Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alefacept is a selective immunomodulating, antipsoriatic drug that blocks the LFA-3/CD2 interaction necessary for the activation and proliferation of memory effector T cells by binding to CD2 expressed on the T cell surface. Because the CD4+ count is reduced by alefacept, it is recommended that this count be monitored on a regular basis to ensure that it does not drop below 250 cells/mul. Few side effects have been related to the use of alefacept that differ from placebo even when CD4+ counts drop below 250 cells/microl. The side effects that have been reported are minor and include: headache, nasopharyngitis, rhinitis, influenza, upper respiratory tract infections, pruritus, arthralgias, fatigue, nausea, accidental injury and increases in liver enzymes. Serious infections and malignancies do not appear linked to the use of alefacept. The percentage of patients who developed antibodies against alefacept is very low. Alefacept is a very safe biological therapy for moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis with few side effects reported. The utility of checking CD4 counts while administering alefacept for 12 weeks appears minimal.
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PMID:Alefacept: a safety profile. 1625 57

The purpose of this survey was to measure the thermal environment in a hospital during winter, and to investigate the subjective responses of patients and staff via a questionnaire. The air temperature and humidity in the sickrooms and nurse stations were measured for 3 months during winter. After 2 months, we introduced humidifiers into about half of the rooms and nurse stations as a method of improving the environment, and evaluated the effects of the installed humidifiers on the thermal conditions. In all, 36 patients and 45 staff members were asked once a week about subjective symptoms (dry and itchy skin, thirst, etc.). Before setting up the humidifiers, the existence of a low-humidity environment in the hospital during winter was confirmed, with the levels of relative humidity and humidity ratio reaching under 50% and 5g/kg DA, respectively, which is known to promote the spread of influenza viruses. However, the introduction of the humidifiers increased the relative humidity in sickrooms from 32.8% to 43.9% on average, and the air humidity in sickrooms thus almost reached the optimum range suggested by the Hospital Engineering Association of Japan (HEAJ). Additionally, complaints of thermal discomfort and dryness of air decreased among the staff, though not among the patients, after the humidifiers were installed. These results suggest that introducing humidifiers into a hospital during winter is an effective method of improving the low-humidity environment and relieving the discomfort of staff members.
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PMID:Effects of setting up of humidifiers on thermal conditions and subjective responses of patients and staff in a hospital during winter. 1765 20

Atopic dermatitis often requires long-term treatment. This European, multicentre, non-comparative, 24-month, follow-up study investigated the efficacy and safety of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment applied to adults with atopic dermatitis. Patients (n=672) applied a thin layer of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment twice daily for 3 weeks to all affected body areas. After 3 weeks, ointment was applied once daily. Clinical improvement became apparent after 2 weeks of treatment and 65.5% of patients had a rating of clearance, excellent or marked improvement by month 3. Skin burning (31.7%) was the most common causally-related adverse event, followed by pruritus (11.3%) folliculitis (6.4%), alcohol intolerance (5.7%), herpes simplex (5.7%), skin infection (4.6%), skin erythema (3.3%) and hyperaesthesia (2.4%). The most commonly reported infections were flu syndrome (12.9%), skin infection (9.8%), folliculitis (7.4%) and herpes simplex (7.0%). Long-term treatment up to 24 months with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment is safe and efficacious in adults with atopic dermatitis.
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PMID:Long-term treatment with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment in adults with atopic dermatitis: results of a two-year, multicentre, non-comparative study. 1772 47

