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Revisiones-Clínica-Terapéutica & Ensayos Clínicos *** Reviews-Clinical-Therapeutics & Clinical Trials

 

AGENTES INMUNOSUPRESORES *** IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE COMPOUNDS

(Conceptos / Keywords: Immunosuppressive comp; Muromonab-cd3; Sirolimus; Tacrolimus; Cyclosporine; Mycophenolic acid; Antilymphocyte serum; Immunosuppressive comp. used in oncology, etc).

 

Enero / January 2001 --- Marzo / March 2004

 

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Enlace / Link

 

[1]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Dendritic cells: emerging pharmacological targets of immunosuppressive drugs.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nat Rev Immunol 2004 Jan;4(1):24-34.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1038/nri1256

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hackstein H; Thomson AW

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Langhansstr. 7, D-35392 Giessen, Germany. holger.hackstein@immunologie.med.uni-giessen.de

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Immunosuppressive drugs have revolutionized organ transplantation and improved the therapeutic management of autoimmune diseases. The development of immunosuppressive drugs and understanding of their action traditionally has been focused on lymphocytes, but recent evidence indicates that these agents interfere with immune responses at the earliest stage, targeting key functions of dendritic cells (DCs). Here, we review our present understanding of how classical and new immunosuppressive agents interfere with DC development and function. This knowledge might provide a rational basis for the selection of immunosuppressive drugs in different clinical settings and for the generation of tolerogenic DCs in the laboratory.  N. Ref:: 116

 

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[2]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:La ruta de senalizacion CA++/calcineurina/NFAT en activacion endotelial y angiogenesis: efectos de la ciclosporina A. CA++/ calcineurin/NFAT signaling in endothelial activation and angiogenesis: effects od cyclosporin A .

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nefrologia. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.aulamedica.es/nefrologia/ 

      ●● Cita: Nefrologia: <> 2003;23 Suppl 3:44-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Quesada AJ; Redondo JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid y Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Sinesio Delgado, 4 28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid. jmredondo@cbm.uam.es  N. Ref:: 31

 

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[3]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibodies in renal transplantation: meta-analysis of randomised trials.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - British Medical J (BMJ). Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://bmj.com/search.dtl 

      ●● Cita: British Medical J. (BMJ): <> 2003 Apr 12;326(7393):789.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1136/bmj.326.7393.789

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Adu D; Cockwell P; Ives NJ; Shaw J; Wheatley K

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Nephrology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2TH. dwomoa.adu@uhb.nhs.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibodies on acute rejection episodes, graft loss, deaths, and rate of infection and malignancy in patients with renal transplants. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of published data. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library for years 1996-2003 plus search of medical editors’ trial amnesty and contact with manufacturers of the antibodies. SELECTION OF STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials comparing interleukin-2 receptor antibodies with placebo or no additional treatment in patients with renal transplants receiving ciclosporin based immunosuppression. RESULTS: Eight randomised controlled trials involving 1871 patients met the selection criteria (although only 1858 patients were analysed). Interleukin-2 receptor antibodies significantly reduced the risk of acute rejection (odds ratio 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.63). There were no significant differences in the rate of graft loss (0.78, 0.58 to 1.04), mortality (0.75, 0.46 to 1.23), overall incidence of infections (0.97, 0.77 to 1.24), incidence of cytomegalovirus infections (0.81, 0.62 to 1.04), or risk of malignancies at one year (0.82, 0.39 to 1.70). The different antibodies had a similar sized effect on acute rejection (test for heterogeneity P=0.7): anti-Tac (0.37, 0.16 to 0.89), BT563 (0.37, 0.1 to 1.38), basiliximab (0.56, 0.44 to 0.72), and daclizumab (0.46, 0.32 to 0.67). The reduction in acute rejections was similar for all ciclosporin based immunosuppression regimens (test for heterogeneity P=1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Adding interleukin-2 receptor antibodies to ciclosporin based immunosuppression reduces episodes of acute rejection at six months by 49%. There is no evidence of an increased risk of infective complications. Longer follow up studies are needed to confirm whether interleukin-2 receptor antibodies improve long term graft and patient survival.

 

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[4]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Progress in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - JAMA. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://jama.ama-assn.org/search.dtl 

      ●● Cita: JAMA: <> 2001 Dec 12;286(22):2787-90.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pisetsky DS; St Clair EW

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, 1516 Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Box 151G, Durham, NC 27710, USA. dpiset@acpub.duke.edu  N. Ref:: 27

 

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[5]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Novel therapeutic molecular targets for prostate cancer: the mTOR signaling pathway and epidermal growth factor receptor.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Urol 2004 Feb;171(2 Pt 2):S41-3; discussion S44.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.ju.0000108100.53239.b7

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Tolcher AW

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Director Clinical Research, Institute for Drug Development Cancer Therapy and Research Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - PURPOSE: The scientific rationale and existing evidence for the use of novel molecular targets in the chemoprevention of cancer are reviewed, with special attention to prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search for relevant literature on basic science and clinical trials was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE. RESULTS: The emergence of molecularly targeted therapies for advanced malignancies creates an important opportunity to examine these agents for the chemoprevention of prostate cancer. Two critical targets in the proliferation and malignant transformation of normal cells, the PI3/Akt signal transduction pathway and the epidermal growth factor receptor, are currently the focus of several novel investigational therapies that are in late stage phase II and phase III studies. CONCLUSIONS: Research to date supports consideration of these novel molecular targets as future agents in the chemoprevention of prostate cancer.  N. Ref:: 28

 

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[6]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A randomized long-term trial of tacrolimus/sirolimus versus tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil versus cyclosporine (NEORAL)/sirolimus in renal transplantation. II. Survival, function, and protocol compliance at 1 year.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2004 Jan 27;77(2):252-8.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000101495.22734.07

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ciancio G; Burke GW; Gaynor JJ; Mattiazzi A; Roth D; Kupin W; Nicolas M; Ruiz P; Rosen A; Miller J

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33101, USA. gciancio@med.miami.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: In an attempt to reduce chronic calcineurin inhibitor induced allograft nephropathy in first cadaver and human leukocyte antigen non-identical living-donor renal transplantation, sirolimus (Siro) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was tested as adjunctive therapy, with planned dose reductions of tacrolimus (Tacro) over the first year postoperatively. Adjunctive Siro therapy with a similar dose reduction algorithm for Neoral (Neo) was included for comparison. METHODS: The detailed dose reduction plan (Tacro and Siro, group A; Tacro and MMF, group B; Neo and Siro, group C) is described in our companion report in this issue of Transplantation. The present report documents function, patient and graft survival, protocol compliance, and adverse events. RESULTS: As mentioned (in companion report), group demographics were similar. The present study shows no significant differences in 1-year patient and graft survival but does show a trend that points to more difficulties in group C by way of a rising slope of serum creatinine concentration (P=0.02) and decreasing creatinine clearance (P=0.04). There were more patients who discontinued the protocol plan in group C. Thus far, no posttransplant lymphomas have appeared, and infectious complications have not differed among the groups. However, a greater percentage of patients in group C were placed on antihyperlipidemia therapy, with an (unexpected) trend toward a higher incidence of posttransplant diabetes mellitus in this group. Group A required fewer, and group B the fewest, antihyperlipidemia therapeutic interventions (P<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: This 1-year interim analysis of a long-term, prospective, randomized renal-transplant study indicates that decreasing maintenance dosage of Tacro with adjunctive Siro or MMF appears to point to improved long-term function, with reasonably few adverse events.

 

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[7]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Early outcome after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in patients with acute coronary syndromes: insights from the Rapamycin-Eluting Stent Evaluated At Rotterdam Cardiology Hospital (RESEARCH) registry.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Coll Cardiol 2003 Jun 4;41(11):2093-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lemos PA; Lee CH; Degertekin M; Saia F; Tanabe K; Arampatzis CA; Hoye A; van Duuren M; Sianos G; Smits PC; de Feyter P; van der Giessen WJ; van Domburg RT; Serruys PW

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Dr Molewaterplein 40, NL-3015 GD Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the early outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) treated with sirolimus-eluting stents (SES). BACKGROUND: The safety of SES implantation in patients with a high risk for early thrombotic complications is currently unknown. METHODS: Sirolimus-eluting stents have been utilized as the device of choice for all percutaneous procedures in our institution, as part of the Rapamycin-Eluting Stent Evaluated At Rotterdam Cardiology Hospital (RESEARCH) registry. After four months of enrollment, 198 patients with ACS had been treated exclusively with SES (64% of those treated in the period) and were compared with a control group composed of 301 consecutive patients treated with bare stents in the same time period immediately before this study. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during the first month was evaluated (death, nonfatal myocardial infarction [MI], or re-intervention). RESULTS: Compared with control patients, patients treated with SES had more primary angioplasty (95% vs. 77%; p < 0.01), more bifurcation stenting (13% vs. 5%; p < 0.01), less previous MI (28% vs. 45%; p < 0.01), and less glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor utilization (27% vs. 42%; p < 0.01). The 30-day MACE rate was similar between both groups (SES 6.1% vs. control patients 6.6%; p = 0.8), with most complications occurring during the first week. Stent thrombosis occurred in 0.5% of SES patients and in 1.7% of control patients (p = 0.4). In multivariate analysis, SES utilization did not influence the incidence of MACE (odds ratio 1.0 [95% confidence interval: 0.4 to 2.2]; p = 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for patients with ACS is safe, with early outcomes comparable with bare metal stents.  N. Ref:: 25

 

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[8]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 6 meses de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.pnas.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (PNAS): <> 2001 Jun 19;98(13):7037-44.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1073/pnas.121145898

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Raught B; Gingras AC; Sonenberg N

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Biochemistry and McGill Cancer Centre, McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir-William-Osler, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Rapamycin potently inhibits downstream signaling from the target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins. These evolutionarily conserved protein kinases coordinate the balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation in response to nutrient quality and quantity. The TOR proteins regulate (i) the initiation and elongation phases of translation, (ii) ribosome biosynthesis, (iii) amino acid import, (iv) the transcription of numerous enzymes involved in multiple metabolic pathways, and (v) autophagy. Intriguingly, recent studies have also suggested that TOR signaling plays a critical role in brain development, learning, and memory formation.  N. Ref:: 132

 

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[9]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Rapamycin plays a new role as differentiator of vascular smooth muscle phenotype. focus on “The mTOR/p70 S6K1 pathway regulates vascular smooth muscle differentiation”.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ajpcell.physiology.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml 

      ●● Cita: Am J Physiol Cell Physiol: <> 2004 Mar;286(3):C480-1.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1152/ajpcell.00526.2003

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lucchesi PA  N. Ref:: 12

 

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[10]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - CD3-specific antibody-induced active tolerance: from bench to bedside.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nat Rev Immunol 2003 Feb;3(2):123-32.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1038/nri1000

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chatenoud L

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centre de l’Association Claude Bernard sur les Maladies Autoimmunes and Hopital Necker Enfants Malades IRNEM, 161 Rue de Sevres, 75015 Paris, France. chatenoud@necker.fr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Although they were used initially as non-specific immunosuppressants in transplantation, CD3-specific monoclonal antibodies have elicited renewed interest owing to their capacity to induce immune tolerance. In mouse models of autoimmune diabetes, CD3-specific antibodies induce stable disease remission by restoring tolerance to pancreatic beta-cells. This phenomenon was extended recently to the clinic—preservation of beta-cell function in recently diagnosed patients with diabetes was achieved by short-term administration of a CD3-specific antibody. CD3-specific antibodies arrest ongoing disease by rapidly clearing pathogenic T cells from the target. Subsequently, they promote long-term T-cell-mediated active tolerance. Recent data indicate that transforming growth factor-beta-dependent CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells might have a central role in this effect.  N. Ref:: 117

 

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[11]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Neuroimmunophilins: novel neuroprotective and neuroregenerative targets.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Neurol 2001 Jul;50(1):6-16.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Guo X; Dillman JF 3rd; Dawson VL; Dawson TM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506 (tacrolimus) are immunosuppresants that are widely used in organ transplantation. CsA is an 11-member cyclic peptide, whereas FK506 is a macrolide antibiotic. Recently, these powerful and useful compounds have become of great interest to neuroscientists for their unique neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects. These drugs and nonimmunosuppressive analogs protect neurons from the effects of glutamate excitotoxicity, focal ischemia, and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced dopaminergic cell death. They also stimulate functional recovery of neurons in a variety of neurologic injury paradigms. These drugs exert their effects via immunophilins, the protein receptors for these agents. The immunophilin ligands show particular promise as a novel class of neuroprotective and neuroregenerative agents that have the potential to treat a variety of neurologic disorders.  N. Ref:: 102

 

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[12]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Preliminary guidelines for diagnosing and treating tuberculosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in immunosuppressive trials or being treated with biological agents.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Rheum Dis 2002 Nov;61 Suppl 2:ii62-3.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Furst DE; Cush J; Kaufmann S; Siegel J; Kurth R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - UCLA Medical School, Los Angeles, USA Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, USA.

 

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[13]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Drug-eluting stents in vascular intervention.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Lancet 2003 Jan 18;361(9353):247-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Fattori R; Piva T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Unit, University Hospital S Orsola, 40138, Bologna, Italy. ross@med.unibo.it

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - CONTEXT: Restenosis is the most important long-term limitation of stent implantation for coronary artery disease, occurring in 15-60% of patients. In-stent restenosis, a refractory coronary lesion resulting from neointimal hyperplasia, challenges both vascular biologist and interventional cardiologist. Various drugs and devices have been used tried to overcome restenosis but are not particularly successful. Over 1500000 percutaneous coronary interventions are done annually. Restenosis is not only important clinically but also for its impact on health-care costs. STARTING POINT: Growth and migration of vascular smooth-muscle cells result in neointimal proliferation after vascular injury and are the key mechanism of in-stent restenosis. The rationale of the most recent approaches to restenosis (eg, brachytherapy and immunosuppressive agents) arises from the similarity between tumour-cell growth and the benign tissue proliferation which characterises intimal hyperplasia. Several immunosuppressants have been tested for their potential to inhibit restenosis, with the novel strategy of administering the drug via a coated stent platform. Local drug delivery achieves higher tissue concentrations of drug without systemic effects, at a precise site and time. The first multicentre trial with stents coated with sirolimus was by Marie-Claude Morice and colleagues (N Engl J Med 2002; 346: 1773-80). In a trial of 238 patients, restenosis of 50% or more at 6 months was 0% and 27% with sirolimus or normal stents (p<0.001), respectively, after percutaneous revascularisation. Muzaffer Degertekin and colleagues (Circulation 2002; 106: 1610-13) present data on 2-year follow-up of 15 patients who had been implanted with the sirolimus stent in another study, and confirm persistent inhibition of restenosis and an absence of unexpected adverse events. WHERE NEXT? Local application of antiproliferative agents is a promising technique and research is developing. Other agents with potential benefits (eg, statins, local gene-therapy, adenovirus-mediated arterial gene-transfer, L-arginine, abciximab, angiopeptin, recombinant pegylated hirudin, and hiloprost) as well as improvements in polymer technology (biodegradable smart polymers, coatings for multiple-drug release) are under evaluation. The clinical impact of the elimination of restenosis may influence the approach to coronary artery disease, the future of cardiac surgery, and health-care economics in cardiology.  N. Ref:: 22

 

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[14]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Overcoming restenosis with sirolimus: from alphabet soup to clinical reality.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Lancet 2002 Feb 16;359(9306):619-22.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Poon M; Badimon JJ; Fuster V

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustav L Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029, USA.  N. Ref:: 34

 

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[15]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - New agents in acute myeloid leukemia and other myeloid disorders.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cancer 2004 Feb 1;100(3):441-54.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/cncr.11935

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ravandi F; Kantarjian H; Giles F; Cortes J

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. fravandi@mdanderson.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Over the past several decades, improvements in chemotherapeutic agents and supportive care have resulted in significant progress in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). More recently, advances in understanding the biology of AML have resulted in the identification of new therapeutic targets. The success of all-trans-retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia and of imatinib mesylate in chronic myeloid leukemia have demonstrated that targeted therapy may be more effective and less toxic when well defined targets are available. At the same time, understanding mechanisms of drug resistance and means to overcome them has led to modification of some of the existing cytotoxic agents. Rational design and conduct of clinical trials is necessary to ensure that the full potential of these new agents is realized.  N. Ref:: 140

 

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[16]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - High-dose immune suppression and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in refractory Crohn disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Blood. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.bloodjournal.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Blood: <> 2003 Mar 1;101(5):2064-6. Epub 2002 Oct 10.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1182/blood-2002-07-2122

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Burt RK; Traynor A; Oyama Y; Craig R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Immunotherapy, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. rburt@nwu.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Two patients with severe Crohn disease, defined by a Crohn Disease Activity Index (CDAI) higher than 250 despite anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), were treated by intense immune suppression and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Stem cells were mobilized from the peripheral blood using cyclophosphamide (2.0 g/m2) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; 5 micro g/kg/d), enriched ex vivo by CD34+ selection, and reinfused after immune conditioning with cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) and equine anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG; 90 mg/kg). Patients have remained in remission (CDAI < 100) for 1 year since HSCT. We conclude that further HSCT studies for severe Crohn disease appear warranted.  N. Ref:: 13

 

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[17]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic therapy for pulmonary sarcoidosis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003;(3):CD003536.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/14651858.CD003536

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Paramothayan S; Lasserson T; Walters EH

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Respiratory Medicine, Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, Galsworthy Rd, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, UK, KT2 7QB.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic agents have been used as both an alternative to oral corticosteroids, and as a means of maintaining a low dose of steroids in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of immunosuppressive and cytotoxic agents in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Airways Group trials register was searched for possible randomised trials. Bibliographies were searched for other potentially relevant trials. Searches were current as of February 2001. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing an immunosuppressive or cytotoxic therapy with a control in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were included in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data for entry in to the Review Manager statistical package (MetaView 4.1). Pharmaceutical companies and study investigators were contacted for unpublished trials. MAIN RESULTS: Four studies were included in the review. Trials comparing methotrexate, chloroquine and cyclosporin A were identified. No data could be combined for a meta-analysis. Data on lung function, chest x-ray scores and dyspnoea were largely inconclusive. Adverse effects were associated with methotrexate, cyclosporin A and chloroquine. In one small study, methotrexate was associated with a steroid sparing effect after 12 months of therapy, but no difference was observed at 6 months. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: The current body of evidence supporting the use of immunosuppressive agents and cytotoxic therapies is limited. Side-effects associated with some of the therapies were severe.  N. Ref:: 46

 

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[18]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of chronic granulomatous disease with myeloablative conditioning and an unmodified hemopoietic allograft: a survey of the European experience, 1985-2000.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Blood. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.bloodjournal.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Blood: <> 2002 Dec 15;100(13):4344-50. Epub 2002 Aug 8.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1182/blood-2002-02-0583

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Seger RA; Gungor T; Belohradsky BH; Blanche S; Bordigoni P; Di Bartolomeo P; Flood T; Landais P; Muller S; Ozsahin H; Passwell JH; Porta F; Slavin S; Wulffraat N; Zintl F; Nagler A; Cant A; Fischer A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID), Division of Immunology/Hematology, University Children’s Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. reinhard.seger@kispi.unizh.ch

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Treatment of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) with myeloablative bone marrow transplantation is considered risky. This study investigated complications and survival according to different risk factors present at transplantation. The outcomes of 27 transplantations for CGD, from 1985 to 2000, reported to the European Bone Marrow Transplant Registry for primary immunodeficiencies were assessed. Most transplant recipients were children (n = 25), received a myeloablative busulphan-based regimen (n = 23), and had unmodified marrow allografts (n = 23) from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donors (n = 25). After myeloablative conditioning, all patients fully engrafted with donor cells; after myelosuppressive regimens, 2 of 4 patients fully engrafted. Severe (grade 3 or 4) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) disease developed in 4 patients: 3 of 9 with pre-existing overt infection, 1 of 2 with acute inflammatory disease. Exacerbation of infection during aplasia was observed in 3 patients; inflammatory flare at the infection site during neutrophil engraftment in 2: all 5 patients belonged to the subgroup of 9 with pre-existing infection. Overall survival was 23 of 27, with 22 of 23 cured of CGD (median follow-up, 2 years). Survival was especially good in patients without infection at the moment of transplantation (18 of 18). Pre-existing infections and inflammatory lesions have cleared in all survivors (except in one with autologous reconstitution). Myeloablative conditioning followed by transplantation of unmodified hemopoietic stem cells, if performed at the first signs of a severe course of the disease, is a valid therapeutic option for children with CGD having an HLA-identical donor.  N. Ref:: 30

 

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[19]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells after non-myeloablative conditioning: a cellular therapeutic approach to hematologic and genetic diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Immunol Res 2003;28(1):13-24.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Maris M; Storb R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. mmaris@fhcrc.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Originally, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was viewed as a form of rescue from the marrow lethal effects of high doses of chemo-radiotherapy used to both eradicate malignancy and to provide sufficient immunosuppression to ensure allogeneic engraftment. Clear evidence of a therapeutic graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect mediated by allogeneic effector cells (T cells) has prompted the exploration of HSCT regimens that rely solely upon host immunosuppression (non-myeloablative) to facilitate allogeneic donor engraftment. The engrafted donor effector cells are then used to accomplish the task of eradicating host malignant cells. The non-myeloblative regimen developed in Seattle uses 2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) before transplant followed by postgrafting cyclosporine (CSP) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This regimen resulted in initial mixed donor-host chimerism in all patients with hematologic malignancies and genetic disorders who received HLA-matched sibling allografts. The 17% incidence of graft rejection was reduced to 3% with the addition of fludarabine, 30 mg/m2/day on d -4, -3, and -2. The non-myeloablative combination of fludarabine/TBI has also been successful at achieving high engraftment rates in recipients of 10 of 10 HLA antigen matched unrelated donor HSCTs in patients with hematologic malignancies. By reducing acute toxicities relative to conventional HSCT, most patients have received their pre- and post-HSCT therapy almost exclusively as outpatients. Acute and chronic GVHD occur after non-myeloablative HSCT, but the incidence and severity appear less compared to conventional HSCT. As in conventional transplants, immune dysregulation from GVHD and its treatment and delayed reconstitution of immune function continue to present risks to patients who have otherwise undergone successful non-myeloablative HSCT. Cellular therapeutic effects have been observed after non-myeloablative HSCT such as correction of inherited genetic disorders, and eradication of hematologic malignant diseases and renal cell carcinoma via GVT responses.  N. Ref:: 52

 

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[20]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppressive agents in childhood nephrotic syndrome: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Kidney Int 2001 May;59(5):1919-27.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Durkan AM; Hodson EM; Willis NS; Craig JC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centre for Kidney Research, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Many children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) relapse frequently and receive immunosuppressive agents. In this systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the benefits and harms of these immunosuppressive agents are evaluated. METHODS: RCTs with outcome data at six months or more that evaluated noncorticosteroid agents in relapsing SSNS were included. A summary relative risk for relapse at 6 to 12 months was calculated using a random effects model. RESULTS: Seventeen trials involving 631 children were identified. Cyclophosphamide [3 trials; relative risk (RR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.26 to 0.73] and chlorambucil (2 trials; RR 0.13, 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.57) significantly reduced the relapse risk at 6 to 12 months compared with prednisone alone. In the single chlorambucil versus cyclophosphamide trial, there was no observed difference in relapse risk at two years (RR 1.31, 95% CI, 0.80 to 2.13). Cyclosporine was as effective as cyclophosphamide (1 trial; RR 1.07, 95% CI, 0.48 to 2.35) and chlorambucil (1 trial; RR 0.82, 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.53), but the effect was not sustained when cyclosporine was ceased. During treatment, levamisole (3 trials; RR 0.60, 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.79) was more effective than steroids alone, but the effect was not sustained. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclophosphamide, chorambucil, cyclosporine, and levamisole reduce the risk of relapse in children with relapsing SSNS compared with prednisone alone. Clinically important differences in efficacy among these agents are possible, and further comparative trials are still needed. Meanwhile, the choice between these agents depends on physician and patient preferences related to therapy duration and complication type and frequency.

 

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[21]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - “Stepping-up” from methotrexate: a systematic review of randomised placebo controlled trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with an incomplete response to methotrexate.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Rheum Dis 2001 Nov;60 Suppl 3:iii51-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hochberg MC; Tracy JK; Flores RH

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.  N. Ref:: 20

 

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[22]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Drug immunosuppression therapy for adult heart transplantation. Part 2: clinical applications and results.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Thorac Surg 2004 Jan;77(1):363-71.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mueller XM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. xavier.mueller@usherbrooke.ca

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - This review describes the clinical application of classical immunosuppressive drugs as well as that of more recent drugs. All current immunosuppressive drugs target T-cell activation, and cytokine production and clonal expansion, or both. Immunosuppressive protocols can be broadly divided into induction therapy, maintenance immunosuppression, and treatment of acute rejection episodes.  N. Ref:: 82

 

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[23]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of idiopathic nephrosis by immunophillin modulation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2003 Aug;18 Suppl 6:vi79-86.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Meyrier A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Service de Nephrologie, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, 20 rue Leblanc, F-75015 Paris, France. alain.meyrier@brs.ap-hop-paris.fr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Until 1985, glucocorticoids and cytotoxic drugs were the only treatments available for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (nephrosis), that is, minimal change disease (MCD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Trials of cyclosporine (CsA) treatment of nephrosis, the rationale of which was based on pathophysiologic considerations, have shown that this immunophillin modulator is effective in inducing and maintaining remission in patients suffering from idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. It appears that the best results, in the order of 80% remission rate, are obtained in steroid-sensitive cases, essentially MCD, and that in steroid-resistant FSGS the drug obtains remission in no more than 20% of the cases. Addition of glucocorticoids increases the success rate to approximately 30% of cases. Renal toxicity is proportional to previous impairment of renal function, primary renal disease (FSGS vs MCD) dosage >5.5 mg/kg/day and duration of treatment. The better bioavailability of the new formulation of CsA (Neoral), implies that the former dosage recommendations be reconsidered for distinctly lower figures. Repeat renal biopsy after 1 year of continuous CsA treatment is advisable, as stable serum creatinine levels may be falsely reassuring. CsA dependency is the rule during the first year of treatment. However, in some 25% of cases stable remission may be maintained after slow tapering off following 3-4 years of treatment. Other immunophillin modulators have been tried in the treatment of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Despite few preliminary reports indicating some success of tacrolimus the effects of this drug do not seem convincingly superior to CsA in terms of remission rate, toxicity and dependency. Rapamycin has not been tried in the treatment of nephrosis. Anecdotal cases of de novo FSGS induced by rapamycin in transplanted patients might indicate that this drug is in fact contraindicated in the treatment of nephrosis.  N. Ref:: 36

 

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[24]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - In vitro generation of IL-10-producing regulatory CD4+ T cells is induced by immunosuppressive drugs and inhibited by Th1- and Th2-inducing cytokines.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Immunol Lett 2003 Jan 22;85(2):135-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - O’Garra A; Barrat FJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Immunoregulation, The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1AA, London, UK.  N. Ref:: 40

 

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[25]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Risk for myopathy with statin therapy in high-risk patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Arch Intern Med 2003 Mar 10;163(5):553-64.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ballantyne CM; Corsini A; Davidson MH; Holdaas H; Jacobson TA; Leitersdorf E; Marz W; Reckless JP; Stein EA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Baylor College of Medicine, 6565 Fannin, Mail Station A601, Suite A656, Houston, TX 77030, USA. cmb@bcm.tmc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Emerging data suggest that the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) offer important benefits for the large population of individuals at high risk for coronary heart disease. This population encompasses a sizable portion of individuals who are also at high risk for drug-drug interactions due to their need for multiple medications. In general, statins are associated with a very small risk for myopathy (which may progress to fatal or nonfatal rhabdomyolysis); however, the potential for drug-drug interactions is known to increase this risk in specific high-risk groups. The incidence of myopathy associated with statin therapy is dose related and is increased when statins are used in combination with agents that share common metabolic pathways. Of particular concern is the potential for interactions with other lipid-lowering agents such as fibrates and niacin (nicotinic acid), which may be used in patients with mixed lipidemia, and with immunosuppressive agents, such as cyclosporine, which are commonly used in patients after transplantation. Clinicians should be alert to the potential for drug-drug interactions to minimize the risk of myopathy during long-term statin therapy in patients at high risk for coronary heart disease.  N. Ref:: 128

 

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[26]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Renal transplantation: can we reduce calcineurin inhibitor/stop steroids? Evidence based on protocol biopsy findings.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Soc Nephrol. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.jasn.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: <> 2003 Mar;14(3):755-66.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Gotti E; Perico N; Perna A; Gaspari F; Cattaneo D; Caruso R; Ferrari S; Stucchi N; Marchetti G; Abbate M; Remuzzi G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Medicine and Transplantation, Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - How to combine antirejection drugs and which is the optimal dose of steroids and calcineurin inhibitors beyond the first year after kidney transplantation to maintain adequate immunosuppression without major side effects are far from clear. Kidney transplant patients on steroid, cyclosporine (CsA), and azathioprine were randomized to per-protocol biopsy (n = 30) or no-biopsy (n = 29) 1 to 2 yr posttransplant. Steroid or CsA were discontinued or reduced on the basis of biopsy to establish effects on drug-related complications, acute rejection, and graft function over 3 yr of follow-up. Serum creatinine, GFR (plasma clearance of iohexol), RPF (renal clearance of p-aminohippurate), CsA pharmacokinetics, and adverse events were monitored yearly. At the end, patients underwent a second biopsy. Per-protocol biopsy histology revealed no lesions (n = 5, steroid withdrawal), CsA nephropathy (n = 13, CsA discontinuation/reduction), or chronic rejection (n = 12, standard therapy). Reducing the drug regimen led to overall fewer side effects related to immunosuppression as compared with standard therapy or no-biopsy. Steroids were safely stopped with no acute rejection or graft loss. Complete CsA discontinuation was associated with acute rejection in the first four patients. Lowering CsA to low target CsA trough (30 to 70 ng/ml) never led to acute rejection or major renal function deterioration. Biopsy patients on conventional regimen had no acute rejection, one graft loss, no significant change in GFR, and significant RPF decline. No-biopsy controls: no acute rejection, one graft loss, significant decline of GFR and RPF. By serial biopsy analysis, severe lesions did not develop in patients with steroid discontinuation in contrast to patients on standard therapy over follow-up. CsA reduction did not adversely affect histology. Per-protocol biopsy more than 1 yr after kidney transplantation is a safe procedure to guide change of drug regimen and to lower the risk of major side effects.

