Marilyn K. Speedie

Cultivating 'habits of mind' in the scholarly pharmacy clinician: report of the 2011-12 Argus Commission.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Argus Commission is comprised of the five immediate past AACP presidents and is annually charged by the AACP President to examine one or more strategic questions related to pharmacy education often in the context of environmental scanning. Depending upon the specific charge, the President may appoint additional individuals to the Commission. President Crabtree requested that the 2011-12 Argus Commission examine the following questions as part of his examination of critical issues of excellence and relevance in academic pharmacy: • What is core with respect to the scientific foundation of clinical education? • How and when do we teach this foundational material? • How can we infuse an attitude of inquisitiveness and scholarly thinking in pharmacists and other health care professionals? • How can we nurture emerging scientists among our students and young faculty? • What ultimately will keep our graduates from being technicians vs. professional clinicians? The work of the Argus Commission was advanced significantly by examining related reports and projects from outside pharmacy and from engaging in dialogue with education leaders across the health professions. When the Commission met in December 2011 they were joined by leaders from academic dentistry, allopathic and osteopathic medicine, nursing, optometry, physicians assistant, public health, veterinary medicine and health administration programs. The meeting began with a presentation by Cynthia Bauerle, Ph.D., Senior Program Officer for PreCollege and Undergraduate Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) based in Chevy Chase, MD. HHMI and the Association of American Medical Colleges have collaborated on several projects to ensure that the scientific foundation for physician education remains contemporary and strong. They jointly published the “Report of Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Committee”1 in 2009, which the Argus Commission considered carefully in its work. Dr. Bauerle presented an on-going HHMI project referred to as the NEXUS Project2. The National Experiment in Undergraduate Science Education is relevant to all programs in health professions education which depend on the adequate undergraduate preparation of future clinical scientists in core competencies in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. This four year project which began in early 2010 involves grantees at four universities (Purdue University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore County and the University of Miami) and draws heavily upon the scientific foundations for future physicians report as the project teams work to significantly modify the pedagogical approach for teaching and assessing learning in the fundamental building blocks of science at the undergraduate level. Throughout the full day meeting and subsequent analysis by the Argus Commission, participants acknowledged the continuum of learning and competency attainment so vital to ensuring that future pharmacists and colleagues across the spectrum of the health professions are inquisitive learners and problem solvers comfortable in applying both the scientific method and evidence-based content to the identification and resolution of clinical issues/problems at the individual patient and population levels. This begins far down the pipeline in pre-collegiate education and continues throughout the period of pre-professional and professional education with an ultimate goal of creating a scientific thinker with the requisite abilities to apply that knowledge in practice.

The effect of signal sequences on the efficiency of secretion of a heterologous phosphotriesterase by Streptomyces lividans

SummaryA heterologous phosphotriesterase (parathion hydrolase) containing the native Flavobacterium species signal sequence was previously shown to be secreted by Streptomyces lividans. Western blot analysis of the recombinant phosphotriesterase produced by S. lividans demonstrated only the mature form extracellular but both processed and unprocessed forms in cell-associated samples. To investigate the efficiency of secretion in Streptomyces, a construction was made that substituted a native Streptomyces β-galactosidase signal sequence for the Flavobacterium signal sequence. This resulted in a higher proportion of hydrolase in the extracellular fluid and a lower proportion of parathion hydrolase remaining cell-associated. These results suggest that use of a native Streptomyces signal sequence may result in more efficient secretion of heterologous proteins.