Interferon-alpha-n1 (lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha) is a nonrecombinant 'natural' interferon derived from lymphoblastoid cells exposed to Sendai virus. In common with endogenous and recombinant interferon-alpha molecules, interferon-alpha-n1 has antiviral, immunomodulatory and antiproliferative properties. Interferon-alpha-n1 shows some efficacy in immunocompetent adults with well-compensated chronic viral hepatitis B. Rates of complete virological response (defined as an absence of detectable hepatitis B virus-DNA in the serum) ranged from 5 to 79% of adults who received various dosage regimens of interferon-alpha-n1 in monotherapy trials. Clearance of hepatitis B 'e' antigen was reported in 5 to 70% of patients treated with the drug. Spontaneous virological responses occurred in 0 to 48% of untreated patients. The clinical efficacy of interferon-alpha-n1 in patients with chronic hepatitis B is not improved by concomitantly administered deflazacort, zidovudine or levamisole, but may be increased by a course of corticosteroid pretreatment in some patients. Interferon-alpha-n1 also shows therapeutic benefit in adults with chronic hepatitis C. Complete biochemical responses (defined as normalisation of serum ALT levels) were achieved in 27 to 60% of adult patients treated with the drug, whereas spontaneous normalisation of serum ALT levels occurred in up to 11% of untreated patients. Responses to interferon-alpha-n1 were temporary in 27 to 78% of treatment responders but were sustained in 6 to 40% of patients. Emerging data delineating baseline factors predictive of a positive response to interferon-alpha-n1 treatment may aid in the selection of patients with hepatitis B or C most likely to benefit from treatment with this drug. Most patients receiving interferon-alpha-n1 experience a transient 'influenza-like' syndrome during the first week of treatment. The syndrome, which is dose related and alleviated by paracetamol (acetaminophen), is characterised by fever, chills, and arthralgia. Dose-limiting adverse effects occurring during longer term interferon-alpha-n1 therapy include fatigue, myalgia, headache, depression, pruritus and seizures. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia may also occur during interferon-alpha-n1 treatment. Autoimmune thyroid disease may develop in up to 9% of patients treated with interferon-alpha-n1 for >or=6 months. At present, interferon-alpha-n1 and the recombinant forms of interferon-alpha are the only drugs available for the treatment of adults with well-compensated hepatitis B or C. Interferon-alpha-n1 produces moderate response rates in adults with well-compensated chronic hepatitis B or C. Thus, it is positioned alongside recombinant interferon-alpha products as a useful first-line treatment option for patients with chronic hepatitis B or C.
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PMID:Interferon-alpha-n1: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in the management of chronic viral hepatitis. 1802 May 50

After the detection of human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in Eastern Turkey in January 2006, Turkish Ministry of Health has had declared "National Plans of Activity for Pandemic Influenza". All health-care facilities were recommended to develop contingency plans. Then the essential activities were started in August 2006 in Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine (Edirne, Trace region of Turkey), and institutional education about pandemic influenza and preventive measures was implemented to health care workers (HCWs). In November 2006, health care workers were offered inactivated flu vaccine (Vaxigrip, Sanofi Pasteur, France) supplied by the Ministry of Health. The aim of this questionary survey was to evaluate the visions and conceptions of health care workers about influenza vaccination during the vaccination campaign. All the participants were informed by using an information form including the indications, contraindications and possible adverse reactions of flu vaccine, and were requested to complete the questionnaire about influenza vaccination according to their own perception before vaccination. Vaccine recipients were also invited to the vaccination unit if they had any adverse reaction. A total of 1041 HCWs (560 female, 481 male; mean age: 32.8 +/- 8.2 years) completed the questionnaire. Of them 884 subjects (85%) have accepted to be vaccinated, while 157 subjects (15%) have not. It was determined that 72 HCWs (6.9%) had been administered flu vaccine in 2005, and 38 (3.7%) have had an underlying chronic disease requiring medical therapy. Six subjects (16%) with an underlying chronic disease were vaccinated in 2005, while 66 HCWs (6.6%) without any chronic disease received vaccination voluntarily. Seven workers (0.7%) declined vaccination as they defined hypersensitivity to egg, and 84 workers (8%) had influenza vaccine voluntarily before the campaign in 2006. Sixty six workers (6.3%) have refused to be vaccinated as they considered influenza vaccination ineffective to protect against flu. Two workers (0.2%) had allergic skin reactions such as erythema and itching after vaccination. It can be concluded that influenza vaccination of the health care workers is a part of infection control policies and it is also a matter of patient safety. The implementation of necessary education programmes and attempts to emphasize the importance of vaccination of health care workers especially dealing with high risk patients, would be of crucial importance to decrease the morbidity and mortality due to influenza infections.
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PMID:[Short communication: Evaluation of the flu vaccine administered to health care workers in Trakya University Hospital in 2006]. 1844 72

Adverse events following immunization (AEFI) are not uncommon, with injection site reactions (ISRs) being the most common. Predictors of injection site reactions are vaccine factors (antigen characteristics, antigen dose, dose number of antigen, antigen adjuvanting and type of diluent), vaccine administration factors (site and route of administration) and vaccinee factors (age and sex, the latter the subject of this review). 1,074 studies which reported ISRs were retrieved by searching of on line journals and databases. Analysis of these data for sex-difference was only reported in 57 studies, with 54 of these studies reporting a sex-difference (42 in subjects >17 years and 12 in subjects <17 years). In accord with the well documented greater pain sensitivity in females compared with males, in all studies with vaccines which reported pain during and post vaccination [hepatitis A, B, diphtheria/tetanus toxoid, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis(DTaP and Tdap), anthrax and inactivated influenza], females reported a greater rate of pain than males. The pathophysiology of the sex-difference in local reactions (induration, tenderness, erythema, pruritus) following vaccination is clearly multifactorial with hypersensitivity reaction (type III, Arthus reaction-antigen/antibody immune complex formation), route of administration and hormonal factors being suggested. The data presented in this review demonstrate that studies of AEFI should recruit similar numbers of females and males and that these data should be analyzed for sex-difference. Additionally, unlike as at present, reporting of analysis of AEFI data by sex should become standard practice.
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PMID:Sex differences in injection site reactions with human vaccines. 1937 79