 

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[27]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Drug immunosuppression therapy for adult heart transplantation. Part 1: immune response to allograft and mechanism of action of immunosuppressants.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Thorac Surg 2004 Jan;77(1):354-62.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mueller XM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. xavier.mueller@usherbrooke.ca

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In the early days of transplantation, immunosuppression therapy was rather broad and nonspecific, mainly using high-dose corticosteroids and azathioprine. Thereafter we progressively narrowed the target of immunosuppressive strategy starting with polyclonal antibodies. The introduction of cyclosporine, OKT3, and tacrolimus further narrowed the target on the T-cell pathways. More recently mycophenolate mofetil progressively took the place of azathioprine with its higher lymphocyte specificity and sirolimus and interleukin-2 receptor antibodies were introduced. In this field in constant movement the aim is to find a drug or a regimen that provides optimal immunosuppression therapy with minimal side effects, in other words to find the right balance between overimmunosuppression and underimmunosuppression therapy. This review is divided into two parts. The first part will provide a basic understanding of the immunologic response to allograft and explain how conventional and recently introduced immunosuppressive agents work. The second part will describe the clinical application of immunosuppressive drugs to provide practical information for those in charge of heart transplant recipients.  N. Ref:: 68

 

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[28]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Longstanding obliterative panarteritis in Kawasaki disease: lack of cyclosporin A effect.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pediatrics 2003 Oct;112(4):986-92.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kuijpers TW; Biezeveld M; Achterhuis A; Kuipers I; Lam J; Hack CE; Becker AE; van der Wal AC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Emma Children’s Hospital, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. t.w.kuijpers@amc.uva.nl

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Kawasaki disease is a childhood vasculitis of medium-sized vessels, affecting the coronary arteries in particular. We have treated a therapy-resistant child who met all diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease. After the boy was given intravenous immunoglobulins and salicylates, as well as several courses of pulsed methylprednisolone, disease recurred and coronary artery lesions became progressively detectable. Cyclosporin A was started and seemed clinically effective. In contrast to the positive effect on inflammatory parameters, ie, C-reactive protein and white blood cell counts, a novel plasma marker for cytotoxicity (granzyme B) remained elevated. Coronary disease progressed to fatal obstruction and myocardial infarction. Echocardiography, electrocardiograms, and myocardial creatine phosphokinase did not predict impending death. At autopsy an obliterative panarteritis was observed resulting from massive fibrointimal proliferation, affecting the aorta and several large and medium-sized arteries. Immunophenotypic analysis of the inflammatory infiltrates in arteries revealed mainly granzyme-positive cytotoxic T cells and macrophages in the intima and media, as well as nodular aggregates of T cells, B cells, and plasma cells in the adventitia of affected arteries. These findings further endorse the role of specific cellular and humoral immunity in Kawasaki disease. Unremitting coronary arteritis and excessive smooth muscle hyperplasia resulted in coronary occlusion despite the use of cyclosporin A.  N. Ref:: 37

 

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[29]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition as therapy for hematologic malignancies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cancer 2004 Feb 15;100(4):657-66.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/cncr.20026

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Panwalkar A; Verstovsek S; Giles FJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Section of Developmental Therapeutics, Department of Leukemia, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a downstream effector of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase B) signaling pathway, which mediates cell survival and proliferation. mTOR regulates essential signal-transduction pathways, is involved in the coupling of growth stimuli with cell cycle progression, and initiates mRNA translation in response to favorable nutrient environments. mTOR is involved in regulating many aspects of cell growth, including membrane traffic, protein degradation, protein kinase C signaling, ribosome biogenesis, and transcription. Because mTOR activates both the 40S ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70s6k) and the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1, its inhibitors cause G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Inhibitors of mTOR also prevent cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) activation, inhibit retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation, and accelerate the turnover of cyclin D1, leading to a deficiency of active CDK4/cyclin D1 complexes, all of which may help cause G1-phase arrest. It is known that the phosphatase and tensin homologue tumor suppressor gene (PTEN) plays a major role in embryonic development, cell migration, and apoptosis. Malignancies with PTEN mutations, which are associated with constitutive activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, are relatively resistant to apoptosis and may be particularly sensitive to mTOR inhibitors. Rapamycin analogs with relatively favorable pharmaceutical properties, including CCI-779, RAD001, and AP23573, are under investigation in patients with hematologic malignancies.  N. Ref:: 116

 

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[30]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cholesteryl ester transfer protein facilitates the movement of water-insoluble drugs between lipoproteins: a novel biological function for a well-characterized lipid transfer protein.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochem Pharmacol 2002 Dec 15;64(12):1669-75.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kwong M; Wasan KM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, 2146 East Mall Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - This review article addresses the recently discovered finding that cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) can facilitate the transfer of water-insoluble drugs between different lipoprotein subclasses. This protein, which is often referred to as lipid transfer protein I (LTP I), is involved in the lipid regulation of lipoproteins. It is responsible for the facilitated transfer of core lipoprotein lipids, cholesteryl ester and triglycerides, and approximately one-third of the coat lipoprotein lipid, phosphatidylcholine, between different plasma lipoproteins. The human body appears to recognize exogenous water-insoluble drugs as lipid-like particles, which suggests that these compounds may interact with lipoproteins just like endogenous plasma lipids, and thus their transfer between lipoproteins may be facilitated by plasma CETP. Patients with a variety of diseases (i.e. diabetes, cancer, AIDS) often exhibit hypo- and/or hypercholesterolemia and triglyceridemia, commonly referred to as dyslipidemias, which result in changes in their plasma lipoprotein-lipid composition and concentration. The interaction of water-insoluble drugs with these dyslipidemic lipoproteins may be responsible for the differences seen in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug within different diseased patient populations. It is possible that these differences may be linked to the ability of CETP to transfer these compounds from one lipoprotein to another. This review examines the current understanding of the relationship between CETP activity and the lipoprotein distribution of a number of compounds (e.g. amphotericin B and cyclosporine A). It further suggests that additional research will expand our understanding of the role of CETP to explain other functions in lipophilic drug distribution and metabolism.  N. Ref:: 45

 

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[31]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Advances in transplantation tolerance.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Lancet 2001 Jun 16;357(9272):1959-63.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Yu X; Carpenter P; Anasetti C

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Human Immunogenetics Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Immunosuppressive drugs developed in the past two decades have improved the short-term survival of organ allografts, but tolerance has not been achieved and almost all transplant recipients continue to require drugs throughout life. Graft rejection arises from the cognate interaction of T cells with antigen-presenting cells, the recognition of alloantigen through the T-cell receptor, and the delivery of accessory stimulation signals. Once activated by the specific antigen, replicating T cells die if they are re-exposed to the same antigen. Since depletion of antigen-activated T cells is one critical mechanism of transplantation tolerance, drugs such as ciclosporin that interfere with activation-induced T-cell death could inhibit tolerance, whereas drugs such as mycophenolate mofetil, that induce the death of activated T cells, could facilitate tolerance. Other tolerance mechanisms depend on inactivation rather than elimination of allograft reactive T cells. When antigen recognition occurs without costimulation through the CD28 and CD154 accessory receptors, or in absence of cell division, T cells become unresponsive. Thus, inhibitors of CD28 and CD154, and inhibition of T-cell division by rapamycin promotes transplantation tolerance.  N. Ref:: 54

 

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[32]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Rational use of new and existing disease-modifying agents in rheumatoid arthritis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Intern Med. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.annals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Annals of Internal Medicine: <> 2001 Apr 17;134(8):695-706.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kremer JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - The Center for Rheumatology, Albany, New York, USA. jkremer@rheum-docs.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Because of radiographic evidence of progressive bone loss and the inability to eliminate synovial proliferation with methotrexate, it became apparent that therapy for rheumatoid arthritis needed further advancement. Methotrexate is not a remission-inducing drug and may have dose-limiting toxicity. In the past 2 years, three new disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have been approved: leflunomide, etanercept, and infliximab. Each of these agents has demonstrated efficacy compared with placebo in randomized, controlled studies. Because methotrexate had a dominant therapeutic role, the new drugs were also studied in combination with it. Other established DMARDs, such as sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine, have also demonstrated efficacy when used together with methotrexate. The results of these combination studies clearly demonstrate that clinical responses can be meaningfully improved when new and existing DMARDs are added to methotrexate. Although toxicity remains a serious concern when powerful immune modulators and antimetabolites are used in combination, relatively few serious adverse events have been reported during 2-year treatment periods. It has also become apparent that combinations of new DMARDs and methotrexate virtually halt radiographic progression over 2 years. The new agents are expensive, but annual costs must be weighed against the personal and societal expense of joint arthroplasty, hospitalizations, disability, and diminished quality of life that accompanies poorly controlled rheumatoid arthritis. The ultimate value of combination DMARD therapy with methotrexate will be determined by long-term data on safety, efficacy, and effects on radiographic deterioration of bone. Additional long-term observational data on the incidence of joint arthroplasty and disability will help to place the issue of societal costs in a better perspective. This will allow the value of aggressive treatment to be established with certainty.  N. Ref:: 87

 

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[33]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Clinical development of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2002 Oct;16(5):1101-14.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Dancey JE

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Cancer Treatment Evaluation Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, Investigational Drug Branch/CTEP/DCTD/NCI, 6130 Executive Boulevard, EPN 7131, Rockville, MD 20854, USA. danceyj@ctep.nci.nih.gov

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Rapamycin and CCI-779 have significant in vitro and in vivo anti-proliferative activity against a broad range of human tumor cell lines, justifying the clinical evaluation of this class of agent in cancer patients. Preliminary results from phase I studies of CCI-779 suggest that the agent is well tolerated and has anti-tumor activity. The challenge to investigators is to efficiently determine what role this class of agent will play in the treatment of cancer patients.  N. Ref:: 69

 

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[34]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: medical treatment of mild to moderately active Crohn’s disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003 Jun;17 Suppl 2:18-22.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lofberg R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Karolinska Institutet, IBD-unit at HMQ Sophia Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. ibd@sophiahemmet.se

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Crohn’s disease is a chronic, debilitating subset of inflammatory bowel diseases, which may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common sites of inflammation are the terminal ileum and/or the colon. Fistulous disease is present in up to 20% of patients, particularly in those having rectal involvement. The aetiology of Crohn’s disease still remains obscure, therefore medical therapy is directed towards symptomatic relief in active disease and relapse prevention in the long-term setting. Contemporary Crohn’s disease management comprises individual treatment depending mainly on Crohn’s disease localization in the gastrointestinal tract and the disease severity. The mainstay of current medical treatment for mild to moderately active stages of Crohn’s disease includes aminosalicylates, antibiotics, glucococorticosteroids and immunomodulators. Biologics such as anti TNF-compounds and anti-integrins are being introduced.  N. Ref:: 21

 

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[35]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of nephrotic syndrome in children and controlled trials.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2003 Aug;18 Suppl 6:vi75-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Filler G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Paediatrics, Division of Nephrology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Canada. filler@cheo.on.ca

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - AIM: To determine the sequential therapy of childhood nephrotic syndrome (NS) with presumed minimal change nephropathy using the evidence from clinical trials. METHODS: Meta-analysis of 22 randomized controlled trials was performed, using frequency of relapse and side effects of therapeutic regimes. RESULTS: A meta-analysis of seven trials comparing duration of therapy for initial onset showed that duration of at least 3 months significantly reduced the risk of relapse at 12-24 months (relative risk 0.73; 95% confidence interval 0.60-0.89) without an increase in adverse events. Five trials were performed for steroid treatment of relapse. Deflazacort reduced relapses during therapy, but is not generally available. No difference was observed when comparing single and divided dosing of prednisone. Frequency of relapses could not be influenced by duration of relapse therapy. Alternate day therapy was more effective than intermittent use of prednisone. Two studies out of five on cyclophosphamide or chlorambucil showed consistently that alkylating agents should be used before cyclosporine as alternative therapy to steroids. CONCLUSIONS: Children with initial onset of NS should be treated with prednisone at a dose of 60 mg/m(2)/day for 6 weeks, followed by a dose of 40 mg/m(2)/48 h for at least another 6 weeks. If steroid toxicity for treatment of relapsing NS requires alternative treatment, cyclophosphamide (2 mg/kg/day for at least 8 weeks) remains the drug of choice with a curative potential. If children still relapse after alkylating agents, levamisole may serve as an alternative only for frequent relapsing NS, whereas steroid-dependent NS should be treated with cyclosporine.

 

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[36]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Non-corticosteroid treatment for nephrotic syndrome in children.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2001;(4):CD002290.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Durkan A; Hodson E; Willis N; Craig J

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centre for Kidney Research, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW, Australia, 2145. ElisaH@chw.edu.au

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Eighty to ninety per cent children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) have one or more relapses. About half of these children relapse frequently and are at risk of the adverse effects of corticosteroids. Non-corticosteroid immunosuppressive agents are used to prolong periods of remission in children, who relapse frequently. However these non-corticosteroid agents also have significant potential adverse effects. Currently there is no consensus as to the most appropriate second line agent in children who are steroid sensitive, but who continue to relapse. In this systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), the benefits and harms of these immunosuppressive agents are evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the benefits and harms of non-corticosteroid immunosuppressive agents in relapsing SSNS in children. SEARCH STRATEGY: Published and unpublished randomised controlled trials were identified from the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, reference lists of articles, abstracts from proceedings and contact with known investigators in the area. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised or quasi-randomised trials were included if they were carried out in children (aged three months to 18 years) with relapsing SSNS, if they compared non-corticosteroid agents with placebo, prednisone or no treatment, different doses and/ or durations of the same non-corticosteroid agent, different non-corticosteroid agents and if they had outcome data at six months or more. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently reviewed all eligible studies for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. The principle outcome measure was the number of children with and without relapse after six and 12 to 24 months. Secondary outcomes sought were the mean time to next relapse, the mean number of relapses per year and adverse events. A random effects model was used to estimate summary effect measures after testing for heterogeneity. Examination of possible between-study differences due to study quality, different interventions and different populations was attempted by subgroup analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Eighteen trials involving 828 children were identified. Cyclophosphamide (three trials; relative risk (RR) 0.44; 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 0.26 to 0.73) and chlorambucil (two trials; RR 0.13; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.57) significantly reduced the relapse risk at six to twelve months compared with prednisone alone. In the single chlorambucil versus cyclophosphamide trial, there was no observed difference in relapse risk at two years (RR 1.31; 95% CI 0.80 to 2.13). Cyclosporin was as effective as cyclophosphamide (one trial, RR 1.07; 95% CI 0.48 to 2.35) and chlorambucil (one trial, RR 0.82; 95% CI 0.44 to 1.53) but the effect was not sustained when cyclosporin was ceased. During treatment levamisole (three trials, RR 0.60; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.79) was more effective than steroids alone but the effect was not sustained. Mizoribine (one trial) and azathioprine (two trials) were no more effective than placebo or prednisone alone in maintaining remission. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: Eight weeks courses of cyclophosphamide or chorambucil and prolonged courses of cyclosporin and levamisole reduce the risk of relapse in children with relapsing SSNS compared with corticosteroids alone. Clinically important differences in efficacy among these agents are possible and further comparative trials are still needed. Meanwhile choice between these agents depends on physician and patient preferences related to therapy duration and the type and frequency of complications.  N. Ref:: 49

 

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[37]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cytotoxic drugs and interferons for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003;(1):CD003280.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hughes RA; Swan AV; van Doorn PA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Neuroimmunology, Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine, 2nd Floor Hodgkin Building, Guy’s Hospital, London, UK, SE1 1UL. richard.a.hughes@kcl.ac.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is a disease causing progressive or relapsing and remitting weakness and numbness. It is probably due to an autoimmune inflammatory process. Immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory drugs would be expected to be beneficial. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to review systematically the evidence from randomised trials concerning cytotoxic drugs and interferons for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group trials register (searched December 2001), MEDLINE (searched January 1977 to December 2001), EMBASE (January 1980 to December 2001), CINAHL (searched January 1982 to December 2001) and LILACS (searched January 1982 to December 2001). We contacted the authors of the trials identified and other disease experts seeking other published and unpublished trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: We sought randomised and quasi-randomised trials of all immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cyclosporin A, mycophenolate mofetil, and rituximab and all immunomodulatory agents such as alpha interferon and beta interferon in participants fulfilling standard diagnostic criteria for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two of us independently selected the trials which met our criteria, judged their methodological quality and extracted the data onto specially designed forms. We wanted to measure the change in disability after one year as our primary outcome measure. MAIN RESULTS: We found one parallel group open trial of azathioprine for nine months involving 27 participants and another of interferon beta involving 10 participants in a double blind crossover trial with each treatment period lasting 12 weeks. Neither trial provided our primary outcome measure and neither showed a significant beneficial effect on any of the outcome measures selected by the authors or ourselves in the protocol for this review. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: The evidence is inadequate to decide whether azathioprine, interferon beta or any other immunosuppressive drug or interferon is beneficial in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.  N. Ref:: 66

 

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[38]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Effects of immunosuppressive drugs on dendritic cells and tolerance induction.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 May 15;75(9 Suppl):37S-42S.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000067950.90241.1D

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lagaraine C; Lebranchu Y

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - EA 3249, Cellules hematopoietiques, hemostase et greffe, Laboratoire d’immunologie, Faculte de medecine, Tours, France.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Dendritic cells, the most effective antigen-presenting cells for priming naive T cells and initiating immune responses, are also able to induce tolerance. This balance between immunity and tolerance depends on the functional stage of dendritic cells (DC). Activation of naive T cells by immature DC can induce tolerance. It is therefore of interest to summarize the effects of immunosuppressive agents on DC maturation and functions. In contrast to glucocorticosteroids, mycophenolate mofetil, and vitamin D(3) analogs, calcineurin inhibitors do not seem to inhibit DC maturation in in vitro culture systems. However, these molecules all appear to interfere with DC functions.  N. Ref:: 44

 

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[39]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Donor-specific tolerance in fully major histocompatibility major histocompatibility complex-mismatched limb allograft transplants under an anti-alphabeta T-cell receptor monoclonal antibody and cyclosporine A protocol.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 Dec 27;76(12):1662-8.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000105343.49626.6F

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Siemionow MZ; Izycki DM; Zielinski M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Plastic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, A60, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. siemiom@ccf.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that treatment with alphabeta-T-cell receptor (TCR) monoclonal antibody and cyclosporine A (CsA) can extend survival in composite tissue allografts (CTA). The purpose of this study was to induce tolerance in fully major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched rat limb allografts under 7 days of a combined alphabeta-TCR-CsA protocol. METHODS: The authors performed 30 hind-limb allotransplantations across the MHC barrier between Brown Norway donors (BN; RT1n) and Lewis recipients (LEW; RT1l). Isograft and allograft controls received no treatment. The experimental groups received monotherapy of alphabeta-TCR and CsA or a combination of alphabeta-TCR and CsA for 7 days only. Donor-specific tolerance and immunocompetence were determined by standard skin grafting in vivo and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) in vitro. The efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy and the level of donor-specific chimerism were determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Long-term survival (>350 days) was achieved in allograft recipients (n=6) under the 7-day protocol of combined alphabeta-TCR-CsA. Donor-specific tolerance and immunocompetence of long-term chimeras were confirmed by acceptance of skin grafts from the donors and rejection of the third-party alloantigens (AxC Irish). At day 120, MLR demonstrated unresponsiveness to the host and donor antigens but strong reactivity against third-party alloantigens. Flow cytometry confirmed the high efficacy of immunosuppressive treatment and the development of donor-specific chimerism (7.6% of CD4+-RT1n+ cells, 1.3% of CD8+-RT1n+ cells, and 16.5% of CD45RA+-RT1n+ cells) in the periphery of tolerated recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Combined therapy of alphabeta-TCR-CsA for 7 days resulted in tolerance induction in fully MHC-mismatched rat hind-limb allografts. Tolerance was directly associated with stable, donor-specific chimerism.

 

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[40]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppressive agents for treating IgA nephropathy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003;(4):CD003965.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/14651858.CD003965

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Samuels JA; Strippoli GF; Craig JC; Schena FP; Molony DA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Nephrology / Pediatric Nephrology, UT-Houston Health Science Center, 6431 Fannin Street, MSB 4-148, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Joshua.A.Samuels@uth.tmc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a world-wide disease and the cause of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) in 15 to 20% of patients within 10 years and in 30 to 40% of individuals within 20 years from the apparent onset of disease. No specific treatment has yet been established but many approaches have been investigated. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of immunosuppressive treatment for IgAN. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched The Cochrane Renal Group’s specialized register (May 2003), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2002) MEDLINE (1966 - September 2002), EMBASE (1988 - September 2002) and handsearched reference lists of retrieved articles and conference proceedings. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing treatment of IgAN with immunosuppressive agents against placebo, no treatment, other immunosuppressive or non-immunosuppressive agents. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Statistical analyses were performed using the random effects model and the results expressed as relative risk (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS: Thirteen eligible RCTs involving 623 patients were identified. All identified RCTs had a placebo, no treatment or warfarin/dipyridamole control group. Seven trials used steroids, three used alkylating agents/cyclosporin and three used combinations of steroids and alkylating agents/cyclosporin. No trial directly compared steroids versus alkylating agents/cyclosporin. Quality was sub-optimal. Steroids were associated with a lower risk of progression to ESRF (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.80) and lower urinary protein excretion (WMD -0.49 g/24h, 95% CI -0.72 to -0.12). Urinary protein excretion was lower for patients treated with alkylating agents/cyclosporin compared to placebo/no treatment (WMD -0.94 g/24h, 95% CI -1.43 to -0.46). There was no significant reduction of urinary protein excretion with combination treatment of steroids and alkylating agents compared with placebo/no treatment. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: The optimal management of IgAN remains uncertain. The RCTs identified were small, of sub-optimal methodological quality and tended to only report favorable and surrogate outcomes without a thorough reporting of treatment harms. All outcomes favor the use of immunosuppressive interventions, with steroids appearing to be the most promising. Further study, in the form of RCTs, is necessary to ascertain which patients would benefit from these interventions, whether they are the ones with early signs of renal dysfunction or those with more advanced renal impairment.  N. Ref:: 47

 

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[41]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pregnancy outcome after cyclosporine therapy during pregnancy: a meta-analysis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Apr 27;71(8):1051-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bar Oz B; Hackman R; Einarson T; Koren G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - The Motherisk Program, Division of Clinical Pharmacology/Toxicology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Cyclosporine (CsA) therapy must often be continued during pregnancy to maintain maternal health in such conditions as organ transplantation and autoimmune disease. This meta-analysis was performed to determine whether CsA exposure during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, preterm delivery, or low birthweight. METHODS: Various health science databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Articles selected for inclusion in the study were required to be free of any apparent selection bias and report outcomes in at least 10 newborns exposed to CsA in utero, specifically commenting on the presence or absence of congenital malformations. Article selection and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers, with adjudication in cases of disagreement. To assess risks of CsA exposure, a summary odds ratio was calculated. Prevalence of malformations was calculated as a rate for all cyclosporine-exposed live births and for the subgroups identified. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals were constructed for both the odds ratio and prevalence rates. RESULTS: Fifteen studies (6 with control groups of transplant without use of cyclosporine; total patients: 410) met the inclusion criteria for major malformations, 10 for preterm delivery (4 with control groups; total patients: 379) and 5 for low birth weight (1 with control groups; total number of patients: 314). The calculated odds ratio of 3.83 for malformations did not achieve statistical significance (CI 0.75-19.6). The overall prevalence of major malformations in the study population (4.1%) also did not vary substantially from that reported in the general population. OR for prematurity [1.52 (CI 1.00-2.32)] did not reach statistical significance although the overall prevalence rate was 56.3%. The OR for low birth weight [1.5 (CI 0.95-2.44 based on 1 study)]. CONCLUSIONS: CsA does not appear to be a major human teratogen. It may be associated with increased rates of prematurity. More research is needed to evaluate whether cyclosporine increases teratogenic risk.

 

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[42]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Dimerizer-regulated gene expression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Opin Biotechnol 2002 Oct;13(5):459-67.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pollock R; Clackson T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - ARIAD Gene Therapeutics, 26 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. roy.pollock@ariad.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Control of gene expression using small molecules is a powerful research tool and has clinical utility in the context of regulated gene therapy. Use of chemical inducers of dimerization, or dimerizers, for this purpose has several advantages, including tight regulation, modularity to facilitate iterative improvements, and assembly from human proteins to minimize immune responses in clinical applications. Recent developments include the use of the rapamycin-based dimerizer system to regulate the expression of endogenous genes, the generation of new chemical dimerizers based on FK506, dexamethasone and methotrexate, and progress towards the clinical use of adeno-associated virus and adenovirus vectors regulated by rapamycin analogs.  N. Ref:: 40

 

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[43]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Posttransplantation diabetes: a systematic review of the literature.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Diabetes Care. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://care.diabetesjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Diabetes Care: <> 2002 Mar;25(3):583-92.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Montori VM; Basu A; Erwin PJ; Velosa JA; Gabriel SE; Kudva YC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the incidence of posttransplantation diabetes (PTD), risk factors for its development, prognostic implications, and optimal management. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We searched databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and others) from inception to September 2000, reviewed bibliographies in reports retrieved, contacted transplantation experts, and reviewed specialty journals. Two reviewers independently determined report inclusion (original studies, in all languages, of PTD in adults with no history of diabetes before transplantation), assessed study methods, and extracted data using a standardized form. Meta-regression was used to explain between-study differences in incidence. RESULTS: Nineteen studies with 3,611 patients were included. The 12-month cumulative incidence of PTD is lower (<10% in most studies) than it was 3 decades ago. The type of immunosuppression explained 74% of the variability in incidence (P = 0.0004). Risk factors were patient age, nonwhite ethnicity, glucocorticoid treatment for rejection, and immunosuppression with high-dose cyclosporine and tacrolimus. PTD was associated with decreased graft and patient survival in earlier studies; later studies showed improved outcomes. Randomized trials of treatment regimens have not been conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should consider modification of immunosuppressive regimens to decrease the risk of PTD in high-risk transplant recipients. Randomized trials are needed to evaluate the use of oral glucose-lowering agents in transplant recipients, paying particular attention to interactions with immunosuppressive drugs.  N. Ref:: 79

 

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[44]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Calcineurin inhibition and cardiac hypertrophy: a matter of balance.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 6 meses de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.pnas.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (PNAS): <> 2001 Mar 13;98(6):2947-9.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1073/pnas.051033698

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Leinwand LA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Porter Addition, Room A3B40, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0347, USA. leinwand@stripe.colorado.edu  N. Ref:: 18

 

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[45]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The fission yeast TOR proteins and the rapamycin response: an unexpected tale.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2004;279:85-95.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Weisman R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel. ronitt@post.tau.ac.il

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The TOR proteins are known as key regulators of cell growth in response to nutritional and mitogenic signals and as targets for the immunosuppressive and anti-cancerous drug rapamycin. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has two TOR homologues, tor1+ and tor2+. Despite their structural similarity, these genes have distinct functions: tor1+ is required under starvation, extreme temperatures, and osmotic or oxidative stress conditions, whereas tor2+ is required under normal growth conditions. Surprisingly, rapamycin does not seem to inhibit the S. pombe TOR-related functions. Rapamycin specifically inhibits sexual development in S. pombe, and this seems to stem from direct inhibition of the S. pombe FKBP12 homologue. Why S. pombe cells are resistant to rapamycin during the growth phase is as yet unclear and awaits further analysis of the TOR-dependent signaling pathways.  N. Ref:: 27

 

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[46]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Renal function as a predictor of long-term graft survival in renal transplant patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2003 May;18 Suppl 1:i3-6.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - First MR

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Research and Development, Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc., Deerfield, IL 60015, USA. roy_first@fujisawa.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Acute rejection is a major risk factor for kidney graft failure. However, as acute rejection has been progressively reduced by recent immunosuppressive regimens, other risk factors are becoming increasingly important. Evidence is accumulating that early renal function predicts long-term outcome. A recent registry survey of more than 100 000 kidney transplants found that 6- and 12-month serum creatinine levels, as well as the change between 6 and 12 months, are strongly associated with long-term graft survival. A survey of paediatric renal transplant recipients showed that poor creatinine clearance (<50 ml/min) as early as 30 days post-transplant predicted an annual rate of graft loss of 13% compared with <3% in patients with 30-day clearance >50 ml/min. This association between early renal function and long-term outcome was confirmed in multicentre studies. Renal transplant recipients (n=572) with 6-month serum creatinine levels >1.5 mg/dl suffered 3-year graft loss of 19.3% compared with only 8.5% in patients with levels <1.6 mg/dl (P<0.001). Significantly fewer patients receiving tacrolimus had 12-month serum creatinine levels >1.5 mg/dl compared with cyclosporin (42 versus 54%, P<0.05). Interestingly, a single-centre study (n=436) found that while glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at 6 months post-transplant had remained stable over the last decade, the rate of loss of renal function had decreased. A lower rate of GFR loss was associated with absence of rejection, use of mycophenolate mofetil rather than azathioprine and use of tacrolimus rather than cyclosporin (P<0.01). In conclusion, early measures of renal function allow identification of those patients at highest risk of graft failure and provide an invaluable tool for improving outcomes by tailored immunosuppression. The choice of such immunosuppression should be guided not only by its ability to prevent rejection, but also by its impact on renal function.  N. Ref:: 11

