Goal Of Work: During the renovation works at our institution, the incidence density for invasive aspergillosis (IA) increased from <0.5 to 0.99/1,000 inpatient days in 2001. As a direct response to this increased environmental risk, itraconazole (ITC) was administered for primary prophylaxis in pediatric cancer patients for whom a particular high risk of IA was anticipated due to prolonged severe neutropenia (>10 days), autologous stem cell transplantation, acute myeloblastic leukemia or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or high-dose steroids >3 weeks.
Materials And Methods: In this open-label, prospective observational study, ITC was given in ITC solution or capsule. Trough concentrations were measured in plasma with high-performance liquid chromatography after at least 7 days of treatment. Doses were adjusted to target plasma trough ITC concentrations > or =0.5 mg/l.
Results: From 2001 to 2005, 39 pediatric cancer patients received 44 prophylactic ITC cycles; 102 trough plasma concentrations were measured after oral administration. Plasma target concentrations >0.5 mg/l were achieved with both formulations. A median dose of 8 mg kg(-1) day(-1) (3.5-16.0 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) was necessary in pediatric oncology patients. The bioavailability of the liquid formulation was significantly lower when the solution was given by a feeding tube. Adverse effects (gastrointestinal, elevated transaminases, and one hemolysis) which led to the cessation of the ITC prophylaxis were reported in 11% of all courses. No breakthrough infection was seen in this pediatric population.
Conclusion: Oral ITC offers a feasible and inexpensive option for antifungal prophylaxis in selected pediatric cancer patients. Drug monitoring and meticulous consideration of possible interactions and adverse effects are mandatory.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0125-7 | DOI Listing |
Cytotherapy
January 2025
Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address:
The December 2024 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Mesoblast's Ryoncil (remestemcel-L-rknd)-allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC(M)) therapy-in pediatric acute steroid-refractory graft-versus-host-disease finally ended a long-lasting drought on approved MSC clinical products in the United States. While other jurisdictions-including Europe, Japan, India, and South Korea-have marketed autologous or allogeneic MSC products, the United States has lagged in its approval. The sponsor's significant efforts and investments, working closely with the FDA addressing concerns regarding clinical efficacy and consistent MSC potency through an iterative process that spanned several years, was rewarded with this landmark approval.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Ther
January 2025
Department of Integrative Physiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address:
Gene therapy with Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) vectors requires knowledge of their tropism within the body. Here we analyze the tropism of ten naturally occurring AAV serotypes (AAV3B, AAV4, AAV5, AAV6, AAV7, AAV8, AAV9, AAVrh8, AAVrh10 and AAVrh74) following systemic delivery into male and female mice. A transgene expressing ZsGreen and Cre recombinase was used to identify transduction in a cell-dependent manner based on fluorescence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Med Ethics
January 2025
Ethics and Work Research Unit, Institute of Advanced Studies (EPHE), Paris, France.
Aim: To carry out a detailed study of existing positions in the French public of the acceptability of refusing treatment because of alleged futility, and to try to link these to people's age, gender, and religious practice.
Method: 248 lay participants living in southern France were presented with 16 brief vignettes depicting a cancer patient at the end of life who asks his doctor to administer a new cancer treatment he has heard about. Considering that this treatment is futile in the patient's case, the doctor refuses to prescribe it.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Hematology and Oncology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No 136 Zhongshan 2 road, YuZhong district, Chongqing, 400014, China.
Genetic alterations play a pivotal role in leukemic clonal transformation, significantly influencing disease pathogenesis and clinical outcomes. Here, we report a novel fusion gene and investigate its pathogenic role in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We engineer a transposon transfection system expressing the TOP2B::AFF2 transcript and introduce it into Ba/F3 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMod Pathol
January 2025
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address:
Fibro-osseous tumors of the craniofacial bones are a heterogeneous group of lesions comprising cemento-osseous dysplasia (COD), cemento-ossifying fibroma (COF), juvenile trabecular ossifying fibroma (JTOF), psammomatoid ossifying fibroma (PsOF), fibrous dysplasia (FD), and low-grade osteosarcoma (LGOS) with overlapping clinicopathological features. However, their clinical behavior and treatment differ significantly, underlining the need for accurate diagnosis. Molecular diagnostic markers exist for subsets of these tumors, including GNAS mutations in FD, SATB2 fusions in PsOF, mutations involving the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway in COD, and MDM2 amplification in LGOS.
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