Physiological aspects of atrazine degradation by higher marine fungi

The influence of glucose and NH4NO3 on the degradation of the herbicide atrazine was studied with the marine fungusPericonia prolifica Anastasiou. The bioaccumulation of14C-atrazine by fungal cultures was substantially increased at increased concentrations of glucose. Overall, 34.1% of the initial atrazine concentration was removed from the culture filtrate of the cultures grown in 0.5% (w/v) glucose and 0.007% (w/v) NH4NO3, and 40.4% of the initial atrazine concentration was removed when the same media contained 0.08% (w/v) NH4NO3. The majority of internalized radioactivity from both sets of cultures could be extracted from the mycelia as undegraded atrazine. However, examination of both the culture filtrates and mycelia of cultures grown under 0.5% (w/v) glucose and 0.08% (w/v) NH4NO3 revealed the presence of both dealkylated and dechlorinated hydrolysis products of atrazine. The fungal cultures, compared with uninoculated controls, showed a 5-fold increase in 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-amino-striazine (deisopropylatrazine), a 1.9-fold increase in 2-hydroxy-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine (hydroxyatrazine), and a 1.5-fold increase in other metabolites not extracted into ethyl acetate, suggesting two separate degradation pathways caused by a combination of metabolic and physicochemical interactions. Although mineralization of [ring-14C] atrazine did not occur under the conditions employed, considerable radioactivity was found in an unextractable form associated with cell fragments ofPericonia cultures indicating further metabolism of the initial degradation products.

Pharm. D. pathways to biomedical research: the National Institutes of Health special conference on pharmacy research.

To address the shortage of research‐trained pharmaceutical scientists (or doctor of pharmacy [Pharm.D.] scientists), a 2‐day pharmacy research conference titled “Pharm.D. Pathways to Biomedical Research” was convened on December 13–14, 2006, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus (Bethesda, MD). The workshop included invited speakers and participants from academia, industry, and government. Forty‐two pharmacy schools were represented, including deans and clinical pharmaceutical scientists with current NIH funding. In addition, several pharmacy professional organizations were represented—American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health‐System Pharmacists, and the Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education. The workshop was divided into three sessions followed by breakout discussion groups: the first session focused on presentations by leading pharmaceutical scientists who described their path to success; the second session examined the NIH grant system, particularly as it relates to training opportunities in biomedical research and funding mechanisms; and the third session addressed biomedical research education and training from the perspective of scientific societies and academia. We summarize the discussions and findings from the workshop and highlight some important considerations for the future of research in the pharmacy community. This report also puts forth recommendations for educating future pharmaceutical scientists.

Ammonium effects on streptonigrin biosynthesis by Streptomyces flocculus

SummaryA defined medium containing glucose and ammonium as the sole carbon and nitrogen sources was developed to support growth and streptonigrin production. In this defined medium, increased initial levels of ammonium resulted in increased growth suggesting that nitrogen is the growth limiting nutrient. In some cases, increased initial ammonium levels resulted in decreased specific streptonigrin productivity, suggesting that nitrogen regulatory mechanisms may adversely affect streptonigrin biosynthesis. This suggestion that nitrogen regulation adversely affects antibiotic biosynthesis is further supported by results from two studies in which the ammonium supply to the cells was controlled. In the first study, streptonigrin productivity and final titer were enhanced by the addition of an ammonium trapping agent. In the second experiment, when ammonium chloride was fed slowly throughout the course of cultivation, the production phase was lengthened and the maximum antibiotic concentration was enhanced compared to the batch controls containing either the same initial or the same total ammonium chloride levels. Although our results indicate streptonigrin production may be subject to nitrogen regulatory mechanisms, the effect of nitrogen on streptonigrin production cannot be strictly correlated to the extracellular ammonium concentration. In fact, we observed that when ammonium was depleted from the medium, streptonigrin production ceased.

Is Post‐Graduate Training Essential for Practice Readiness?

Few things are more fundamental to the purpose of health professions training than to prepare practice‐ready health professionals. The Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2016 address graduate readiness to 1) provide direct patient care in a variety of health care settings (practice‐ready) and 2) contribute as a member of an interprofessional collaborative patient care team (team‐ready). ACPE Standards 2007 states that graduates should be prepared to deliver direct patient care. This includes the ability to design, implement, monitor, evaluate, and adjust pharmacy care plans that are patient specific and to function effectively as a member of an interprofessional team. Yet, controversy remains within the profession regarding the practice‐readiness of PharmD graduates, which has been further fueled by the recent ACCP White Paper on Collaborative Drug Therapy Management and Comprehensive Medication Management ‐ 2015. This commentary makes the case that PharmD graduates are practice‐ready and it offers a solution that may settle this lingering controversy.