 

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[47]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppressive treatment for multifocal motor neuropathy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002;(2):CD003217.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Umapathi T; Hughes RA; Nobile-Orazio E; Leger JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tam, Tolk Seng, Singapore, Singapore, 308433. tumapathi@yahoo.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Multifocal motor neuropathy is a distinct clinical entity characterised by progressive, predominantly distal, asymmetrical limb weakness and minimal sensory abnormality. The pathognomonic feature of this condition is the presence of multiple partial motor nerve conduction blocks. Controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of regular intravenous immunoglobulin infusions. Immunosuppressive agents have been used as primary, second-line or adjunctive agents for its treatment. This review was undertaken to identify and review systematically randomised controlled trials of immunosuppressive agents. The use of intravenous immunoglobulin will be the subject of a separate review. OBJECTIVES: To provide the best available evidence from randomised controlled trials on the role of immunosuppressive agents for the treatment of multifocal motor neuropathy. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group register was searched for all trials of multifocal motor neuropathy published, using ‘multifocal motor neuropathy’ OR ‘chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy’ OR ‘ conduction block’ OR ‘ motor neuropathy’ AND ‘immunosuppressive agents’, ‘immunosuppressants’, ‘corticosteroids’, ‘plasma exchange’, ‘azathioprine’, ‘cyclophosphamide’, ‘cyclosporin’, ‘methotrexate’, and ‘mycophenolate’, ‘immunomodulatory agents’, ‘interferon’, ‘total lymphoid irradiation’ or ‘bone marrow transplantation’ as search terms. In addition we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE for 2000 and 2001 and CINAHL, LILACS for all years. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised clinical trials in which allocation was not random but was intended to be unbiased (e.g. alternate allocation) were to have been selected. Since no such trials were discovered, all prospective and retrospective case series were included in ‘background’ or ‘discussion’ sections of the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: All studies on multifocal motor neuropathy or lower motor neuron weakness with conduction block and no sensory abnormality were scrutinized for data on patients treated with any form of immunosuppressive agents besides intravenous immunoglobulin. The information on the outcome of treatment was then collated and summarised. MAIN RESULTS: We found no randomised controlled trials of any immunosuppressive agents for multifocal motor neuropathy. We summarised the results of retrospective and prospective case series in the discussion of the review. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: There are no randomised controlled trials to indicate whether immunosuppressive agents are beneficial in multifocal motor neuropathy.  N. Ref:: 73

 

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[48]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mycophenolate mofetil for the prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease following stem cell transplantation: preliminary findings.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Bone Marrow Transplant 2001 Jun;27(12):1255-62.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Vogelsang GB; Arai S

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD 21287-8943, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The therapeutic benefits of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with hematologic disorders are limited by the significant morbidity and mortality of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Current agents for the prevention and treatment of GVHD have limited efficacy and often result in toxic side-effects. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a new immunosuppressant with a selective mechanism of action. When employed following solid organ transplantation, MMF reduces the incidence and severity of acute rejection episodes. By selectively targeting activated lymphocytes, the active metabolite of MMF, mycophenolic acid (MPA), appears to augment the actions of standard immunosuppressant agents without adding overlapping toxicities. Studies of combination regimens that include MMF report that this agent permits a dose reduction of cyclosporine, tacrolimus, or corticosteroid, without increasing the incidence of acute rejection in solid organ transplants. Reports on the efficacy of MMF following stem cell transplantation in animal studies were mixed. However, the use of a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen with a post-graft immunosuppressive regimen of MMF and cyclosporine was able to sustain stable mixed chimeras in 60% to 80% of dogs who received hematopoietic grafts from DLA-identical littermates. MMF has demonstrated activity in preliminary clinical trials for GVHD prophylaxis, and treatment of acute or chronic GVHD. Larger clinical trials are warranted to determine the optimum dose and route of MMF administration for GVHD, as well as the comparative safety and efficacy of MMF-containing regimens.  N. Ref:: 36

 

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[49]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Advances in allergic skin diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003 Mar;111(3 Suppl):S805-12.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Leung DY; Boguniewicz M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO 80206, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - During the past year there have been significant advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying allergic skin diseases. This article reviews some of these advances in atopic dermatitis and urticaria. The introduction of a new class of topical anti-inflammatory medications, topical calcineurin inhibitors, has significantly increased our treatment options and led to a rethinking of potential management approaches in atopic dermatitis.  N. Ref:: 87

 

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[50]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Elidel (pimecrolimus) cream 1%: a nonsteroidal topical agent for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003 May;111(5):1153-68.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Eichenfield LF; Beck L

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Children’s Hospital, San Diego, CA 92123, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Elidel is a steroid-free cream containing a 1% strength of the topical immunomodulator pimecrolimus. Elidel was specifically developed as a treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) and is approved for use in children as young as 2 years of age. The production of inflammatory cytokines by activated T cells in skin is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Elidel potently suppresses cytokine production by dermal T cells without significantly impairing systemic immune responses. Elidel does not cause steroid-associated local effects, such as dermal atrophy, striae, or telangiectasia. In randomized controlled clinical studies, twice-daily application of Elidel was shown to significantly improve the signs and symptoms of AD in infants, children, and adults. The clinical effect of Elidel on pruritus, the most troublesome symptom of AD, can be observed within 1 week of therapy and is maintained for the duration of treatment. Elidel is well tolerated; the risk of application-site reactions, such as itching or burning, is comparable with that of the vehicle. Adverse effects were generally mild in patients receiving Elidel and occurred at rates comparable with those in patients receiving vehicle treatment. In a 1-year study, Elidel significantly reduced the incidence of flares when used at the first signs and symptoms of acute AD. As a result, overall corticosteroid use to treat flares was significantly lower in patients using Elidel for early intervention.  N. Ref:: 60

 

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[51]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Composite tissue allotransplantation in chimeric hosts part II. A clinically relevant protocol to induce tolerance in a rat model.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 Dec 15;76(11):1548-55.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000085288.12571.65

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Prabhune KA; Gorantla VS; Perez-Abadia G; Francois CG; Vossen M; Laurentin-Perez LA; Breidenbach WC; Wang GG; Anderson GL; Pidwell DJ; Barker JH; Maldonado C

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: We and others have shown that mixed allogeneic chimerism induces donor-specific tolerance to composite tissue allografts across major histocompatibility complex barriers without the need for immunosuppression. However, a delay period between bone marrow transplantation and limb allotransplantation is required, making such protocols impractical for clinical application. This study eliminates this delay period in a rat hind limb allotransplantation model by performing mixed allogeneic chimerism induction and transplantation “simultaneously.” METHODS: Group 1 included controls in which naive Wistar Furth (WF) hosts received ACI hind limbs. Group 2 included (ACI-->WF) chimeras that received limbs from third-party donors (Fisher), and group 3 included chimeras that received irradiated (1,050 cGy) ACI limbs. In group 4, WF hosts conditioned with 950 cGy received irradiated (1,050 cGy) ACI limbs followed by infusion of 100 x 10(6) ACI T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells and immunotherapy (tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil) for 28 days. Group 5 animals received the same treatment as group 4 animals without immunotherapy. RESULTS: The rats in groups 1 and 2 rejected their limbs within 10 days. Only one rat in group 4 survived to the end of the study. Groups 3 and 5 demonstrated long-term limb survival without rejection or graft-versus-host disease. High levels of donor chimerism (>80%) were achieved and maintained throughout the study. Mixed lymphocyte reaction assays in both groups revealed donor-specific hyporesponsiveness with vigorous third-party reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that infusion of donor bone marrow cells into conditioned hosts immediately after limb transplantation results in stable mixed chimerism, robust tolerance, and reliable limb allograft survival.

 

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[52]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Tacrolimus ointment for the treatment of atopic dermatitis: clinical and pharmacologic effects.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Allergy Asthma Proc 2002 May-Jun;23(3):191-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Rico MJ; Lawrence I

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc, 3 Pookway North Deerfeild, IL 60022, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The topical immunomodulator tacrolimus ointment has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in clinical trials involving over 16,000 patients. Clinical trial results focusing on tacrolimus’ safety and efficacy are summarized. Minimal systemic absorption results from topical application in patients with atopic dermatitis. Although the exact mechanism of action of tacrolimus ointment in atopic dermatitis is unknown, tacrolimus is known to inhibit up-regulation of cytokine production following T cell activation and to decrease Fc epsilon RI expression on dendritic antigen-presenting cells in skin. Additional mechanisms of action of tacrolimus relevant in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin disorders are discussed.  N. Ref:: 27

 

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[53]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppression minimization: current and future trends in transplant immunosuppression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Soc Nephrol. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.jasn.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: <> 2003 Jul;14(7):1940-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Vincenti F

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Kidney Transplant Service, University of California-San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M884, San Francisco, CA 94143-0780, USA. vincentif@surgery.ucsf.edu  N. Ref:: 54

 

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[54]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - mTOR as a positive regulator of tumor cell responses to hypoxia.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2004;279:299-319.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Abraham RT

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Program in Signal Transduction Research, The Burnham Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. abraham@burnham.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Rapamycin is a clinically approved immunosuppressive agent that has recently shown promising antitumor activities in human patients. In contrast to many conventional chemotherapeutic agents, rapamycin displays a remarkably high level of selectivity for certain types of tumors. The pharmacological activities of rapamycin are attributable to the functional inhibition of a single target protein, termed the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Because mTOR is widely expressed in both normal and transformed cells, variations in mTOR expression levels are likely not a primary determinant of tumor sensitivity to rapamycin. However, recent studies highlighted an intriguing link between cancer cell sensitivity to rapamycin and deregulated signaling through the phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase pathway. These findings have prompted a search for cancer-related responses that are jointly regulated by the PI 3-kinase signaling cascade and mTOR. The oxygen-regulated transcription factor, hypoxia-induced factor (HIF)-1, has emerged as a candidate target for both of these two highly interactive signaling proteins. Here we review evidence that mTOR functions as a positive regulator of HIF-1-dependent responses to hypoxic stress in human cancer cells.  N. Ref:: 71

 

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[55]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Antiinflammatory therapy for dry eye.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am J Ophthalmol 2004 Feb;137(2):337-42.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1016/j.ajo.2003.10.036

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pflugfelder SC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Ocular Surface Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. stevenp@bcm.tmc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - PURPOSE: To present evidence establishing the relationship between inflammation and dry eye and supporting the use of antiinflammatory therapy for dry eye. DESIGN: Analysis of literature. METHODS: Research studies that evaluated inflammation in dry eye pathogenesis and clinical trials of antiinflammatory therapies for dry eye were reviewed. RESULTS: There is increasing evidence that decreased tear secretion, decreased tear turnover, and desiccation promote inflammation on the ocular surface. An increase in soluble mediators (cytokines and proteases) in the tear fluid, adhesion molecule expression by the conjunctival epithelium, and T-cell infiltration of the conjunctiva have been observed in dry eye patients. This inflammation appears to have a role in the pathogenesis of the ocular surface epithelial disease, termed keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), that develops in dry eye. Clinical improvement of KCS has been observed after therapy with antiinflammatory agents including corticosteroids, cyclosporin and doxycycline. Cyclosporin A emulsion was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as therapy for dry eye. Randomized placebo-controlled FDA clinical trials showed that cyclosporine A was superior to vehicle in stimulating aqueous tear production, decreasing corneal punctuate fluorescein staining, reducing symptoms of blurred vision, and decreasing artificial tear use in patients with KCS. No ocular or systemic toxicity was observed from this medication. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular surface and lacrimal gland inflammation has been identified in dry eye that plays a role in the pathogenesis of KCS. Antiinflammatory therapy has efficacy for treating KCS. Cyclosporin A is the first FDA approved therapy for this indication. It improved signs and symptoms of KCS, and it is safe for long-term use.  N. Ref:: 76

 

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[56]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - TGF-beta expression in protocol transplant liver biopsies: a comparative study between cyclosporine-A (CyA) and tacrolimus (FK 506) immunosuppression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplant Proc 2001 Feb-Mar;33(1-2):1378-80.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mohamed MA; Burt AD; Robertson H; Kirby JA; Talbot D

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Transplant Immunobiology Group, Department of Surgery, University of Newcastle, NE2 4HH, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

 

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[57]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: does the use of immunosuppressive therapy in inflammatory bowel disease increase the risk of developing lymphoma?

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001 Dec;15(12):1843-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bebb JR; Logan RP

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Gastroenterology, University Hospital, Nottingham, UK.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Recent case reports have raised concerns regarding the risks of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with immunosuppressive agents. This evidence-based review examines this issue from data derived from the use of immunosuppression in other conditions (and inflammatory bowel disease). We conclude that, in transplant (cardiac and renal) recipients, immunosuppression increases the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For non-transplant patients (with psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis), debate remains as to whether the observed increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is due to drug or disease. For inflammatory bowel disease per se, population studies show no significant increase in the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, with a relative risk of 1.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.9-1.7) compared to expected rates, and several studies of immuno- suppression in inflammatory bowel disease do not appear to confirm a significant rate of lymphoma incidence. Reported cases of lymphoma from single centres should be viewed with caution as evidence of increased risk. If any association exists, it is likely to be of minimal clinical significance compared to the established and more frequent risks of myelosuppression and infection, and is unlikely to outweigh the benefit of immunosuppression in inflammatory bowel disease.  N. Ref:: 43

 

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[58]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - CD30+ T-cell lymphoma in a patient with psoriasis treated with ciclosporin and infliximab.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Dermatol 2003 Jul;149(1):170-3.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mahe E; Descamps V; Grossin M; Fraitag S; Crickx B

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, 46 Rue Henri-Huchard, Paris Cedex 18, France. emmanuel.mahe@bch.ap-hop-paris.fr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - There is a known relationship between the use of immunosuppressive therapies and the development of lymphoproliferative malignancies. These lymphomas are mainly B-cell nonHodgkin’s lymphomas associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Most cases concern classical immunosuppressive treatments including ciclosporin and methotrexate. A relationship between the new antitumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha agents and lymphoproliferative malignancies is debated. Patients with psoriasis on immunosuppressive therapies, mainly ciclosporin, are considered to have a low risk of developing lymphoid proliferation. We report a patient with erythrodermic psoriasis treated with ciclosporin and infliximab who developed a CD30+ T-cell lymphoma. This lymphoma regressed after stopping these treatments. In this case, the anti-TNF-alpha agent may have played a role in association with ciclosporin in the development of the lymphoproliferative disorder. Whereas the combination of anti-TNF-alpha therapies with methotrexate has been well studied, their combination with ciclosporin has been evaluated only in a few patients. Psoriatic patients who may require anti-TNF-alpha treatment have often been or will be treated with ciclosporin. The combination of ciclosporin and anti-TNF-alpha warrants further investigation.  N. Ref:: 17

 

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[59]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.5.8. Cardiovascular risks. Immunosuppressive therapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:30-1.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINE: Immunosuppressive therapies, especially corticosteroids and anticalcineurin inhibitors; contribute to the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as arterial hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and hyperglycaemia, and this effect is dose dependent. Reduction of the dose, withdrawal and/or switching to another drug could be useful to control these risk factors.

 

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[60]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cyclosporin trough levels: is monitoring necessary during short-term treatment in psoriasis? A systematic review and clinical data on trough levels.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Dermatol 2002 Jul;147(1):122-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Heydendael VM; Spuls PI; Ten Berge IJ; Opmeer BC; Bos JD; de Rie MA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22660, the Netherlands.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Cyclosporin is an effective treatment for severe plaque psoriasis. Unfortunately, its use may be limited by time- and dose-related nephrotoxicity. Serum trough levels may be useful for monitoring the risk of nephrotoxicity. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether monitoring of trough levels is necessary in psoriasis patients undergoing short-term treatment with cyclosporin. METHODS: A computerized and manual literature search identified studies on adults with plaque-type psoriasis treated with cyclosporin < or = 5 mg kg-1 daily, in which trough levels were measured in whole blood. Number of patients, treatment duration, formulation and dosage, renal function tests and trough levels were extracted. The association between renal function and trough levels was investigated. Additionally, in a randomized controlled trial on cyclosporin vs. methotrexate in moderate to severe psoriasis, cyclosporin trough levels were measured frequently in 20 patients during 12 weeks of treatment. The Pearson correlation coefficient between serum creatinine and cyclosporin trough levels was calculated. RESULTS: Fifty-six articles were found concerning cyclosporin trough level measurements in psoriasis patients, of which eight were analysed. Many studies were excluded due to inappropriate cyclosporin dosages used. As data were heterogeneous and lacked various key parameters, a correlation study and a meta-analysis could not be performed. Instead, a quantitative description of the literature was given. No high mean trough levels or elevations of serum creatinine were described. In our clinical study, all the mean trough levels in 17 patients treated with cyclosporin 3 mg kg-1 daily were within the therapeutic range (< 200 ng mL-1). Elevated trough levels were found in two of three patients treated with cyclosporin 3-5 mg kg-1 daily. No signs of renal dysfunction were seen. CONCLUSIONS: The literature does not provide a definitive answer on whether monitoring cyclosporin trough levels in patients with psoriasis should be standard practice. Our own data show no need for cyclosporin trough level monitoring during short-term treatment with cyclosporin 3 mg kg-1 daily. However, when cyclosporin doses are > 3 mg kg-1 daily, monitoring may be indicated.  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[61]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Elucidating TOR signaling and rapamycin action: lessons from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. - Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://mmbr.asm.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Microbiology & Molecular Biology Reviews: <> 2002 Dec;66(4):579-91, table of contents.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Crespo JL; Hall MN

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Basel, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - TOR (target of rapamycin) is a phosphatidylinositol kinase-related protein kinase that controls cell growth in response to nutrients. Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive and anticancer drug that acts by inhibiting TOR. The modes of action of TOR and rapamycin are remarkably conserved from S. cerevisiae to humans. The current understanding of TOR and rapamycin is derived largely from studies with S. cerevisiae. In this review, we discuss the contributions made by S. cerevisiae to understanding rapamycin action and TOR function.  N. Ref:: 171

 

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[62]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma in children: response to combination therapy with cyclosporine and chemotherapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Acad Dermatol 2004 Feb;50(2 Suppl):S18-22.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1016/S0190

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Shani-Adir A; Lucky AW; Prendiville J; Murphy S; Passo M; Huang FS; Paller AS

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Dermatology, Children’s Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children’s Plaza, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - We describe 2 adolescent boys with facial swelling and/or subcutaneous nodules and fever. Extensive evaluation, including several biopsy specimens, led to a diagnosis of subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma, an entity rarely seen in children. Both patients were treated with oral cyclosporine in an effort to suppress the cytokine release from T-cells that has been thought to induce the hemophagocytic syndrome. The patients responded dramatically to cyclosporine treatment with defervescence of the fever and reduction in number and size of the subcutaneous nodules. Subsequent therapy with multidrug chemotherapy achieved complete remission in the first patient. This report suggests the value of cyclosporine as a first-line agent coupled with chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma. A clinicopathologic review of 8 described pediatric cases of subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma is also presented.  N. Ref:: 15

 

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[63]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Structures of calcineurin and its complexes with immunophilins-immunosuppressants.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003 Nov 28;311(4):1095-102.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ke H; Huai Q

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7260, USA. hke@med.unc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Calcineurin (CN) is a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase and is involved in many physiological processes such as T-cell activation and cardiac hypertrophy. The crystal structures of CN and its complexes with FKBP12-FK506 and cyclophilin-cyclosporin showed that the two structurally unrelated immunophilins-immunosuppressants bind to a common composite surface made up of the residues from both catalytic subunit and regulatory subunit of CN. The recognition of the immunophilins and immunosuppressive drugs is achieved by common but few distinct CN residues. However, the binding pattern of FKBP12-FK506 such as hydrogen bonding is significantly different from that of CyPA-CsA. This common but distinct recognition may indicate capacity of the composition surface for binding of other inhibitory proteins. The recognition site and the active site are adjacent and form an “L” shaped cleft. This implies that the immunophilin recognition site may also serve as a recognition site to define the narrow substrate specificity of calcineurin.  N. Ref:: 61

 

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[64]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.3.2. Long-term immunosuppression. Therapy conversion.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:20-1.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINE: Conversion of immunosuppressive drug therapy is recommended to avoid or reduce drug-specific adverse effects, and is generally safe for long-term graft outcome.

 

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[65]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Multidrug resistance reversal agents.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Med Chem 2003 Nov 6;46(23):4805-17.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1021/jm030183a

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Robert J; Jarry C

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Institut Bergonie, 229, Cours de l’Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. robert@bergonie.org  N. Ref:: 151

 

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[66]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Prospects for treatment of paraquat-induced lung fibrosis with immunosuppressive drugs and the need for better prediction of outcome: a systematic review.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Qjm. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://qjmed.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: QJM: <> 2003 Nov;96(11):809-24.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Eddleston M; Wilks MF; Buckley NA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centre for Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK. eddlestonm@eureka.lk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Acute paraquat self-poisoning is a significant problem in parts of Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean. Ingestion of large amounts of paraquat results in rapid death, but smaller doses often cause a delayed lung fibrosis that is usually fatal. Anti-neutrophil (‘immunosuppressive’) treatment has been recommended to prevent lung fibrosis, but there is no consensus on efficacy. Aim: To review the evidence for the use of immunosuppression in paraquat poisoning, and to identify validated prognostic systems that would allow the use of data from historical control studies and the future identification of patients who might benefit from immunosuppression. DESIGN:Systematic review. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases for ‘paraquat’ together with ‘poisoning’ or ‘overdose’. We cross-checked references and contacted experts, and searched on [www.google.com] and [www.yahoo.com] using ‘paraquat’, ‘cyclophosphamide’, ‘methylprednisolone’ and ‘prognosis’. RESULTS: We found ten clinical studies of immunosuppression in paraquat poisoning. One was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Seven used historical controls only; the other two were small (n = 1 and n = 4). Mortality in controls and patients varied markedly between studies. Three of the seven non-RCT controlled studies measured plasma paraquat; analysis using Proudfoot’s or Hart’s nomograms did not suggest that immunosuppression increased survival in these studies. Of 16 prognostic systems for paraquat poisoning, none has been independently validated in a large cohort. DISCUSSION: The authors of the RCT have performed valuable and difficult research, but their results are hypothesis-forming rather than conclusive; elsewhere, the use of historical controls is problematic. In the absence of a validated prognostic marker, a large RCT of immunosuppression using death as the primary outcome is required. This RCT should also prospectively test and validate the available prognostic methods, so that future patients can be selected for this and other therapies on admission.  N. Ref:: 57

 

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[67]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Prevention by dietary (n-6) polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by cyclosporine A in animals.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Life Sci 2003 Jun 13;73(4):381-92.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chanussot F; Benkoel L

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - INSERM U. 476, Faculte de Medecine, 27 bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France. Francoise.Chanussot@medecine.univ-mrs.fr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Previous findings showed that dietary (n-6) polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines (vegetable lecithin) could efficiently prevent intrahepatic cholestasis induced by cyclosporine A in rats. Mechanistic studies showed that expressions in rat liver of Na(+), K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+), Mg(2+)-ATPase and F-actin were both decreased by drug administration and both enhanced by (n-6) lecithin enriched diet. There is a possible direct effect of phosphatidylcholines, vectors of polyunsaturated fatty acids provided by the metabolism of the dietary lecithin, on the aforesaid hepatic parameters. Such modulations by drug and diet result in reversed modifications of membrane composition and fluidity. Final outcome is decreased and enhanced bile lipid secretion by cyclosporine and vegetable lecithin enriched diet respectively. Moreover, we advance the hypothesis of a bypass process including a separate and functional actin-independent way for the non micellar and phospholipid-dependent secretion of bile lipids. The relationships between the ATPases, the microfilament components such as F-actin and the different transporters still remain to be clarified. Furthermore, one can speculate on beneficial effects in humans of diets enriched in vegetable lecithins that might prevent cholestasis induced by cyclosporine A.  N. Ref:: 75

 

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[68]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: the risk of lymphoma associated with inflammatory bowel disease and immunosuppressive treatment.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001 Aug;15(8):1101-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Aithal GP; Mansfield JC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Gastroenterology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Lymphoma complicating inflammatory bowel disease is well described. Whether the risk of lymphoma is increased by immunosuppressive treatment with azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine or infliximab is a common concern among patients and physicians considering using these agents. This review aims to quantify the lymphoma risk in inflammatory bowel disease and the added risk attributable to these treatments. The evidence from published cases is that lymphomas occur at sites of active inflammatory bowel disease more often than expected for this to be a chance association. Studies on inflammatory bowel disease populations are conflicting, with some follow-up studies from large inflammatory bowel disease clinics showing an increase in lymphoma incidence, while other population-based studies show little or no increase in risk of lymphoma. A small increase in lymphoma risk in inflammatory bowel disease, perhaps 2-3-fold, may be compatible with both sets of data. Studies of the risks associated with immuno- suppression are less satisfactory, with smaller numbers of patients and relatively short follow-up. The available evidence would support a further increase in lymphoma risk associated with immunosuppressive treatment in inflammatory bowel disease of around fivefold compared to no immunosuppressive use, and tenfold compared to the general population. The risks appear to be less than that associated with renal and hepatic transplant-related immunosuppression. Infliximab treatment is still too new to make a full assessment of its long-term safety, but post-marketing surveillance currently suggests that lymphoma risk may not be any greater than that associated with azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine. Population-wide surveillance for lymphoma in inflammatory bowel disease would be required to narrow the confidence intervals on these estimates of lymphoma risk in inflammatory bowel disease and immunosuppressive treatment.  N. Ref:: 54

 

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[69]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A thorough systematic review of treatments for atopic eczema.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Arch Dermatol 2001 Dec;137(12):1635-6.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bigby M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA. mbigby@caregroup.harvard.edu  N. Ref:: 420

 

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[70]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: medical treatment of active Crohn’s disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2002 Jul;16 Suppl 4:35-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Scribano ML; Prantera C

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Gastroenterology, Azienda Ospedaliera S.Camillo-Forlanini, Rome, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Crohn’s disease, a heterogeneous inflammatory process that can affect various sites in the gut, presents an ongoing management challenge for the clinician. The treatment of active disease and complications is one of the main goals in the therapy of this disease. New therapies are aimed at delivering the active compounds to the diseased site, reduction or suppression of enteral flora and modulation of more focal targets within the immune response. The use of antibiotics in the therapy of Crohn’s disease is gaining popularity, on the grounds that intestinal bacteria may play a role in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease lesions. Metronidazole is one of the most widely used antibiotics, especially in the treatment of perianal disease. Corticosteroids are the mainstays of medical treatment in active Crohn’s disease and induce the remission of symptoms in about 60-80% of patients. The use of immunosuppressive agents, such as cyclosporine and methotrexate, in patients with active disease resistant to standard therapy has gained acceptance in recent years. With new therapies the outlook for patients with Crohn’s disease is more optimistic than it has been for a long time.  N. Ref:: 39

 

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[71]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Patient management by Neoral C(2) monitoring: an international consensus statement.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2002 May 15;73(9 Suppl):S12-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Levy G; Thervet E; Lake J; Uchida K

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Multiorgan Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, 621 University Avenue, 10NU-116, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada.  N. Ref:: 36

 

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[72]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current and novel immunosuppressive therapy for autoimmune hepatitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Hepatology 2002 Jan;35(1):7-13.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1053/jhep.2002.30991

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Heneghan MA; McFarlane IG

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Gastroenterology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710, USA. heneg003@mc.duke.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Corticosteroids alone or in conjunction with azathioprine is the treatment of choice in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and results in remission induction in over 80% of patients. Sustained response to therapy may result in substantial regression of fibrosis even in advanced cases. The outcome of rapid withdrawal of immunosuppression is disease relapse in many patients. Consequently, the use of 2 mg/kg/d of azathioprine as a sole agent to maintain remission has been widely accepted in clinical practice. Persistent severe laboratory abnormalities or histologic abnormalities such as bridging necrosis or multilobular necrosis are absolute indications for treatment based on controlled clinical trials, but debate exists as to whether all patients with AIH need treatment. Examination of liver tissue remains the best method of evaluating both treatment response and need for treatment in patients who have little biochemical activity. Alternative strategies in patients who have failed to achieve remission on “standard therapy” of corticosteroids with or without azathioprine or patients with drug toxicity include the use of cyclosporine, tacrolimus, or mycophenolate mofetil. Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice in managing decompensated disease. In this review we examine current management strategies of AIH, and evaluate available data pertaining to the use of novel immunosuppressive agents in this condition.  N. Ref:: 50

 

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[73]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cyclosporin as an oral corticosteroid sparing agent in stable asthma.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2001;(2):CD002993.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Evans DJ; Cullinan P; Geddes DM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Respiratory Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Milton Road, Portsmouth, UK, PO3 6AD. david.evans@smail01.porthosp.swest.nhs.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic severe asthma are often dependent on the long term prescription of oral corticosteroids. The use of steroids is associated with serious side effects. Physicians treating such patients continue to search for alternative therapies that reduce the need for chronic dosing with oral steroids. Cyclosporin is an immunosuppressive agent and has benefits in the treatment of a number of inflammatory disorders. It has therefore been identified as an potentially useful agent in the treatment of chronic severe asthma both in terms of possible efficacy and as a steroid sparing agent. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of adding cyclosporin to oral steroids in the treatment of chronic steroid dependent asthmatics. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Airways Group trials register and reference lists of identified articles were searched. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials looking at the addition of cyclosporin compared to placebo in adult steroid dependent asthmatics. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Trial quality was assessed and data extraction was carried out by two reviewers independently. Study authors were contacted for missing information. MAIN RESULTS: Three trials fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the review and a total of 106 patients were recruited into these studies. Data from 98 patients could be analysed. There was a small but significant treatment effect for cyclosporin in terms of steroid dose reduction (SMD -0.5, 95% CI -1.0, -0.04). No meta-analyses could be performed for measures of lung function although one study showed small, but significant improvements in lung spirometry. REVIEWER’S CONCLUSIONS: The changes with cyclosporin are small and of questionable clinical significance. Given the side effects of cyclosporin, the evidence available does not recommend routine use of this drug in the treatment of oral corticosteroid dependent asthma.  N. Ref:: 11

 

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[74]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Calcineurin inhibitor-free CD28 blockade-based protocol protects allogeneic islets in nonhuman primates.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Diabetes. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Diabetes: <> 2002 Feb;51(2):265-70.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Adams AB; Shirasugi N; Durham MM; Strobert E; Anderson D; Rees P; Cowan S; Xu H; Blinder Y; Cheung M; Hollenbaugh D; Kenyon NS; Pearson TC; Larsen CP

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Recent success using a steroid-free immunosuppressive regimen has renewed enthusiasm for the use of islet transplantation to treat diabetes. Toxicities associated with the continued use of a calcineurin inhibitor may limit the wide-spread application of this therapy. Biological agents that block key T-cell costimulatory signals, in particular the CD28 pathway, have demonstrated extraordinary promise in animal models. LEA29Y (BMS-224818), a mutant CTLA4-Ig molecule with increased binding activity, was evaluated for its potential to replace tacrolimus and protect allogeneic islets in a preclinical primate model. Animals received either the base immunosuppression regimen (rapamycin and anti-IL-2R monoclonal antibody [mAb]) or the base immunosuppression and LEA29Y. Animals receiving the LEA29Y/rapamycin/anti-IL-2R regimen (n = 5) had significantly prolonged islet allograft survival (204, 190, 216, 56, and >220 days). In contrast, those animals receiving the base regimen alone (n = 2) quickly rejected the transplanted islets at 1 week (both at 7 days). The LEA29Y-based regimen prevented the priming of anti-donor T- and B-cell responses, as detected by interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot and allo-antibody production, respectively. The results of this study suggest that LEA29Y is a potent immunosuppressant that can effectively prevent rejection in a steroid-free immunosuppressive protocol and produce marked prolongation of islet allograft survival in a preclinical model.

