Triazole antifungal drug interactions-practical considerations for excellent prescribing.

Systemic antifungal therapy is critical for reducing the mortality from many invasive and chronic fungal infections. Triazole antifungals are the most frequently prescribed antifungals but require attention to dosing and drug interactions. Nearly 600 severe drug-drug interactions and over 1100 moderate interactions requiring dose modifications are described or anticipated with systemic antifungal agents (see https://www.

Temporal evolution of new T1-weighted hypo-intense lesions and central brain atrophy in patients with a first clinical demyelinating event treated with subcutaneous interferon β-1a.

Objective: Evaluate the effect of subcutaneous interferon β-1a (sc IFN β-1a) versus placebo on the evolution of T1-weighted MRI lesions and central brain atrophy in in patients with a first clinical demyelinating event (FCDE).

Methods: Post hoc analysis of baseline-to-24 month MRI data from patients with an FCDE who received sc IFN β-1a 44 μg once- (qw) or three-times-weekly (tiw), or placebo, in REFLEX. Patients were grouped according to treatment regimen or conversion to clinically definite MS (CDMS) status.

Reduction in grey matter atrophy in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis following treatment with cladribine tablets.

Background And Purpose: Measures of atrophy in the whole brain can be used to reliably assess treatment effect in clinical trials of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Trials assessing the effect of treatment on grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) atrophy are very informative, but hindered by technical limitations. This study aimed to measure GM and WM volume changes, using a robust longitudinal method, in patients with relapsing MS randomized to cladribine tablets 3.

Macular Choroidal Thickness: Evaluation of Variability among Measurements and Assessment of Predictive Value of Glaucomatous Visual Field Damage.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the choroidal circulation and glaucoma, assessing macular choroidal thickness (MCT) as a predictive value of glaucomatous visual field damage.

Methods: Twenty primary open-angle glaucoma patients were recruited. Patients underwent 2 SS-OCT scans: one with DRI OCT (Topcon) and the other with PLEX Elite 9000 (Zeiss).

Estimation of sample size in randomized controlled trials in multiple sclerosis studying annualized relapse rates: A systematic review.

Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS) studies, the most appropriate model for the distribution of the number of relapses was shown to be the negative binomial (NB) distribution.

Objective: To determine whether the sample-size estimation (SSE) and the analysis of annualized relapse rates (ARRs) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were aligned and compare the SSE between normal and NB distributions.

Methods: Systematic review of phase 3 and 4 RCTs for which the primary endpoint was ARR in relapsing remitting MS published since 2008 in pre-selected major medical journals.

Poorly Cohesive Carcinoma of the Nonampullary Small Intestine: A Distinct Histologic Subtype With Prognostic Significance.

Poorly cohesive carcinomas (PCCs) are neoplasms characterized by a dyshesive cell invasion pattern featuring single-cell or cord-like stromal infiltration. Although they have been extensively studied in the stomach and other digestive system organs, limited data regarding nonampullary small bowel poorly cohesive carcinomas (SB-PCCs) are hitherto available. The aims of our study were to analyze the clinicopathologic and immunophenotypical features of SB-PCCs (PCC pattern accounting for >50% of the neoplasm) and to compare them with small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBAs), not otherwise specified (SBAs-NOS) and with cancers with a histologically distinct PCC component accounting for 10% to 50% of the neoplasm (mixed-poorly-cohesive-glandular-SBAs).

MAGNIMS score predicts long-term clinical disease activity-free status and confirmed disability progression in patients treated with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a.

Background: Subcutaneous (sc) interferon (IFN) β-1a reduces relapse rates and delays disability progression in patients with MS. We examined the association of the year 1 Magnetic Resonance Imaging in MS (MAGNIMS) score with long-term clinical disease activity (CDA) -free status and confirmed disability progression in patients treated with sc IFN β-1a in PRISMS.

Methods: Patients treated with sc IFN β-1a three-times-weekly (22 or 44 μg; pooled data) were classified by MAGNIMS score (0, n = 129; 1, n = 108; 2, n = 130) at year 1.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation following alemtuzumab therapy in aggressive multiple sclerosis: A report of three cases.

The management of multiple sclerosis patients with persistent disease activity under alemtuzumab treatment is not established yet. Concerns have been raised on the safety of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) after alemtuzumab treatment because of the risk of serious infectious adverse events. We report short-term safety and efficacy data from three patients treated with aHSCT following alemtuzumab treatment.

A Systematic Review of the Effect of Delayed Appropriate Antibiotic Treatment on the Outcomes of Patients With Severe Bacterial Infections.

Background: Patients with severe bacterial infections often experience delay in receiving appropriate treatment. Consolidated evidence of the impact of delayed appropriate treatment is needed to guide treatment and improve outcomes.

Research Question: What is the impact of delayed appropriate antibacterial therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with severe bacterial infections?

Study Design And Methods: Literature searches of MEDLINE and Embase, conducted on July 24, 2018, identified studies published after 2007 reporting the impact of delayed appropriate therapy on clinical outcomes for hospitalized adult patients with bacterial infections.

FSH suppression and tumour control in patients with prostate cancer during androgen deprivation with a GnRH agonist or antagonist.

Background: Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists suppress follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to lower levels than GnRH agonists. This may partially explain the differences between these agents on prostate cancer outcomes. In this post-hoc analysis, FSH and prostate specific antigen (PSA) responses and the impact of cross-over from leuprolide to degarelix were evaluated from a 1-year comparative study (CS21) and its extension study (CS21A).