Centro Medico Lachesi

Categoria: Microbiology

  • Maribavir for Preemptive Treatment

    Maribavir for Preemptive Treatment

    Maribavir is a benzimidazole riboside with activity against cytomegalovirus (CMV). The safety and efficacy of maribavir for preemptive treatment of CMV infection in transplant recipients is not known. Design adds clarity. Using colour, typo graphy, hierarchy, contrast, and all the other tools at their disposal, designers can take an unordered jumble of…

    In a phase 2, open-label, maribavir dose–blinded trial, recipients of hematopoietic-cell or solid-organ transplants (≥18 years of age, with CMV reactivation [1000 to 100,000 DNA copies per milliliter]) were randomly assigned to receive maribavir at a dose of 400, 800, or 1200 mg twice daily or the standard dose of valganciclovir for no more than 12 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was the percentage of patients with a response to treatment, defined as confirmed undetectable CMV DNA in plasma, within 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the start of treatment. The primary safety end point was the incidence of adverse events that occurred or worsened during treatment.

    RESULTS

    Of the 161 patients who underwent randomization, 159 received treatment, and 156 had postbaseline data available — 117 in the maribavir group and 39 in the valganciclovir group. The percentage of patients with postbaseline data available who had a response to treatment within 3 weeks was 62% among those who received maribavir and 56% among those who received valganciclovir. Within 6 weeks, 79% and 67% of patients, respectively, had a response (risk ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.51). The percentages of patients with a response to treatment were similar among the maribavir dose groups.

    Two patients who had a response to treatment had a recurrence of CMV infection within 6 weeks after starting maribavir at a dose of 800 mg twice daily; T409M resistance mutations in CMV UL97 protein kinase developed in both patients. The incidence of serious adverse events that occurred or worsened during treatment was higher in the maribavir group than in the valganciclovir group (52 of 119 patients [44%] vs. 13 of 40 [32%]). A greater percentage of patients in the maribavir group discontinued the trial medication because of an adverse event (27 of 119 [23%] vs. 5 of 40 [12%]). A higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events was reported with maribavir, and a higher incidence of neutropenia was reported with valganciclovir.

  • Studies Confirm HPV Shot Is Safe

    Studies Confirm HPV Shot Is Safe

    The HPV vaccine gives parents a chance to prevent their children from developing some types of cancer, and two new studies reaffirm what past research has found — the vaccine is safe.

    The two studies included millions of doses of Gardasil 9 vaccine, the only vaccine currently used in the United States for the prevention of HPV-related cancers.

    “The data from our study was very reassuring. We saw nothing unexpected or surprising. With Gardasil 9, we can now prevent a large portion of cervical, oropharyngeal [mouth, tongue and throat] and other cancers,” said one of the studies’ lead author, Dr. James Donahue. He’s an epidemiologist with the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Wisconsin.

    The studies and an accompanying editorial were published Nov. 18 in the journal Pediatrics.

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus. It’s estimated that 79 million people in the United States are already infected with HPV. Around 14 million new infections with HPV occur every year. About half of those are teens and young adults, according to the editorial. Sometimes these infections get better on their own, but many do not.

    HPV is responsible for more than 33,000 cancers each year — 20,000 in women and 13,000 in men. Routine use of the Gardasil 9 vaccine could prevent about 90% of these cancers, the editorial said.

  • Cleaner Teeth, Healthier Heart?

    Cleaner Teeth, Healthier Heart?

    MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Brushing your teeth may be good for your heart, a new study suggests.It included more than 161,000 South Korean adults, ages 40 to 79, with no history of heart failure or the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation.

    Between 2003 and 2004, participants had a routine medical exam and were asked about a wide range of lifestyle habits, including how often they brushed their teeth. During a median follow-up of 10.5 years, 3% developed a-fib and 4.9%, developed heart failure. (Median means half were followed for less time, half for more.)

    Those who brushed their teeth three or more times a day had a 10% lower risk of afib and a 12% lower risk of heart failure during the follow-up. The reduced risk was independent of age, sex, wealth, exercise, alcohol use, body fat and conditions such as high blood pressure, according to the study published Dec. 2 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

    Researchers didn’t investigate how regular brushing might reduce heart disease risk. But previous studies have suggested that poor oral hygiene results in bacteria in the blood, causing inflammation that increases odds of heart disease.

    The study was conducted in one country and was observational, so it does not prove a direct link between regular brushing and reduced heart risk, said senior author Dr. Tae-Jin Song, of the Department of Neurology at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

× Come possiamo aiutarti ?