The Prognostic Role of Procalcitonin in Critically Ill Patients Admitted in a Medical Stepdown Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a a marker of bacterial infection. Its prognostic role in the critically-ill patient, however, is still object of debate. Aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of admission PCT (aPCT) in assessing the prognosis of the critically-ill patient regardless the presence of bacterial infection.

Thalidomide-dexamethasone versus interferon-alpha-dexamethasone as maintenance treatment after ThaDD induction for multiple myeloma: a prospective, multicentre, randomised study.

Maintenance therapy was explored in multiple myeloma (MM) patients after conventional thalidomide, dexamethasone and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (ThaDD). Patients with newly or relapsed MM obtaining at least minor response after 6 ThaDD courses, were randomised to receive alpha-interferon (IFN) 3 MU 3 times a week or thalidomide 100 mg daily until relapse. Both groups also received pulsed dexamethasone 20 mg 4 d a month.

Serum C-reactive protein at diagnosis and response to therapy is the most powerful factor predicting outcome of multiple myeloma treated with thalidomide/ anthracycline-based therapy.

Background: Few studies have focused on factors affecting outcome in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with thalidomide-based therapy. We investigated factors affecting response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with MM treated with the thalidomide, dexamethasone, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (ThaDD) regimen with the aim to select patients benefiting more from this therapy.

Patients And Methods: Sixty-six patients with MM were treated first line with the ThaDD regimen.

Thalidomide-dexamethasone plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin vs. thalidomide-dexamethasone: a case-matched study in advanced multiple myeloma.

Objectives: Nearly all patients with multiple myeloma (MM) relapse or become refractory to front-line therapy. Several salvage therapies have been explored, but the optimal combination regimen has not been defined. We performed a case-matched study comparing patients with relapsed/refractory MM receiving thalidomide-dexamethasone alone or the combination thalidomide-dexamethasone-liposomal pegylated doxorubicin.

Thalidomide, dexamethasone, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (ThaDD) for patients older than 65 years with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

We present the results of a phase 2 study using thalidomide, dexamethasone, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (ThaDD) in the treatment of 50 patients older than 65 years with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Thalidomide 100 mg was administered orally at bedtime continuously, dexamethasone 40 mg was administered orally on days 1 to 4 and 9 to 12, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 40 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on day 1 over the 28-day cycle. Response was assessed according to the EBMT criteria.

Diagnostic value of C-reactive protein in discriminating fungal from nonfungal pulmonary infiltrates in patients with hematologic malignancies.

The objective of this study was to assess the utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) on differential diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates occurring in 143 febrile patients with hematologic malignancies. Serum CRP level, measured on the first day of pneumonia, was significantly higher in patients with fungal lung infiltrates than in those with nonfungal pneumonia (22.3 mg/dl vs 7.

Low-dose thalidomide with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and high-dose dexamethasone for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a prospective, multicenter, phase II study.

The aim of this prospective, multicenter, phase II study was to investigate the combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx) 40 mg/m2 on day 1 every 28 days, dexamethasone 40 mg p.o. on days 1-4 and 9-12 and thalidomide 100 mg daily in 50 patients with advanced multiple myeloma.