scholarly journals Treatment with an Anti-CK2 Synthetic Peptide Improves Clinical Response in Covid-19 Patients with Pneumonia. A Randomized and Controlled Clinical Trial

Author(s):  
Leticia R. Cruz ◽  
Idania Baladron ◽  
Aliusha Rittoles ◽  
Pablo A. Diaz ◽  
Carmen Valenzuela ◽  
...  

Purpose: The instrumental role of CK2 in the SARS-Cov2 infection has pointed out this protein kinase as a promising therapeutic target in Covid-19. Anti-SARS-Cov2 activity has been reported by CK2 inhibitors in vitro; however, any anti-CK2 clinical approach has been investigated in Covid-19. This exploratory trial aimed to explore safety and putative clinical benefit of CIGB-325, an anti-CK2 peptide previously assessed in cancer. Methods: A monocentric, parallel group design, therapeutic exploratory trial of intravenous CIGB-325 in adults hospitalized with Covid-19 was performed. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to receive CIGB-325 (2.5 mg/kg/day during 5-consecutive days) plus standard-of-care (10 patients) or standard-of-care (10 patients). Adverse events were classified by the WHO Adverse Reaction Terminology. Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were performed according to the type of variable. Considering the small sample size, differences between groups were estimated by Bayesian analysis. Findings: CIGB-325 induced transient mild and/or moderate adverse events like pruritus, flushing and rash in some patients. Both therapeutic regimens were similar respect to SARS-Cov2 clearance in nasopharynx swabs over the time. However, CIGB-325 significantly reduced the median number of pulmonary lesions (9.5 to 5.5, p = 0.042) at day 7 and proportion of patients with such effect was also higher according to Bayesian analysis (pDif > 0; 0.951). Additionally, CIGB-325 significantly reduced the CPK (p = 0.007) and LDH (p = 0.028) plasma levels at day 7. Implications: Our preliminary findings suggest that this anti-CK2 clinical approach could be combined with standard-of-care in Covid-19 thus warranting larger studies.

Haematologica ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Stephens ◽  
Ken Boucher ◽  
Elizabeth Kander ◽  
Sameer A. Parikh ◽  
Erin M. Parry ◽  
...  

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who develop Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) have limited survival. No current therapeutic standard of care exists. We conducted a multi-center retrospective study of patients with Hodgkin Transformation (HT) of CLL. Clinicobiologic characteristics, treatment type, and survival outcomes were analyzed and compared with historic case series. Ninety-four patients were identified. Median age at HT was 67 years (range, 38-85). Median time from CLL diagnosis to HT was 5.5 years (range, 0-20.2). Prior to HT, patients received a median of 2 therapies for CLL (range, 0-12). As initial therapy for HT, 61% (n=62) received ABVD-based regimens (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine). Seven (7%) patients received hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) while in first complete remission (CR1). The median number of treatments for HT per patient was 1 (range, 0-5) with 59 (61%) patients only receiving one line of therapy. After HT, patients had a median follow-up of 1.6 years (range, 0-15.1). Two-year overall survival (OS) after HT diagnosis was 72% (95%CI 62-83%). The patients who received standard ABVD-based therapy had a median OS of 13.2 years. Although limited by small sample size, the patients who underwent HCT for HT in CR1 had a similar 2-year OS (n=7; 67%) compared to patients who did not undergo HCT for HT in CR1 (n=87; 72%; p=0.46). In this multi-center study, HT patients treated with ABVD-based regimens had prolonged survival supporting the use of these regimens as standard of care for these patients.


