Management of Sorafenib-Related Adverse Events: A Clinician’s Perspective

Sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). It is being evaluated in phase II and III clinical trials, which include treatment as a single agent (locally advanced/metastatic radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer [DTC]), as part of multimodality care (HCC), and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents (metastatic breast cancer). Sorafenib-related adverse events (AEs) that commonly occur across these tumor types include hand–foot skin reaction (HSFR), rash, upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) distress (ie, diarrhea), fatigue, and hypertension. These commonly range from grade 1 to 3, per the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), and often occur early in treatment. The goal for the management of these AEs is to prevent, treat, and/or minimize their effects, thereby enabling patients to remain on treatment and improve their quality of life. Proactive management, along with ongoing patient education (before and during sorafenib treatment), can help to effectively manage symptoms, often without the need for sorafenib dose modification or drug holidays. Effective management techniques for common sorafenib-related AEs, as well other important disease sequelae not directly related to treatment, are presented. Recommendations and observations are based on physician/author experience and recommendations from published literature

Interferon-free therapy for genotype 1 hepatitis C in liver transplant recipients: Real-world experience from the hepatitis C therapeutic registry and research network.

Recurrent infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation (LT) is associated with decreased graft and patient survival. Achieving sustained virological response (SVR) with antiviral therapy improves survival. Because interferon (IFN)-based therapy has limited efficacy and is poorly tolerated, there has been rapid transition to IFN-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens. This article describes the experience with DAAs in the treatment of posttransplant genotype (GT) 1 HCV from a consortium of community and academic centers (Hepatitis C Therapeutic Registry and Research Network [HCV-TARGET]). Twenty-one of the 54 centers contributing to the HCV-TARGET consortium participated in this study. Enrollment criteria included positive posttransplant HCV RNA before treatment, HCV GT 1, and documentation of use of a simeprevir (SMV)/sofosbuvir (SOF) containing DAA regimen. Safety and efficacy were assessed. SVR was defined as undetectable HCV RNA 64 days or later after cessation of treatment. A total of 162 patients enrolled in HCV-TARGET started treatment with SMV+SOF with or without ribavirin (RBV) following LT. The study population included 151 patients treated with these regimens for whom outcomes and safety data were available. The majority of the 151 patients were treated with SOF and SMV alone (n = 119; 79%) or with RBV (n = 32; 21%), The duration of therapy was 12 weeks for most patients, although 15 patients received 24 weeks of treatment. Of all patients receiving SOF/SMV with or without RBV, 133/151 (88%) achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks after therapy and 11 relapsed (7%). One patient had virological breakthrough (n = 1), and 6 patients were lost to posttreatment follow-up. Serious adverse events occurred in 11.9%; 3 patients (all cirrhotic) died due to aspiration pneumonia, suicide, and multiorgan failure. One experienced LT rejection. IFN-free DAA treatment represents a major improvement over prior IFN-based therapy. Broader application of these and other emerging DAA regimens in the treatment of posttransplant hepatitis C is warranted

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

A Rare Case of Amatoxin Poisoning in the State of Texas

Ingestion of mushrooms from the genus Amanita can present detrimental consequences to the human body. The mushroom is frequently found in the coastal Pacific Northwest, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio. Amanitin, one of the two distinct toxins isolated from the Amanita mushroom, is responsible for the majority of symptoms and signs seen with mushroom poisoning. Clinically, ingestion of these mushrooms can result in a wide range of clinical symptoms including nausea, vomiting, crampy abdominal pain, and diarrhea. There have been several case reports of patients who developed severe hepatic failure that required liver transplantation. Thus, it is important to recognize the symptoms early and treat the patients with the available agents including multidose activated charcoal, N-acetylcysteine, penicillin G, and Silybum. Through an extensive literature search, we found no published literature on amatoxin poisoning in the state of Texas. With new cases of amatoxin poisoning emerging in the state, it is important for healthcare providers and workers to have a better awareness and early recognition of the detrimental effects of Amanita species poisoning and to be educated to provide the proper care for this group of patients

Comparison of esophageal capsule endoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy for diagnosis of esophageal varices

AIM: To investigate the utility of esophageal capsule endoscopy in the diagnosis and grading of esophageal varices