Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027947 (neutropenia)
 17,527 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The lack of decisive progress in ovarian cancer chemotherapy in recent years led the ARTAC "Ovary" group to initiate a study based on the hypothesis of collateral sensitivities. In this phase I-II trial, NHO-88, the V-H combination (associating vinorelbine (VNB) and hexamethylmelamine (HMM) was studied in patients with advanced ovarian adenocarcinomas, most of which had become resistant to previous chemotherapy. The aim of the study was to find an active combination without complete cross resistance with first-line platinum salt based combinations, such as CAP, FAP or CACb-300. A pilot feasibility study was first carried out to determine the maximum tolerated weekly dose (MTWD) of VNB (20 mg/m2/week), HMM being administered per os on days 1-14 of every 28-day cycle at a standard dose of 250 mg/m2/day. An open phase II-A study was further carried out according to a 2-step sequential analysis method for phase II clinical trials. We observed: 1), a good tolerance of the V-H combination apart from frequent neutropenia; 2), a response rate of 35% (95% confidence interval: 23-47%); 3), a median response duration of 4 months (range: 1-7 months); 4), in some cases, the absence of a complete cross-resistance between the V-H regimen and the previously administered platinum-based combinations. These results, which are currently being validated (phase II-B ongoing), constitute the first step in the search for active systems of sequential or alternate chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of advanced carcinomas.
 ...
PMID:[Study of vinorelbine (V) combined with hexamethylmelamine (H) (combination V-H) in adenocarcinoma of the ovary: results a phase I-IIA trial, NHO-88, of ARTAC "ovarian" group]. 178 25

Haemodialysis was performed using heparin (dialysis I: heparin regimen 1, 2000 U/h) in ten patients. These subjects were then given an infusion of prostacyclin, in the form of epoprostenol sodium salt (dialysis II: prostacyclin, 5 ng X kg-1 X min-1), followed by an infusion of prostacyclin and heparin (dialysis III: heparin regimen 2,500 U/h). Absolute platelet count, in vitro platelet aggregation and plasma beta-thromboglobulin decreased during prostacyclin infusion. Haemodialysis neutropenia was improved by prostacyclin. The membrane sieving coefficient factor and ultrafiltration volume were not improved by prostacyclin alone (dialysis II). Prostacyclin together with heparin (dialysis III) showed, 60 minutes after the start, an unchanged sieving coefficient factor compared with that of heparin alone, while the ultrafiltration volume significantly (P less than 0.001) improved. The results of this study confirm those of earlier studies and suggest that prostaglandin I2 together with low-dose heparin improve the biocompatibility and efficiency of dialysis treatment.
 ...
PMID:Prostacyclin and heparin during haemodialysis: comparative effects. 353 44

Since the approval of lithium use in treatment of acute mania, there have been numerous clinical trials of lithium in medical and psychiatric disorders. This paper gives a brief review of the literature on lithium trials in approximately fourteen medical conditions. These are: hyperthyroidism, metabolizing thyroid cancer, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, premenstrual tension syndrome, anorexia nervosa, Felty's syndrome, chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, aplastic anemia, seborrheic dermatitis, eczematoid dermatitis, cyclic vomiting, diabetes mellitus and asthma. Most of the case reports cited showed the efficacy of the side effects from lithium salt in the management of the symptoms and signs of these disorders, however, well-designed and controlled studies give negative results. The positive results are reported in the group of disorders having an underlying subdromal affective syndrome such as premenstrual tension syndrome and anorexia nervosa. Other encouraging reports include the effect of lithium to induce leucocytosis in Felty's syndrome and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.
 ...
PMID:A review of clinical trials of lithium in medicine. 639 35

