Pacific RxTracts - July 2025

Articles: First Blood Test Approved For the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Rare Withdrawal Reaction Prompts Label Update for Common Antihistamines FDA Approves SUSVIMO: Shifting Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment from Monthly Injections to Continuous Therapy Battle Against Resistant Hypertension Two Is Better than One: Obicetrapib and Ezetimibe, a Novel Combination Pill for High Cholesterol Histo-blood Group ABO System Transferase and Venous Thromboembolism Risk GLP-1 Agonists and Thiazolidinedione Combination Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Dual Pathway Targeting in Type 2 Diabetes: Exploring the Synergy of GLP1- RAs and SGLT2-inhibitors Two Vaccines, One Shot: Combined Immunizations Against COVID-19 and Influenza Mirikizumab: A New Frontier in Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Tocilizumab: A Better Way to Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis Oveporexton: A Novel Treatment Option for Narcolepsy Type I The Long-Term Effects of Ketamine on Treatment- Resistant Depression The First Targeted Therapy for a Rare Ovarian Cancer Vimseltinib Gains FDA Approval for Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumour (TGCT) Hot Flashes No More Remote Clinical Pharmacists Drive Down Cancer Care Costs in Value-Based Model Camizestrant Takes Victory Lap After Phase 3 Trialshttps://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/rx-tracts/1007/thumbnail.jp

Interwoven Lives: A Historical Journey

In this exhibition, Interwoven Lives, I explore the profound and ongoing relationship between humans and animals throughout history. This collection of paintings delves into the intricate connections that have shaped our shared existence and reflects on how these bonds have evolved. From the earliest cave paintings to contemporary art, artists have depicted the relationship between animals and humans. These artworks serve as a testament to the significance of animals in our lives as companions, symbols, spiritual beings, partners in warfare, food sources, and sources of inspiration. By studying the history of different cultures’ relationships with animals, we gain insight into their cultural and practical roles across various eras and societies. My inspiration primarily comes from a class I took in my first year called Pets & People. In this course, we read Run, Spot, Run: Ethics of Keeping Pets by Jessica Pierce. We explored the relationship between people and their pets, which inspired me to reflect on my own bond with my pets. My motivation arises from my love for animals. Last semester, I started working as a photographer with Delta Humane Society & SPCA. While there, I heard and witnessed the stories of cats and dogs, ranging from surrender to abandonment, which further motivated me to learn more about the history of our relationship with animals and how it has developed. I created seven paintings to demonstrate my learning: four watercolors and three acrylics. Both use mixed media; the acrylics incorporate plaster, while the watercolors feature markers or ink. The acrylic pieces begin with a drawing topped with plaster to create a 3D effect that symbolizes our distant connection to history. The watercolors begin with sketching before applying watercolor and used markers or ink to enhance each piece as needed. Different color schemes convey various emotions; vivid colors suggest positivity, while darker colors indicate negativity. Acrylic and watercolor paintings show these emotions through color, composition, and texture. Some have quite a chaotic composition, demonstrating our chaotic lives with animals, while others show a peaceful, more structured composition that reflects a neutral relationship. Additionally, some are pretty simple, depicting our evolving relationship. I also studied the animals in the artwork, studying their interactions to capture their features and emotions accurately. “Interwoven Lives” invites viewers to journey through history, see the world through the eyes of humans and animals, and recognize the profound impact we have on each other’s lives

Pure Vision Reality (PVR)

Clothing is always one of my biggest interests, and I enjoy styling outfits that reflect my personal aesthetic. However, with the rise of fast fashion, mass production leads to excessive textile waste and disposable, low-quality clothing. While I love fashion, I want to engage with it in a way that is more sustainable and intentional. Pure Vision Reality (PVR) embraces a grunge-inspired style, with visuals that distort reality, creating eerie, surreal imagery influenced by nature, which reflects a pure vision of our world today. For this series, I focus on creating posters that embody the aesthetic of my clothing brand. In addition, I incorporate hands-on alterations to push my exploration further. I design and screen-print graphics onto dyed patches, upcycle clothing, and machine-sew bags, all of which contribute to the brand’s identity. This approach to upcycling and garment creation embodies the brand as a whole, highlighting the time and effort that go into making clothing and how our reality is distorted by fast fashion. My goal for this project is to step outside my comfort zone and experiment beyond flat design. I challenge myself by working with new artistic media, including screen printing, tie-dye, and sewing, allowing me to merge my passion for fashion with my interest in design. This hands-on approach keeps me engaged throughout the process, making the experience both rewarding and creatively fulfilling

