Performance and Perceptions of Pharmacy Students using Team-based Learning (TBL) within a Global Health Course

Purpose: Team-based learning (TBL) has been shown to be a very useful active learning tool in a variety of disciplines and educational settings. The objectives of this study in a Global Health elective course within a PharmD curriculum were to (1) determine whether TBL contributes to performance (as measured by iRAT scores, tRAT scores, and grades); and (2) evaluate students’ perceptions of TBL as an instructional strategy. Case Study: TBL sessions were incorporated into a new elective course in Global Health along with other teaching methodologies. Student performance was evaluated during the TBL sessions and course team projects, among others. An anonymous student qualitative survey explored their perceptions of and experiences with TBL at the end of the course. Students’ performance in the TBL sessions improved as reflected in the comparison of individual Readiness Assurance Tests (iRATs) and the team Readiness Assurance Tests (tRATs) scores. Overall students’ performance in the course resulted in over 88% earning the letter grade A. Students’ performance in the TBL sessions, especially their iRATs, was reflected in their overall course grades. Over 75% of the students believed that TBL increased their analytical skills and nearly 50% believed that learning utilizing TBL would have the most lasting effect on their careers. Conclusion: TBL was successfully implemented in a Global Health elective course in a PharmD curriculum and students perceived it as a beneficial instructional strategy. This study adds to the TBL literature by providing some evidence of the applicability of TBL in a course not traditionally taught in the PharmD curriculum (i.e., Global Health). Future research and intervention(s) leading to the development and growth of TBL in pharmacy education are recommended

Development of plasmid dna formulations for application as microspheric dna vaccines

The advent of DNA vaccines has heralded a new technology allowing the design and elicitation of immune responses more adequate for a wider range of pathogens. The formulation of these vaccines into the desired dosage forms extends their capability in terms of stability, routes of administration and efficacy. This thesis describes an investigation into the fabrication of plasmid DNA, the active principle of DNA vaccines, into microspheres, based on the tenet of an increased cellular uptake of microparticulate matter by phagocytic cells. The formulation of plasmid DNA into microspheres using two methods, is presented. Formulation of microspheric plasmid DNA using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and a spray-drying method was explored. The former approach involves formation of a double emulsion, by homogenisation. This method produced microspheres of uniform size and smooth morphology, but had a detrimental effect on the formulated DNA. The spray-drying method resulted in microspheres with an improved preservation of DNA stability. The use of polyethylenimine (PEI) and stearylamine (SA) as agents in the microspheric formulation of plasmid DNA is a novel approach to DNA vaccine design. Using these molecules as model positively-charged agents, their influence on the characteristics of the microspheric formulations was investigated. PEI improved the entrapment efficiency of the plasmid DNA in microspheres, and has minimal effect on either the surface charge, morphology or size distribution of the formulations. Stearylamine effected an increase in the entrapment efficiency and stability of the plasmid DNA and its effect on the micropshere morphology was dependent on the method of preparation. The differences in the effects of the two molecules on microsphere formulations may be attributable to their dissimilar physico-chemical properties. PEI is water-soluble and highly-branched, while SA is hydrophobic and amphipathic. The positive charge of both molecules is imparted by amine functional groups. Preliminary data on the in vivo application of formulated DNA vaccine, using hepatitis B plasmid, showed superior humoral responses to the formulated antigen, compared with free (unformulated) antigen

Book Review: Stigma, Discrimination, and Living with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

The authors present a review of the book Stigma, Discrimination, and Living with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Smart energy conservation system for study rooms