Taxotere has recently been making a noticeable impact on breast, gastric, ovarian, prostate and non-small cell lung cancers. Its side effects include dyspnea, pruritus, skin rashes, fever and hypotension. The patient presented the less common, however potentially fatal, toxicity of pneumonitis. He initially presented with a flu-like illness and hypoxia that was unresponsive to antibiotic treatment and actually progressed. He presented 14 days after his second dose of taxotere, although in retrospect noted symptoms several days prior. Although some patients described in the literature have progressed to respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, this patient responded to steroid treatment and withdrawal of taxotere.
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PMID:Pneumonitis related to docetaxel: case report and review of the literature. 1956

The aim of the present research was to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the novel influenza A (H1N1) in China. We retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological information and clinical characteristics of 150 patients with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection by descriptive epidemiology. There were 82 males and 68 females in this group. The median age of the 150 patients was 34.4 years (range, 4 to 77 years). There were 145 imported cases among the patients and most of these cases came from Australia, America and Canada. The main symptoms included fever, cough and sore throat. Other symptoms included: expectoration, runny nose, throat itching, sniffles, dry pharynx, headache, muscular ache, etc. CD4(+) T cell counts of 48% of the patients were lower than normal. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest in 32 cases was abnormal, including: increased bronchovascular shadows, pneumonia, pleural thickening and pleurisy, etc. Oseltamivir was the first choice for treatment of A (H1N1) influenza and it was safe and well tolerated. The symptoms were minor and the prognosis was good. All patients recovered fully after treatment. Considering the fact that the flu is highly infectious and can be carried through human to human contact rapidly, local Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) should strengthen monitoring and take some measures in view of an influenza A (H1N1) onslaught.
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PMID:Clinical analysis of 150 cases with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Shanghai, China. 2010 36

Influenza infection is associated with many complications, which can lead to hospitalizations and death. This is particularly true for the older adults who are not able to mount as good an immune response as younger adults due to their declining immune function. As such, different strategies are being evaluated to increase immunogenicity in the older adults, including use of adjuvanted vaccines and different delivery techniques, which can enhance immunogenicity as well as potentially be dose-sparing. The objective of this paper was to conduct a systematic review of studies that evaluated the efficacy (in terms of immunogenicity) and safety of intradermal (ID) influenza vaccines compared with traditional methods of administration in the general population and the older adults. Thirteen randomized, controlled, open-label trials were included in this systematic review. Seven trials were conducted in young adults 18-60 years of age, 4 trials were studied in older subjects >60 years, and 2 trials included both young and older adults, of which one did separate analyses for both groups and one did a separate analysis for the older adult population only. We found 7 studies out of 8 for the 18-60-year olds and 4 out of 6 studies in the over 60-year olds showed comparable efficacy between ID and intramuscular (IM) administration. Two out of 6 studies in the over 60-year olds showed superiority of ID administration over IM. Rates of adverse events occurring in the first 3 days were comparable between ID and IM administration of influenza vaccines; however, when assessing adverse events occurring in the first 7 days, rates of local adverse events were consistently higher in the ID group, specifically erythema, swelling, induration, and pruritis. In conclusion, our review shows comparable efficacy between ID and IM administration of influenza vaccine in both the younger and older adults.
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PMID:A systematic review of intradermal influenza vaccines. 2196 44

Imiquimod is an immune response modifier that stimulates the patient's own immune system to release various chemical substances, such as interferon and interleukin-12. Although, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration since 1997 as a topical treatment for genital and perianal warts, investigators have found that this product may offer an alternative treatment for a wide variety of medical conditions, such as for actinic keratoses, molluscum contagiosum, genital herpes, and various skin tumours. Clinical trials are now demonstrating the beneficial effects that its administration may have in treating other immune-related, dermatologic disorders. Understanding the pharmacology of this kind of drug is another step to fully understanding the power of the human immune system. Local reactions occur most frequently and include itching, burning, pain, soreness, flaking, erosions, and crusting. Since, it is administered locally; only a small amount of drug should reach systemic circulation, if used correctly. However, uncommon systemic side effects have been reported including headache, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, nausea, and myalgia. This article reviews imiquimod use in dermatology including its off-label use, side effects, future developments, new molecules related to dermatology and relevant patents.
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PMID:Imiquimod 5% cream use in dermatology, side effects and recent patents. 2218 54


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