Comic Booth

Hello, my name is Payton McDougall. I’m a graphic designer and illustrator working towards my Bachelor’s degree, who just so happens to be a writing hobbyist in my spare time. For my senior project, I combined my love of graphic design and illustration into a comic campaign series using an independent study I’ve been working on since fall of 2024 called “Dreamer’s Paradox”. Since I specialize in using my design abilities for advertising/branding and entertainment, the campaign features a variety of potential deliverables, mock-ups, comic pages, concept pages, and a themed booth for marketing. “Dreamer’s Paradox” is a tie between my roots as a designer and as an obsessed comic book enthusiast. I’ve always loved flipping through pages of whatever visual novels I could get my hands on, not just to evaluate the literal story, but how the pages are organized and stylized to convey emotion and invoke interest. As a result, storytelling has been a key base layer in all my design work. This evolution has helped guide each of my projects into growing from a simple concept to an abundantly layered narrative

ArticulAmp: Redesigned Prototype Electrolarynx

Many laryngeal cancer patients and trauma victims lose their ability to speak after undergoing laryngectomies, relying on devices that inadequately replicate natural speech such as an electrolarynx. Traditional electrolarynx devices are predominantly handheld, produce monotonous, robotic tones, and lack ergonomic and intuitive design features. The ArticulAmp is a redesigned electrolarynx prototype that addresses these limitations by delivering a wearable solution with enhanced tonal quality, adjustability, and user comfort - bridging the gap between functionality, accessibility, and human-centered design. The ArticulAmp\u27s design employs two vibration modules powered by eccentric rotating mass (ERM) vibration motors placed on both sides of the neck with a comfortable elastic band to simulate vocal cord vibrations. A compact controller, worn at the hip, allows for real-time adjustment of pitch and volume, offering both portability and ease of use. The materials selected for the housing and vibration modules prioritize skin compatibility, comfort, and easy sanitation. The ArticulAmp is an innovative leap forward in affordable, accessible, and dignified speech restoration technology. By enabling more natural and effortless communication, it supports greater independence and confidence for individuals who have lost their voice. With its user-centric design and potential clinical application, ArticulAmp has the potential to improve quality of life for thousands of patients while setting a new benchmark in electrolarynx products

Unfolding Futures: Claudia Landeen School

The Unfolding Futures initiative aims to foster creativity and mental health awareness by engaging students of Claudia Landeen School in origami crafts and goal-setting activities. According to the “Creating arts and crafting positively predicts subjective wellbeing” article published under the National Library of Medicine, “Creative arts are also associated with improved self-esteem and emotion regulation, and provide a means of authentic self-expression” (Keyes, Helen et al.). We strive to engage students between 2nd and 6th grade within the After School Education and Safety (ASES) program in organized origami crafting with the goal of utilizing crafts as an outlet for their mental health. Alongside mental health, the activity aims to foster creativity and S.M.A.R.T. goal setting by having students write personal goals on a slip of paper and fold them to their desired form. Final origami creations will be displayed in the ASES classrooms and at the completion of the project students will be returned their S.M.A.R.T. goals for reflection. Each student will have a choice of 3 select origami templates with varying difficulties while learning and given freedom to write their own S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Learning and enforcing S.M.A.R.T. goal setting prepares students for persevering through adversity and developing foresight. The initiative addresses and emphasizes the importance of goal setting and creative expression, ultimately aiming to uplift students’ mental health and mindfulness