Author(s):  
Conly L. Rieder ◽  
S. Bowser ◽  
R. Nowogrodzki ◽  
K. Ross ◽  
G. Sluder

Eggs have long been a favorite material for studying the mechanism of karyokinesis in-vivo and in-vitro. They can be obtained in great numbers and, when fertilized, divide synchronously over many cell cycles. However, they are not considered to be a practical system for ultrastructural studies on the mitotic apparatus (MA) for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that sectioning them is a formidable task: over 1000 ultra-thin sections need to be cut from a single 80-100 μm diameter egg and of these sections only a small percentage will contain the area or structure of interest. Thus it is difficult and time consuming to obtain reliable ultrastructural data concerning the MA of eggs; and when it is obtained it is necessarily based on a small sample size.We have recently developed a procedure which will facilitate many studies concerned with the ultrastructure of the MA in eggs. It is based on the availability of biological HVEM's and on the observation that 0.25 μm thick serial sections can be screened at high resolution for content (after mounting on slot grids and staining with uranyl and lead) by phase contrast light microscopy (LM; Figs 1-2).


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Kumar ◽  
Minati Choudhury ◽  
Sakshi Dhingra Batra ◽  
Kriti Sikri ◽  
Anushree Gupta

Abstract Objective Endothelin-1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of severe pulmonary hypertension. The + 139 ‘A’, adenine insertion variant in 5′UTR of edn1 gene has been reported to be associated with increased expression of Endothelin-1 in vitro. The aim of present study was to explore the association of this variant with the circulating levels of Endothelin-1 in vivo using archived DNA and plasma samples from 38 paediatric congenital heart disease (cyanotic and acyanotic) patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Results The plasma Endothelin-1 levels were highly varied ranging from 1.63 to75.16 pg/ml. The + 139 ‘A’ insertion variant in 5′UTR of edn1 was seen in 8 out of 38 cases with only one acyanotic sample demonstrating homozygosity of inserted ‘A’ allele at + 139 site (4A/4A genotype). The plasma Endothelin-1 levels in children with homozygous variant 3A/3A genotype were comparable in cyanotic and acyanotic groups. Lone 4A/4A acyanotic sample had ET-1 levels similar to the median value of ET-1 associated with 3A/3A genotype and was absent in cyanotic group presumably due to deleterious higher ET-1 levels. The discussed observations, limited by the small sample size, are suggestive of homozygous adenine insertion variant posing a risk in cyanotic babies with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S799-S800
Author(s):  
Nerea Irusta ◽  
Ana Vega ◽  
Yoichiro Natori ◽  
Lilian M Abbo ◽  
Lilian M Abbo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In-vitro studies have shown synergistic bactericidal activity with daptomycin (DAP) plus β-lactam antimicrobials against vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). There is a paucity of data regarding clinical outcomes with this combination in VRE bloodstream infections (BSI). The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of DAP plus a β-lactam with in-vitro activity vs. other therapies for treatment of VRE BSI. Methods IRB-approved, single-center, retrospective study of patients with VRE BSI from 01/2018-09/2019. Patients were excluded if < 18 years old, pregnant, or incarcerated. The primary outcome was time-to-microbiological clearance. Secondary outcomes included infection-related mortality, 30-day all-cause mortality, and incidence of recurrent BSI within 30 days of index culture. Targeted DAP doses were ≥ 8mg/kg and based on MIC. Factors associated with significance for outcomes, via univariate analysis, were evaluated with multivariable logistic regression (MLR), removed in a backward-step approach. Results A total of 85 patients were included, 23 of which received DAP plus a β-lactam. The comparator arm included linezolid or DAP monotherapy. Patients with combination therapy had significantly higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (p=0.013) and numerically higher Pitt Bacteremia scores (PBS) (p=0.087) (Table 1). There was no difference seen in the primary outcome (Table 2). Secondary outcomes are provided in Table 2. The presence of polymicrobial infection and higher PBS were significantly associated with infection-related mortality (p=0.008 and p=0.005, respectively) by MLR. A Mann Whitney U test indicated that presence of infection-related mortality was greater for patients with higher MICS (U=20.5, p=0.06). The presence of an underlying source may be related to recurrence of BSI (p=0.075). Table 1: Patient Characteristics Table 2. Primary and Secondary Outcomes Conclusion We did not find a significant difference in time-to-microbiological clearance, although patients treated with DAP and a β-lactam had higher CCI and PBS. These results are limited by retrospective design, small sample size, and potential selection bias. Prospective randomized studies are needed to further validate these findings. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18687-e18687
Author(s):  
Maya Leiva ◽  
Angela Pennisi ◽  
Kathleen Kiernan Harnden ◽  
Patricia Conrad Rizzo ◽  
Lauren Ann Mauro

