MDDScore: confirmation of a blood test to aid in the diagnosis of major depressive disorder.

Background: Previously, a biomarker panel was developed for use as an aid to major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis; it consisted of 9 biomarkers associated with the neurotrophic, metabolic, inflammatory, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis pathways. This panel and associated algorithm produced good clinical sensitivity and specificity (92% and 81%, respectively) in differentiating MDD patients from individuals without MDD. To further validate the panel, we performed a prospective study using a larger set of new prospectively acquired MDD patients and a similarly collected population of nondepressed subjects.

A dose-escalation study of recombinant human interleukin-18 using two different schedules of administration in patients with cancer.

Purpose: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an immunostimulatory cytokine with antitumor activity in preclinical models. A phase I study of recombinant human IL-18 (rhIL-18) was done to determine the toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and biological activities of rhIL-18 administered at different doses in two different schedules to patients with advanced cancer.

Experimental Design: Cohorts of three to four patients were given escalating doses of rhIL-18 as a 2-h i.

Clinical and biological effects of recombinant human interleukin-18 administered by intravenous infusion to patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an immunostimulatory cytokine with antitumor activity in preclinical animal models. A phase I study of recombinant human IL-18 (rhIL-18) was done to determine the toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and biological activities of rhIL-18 in patients with advanced cancer.

Experimental Design: Cohorts of patients were given escalating doses of rhIL-18, each administered as a 2-hour i.

Intracellular cytokines may model immunoregulation of abacavir hypersensitivity in HIV-infected subjects.

Background: The clinical treatment of patients with HIV and adverse drug events may be enhanced by an understanding of the underlying mechanisms. About 4% of patients with HIV receiving the potent antiretroviral drug abacavir develop a hypersensitivity reaction. This idiosyncratic reaction appears to have an immunologic component that has yet to be defined.

Adenocarcinoma cells exposed in vitro to Navelbine or Taxol increase Ep-CAM expression through a novel mechanism.

Ep-CAM antigen expression was shown to vary by phase across the cell cycle. Following pretreatment of various adenocarcinoma cells in culture with clinically relevant concentrations of vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine) or paclitaxel (Taxol), cell surface expression of Ep-CAM antigen increased by two- to ten-fold compared to that of untreated control cells and was associated with arrest of cell cycle progression and accumulation of cells in the S and G2/M phases. We demonstrated that increases in cell surface antigen expression resulted in improved biological effectiveness of the targeting antibody as measured in vitro by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and in vivo by enhanced antibody targeting to Ep-CAM-expressing xenografts in mice pretreated with Navelbine.

The metabolic activation of abacavir by human liver cytosol and expressed human alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes.

Abacavir (ZIAGEN) is a reverse transcriptase inhibitor marketed for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. A small percentage of patients experience a hypersensitivity reaction indicating immune system involvement and bioactivation. A major route of metabolism for abacavir is oxidation of a primary betagamma unsaturated alcohol to a carboxylic acid via an aldehyde intermediate.

Genetic variations in HLA-B region and hypersensitivity reactions to abacavir.

Hypersensitivity to abacavir affects about 4% of patients who receive the drug for HIV-1 infection. We did a retrospective, case-control study to identify multiple markers in the vicinity of HLA-B associated with hypersensitivity reactions. HLA-B57 was present in 39 (46%) of 84 patients versus four (4%) of 113 controls (p<0 small middle dot0001).