 

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[75]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A benefit-risk assessment of basiliximab in renal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Drug Saf. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.csmwm.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Drug Safety: <> 2004;27(2):91-106.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Boggi U; Danesi R; Vistoli F; Del Chiaro M; Signori S; Marchetti P; Del Tacca M; Mosca F

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of General Surgery and Transplants, Department of Oncology, Transplants and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. uboggi@med.unipi.it

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and its receptor (IL-2R) play a central role in T lymphocyte activation and immune response after transplantation. Research on the biology of IL-2R allowed the identification of key signal transduction pathways involved in the generation of proliferative and antiapoptotic signals in T cells. The alpha-chain of the IL-2R is a specific peptide against which monoclonal antibodies have been raised, with the aim of blunting the immune response by means of inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in primed lymphocytes. Indeed, basiliximab, one of such antibodies, has proved to be effective in reducing the episodes of acute rejection after kidney and pancreas transplantation. The use of basiliximab was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of any treated rejection episodes after kidney transplantation in the two major randomised studies (placebo 52.2% vs basiliximab 34.2% at 6 months, European study; placebo 54.9% vs basiliximab 37.6% at 1 year, US trial). Basiliximab and equine antithymocyte globulin (ATG) administration resulted in a similar rate of biopsy-proven acute rejection at 6 months (19% for both) and at 12 months (19% and 20%, respectively). The use of basiliximab appears not to be associated with an increased incidence of adverse events as compared with placebo in immunosuppressive regimens, including calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine and corticosteroids, and its safety profile is superior to ATG. Moreover, a similar occurrence of infections is noted in selected studies (65.5% after basiliximab vs 65.7% of controls), including cytomegalovirus infection (17.3% vs 14.5%), and cytokine-release syndrome is not observed. Finally, economic analysis demonstrated lower costs of overall treatment in patients treated with basiliximab. Therefore, the use of basiliximab entails a very low risk, allows safe reduction of corticosteroid dosage and reduces the short- and mid-term rejection rates. However, the improvement in the long-term survival of kidney grafts in patients treated according to modern immunosuppressive protocols is still to be demonstrated. These conclusions are based on a systematic review of the scientific literature, indexed on Medline database, concerning the mechanism of action, therapeutic activity, safety and pharmacoeconomic evaluation of basiliximab in renal transplantation.  N. Ref:: 62

 

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[76]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - New immunosuppressive agent: expectations and controversies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 Mar 27;75(6):741-2.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Alsina J; Grinyo JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Nephrology, Bellvitge Hospital, Barcelona, España.  N. Ref:: 5

 

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[77]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Role of leucine in the regulation of mTOR by amino acids: revelations from structure-activity studies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Nutr. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.nutrition.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of Nutrition: <> 2001 Mar;131(3):861S-865S.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lynch CJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. clynch@psu.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In this study an overview is presented of the mTOR signaling pathway and its regulation by amino acids, particularly L-leucine. Our laboratory is studying amino acid regulation of mTOR in adipocytes. Potential roles for mTOR in adipocytes that were previously posited include hypertrophic growth, leptin secretion, protein synthesis and adipose tissue morphogenesis. A current area of interest in the field is how amino acids regulate mTOR and which amino acids are regulatory. Revelations concerning mechanism and recognition are emerging from different laboratories that examined the structural requirements for stimulation and inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway by leucine and amino acid analogs. In adipocytes and some other cell types, leucine appears to be the main regulatory amino acid. However, this is not uniformly the case. In those cells where mTOR is regulated by several amino acids, there is evidence that the mechanism of mTOR activation may be different from cells where mainly leucine is regulatory. Furthermore, in tissues where leucine regulates mTOR, the possible existence of different tissue-specific leucine recognition sites may be indicated.  N. Ref:: 47

 

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[78]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Drug-eluting stents and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors: combination therapy for the future.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am Heart J 2003 Oct;146(4 Suppl):S13-7.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1016/j.ahj.2003.09.004

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Leon MB; Bakhai A

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Although coronary stenting has improved the results of coronary interventions compared to coronary angioplasty alone, in-stent restenosis remains a significant limitation of this procedure. Drug-eluting stents with or without glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor therapy represent an additional advance in the evolution of this strategy. METHODS: We review the currently available trials comparing studies of non-drug-eluting and drug-eluting stents using sirolimus and paclitaxel agents and their derivatives. RESULTS: Ten studies are available that compare drug-eluting to traditional non-drug-eluting stents. A variety of antiplatelet regimes have been used. The majority of these studies are in the process of being published. No head-to-head studies comparing different drug-eluting stents are available. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-eluting stents using sirolimus and paclitaxel in combination with enhanced antiplatelet strategies represent an important advantage over non-drug-eluting stents for the reduction of in-stent restenosis. The rate at which drug-eluting stents are adapted into widespread practice depends heavily on whether they are safe, efficacious, and cost-effective in various clinical settings.  N. Ref:: 28

 

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[79]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Semin Neurol 2003 Jun;23(2):133-46.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1055/s-2003-41138

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kieseier BC; Hartung HP

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225 Dusseldorf, Germany.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In recent years, the usefulness of interferon beta and glatiramer acetate in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has been established. Interferon beta has also been shown to be efficacious in secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) as well as in patients with isolated syndromes at risk to develop clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). Mitoxantrone is another disease-modifying drug that is available for SPMS and severe cases of RRMS. The clinical utility of disease-modifying agents in MS will be reviewed with respect to the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and immunosuppressive treatments that are currently available. Symptomatic therapies will not be considered.  N. Ref:: 99

 

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[80]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:Las inmunofilinas: agentes neuroprotectores y promotores de la regeneracion neural. Immunophilins: neuroprotective agents and promoters of neural regeneration.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Neurologia. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.stmeditores.com/Revistas/ffasciculo.php?Mw==&MTk=&MjUy 

      ●● Cita: Neurologia: <> 2002 Apr;17(4):200-13.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Udina E; Navarro X

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Grupo de Neuroplasticidad y Regeneracion, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Fisiologia e Inmunologia, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, España.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Immunophilins are a family of proteins mainly known because they act as receptors of the immunosuppressant drugs cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506. Immunophilins serve several general functions, including regulation of mitochondrial permeability, modulation of ion channels stability and acting as chaperones for a variety of proteins. However, immunophilins are also present at high density in the nervous system. CsA, FK506 and other derivatives inhibit the function of immunophilins and, through bloking or activating several intracellular pathways, it has been shown that they exert neuroprotective effects in different experimental models of ischemia, Parkinson’s disease and excitotoxic insults. Moreover, FK506 also has neuroregenerative effects, by enhancing the axonal regeneration rate after lesions of the peripheral nervous system. The development of new agents that selectively bind to immunophilins opens new interesting perspectives for the therapy of degenerative diseases and injuries of the nervous system.  N. Ref:: 100

 

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[81]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunoablation followed or not by hematopoietic stem cells as an intense therapy for severe autoimmune diseases. New perspectives, new problems.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Haematologica. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://db.doyma.es/ 

      ●● Cita: Haematologica: <> 2001 Apr;86(4):337-45.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Marmont AM  N. Ref:: 127

 

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[82]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - mTOR as a target for cancer therapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2004;279:339-59.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Houghton PJ; Huang S

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Molecular Pharmacology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 332 N. Lauderdale, Memphis, TN 38105-2794, USA. peter.houghton@stjude.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The target of rapamycin, mTOR, acts as a sensor for mitogenic stimuli, such as insulin-like growth factors and cellular nutritional status, regulating cellular growth and division. As many tumors are driven by autocrine or paracrine growth through the type-I insulin-like growth factor receptor, mTOR is potentially an attractive target for molecular-targeted treatment. Further, a rationale for anticipating tumor-selective activity based on transforming events frequently identified in malignant disease is becoming established.  N. Ref:: 73

 

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[83]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Serine-threonine protein phosphatase inhibitors: development of potential therapeutic strategies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Med Chem 2002 Mar 14;45(6):1151-75.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - McCluskey A; Sim AT; Sakoff JA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - School of Biological & Chemical Science, Medicinal Chemistry Group, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. amcclusk@mail.newcastle.edu.au  N. Ref:: 329

 

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[84]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Inflammatory myopathies: clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Muscle Nerve 2003 Apr;27(4):407-25.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/mus.10313

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mastaglia FL; Garlepp MJ; Phillips BA; Zilko PJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, University of Western Australia, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Australia. flmast@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The three major forms of immune-mediated inflammatory myopathy are dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), and inclusion-body myositis (IBM). They each have distinctive clinical and histopathologic features that allow the clinician to reach a specific diagnosis in most cases. Magnetic resonance imaging is sometimes helpful, particularly if the diagnosis of IBM is suspected but has not been formally evaluated. Myositis-specific antibodies are not helpful diagnostically but may be of prognostic value; most antibodies have low sensitivity. Muscle biopsy is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis of an inflammatory myopathy and to allow unusual varieties such as eosinophilic, granulomatous, and parasitic myositis, and macrophagic myofasciitis, to be recognized. The treatment of the inflammatory myopathies remains largely empirical and relies upon the use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, and intravenous immunoglobulin, all of which have nonselective effects on the immune system. Further controlled clinical trials are required to evaluate the relative efficacy of the available therapeutic modalities particularly in combinations, and of newer immunosuppressive agents (mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus) and cytokine-based therapies for the treatment of resistant cases of DM, PM, and IBM. Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of muscle injury in the inflammatory myopathies should lead to the development of more specific forms of immunotherapy for these conditions.  N. Ref:: 256

 

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[85]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mitochondrial permeability transition in acute neurodegeneration.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochimie 2002 Feb-Mar;84(2-3):241-50.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Friberg H; Wieloch T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Laboratory for Experimental Brain Research, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, BMC A13, 221 84 Lund, Sweden.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Acute neurodegeneration in man is encountered during and following stroke, transient cardiac arrest, brain trauma, insulin-induced hypoglycemia and status epilepticus. All these severe clinical conditions are characterized by neuronal calcium overload, aberrant cell signaling, generation of free radicals and elevation of cellular free fatty acids, conditions that favor activation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mtPTP). Cyclosporin A (CsA) and its analog N-methyl-valine-4-cyclosporin A (MeValCsA) are potent blockers of the mtPTP and protect against neuronal death following excitotoxicity and oxygen glucose deprivation. Also, CsA and MeValCsA diminish cell death following cerebral ischemia, trauma, and hypoglycemia. Here we present data that strongly imply the mtPT in acute neurodegeneration in vivo. Compounds that readily pass the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and block the mtPT may be neuroprotective in stroke.  N. Ref:: 100

 

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[86]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Macrolactam immunomodulators for topical treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Acad Dermatol 2001 Nov;45(5):736-43.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bornhovd E; Burgdorf WH; Wollenberg A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The immunomodulatory macrolactams provide an alternative to glucocorticosteroids for the topical treatment of atopic dermatitis and other inflammatory dermatoses. Tacrolimus (FK506), as well as the newer ascomycin derivative ASM 981 (pimecrolimus), penetrate the inflamed epidermis and are suitable for topical therapy. Both substances inhibit the transcription of proinflammatory cytokine genes such as interleukin 2, which are dependent on the nuclear factor NF-AT. They block the catalytic function of calcineurin, which leads to the inhibition of the transport of the cytoplasmic component of NF-AT to the cell nucleus. Multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trials with topical formulations have shown the efficacy of both substances in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. A review is presented of the biochemical and cell biologic properties, mode of action, pharmacokinetic data, side effects, results of the clinical trials, and further indications for tacrolimus and ASM 981, along with an overview of the related substances cyclosporine and sirolimus (rapamycin).  N. Ref:: 72

 

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[87]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The use of high dose immunoablative therapy with hematopoietic stem cell support therapy in the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Int J Hematol 2002 Aug;76 Suppl 1:218-22.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Tyndall A; Gratwohl A  N. Ref:: 13

 

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[88]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - How should the immunosuppressive regimen be managed in patients with established chronic allograft failure?

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Kidney Int Suppl 2002 May;(80):68-72.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Danovitch GM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Nephrology, UCLA School of Medicine, USA. gdanovitch@mednet.ucla.edu  N. Ref:: 25

 

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[89]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Calcineurin-free protocols with basiliximab induction allow patients included in “old to old” programs achieve standard kidney transplant function.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplant Proc 2003 Jun;35(4):1326-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Emparan C; Laukotter M; Wolters H; Dame C; Heidenreich S; Senninger N

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Uniklinikum Munster, Munster, Germany. cemparan@teleline.es

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - INTRODUCTION: The EuroTransplant “old to old” program establishes that patients older than 60 years can receive offers of organs from donors older than 60 years. The compromised function of these organs makes it a priority to preserve their initial kidney function. HYPOTHESIS: Calcineurin-sparing protocols using anti-IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) antibody induction (Simulect) may benefit initial kidney function in these patients, as assessed by the rates of delayed graft function and of rejection during the first month after transplant. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 15 consecutive elderly patients were prospectively compared with 30 cadaveric kidney transplants in younger recipients. Study patients were induced with Simulect (20 mg, 30 minutes before reperfusion and 4 days after transplantation) and steroids, delaying the introduction of CsA until the serum creatinine was below 3 mg/dL. The other cohort of patients were immunosuppressed with tacrolimus (trough 8 to 12), mycophenolats mofetil (MMF, 1 g/d), and an identical taper of steroids. The analysis compared donor and recipient ages, mean cold ischemic time, incidence of initial kidney function (diuresis in the first 24 h) serum creatinine levels, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), number of dialysis sessions, and rejection rate in the two groups. RESULTS: Except for the donor and recipient ages (72 vs 54 in donors, and 67 versus 52 years in recipients), no significant differences were observed between the groups among the rates of acute rejection (6.6% vs 13.2%), delayed graft function (13.2% required dialysis), or infection (6.6%). Within 1 month all 45 grafts showed primary function with equal creatinine levels (mean 1.65). CONCLUSIONS: Calcineurin-free protocols using IL-2 therapy as the initial suppression allow patients in the “old to old” ET program to display equal results to cadaveric kidney transplants with initial treatment with calcineurin antagonists.

 

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[90]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Antiproliferative prostaglandins and the MRP/GS-X pump role in cancer immunosuppression and insight into new strategies in cancer gene therapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochem Pharmacol 2001 Oct 1;62(7):811-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Homem de Bittencourt PI Jr; Curi R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. pauloivo@vortex.ufrgs.br

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A dramatic complication in late-stage cancer patients is host immunosuppression. Cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CP-PGs) overproduced in cancer may impair the function of the immune system. These agents, if produced at high concentrations, are powerful cytostatic and cytotoxic compounds that may arrest cell proliferation and immune response in cancer. Lymphoid tissues of tumor-bearing animals accumulate large amounts of CP-PGs, whereas the tumor tissue does not. This may be because cancer cells are able to overexpress multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mg(2+)-dependent vanadate-sensitive GS-conjugate export ATPase, MRP/GS-X pump), which extrudes CP-PGs to the extracellular space as glutathione S-conjugates. In contrast, MRP/GS-X pump activity is disproportionately low in lymphocytes. This led us to propose the transfection of lymphocytes with multidrug resistance-associated protein genes (MRP) for further autologous transfusion or direct in vivo delivery to lymphocytes by using adenovirus-retrovirus chimeras in order to restore immune system function in cancer, at least partially. We are currently evaluating MRP-transfected lymphocyte (MTL) therapy, using Walker 256 tumor-bearing rats as a model.  N. Ref:: 49

 

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[91]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cytokine and anti-cytokine therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Pharm Des 2003;9(14):1107-13.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ogata H; Hibi T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Although the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains elusive, it appears that there is chronic activation of the immune and inflammatory cascade in genetically susceptible individuals. Current disease management guidelines have therefore focused on the use of anti-inflammatory agents, aminosalicylates and corticosteroids. These conventional therapies continue to be a first choice in the management of IBD. Immunomodulators, such as azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate or cyclosporin, are demonstrating increasing importance against steroid-resistant and steroid-dependent patients. However, some patients are still refractory to these therapies. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological conditions of IBD have provided new immune system modulators as therapeutic tools. Other immunosuppressive agents including FK506 and thalidomide have expanded the choice of medical therapies available for certain subgroups of patients. Furthermore, biological therapies have begun to assume a prominent role. Studies with chimeric monoclonal anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment have been reported with dramatic successes. However, observations in larger numbers of treated patients are needed to explicate fully the safety of or risks posed by this agent such as developing lymphoma, or other malignancies. Another anti-inflammatory cytokine-therapy includes anti anti-IL-6R, anti-IL-12 or toxin-conjugated anti IL-7R, recombinant cytokines (IL-10 or IL-11). Given the diversity of proinflammatory products under its control, NF-kappaB may be viewed as a master switch in lymphocytes and macrophages, regulating inflammation and immunity. Although some of them still need more confirmatory studies, those immune therapies will provide new insights into cell-based and gene-based treatment against IBD in near future.  N. Ref:: 46

 

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[92]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Conventional treatment of Crohn’s disease: objectives and outcomes.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Inflamm Bowel Dis 2001 May;7 Suppl 1:S2-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Rutgeerts PJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit, University of Leuven, Belgium.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Despite conventional medical and/or surgical intervention, endoscopic and symptomatic relapse is common among individuals with Crohn’s disease (CD). Treatment goals have therefore been refocused to include achieving control of active disease and maintaining remission with agents associated with a minimum of toxic adverse effects. Conventional treatment regimens have been used with varying success in regard to these therapeutic goals. Traditionally, aminosalicylates have been considered effective in inducing a response in some patients with mild-to-moderate CD but have demonstrated little or no long-term benefit in controlled clinical trials. Glucocorticosteroid therapy is associated with higher rates of response in patients with active CD; however, clinical benefits are frequently offset by the common occurrence of corticosteroid-related toxicity. Oral controlled-release budesonide has demonstrated comparable efficacy to prednisolone with less risk for adverse effects, although many questions remain regarding the long-term use of this agent. Response to standard immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine in patients with active disease may require 3 to 6 months from initiation of treatment. These agents are therefore considered most valuable as maintenance therapy, providing consistent long-term benefit in patients with chronic refractory or corticosteroid-dependent disease. Although the incidence of allergic adverse effects is relatively low with azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine, more serious adverse effects, including bone marrow suppression, hepatotoxicity, pancreatitis, and infectious complications, can occur. Limited success in the treatment of perianal disease has been achieved with antibiotics such as metronidazole and the immunosuppressives cyclosporine and azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine. Although broader use of immunosuppressive agents has allowed improvement in the maintenance of remission in patients with CD, long-term safety data with these agents are lacking, concerns about toxicity and the potential risk for neoplasia remain, and attenuation of response with chronic immunosuppressive use can occur. Therefore, innovative therapeutic approaches are needed to meet key treatment goals often not addressed by conventional therapies.  N. Ref:: 48

 

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[93]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of psoriasis. Part 2. Systemic therapies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Acad Dermatol 2001 Nov;45(5):649-61; quiz 662-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lebwohl M; Ali S

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. mark.lebwohl@mssm.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The array of systemic medications used in the treatment of psoriasis is rapidly expanding. In the United States, methotrexate, retinoids, and cyclosporine are the only systemic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of psoriasis. Monitoring and dosage recommendations for these medications are reviewed. Other drugs that are currently available include tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, hydroxyurea, 6-thioguanine, and sulfasalazine. Experience with these drugs is summarized, and dosage and monitoring recommendations in published literature are presented. Combinations of different treatments are addressed and investigational therapies that are in development are reviewed.  N. Ref:: 93

 

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[94]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Introduction and overview: recent advances in the immunotherapy of inflammatory bowel disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Gastroenterol 2003 Mar;38 Suppl 15:36-42.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hibi T; Inoue N; Ogata H; Naganuma M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Center for the Research of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) comprise a series of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) resulting from chronic upregulation of the mucosal immune system. Although the pathogenesis of IBD remains elusive, it appears that there is chronic activation of the immune and inflammatory cascade in genetically susceptible individuals. Current disease management guidelines have therefore focused on the use of antiinflammatory agents, aminosalicylates and corticosteroids. However, some patients are still refractory to these therapies. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological conditions of IBD have provided new immune system modulators as therapeutic tools. Cytapheresis has demonstrated effectiveness against UC and has practical use in Japan. Immunosuppressive agents including cyclosporin A and tacrolimus (FK506) have expanded the choice of medical therapies available for certain subgroups of patients. Furthermore, biological therapies have begun to assume a prominent role. Studies with chimeric monoclonal anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment of CD have been reported with dramatic success. Another antiinflammatory cytokine therapy includes anti-IL-6 receptor, anti-IL-12, or toxin-conjugated anti-IL-7 receptor. Given the diversity of proinflammatory products under its control, NF-kappa B may be viewed as a master switch in lymphocytes and macrophages, regulating inflammation and immunity. In the murine 2,4,6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model, an antisense oligonucleotide to NF-kappa B p65 ameliorated inflammation even after induction of colitis. Recently, a clinical pilot trial of this agent demonstrated promising results. Accumulating evidence suggests that luminal bacterial flora is a requisite and central factor in the development of IBD. Probiotic therapies such as a nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain have been well tolerated, but larger clinical trials are needed. In addition, novel therapeutic strategies targeting adhesion molecules and costimulatory molecules, or enhancing tissue repair, are under investigation. Although some still need more confirmatory studies, these immune therapies will provide new insights into cell-based and gene-based treatment against IBD in the near future.  N. Ref:: 36

 

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[95]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Potassium channels in T lymphocytes: toxins to therapeutic immunosuppressants.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Toxicon 2001 Sep;39(9):1269-76.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - George Chandy K; Cahalan M; Pennington M; Norton RS; Wulff H; Gutman GA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California Irvine, Room 291, John Irvine Smith Hall, Medical School, Irvine, CA92697, USA. gchandy@uci.edu  N. Ref:: 60

 

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[96]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Graft vascular function after transplantation of pancreatic islets.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Diabetologia 2002 Jun;45(6):749-63. Epub 2002 May 15.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1007/s00125-002-0827-4

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Jansson L; Carlsson PO

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Medical Cell Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Box 571, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. Leif.Jansson@medcellbiol.uu.se

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Endogenous pancreatic islets have a dense glomerular-like angioarchitecture, which ensures an optimal delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the islet cells, provides signals from other cells in the body and disposes secreted hormones. Transplantation of isolated islets means that their vascular connection is interrupted. The islet grafts therefore depend upon endothelial cells and microvessels originating in the implantation organ for derivation of a new vascular system. A re-establishment of islet blood-flow occurs within 7-14 days after transplantation, mainly through vascular sprouting. The newly formed blood vessels acquire the morphological characteristics of those in endogenous islets. In intraportally transplanted islets to the liver, the islets become revascularized almost exclusively from tributaries to the hepatic artery. Exocrine contamination of the transplanted islets could hamper the revascularization process, whereas neither cryopreservation nor immunosuppressive drugs like cyclosporin, prednisolon and RS-61443 have any essential effects on the angiogenesis. Investigators have noticed improvements in islet graft survival and function by means of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), acidic FGF and endothelial cell growth factor exposure of the grafts. The functional properties of transplanted islets are largely unknown, but evidence from experimental islet transplantation suggests that both the blood perfusion and the tissue oxygen tension of the grafted islets are chronically decreased, indicating an insufficient vascular system. In order to achieve optimal condition for survival and function of transplanted beta cells, it is important to ascertain whether impairments in vascular function are present also after clinical islet transplantations as well.  N. Ref:: 181

 

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[97]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Targeted cancer therapy and immunosuppression using radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Semin Oncol 2004 Feb;31(1):68-82.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bethge WA; Sandmaier BM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) as a means to target radiation therapy to tumor cells or to specifically suppress host immunity specifically in the setting of allogeneic transplantation is a promising new strategy in the armory of today’s oncologist. Different approaches of RIT such as injection of a stable radioimmunoconjugate or the use of pretargeting are available. The choice of the radionuclide used for RIT depends on its radiation characteristics with respect to the malignancy or cells targeted. beta-Emitters with their lower energy and longer path length are more suitable for targeting bulky, solid tumors, whereas alpha-emitters with their high linear energy transfer and short path length are better suited to target cells or tumors of the hematologic system. Encouraging results have been obtained using these approaches treating patients with hematologic malignancies. While the results in solid tumors are somewhat less favorable, new strategies for patients with minimal residual disease (MRD), using adjuvant and locoregional treatment, are currently being investigated. In this report, we outline basic principles of RIT, give an overview of available radioimmunoconjugates and their clinical applications with special emphasis on their use in hematologic malignancies, including use in conditioning regimens for stem cell transplantation (SCT).  N. Ref:: 99

 

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[98]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Is there still a role for cyclosporine in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease? Pro argument.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Inflamm Bowel Dis 2003 May;9(3):194-7; discussion 202-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kornbluth A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. akornbluth@aol.com  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[99]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Is there still a role for cyclosporine in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease? Con argument.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Inflamm Bowel Dis 2003 May;9(3):198-201; discussion 202-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Fellermann K; Luhmann D; Stange EF

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine I, Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus, Stuttgart, Germany. klaus.fellermann@rbk.de  N. Ref:: 21

 

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[100]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - TOR inhibitors and cardiac allograft vasculopathy: is inhibition of intimal thickening an adequate surrogate of benefit?

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Heart Lung Transplant 2003 May;22(5):501-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mehra MR; Uber PA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Cardiomyopathy and Heart Transplantation Center, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana 70121, USA. mmehra@ochsner.org  N. Ref:: 30

 

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[101]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pimecrolimus cream 1%: a new development in nonsteroid topical treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Semin Cutan Med Surg 2001 Dec;20(4):260-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hebert AA; Warken KA; Cherill R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of a family of inflammatory skin diseases (psoriasis, irritant contact dermatitis, and allergic contact dermatitis). Dermal inflammation and production of proinflammatory cytokines by activated T cells is a prominent and defining characteristic in all of these conditions. Corticosteroids, though effective and potent immunosuppressants, are associated with a number of systemic and local adverse effects. The ascomycin derivative pimecrolimus (formerly ASM 981) is a nonsteroid with topical anti-inflammatory activity. Pimecrolimus cream 1% is minimally absorbed into the circulation; thus, it has a low bioavailability-reducing the risk for systemic adverse effects. The efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus cream 1% has been well shown in diverse patient populations with inflammatory skin diseases in several well-controlled trials. Significant and rapid amelioration of the signs and symptoms of AD was established in 3 studies lasting 6 weeks each, evaluating 589 pediatric patients. In a 1-year study, pimecrolimus was applied at the first signs and symptoms of eczema to prevent the progression of AD to flares. Flares were prevented in over 50% of patients who used pimecrolimus cream 1%, reducing or completely eliminating the need for topical corticosteroids during a 1-year treatment period. Results in pimecrolimus studies in chronic irritant hand dermatitis and chronic hand dermatitis of mixed causes indicate potential for use in these important diseases, and further study in these indications is warranted.  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[102]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Hepatitis C virus infection and vasculitis: implications of antiviral and immunosuppressive therapies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Arthritis Rheum 2002 Mar;46(3):585-97.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/art.10107 [pii

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/art.10107

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Vassilopoulos D; Calabrese LH

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Hippokration General Hospital, Athens University, Athens, Greece.  N. Ref:: 92

 

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[103]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Interactions between cyclosporin and lipid-lowering drugs: implications for organ transplant recipients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Drugs 2003;63(4):367-78.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Asberg A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Laboratory for Renal Physiology, Section of Nephrology, Medical Department, The National Hospital, Oslo, Norway. anderas@klinmed.uio.no

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Dyslipidaemia is more frequent in solid organ transplant recipients than in the general population, primarily as a result of immunosuppressive drug treatment. Both cyclosporin and corticosteroids are associated with dyslipidaemic adverse effects. In order to reduce the overall cardiovascular risk in these patients, lipid-lowering drugs have become widely used, especially HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). Cyclosporin, as well as most statins (lovastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin and pravastatin) are metabolised by cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4, so a bilateral pharmacokinetic interaction between these drugs is theoretically possible. However, results from several studies show that statins do not induce increased systemic exposure of cyclosporin. A small (but not clinically relevant) reduction in systemic exposure of cyclosporin has actually been shown in many studies. Cyclosporin-treated patients on the other hand show several-fold higher systemic exposure of all statins, both those that are metabolised by CYP3A4 and fluvastatin (metabolised by CYP2C9). Therefore, the mechanism for this interaction does not seem to be solely caused by inhibition of CYP3A4 metabolism, but it is probably also a result of inhibition of statin-transport in the liver, at least in part. Other lipid-lowering drugs, such as fibric acid derivatives, bile acid sequestrants, probucol, fish oils and orlistat are also used in solid organ transplant recipients. Most of them do not interact with cyclosporin, but there are reports indicating that both probucol and orlistat may reduce cyclosporin bioavailablility to a clinically relevant degree. There is no information on possible interaction effects of cyclosporin on the pharmacokinetics of lipid-lowering drugs other than statins, but it is not likely that any clinical relevant interference exists with fish oil, orlistat, probucol or bile acid sequestrants.  N. Ref:: 71

 

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[104]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.3.1 Long-term immunosuppression. Late steroid or cyclosporine withdrawal.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:19-20.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINES: A. In order to reduce or avoid long-term serious adverse effects of corticosteroids, such as bone fractures, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, osteoporosis and eye complications, steroid withdrawal should be considered. B. Steroid withdrawal is safe only in a proportion of graft recipients and is recommended only in low-risk patients. The efficacy of the remaining immunosuppression should be considered. C. After steroid withdrawal, graft function has to be monitored very carefully because of the risk of a delayed but continuous loss of function due to chronic graft dysfunction. In the case of functional deterioration or dysfunction, steroids should be re-administered. D. Cyclosporine withdrawal might be considered in order to ameliorate nephrotoxicity, arterial hypertension, lipid disorders and hypertrichosis. This can be carried out with no significant long-term risk of progressive graft loss. The efficacy of the remaining immunosuppression should be considered. After cyclosporine withdrawal, careful monitoring for acute rejection is recommended.

