COMPARATIVE TEST OF FLAVONOIDS AND SAPONINS BETWEEN LEAVES AND FLOWERS OF KNOBS (Gomphrena globosa l.) AS ANTI-NAUSEA AND ANTIOXIDANT THERAPY IN CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world today. In 2018, there were 18.1 million new cases of cancer with a death rate of 9.6 million. Chemotherapy is one way of cancer treating. Effects of chemotherapy include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomatitis and myelo suppression in the form of anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Symptoms of nausea and vomiting are one of the most serious side effects. This condition can cause patient choose to stop therapy. Discontinuation of therapy has the potential to increase cancer progression. If not treated quickly, it will cause malnutrition. The knob plant (Gomhprena globosa l.) is a nutritious plant that has been used in traditional medicine. Knobs have potential as antioxidants of it flavonoids. The flavonoid and saponin compounds can accelerate the digestive system and act as an anti-nausea, making it suitable as therapy for patients with chemotherapy. This study aims to compare the flavonoid and saponin between the leaves and knob flowers which are best used as anti-nausea products. The research was conducted at the Chemical Laboratory of MAN 1 Gresik. The extraction method used in this is maceration. The steps for testing flavonoids and saponins on knob leaves and flowers can be done by pounding the leaves and knob flowers, labeling 4 test tubes, namely, F flowers for the Flavonoid test, S flowers for the Saponins test, F leaves for the Flavonoid test, S leaves for the Saponins test. Then, add 1 ml of leaf and flower extracts into test tube, add magnesium tape to the test tube labeled F leaves and F flowers, add 1 ml of concentrated HCl into the test tube labeled F, then enter 1 ml of HCl 2N on the test tube labeled S leaves and S flowers. Based on this study, can be concluded that knob leaves have higher flavonoids and saponins. Fact, knob leaves produce more yellow color. In the saponin test, the leaf had more foam than the flower. Therefore, knob leaves can be used as anti-nausea and antioxidants in cancer patients with chemotherapy.

Time to initial highly active antiretroviral therapy discontinuation and its predictors among HIV patients in Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital: a retrospective cohort study

Background Anti-retroviral therapy regimen discontinuations become a big challenge and cause diminishing the clinical and immunological benefit of treatment in Ethiopia. It reduces both the duration and the chance of viral control due to cross-resistance between different alternative drugs and overlapping toxicity between and within a class of antiretroviral drugs in Ethiopia. However, information’s on the time of initial regimen discontinuation and its predictors are not well studied. Objective This study aimed to assess the time to initial highly active antiretroviral therapy discontinuation and its predictors among HIV patients in Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital, North West Ethiopia. Method Institution-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 418 HIV patients who started HAART from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019. Data were collected from the patient chart using a data extraction tool. The Kaplan–Meier curve was employed to compare survival rates. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to identify independent predictors of time to initial regimen discontinuation. Result A total of 418 patients on anti-retroviral therapy were followed. Incidence of initial HAART discontinuation was 16.7/100 person year. The median survival time was 3.5 years. Predictors showed association for time to initial HAART discontinuation were taking > 1 ART pills/day (AHR = 4.1, 95% CI 3.0–6.5), baseline CD4 count < 100 cells/mm3 (AHR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.5–4.7), 100–199 cells/mm3 (AHR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–4.0), baseline WHO clinical stage IV (AHR = 2.68, 95% CI 1.6–4.3) and stage III (AHR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.4–4.3) and TB infection (AHR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.5). Conclusion Most of the discontinuation occurred after 1 year of initiation of HAART. Baseline WHO clinical stage, TB infection, baseline CD4 count, and taking > 1 ART pill/day were found predictors of initial HAART regimen discontinuation. Work on early detection of HIV before the disease is advanced and initiation of one ART regimen daily is vital for survival on the initial regimen.

The Wonderful DMARD with Multiple Toxicities

Methotrexate is a type of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It is used to reduce activity of the immune system for people who have certain conditions. Methotrexate is a chemotherapy agent and immune system suppressant. Its use may be limited by concerns regarding its adverse reactions. The occurrence of adverse drug reactions in some cases leads to the therapy discontinuation. Although adverse drug reactions (ADR) of methotrexate generally do not pose a serious threat to the health of patients and a reduction in the dose of methotrexate leads to their elimination, in some cases severe toxicities of the drug occur unpredictably. These facts explain the need for close monitoring of the patient’s condition and the identification of potential risk factors for drug toxicity on the part of different organs and functional systems. The purpose of this review is to detail about safety and tolerability of methotrexate.

