scholarly journals Treatment with Venetoclax for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with the Highest Known White Blood Cell Count: Safe and Effective

Author(s):  
Mehmet Sönmez ◽  
Merve Kestane ◽  
Osman Akıdan ◽  
Nergiz Erkut ◽  
Özlen Bektaş
2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7076-7076
Author(s):  
B. A. McGregor ◽  
A. Gorrebeeck ◽  
E. Struble ◽  
A. Harroff

7076 Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia in the Western Hemisphere, with over 10,000 cases diagnosed annually in the United States. It is characterized by progressive accumulation of functionally incompetent long-lived lymphocytes, shown to be secondary to a defect in programmed cell death or apoptosis. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor sildenafil induces capsase dependent apoptosis of malignant B lymphocytes in vitro. This study will test the hypothesis that sildenafil reduces the expression of BCL-2 and increases the spontaneous apoptosis rate of malignant B-cells in patients with CLL. Methods: Thirteen patients with Rai Stage 0 CLL were enrolled. Nine of the patients were aged sixty-five years or older and received sildenafil 25 mg weekly; four patients were under the age of sixty-five and received sildenafil 25 mg weekly. All patients took the medication for a total of three months. Lymphocyte counts, BCL-2 expression, caspase 3 activity, and apoptosis rate were monitored on enrollment and monthly for duration of the study. Results: The median age of patients enrolled in the study was 74 with a median white blood cell count of 18 x103/mL. Twelve of the 13 patients completed three months of therapy. While one patient withdrew due to blehparitis, not felt to be a side effect of sildenafil, all other patients tolerated the medication well without any adverse effects. There was no significant decrease in white blood cell count or Bcl-2 expression; capsase 3 activity and apoptosis rates remained undetectable on presentation and throughout treatment. Conclusions: At a dose of 25 to 50 mg weekly, sildenafil does not appear to have any effects on the malignant B cells in CLL. While this dose may not produce a measurable clinical or cellular response, higher doses may still have an effect on the malignant B cells of CLL. The dose of sildenafil was based on a case series of patients with Viagra who had decreases in IgM levels while taking sildenafil 25–50 mg weekly. Subsequent studies in have shown a greater reduction in IgM in patients taking sildenafil 100 mg daily and patients did not report any significant side effects. A follow-up study using sildenafil 100 mg daily is warranted. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Yitang Sun ◽  
Jingqi Zhou ◽  
Kaixiong Ye

Increasing evidence shows that white blood cells are associated with the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the direction and causality of this association are not clear. To evaluate the causal associations between various white blood cell traits and the COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, we conducted two-sample bidirectional Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses with summary statistics from the largest and most recent genome-wide association studies. Our MR results indicated causal protective effects of higher basophil count, basophil percentage of white blood cells, and myeloid white blood cell count on severe COVID-19, with odds ratios (OR) per standard deviation increment of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.60–0.95), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.54–0.92), and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73–0.98), respectively. Neither COVID-19 severity nor susceptibility was associated with white blood cell traits in our reverse MR results. Genetically predicted high basophil count, basophil percentage of white blood cells, and myeloid white blood cell count are associated with a lower risk of developing severe COVID-19. Individuals with a lower genetic capacity for basophils are likely at risk, while enhancing the production of basophils may be an effective therapeutic strategy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 247553032110007
Author(s):  
Eric Munger ◽  
Amit K. Dey ◽  
Justin Rodante ◽  
Martin P. Playford ◽  
Alexander V. Sorokin ◽  
...  

Background: Psoriasis is associated with accelerated non-calcified coronary plaque burden (NCB) by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Machine learning (ML) algorithms have been shown to effectively identify cardiometabolic variables with NCB in cross-sectional analysis. Objective: To use ML methods to characterize important predictors of change in NCB by CCTA in psoriasis over 1-year of observation. Methods: The analysis included 182 consecutive patients with 80 available variables from the Psoriasis Atherosclerosis Cardiometabolic Initiative, a prospective, observational cohort study at baseline and 1-year using the random forest regression algorithm. NCB was assessed at baseline and 1-year from CCTA. Results: Using ML, we identified variables of high importance in the context of predicting changes in NCB. For the cohort that worsened NCB (n = 102), top baseline variables were cholesterol (total and HDL), white blood cell count, psoriasis area severity index score, and diastolic blood pressure. Top predictors of 1-year change were change in visceral adiposity, white blood cell count, total cholesterol, c-reactive protein, and absolute lymphocyte count. For the cohort that improved NCB (n = 80), the top baseline variables were HDL cholesterol related including apolipoprotein A1, basophil count, and psoriasis area severity index score, and top predictors of 1-year change were change in apoA, apoB, and systolic blood pressure. Conclusion: ML methods ranked predictors of progression and regression of NCB in psoriasis over 1 year providing strong evidence to focus on treating LDL, blood pressure, and obesity; as well as the importance of controlling cutaneous disease in psoriasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Xiang ◽  
Ming Cheng

Abstract Background Enoxaparin is an anticoagulant that falls in the class of medications called low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs), and is used to prevent or treat patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. Enoxaparin is the most widely used LMWH for DVT prophylaxis following knee or hip replacement surgery. Common side effects of enoxaparin include bleeding, petechiae at the injection site, and thrombocytopenia. However, reactive thrombocytosis is a rarely reported adverse reaction. We managed a patient who developed enoxaparin-associated thrombocytosis, which was completely resolved after treatment cessation. Case presentation A 78-year-old female was hospitalized for post-hip replacement rehabilitation. Low molecular weight heparin 40 mg/day was administered subcutaneously to prevent deep venous thrombosis (DVT). At admission, her platelet count was normal (228 × 109/L) and her white blood cell count was slightly elevated (12.91 × 109/L). Seven days after admission, the patient developed thrombocytosis, which peaked on the 14th day (836 × 109/L), while her white blood cell count had returned to normal (8.86 × 109/L). Her therapeutic regimen was reviewed, and enoxaparin was identified as a potentially reversible cause of reactive thrombocytosis. Switching from enoxaparin to rivaroxaban lead to a gradual decrease in the patient’s platelet count, which eventually returned to normal levels 16 days after enoxaparin was discontinued. No complications secondary to thrombocytosis was observed, and no conclusion was reached on the use of small doses of aspirin for antithrombotic therapy under these circumstances. Conclusion Enoxaparin-induced reactive thrombocytosis should be suspected in patients with thrombocytosis following enoxaparin administration as an anticoagulant to prevent certain complications.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document