Two patients who developed neutropenia while receiving beta-lactam antibiotics are presented, and the literature on beta-lactam-induced neutropenia is reviewed. A 55-year-old white woman was admitted to the hospital with a white blood cell (WBC) count of 8700/cu mm (68% neutrophils, 12% neutrophil bands, 0% eosinophils, 14% lymphocytes, 5% monocytes). Moxalactam 2 g i.v. (as the disodium salt) every eight hours was started on hospital day 15 after a postoperative fever failed to respond to a regimen of intravenous tobramycin and clindamycin. The patient again had surgery on hospital day 27, and the moxalactam regimen was continued postoperatively. Approximately one week later the patient's WBC count had dropped to 1900/cu mm (8% neutrophils, 14% neutrophil bands, 6% eosinophils, 54% lymphocytes, 16% monocytes); moxalactam was discontinued, and the WBC count gradually increased after substitution of tobramycin and clindamycin for moxalactam. The second patient was a 75-year-old white man who was being treated with intravenous tobramycin and cefoxitin for a hospital-acquired pneumonia. Ticarcillin 3 g i.v. (as the disodium salt) every four hours was added to this regimen on hospital day 23 after sputum cultures revealed Pseudomonas aeruginosa; four days previously, the WBC count had been 25,100/cu mm (64% neutrophils, 31% neutrophil bands, 1% eosinophils, 3% lymphocytes, 0% monocytes). The WBC count on hospital day 36 was 11,900/cu mm (39% neutrophils, 33% neutrophil bands, 11% eosinophils, 10% lymphocytes, 6% monocytes). Two days later it had dropped to 3700/cu mm (2% neutrophils, 0% neutrophil bands, 53% eosinophils, 24% lymphocytes, 16% monocytes), and ticarcillin was discontinued. The WBC count gradually increased and returned to normal within three days after discontinuing ticarcillin. Neutropenia associated with the administration of beta-lactam antibiotics appears to result from an immunologic reaction characterized by rapid destruction of peripheral neutrophils. Among penicillin analogs, penicillinase-resistant penicillins are involved most frequently, especially in pediatric patients receiving dosages of 150 mg/kg/day or greater. Two case reports have implicated ticarcillin as a cause of neutropenia; moxalactam has not been associated with this adverse effect in previous literature reports. Discontinuation of the suspected agent and initiation of an alternative antibiotic regimen is recommended as initial treatment of this condition since recovery usually occurs within days after discontinuing the offending drug.
 ...
PMID:Neutropenia associated with beta-lactam antibiotics. 665 59

The therapeutic effect of most immunosuppressive agents is unspecific and therefore often limited by an increased risk of infection by viral, bacterial or fungal organisms as well as by an increased incidence of malignant neoplasms. This short review includes the most commonly used immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids, azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and cyclosporine. The most common risks of long-term corticosteroid treatment are Cushing-like changes, decreased glucose tolerance and the usually benign steroid diabetes. Also clinically important is osteoporosis, since it can be prevented by physical training, calcium supplementation and treatment with vitamin D if necessary. Although there is still no proof of a significantly increased risk of peptic ulcer during steroid therapy, patients may develop gastrointestinal hemorrhage and even perforation without producing pain while being treated with corticosteroids. Mineralocorticoid effects, such as salt and water retention, are seen only with hydrocortisone and prednisone, whereas with synthetic steroids such as dexamethasone, sodium retention is absent despite their strong antiphlogistic activity. The most important side effect of the cytotoxic agents azathioprine, methotrexate and cyclophosphamide is marrow suppression. Due to the high turnover of neutrophils, patients most frequently suffer neutropenia rather than thrombocytopenia or anemia. Neutropenia, as well as impaired humoral and cellular immune mechanisms, are responsible for increased susceptibility to bacterial, viral or parasitic diseases during immunosuppressive therapy. Hepatotoxicity has been reported among patients receiving azathioprine (cholestatic hepatitis) and methotrexate (elevated AST levels and, rarely, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis). Cyclophosphamide causes hemorrhagic cystitis in a substantial proportion of patients, as well as an increased incidence of urothelial neoplasms. Both these side effects may be prevented by Mesna. The most important side effects of cyclosporine are acute and chronic nephrotoxicity usually associated with significantly elevated plasma levels of the drug. It must be borne in mind that severe nephrotoxicity may occur in patients receiving cyclosporine and ketoconazole together, since the latter may inappropriately increase the plasma cyclosporine level.
 ...
PMID:[Immunosuppression--a tightrope walk between iatrogenic harm and therapy]. 892 65