PET/CT scan and biopsy-driven approach for safe anti-PD-1 therapy discontinuation in patients with advanced melanoma

BackgroundLimited data exist on safe discontinuation of antiprogrammed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy in responding patients with advanced melanoma. The use of 18fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG)-PET/CT scan and tumor biopsy for assessment of active disease may be an effective predictive biomarker to guide such treatment decisions.MethodsA retrospective study of 122 patients with advanced melanoma treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy or anti-PD-1/anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 combination therapy at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center was conducted. Uveal melanoma patients and those receiving concurrent experimental therapy were excluded. Baseline characteristics, treatment outcomes, and survival were analyzed. Patients who decided to come off treatment typically after 12 months using CT scan radiographic complete response (CR), 18FDG-PET/CT scan complete metabolic response (CMR) or tumor biopsy of a non-CR/CMR tumor site negative for active disease (possible pathological CR) were identified and compared with patients who discontinued treatment due to toxicity while their disease was in control. Event-free survival (EFS) was assessed from the last dose of anti-PD-1 therapy to progression requiring subsequent treatment (surgery, radiation, and/or systemic therapy) or referral to hospice/death due to melanoma.Results24 (20%) patients discontinued treatment by choice with no active disease and 28 (23%) patients discontinued treatment due to toxicity with disease control after 12-month and 4-month median treatment durations, respectively. Similar baseline characteristics were observed between cohorts except higher prior receipt of ipilimumab (29% vs 7%; p=0.036) and fewer BRAF mutant positive disease (17% vs 41%; p=0.064) in patients off treatment by choice. Three-year EFS rates were 95% and 71%, respectively. No significant associations between EFS and sex, disease stage, lactate dehydrogenase elevation, BRAF status, prior systemic therapy, ECOG performance status, presence of brain metastases, or combination versus monotherapy were observed. Tumor biopsies led to alternative management in 3/10 patients due to active metastatic melanoma or second malignancy.ConclusionsAnti-PD-1 therapy discontinuation after 12 months when no active disease is observed on CT scan, PET/CT scan or tumor biopsy may have low rates of disease relapse in patients with advanced melanoma. Biopsy of residual disease may frequently lead to a change in management. These findings are undergoing validation in the EA6192 trial.

Reasons for first-line maintenance therapy discontinuation among patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer treated in real-world settings.

290 Background: PARP inhibitor (PARPi) and bevacizumab have been integrated into the first-line (1L) maintenance therapy for patients (pts) with ovarian cancer (OC). However, due to adverse events, the rate of PARPi maintenance discontinuation was 12% in the SOLO1 clinical trial. We aimed to better understand the rate and cause of maintenance therapy discontinuation in real-world practice. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using de-identified electronic health record (EHR)–derived data from the nationwide Flatiron Health electronic health database. From January 1, 2016, to February 29, 2020, data were obtained for pts with newly diagnosed stage III/IV epithelial OC who received primary debulking surgery followed by 6–9 cycles of 1L platinum-based chemo or neoadjuvant chemo followed by interval debulking surgery. Index date was the end of 1L systemic therapy. Results: Of 675 pts with stage III/IV OC who underwent primary systemic therapy, 144 (21.3%) received 1L maintenance therapy and were included in the analysis. Mean age was 65.0 y. Most pts were treated in community practice (93.1%), had ECOG score of 0–1 at diagnosis (81.3%), and were shown to be BRCA wild type (66.7%). Bevacizumab was the most common 1L maintenance therapy (n = 69, 47.9%), followed by olaparib (n = 46, 31.9%), paclitaxel (n = 18, 12.5%), rucaparib (n = 10, 6.9%), and gemcitabine (n = 1, 0.7%). Overall, 34 (23.6%) pts discontinued 1L maintenance therapy. The most common reason for discontinuation was disease progression (n = 19, 13.2%), followed by treatment-related toxicity (n = 13, 9.0%; Table). Of 56 pts who received PARPi (olaparib or rucaparib) 1L maintenance therapy, 21 (37.5%) pts discontinued treatment: 11 (19.6%) because of disease progression, 9 (16.0%) treatment-related toxicity, and 1 for other reasons. Conclusions: In pts with advanced OC who received 1L maintenance therapy in clinical practice, disease progression was the most common reason for maintenance therapy discontinuation. The rates of toxicity-related discontinuations were comparable with those reported in clinical trials.[Table: see text]

COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review

Liver transplant (LT) recipients are considered a vulnerable population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, available data have been heterogeneous and scarce. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review identifying English-language articles published in PubMed between November 2019 and 30th May 2021. We aimed to explore three areas: (1) outcome and clinical course; (2) immunological response after COVID-19 in LT recipients; and (3) vaccination response. After systematic selection, 35, 4, and 5 articles, respectively, were considered suitable for each area of analysis. Despite the heterogeneity of the reports included in this study, we found that gastrointestinal symptoms were common in LT recipients. The outcome of the LT population was not per se worse compared to the general population, although careful management of immunosuppressive therapy is required. While a complete therapy discontinuation is not encouraged, caution needs to be taken with use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), favoring tacrolimus (TAC) use. Although data conflicted about acquired immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccine immunogenicity appeared to be low, suggesting that the level of surveillance should be kept high in this population.