Most individuals in public and private sector offices are uninterested in turning off electronic equipment like fans and lamps while they are not present. For example, most students fail to turn off the fans and lighting in their classrooms, study rooms, residence halls, and so forth. As a result of this attitude, power usage in these places tends to rise. Several automation systems have been designed and implemented to decrease power waste in these locations, but the majority of these systems are either inefficient or inappropriate for their intended use. This study presents a proposed smart energy conservation system in a study room that employs an infrared remote-control mechanism to turn on or off an energy system in the absence of humans. Embedded technology was used to create an energy-saving solution. The testing was done with a range of scenarios and key performance indicators. The test results showed that the proposed system was effectively implemented, and a comparison of the system to a case study system demonstrated that it had a better design, lower cost, and higher operational efficiency. The findings of this study will be essential to a wide variety of stakeholders

A comparison of pharmacy student attainment, progression, and perceptions using team- and problem-based learning: Experiences from Wolverhampton School of Pharmacy, UK

Objective To compare pharmacy student attainment, progression, and perception of team-based (TBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) in comparison to more traditional didactic teaching methods. Design Student attainment and progression were established through comparison of examination data before and after TBL implementation and for the three teaching methodologies. Student perceptions of TBL and PBL were sought via a questionnaire and focus group. Assessment Summative examination performance was used to assess the effect of TBL implementation. Student attainment and progression increased after TBL implementation (attainment grade score: pre-TBL 7.7 vs. 11.19 post-TBL; p = 0.01 and progression: 89% vs. 92%; p = 0.574). Summative examination performance was also used to assess the effect of three teaching methodologies in the same cohort. Student attainment was higher with TBL compared with PBL (grade score: 11.19 vs. 8.73; p ≤ 0.001) and slightly but not significantly worse than those seen with traditional didactic teaching (grade score: 11.19 vs. 11.83; p = 0.355). Student progression was the highest with traditional teaching, then TBL, and finally PBL (96% vs. 92% vs. 88%; p = 0.224). Student perceptions favored TBL compared with PBL but traditional teaching methods were favored over both TBL and PBL. Conclusion The study shows that student attainment and progression were better using TBL compared with PBL, although traditional approaches to teaching saw comparable attainment and progression to TBL. Student perceptions favored traditional teaching more than TBL, which was more liked than PBL

Accessibility to Essential Medicines in New York City by Zip Code Income Levels and Boroughs

Access to essential medicines is fundamental to medication adherence, continuity of care and hence population health outcomes and overall quality of life. Disparities in the availability and the cost of these medications in New York City, especially for low income neighborhoods, would compound the underlying health disparities in these neighborhoods. This study examined the physical and financial accessibility to 8 of the 150 Most Frequently Prescribed Drugs in New York, 2 each for Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia, 4 conditions that are among the top 10 most costly conditions in the United States. The study did not find any significant differences in mean drug prices between the high, medium, and low income neighborhoods in the City. However, the significantly different income levels and uninsured rates across neighborhood income strata in the City (p<0.001 for both), coupled with the high disease burden and other underlying disparities in low income neighborhoods, would point to potential affordability challenges for needed medications in these neighborhoods. On the other hand, significant differences in mean prices between the 5 City boroughs were found for 3 of the study drugs: Advair™, p=0.009; Amlodipine 10mg, p<0.001; and Lisinopril 10mg, p=0.046. No such significant differences were observed for the mean prices of the other 5 study drugs-Proventil HFA,™ Metformin HCL 500mg, Glipizide ER 5mg, Simvastatin 20mg, and Atorvastatin 10mg. The study findings did not also suggest that drug prices are dictated by the number of pharmacies in a neighborhood. Further studies would be needed to better understand the complexities associated with the accessibility of essential medicines in New York City. These studies could include qualitative ones which would examine the perceptions and experiences of City residents with respect to the accessibility of prescribed medications as the basis for targeted interventions directed at promoting access to needed medications for all New Yorkers.   Type: Student Projec

Accessibility to Essential Medicines in New York City by Zip Code Income Levels and Boroughs

