Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0024312 (lymphopenia)
 4,859 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A porcine strain of Pasteurella multocida (serotype D:3) produced a toxin causing turbinate atrophy (TA) in pigs. The toxin (TAT), processed on a high performance liquid chromatography size exclusion column, eluted as a single peak (molecular weight of about 160,000) containing trace amounts of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS; protein:LPS, 85:1). The eluted fraction migrated on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels as a single band. It could be prevented from dissociating into two prominent polypeptides by addition of a protease inhibitor. A single dose (2.0 to 79.0 micrograms/kg) of TAT given to pigs intravenously was lethal. Doses from 0.02 to 1.0 microgram/kg caused transient clinical signs of porcine systemic toxicosis with reduced appetite, generalized weakness, depression, lethargy, weight loss, and in some instances, death. Intradermal doses of TAT (greater than or equal to 0.1 microgram/site) produced hemorrhagic areas within four hours. Systemically, TAT causes bilateral TA, lymphopenia, liver dysfunctions, and possible renal impairment. Affinity of TAT for cells of epithelial origin was demonstrated in mice given 125I-TAT. In vitro, TAT stimulated DNA and protein syntheses of peripheral blood lymphocytes and suppressed syntheses in turbinate and kidney cell cultures without being cytolytic. Biological effects of TAT were eliminated by exposure to either heat, trypsin or anti-TAT antibody.
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PMID:Host response to Pasteurella multocida turbinate atrophy toxin in swine. 230 67

Protease inhibitors are an important new class of agents for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The purpose of our trial was to determine the feasibility of combining the protease inhibitor saquinavir with a 96-hour continuous intravenous infusion of cyclophosphamide (800 mg/M2), doxorubicin (50 mg/M2, and etoposide (240 mg/M2) (CDE) plus filgrastim in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with HIV infection. The effect of saquinavir on CDE-induced myelosuppression, CD4 lymphopenia, and non-hematologic toxicity was also sought. Twelve patients with HIV-related lymphoma received CDE every 28 or more days. All patients received saquinavir (600mg PO TID), filgrastim and Pneumocystis carinii and fungal prophylaxis. Patients also received either stavudine (n = 2) or both stavudine and didanosine (n = 10). Toxicity was analyzed using the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria for each cycle and the data were compared with the data from our prior study of CDE plus didanosine. An interim analysis was performed after accrual of the first 12 patients in order to assess toxicity. Severe (grade 3 or 4) mucositis occurred in eight of 12 patients (67%) treated with CDE plus saquinavir compared with three of 25 patients (12%) in our prior study treated with CDE without saquinavir (P < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, saquinavir use was the only factor associated with a significantly greater risk of severe mucositis (relative risk 7.9; P = 0.03). Saquinavir use was not associated with a significant difference in the incidence of febrile neutropenia, prolonged neutropenia, chemotherapy dose reduction, or in the degree of myelosuppression. The decrease in CD4 lymphocytes for patients treated with saquinavir (absolute decrease of 23/microL, or a 26% decrease from baseline) was significantly less than for patients treated without saquinavir in the prior study (absolute decrease of 91/microL, or 42% decrease from baseline; P = 0.05). Four of 10 patients (40%) treated with saquinavir had an increase in CD4 lymphocytes of > or = 10/microL compared with none of 25 patients (0%) treated without saquinavir (P < 0.001). Combination of the protease inhibitor saquinavir with infusional CDE in patients with HIV-associated lymphoma was associated with a significant increase in the incidence of severe mucositis. This finding suggests that saquinavir may alter the metabolism of one of more of the cytotoxic agents in the CDE regimen, and underscores the need for careful investigation regarding the use of the protease inhibitors in patients receiving chemotherapy.
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PMID:Saquinavir enhances the mucosal toxicity of infusional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide in patients with HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 964 31

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) of HIV disease is associated with effective virologic control, immune reconstitution, and clinical improvements. This study addresses the potential for improvements in lymphocyte phenotype and virologic responses of HIV-infected persons with extensive experience with dual nucleoside reverse transcriptase (NRTI) treatment and advanced HIV disease after a change to a potent antiretroviral therapy (NRTI + protease inhibitor). The majority of participants achieved virologic success. There was a median rise in CD4+ lymphocytes of 99 cells/mm(3) by 48 weeks, because of an increase in memory CD4+ cells at 4 and 16 weeks, followed by a later increase in naive CD4+ cells between weeks 16 and 48. The proportion of activated, DR+ CD38+ CD8+ lymphocytes decreased during the 48 weeks of follow-up. The immunologic findings (increased memory and naive T cells and reduced activation levels) were significantly improved in participants with persistent suppression of viral replication over the 48 weeks of the study. Baseline HIV RNA copy number was lower (median, 14,784 copies/ml) in persons who responded virologically than in those not suppressing viral replication (median, 49,454 copies/ml). CD4+ cell counts above the median (125/mm(3)) at time 0 for the participants, was the only baseline immunologic marker significantly associated with viral suppression at week 48. Participants older than 40 years of age demonstrated less immunologic recovery. The results of the study show that patients with extensive experience with NRTIs respond both virologically and immunologically during the first 48 weeks of therapy with a potent antiretroviral regimen.
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PMID:Evidence of immune reconstitution in antiretroviral drug-experienced patients with advanced HIV disease. 1183 42

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic cytokine that enhances Th1 or Th2 immune response. We show a novel mechanism of gastric cancer cells that allows their immune escape utilizing IL-18. All 4 gastric cancer cell lines, but not colon lines, constitutively expressed IL-18 receptors and IL-18 dose-dependently enhanced their in vitro proliferation accompanied by nuclear factor kappaB activation. When IL-18-pretreated gastric cancer cells were cultured with cytokine-activated peripheral blood killer lymphocytes, the antitumor machineries, perforin or interferon-gamma production of killer lymphocytes decreased, resulting in a decreased susceptibility of cancer cells to killer lymphocytes. Furthermore, gastric cancer cells cultured with IL-18 showed an increased expression of a granzyme B inhibitor, protease inhibitor 9. IL-18 injections into severe combined immuno-deficient mice intraperitoneally inoculated with gastric cancer cells consistently decreased the mouse survival time. Our results indicate that gastric cancers exploit IL-18 to grow/invade and evade immunosurveillance in the hosts.
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PMID:Exploitation of interleukin-18 by gastric cancers for their growth and evasion of host immunity. 1604 75

Nelfinavir is an HIV protease inhibitor being repurposed as an anti-cancer agent in preclinical models and in small oncology trials, yet the MTD of nelfinavir has not been determined. Therefore, we conducted a Phase Ia study to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose limiting toxicities (DLT) of nelfinavir in subjects with advanced solid tumors. Adults with refractory cancers were given oral nelfinavir twice daily with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analyses. Twenty-eight subjects were enrolled. Nelfinavir was generally well tolerated. Common adverse events included diarrhea, anemia, and lymphopenia, which were mostly mild. The DLT was rapid-onset neutropenia that was reversible. The MTD was established at 3125 mg twice daily. In an expansion cohort at the MTD, one of 11 (9%) evaluable subjects had a confirmed partial response. This, plus two minor responses, occurred in subjects with neuroendocrine tumors of the midgut or pancreatic origin. Thirty-six percent of subjects had stable disease for more than 6 months. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells, Nelfinavir inhibited AKT and induced markers of ER stress. In summary, nelfinavir is well tolerated in cancer patients at doses 2.5 times the FDA-approved dose for HIV management and showed preliminary activity in tumors of neuroendocrine origin.
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PMID:A phase I trial of the HIV protease inhibitor nelfinavir in adults with solid tumors. 2532 58