Pharmacogenetic approach to methotrexate-related toxicity prediction in psoriasis

Methotrexate is a highly effective for psoriasis, but the use of methotrexate may be limited by its adverse effects. Approximately 1030% of patients treated with methotrexate experience adverse drug reactions, leading to the therapy discontinuation. Patient genetics can play a significant role in the interindividual variability of drug response. There is a growing body of literature on allelic variants of various genes that are assosiated with methotrexate toxicity. Pharmacogenetic studies may establish how patients genotype affect the safety of methotrexate. Treatment Data shows that to predict the risk of methotrexate-induced toxicity it is necessary to take into account the interindividual variability in methotrexate pharmacokinetics, which may be determined by the presence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of genes encoding methotrexate carrier proteins and enzymes of its biotransformation. The activity of transporter proteins affects the drugs in the blood plasma and peripheral tissues, thereby determining its toxicity. The review was aimed is to summarize the current knowledge on pharmacogenetic polymorphisms that may affect the variability of methotrexate-related toxicity. Evaluation of such promising candidates for predictors of methotrexate-related toxicity risk could be used in psoriasis treatment personalization.

Methotrexate Safety in Psoriasis: An Overview

Methotrexate is a highly efficacious treatment for psoriasis, but the use of methotrexate may be limited by concerns regarding its adverse reactions. On average, 28.3 % of patients with psoriasis treated by methotrexate develop adverse reactions. The occurrence of adverse drug reactions in some cases leads to the therapy discontinuation, which may be accompanied by psoriasis exacerbation. The purpose of this article is to provide an extensive review of the methotrexate efficacy, safety and tolerability as well as provide a comprehensive understanding of methotrexate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, methotrexate side effects pathogenesis, approaches to methotrexate safety monitoring, situations in which it is necessary to be vigilant when prescribing methotexate. We also outline current data concerning methotrexate molecular mechanism of action, including new data on its anti-inflammatory activity, that allow us to explain the pathogenesis of a number of adverse drug reactions, as well as discuss possible ways of predicting the methotrexate toxicity, especially focusing on recent advances in the field of pharmacogenetics of methotrexate-induced toxicity and personalized approach to psoriasis treatment.

Hemoadsorption Treatment with CytoSorb® in Probable Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Role as Adjunctive Therapy?

Acute hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening disease, with an annual incidence of 1 : 800,000 people. The disease is characterized by a cytokine storm, with concomitant macrophage and natural killer (NK) cell activation; death can occur from multiple organ failure or complications such as bleeding diathesis. Therefore, HLH treatment remains a challenging one. We hereby present a case of a 76-year-old man with severe HLH in whom hemoadsorption was successfully applied. Due to the failure of the immunomodulatory therapy , continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration therapy with the CytoSorb® adsorber was successfully applied for 48 hours. Upon therapy discontinuation, the biological and clinical condition reverted, unfortunately evolving towards the patient’s death.

Skeletal Muscle Loss and Octogenarian Status Are Associated with S-1 Adjuvant Therapy Discontinuation and Poor Prognosis after Pancreatectomy

The efficacy and prognosis of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected pancreatic cancer remain unclear. We investigated the utility and risk factors of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing pancreatectomy. This study comprised 80 patients, including 58 patients who received S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy. Skeletal muscle loss was defined using cutoff values of skeletal muscle mass index. In total, 16 (20%) octogenarian patients underwent pancreatectomy. Skeletal muscle loss was present in 56 (70%) patients. The entire course of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy for 6 months was completed in 33 patients (41%). S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy <6 months was an independent prognostic indicator of poor overall survival. Patients who completed S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy exhibited significantly longer overall and relapse-free survival rates than those did not complete the chemotherapy (p <0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively). Being an octogenarian and skeletal muscle loss were independent variables associated with the discontinuation of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy. Finally, the S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy rates were 6.3% (1/16) and 28.6% (16/56) in octogenarian patients and those with skeletal muscle loss, respectively. S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy completion was associated with improved prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer. Skeletal muscle loss and octogenarian status predicted the failure of S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy completion.