Access to essential medicines is fundamental to medication adherence, continuity of care and hence population health outcomes and overall quality of life. Disparities in the availability and the cost of these medications in New York City, especially for low income neighborhoods, would compound the underlying health disparities in these neighborhoods. This study examined the physical and financial accessibility to 8 of the 150 Most Frequently Prescribed Drugs in New York, 2 each for Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia, 4 conditions that are among the top 10 most costly conditions in the United States. The study did not find any significant differences in mean drug prices between the high, medium, and low income neighborhoods in the City. However, the significantly different income levels and uninsured rates across neighborhood income strata in the City (p<0.001 for both), coupled with the high disease burden and other underlying disparities in low income neighborhoods, would point to potential affordability challenges for needed medications in these neighborhoods. On the other hand, significant differences in mean prices between the 5 City boroughs were found for 3 of the study drugs: Advair™, p=0.009; Amlodipine 10mg, p<0.001; and Lisinopril 10mg, p=0.046. No such significant differences were observed for the mean prices of the other 5 study drugs-Proventil HFA,™ Metformin HCL 500mg, Glipizide ER 5mg, Simvastatin 20mg, and Atorvastatin 10mg. The study findings did not also suggest that drug prices are dictated by the number of pharmacies in a neighborhood. Further studies would be needed to better understand the complexities associated with the accessibility of essential medicines in New York City. These studies could include qualitative ones which would examine the perceptions and experiences of City residents with respect to the accessibility of prescribed medications as the basis for targeted interventions directed at promoting access to needed medications for all New Yorkers.   Type: Student Projec

DESIGN OF A MINIMAL OVERHEAD CONTROL TRAFFIC TOPOLOGY DISCOVERY AND DATA FORWARDING PROTOCOL FOR SOFTWARE-DEFINED WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Software-defined networking is a novel concept that is ported into wireless sensor networks to make them more manageable and customizable. unfortunately, the topology discovery and maintenance processes generate high overhead control packet exchange between the sensor nodes and the central controller leading to a deterioration of the network's performance. In this paper, a novel minimal overhead control traffic topology discovery and data forwarding protocol is proposed and detailed. The proposed protocol requires some changes to the topology discovery protocol implemented in SDN-WISE to improve its performance. The proposed protocol has been implemented within the IT-SDN framework for evaluation. The results show reduced overhead control traffic and increase, of about 20%, data packet delivery rate over the protocol in SDN-WISE

Accessibility of antiretroviral therapy in Ghana: Convenience of access

The convenience of accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) is important for initial access to care and subsequent adherence to ART. We conducted a qualitative study of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and ART healthcare providers in Ghana in 2005. The objective of this study was to explore the participants’ perceived convenience of accessing ART by PLWHA in Ghana. The convenience of accessing ART was evaluated from the reported travel and waiting times to receive care, the availability, orotherwise, of special considerations, with respect to the waiting time to receive care, for those PLWHA who were in active employment in the formal sector, the frequency of clinic visits before and after initiating ART, and whether the PLWHA saw the same or different providers at each clinic visit (continuity of care). This qualitative study used in-depth interviews based on Yin’s case-study research design to collect data from 20 PLWHA and 24 ART healthcare providers as study participants. . Reported travel time to receive ART services ranged from 2 to 12 h for 30% of the PLWHA.. Waiting time to receive care was from 4 to 9 h. . While known government workers, such as teachers, were attended to earlier in some of the centres, this was not a consistent practice in all the four ART centres studied. . The PLWHA corroborated the providers’ description of the procedure for initiating and monitoring ART in Ghana. . PLWHA did not see the same provider every time, but they were assured that this did not compromise the continuity of their care. Our study suggests that convenience of accessing ART is important to both PLWHA and ART healthcare providers, but the participants alluded to other factors, including open provider–patient communication, which might explain the PLWHA’sunderstanding of the constraints under which they were receiving care. The current nation-wide coverage of the ART programme in Ghana, however, calls for the replication of this study to identify possible perception changes over time that may need attention. Our study findings can inform interventions to promote access to ART, especially in Africa