e18687 Background: The long-acting injectable G-CSF, pegfilgrastim and its biosimilars have historically been given to patients 24 hours following the administration of myelosuppressive chemotherapy for either primary or secondary prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia (FN). Previous literature has indicated that pegfilgrastim administration prior to 24 hours post chemotherapy, may result in a deepened and prolonged neutropenia due to the increase in circulating granulocytes exposed to chemotherapy. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce potential SAR-CoV-2 exposure to cancer patients on therapy, we implemented same day administration of injectable pegfilgrastim-cbqv among select breast cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimens from March 2020 – February 2021. Methods: Utilizing retrospective EHR chart reviews, 55 patients among 4 medical oncologists in our breast cancer group were identified as meeting the criteria of same day pegfilgrastim-cbqv administration. Inclusion was based on completion of at least 2 consecutive cycles of same day pegfilgrastim-cbqv 6 mg subcutaneous injection for primary or secondary prophylaxis. The selected patient charts were reviewed for the incidence and severity of FN. Among the patients who had documented FN, further subgroup analyses were done regarding baseline characteristics, timing of neutropenia, regimens, regimen sequence, and reported ADRs associated with pegfilgrastim-cbqv. Results: 9 (16.4%) of the 55 patients experienced FN (Grades 3-4) and 6 (10.9%) patients were hospitalized. There were no Grade 5 events and none had therapy discontinued due to FN. 8 (88.9%) of the patients experienced FN between cycles 1 and 2. Of note, there were no cases of COVID-19 among the 9 patients who had an episode of FN. 52 (94.5%) of the 55 patients received treatment with curative intent and 3 (5.5%) had metastatic disease on a subsequent line of therapy. The median age was 49.1 years (range 29-71) and patients were 56.4% Caucasian, 18.1% Black or African American, 12.7% Asian, and 12.7% Hispanic/Latina. Conclusions: Based on the retrospective data analysis, same day pegfilgrastim-cbqv appears to be a safe and effective option in the primary and secondary prophylaxis of FN with myelosuppressive standard of care chemotherapy used in breast cancer treatment. Though our review was limited by a relatively small sample size and confined to younger (49.1 median age) breast cancer patients, this opens the door to further re-evaluation of same day pegfilgrastim-cbqv administration in other patient populations. In a post pandemic treatment world, this slight change in practice has the potential to reduce patient financial toxicity associated with multiple medical visits, provide an alternative to on-body injector formulations, and ensure treatment adherence.


Author(s):  
Nehad J. Ahmed

Aims: This study aims to review the efficacy of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated pneumonia. Methodology: This review includes searching Google scholar for publications about the use of hydroxychloroquinein the treatment of COVID-19 using the words of (Covid-19) AND hydroxychloroquine. Results: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have proven effective in treating coronavirus in China in vitro, but till now only few clinical trials are available and these trials were conducted on a small sample size of the patients. The efficacy of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine is mainly due to its effect on angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2). Conclusion: The use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine could be very promising but more trials are needed that include larger sample size and more data are required about the comparison between chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine with other antivirals.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5441-5441
Author(s):  
Meera Yogarajah ◽  
Phuong L. Nguyen ◽  
Rong He ◽  
Hassan B. Alkhateeb ◽  
Mithun Vinod Shah ◽  
...  

