Faculty awards at US colleges and schools of pharmacy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine recognition given for outstanding teaching, service, and scholarship at US colleges and schools of pharmacy, the types of awards given, and the process used to select the recipients. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was made available online in 2006 to deans at 89 colleges and schools of pharmacy. RESULTS: Sixty-four usable responses (72%) were obtained. An award to acknowledge teaching excellence was most commonly reported (92%), followed by an award for adjunct/volunteer faculty/preceptors (79%). The majority of the institutions (31 out of 58) reported offering 1 teaching award annually. The 2 most common methods for selecting the recipient of the teaching award were by student vote and by college/school committee vote following nominations. Twenty-four of the 63 respondents indicated that their institution provided an award for research/scholarship and 18 offered an award for outstanding service. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching excellence was recognized and rewarded at most US colleges and schools of pharmacy; however, research/scholarship and service were formally recognized less frequently.

Programmatic curricular outcomes assessment at colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States and Puerto Rico.

OBJECTIVES: To categorize the manner in which programmatic curricular outcomes assessment is accomplished, identify the types of assessment methodologies used, and identify the persons or groups responsible for assessment. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 89 institutions throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. RESULTS: Sixty-eight of 89 surveys (76%) were returned. Forty-one respondents (60%) had a written and approved plan for programmatic curricular outcomes assessment, 18% assessed the entire curriculum, and 57% had partial activities in place. Various standardized and institution-specific assessment instruments were employed. Institutions differed as to whether an individual or a committee had overall responsibility for assessment. CONCLUSION: To move the assessment process forward, each college and school should identify a person or group to lead the effort. Additional validated assessment instruments might aid programmatic assessment. Future studies should identify the reasons for selecting certain assessment instruments and should attempt to identify the most useful ones.

Characterization of pentamidine excretion in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

OBJECTIVE: To study the renal excretion and kidney accumulation of pentamidine, a potentially nephrotoxic compound, in the isolated perfused rat kidney (IPK). MATERIALS AND METHODS: IPK experiments (3-4 per treatment group) were conducted using male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-350 g). Dose proportionality studies were carried out over a pentamidine dosing range of 80-4000 microg, designed to target initial perfusate concentrations from 1 to 50 microg/mL. Separate interaction experiments were conducted between pentamidine (800 microg) and tetraethylammonium (dose 8000 microg) or dideoxyinosine (dose 80 microg). Inulin was used as a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) marker. Control (drug-naive) perfusions were also carried out. Pentamidine was analysed in perfusate, kidney and urine samples by HPLC. Inulin was measured by a colorimetric method. RESULTS: Pentamidine CLR (1.1 +/- 0.6 to 0.05 +/- 0.03 mL/min) and excretion ratio (3.6 +/- 1.5 to 0.56 +/- 0.15) significantly decreased over the range of doses studied. Significant reductions in viability parameters (GFR, Na reabsorption) were noted in kidneys perfused with high dose pentamidine (4000 microg). Tetraethylammonium co-administration reduced pentamidine renal excretion, resulting in significantly greater kidney accumulation of pentamidine and reduced kidney function. Dideoxyinosine administration had minimal effects on pentamidine disposition. CONCLUSIONS: Pentamidine renal transport involves a combination of mechanisms (filtration, secretion and passive reabsorption). Dose proportionality studies demonstrated non-linear excretion of pentamidine. Inhibition of pentamidine renal clearance by tetraethylammonium was consistent with decreased luminal transport. The detrimental effects of pentamidine on kidney function were the result of significant kidney accumulation of drug. The potential exists for drug-drug interactions between pentamidine and organic cations, increasing the risk of drug-induced nephrotoxicity.

A novel HPLC assay for pentamidine: comparative effects of creatinine and inulin on GFR estimation and pentamidine renal excretion in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

PURPOSE: 1. To develop and validate an analytical method for pentamidine (PTM) by reversed-phase HPLC. 2. To compare the effects of creatinine and inulin on PTM excretion in the isolated perfused rat kidney. METHODS: The HPLC method utilized a base deactivated, 5 micro, C18 column and a mobile phase containing acetonitrile (24%) and 0.025 M monobasic phosphate buffer, pH 3.2 (76%). Mobile phase flow rate and UV detection wavelength were 1 mL/min and 270 nm, respectively. Sulfadiazine (SDZ) was used as the internal standard. The method was used to measure pentamidine in perfusate and urine samples generated from studies with the isolated perfused rat kidney (IPK) model. Perfusion experiments were conducted in the presence of two different GFR markers: creatinine and inulin (PTM dose 800 micro g). Both creatinine and inulin were assayed using colorimetric methods. RESULTS: The HPLC assay is rapid, sensitive and reproducible. The method was validated over two standard concentration ranges: 0.1 to 1 micro g/mL, and 1 to 10 micro g/mL. In control (drug-naïve) IPK perfusions, creatinine clearance was approximately 15% greater than inulin clearance (0.80+/- 0.21 mL/min vs. 0.69+/-0.17 mL/min, p > 0.05). In the presence of PTM, however, creatinine clearance was reduced to 0.56+/-0.27 (p < 0.05 compared to control). Inulin clearance was not altered by PTM administration (0.76+/-0.26 mL/min). Cumulative urinary excretion of PTM (% dose) was 3.0+/-0.47% and 9.6+/-4.2% in the presence of creatinine and inulin, respectively. PTM clearance was significantly reduced (0.06+/-0.01 mL/min vs. 0.13+/-0.01 mL/min, p < 0.05) and % kidney accumulation significantly enhanced (66+/-4.7% vs. 37+/-9.7%, p < 0.05) by creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Creatinine overestimated GFR in the IPK. The altered renal excretion of PTM by creatinine is consistent with inhibition of PTM tubular secretion. Because of increased kidney accumulation, detrimental effects of PTM on renal function were observed. Based on these findings, creatinine should be used cautiously as an indicator of GFR in IPK experimentation.