Lithium salt compounds are used to limit the degree and duration of neutropenia in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a cytokine which possesses promoting activities on hematopoiesis and is also involved in antitumor response, activating NK, CTL and LAK cells. In this study we analyzed IL-15 production by monocyte cultures treated with lithium chloride (LiCl). Monocytes were obtained from patients affected by non-metastatic and metastatic breast cancer. LiCl treatment induced IL-15 production by monocytes mainly from non-metastatic patients. Combined lipopolysaccharide/LiCl treatment of monocyte cultures up-regulated IL-15 release compared to those treated with LPS alone (p<0.0001). The modulation of LiCl-induced IL-15 could counteract the immunosuppression state of cancer patients, which should be taken into account when developing new immunotherapeutic strategies.
 ...
PMID:In vitro effect of lithium chloride on interleukin-15 production by monocytes from IL-breast cancer patients. 1087 22

Management of HCV infection and related liver disease with treatment currently available lead to a sustained virological response in 20% of patients using interferon (IFN)-alpha mono-therapy and approximately 40-45% in those on combination therapy with ribavirin.The aim of the present investigation was to compare the effect of consensus interferon alphacon-1 (C-IFN), and IFN-alpha 2b plus ribavirin, in patients relapsing after treatment with interferon alone. A total of 112 randomised patients with relapsing HCV infection (M/F=53/59), were treated for 24 weeks with: (A) IFN-alpha 2b starting with 5/6MU/day till negativity of HCV-RNA followed by 3MU every other day, plus ribavirin 15mg/kg/day (n=34); (B) C-IFN 9microg/day (n=40); (C) ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; sodium salt) 450mg/day (n=37). At the end of treatment, patients were observed at follow-up for 24 weeks.Clearance of HCV-RNA was achieved by the end of treatment in 23 patients (68%) in Group A and 21 also showed a biochemical response with normal ALT; in Group B, 33 patients (82%) had both a virological and a biochemical response; in Group C, one patient cleared HCV-RNA. At the end of follow-up (sustained-response), 29% of patients in Group A (n=10/34) had negative PCR (seven patients relapsed at the 4th week, six at the 12th); in Group B, a sustained response was achieved in 58% (p<0.03; two patients relapsed at the 4th week, three at the 12th and five at the 24th).MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS COMPRISED: neutropenia (n=17) and decrease in Hb>1.5g/dl (n=33) in Group A, recurrence of psoriasis in two patients in Group B and abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea in 11 patients in Group C.Rapid clearance of circulating HCV-RNA was induced by C-IFN (66% at three weeks, 71% at six weeks): this was a good prognostic index both for end of treatment and sustained response. Treatment with C-IFN lead to a higher response rate compared to that of recombinant IFN-alpha 2b in association with ribavirin. The action of C-IFN is superior in the time taken to reach the maximal response rate during treatment and in the lower prevalence of relapse of the infection.
 ...
PMID:Consensus interferon versus interferon-alpha 2b plus ribavirin in patients with relapsing HCV infection. 1466 12

Camptothecins represent an established class of effective agents that selectively target topoisomerase I by trapping the catalytic intermediate of the topoisomerase I-DNA reaction, the cleavage complex. The water-soluble salt camptothecin-sodium - introduced in early trials in the 1960s - was highly toxic in animals, whereas the semisynthetic derivatives irinotecan and topotecan did not cause haemorrhagic cystitis because of their higher physicochemical stability and solubility at lower pH values. Myelosuppression, neutropenia and, to a lesser extent, thrombocytopenia are dose-limiting toxic effects of topotecan. In contrast to the structurally-related topotecan, irinotecan is a prodrug which has to be converted to SN-38, its active form. SN-38 is inactivated by conjugation, thus patients with Gilbert's syndrome and other forms of genetic glucuronidation deficiency are at an increased risk of irinotecan-induced adverse effects, such as neutropenia and diarrhoea. The cytotoxic mechanism of podophyllotoxin is the inhibition of topoisomerase II. Common adverse effects of etoposide include dose-limiting myelosuppression. Hypersensitivity reactions are more common with etoposide and teniposide than with etoposide phosphate because the formulations of the former contain sensitising solubilisers. Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia occur in 65% and 80%, respectively, of patients after administration of conventional doses of teniposide. Anorexia, vomiting and diarrhoea are generally of mild severity after administration of conventional doses of topoisomerase II inhibitors. Clinical pharmacokinetic studies have revealed substantial interindividual variabilities regarding the area under the concentration-time curve values and steady-state concentrations for all drugs reviewed in this article. Irinotecan, etoposide and teniposide are degraded via complex metabolic pathways. In contrast, topotecan primarily undergoes renal excretion. Regarding etoposide and teniposide, the extent of catechol formation over time during drug metabolism may be associated with a higher risk for secondary malignancies.
 ...
PMID:Camptothecin and podophyllotoxin derivatives: inhibitors of topoisomerase I and II - mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics and toxicity profile. 1652 21