Background MDS is a heterogeneous disease and the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) is utilized in prognostication. The percentage (%) of blasts in the bone marrow is determined in the aspirate morphologically. Though the former is the standard of care the blast percentage is also reported by flow cytometry and biopsy which can many times be inconsistent. We previously presented the utilization of biopsy based blast percentage which showed meaningful prognostic groups compared to aspirate. In this study we compare the blasts as reported by the aspirate and flow cytometry in MDS-EB in calculating IPSS-R. Methods The MDS database was reviewed for cases of MDS-EB after due IRB approval at the Mayo clinic. We calculated IPSS-R scores based on the aspirate blast % (IPSS-RAsp) and flow blast% (IPSS-Rfl). The aspirate blast percentage was reported morphologically. Suboptimal aspirates were excluded from the study. The flow blast percentage was determined by immunophenotyping. The overall survival (OS) was determined by IPSS-RAsp and IPSS-RFl. OS estimates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank testing using JMP v.13. Uno's concordance statistic was used to compare the 2 risk scoring systems. Results Of 1322 patients, 431 (33%) cases were identified with MDS-EB out of which 120 (29%) cases had blasts reported in the aspirate and flow. Based on aspirate MDS EB1: 54% (n=65), MDS EB2 46% (n=55). The hematological, cytogenetic and R-IPSS categories were compared between MDS-EB1 and MDS- EB 2. The blast percentage and hemoglobin levels was significantly different between MDS-EB1 and EB2 as seen in table 1, however the IPSS-R risk groups were not significantly different. The flow cytometry was concordant with aspirate in 66/120 (55%) cases. Out of the dis-concordant cases only 20% (11/54) was upstaged by flow cytometry with most of the patients being down staged as expected by the techniques used in processing the blood and hence not reliable when reported low (Figure 1). The OS outcomes based on the IPSS- R asp, IPSS-Rfl areshown in figure 2A,2B .The p value with aspirate based R-IPSS was more significant than flow cytometry based R-IPSS (p= 0.0007 vs 0.0174). We compared the two models for observed OS differences using the Uno model which was not statistically significant. (p= 0.6) Conclusions Both models did not show a difference which is likely due to the very small sample size. However flow cytometry did down stage more patients when disconcordant and may have less value in that setting. It would be ideal to compare all 3 models aspirate, biopsy and flow cytometry however we did not have enough number of patients to do the comparison. Disclosures Patnaik: Stem Line Pharmaceuticals.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Al-Kali:Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marvin R. McCreary ◽  
Patrick M. Schnell ◽  
Dale A. Rhoda

Abstract Resveratrol is a polyphenol that has been well studied and has demonstrated anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties that might mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Outpatients (N=105) were recruited from central Ohio in late 2020. Participants were randomly assigned to receive placebo or resveratrol. Both groups received a single dose of Vitamin D3 which was used as an adjunct. The primary outcome measure was hospitalization within 21 days of symptom onset; secondary measures were ER visits, incidence of pneumonia and pulmonary embolism. Five patients chose not to participate after randomization. Twenty-one day outcome was determined of all one hundred participants (mean [SD] age 55.6 [8.8] years; 61% female) (or their surrogates). There were no clinically significant adverse events attributed to resveratrol. Outpatients in this phase 2 study treated with resveratrol had a lower incidence compared to placebo of: hospitalization (2% vs. 6%, RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.04-3.10), COVID-related ER visits (8% vs. 14%, RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.18-1.83), and pneumonia (8% vs. 16%, RR 0.5, 95% CI 0.16-1.55). One patient (2%) in each group developed pulmonary embolism (RR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.06-15.55). This underpowered study was limited by small sample size and low incidence of primary adverse events. A larger trial could determine efficacy.TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04400890 26/05/2020; FDA IND #150033 05/05/2020


Author(s):  
Michel Prud’homme ◽  
François Mathieu ◽  
Nicolas Marcotte ◽  
Sylvine Cottin