 

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[105]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Medical treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Digestion 2001;64(3):137-50.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Holtmeier J; Leuschner U

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Medizinische Klinik II, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitat, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been in common use since 1985. In PBC, treatment with UDCA improves laboratory data, liver histology, enables a longer transplantation-free interval and prolongs disease survival. Because UDCA is unable to cure the disease newer drugs or combination therapies are still needed. Studies with UDCA and immunosuppressants such as prednisone, budesonide and azathioprine have shown that in selected patients combination therapy may be superior to UDCA monotherapy. PSC is treated successfully with UDCA and endoscopic dilatation of the bile duct strictures. Treatment of extrahepatic manifestations of cholestatic liver disease such as pruritus, fatigue, osteoporosis and steatorrhea can be problematic and time-consuming.  N. Ref:: 186

 

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[106]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Fluorescence polarization detection for affinity capillary electrophoresis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Electrophoresis 2002 Mar;23(6):903-8.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1002/1522-2683(200203)23:6<903::AID-ELPS903>3.0.CO;2-2 [pii]

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Le XC; Wan QH; Lam MT

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Environmental Health Sciences Program, Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada. xc.le@ualberta.ca

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) with laser-induced fluorescence polarization (LIFP) detection is described, with examples of affinity interaction studies. Because fluorescence polarization is sensitive to changes in the rotational motion arising from molecular association or dissociation, ACE-LIFP is capable of providing information on the formation of affinity complexes prior to or during CE separation. Unbound, small fluorescent probes generally have little fluorescence polarization because of rapid rotation of the molecule in solution. When the small fluorescent probe is bound to a larger affinity agent, such as an antibody, the fluorescence polarization (and anisotropy) increases due to slower motion of the much larger complex molecule in the solution. Fluorescence polarization results are obtained by simultaneously measuring fluorescence intensities of vertical and horizontal polarization planes. Applications of CE-LIFP to both strong and weak binding systems are discussed with antibody-antigen and DNA-protein binding as examples. For strong affinity binding, such as between cyclosporine and its antibody, complexes are formed prior to CE-LIFP analysis. For weaker binding, such as between single-stranded DNA and its binding protein, the single-stranded DNA binding protein is added to the CE separation buffer to enhance dynamic formation of affinity complexes. Both fluorescence polarization (and anisotropy) and mobility shift results are complementary and are useful for immunoassays and binding studies.  N. Ref:: 25

 

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[107]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: medical treatment of severe ulcerative colitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003 Jun;17 Suppl 2:7-10.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Rizzello F; Gionchetti P; Venturi A; Campieri M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Severe colitis is a life-threatening complication of ulcerative colitis. Early recognition of the severity of the colitis and intensive treatment and monitoring have all contributed to improved outcome. Since their introduction in 1950s, corticosteroids are the first line therapy for severe active ulcerative colitis (UC). Several prognostic parameters (such as stools movement per day, C-reactive protein, increased amount of intestinal gas or small bowel dilation, hypoalbuminemia, fever etc) help the physician to quickly introduce cyclosporin or to refer the patient to the surgeon. This decision requires a careful evaluation of the patient and a medical /surgical team. Infliximab seems to be a promising drug but more controlled trial are needed.  N. Ref:: 21

 

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[108]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Steroid-resistant kidney transplant rejection: diagnosis and treatment.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Soc Nephrol. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.jasn.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: <> 2001 Feb;12 Suppl 17:S48-52.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Bock HA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Nephrology, Kantonsspital, Aarau, Switzerland. bock@ksa.ch

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Decreases in transplant function may be attributable to a variety of conditions, including prerenal and postrenal failure, cyclosporin A (CsA) toxicity, polyoma nephritis, recurrent glomerulonephritis, and rejection. The diagnosis of rejection should therefore be made on the basis of a transplant biopsy of adequate size, before the initiation of any therapy. Pulse steroid treatment (three to five 0.25- to 1.0-g pulses of methylprednisolone, administered intravenously) is the usual first-line therapy and has a 60 to 70% success rate, although orally administered prednisone (0.25 g) may be just as efficacious. Even if reverted, any rejection should trigger an at least temporary increase in basal immunosuppression, consisting of an increase in CsA or tacrolimus target levels, the addition of steroids or an increase in their dosage, the addition of mycophenolate mofetil, or a switch from CsA to tacrolimus. The addition of rapamycin or its RAD derivative may fulfill the same purpose. Steroid resistance should not be assumed before the fifth day of pulse steroid treatment, although histologic features of vascular rejection may indicate the need for more aggressive treatment earlier. Steroid-resistant rejection is traditionally treated with poly- or monoclonal antilymphocytic antibodies, with success rates of 60 to 70%. Their potential benefit must be carefully balanced against the risks of infection and lymphoma. More recently, mycophenolate mofetil has been successfully used to treat steroid-resistant rejection, but only of the interstitial (cellular) type. Switching from CsA to tacrolimus for treating recurrent or antibody-resistant rejection is successful in approximately 60% of cases. Plasmapheresis and intravenously administered Ig have been used in some desperate cases, with surprising success. Because none of the available drugs has a significantly better profile of therapeutic versus adverse effects, the possible benefits of continued rejection therapy must be continuously balanced with the potential for serious, sometimes fatal, side effects.  N. Ref:: 35

 

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[109]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A novel pathway regulating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochem Pharmacol 2002 Oct 1;64(7):1071-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chen J; Fang Y

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, B107, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. jiechen@uiuc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Originally discovered as an anti-fungal agent, the bacterial macrolide rapamycin is a potent immunosuppressant and a promising anti-cancer drug. In complex with its cellular receptor, the FK506-binding protein (FKBP12), rapamycin binds and inhibits the function of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). By mediating amino acid sufficiency, mTOR governs signaling to translational regulation and other cellular functions by converging with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway on downstream effectors. Whether mTOR receives mitogenic signals in addition to nutrient-sensing has been an unresolved issue, and the mechanism of action of rapamycin remained unknown. Our recent findings have revealed a novel link between mitogenic signals and mTOR via the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid (PA), and suggested a role for mTOR in the integration of nutrient and mitogen signals. A molecular mechanism for rapamycin inhibition of mTOR signaling is proposed, in which a putative interaction between PA and mTOR is abolished by rapamycin binding. Collective evidence further implicates the regulation of the rapamycin-sensitive signaling circuitry by phospholipase D, and potentially by other upstream regulators such as the conventional protein kinase C, the Rho and ARF families of small G proteins, and calcium ions. As the mTOR pathway has been demonstrated to be an important anti-cancer target, the identification of new components and novel regulatory modes in mTOR signaling will facilitate the future development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.  N. Ref:: 67

 

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[110]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - ATP-binding cassette transporters and calcineurin inhibitors: potential clinical implications.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplant Proc 2001 May;33(3):2420-1.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - van Gelder T; Klupp J; Sawamoto T; Christians U; Morris RE

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine (T.vG.), University Hospital Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. vangelder@INW1.AZR.NL  N. Ref:: 17

 

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[111]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current status of liver transplantation in children.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pediatr Clin North Am 2003 Dec;50(6):1335-74.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - McDiarmid SV

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1752, USA. smcdiarmid@mednet.ucla.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - There are two critical issues on opposite ends of the timeline for patients who are eligible for liver transplantation. On the one hand, the crisis in the cadaveric organ supply makes surviving to transplant ever more risky. On the other hand, patients who receive successful transplants face the consequences of long-term immunosuppression and its potentially life-threatening complications. The donor shortage is forcing difficult decisions that affect all patients who await liver transplantation. It is important to scrutinize carefully the results of all policies that govern allocation and the ethics of the solutions we advocate to ensure that no patient subgroup is being at a disadvantage. Current immunosuppression practices are being challenged by an increasing understanding of the immunologic events triggered by the allograft and the goal to free patients from consequences of a lifetime of immunosuppression. Clinicians can expect, and perhaps require, that new immunosuppressive protocols will address how the planned intervention might be expected to advance the understanding of tolerance mechanisms. As knowledge increases, clinicians can anticipate innovative new immunosuppressive proposals. Calcineurin and steroid-free induction, the use of donor-derived bone marrow infusion, recipient pretreatment, costimulatory blockade, and new antibody induction approaches are all being proposed—often in combination—for clinical trials. Researchers face additional challenges in defining endpoints if the goal is not just the short-term reduction in rejection but the minimization, and eventual discontinuation, of immunosuppressive drugs while maintaining excellent long-term graft function. How much “failure” will be accepted and how will it be defined? How will clinicians interpret liver biopsies if they begin to accept that some lymphocytic infiltrates may be beneficial mediators of the ongoing immune activation necessary for the maintenance of tolerance? How will they adjust immunosuppression practices to the dynamic processes in the immune response that maintain tolerance? Remarkable short-term successes in providing transplants for thousands of children with liver failure have brought these challenges into sharp focus. Clinicians must seek to move the life-giving science of transplantation toward a new goal: providing long lifetimes of excellent graft function with minimal toxicity from immunosuppressive drugs and the hope of freedom from immunosuppression altogether. Pediatric liver recipients, whose grafts have inherent tolerogenic potential and for whom we can anticipate decades of life after transplant, may prove to be an ideal study population to further these goals.  N. Ref:: 266

 

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[112]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pimecrolimus: a review of pre-clinical and clinical data.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Int J Clin Pract 2003 May;57(4):319-27.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Graham-Brown RA; Grassberger M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LEI 5WW, UK.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Pimecrolimus (Elidel) is a novel cell-selective inhibitor of inflammatory cytokines that has specifically been developed for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases due to its favourable skin selective pharmacological profile. Therapeutic efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus cream 1% has been established in the short-term treatment and the long-term management of atopic eczema in clinical studies in adults, children and infants. It rapidly relieves pruritus, and redness and swelling disappear or are only mild in up to 70% of pimecrolimus treated patients during the first three weeks. When applied at the first signs and symptoms of atopic eczema, pimecrolimus has proven to prevent flare progression and to provide superior long-term disease control compared with a conventional treatment, based on reactive use of corticosteroids. Pimecrolimus cream 1% is well tolerated, even on sensitive areas such as the face and neck. Blood concentrations remain low, even when extensive body areas are treated and no clinically significant systemic effects have been observed during short- or long-term clinical studies with pimecrolimus.  N. Ref:: 47

 

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[113]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppression and transplant vascular disease: benefits and adverse effects.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pharmacol Ther 2003 Nov;100(2):141-56.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Moien-Afshari F; McManus BM; Laher I

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2176 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) occurs within 5 years of transplantation surgery and represents the main cause of death in long-term heart transplant survivors. The detailed pathogenesis of CAV is unknown, but there are strong indications that immunologic mechanisms, which are regulated by nonimmunologic factors, are the major cause of this phenomenon. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a frequently used immunosuppressive agent in transplant medicine to prevent rejection. The mechanism of action of CsA involves initial binding to cyclophilin to form a complex that then inhibits calcineurin (CN), leading to reduced interleukin (IL)-2 production as part of the signal transduction pathway for the activation of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. Based on this proposed mechanism, it was expected that CsA should be an effective strategy in attenuating the host immune response against transplanted allograft tissue; however, CsA has not changed the outcome of CAV. Several mechanisms have been suggested for the ineffectiveness of CsA in long-term prevention of CAV. For example, routine therapeutic doses of CsA may block CN incompletely (50%), whereas complete blockade requires doses that are not clinically tolerable. Another explanation is the possible activation of T-cell receptors directly (CN independent) by the immune response, which induces protein kinase C theta (PKCtheta) and leads to IL-2 production and immune rejection. Moreover, there may be a role for nonimmunologic mechanisms, such as complement, which cannot be controlled by CsA, or CsA may cause hypercholesterolemia or induce overexpression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). This review also compares the effect of CsA with other immunosuppressants in allograft artery preservation and their clinical efficacy.  N. Ref:: 192

 

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[114]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and outcome investigations as the basis for mycophenolic acid therapeutic drug monitoring in renal and heart transplant patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Biochem 2001 Feb;34(1):17-22.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Shaw LM; Korecka M; DeNofrio D; Brayman KL

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA. shawlmj@mail.med.upenn.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Mycophenolate mofetil is widely used in combination with either cyclosporine or tacrolimus for rejection prophylaxis in renal and heart transplant patients. Although not monitored routinely nearly to the degree that other agents such as cyclosporine or tacrolimus, there is an expanding body of experimental evidence for the utility of monitoring mycophenolic acid, the primary active metabolite of mycophenolate mofetil, plasma concentration as an index of risk for the development of acute rejection. The following are important experimentally-based reasons for recommending the incorporation of target therapeutic concentration monitoring of mycophenolic acid: (1) the MPA dose-interval area-under-the-concentration-time curve, and less precisely, MPA predose concentrations predict the risk for development of acute rejection; (2) the strong correlation between mycophenolic acid plasma concentrations and expression of important cell surface activation antigens, whole blood pharmacodynamic assays of lymphocyte proliferation and median graft rejection scores in a heart transplant animal model; (3) the greater than 10-fold interindividual variation of MPA area under the concentration time curve values in heart and renal transplant patients receiving a fixed dose of the parent drug; (4) drug-drug interactions involving other immunosuppressives are such that when switching from one to another (eg, from cyclosporine to tacrolimus or vice-versa) substantial changes in MPA concentrations can occur in patients receiving a fixed dose of the parent drug; (5) significant effects of liver and kidney diseases on the steady-state total and free mycophenolic acid area under the concentration time curve values; (6) the need to closely monitor mycophenolic acid when a major change in immunosuppression is planned such as steroid withdrawal. Current investigations are focused on determination of the most optimal sampling time and for mycophenolic acid target therapeutic concentration monitoring. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the pharmacologic activity of the newly described acyl glucuronide metabolite of mycophenolic acid which has been shown to inhibit, in vitro, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase.  N. Ref:: 37

 

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[115]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Alternate treatments in asthma.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Chest. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.chestjournal.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Chest: <> 2003 Apr;123(4):1254-65.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Niven AS; Argyros G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine Service, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX 79920, USA. Alexander.Niven@amedd.army.mil  N. Ref:: 142

 

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[116]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - International Consensus Conference on Atopic Dermatitis II (ICCAD II): clinical update and current treatment strategies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Dermatol 2003 May;148 Suppl 63:3-10.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ellis C; Luger T; Abeck D; Allen R; Graham-Brown RA; De Prost Y; Eichenfield LF; Ferrandiz C; Giannetti A; Hanifin J; Koo JY; Leung D; Lynde C; Ring J; Ruiz-Maldonado R; Saurat JH

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.A. cellis@med.umich.edu  N. Ref:: 65

 

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[117]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Recent developments in inflammatory bowel disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Med Clin North Am 2002 Nov;86(6):1497-523.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Su C; Lichtenstein GR

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Third Floor Ravdin Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The evolving medical armamentarium holds promise for more precise and effective therapies for IBD. The experience with anti-TNF therapy, particularly infliximab, illustrates the potential efficacy of therapies targeted at specific mediators or pathways involved in the pathogenesis. Advances in molecular technology have enabled the development of novel and potentially effective targeted therapies. Equally important is the increasing scientific understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD, which will likely improve the ability to stratify disease and to select therapies based on genotypic, immunologic, and phenotypic profiles in the future.  N. Ref:: 191

 

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[118]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - High-dose immunoablative therapy with hematopoietic stem cell support in the treatment of severe autoimmune disease: current status and future direction.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Intern Med 2002 Aug;41(8):608-12.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Tyndall A; Koike T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Rheumatology, University of Basel, Switzerland.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In the past 5 years approximately 500 patients worldwide suffering from severe autoimmune disease (AD) have received an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as treatment following high-dose chemotherapy. The EBMT and EULAR data base contains 370 registrations, the most frequently transplanted ADs being multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic sclerosis (SSc), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Around 70% responded initially well, with durable remission/stabilization seen more frequently in MS and SSc than in RA and SLE, the latter having around 2/3 relapses, the majority of which respond to simple agents. Overall 8% transplant-related mortality was seen with large inter AD differences (12.5% in SSc and only one patient in RA) probably reflecting the degree of vital organ involvement at the time of transplant. This phase I/II data has led to a running phase III randomized trial in SSc called the Autologous Stem cell Transplantation International Scleroderma (ASTIS) trial, and it will soon begin in MS (ASTIMS) and RA (ASTIRA). The concept of immunological “re-setting” has evolved, and needs to be confirmed by longer follow-up and the multicentre, international phase III randomized studies.  N. Ref:: 18

 

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[119]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:Leucoencefalopatia posterior reversible en un paciente con linfoma no-Hodgkin tras tratamiento con CHOP. Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy in a patient with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after treatment with CHOP.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - An Med Interna 2001 Nov;18(11):591-3.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Gimenez-Mesa E; Martinez-Salio A; Porta-Etessam J; Berbel Garcia A; Cedena Romero T; Salama Bendoyan P

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Servicio de Neurologia, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Ctra de Andalucia km 5,400, 28041 Madrid.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome is a newly characterised and increasingly recognized clinico-radiologic syndrome. Underlying conditions that reportedly trigger this syndrome include hypertensive encephalopathy, eclampsia, renal failure, and immunosuppressive drug therapy with cyclosporine, tacrolimus and interferon alpha. We describe a 51-year-old woman with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma treated with conventional CHOP chemotherapy. Eight days after this treatment she developed severe headache, bilateral visual loss and focal seizures with secondary generalization. Neurologic examination showed confusion, cortical blindness, and left hemiparesis with hyperreflexia and sensory loss. A cranial T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed increased signal intensity in the occipital and frontal lobes in both hemispheres and right parietal lobe. A diagnosis of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy was made. She presented a favourable outcome with conservative treatment with mannitol and phenytoin. A new cranial scanning showed nearly complete resolution of the abnormalities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy in a patient treated with standard-dose CHOP. In this patient, we confirm the theoretical pathophysiologic mechanisms suggested explaining how these drugs can cause the syndrome.  N. Ref:: 7

 

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[120]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mycophenolate mofetil: new applications for this immunosuppressant.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2003 Jan;90(1):15-19; quiz 20, 78.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Moder KG

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - OBJECTIVES: This article should familiarize the reader with the pharmacokinetics, mechanisms of action, potential toxicities, and current and future applications of mycophenolate mofetil. DATA SOURCES: The current medical literature. RESULTS: Mycophenolate mofetil is an immunosuppressive agent that has been used for transplant recipients. More recently, this agent has been used to treat several inflammatory conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Mycophenolate mofetil has the potential to be a useful agent in the treatment of several inflammatory conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus.  N. Ref:: 39

 

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[121]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - FTY720: altered lymphocyte traffic results in allograft protection.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Sep 15;72(5):764-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Brinkmann V; Pinschewer DD; Feng L; Chen S

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Novartis Pharma AG, Transplantation Research, WSJ-386.1.01, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.  N. Ref:: 52

 

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[122]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Clinical validation studies of Neoral C(2) monitoring: a review.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2002 May 15;73(9 Suppl):S3-11.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Nashan B; Cole E; Levy G; Thervet E

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Klinik fur Viszeral und Transplantationschirurgie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625 Hannover, Germany.  N. Ref:: 34

 

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[123]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Alloimmunity and nonimmunologic risk factors in cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Eur Heart J 2003 Jul;24(13):1180-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Vassalli G; Gallino A; Weis M; von Scheidt W; Kappenberger L; von Segesser LK; Goy JJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Cardiology, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. gvassall@hospvd.ch

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Graft vasculopathy is an accelerated form of coronary artery disease that occurs in transplanted hearts. Despite major advances in immunosuppression, the prevalence of the disease has remained substantially unchanged during the last two decades. According to the ‘response to injury’ paradigm, graft vasculopathy is the result of a continuous inflammatory response to tissue injury initiated by both alloantigen-dependent and independent stress responses. Experimental evidence suggests that these responses may become self-sustaining, as allograft re-transplantation into the donor strain at a later stage fails to prevent disease progression. Histological evidence of endothelitis and arteritis, in association with intima fibrosis and atherosclerosis, reflects the central role of alloimmunity and inflammation in the development of arterial lesions. Experimental results in gene-targeted mouse models indicate that cellular and humoral immune responses are both involved in the pathogenesis of graft vasculopathy. Circulating antibodies against donor endothelium are found in a significant number of patients, but their pathogenic role is still controversial. Alloantigen-independent factors include donor-transmitted coronary artery disease, surgical trauma, ischaemia-reperfusion injury, viral infections, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance. Recent therapeutic advances include the use of novel immunosuppressive agents such as sirolimus (rapamycin), HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Optimal treatment of cardiovascular risk factors remains of paramount importance.  N. Ref:: 100

 

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[124]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Basiliximab: a review of its use as induction therapy in renal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Drugs 2003;63(24):2803-35.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chapman TM; Keating GM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Adis International Limited, Auckland, New Zealand. demail@adis.co.nz

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Basiliximab (Simulect), a chimeric (human/murine) monoclonal antibody, is indicated for the prevention of acute organ rejection in adult and paediatric renal transplant recipients in combination with other immunosuppressive agents.Basiliximab significantly reduced acute rejection compared with placebo in renal transplant recipients receiving dual- (cyclosporin microemulsion and corticosteroids) or triple-immunotherapy (azathioprine- or mycophenolate mofetil-based); graft and patient survival rates at 12 months were similar. Significantly more basiliximab than placebo recipients were free from the combined endpoint of death, graft loss or acute rejection 3 years, but not 5 years, after transplantation.The incidence of adverse events was similar in basiliximab and placebo recipients, with no increase in the incidence of infection, including cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Malignancies or post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders after treatment with basiliximab were rare, with a similar incidence to that seen with placebo at 12 months or 5 years post-transplantation. Rare cases of hypersensitivity reactions to basiliximab have been reported.The efficacy of basiliximab was similar to that of equine antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and daclizumab, and similar to or greater than that of muromonab CD3. Basiliximab was as effective as rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) in patients at relatively low risk of acute rejection, but less effective in high-risk patients. Numerically or significantly fewer patients receiving basiliximab experienced adverse events considered to be related to the study drug than ATG or RATG recipients. The incidence of infection, including CMV infection, was similar with basiliximab and ATG or RATG.Basiliximab plus baseline immunosuppression resulted in no significant differences in acute rejection rates compared with baseline immunosuppression with or without ATG or antilymphocyte globulin in retrospective analyses conducted for small numbers of paediatric patients. Limited data from paediatric renal transplant recipients suggest a similar tolerability profile to that in adults. Basiliximab appears to allow the withdrawal of corticosteroids or the use of corticosteroid-free or calcineurin inhibitor-sparing regimens in renal transplant recipients.Basiliximab did not increase the overall costs of therapy in pharmacoeconomic studies.CONCLUSION: Basiliximab reduces acute rejection without increasing the incidence of adverse events, including infection and malignancy, in renal transplant recipients when combined with standard dual- or triple-immunotherapy. The overall incidence of death, graft loss or acute rejection was significantly reduced at 3 years; there was no significant difference for this endpoint 5 years after transplantation. Malignancy was not increased at 5 years. The overall efficacy, tolerability, ease of administration and cost effectiveness of basiliximab make it an attractive option for the prophylaxis of acute renal transplant rejection.  N. Ref:: 85

 

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[125]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cyclosporine-associated hyperkalemia: report of four allogeneic blood stem-cell transplant cases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 Apr 15;75(7):1069-72.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000057241.69355.59

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Caliskan Y; Kalayoglu-Besisik S; Sargin D; Ecder T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Istanbul School of Medicine, CAPA 34 390, Istanbul, Turkey.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - BACKGROUND: Nephrotoxicity is a well-known effect of cyclosporine (CsA) that causes a reduction in glomerular filtration rate through vasoconstriction of the afferent glomerular arterioles and may result in acute renal failure. Isolated CsA-induced hyperkalemia occurring through different mechanisms is also common. However, there are only a few “case reports” addressing this phenomenon in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation patients. In this report, we propose mechanisms and methods of managing CsA-associated hyperkalemia in allogeneic transplantation. METHODS: We report on four allogeneic blood stem- cell transplant cases and a review of the literature. RESULTS: Four adult leukemia patients underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and received CsA as a part of their graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. The patients developed hyperkalemia, despite adequate kidney function. CsA seemed to be the only pharmaceutical agent to which this electrolyte abnormality could be attributed. Renal tubule dysfunction and secondary hypoaldosteronism seemed to be the reasons for CsA-associated hyperkalemia. CONCLUSION: This report of four cases demonstrates that CsA should be considered among the possible causes of hyperkalemia in bone marrow transplantation. There may be a need for urgent intervention depending on the severity of hyperkalemia. Monitoring of blood CsA level and dose adjustment are important for the prevention of this complication.  N. Ref:: 22

 

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[126]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for recurrent in-stent restenosis after brachytherapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am J Cardiol 2003 Jul 15;92(2):200-3.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Saia F; Lemos PA; Sianos G; Degertekin M; Lee CH; Arampatzis CA; Hoye A; Tanabe K; Regar E; van der Giessen WJ; Smits PC; de Feyter P; Ligthart J; van Domburg RT; Serruys PW

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Erasmus MC, Thoraxcenter, Dr Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  N. Ref:: 13

 

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[127]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus-based combination therapies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2003 May;18 Suppl 1:i12-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Undre NA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Fujisawa GmbH, Neumarkter Str. 61, D-81673 Munich, Germany. nas.undre@fujisawa.de

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - This paper reviews the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus, with special reference to its combination with adjunctive immunosuppressants. Oral bioavailability of tacrolimus, which is variable between patients, averages approximately 25%. This is largely due to extrahepatic metabolism of tacrolimus in the gastrointestinal epithelium. Nevertheless, intra-patient variability is low, as evidenced by the small number of dose changes required to maintain patients within the recommended tacrolimus target levels. Tacrolimus is distributed extensively in the body with most partitioned outside the blood compartment. Concentrations of tacrolimus in blood are used as a surrogate marker of clinically relevant concentration of the drug at the site(s) of action. Convenient whole-blood sampling within a +/-2-h window around 12 h post-dose (C(min)) is highly predictive of systemic exposure to tacrolimus and is thus used to optimise therapy. Sampling at other time-points offers no advantage over C(min) monitoring. The interactions of tacrolimus with other immunosuppressive agents are well characterized. After cessation of concomitant corticosteroid treatment, exposure to tacrolimus increases by approximately 25%. In contrast, there is no pharmacokinetic interaction between mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and tacrolimus. Therefore, systemic exposure to the active metabolite of MMF, mycophenolic acid, is higher with MMF-tacrolimus combination than with MMF-cyclosporin combination. Therefore, 1 g/day MMF may be an adequate maintenance dose in tacrolimus-based regimens. Co-administration of tacrolimus and sirolimus, while having no effect on exposure to sirolimus, results in reduced exposure to tacrolimus at sirolimus doses of 2 mg/day and above. In conclusion, tacrolimus levels should be monitored when sirolimus is co-administered at doses >2 mg/day and after cessation of corticosteroid treatment.  N. Ref:: 13

 

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[128]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A pharmacokinetic and clinical review of the potential clinical impact of using different formulations of cyclosporin A. Berlin, Germany, November 19, 2001.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Ther 2003 Jun;25(6):1654-69.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pollard S; Nashan B; Johnston A; Hoyer P; Belitsky P; Keown P; Helderman H

