to optimize the design of future studies by extrapolation from the available evidence at the time. This includes collected trial data and relevant external data. However, relevant external data are typically available as averages only, for example, from trials on alternative treatments reported in the literature. Here we report on such an example from a drug development for wet age-related macular degeneration. This disease is the leading cause of severe vision loss in the elderly. While current treatment options are efficacious, they are also a substantial burden for the patient. Hence, new treatments are under development which need to be compared against existing treatments. The general statistical problem this leads to is "meta-analysis," which addresses the question of how we can combine data sets collected under different conditions. Bayesian methods have long been used to achieve partial pooling. Here we consider the challenge when the model of interest is complex (hierarchical and nonlinear) and one data set is given as raw data while the second data set is given as averages only. In such a situation, common meta-analytic methods can only be applied when the model is sufficiently simple for analytic approaches. When the model is too complex, for example, nonlinear, an analytic approach is not possible. We provide a Bayesian solution by using simulation to approximately reconstruct the likelihood of the external summary and allowing the parameters in the model to vary under the different conditions. We first evaluate our approach using fake data simulations and then report results for the drug development program that motivated this research.

In response to the closure of many university laboratories due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a handbook and remote webinar approach designed to support students in the use of software tools for computer-aided drug design has been developed. Specifically, the course has been designed for chemistry and pharmacy students who have little or no experience of computational techniques and can use open-source software on their own machines. In this way a flexible and relevant course, giving a rigorous academic experience, could be delivered even in the most challenging of circumstances. We believe that this laboratory protocol will help to "democratize" the scientific process in this field.

There are currently no approved pharmacological treatments to improve social reciprocity and limit repetitive and rigid behaviors in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We describe the design of two Phase III studies evaluating the efficacy/safety of bumetanide oral liquid formulation in ASD. These are international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in children and adolescents with ASD aged 7 to 17 years (n = 200; study 1), or younger children with ASD aged 2 to 6 years (n = 200; study 2). The primary endpoint of each is change in Childhood Autism Rating Scale 2 total raw score after 6 months. These studies could contribute to the first pharmacological treatment to improve social reciprocity and limit repetitive and rigid behaviors in children and adolescents with ASD.

In this laboratory experiment, students explore the aquatic photochemical fate of ranitidine and cimetidine, two common pharmaceutical pollutants found in wastewater. It provides an engaging environmental context for students to develop knowledge of reaction kinetics and photochemistry as well as skill in using analytical instrumentation. This versatile experiment consists of two basic modules, three optional advanced modules, and additional add-ons that may be performed in various combinations to meet the unique learning objectives of general, analytical, physical, and environmental chemistry courses and science outreach activities. It may be performed as a traditional lab experiment or as an entirely remote exercise with an increased focus on data analysis and interpretation using provided example data sets. All of the photolysis experiments are carried out by preparing solutions of ranitidine or cimetidine in various matrices, irradiating the samples, and periodically removing subsamples for HPLC analysis of the compound of interest. Pseudo-first order kinetic plots are then generated to determine rate constants that are used to draw conclusions about photolysis pathways or to calculate additional kinetic parameters. In the two basic modules, cimetidine is found to degrade appreciably only when irradiated in the presence natural organic matter (NOM), indicating an indirect, photosensitized degradation pathway. In contrast, ranitidine degrades in pure buffer and in the presence of NOM with comparable rate constants, highlighting the predominant role of direct photolysis. In the advanced modules, students calculate ranitidine direct photolysis quantum yields and examine the significance of singlet oxygen as a photochemically produced reactive intermediate. The two basic modules may be completed in two 3 hour lab periods, while the advanced modules require additional time. This experiment requires only an HPLC instrument, inexpensive chemicals, and common glassware and lab equipment if performed in person and a personal computer if performed remotely.

Here I shall write about the late Bernard Stiegler (1952-2020) and contextualize this important philosopher's work with respect to the concrete, everyday pedagogical issue of language learning. To demonstrate Stiegler's applicability to education studies, I shall address the issue of character amnesia ([Chinese characters omitted], tibiwangzi in Chinese, literally "pick up pen, forget the character"), a relatively recent phenomenon experienced in China and Japan, which is concerned with the loss of the ability to write and remember Chinese ideograms. I shall use tibiwangzi as a striking and heuristic example to explain the growing crisis in literacy, that is the crisis in the ability to read and write. "Tibiwangzi" is a Stieglerian issue of vital importance. In this light, my focus will be on language learning and literacy and I shall couch my analysis regarding this in terms of both Stiegler's thoughts on tertiary, exteriorized memory and the neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf's concern with the neurological and cognitive effects of reading. I intend to focus on the apparent rupture or disruption between traditional writing systems (alphabetic writing) and digital technologies and argue that a "pharmacological" understanding of technology and therefore a consideration of Stiegler's work in the light of neuroscience, memory and digital technologies, is necessary as it can spark timely and critical research into the perceived crisis of literacy. I am making the case for what I am naming a "gymnastics of memory."

Understanding the relationship between protein structure and function can be challenging for students. Molecular visualization software aids students in this problem by allowing manipulation of structures from new and deeper perspectives. In this communication, an activity using iMolview Lite, structure visualization software for portable devices, is presented. By analyzing both human insulin and a designed variant of this hormone with iMolview Lite, students explore different protein structural elements and discuss how modifications on structure affect the pharmacological action rate. After the class, students expressed great satisfaction with the activity, highlighting it as a friendly and an attractive way to explore the protein structure and function relationship. In conclusion, iMolview Lite is a powerful tool that offers meaningful learning and motivation; thus, it is useful for students to comprehend the complex concept of molecular structure. In addition, insulin and its designed variant represent an appealing model of study. Overall, this activity allows students to gain a deeper understanding of protein structure features and how to relate them to function.