The Effects of Racial/Ethnic Self-Identification on Impression Formation

People form impressions of others based on the limited information available to them. When people categorize others to determine whether or not they belong to their ingroup, they may react negatively towards others that they may perceive as inaccurately claiming membership of their ingroup. This study explored the impressions that White U.S. Americans formed of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) Americans. We hypothesized that White participants would form a more negative impression of a MENA confederate when the confederate identified as White rather than Middle Eastern. We also hypothesized that participants with higher preferences for assimilation would form more positive impressions of the MENA confederate when the confederate identified as White. Results supported these hypotheses. White participants perceived a MENA confederate to be more authentic when self-identifying as MENA compared to White, but participants with high assimilation preferences perceived the MENA confederate to be more authentic when the confederate self-identified as White. These findings demonstrate negative consequences that may result from social classifications that include individuals who ingroup members may view as distinct outsiders while also highlighting some individual differences among ingroup members that may affect their perceptions of these individuals

Synthesis of Alanine-Containing Peptides

Introduction: Peptides are molecules composed of two or more amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Unique combinations of just twenty canonical amino acids can result in the production of hundreds of thousands of different peptides and proteins, each of which have different structures and thus different functions in the human body. Alanine (A) is one such fundamental amino acid, with important roles such as the facilitation of gluconeogenesis, which is linked to muscle metabolism and energy production. This research focuses on synthesizing short peptides containing alanine, i.e., the peptides VGTA, CAG and ACG. Method: Peptides were synthesized through solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), starting with the addition of rink amide resin to an SPPS vessel. The resin acts as the foundation for building the peptide chain. The procedure starts with a deprotection step using 20% piperidine in dimethylformamide (DMF) to remove the Fmoc protecting group from the resin. This allows for the first amino acid to be coupled to the deprotected resin. Prior to the amino acid coupling, the peptide goes through a series of wash steps involving methanol (MeOH) for removing unwanted polar byproducts, dichloromethane (DCM) for removing nonpolar impurities, and DMF for washing out any residual soluble reagents from prior deprotection steps. The coupling reaction utilizes Hexafluorophosphate Benzotriazole Tetramethyl Uronium (HBTU) as the activating agent, N,N’- Diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) as the base, and DMF as the solvent. The process of deprotection and coupling is repeated until the desired peptide chain is successfully built. The resin is removed through cleavage using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) for cleaving the peptide from the resin and for removing side chain protecting groups, phenol for stabilizing and protecting amino acid side chains during the process, triisopropylsilane (TIPS) for preventing any undesirable side reactions, and MilliQ water as the solvent. The cleaved peptide is then purified and shell frozen before being placed on the lyophilizer where the peptide undergoes sublimation to remove excess solvents and unbound reagents. Results/Conclusion: Multiple alanine-containing peptides were successfully synthesized and confirmed through mass spectrometry analysis. These peptides will be utilized in future research projects to thermochemical properties and reactivity

Introduction of a constitutive red fluorescent marker gene into four Variovorax strains using the Tn7 transposon.

Variovorax paradoxus has garnered much interest in environmental microbiology for its ability to degrade organic compounds and key role in the rhizosphere. Despite its important role in microbial communities, genetic manipulation of Variovorax has been proven difficult, but the development of genetically engineered strains is significantly promising for bioremediation applications. The aim of our research group was to create stable mini-Tn7 insertions into several Variovorax strains to express the red fluorescent protein DsRed along with a gene for gentamicin resistance. The Tn7 insertion will facilitate our study of horizontal gene transfer in these specific strains. Four strains were used in this study, MF004, MF295, MF278, and MF375, all of which were isolated from the Arabidopsis rhizosphere. We performed minimum inhibitory concentration experiments on the MF004 and MF295 strains to determine the lowest antibiotic concentration of Kanamycin and Gentamicin to inhibit microbial growth. We introduced the mTn7-DsRed into our strains by electroporation along with a helper plasmid, and then selected for insertion on gentamicin plates. Potential insertion strains were restreaked and then examined by fluorescence microscopy. Red fluorescence was observed in colonies and single cells, indicating successful integration of the transposon. The same experimental approach was also used to introduce the Tn7 into MF278 and MF375. We used the Wizard Genomic DNA Purification Kit to extract the genomic DNA from the bacteria, which will be used for genomic DNA sequencing to verify the insertion site. Preliminary experiments to determine bacterial competence and conjugation are also reported here