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Organ Transplantation, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A meeting of 14 transplant and pharmacokinetic specialists from Europe and North America was convened in November 2001 to evaluate scientific and clinical data regarding the use of different formulations of cyclosporin A (CsA). The following consensus was achieved. (1) CsA is a critical-dose drug with a narrow therapeutic window. Clinical outcomes after transplantation are affected by the pharmacokinetic properties of CsA, particularly by its bioavailability, and by intrapatient variability in CsA exposure. (2) Standard bioequivalence criteria do not address differences in CsA pharmacokinetics between transplant recipients and healthy volunteers, or between subpopulations of transplant recipients. (3) In some circumstances, currently available formulations of CsA that meet standard bioequivalence criteria are likely to be nonequivalent with respect to pharmacokinetic characteristics. (4) The choice of CsA formulation can affect the short- and long-term clinical outcome. Currently, there is a lack of clinical comparisons between generic CsA formulations and the Neoral formulation (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey). Initial retrospective data from the Collaborative Transplant Study suggest that use of generic CsA formulations may result in reduced graft survival at 1 year. (5) Management of transplant recipients by monitoring Neoral concentrations 2 hours after dosing (C(2)) reduces the incidence and severity of acute rejection compared with monitoring of trough concentrations with no increase in toxicity. C(2) monitoring has been developed based on the pharmacokinetics of Neoral only and has not been evaluated or validated for generic formulations of CsA. (6) The major costs of care after transplantation relate to the management of poor clinical outcomes and toxicity. CsA formulations with different pharmacokinetic properties may be associated with varying clinical outcomes, which would be expected to affect total health care costs. (7) The transplant physician is responsible for selecting immunosuppressive agents and formulations for his or her patients. Any switch between CsA formulations in a particular patient should take place only in a controlled setting with adequate pharmacokinetic monitoring.  N. Ref:: 51

 

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[129]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:La enfermedad linfoproliferativa difusa postrasplante renal y su relacion con el virus Epstein-Barr. Experiencia de un centro. Diffuse lymphoproliferative disease after renal transplantation and its relation with Epstein-Barr virus. Experience at one center.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nefrologia. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.aulamedica.es/nefrologia/ 

      ●● Cita: Nefrologia: <> 2002;22(5):463-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Franco A; Jimenez L; Aranda I; Alvarez L; Gonzalez M; Rocamora N; Olivares J

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Servicio de Nefrologia Hospital General Alicante Maestro Alonso, 109 03010 Alicante. franco_ant@gva.es

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are a group of heterogeneous lymphoid proliferations in chronic immunosuppressed recipients which appear to be related to Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). Receptor EBV seronegativity, use of antilymphocyte antibodies and CMV disease have been identified as risk factors that may tigger development of PTLD. We have studied the incidence of PTLD and its relationship with EBV in 588 adult renal transplant recipients who were transplanted in our hospital from 1988 to 2001. We have also evaluated the diagnostic and therapeutic methods used, the risk factors and outcome of the patients who developed PTLD. We identified 8 recipients (4 males and 4 females), range from 18 to 67 years (mean age 45.6 years) with a median time between grafting and PTLD of 4.1 years (0.1-7 years), who developed PTLD (1.3%). Only 1 patient received OKT3 and had CMV disease, two of them (25%) had been treated with hight doses of prednisolone, another was EBV seronegative, but the rest of them (50%) had no risk factors. Two patients were diagnosed at autopsy, the diagnosis of 5 was based on the histology of biopsy and the last one by CT scans of chest-abdomen and cytology. The presence of EBV in the lymphoproliferative cells was assessed in 5 out of the 7 studied patients (71.4%). The outcome of our recipients was poor. Five out of 8 patients died shortly after diagnosis as a direct consecuence of PTLD and another of an infectious complication of the treatment (75%). The 2 patients alive started dialysis and 1 of them died 2 years later of a non-related cause. In conclusion, PTLD is a relatively frequent disease with a poor prognosis in renal transplant patients. It seems to have a close relationship with EBV and can develop in the absence of the classical risk factors.  N. Ref:: 18

 

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[130]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current immunosuppressive agents: efficacy, side effects, and utilization.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pediatr Clin North Am 2003 Dec;50(6):1283-300.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Smith JM; Nemeth TL; McDonald RA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Nephrology, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, 4800 Sand Point Way, NE 5G-1, Seattle, WA 98105-0371, USA. jodi.smith@seattlechildrens.org

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Advances in immunosuppressive therapy over the past decade have led to dramatic improvements in graft survival. With the development of new agents, the focus of the transplant community is to establish regimens that maintain excellent graft survival rates but with fewer toxicities including infection, nephrotoxicity, malignancy, and cosmetic effects. Examples include the use of steroid-free protocols and calcineurin avoidance regimens, which are currently being studied by NAPRTCS. The ultimate goal of transplant immunosuppressive therapy is the induction of tolerance. As we learn more about immune function from basic and clinical research, tolerance to allografts seems a more reachable goal.  N. Ref:: 89

 

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[131]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Transcending conventional therapies: the role of biologic and other novel therapies.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Inflamm Bowel Dis 2001 May;7 Suppl 1:S9-16.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Sandborn WJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Biologic and other novel therapies targeted to specific pathogenic processes offer the potential for improved treatment outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease and alteration of the course of the disease. Therapies targeted to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) include anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibodies (infliximab and CDP-571), TNF-binding neutralizing fusion proteins (etanercept), and TNF-alpha production inhibitors (thalidomide). In placebo-controlled trials, infliximab has rapidly induced clinical response and remission in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease refractory to conventional therapy and patients with fistulizing Crohn’s disease, with minimal toxicity; retreatment with infliximab in patients who experienced an initial response maintained their clinical improvement. Clinical experience suggests that infliximab may also be effective when administered as corticosteroid-sparing therapy. Infliximab is the only anti-TNF-alpha therapy currently available in clinical practice for the treatment of active Crohn’s disease. Controlled trials of the investigational anti-TNF-alpha agent CDP-571 show benefit for induction of clinical improvement and steroid-sparing, but further investigation is needed. A pilot study of etanercept suggested a beneficial effect, but its efficacy was not confirmed in a controlled trial. In open-label trials, thalidomide has demonstrated efficacy in patients with refractory Crohn’s disease; however, the therapeutic potential of thalidomide may be severely limited by the high incidence of drug-induced side effects. Other novel agents, including anti-alpha4 integrin antibodies, interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-11, and the immunomodulators tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil have been evaluated as treatment in patients with severely active or fistulizing Crohn’s disease in open-label and controlled trials, with varied results reported to date. The development of these new therapies is an exciting advance that promises to improve the management of Crohn’s disease and expand current knowledge of underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms.  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[132]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mycophenolate mofetil and leflunomide: promising compounds for the treatment of skin diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Exp Dermatol 2002 Oct;27(7):562-70.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Frieling U; Luger TA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, University of Munster, Germany.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In the past decade, there has been enormous progress in the understanding of the pathomechanisms of immune-mediated diseases, which has led to major advances in immunotherapeutic strategies. As a consequence, the armamentarium of specific and nonspecific immune-modulating and immunosuppressive drugs for the treatment of skin diseases has been widely extended. Among the nonspecific immunomodulators, mycophenolate mofetil and leflunomide show promising effects in a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory skin disorders. Both compounds inhibit a key enzyme in nucleotide biosynthesis, a step that is pivotal for the production of cytotoxic T cells and antibody formation. They do not act in the nucleus, which may explain their advantageous side-effect profile.  N. Ref:: 68

 

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[133]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.2.1 Differential diagnosis of chronic graft dysfunction.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:4-8.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINES: A. Any significant deterioration in graft function should be investigated using the appropriate diagnostic tools and, if possible, therapeutic interventions should be initiated. The usual causes of a decline in glomerular filtration rate after the first year include transplant-specific causes such as chronic allograft nephropathy, acute rejection episodes, chronic calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, transplant renal artery stenosis and ureteric obstruction, as well as immunodeficiency-related causes and non-transplant-related causes, such as recurrent or de novo renal diseases and bacterial infections. B. Any new onset and persistent proteinuria of >0.5 g/24 h should be investigated and therapeutic interventions should be initiated. The usual causes include chronic allograft nephropathy and transplant glomerulopathy, and recurrent or de novo glomerulonephritis.

 

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[134]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Approach to corticosteroid-dependent and corticosteroid-refractory Crohn’s disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Inflamm Bowel Dis 2001 May;7 Suppl 1:S23-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lichtenstein GR

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Medicine/Gastroenterology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-4283, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Corticosteroids are considered a drug of choice for the treatment of patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD), an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic recurrent flares of disease activity. However, among patients receiving corticosteroid therapy for induction of remission, 20% have corticosteroid-refractory disease and 36% of those with an initial response develop corticosteroid dependency within 1 year. Chronic corticosteroid exposure in patients who are corticosteroid dependent increases the risk for serious drug-related adverse effects. Withdrawal or reduction of corticosteroid therapy without exacerbation of symptoms is therefore recognized as an important goal of treatment. Therapies that have been shown to facilitate “steroid sparing’ include the immunomodulators azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate and the antitumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody infliximab. In corticosteroid-dependent patients, budesonide may be substituted for conventional corticosteroid therapy without loss of response and with less risk for toxicity, but its long-term efficacy requires further evaluation. A preliminary controlled study suggests that the investigational anti-TNF monoclonal antibody CDP-571 may also be clinically beneficial as a corticosteroid-sparing agent. This review summarizes the clinical evidence that supports consideration of these agents as alternatives in patients with CD who are dependent on, refractory to, or intolerant of conventional corticosteroid therapy.  N. Ref:: 43

 

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[135]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Primary intestinal posttransplant T-cell lymphoma.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2003 Jun 27;75(12):2131-2.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1097/01.TP.0000060253.54333.F3

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Michael J; Greenstein S; Schechner R; Tellis V; Vasovic LV; Ratech H; Glicklich D

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Nephrology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York 10467, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - There have been only five reported cases of primary posttransplant T-cell lymphoma. We report the first case associated with the use of sirolimus (Rapamycin, Wyeth-Ayerst, Philadelphia, PA). The patient, receiving prednisone, cyclosporine, and sirolimus treatment, developed ascites, diarrhea, and weight loss 7 months after his second renal transplant. Tissue obtained at laparotomy established the diagnosis of primary T-cell lymphoma. Latent membrane protein-1 for Epstein-Barr virus was negative, but in-site hybridization test for Epstein-Barr-encoded RNA was positive. Despite aggressive chemotherapy, the patient died 8 months posttransplant. This is the sixth reported case of primary intestinal posttransplant T-cell lymphoma, but it is the first case associated with the use of sirolimus. The incidence of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease in patients receiving sirolimus should be studied.  N. Ref:: 6

 

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[136]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:Alteraciones del metabolismo oseo tras el trasplante renal. Bone metabolism alterations after kidney transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nefrologia. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.aulamedica.es/nefrologia/ 

      ●● Cita: Nefrologia: <> 2003;23 Suppl 2:122-6.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Torres A; Garcia S; Barrios Y; Hernandez D; Lorenzo V

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Servicio de Nefrologia, Unidad de Investigacion, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Instituto Reina Sofia de Investigacion. atorres@ull.es

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Early after renal transplantation (RT) a rapid decrease in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral shaft has been documented. In addition, an appreciable proportion of patients still remain losing bone late after RT. As a consequence, RT patients are at a high risk of bone fractures as compared to general population. Most fractures involve appendicular skeleton, particularly the feet and ankles, and the diabetic patient is at increased risk of fractures. Thus, early institution of preventive measures and treatment of established osteoporosis are central. The major cause of post-transplantation bone loss is corticosteroid treatment, and this should be used at the lower dose compatible with graft survival. Preexisting hyperparathyroidism also affects the early cancellous bone loss at the spine, and post-transplantation bone loss reflects variable individual susceptibility, resembling the polygenic determination of bone mineral density in general. Clinical trials have demonstrated that bisphosphonates or vitamin D plus calcium supplementation, prevent post-transplantation bone loss during the first 6-12 months. However, their role in preventing bone fractures has not been proven. Finally, recommendations for management, prevention and treatment, are summarized.  N. Ref:: 24

 

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[137]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:Tratamiento de la enfermedad de Behcet. Behcet’s disease therapy review.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - An Med Interna 2002 Nov;19(11):594-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Vidaller Palacin A; Robert Olalla J; Sanuy Jimenez B; Rufi Rigau G; Folch Civit J; Charte Gonzalez A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Departamento de Medicina Interna, Unidad de Diagnostico y Seguimiento de Inmunologia Clinica y Alergias, Institut Universitari Dexeus, C/Calatrava, 83, 08017 Barcelona.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Behcet’s disease is an inflammatory process of unknown origin, which usually presents with recurrent oral ulcers, genital aphthae, uveitis and cutaneous lesions. However, a wide variety of clinical manifestations have been reported, and virtually any organ system may be affected, showing central nervous system, joints, blood vessels or gastrointestinal tract involvement. Therapeutic approach remains complex, and varies in basis of the affected organs. Complex aphthosis may respond to topical therapy, colchicine and dapsone. If this therapy does not result in adequate disease control, thalidomide, oral prednisone and methotrexate may be useful. When severe ocular lesions or systemic manifestations are present, therapies tend to be more aggressive, usually combining corticosteroids with immunosuppressive agents as cyclosporin, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, interferon-alfa-2a, and chlorambucil.  N. Ref:: 24

 

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[138]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.10. Pregnancy in renal transplant recipients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:50-5.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINES: A. Renal transplantation restores fertility, and successful pregnancies have been reported in renal transplant women. In women with normal graft function, pregnancy usually has no adverse effect on graft function and survival. Therefore, women of childbearing age who consider pregnancy should receive complete information and support from the transplant team. B. Pregnancy could be considered safe about 2 years after transplantation in women with good renal function, without proteinuria, without arterial hypertension, with no evidence of ongoing rejection and with normal allograft ultrasound. C. Pregnancy after transplantation should be considered a high-risk pregnancy and should be monitored by both an obstetrician and the transplant physician. Pregnancy should be diagnosed as early as possible. The principal risks are infection, proteinuria, anaemia, arterial hypertension and acute rejection for the mother, and prematurity and low birth weight for the foetus. D. Pregnant women and transplanted patients are at increased risk of infections, especially bacterial urinary tract infections and acute pyelonephritis of the graft. Urine cultures should be performed monthly and all asymptomatic infections should be treated. Monitoring of viral infections is also recommended. (Evidence level B) E. Acute rejection episodes are uncommon but may occur after delivery. Therefore, immunosuppression should be re-adjusted immediately after delivery. F. Because pre-eclampsia develops in 30% of pregnant patients, especially those with prior arterial transplant hypertension, blood pressure, renal function, proteinuria and weight should be monitored every 2-4 weeks, with more attention during the third trimester. Anti-hypertensive agents should be changed to those tolerated during pregnancy. ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists are absolutely contra-indicated. G. Immunosuppressive therapy based on cyclosporine or tacrolimus with or without steroids and azathioprine may be continued in renal transplant women during pregnancy. Other drugs, such as mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus, are not recommended based on current information available. Because of drug transfer into maternal milk, breastfeeding is not recommended. H. Vaginal delivery is recommended, but caesarean section is required in at least 50% of cases. Delivery should occur in a specialized centre. In the puerperium, renal function, proteinuria, blood pressure, cyclosporine/tacrolimus blood levels and fluid balance should be closely monitored.

 

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[139]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Efficacy and toxicity of a protocol using sirolimus, tacrolimus and daclizumab in a nonhuman primate renal allotransplant model.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am J Transplant 2002 Apr;2(4):381-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Montgomery SP; Mog SR; Xu H; Tadaki DK; Hirshberg B; Berning JD; Leconte J; Harlan DM; Hale D; Kirk AD

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - NIDDK/Navy Transplantation and Autoimmunity Branch, Naval Medical Research Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A regimen combining sirolimus, tacrolimus, and daclizumab has recently been shown to provide adequate immunosuppression for allogeneic islet transplantation in humans, but remains unproven for primarily vascularized allografts. We evaluated this regimen for renal allograft transplantation in mismatched nonhuman primates. Dosages of sirolimus and tacrolimus were adjusted for trough levels of 10-15 ng/mL and 4-6 ng/mL, respectively. Treated monkeys (n = 5) had significantly prolonged allograft survival, with a mean survival of 36 days vs. 7 days in untreated controls (n = 6, p = 0.008). Four of five treated animals, but none of the controls, developed fibrinoid vascular necrosis of the small intestine. A review of gut histology from animals on other immunosuppressive protocols performed by our laboratory suggested that these lesions were a result of sirolimus exposure. In summary, this regimen prolongs the survival of vascularized renal allografts, but is limited by profound GI toxicity in rhesus macaques.

 

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[140]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Atopic dermatitis and asthma: parallels in the evolution of treatment.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pediatrics 2003 Mar;111(3):608-16.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Eichenfield LF; Hanifin JM; Beck LA; Lemanske RF Jr; Sampson HA; Weiss ST; Leung DY

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Children’s Hospital, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. leichenfield@ucsd.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - OBJECTIVES: To review epidemiologic correlations between asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD), identify common features in disease pathophysiology, and review steps involved in the development of asthma therapy guidelines to assess the appropriateness of a similar process and approach for AD. METHODS: A 7-member panel representing specialists in dermatology, allergy, asthma, immunology, and pediatrics from around the United States convened to review the current literature and evolving data on AD. Participants presented reviews to the panel on the epidemiology of asthma and AD, the genetic predisposition to allergic disease, the current understanding of the immunopathophysiology of AD, interrelationships between the pathologic pathways of asthma and AD, evolving treatment concepts and options in AD, and the applicability of the asthma treatment model and how it may be adapted for guideline development for AD. Commentary and criticism were recorded for use in document preparation. RESULTS: There are clear epidemiologic parallels in asthma and AD. Importantly, AD frequently is the first manifestation of an atopic diathesis, which occurs in genetically predisposed individuals and also includes asthma and allergic rhinitis. Up to 80% of children with AD will eventually develop allergic rhinitis or asthma later in childhood. This classic “atopic triad” has numerous pathophysiologic elements in common, including cyclic nucleotide regulatory abnormalities, immune cell alterations, and inflammatory mediators and allergic triggers. New therapeutic options that target underlying immune mechanisms are available, and their place among treatments for AD is becoming established. Guidelines of care have been developed for asthma. The panel noted that the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines for diagnosis and management of asthma, first issued in 1991, had a tremendous positive impact on many aspects of asthma treatment. It not only created a heightened awareness that asthma is a disease of chronic inflammation, but it also provided unified approaches for therapy and opened new areas of basic science and clinical research. In addition, the guidelines spurred interactions among physicians of various specialties and stimulated a great quantity of research in asthma therapy. It is anticipated that AD therapy guidelines would have similar positive outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The panel concluded that, on the basis of current information and evolving therapeutic options, a clear rationale exists to support AD guideline development. The many parallels between AD and asthma suggest that processes and approaches used for the asthma therapy guidelines would be appropriate for AD.  N. Ref:: 60

 

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[141]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment responses of childhood aplastic anaemia with chromosomal aberrations at diagnosis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Haematol 2002 Jul;118(1):313-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ohga S; Ohara A; Hibi S; Kojima S; Bessho F; Tsuchiya S; Ohshima Y; Yoshida N; Kashii Y; Nishimura S; Kawakami K; Nishikawa K; Tsukimoto I

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Aplastic Anaemia Committee of the Japanese Society of Paediatric Haematology, Tokyo, Japan. ohgas@pediatr.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The clinical outcome of childhood aplastic anaemia (AA) with aberrant cytogenetic clones at diagnosis was surveyed. Among 198 children with newly diagnosed AA registered with the AA Committee of the Japanese Society of Paediatric Hematology between 1994 and 1998, cytogenetic studies of bone marrow (BM) cells were completed in 159 patients. Apart from one Robertsonian translocation, seven patients (4.4%) showed clonal chromosomal abnormalities in hypoplastic BM without myelodysplastic features. The patients included six girls and one boy with a median age of 11 years (range 5-14 years). Six patients had del(6), del(5), del(13), del(20), or -7, and one showed add(9). Four patients responded to the first immunosuppressive therapy (IST: cyclosporin A plus anti-thymocyte globulin) and one obtained a spontaneous remission. Cytogenetic abnormalities remained in two patients with an IST response. On the other hand, two patients showed no IST response. One did not respond to repeat IST and died of acute graft-versus-host disease after an unrelated-BM transplant. Another obtained a complete response after a successful BM transplant. No haematological findings at diagnosis predicted the treatment response. No significant morphological changes developed during the course of the illness. A literature review revealed that half of 24 AA patients with chromosomal abnormalities responded to the first IST, and that +6 was the sole predictable marker for IST unresponsiveness. These results suggest that IST can be applied as the initial therapy for AA with cytogenetic abnormalities in the absence of completely matched donors.  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[142]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunosuppressive treatment in dialysis patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 8:2-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Altieri P; Sau G; Cao R; Barracca A; Menneas A; Micchittu B; Cabiddu G; Esposito P; Pani A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Renal Department, Ospedale San Michele, Cagliari, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Immunosuppressive treatment is a critical procedure in dialysis patients, in whom an increased risk of infection is already present. Haemodialytic treatment increases the patient’s susceptibility to bacterial infection, mainly by impairing polymorphonuclear leukocyte phagocytosis, but it can also restore the patient’s immunological defences by improving the T-cell function, which is reduced by pre-dialysis uraemia. Patients on dialysis usually continue the immunosuppressive treatment that had been established for the illness that caused their renal failure [e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or renal vasculitis]. Less frequently, patients on dialysis need immunosuppression for immunological or inflammatory diseases that appear ‘de novo’ after initiation of dialysis. SLE and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-related vasculitides are immunological illnesses that frequently cause end-stage renal failure (ESRF). A reduction in serological and/or clinical activity is usually observed in SLE patients after they reach ESRF, but a similar or increased frequency of extrarenal relapse episodes in lupus patients after the beginning of the dialysis, compared with the pre-dialysis period, has also been described. Frequency of relapse episodes in patients on dialysis treatment for ANCA-related vasculitides varies from 10 to 30% per patient/year in different reports, and it is higher than the frequency of relapses after renal transplantation; anti-rejection therapy seems to be the most likely protective factor in these conditions. The treatment of relapse episodes in SLE or ANCA vasculitis in dialysis-dependent patients is usually not different from treatment of relapses in patients with dialysis-independent renal function. However, the risk of severe infection caused by immunosuppressive treatment is relevantly higher in dialysis patients. Furthermore, there is a lack of prospective controlled studies indicating the optimal management of immunosuppressive protocols in dialysis patients. A particularly careful assessment of the patient’s risks and benefits is necessary in deciding how long immunosuppressive treatment should last after acute or rapidly progressive renal damage, that should require dialysis treatment, in patients with SLE or ANCA vasculitis. In the above conditions, the risks of prolonging immunosuppressive treatment must be balanced against the relatively good prognosis offered to these patients by dialysis and renal transplantation. In a retrospective review of 24 patients receiving long-term steroid therapy (>3 months) in our dialysis unit in the past 5 years, we found relevant clinical differences in the patients receiving steroid treatment compared with 24 controls. Steroid-treated patients showed less favourable nutritional conditions, with lower serum albumin and body mass index vs non-steroid-treated patients; moreover, C-reactive protein values were persistently higher in the steroid-treated group. Steroid treatment in these patients was usually performed at the beginning of regular dialysis, as a continuation of the treatment that started before the initiation of dialysis. Only two patients, who needed a prolonged low-dose steroidal treatment to control a malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis (MIA) syndrome, started steroids many years after beginning dialysis. Steroid treatment was effective in improving the nutritional condition and inflammatory symptoms in these two patients after all conventional measures had failed.  N. Ref:: 45

 

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[143]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Acute necrotizing gastritis by Escherichia coli in a severely neutropenic patient.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Haematologica. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://db.doyma.es/ 

      ●● Cita: Haematologica: <> 2002 Jan;87(1):ELT01.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Martinez-Chamorro C; Martinez E; Gil-Fernandez JJ; Escudero A; Acevedo A; Fernandez-Ranada JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Hematology Department, Clinica Ruber, C/Juan Bravo, 49 28006-Madrid, España. m-chamorro@navegalia.com  N. Ref:: 6

 

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[144]

- Castellano -

TÍTULO / TITLE:Bioequivalencia e intercambio terapeutico de especialidades farmaceuticas: aplicacion a ciclosporina en trasplante renal. Bioequivalence and therapeutic exchange of pharmaceutical specialties: application to cyclosporin in renal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nefrologia. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.aulamedica.es/nefrologia/ 

      ●● Cita: Nefrologia: <> 2003;23(1):71-80.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Perez Ruixo JJ; Porta B; Jimenez Torres NV

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Global Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Pharmacology Division, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg, 30, B-2230 Beerse, Belgica. jperezru@janbe.jnj.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The aim of this study was to perform a quantitative meta-analysis of the average bioequivalence criteria between Sandimmun and Sandimmun Neoral in kidney transplant patients, and to review the new bioequivalence criteria and their application to generic formulation of cyclosporin. In Medline, we searched for clinical trials evaluating the bioequivalence between Sandimmun and Sandimmun Neoral in kidney transplant patients and we collected the information regarding the bioequivalence, study design, sample size, and time post-transplant. The effect was measured by the Wolf method; publication bias was evaluated by the Galbraith method and the Rosenthal formula was used to calculate the number of additional studies with no statistical differences needed to get a statistically non-significant overall estimation. We selected 6 clinical trials with a latin square design and 4 clinical trials with sequential design. The average bioequivalence criteria between Sandimmun Neoral and Sandimmun were 1.327 (90% CI: 1,311 a 1,344), 1,663 (90% CI: 1,635 a 1,692) and 0.559 hours (90% CI: 0.544 a 0.574 hours) for logharitmic transformation of area under the curve and maximum concentration, and time to maximum concentration, respectively. For these three outcomes, we found statistical differences between different study designs and for area under the curve and maximum concentration, the average bioequivalence criteria significantly fall with the post-transplant time. We conclude Sandimmun Neoral and Sandimmun are not bioequivalents and the experience reached with these two drugs is not applicable to the evaluation of generic formulations of cyclosporin.