AbstractBackground: Current opinions regarding the use of dexamethasone in the treatment of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) are only based on observational studies. Moreover, the use of corticosteroids in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patient with this condition remains controversial. Here, we present data from a prospective randomized pilot study of CSDH patients treated with dexamethasone or placebo. Methods: Twenty patients with imaging-confirmed CSDH were recruited from a single center and randomized to receive dexamethasone (12 mg/day for 3 weeks followed by tapering) or placebo as a conservative treatment. Patients were followed for 6 months and the rate of success of conservative treatment with dexamethasone versus placebo was measured. Parameters such as hematoma thickness and clinical changes were also compared before and after treatment with chi-square tests. Adverse events and complications were documented. Results: During the 6-month follow-up, one of ten patients treated with corticosteroids had to undergo surgical drainage and three of ten patients were treated surgically after placebo treatment. At the end of the study, all remaining patients had complete radiological resolution. No significant differences were observed in terms of hematoma thickness profile and impression of change; however, patients experienced more severe side effects when treated with steroids as compared with placebo. Dexamethasone contributed to many serious adverse events. Conclusions: Given the small sample size, these preliminary results have not shown a clear beneficial effect of dexamethasone against placebo in our patients. However, the number of secondary effects reported was much greater for corticosteroids, and dexamethasone treatment was responsible for significant complications.


Hypertension ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melis Sahinoz ◽  
Fernando Elijovich ◽  
Cheryl L Laffer ◽  
Ashley Pitzer ◽  
Thomas G Stewart ◽  
...  

Introduction: Salt Sensitivity (SS) of blood pressure (BP) is an independent predictor of death due to cardiovascular disease, but its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Sodium (Na + ) is stored in the skin and muscle interstitium. This hyperosmolar Na + activates monocytes in vitro via oxidative stress with generation of isolevuglandin (isoLG) protein adducts that are immunogenic and activate the adaptive immune system. Methods: Five subjects with essential hypertension discontinued all anti-hypertensive therapy for two weeks before the study. SS was assessed by an inpatient protocol of salt loading (460 mmoL/24h) and salt depletion (10 mmoL/24h, plus furosemide 40 mg x 3). Muscle and skin Na + contents were measured at baseline (BA) by 23 Sodium magnetic resonance imaging ( 23 NaMRI). Urine and serum electrolytes, glomerular filtration rate and the % CD14 + monocytes containing isoLG adducts using flow cytometry were obtained at BA, after salt-loading (HI) and after salt-depletion (LO). All continuous data are displayed as median (interquartile range). Spearman’s correlation was used to test associations. Results: Median age was 54 years (44-55), 60% of subjects were female, screening systolic BP (SBP) was 140 mmHg (134-148), diastolic BP was 88 mmHg (84-99) and BMI was 35 kg/m 2 (30-39). SBP response to salt-depletion (salt-sensitivity index, SSI) varied from -13.8 to +1.8 mmHg. %isoLG + CD14 + cells were 48 (27-65) at BA, 55 (31-56) at HI, and 70 (33-72) at LO (p=0.594, by the Kruskal-Wallis test). The correlation between SSI and delta (Δ) %isoLG LO minus HI, was 0.86, [95% confidence interval (CI), -0.07-0.99] which may suggest conclusively as we gather more data that the greater the SSI, the larger the decrease in isoLGs by salt depletion. Muscle Na + content correlated with 24h urine Na + (BA) (r=0.90, 95% CI, 0.11-0.99), however, the correlation with BP, SSI or isoLGs was inconclusive, potentially due to the small sample size. Skin Na + content correlated with baseline %CD14IsoLG + (r=0.91; 95% CI, 0.12-0.99). Conclusions: Na + intake is a component of the determinants of muscle Na + . Skin Na + is associated with increased isoLGs in monocytes, a marker of immune cell activation. Variability in ΔCD14isoLG may serve as a biomarker for SS of BP in humans.


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