Biological denitration of propylene glycol dinitrate by Bacillus sp. ATCC 51912.

In previous studies, bacterial cultures were isolated that had the ability to degrade the nitrate ester glyceryl trinitrate (i.e. nitroglycerin). The goal of the present study was to examine the ability of resting cells and cell-free extracts of the isolateBacillus sp. ATCC 51912 to degrade the more recalcitrant nitrate ester propylene glycol dinitrate (PGDN). It was observed that the PGDN-denitrating activity was expressed during growth even when cells were cultured in the absence of nitrate esters. This indicates that nitrate esters are not required for expression of denitration activity. Using cell-free extracts, PGDN was observed to be sequentially denitrated to propylene glycol mononitrate (PGMN) and propylene glycol with the second denitration step proceeding more slowly than the first. Also it was observed that dialysis of the cell-free extracts did not affect denitration activity indicating that regenerable cofactors [e.g. NAD(P)H or ATP] are not required for denitration.

Recommendations for the successful pursuit of scholarship by pharmacy practice faculty members

Scholarship has long been a basic expectation of faculty members at institutions of higher learning in the United States and elsewhere. This expectation is no less assumed in academic pharmacy. A number of organizations have verbalized and enforced this precept over the years.1-3 For example, this expectation is spoken to directly in the American Council for Pharmacy Education’s Accreditation Standards and Guidelines.4 This expectation is further emphasized in the draft document of the accreditation standards to be implemented in 2016, in Standard 20. Specifically, Element 20.2 states: “The college or school must create an environment that both requires and promotes scholarship, and must also develop mechanisms to assess both the quantity and quality of faculty scholarly productivity.”5 The successful pursuit of scholarship by clinical faculty members (those engaged in both clinical practice and teaching, without regard to tenure or clinical track status) is challenging. 6-10 Thus, faculty member job descriptions or models should be designed so clinical faculty members can successfully meet all academic job expectations, including productive and meaningful scholarship. In 2012, an AACP Section of Teachers of Pharmacy Practice task force was charged with examining this issue and providing recommendations for models for clinical faculty members that would allow the successful pursuit of scholarship. The task force gathered information relating to the current state of affairs at a number of colleges and reviewed relevant literature. This information, along with personal experiences and much discussion and contemplation, led to some general observations as well as specific recommendations. This paper reiterates the task force’s observations and recommendations and provides further detail regarding our interpretation of the findings and basis for the eventual recommendations to the section.

Interaction of Higher Marine Fungi with the Herbicide Atrazine. I. Survey of Interactive Modes

Eight species of marine Ascomycetes and Deuteromycetes indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay were surveyed for their ability to interact with the herbicide atrazine. In liquid shake cultures of artificial seawater containing glucose and NH4NO3, the fungi mediated losses of atrazine ranging from 8-18% of 30 ppm and 9-68% of 500 ppm. Adsorption to the cell surface was generally a minor component of loss at the lower concentration. Leptosphaeria oraemaris grew with 500 ppm of purified atrazine as the sole exogenous source of carbon or nitrogen, but not of both nutrients, and Periconia prolifica had statistically significant growth compared to controls when atrazine was the sole exogenous nitrogen source. These results suggest that filamentous marine fungi contribute to the bioaccumulation and biodegradation of atrazine in estuaries.

White Paper on Pharmacy Admissions: Developing a Diverse Work Force to Meet the Health-Care Needs of an Increasingly Diverse Society

In a 2012 AJPE statement, a group of pharmacy school deans asked the question, “Are we producing innovators and leaders, or change resisters and followers?” They called upon AACP to lead an Academy-wide assessment of current admissions, recruitment and interview practices to assess their