 

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[145]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of membranous nephropathy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2001;16 Suppl 5:8-10.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ponticelli C; Passerini P

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Nephrology, Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Several therapeutic approaches have been tried in patients with membranous nephropathy. Corticosteroids have been largely used, but a meta-analysis of the available controlled trials did not show any benefit of corticosteroids either in favouring remission of the nephrotic syndrome or in preventing renal dysfunction. Controversial results have been obtained with cytotoxic agents. Unfortunately, most of the available trials were small in size and had short-term follow-ups. Three controlled trials evaluated the role of a 6-month treatment with methylprednisolone and chlorambucil. The first trial showed that the 10-year renal survival rate was 92% in treated patients compared with 60% in untreated controls. A second trial compared the effects of methylprednisolone/chlorambucil with those of methylprednisolone alone. The combined treatment achieved remission of nephrotic syndrome in 64% of cases vs 38% in patients given steroids alone. A third trial showed equivalent results in patients randomized to be given methylprednisolone/chlorambucil or methylprednisolone/cyclophosphamide. A number of non-controlled studies and a randomized trial also showed the efficacy of cyclosporine in reducing proteinuria. In many but not all cases, proteinuria reappeared when cyclosporine was stopped. In conclusion, although the treatment of membranous nephropathy remains difficult, some therapeutical approaches have proved to favour remission and protect renal function  N. Ref:: 53

 

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[146]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cryptococcus neoformans infection in organ transplant recipients: variables influencing clinical characteristics and outcome.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Emerg Infect Dis. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.cdc.gov/ 

      ●● Cita: Emerging Infectious Diseases: <> 2001 May-Jun;7(3):375-81.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Husain S; Wagener MM; Singh N

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15240, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Unique clinical characteristics and other variables influencing the outcome of Cryptococcus neoformans infection in organ transplant recipients have not been well defined. From a review of published reports, we found that C. neoformans infection was documented in 2.8% of organ transplant recipients (overall death rate 42%). The type of primary immunosuppressive agent used in transplantation influenced the predominant clinical manifestation of cryptococcosis. Patients receiving tacrolimus were significantly less likely to have central nervous system involvement (78% versus 11%, p =0.001) and more likely to have skin, soft-tissue, and osteoarticular involvement (66% versus 21%, p = 0.006) than patients receiving nontacrolimus- based immunosuppression. Renal failure at admission was the only independently significant predictor of death in these patients (odds ratio 16.4, 95% CI 1.9-143, p = 0.004). Hypotheses based on these data may elucidate the pathogenesis and may ultimately guide the management of C. neoformans infection in organ transplant recipients.  N. Ref:: 74

 

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[147]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Vitamin D and systemic therapy.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cutis 2002 Nov;70(5 Suppl):16-20.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - van de Kerkhof P

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The most frequently used systemic treatments for severe psoriasis are methotrexate (MTX), oral retinoids, and cyclosporine; however, all of these agents are associated with dose-related toxicities that limit their use. The safety and efficacy of topical calcipotriene for the treatment of psoriasis have been demonstrated in numerous clinical studies. The rationale for using calcipotriene in combination with systemic therapies is based on their different modes of action and nonoverlapping side effects. Three controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that the addition of calcipotriene ointment to systemic antipsoriatic treatment with MTX, acitretin, and cyclosporine increases the therapeutic efficacy compared with systemic therapy alone and minimizes side effects by either reducing the dosage or duration of treatment.  N. Ref:: 18

 

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[148]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Lichen amyloidosus associated with Kimura’s disease: successful treatment with cyclosporine.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Dermatology 2002;204(2):133-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Teraki Y; Katsuta M; Shiohara T

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. teraki@kyorin-u.ac.jp

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - We describe here a case of a 33-year-old man who had lichen amyloidosus associated with Kimura’s disease. In this case, treatment with cyclosporine dramatically improved the lesions of both Kimura’s disease and lichen amyloidosus. Although Kimura’s disease and lichen amyloidosus are both rare distinct entities, to our knowledge, 11 cases of association of Kimura’s disease and lichen amyloidosus have been described previously.  N. Ref:: 13

 

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[149]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Pimecrolimus: a review.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2003 Sep;17(5):493-503.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Gupta AK; Chow M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Science Center (Sunnybrook site) and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. agupta@execulink.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Pimecrolimus (SDZ ASM 981), an ascomycin derivative, is one of the new classes of immunomodulating macrolactams and was specifically developed for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The interest in pimecrolimus has been substantial because of its significant anti-inflammatory activity and immunomodulatory capabilities and its low systemic immunosuppressive potential. The mechanism of action of pimecrolimus is the blockage of T cell activation. Pimecrolimus (like all ascomycins) is an immunophilin ligand, which binds specifically to the cytosolic receptor, immunophilin macrophilin-12. This pimecrolimus-macrophilin complex effectively inhibits the protein phosphatase calcineurin, by preventing calcineurin from dephosphorylating the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT), a transcription factor. This results in the blockage of signal transduction pathways in T cells and the inhibition of the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines, specifically Th1- and Th2-type cytokines. Pimecrolimus has also been shown to prevent the release of cytokines and pro-inflammatory mediators from mast cells. Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of pimecrolimus as a treatment for skin diseases. In animal models of allergic contact dermatitis, topical pimecrolimus was found to be effective. In human studies of allergic contact dermatitis pimecrolimus demonstrated significantly more efficacy than the control treatment. As well, the effectiveness of pimecrolimus 0.6% cream was comparable to 0.1% betamethasone-17-valerate; however, pimecrolimus was not associated with any of the side effects characteristic of a topical steroid. Topical application of pimecrolimus is not associated with skin atrophy. Pimecrolimus is effective and safe in both children and adults with atopic dermatitis. When pimecrolimus 1% cream has been applied to adult atopics, improvement has been observed as early as the first week, with a 72% reduction in severity after 3 weeks. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown very low blood levels of pimecrolimus following topical application, with no accumulation after repeated applications. Following application of pimecrolimus cream occasional transient irritation may be experienced at the application site. Similar results have also been found in children aged 3 months and older following application of pimecrolimus 1% cream. Topical pimecrolimus in psoriasis appears to exhibit a dose-dependent therapeutic effect under semi-occlusive conditions. Pimecrolimus has an enormous potential as a new treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. It has been shown to be effective in atopic and allergic contact dermatitis, with a favorable adverse-effects profile, which includes little effect on the systemic immune response.  N. Ref:: 42

 

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[150]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Rapamycin in transplantation: a review of the evidence.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Kidney Int 2001 Jan;59(1):3-16.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Saunders RN; Metcalfe MS; Nicholson ML

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Surgery, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, England, United Kingdom. rnsaunders@hotmail.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Rapamycin in transplantation: A review of the evidence. The calcineurin inhibitors have been the mainstays of immunosuppression for solid organ transplantation over the last two decades, but nephrotoxicity limits their therapeutic benefit. Rapamycin is a new drug with both immunosuppressant and antiproliferative properties that has a unique mechanism of action distinct from that of the calcineurin inhibitors. It has a role as a maintenance immunosuppressant either alone or in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor and can also be used to treat refractory acute rejection. Theoretical evidence suggests that it may limit the development and progression of chronic rejection in transplant recipients, but this has yet to be confirmed. This review examines the current in vitro animal and human work underlying the use of rapamycin and, in addition, comments on the pharmacokinetics and side-effect profile of this promising new agent.  N. Ref:: 122

 

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[151]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin as novel antitumor agents: from bench to clinic.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Opin Investig Drugs 2002 Feb;3(2):295-304.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Huang S; Houghton PJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Molecular Pharmacology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105-2794, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Rapamycin and its derivatives, CCI-779 and RAD-001, inhibit the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), downregulating translation of specific mRNAs required for cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Preclinically, mTOR inhibitors potently suppress growth and proliferation of numerous tumor cell lines in culture or when grown in mice as xenografts. CCI-779 and RAD-001 are being developed as antitumor drugs and are undergoing clinical trials. Clinically, CCI-779 has shown evidence of antitumor activity but induced relatively mild side effects in patients. Here we discuss potential antitumor mechanisms and resistance mechanisms of mTOR inhibitors, and summarize the current status of these compounds as novel antitumor agents.  N. Ref:: 90

 

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[152]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Regulation of translation via TOR signaling: insights from Drosophila melanogaster.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Nutr. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.nutrition.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of Nutrition: <> 2001 Nov;131(11):2988S-93S.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Miron M; Sonenberg N

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Biochemistry and McGill Cancer Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The target of rapamycin (TOR) proteins are large protein kinases evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human. A large body of evidence demonstrates that TOR proteins function in a nutrient-sensing checkpoint whose role is to restrict growth under conditions of low nutrient availability. Under such conditions, TOR blocks the transmission of growth-promoting signals from extracellular stimuli. Recent data obtained by genetic studies in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster demonstrate the importance of both insulin-like signaling and TOR signaling in promoting growth. Importantly, these studies identified a major downstream target of TOR and insulin-like signaling as the translational machinery.  N. Ref:: 63

 

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[153]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - International Federation of Clinical Chemistry/International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology working group on immunosuppressive drug monitoring.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ther Drug Monit 2002 Feb;24(1):59-67.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Holt DW; Armstrong VW; Griesmacher A; Morris RG; Napoli KL; Shaw LM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Analytical Unit, St George’s Hospital Medical School, London, UK. d.holt@sghms.ac.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Issues surrounding the measurement and interpretation of immunosuppressive drug concentrations have been summarized in a number of consensus documents. The Scientific Division of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry has formed a working group in collaboration with the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology. This paper sets out the goals of the working group in light of the developments that have occurred in the field of immunosuppressive drug monitoring since the publication of the last consensus documents.

 

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[154]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.2.5. Chronic graft dysfunction. Late recurrence of primary glomerulonephritides.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Nephrol Dial Transplant. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://ndt.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: <> 2002;17 Suppl 4:16-8.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - GUIDELINES: A. In the case of recurrent focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), aggressive treatment with high-dose cyclosporine in children, ACE inhibitors and/or Angiotensin II antagonists, plasma exchange or immunoadsorption may result in remission in some patients. B. In the case of recurrent membranous nephropathy (MN), there is no specific treatment. However, control of risk factors, such as hypertension, heavy proteinuria and hyperlipidaemia, and prevention of thrombotic complications are recommended. C. In the case of recurrent membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), there is no specific treatment. However, control of risk factors, such as hypertension, heavy proteinuria and hyperlipidaemia, and prevention of thrombotic complications are recommended. D. In the case of recurrent IgA glomerulonephritis, use of additional steroids is not yet a validated treatment. The control of risk factors, such as hypertension, heavy proteinuria and hyperlipidaemia, is recommended. E. In the rare case of recurrent anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) glomerulonephritis with reappearance of anti-GBM antibodies, it is recommended to initiate plasma exchange and to treat with appropriate immunosuppressive agents (e.g. cyclophosphamide).

 

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[155]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of de novo and recurrent membranous nephropathy in renal transplant patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Semin Nephrol 2003 Jul;23(4):392-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Poduval RD; Josephson MA; Javaid B

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Medicine, Section of Nephrology, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, IL 60637, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the common glomerular diseases diagnosed in transplanted kidneys. The exact impact of posttransplantation MN on the risk for graft loss and long-term graft outcome is not defined clearly. In recent reports, it has emerged as the third most frequent glomerulonephritis (de novo or recurrent) associated with renal allograft loss. Most cases of posttransplantation MN are thought to be idiopathic but cases associated with established secondary causes also have been reported. Patients can present with varying degrees of proteinuria and graft dysfunction. Risk factors that predict a poor outcome are not well established and unlike MN in the native kidneys, spontaneous remission is rare. Patients should be evaluated carefully for complications associated with nephrotic syndrome or graft dysfunction and managed accordingly. The beneficial effects of steroids, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, or other agents have not been validated. The role of specific treatments in cases of secondary MN is uncertain. Retransplantation is a reasonable option for patients who develop graft failure secondary to MN.  N. Ref:: 34

 

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[156]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of severe acute graft-versus-host disease with anti-thymocyte globulin.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Transplant 2001 Jun;15(3):147-53.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Remberger M; Aschan J; Barkholt L; Tollemar J; Ringden O

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Clinical Immunology and Centre for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. mats.remberger@impi.ki.se

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the major complications after haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Treatment of severe GVHD is difficult and the condition is often fatal. One proposed method of improving the therapy is to include anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). Here, we will report our results in 29 patients using ATG as part of treatment for severe steroid-resistant acute GVHD. Four patients suffered from grade II, 13 from grade III and 12 from grade IV GVHD. Median time to grade II GVHD was 24 d (range 7-91 d) and to grade III was 29 d (range 8-55 d) after HSCT. Five different ATG preparations were used, rabbit ATG (R-ATG), BMA 031, OKT3, ATG-Fresenius and Thymoglobuline. All patients had skin involvement, 26 also had gut involvement and 25 had liver involvement. The rate of response to treatment was best in skin involvement (72%), while liver and gut involvement showed lower response rates (38%). Eleven patients survived more than 90 d, 7 of them developed chronic GVHD, 1 developed mild GVHD, 1 developed moderate GVHD and 5 developed severe GVHD. Survival at 100 d was 37% and at 1 yr it was 12%. Most patients died of GVHD, with virus or fungal infections as contributing causes of death. To conclude, treatment of severe acute GVHD is difficult and ATG, in our hands, adds nothing to conventional pharmacological treatment.  N. Ref:: 48

 

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[157]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The clinical and immunologic impact of using interferon and ribavirin in the immunosuppressed host.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Liver Transpl 2003 Nov;9(11):S79-89.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1053/jlts.2003.50257

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Braun M; Vierling JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Center for Liver Diseases and Transplantation and Burns and Allen Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA. vierling@csmc.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - 1. Allograft infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in immunosuppressed adults results in decreased allograft and patient survival. 2. Risk factors for accelerated progression of hepatitis C related to immunosuppression include treated episodes of acute cellular rejection (ACR), pulse therapy with methylprednisolone, and use of OKT3. 3. Both interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) and ribavirin (RVN) show antiviral actions against HCV and stimulate innate and adaptive immunity to increase cytolysis and polarize T helper subtype 1 (T(H)1) responses. In addition, IFN-alpha inhibits fibrogenesis in the liver. 4. Both IFN-alpha and RVN have been studied in immunosuppressed liver transplant recipients as prophylaxis or treatment of established hepatitis C to reduce allograft failure and patient mortality. Reported protocols include monotherapies with RVN, standard IFN-alpha, and pegylated IFN-alpha and combination therapies using RVN and either standard IFN-alpha or pegylated IFN-alpha. 5. The clinical impact of using IFN-alpha and RVN in highly selected immunosuppressed patients varied among studies. Combination therapy with standard IFN-alpha and RVN resulted in the greatest sustained biochemical and virological responses. However, no therapy prevented progression of acute cholestatic hepatitis C despite evidence of virological responses. Substantial proportions of patients developed adverse events requiring dose reduction or discontinuation that compromised efficacy. RVN monotherapy was not only virologically ineffective, but may have stimulated hepatic fibrosis. Current data regarding monotherapy or combination therapy with pegylated IFN-alpha are limited, but encouraging. 6. Despite potent immunostimulatory actions of both IFN-alpha and RVN that enhance natural killer, T(H)1, their use did not significantly increase the incidence of ACR. 7. Additional studies are needed to resolve the controversy over prophylaxis versus treatment of established disease and the potential utility of low-dose maintenance IFN-alpha therapy to retard fibrogenesis without clearing HCV. 8. After new, less toxic, and more potent antiviral agents become available, they should be tested immediately in patients with hepatitis C post-liver transplantation.  N. Ref:: 81

 

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[158]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Reduced-intensity conditioning followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in myeloid diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Ann Hematol 2003 Aug;82(8):463-8. Epub 2003 Jun 21.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1007/s00277-003-0680-7

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Platzbecker U; Ehninger G; Schmitz N; Bornhauser M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Medical Clinic I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Within the past years, reduced or modified doses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy have been widely studied for conditioning before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with myeloid leukemia not eligible for conventional transplantation. The main goal was to reduce the substantial treatment-related mortality in this patient population while preserving the potential curative graft-versus-leukemia effect. This review summarizes results of published trials using reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and myelofibrosis. In most of the published trials conditioning contained fludarabine (90-180 mg/m(2)) in combination with busulfan (4 x 10 mg/kg), melphalan (90-140 mg/m(2)), or 2-5 Gy total body irradiation (TBI). Peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells from related or unrelated donors were used as graft source in most of the studies. Post-transplantation immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine combined with methotrexate or mycophenolate mofetil. Although the majority of the patients were above the age of 50 years, early treatment-related mortality was rather low. Nevertheless, the rate of clinically significant graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) seemed to be comparable to conventional transplants in most of the protocols. The outcome differed between trials, but diagnosis and disease status pre-transplant significantly influenced outcome. In summary, this approach is feasible and provides access to the curative potential of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for patients with higher age or comorbidities. Since the majority of the reports included heterogeneous patient populations, mostly with a short follow-up, more and specifically randomized studies are needed to define the role of RIC before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.  N. Ref:: 32

 

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[159]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mitochondrial involvement in the point of no return in neuronal apoptosis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Biochimie 2002 Feb-Mar;84(2-3):223-31.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chang LK; Putcha GV; Deshmukh M; Johnson EM Jr

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8103, St. Louis, MO 63110-1031, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Programmed cell death (PCD) contributes to development, maintenance, and pathology in various tissues, including the nervous system. Many molecular, biochemical, and genetic events occur within cells undergoing PCD. Some of these events are incompatible with long-term cell survival because they have irreversible, catastrophic consequences. The onset of such changes marks the point of no return, a decisive regulatory event termed ‘the commitment-to-die.’ In this review, we discuss events that underlie the commitment-to-die in nerve growth factor-deprivation-induced death of sympathetic neurons. Findings in this model system implicate the mitochondrion as an important site of regulation for the commitment-to-die in the presence or absence of caspase inhibition.  N. Ref:: 57

 

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[160]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - New aspects of the treatment of nephrotic syndrome.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Soc Nephrol. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de 1 año de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.jasn.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: <> 2001 Feb;12 Suppl 17:S44-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Schwarz A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Nephrology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hanover, Germany. schwarz.anke@mh-hannover.de

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The nephrotic syndrome, caused by glomerulonephritis, diabetes mellitus, or amyloidosis, is still a therapeutic challenge. Newer therapeutic approaches may be sought in the fields of immunosuppression, nonspecific supportive measures, heparinoid administration, and removal of a supposed glomerular basement membrane toxic factor. In immunosuppression, the newer drugs now used in organ transplantation (cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil) can also be used in the treatment of glomerulonephritis. In nonspecific supportive treatment, angiotensin II receptor antagonists are now used in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Positive effects of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors on the nephrotic syndrome have not yet been proven. Cyclooxygenase II inhibitors must be tested but probably have too many renal side effects, similar to those of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Heparinoids or glycosaminoglycans serve as polyanions and thus have protective effects on the negative charge of the glomerular basement membrane. They can now be administered as oral medications. The removal of a supposed glomerular basement membrane toxic factor that induces proteinuria has been attempted for 20 yr and now is usually performed using immunoadsorption. Especially in cases of recurrent nephrotic syndrome after renal transplantation for patients with glomerulonephritis, this approach has been successful in decreasing proteinuria, although in most cases its effect is not lasting but must be continuously renewed.  N. Ref:: 56

 

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[161]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease after organ transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Sep 27;72(6 Suppl):S13-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Massy ZA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - INSERM U507, Necker Hospital, Paris, France. massy@necker.fr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Hyperlipidemia, a frequent and persistent complication after solid organ transplantation, contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and may influence the development of allograft vasculopathy. The pathogenesis of posttransplantation hyperlipidemia is not fully understood, although several epidemiological factors are strongly implicated including age, weight, pretransplantation lipid levels, and immunosuppressive therapy. Management strategies to reduce hyperlipidemia and modify cardiovascular risk include dietary restrictions and the use of lipid-lowering agents. The selective use of immunosuppressants, such as tacrolimus, that have neutral or fewer adverse effects on lipid metabolism may also provide a useful option. A combination of lipid-lowering therapies and optimization of immunosuppressive regimens compatible with prolonged allograft survival is probably necessary to significantly reduce posttransplantation hyperlipidemia and its potentially harmful consequences.  N. Ref:: 44

 

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[162]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Paraneoplastic pemphigus in association with a retroperitoneal Castleman’s disease presenting with a lichen planus pemphigoides-like eruption. A case report and review of literature.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Dermatol 2001 Feb;144(2):372-6.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Hsiao CJ; Hsu MM; Lee JY; Chen WC; Hsieh WC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, National Cheng-Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng-Li Road, Tainan, Taiwan 704.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A 50-year-old man presented with severe mucosal erosions of the lips, oral cavity and perianal area, a lichen planus-like eruption on the trunk and extremities and scaly plaques of the palms and soles. The clinical impression was of Stevens—Johnson syndrome, or paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP). Histopathology revealed vacuolar interface and lichenoid dermatitis with dyskeratosis and suprabasal acantholytic vesiculation. Direct immunofluorescence showed deposition of IgG in the intercellular space and linear deposition of C3 along the basal membrane zone. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed circulating IgG with intercellular staining of the epithelium of rat urinary bladder. Western blotting demonstrated bands of 250- and 230-kDa antigens. The clinical, histological and immunological features were consistent with the lichen planus pemphigoides variant of PNP. A retroperitoneal hyaline-vascular Castleman’s disease was detected and excised. The skin lesions worsened initially after tumour resection but improved gradually, leaving extensive melanosis after cyclosporin and mycophenolate mofetil treatment.  N. Ref:: 21

 

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[163]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Triptolide, a novel immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agent purified from a Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Leuk Lymphoma 2001 Jul;42(3):253-65.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chen BJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3289, 250 Carl Building, Durham, NC 27710, USA. chen0032@mc.duke.edu.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Triptolide is a diterpenoid triepoxide purified from a Chinese herb Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F (TWHF). TWHF has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than two thousand years. However, its potential value was recognized by the western medicine only after investigators observed the effectiveness of TWHF in the treatment of leprosy and rheumatoid arthritis. Triptolide has been identified as the major component responsible for the immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of TWHF. Triptolide inhibits both Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent pathways and affects T cell activation through inhibition of interleukin-2 transcription at a site different from the target of cyclosporin A. Triptolide also has inhibitory effects on a variety of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators and on the expression of adhesion molecules by endothelial cells. Triptolide is effective for the treatment of a variety of autoimmune diseases and in prevention of allograft rejection and graft-versus-host disease in both animals and humans. Moreover, triptolide possesses antitumor and male anti-fertility effect. However, the toxicities of triptolide may be associated with renal, cardiac, hematopoietic and reproductive systems. Currently available data suggest that triptolide is a promising immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agent and should be explored further in autoimmune diseases and transplantation.  N. Ref:: 79

 

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[164]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - First human double hand transplantation: efficacy of a conventional immunosuppressive protocol.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Transplant 2003 Oct;17(5):455-60.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Petruzzo P; Revillard JP; Kanitakis J; Lanzetta M; Hakim NS; Lefrancois N; Owen E; Dubernard JM

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Service de Chirurgie de Transplantation, Hopital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Based on the results achieved in single human hand transplantations, we decided to perform the first double hand transplantation with a conventional immunosuppressive protocol in a patient with a high potential for functional recovery. Two years after transplantation the efficacy and the safety of this immunosuppressive protocol are evaluated. The recipient was a 33-yr-old man suffering from a traumatic amputation of both hands in 1996. Five HLA-A, -B, and -DR mismatches were present with the donor; T and B cell cross-match was negative. Immunosuppressive protocol included tacrolimus, prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil and, for induction, antithymocyte globulins and then anti CD25 monoclonal antibody. Reconstitution of lymphocyte populations proceeded normally. Neither anti-HLA antibodies nor chimerism in peripheral blood were detected. Two episodes of acute rejection characterized by maculopapular lesions occurred on days 53 and 82 after transplantation. Skin biopsies revealed a dermal lymphocytic infiltrate. Both episodes were completely and rapidly reversed by topical clobetasol and increased systemic corticosteroid therapy. The only side-effects related to treatment were reversible serum sickness and hyperglycemia. No infectious complications and malignancies occurred. No signs of graft-versus-host disease have been detected. This case of double hand transplantation shows that conventional immunosuppression is effective and safe to ensure survival and functional recovery of the grafted limb.

 

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[165]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Mechanisms and consequences of arterial hypertension after renal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Sep 27;72(6 Suppl):S9-12.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Koomans HA; Ligtenberg G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands. h.a.koomans@digd.azu.nl

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The high incidence of hypertension after renal transplantation contributes to the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. Although cyclosporine has been influential in the improvement of transplant outcome, it has emerged as a major cause of hypertension after organ transplantation. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of cyclosporine-induced hypertension include enhanced sympathetic nervous system activity, renal vasoconstriction, and sodium/water retention. Hypertension is also significantly associated with reduced graft survival and thereby requires aggressive treatment intervention. Calcium channel blockers may offer some advantages over angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for the treatment of hypertension in stable renal transplant recipients. Nevertheless, selection of the most appropriate antihypertensive agent should take into account the possibility of pharmacokinetic interactions with immunosuppressive agents. There is evidence to suggest that the use of tacrolimus-based immunosuppression induces less hypertension compared with cyclosporine. Not only do patients receiving tacrolimus tend to require less antihypertensive therapy, but converting patients from cyclosporine to tacrolimus has been shown to result in significant reductions in blood pressure. Thus, tacrolimus may be associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile in renal transplant recipients.  N. Ref:: 26

 

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[166]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Assessing cardiovascular risk profile of immunosuppressive agents.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Dec 27;72(12 Suppl):S81-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Jardine A  N. Ref:: 57

 

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[167]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cyclosporin for atopic dermatitis in children.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Dermatology 2001;203(1):3-6.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Harper JI; Berth-Jones J; Camp RD; Dillon MJ; Finlay AY; Holden CA; O’Sullivan D; Veys PA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Paediatric Dermatology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - This paper details a UK consensus conference held in London in April 2000 to establish guidelines for the use of cyclosporin A for atopic dermatitis in children. It should be reserved for the severest refractory atopic dermatitis. In view of its potential toxicity, careful monitoring is mandatory, in particular blood pressure and renal function.  N. Ref:: 4

 

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[168]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - T-cell receptor-derived peptides in immunoregulation and therapy of retrovirally induced immunosuppression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Crit Rev Immunol 2001;21(1-3):57-74.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Marchalonis JJ; Robey IF; Edmundson AB; Sepulveda RT; Watson RR

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA. dianah@u.arizona.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Retrovirally infected humans and mice showed progressive acquired immunodeficiency accompanied by the production of elevated levels of autoantibodies directed against T-cell receptor variable-domain epitopes. Epitope mapping analyses indicated that a major determinant recognized was defined by a 16-mer peptide containing the entire CDR1 segment and part of the FR2 region of human Vbeta8, and that both species showed reactivity to the same sequence. Either prophylactic or therapeutic administration of this peptide to retrovirus-infected C57/BL/6 mice normalized the balance of T(H)1- and T(H)2-type helper activity and restored the resistance to infection by the opportunistic parasite Cryptosporidium. Administration of the peptide did not generate significantly increased levels of autoantibody, but had a profound effect on T-cell activity as well as other aspects of inflammation, including NK-cell activity. A 16-mer derived from the Jbeta sequence showed similar functional effects on T cells from retrovirus-infected mice. Direct binding of the VbetaCDR1 peptide to recombinant TCR Valpha/Vbeta constructs, as well as to IgM natural autoantibodies, suggests that the cell surface receptor for the peptide is the alpha/beta TCR on T cells and surface IgM in B cells. The Vbeta CDR1 peptide stimulated division of murine splenocytes in vitro, stimulated the production of the T(H)1 cytokine IL-2, and synergized with the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A in proliferation and IL-2 production. These studies indicate that administration of peptides derived from T-cell receptor variable domains to animals immunosuppressed as a result of retroviral infection has a profound immunomodulatory effect enhancing overall T-cell functional capacity, particularly with respect to the cytokine production characteristic of T(H)1-type cells. Our studies are interpreted in the context of other recent investigations of immunomodulatory peptides.  N. Ref:: 69

 

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[169]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current and future applications of immunological attenuation via pegylation of cells and tissue.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - BioDrugs 2001;15(12):833-47.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Chen AM; Scott MD

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Center for Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Prevention of immunological rejection of transplanted tissues is of crucial importance in transplantation medicine. Current procedures primarily use pharmacological agents such as cyclosporin, which, while effective, must be typically administered for the life of the individual. Furthermore, the drug-induced global immunosuppression of the patient predisposes the individual to infection and enhances their risk of developing certain forms of cancer. Hence, additional methods are needed to both enhance tissue engraftment and diminish the adverse effects of current immunosuppressive therapy. Studies from blood transfusion (i.e. a specialised form of cellular transplantation) suggest that covalent modification of cells and tissues with methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) [mPEG] can significantly diminish rejection episodes and may further enhance the induction of tolerance to donor tissues. The mechanisms underlying mPEG-mediated immunocamouflage are the loss of antigen recognition, impaired cell-cell interaction, and an inability of endogenous antibodies (e.g. immunoglobulin G) to effectively recognise and bind foreign epitopes. As a consequence of the global camouflage imparted by mPEG, the weak co-stimulation of alloreactive T cells may subsequently induce apoptosis, thus leading to tolerance. Initial studies on the transplantation of pegylated isogeneic rat pancreatic islets demonstrates that mPEG-derivatisation does not impair in vivo cellular signalling and function. Thus, in contrast to the pharmacological inhibition of the recipient’s immune response, the mPEG-mediated immunocamouflage directly addresses the inherent antigenicity and immunogenicity of the donor tissue itself while leaving the recipient a fully competent immune system.  N. Ref:: 43

 

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[170]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Controlling the incidence of infection and malignancy by modifying immunosuppression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Dec 27;72(12 Suppl):S89-93.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Soulillou JP; Giral M

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Long-term outcomes in renal transplantation have improved over the years but are still a matter of concern. Because patients typically require lifelong immunosuppression, the risks of cancer and infection associated with immunosuppressive agents continue to demand attention. Physicians strive endlessly to find the right balance between the level of immunosuppression required to prevent rejection and the level that will minimize dose-dependent side effects. Data presented in this paper suggest that some renal transplant recipients might have more than necessary immunosuppression during maintenance therapy and that reducing the immunosuppressant dose can decrease cancer incidence, without worsening long-term patient or allograft survival. Additionally, data were examined suggesting that immunosuppressive agents might be associated with different risks for cancer, specifically, the potential advantage of reduced cancer risk for sirolimus and sirolimus derivatives in comparison with standard immunosuppressive agents. Although promising, these preliminary results are from preclinical studies, and further study is warranted.  N. Ref:: 42

 

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[171]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of acquired aplastic anaemia.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Haematol 2003 Dec;123(5):782-801.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Marsh JC; Ball SE; Darbyshire P; Gordon-Smith EC; Keidan AJ; Martin A; McCann SR; Mercieca J; Oscier D; Roques AW; Yin JA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - St. George’s Hospital Medical School, London, UK. janice@bshhya.demon.co.uk

 

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[172]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Medical management of ulcerative colitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Hosp Med 2003 Dec;64(12):703-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Thuraisingam A; Leiper K

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, Liverpool L7 8XP.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Patients with ulcerative colitis have no increased mortality compared to population controls and the disease can be cured be colectomy. This review concentrates on the medical management of ulcerative colitis including the management of active colitis, acute severe colitis and first presentation of colitis, maintenance of remission and long-term complications.  N. Ref:: 26

 

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[173]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - P-glycoprotein in acute myeloid leukaemia: therapeutic implications of its association with both a multidrug-resistant and an apoptosis-resistant phenotype.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Leuk Lymphoma 2002 Jun;43(6):1221-8.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pallis M; Turzanski J; Higashi Y; Russell N

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Academic Haematology, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, UK. monica.pallis@nottingham.ac.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - P-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression is an independent prognostic factor for response to remission-induction chemotherapy in acute myeloblastic leukaemia, particularly in the elderly. There are several potential agents for modulating Pgp-mediated multi-drug resistance, such as cyclosporin A and PSC833, which are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. An alternative therapeutic strategy is to increase the use of drugs which are unaffected by Pgp. However, in this review, we explain why this may be more difficult than it appears. Evidence from in vitro studies of primary AML blasts supports the commonly held supposition that chemoresistance may be linked to apoptosis-resistance. We have found that Pgp has a drug-independent role in the inhibition of in vitro apoptosis in AML blasts. Modulation of cytokine efflux, signalling lipids and intracellular pH have all been suggested as ways by which Pgp may affect cellular resistance to apoptosis; these are discussed in this review. For a chemosensitising agent to be successful, it may be more important for it to enhance apoptosis than to increase drug uptake.  N. Ref:: 95

 

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[174]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Effect of immunosuppressive treatment protocol on malignancy development in renal transplant patients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplant Proc 2002 Sep;34(6):2133-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Haberal M; Moray G; Karakayali H; Emiroglu R; Basaran O; Sevmis S; Demirhan B

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. melekk@baskent-ank.edu.tr

 

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[175]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The potential of antibody-based immunosuppressive agents for corneal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Immunol Cell Biol 2003 Apr;81(2):93-105.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Thiel MA; Coster DJ; Williams KA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Ophthalmology, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Corneal transplantation is a sight-restorative procedure but its success is limited by irreversible graft rejection, which accounts for up to 50 per cent of failures. The normal eye is an immune-privileged site. Multiple mechanisms maintain ocular privilege, including the blood-eye barrier, the lack of blood vessels and lymphatics in the normal cornea, the relative paucity of mature antigen-presenting cells in the central cornea, the presence of immunomodulatory factors in ocular fluids, and the constitutive expressive of CD95L (Fas ligand) within the eye. However, privilege can be eroded by the sequelae of inflammation and neovascularization. Corneal graft rejection in humans is currently suppressed with topical glucocorticosteroids, which are moderately effective. Systemically administered immunosuppressive therapy is of limited efficacy and may be accompanied by unacceptable morbidity. Alternative therapies are needed to improve outcomes. Corneal graft rejection is primarily a cell-mediated response controlled by the CD4+ T cell, and thus CD4 and costimulatory molecule blockade are appealing targets for new therapeutic interventions. A number of monoclonal antibodies have shown promise as immunosuppressants to prolong corneal graft survival in experimental animal models, and may eventually prove to be useful adjuncts to corticosteroids.  N. Ref:: 205

 

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[176]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A retrospective review of sirolimus (Rapamune) therapy in orthotopic liver transplant recipients diagnosed with chronic rejection.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Liver Transpl 2003 May;9(5):477-83.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1053/jlts.2003.50119

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Neff GW; Montalbano M; Slapak-Green G; Berney T; Bejarano PA; Joshi A; Icardi M; Nery J; Seigo N; Levi D; Weppler D; Pappas P; Ruiz J; Schiff ER; Tzakis AG

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - University of Miami, Department of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA. gneff@med.miami.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Treatment options are limited for orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients suffering from chronic rejection (CR). We performed a retrospective review of OLT recipients diagnosed with CR and treated with sirolimus. The medical records of all OLT recipients treated with sirolimus between October, 1998 and October, 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. The diagnosis of CR was made by both clinical and histologic criteria: bile duct to hepatic artery ratio less than 0.7, histologic activity index, hepatic arterial wall thickening, and chronic elevation of liver chemistries. Two groups were defined in regard to sirolimus response: sirolimus responders (SR) and sirolimus nonresponders (SNR). Response to treatment was granted only when patients were found to have resolution of abnormal liver transaminases and an improvement in hepatic artery to bile duct ratio. Serum collections for liver chemistries were collected on days 1, 30, 60, and 90. Liver biopsies were reviewed in blinded fashion from day 1 and at least 180 days on therapy by double-blinded pathologists. Sirolimus-related complications were recorded and include drug toxicity, anemia with and without treatment, hospitalizations, infections, immunosuppression complications, lipid profile disorders, edema, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal complaints. Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with CR. The SR group included 13 of 21, and 8 of 21 were in the SNR group. Anemia was diagnosed in 12 of 21 patients: SR, 7 of 13; SNR, 5 of 8; with 5 patients requiring red blood cell transfusions (2 SR, 3 SNR). Recombinant erythropoietin was started in 5 of 21 patients. Sirolimus serum levels were found to be greater than 20 ng/dL in 12 patients. Sirolimus was discontinued in 9 patients,

 

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[177]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Effective prophylactic protocol in delayed hypersensitivity to contrast media: report of a case involving lymphocyte transformation studies with different compounds.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Radiology. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la publicación;  - http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Radiology: <> 2002 Nov;225(2):466-70.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Romano A; Artesani MC; Andriolo M; Viola M; Pettinato R; Vecchioli-Scaldazza A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Allergy Unit, Complesso Integrato Columbus, Via G. Moscati 31, 00168 Rome, Italy. columbus.allerg@linet.it

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A patient with maculopapular reactions to iopamidol needed to undergo angiography for a cerebral arteriovenous malformation. In vivo and in vitro tests were performed with ionic and nonionic contrast media, including iopamidol and iobitridol. All results were positive, demonstrating delayed hypersensitivity. The patient received 6-alpha-methylprednisolone and cyclosporine 1 week before and 2 weeks after four angiograms were obtained with the use of iobitridol, which was well tolerated.