Despite progress in primary treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the majority develop recurrence of the disease. A platinum salt treatment, either as monotherapy or in combination with another cytostatic agent, is indicated for patients who have relapsed 6 or more months after primary treatment and thus have platinum-sensitive relapse. Because repeated use of paclitaxel treatment may lead to substantial neurotoxicity, the combination of gemcitabine with carboplatin represents a suitable treatment option, which is widely used in common clinical practice in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This non-interventional, prospective study observed the effectiveness and tolerability of second-line treatment with gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with platinum-sensitive relapse of ovarian cancer in routine clinical practice. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the survival and secondary endpoints were to evaluate time to disease progression, objective tumor response rate, and treatment toxicity. Patients were enrolled to planned second-line treatment with gemcitabine and carboplatin (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC 5 on Day 1, and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on Day 8 of a 21-day cycle) for platinum-sensitive relapse of ovarian cancer as a part of routine clinical practice and followed for 12 months. The events (death, tumor progression), tumor response, and maximal grades of toxicity were recorded according to common clinical practice. Survival time (using Kaplan-Meier analysis) and objective tumor response rate were calculated using data forms, and a subgroup analysis was performed using log rank tests for time-to-event endpoints; p-values were also calculated. Response rates were calculated for the whole population; for the subgroups, the Fisher's exact test was performed and only p-values were calculated. Between January 2004 and June 2005, 53 patients were enrolled in the study. The median age was 57 years and 96% of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) of 0 and 1 at baseline. Approximately 91% of patients were originally diagnosed with stage III or IV; 60% of patients had disease free intervals (DFIs) of 12 or more months from previous therapy, and the additional 40% less than 12 months. The 1-year survival rate was 83%. Median survival time was not determined within the 12-month period following the start of the treatment study due to the limited duration of follow-up. Objective tumour response rate was 67.3%. Most common reasons for discontinuation of therapy were "Planned treatment completed" (53%) and "Tumor progression" (11%). Most common toxicities were leukopenia, anaemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia; grades 3 and 4 of these toxicity types did not exceed 30%. Febrile neutropenia was recorded in two patients. Most common non-haematological toxicities were nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and neuropathy; grades 3 and 4 of these were below 6%. Results on time to disease progression are not published due to inconsistent statistical analysis of reported data. Based on this observation from routine clinical practice, which corresponds with previously published results from controlled clinical trials, the gemcitabine and carboplatin combination seems to be a suitable therapeutic option for patients with platinum-sensitive relapse of ovarian cancer.
 ...
PMID:Gemcitabine and carboplatin treatment in patients with relapsing ovarian cancer. 1947 54

Bevacizumab, a cytotoxic monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor, is used to treat various malignancies. At best, it has only a moderate impact on overall survival, at a cost of serious adverse effects. The main adverse effects of bevacizumab are arterial hypertension, arterial and venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events, and bleeding. Two meta-analyses of clinical trials published in 2011 showed that fatal adverse events were more frequent with bevacizumab than with other cytotoxic agents or placebo. In one of these studies, bevacizumab increased the risk of fatal adverse effects by a factor of 3.5 in patients also receiving a taxane or platinum salt. In the other study, bevacizumab increased the rate of fatal adverse effects by a factor of about 1.8. Four meta-analyses have shown statistically significant increases in the risk of arterial hypertension, haemorrhage, febrile neutropenia, heart failure, thrombosis and gastrointestinal tract perforation in patients receiving bevacizumab. In practice, before deciding to combine bevacizumab with other cytotoxic drugs, the expected benefits for the individual patient should be weighed against this excess of adverse effects.
 ...
PMID:Bevacizumab: more fatal adverse effects. 2321 Feb 57


1 2 Next >>