 

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[178]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Transition from methotrexate and cyclosporine to other therapies including retinoids, ultraviolet light and biologic agents in the management of patients with psoriasis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Dermatolog Treat 2003;14 Suppl 2:7-16.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Maryles S; Rozenblit M; Lebwohl M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Patients with psoriasis typically face longterm therapy for their chronic disease. Often, the therapeutic agents that physicians use to treat them may become less effective or may cause safety or toxicity issues. The clinician must then decide the next therapy for his/her patient and assess benefit/risk of the next therapeutic agent or combination. In moving the patient from one therapy to the next, specific characteristics of the transition must be assessed, and how to stop the existing therapy, and introduce the new agent(s). The decision making process must take into account the longterm risks to the patient. This article focuses on the transition for patients with psoriasis being managed with methotrexate and cyclosporine to retinoids, phototherapy, and newer agents.  N. Ref:: 97

 

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[179]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Effects of tacrolimus on ischemia-reperfusion injury.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Liver Transpl 2003 Feb;9(2):105-16.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1053/jlts.2003.50020

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - St  Peter SD; Moss AA; Mulligan DC

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Transplant Surgery, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - In addition to efficacious immunosuppression for the benefit of organ transplantation, tacrolimus has diverse actions that result in amelioration of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Knowledge is accumulating rapidly on the mechanisms through which tacrolimus exerts these cytoprotective effects, including alterations in microcirculation, free radical metabolism, calcium-activated pathways, inflammatory cascades, mitochondrial stability, apoptosis, stress-response proteins, and tissue recovery. Within the nucleus, actions mediating the effects of tacrolimus appear to be dominantly influenced by interactions with the transcription factor, nuclear factor-kappaB. Because tacrolimus is a cornerstone agent in immunosuppression regimens throughout the world and knowledge of its cellular mechanisms is evolving, it is important to update the clinical literature with this information. We reviewed the published literature with intent to portray the interactions of tacrolimus in the intricate cellular mechanisms initiated by ischemia and reperfusion.  N. Ref:: 122

 

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[180]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Combining the new biologic agents with our current psoriasis armamentarium.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Acad Dermatol 2003 Aug;49(2 Suppl):S118-24.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Lebwohl M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. sinaiderm@aol.com

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Combination therapy, rotational therapy, and sequential therapy have been used for psoriasis in attempts to achieve greater efficacy and greater safety. The purpose of this manuscript is to review potential advantages and disadvantages of new biologic agents as we look forward to their use in combination regimens with other systemic, topical, and light therapies. Data on the efficacy and toxicity of existing systemic therapies and new biologic agents is reviewed with an emphasis on potential additive or synergistic benefits or toxicities. The mechanism of action of biologic agents differs from systemic agents currently in use, suggesting that there may be additive effects in treating psoriasis. The absence of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity are important advantages when considering combination therapy with biologic agents. The advantages of the use of biologic therapies in combination or rotation with other systemic agents will have to be demonstrated in clinical trials. Mechanisms of action of the biologic therapies suggest that there is potential for additive benefit when used in combination regimens.  N. Ref:: 45

 

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[181]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - A pilot protocol of a calcineurin-inhibitor free regimen for kidney transplant recipients of marginal donor kidneys or with delayed graft function.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Transplant 2003;17 Suppl 9:31-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Shaffer D; Langone A; Nylander WA; Goral S; Kizilisik AT; Helderman JH

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. david.schaffer@vanderbilt.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - The worsening shortage of cadaver donor kidneys has prompted use of expanded or marginal donor kidneys (MDK), i.e. older age or donor history of hypertension or diabetes. MDK may be especially susceptible to calcineurin-inhibitor (CI) mediated vasoconstriction and nephrotoxicity. Similarly, early use of CI in patients with delayed graft function may prolong ischaemic injury. We developed a CI-free protocol of antibody induction, sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone in recipients with MDK or DGF. METHODS: Adult renal transplant recipients who received MDK or had DGF were treated with a CI-free protocol consisting of antibody induction (basiliximab or thymoglobulin), sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. Serial biopsies were performed for persistent DGF. Patients were followed prospectively with the primary endpoints being patient and graft survival, biopsy-proven acute rejection, and sirolimus-related toxicity. RESULTS: Nineteen recipients were treated. Mean follow-up was 294 days. Actuarial 6- and 12-month patient survival was 100% and 100% and graft survival was 93% and 93%, respectively. The only graft loss was due to primary non-function (PNF). The incidence of AR was 16%. Mean serum creatinine at last follow-up was 1.6 mg/dL. Sirolimus-related toxicity included lymphocele (1), wound infection (2), thrombocytopenia (1). and interstitial pneumonitis (1). CONCLUSION: A CI-free protocol with antibody induction and sirolimus results in low rates of AR and PNF and excellent early patient and graft survival in patients with MDK and DGF. CI-free protocols may allow expansion of the kidney donor pool by encouraging utilization of MDK at high risk for DGF or CI-mediated nephrotoxicity.

 

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[182]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Potential role of immune modulation in the effective long-term control of HIV-1 infection.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Biol Regul Homeost Agents 2002 Jan-Mar;16(1):83-90.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Rizzardi GP; Lazzarin A; Pantaleo G

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - MOLMED, Milan, Italy. paolo.rizzardi@molmed.it

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Recent advances in HIV-1 pathogenesis, and in defining virological and immunological responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), along with the identification of the numerous drawbacks of HAART, have clearly demonstrated that the eradication of the virus is not a feasible therapeutic goal, and that there is an urgent need to develop other approaches to fight HIV-1 infection. Novel therapeutic approaches of immune modulation have recently been evaluated in pilot clinical trials. First, treating primary HIV-1 infection with cyclosporin A (CsA) coupled with HAART to target massive immune activation extends the benefits achieved with HAART during primary HIV-1 infection and might contribute to the establishment of a more favourable immunological set-point affecting the ultimate pattern and rate of disease progression. Second, treating chronic HIV-1 infection in patients with long-term suppression of virus replication induced by HAART, with the addition of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) reduces the pool of activated CD4+ T lymphocytes able to support productive HIV-1 infection, and might have an indirect impact on the pool of resting, latently infected CD4+ T cells, contributing to its depletion in vivo. The important question is clearly whether these results will have an impact on the clinical management of patients with HIV-1 infection, determining the precise therapeutic function of drugs like CsA and MMF, thus investigating the effects of these drugs on residual viral replication and the decay of the latent reservoir, on long-term immunological benefit, and, ultimately, on clinical benefit.  N. Ref:: 95

 

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[183]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Review article: medical treatment of severe ulcerative colitis.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2002 Jul;16 Suppl 4:7-12.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Daperno M; Sostegni R; Rocca R; Rigazio C; Scaglione N; Castellino F; Ercole E; Pera A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - U.O.A. Di Gastroenterologia, Ospedale Mauriziano Umberto I, Torino, Italy.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Approximately 15% of patients with ulcerative colitis have a severe attack requiring hospitalization at some time during their illness. This treatment leads to a remission in 60-80% of patients and non-responders may require a total colectomy. Mortality in severe episodes of ulcerative colitis decreased from 31-61% in the 1950s to 5-9% in the 1960s thanks to the introduction of steroids and to a policy of early colectomy. Recently, some new drugs have been shown to be effective in the treatment of severe steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. This review concentrates on the clinical evaluation, prognostic factors and new developments in medical therapy in severe ulcerative colitis. A retrospective evaluation of a consecutive series of patients with severe ulcerative colitis admitted to a Gastroenterology Department in Torino, Italy, is also reported.  N. Ref:: 37

 

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[184]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Potential therapeutic interventions to avoid or treat chronic allograft dysfunction.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplantation 2001 Jun 15;71(11 Suppl):SS52-7.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kahan BD

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - University of Texas Medical School Houston, United States.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Despite the significant improvements that have occurred since the introduction of CsA, long-term renal allograft survival continues to be an area of concern. Management strategies that involve the use of sirolimus offer some promise. A number of observations suggest that sirolimus may have the ability to reduce the rates or slow the progression of chronic nephropathy. First, sirolimus has been shown to inhibit growth-factor-driven proliferation of endothelial and smooth muscle cells in vitro (55, 56). Sirolimus also disrupts signal transduction by a variety of other cytokines such as EGF and PDGE This is significant because cytokine- and growth-factor-stimulated proliferation of endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, parenchymal cells, and fibroblasts appears to underlie the development of chronic nephropathy (see Fellstrom, this supplement). Second, sirolimus has been demonstrated in various animal models to inhibit the arterial intimal thickening that typically follows alloimmune or mechanical injury (56-60; see Morris, this supplement). This transplant vasculopathy is a prominent feature in chronic rejection of other organ transplants. Moreover, at least 1 published study has suggested that sirolimus may be able to stabilize and possibly reverse chronic graft vascular disease (61). However, the relative doses of sirolimus used in these animal studies have been higher than those used in humans, so the relationship of these effects to the clinical setting needs to be further studied to define the relevance of these findings. Third, sirolimus, used in combination with CsA, reduces the incidence of acute rejection episodes in humans, one of the most significant predictors of shortened renal allograft survival (62, 63). Thus, an effect of sirolimus to reduce acute rejection episodes or delay their onset is expected to reduce renal allograft loss. Furthermore, clinical trials suggest that sirolimus treatment may allow dose reductions of CsA or a delay in inception of CsA therapy, which might reduce the acute and chronic nephrotoxicity associated with CsA and other CNIs. Since nephrotoxicity may promote or aggravate renal injury and appears to be common in chronic nephropathy (see Fellstrom and Paul, this supplement), reduced exposure to CNIs may translate into reduced rates of chronic renal allograft dysfunction. There are no currently effective therapies for chronic nephropathy, which is a common cause of late renal allograft loss. Preliminary evidence suggests that sirolimus may eventually prove useful as prophylaxis of or treatment for chronic nephropathy. Thus, sirolimus has come to be regarded as the foundation for maintenance immunosuppressive regimens.  N. Ref:: 63

 

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[185]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Extragonadal seminoma after renal transplantation and immunosuppression; treatment in the presence of renal dysfunction: a case report and literature review.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Med Oncol 2001;18(3):221-5.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Kosmas C; Tsavaris NB; Vadiaka M; Chiras T; Boletis J; Kostakis A

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Pathophysiology, Athens University School of Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, Greece. ckosm@ath.forthnet.gr

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A 37-yr-old man who had undergone renal transplantation for end-stage renal failure presented with a large right pelvic mass obstructing the transplanted kidney. Initially, this was diagnosed as an anaplastic tumor while he had been on immunosuppressive treatment for kidney allograft rejection after transplantation. Despite difficulties of classic histopathology to reveal the origin of his tumor, FISH analysis revealed the presence of chromosome 12p abnormalities, strongly indicative of a germ-cell tumor-more likely seminoma-with extragonadal presentation. Because of renal dysfunction, he was treated with carboplatin (dose adjusted according to renal clearance) and etoposide, and when he experienced a rather atypical progression with bone metastases, he was treated with single-agent paclitaxel, and died almost 13 mo after initial presentation. The case adds further to the existing small list of seminoma/GCTs developing in transplant recipients, points to the unusual presentation patterns and diagnostic histopathology challenges, and presents the difficulty in therapeutic options, as a result of frequent renal dysfunction and intercurrent immunosuppressive therapy. All of these issues together with an extensive literature review are discussed in detail.

 

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[186]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Drug-eluting stents: potential applications for peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Vasc Interv Radiol 2003 Mar;14(3):291-301.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Duda SH; Poerner TC; Wiesinger B; Rundback JH; Tepe G; Wiskirchen J; Haase KK

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Tuebingen, Germany. stephan.duda@med.uni-tuebingen.de

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Many different approaches have been evaluated to prevent restenosis in stents after vascular implantation. Currently, drug-eluting stents are extremely promising in suppressing neointimal hyperplasia. Various animal studies and randomized trials in humans have shown excellent results in terms of safety and efficacy during intermediate-term follow-up. This article will give an overview of experimental and clinical data of the different agents in published and ongoing trials.  N. Ref:: 87

 

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[187]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Persistent remission after immunosuppressive therapy of hairy cell leukemia mimicking aplastic anemia: two case reports.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Int J Hematol 2003 May;77(4):391-4.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Sugimori C; Kaito K; Nakao S

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Cellular Transplantation Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Some patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) manifest pancytopenia and bone marrow hypoplasia without an apparent increase in atypical cells, so their disease resembles severe aplastic anemia at onset. We treated 2 HCL patients, who were initially diagnosed with aplastic anemia, with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in combination with cyclosporine or antilymphocyte globulin (ALG). Both patients obtained partial remission in response to the immunosuppressive therapy and did not need transfusion treatment for more than 3 years. Sustained improvement of hematopoiesis in such B-cell malignancies after ATG/ ALG therapy suggests that the mechanisms underlying successful immunosuppressive therapy for aplastic anemia may involve B-cell suppression, inhibiting hematopoietic stem cells.  N. Ref:: 18

 

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[188]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Immunophilins in nervous system degeneration and regeneration.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Top Med Chem 2003;3(12):1376-82.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Avramut M; Achim CL

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, S-433 Biomedical Science Tower, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. avramut@pitt.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Immunophilins are receptors for immunosuppressive drugs like cyclosporin A, FK506, rapamycin and their non- immunosuppressive analogs, which are collectively referred to as “immunophilin ligands” (IPL). Cyclosporin A binds to a class of IP called cyclophilins, whereas the receptors for FK506 and rapamycin belong to the family of FK506- binding proteins (FKBP). The latter are designated according to their molecular weight: FKBP12, 25, 52 etc. FKBP levels in the rat brain are up to 50 times higher than in the immune system. FKBP12 is associated with IP3 and ryanodine receptors present on the endoplasmic reticulum and plays a role in stabilizing calcium release. It has also been proposed to be a modulator of the TGFbeta receptor activity. Crush injury of facial or sciatic nerves in rat leads to markedly increased FKBP12 levels in the respective nerve nuclei and this increase is related to nerve regeneration. Cyclophilin A protects cells from death following expression of mutant Cu/ Zn superoxide dismutase, which is associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our recent studies show that FKBP12 and FKBP52 are expressed in the human nervous system, especially in the substantia nigra- deep gray matter axis. In neurodegenerative diseases, FKBP12 levels increase in neurons situated in areas of pathology. This IP colocalizes with synaptophysin and alpha- synuclein, suggesting that it may become a novel marker of pathology. Immunophilins participate in axonal transport, synaptic vesicle assembly and may play a role in neuroprotection against abnormal protein aggregation, suggesting a potential avenue of therapeutic interventions.  N. Ref:: 62

 

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[189]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Rapamycin in combination with cyclosporine or tacrolimus in liver, pancreas, and kidney transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transplant Proc 2003 May;35(3 Suppl):201S-208S.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - MacDonald AS

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Allan.macdonald@dal.ca

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - A 10-year experience with the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin that begins in the laboratory then extends through multicentre trials in combination with cyclosporine in kidney transplant recipients, exploration of its use as a single agent and in combination with tacrolimus, and its potential in nonrenal organs is described. Rapamycin is a potent inhibitor of endothelial injury in rat aortic allografts. When added to full-dose cyclosporine it achieves low rejection rates, but it augments the nephrotoxicity and hyperlipidemia of cyclosporine. On the other hand, it allows discontinuation of calcineurin inhibitors in stable kidney and liver patients suffering from nephrotoxicity late posttransplant. At least in Caucasian patients, discontinuation of cyclosporine is possible as early as 3 months post-kidney transplant. In combination with low-dose tacrolimus, exceptionally low rates of rejection were seen in recipients of kidney, pancreas, and liver recipients with preservation of excellent renal function. These pilot studies have been confirmed in several single-centre and, more recently, multicentre trials in kidney and pancreas transplantation. The side-effect profile of hyperlipidemia, lymphocoeles, delayed wound healing, and possible liver effects are coming into focus, and ways of minimizing these problems being introduced. The lessons learned include the need for early adequate blood levels, the lack of correlation between dose and drug exposure, and the potency that allows marked dose reductions in calcineurin inhibitors and steroids.  N. Ref:: 36

 

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[190]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Current systemic therapies for psoriasis: where are we now?

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - J Am Acad Dermatol 2003 Aug;49(2 Suppl):S66-77.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1016/mjd.2003.550

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Yamauchi PS; Rizk D; Kormeili T; Patnaik R; Lowe NJ

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Clinical Research Specialists, UCLA School of Medicine, 2001 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Many systemic agents are used in the treatment of psoriasis. They provide good control of psoriasis in the majority of patients and have improved their life quality indices. Frequently, combination therapy is utilized to synergize the efficacy of these medications. Many dermatologists are hesitant in prescribing systemic agents because of their adverse effects. However, such potential toxicities arising from these medications can largely be avoided if proper patient selection and close monitoring are performed.  N. Ref:: 83

 

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[191]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of atopic dermatitis and impact on quality of life: a review with emphasis on topical non-corticosteroids.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Pharmacoeconomics 2003;21(3):159-79.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Schiffner R; Schiffner-Rohe J; Landthaler M; Stolz W

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. jr.schiffner@t-online.de

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin disease with increasing prevalence and rising costs. Stigmatisation and pruritus are only some aspects of potential quality-of-life (QOL) impairments. AD is not curable and repeated treatments are often necessary. At present, treatment with topically-applied corticosteroids is state-of-the-art for mild to moderate flare-ups. However, many patients are worried about the use of corticosteroids due to the widespread fear of adverse effects. In this review the present literature is analysed concerning impact on quality of life for topically-applicable alternatives to the state-of-the-art treatment. For comparison reasons, data from other treatment modalities are additionally given. Characteristics of studies were analysed using ‘general’ (year and mode of publication, type and aim of study, number of patients, and clinical measurement) and ‘QOL specific’ criteria (type and number of QOL measurements including relevance for study aim and age group, validation in used language, sensitivity to change, and improvement at end of study). QOL data are published only in the minority of studies evaluating treatment efficacy and do not cover the variety of possible therapies. Data are available for tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, UVA/UVB combination and UVB narrowband (topical non-corticosteroidal treatments), as well as for topical corticosteroids, cyclosporin, and inpatient treatment. All studies provided a marked improvement in quality of life after therapy. One study assessed quality of life after a treatment-free follow-up period obtaining a clear increase in impact on quality of life. Since studies used different QOL measurements and vary in inclusion criteria, treatment schedules and presentation of results, a comparison of QOL improvement is not recommended. A single randomised study compared topically applied non-corticosteroidal treatment (UVA/UVB combination) with another treatment modality (cyclosporin) and found no difference in QOL improvement. At present, there is a clear lack of controlled randomised studies evaluating different active treatment modalities and their impact on quality of life. Consensus meetings are desirable to formulate guidelines for the selection and correct use of QOL measurements. Patients’ fear of side effects (e.g. concerning corticosteroids) should be integrated in QOL questionnaires for evaluation of possible compliance problems and real costs. Since relapse after treatment is frequent in AD, QOL measurements should also be performed after a treatment-free follow-up period. At present, we can not answer the question ‘which treatment best improves quality of life in AD?’.  N. Ref:: 128

 

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[192]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Cardiac allograft vasculopathy: current concepts and treatment.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Transpl Int 2003 Jun;16(6):367-75. Epub 2003 May 17.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1007/s00147-003-0580-8

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Waller J; Brook NR; Nicholson ML

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Transplant Surgery, Professorial Unit, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, Leicestershire, UK. julian@waller720.fsnet.co.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains the leading limiting factor of patient and graft survival after the first post-operative year. The pathogenesis involves both immunological and non-immunological factors. Here, we present recent advances and discuss potential preventative and treatment regimens. A review of the current literature of heart transplantation, detailing molecular mechanisms, pharmacological risk factors and novel immunosuppression regimens was performed. Recent findings demonstrate the pivotal role of the endothelium, resulting in release of pro-fibrotic cytokines, recruitment of circulating leucocytes, proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, and deposition of extracellular matrix proteins (ECMs). The role of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and anti-hypertensives remains controversial, but there is increasing evidence advocating their prophylactic use. We can conclude that novel immunosuppressive agents such as rapamycin, mycophenolate mofetil and FTY-720 are experimental immunosuppressive agents that are undergoing evaluation in clinical trials. The prophylactic use of statins and anti-hypertensive drugs needs to be defined but needs to suggest potential strategies to prolong cardiac allograft survival.  N. Ref:: 102

 

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[193]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - The evolving role of sirolimus in renal transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Qjm. Acceso gratuito al texto completo a partir de los 2 años de la fecha de publicación.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://qjmed.oupjournals.org/ 

      ●● Cita: QJM: <> 2003 Jun;96(6):401-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Dupont P; Warrens AN

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.  N. Ref:: 66

 

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[194]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Transplant immunosuppressant agents and their role in autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Curr Opin Rheumatol 2003 May;15(3):219-25.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Mayer DF; Kushwaha SS

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - This article examines immunosuppressant transplant agents used to treat the various rheumatic diseases. The older drugs of this type have been used in this dual role for decades. There is a new generation of immunosuppressant drugs with established use in the arena of transplantation medicine. Only recently have the potential rheumatologic applications for these agents been investigated. The authors review in depth the published experience with the newer agents. The authors also discuss novel rheumatologic uses for the older agents that have been described within the past year.  N. Ref:: 59

 

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[195]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - St John’s Wort supplements endanger the success of organ transplantation.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Arch Surg 2002 Mar;137(3):316-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Ernst E

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Complementary Medicine, School of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, 25 Victoria Park Rd, Exeter EX2 4NT, England. E.Ernst@ex.ac.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - HYPOTHESIS: St John’s wort is one of the most popular herbal medicines, and health care professionals often are unaware that their patients take such supplements. St John’s wort causes a decrease in cyclosporine levels, thus endangering the success of organ transplantations. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Five independent computerized literature searches were conducted to identify all reports of such interactions. Data were extracted and are summarized in narrative form. RESULTS: Eleven case reports and 2 case series were located. In most instances, causality between St John’s wort and the clinical or biochemical result is well established. The mechanism of interaction between St John’s wort and cyclosporine has been recently elucidated and involves both P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P 450 3A4 expression. Collectively these data leave little doubt that St John’s wort interacts with cyclosporine, causing a decrease of cyclosporine blood levels and leading in several cases to transplant rejection. CONCLUSIONS: St John’s wort can endanger the success of organ transplantations. Adequate information may be the best way to avoid future incidences.  N. Ref:: 33

 

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[196]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Sirolimus and mycophenolate mofetil for calcineurin-free immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Am J Kidney Dis 2001 Oct;38(4 Suppl 2):S16-21.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Pescovitz MD; Govani M

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Departments of Surgery, Microbiology/Immunology, and Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. mpescov@iupui.edu

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Calcineurin inhibitors, such as cyclosporine and tacrolimus, have been available for almost 20 years. Although these drugs are highly effective and represent the mainstay of transplant immunosuppression, they are associated with acute and chronic nephrotoxicity. Acute nephrotoxicity, which occurs in the early period after transplantation, leads to a higher rate of dialysis, and chronic nephrotoxicity may eventually result in graft loss. Acute and chronic nephrotoxicity is becoming more common as the use of marginal kidneys for transplantation increases. Two recently available immunosuppressive agents, mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus (rapamycin), have no nephrotoxicity. The use of these drugs in combination with other agents has led to the development of new paradigms of immunosuppressive therapy. This paper reviews the results of clinical trials that have investigated these new approaches to immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients.  N. Ref:: 9

 

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[197]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Engineered CD3 antibodies for immunosuppression.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Clin Exp Immunol 2003 Sep;133(3):307-9.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Renders L; Valerius T  N. Ref:: 30

 

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[198]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Inflammatory bowel disease: sorting out the treatment options.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Cleve Clin J Med. Acceso gratuito al texto completo.

      ●● Enlace a la Editora de la Revista http://www.ccjm.org/ 

      ●● Cita: Cleveland Clinic J. of Medicine: <> 2002 Aug;69(8):621-6, 629-31.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Wolf JM; Lashner BA

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Department of Gastroenterology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - An increasing array of treatments such as immunosuppressive drugs and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors can offer patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease improved relief from symptoms with fewer adverse effects. Several additional drugs have shown promise, including nicotine, antimicrobials, and heparin.  N. Ref:: 59

 

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[199]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum): drug interactions and clinical outcomes.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Br J Clin Pharmacol 2002 Oct;54(4):349-56.

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Henderson L; Yue QY; Bergquist C; Gerden B; Arlett P

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - Pharmacovigilance Group, Medicines Control Agency, UK. leigh.henderson@mca.gsi.gov.uk

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - AIMS: The aim of this work is to identify the medicines which interact with the herbal remedy St John’s wort (SJW), and the mechanisms responsible. METHODS: A systematic review of all the available evidence, including worldwide published literature and spontaneous case reports provided by healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities within Europe has been undertaken. RESULTS: A number of clinically significant interactions have been identified with prescribed medicines including warfarin, phenprocoumon, cyclosporin, HIV protease inhibitors, theophylline, digoxin and oral contraceptives resulting in a decrease in concentration or effect of the medicines. These interactions are probably due to the induction of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP1A2 and the transport protein P-glycoprotein by constituent(s) in SJW. The degree of induction is unpredictable due to factors such as the variable quality and quantity of constituent(s) in SJW preparations. In addition, possible pharmacodynamic interactions with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and serotonin (5-HT(1d)) receptor-agonists such as triptans used to treat migraine were identified. These interactions are associated with an increased risk of adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: In Sweden and the UK the potential risks to patients were judged to be significant and therefore information about the interactions was provided to health care professionals and patients. The product information of the licensed medicines involved has been amended to reflect these newly identified interactions and SJW preparations have been voluntarily labelled with appropriate warnings.  N. Ref:: 44

 

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[200]

TÍTULO / TITLE:  - Treatment of gammaherpesvirus-related neoplastic disorders in the immunosuppressed host.

REVISTA / JOURNAL:  - Semin Hematol 2003 Apr;40(2):163-71.

      ●● Enlace al texto completo (gratuito o de pago) 1053/shem.2003.50016

AUTORES / AUTHORS:  - Little RF; Yarchoan R

INSTITUCIÓN / INSTITUTION:  - HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

RESUMEN / SUMMARY:  - Neoplastic disease is a frequent complication in patients with acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS) and other immunodeficiencies. Many such neoplasms are caused by either Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV). The treatment of such patients can be challenging. At the same time, the viral origin of these tumors offers targets to develop pathogenesis-based therapies. Standard therapies for these diseases involve such approaches as treating the underlying immunodeficiency, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and immunologic antitumor therapy. Novel therapy approaches include specific immune therapy and anti-angiogenesis approaches, now under development.  N. Ref:: 105

 

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