Meropenem PK/PD Variability and Renal Function: “We Go Together”

Background: Meropenem is a carbapenem antibiotic widely employed for serious bacterial infections. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a strategy to optimize dosing, especially in critically ill patients. This study aims to show how TDM influences the management of meropenem in a real-life setting, not limited to intensive care units. Methods: From December 2021 to February 2022, we retrospectively analyzed 195 meropenem serum concentrations (Css). We characterized patients according to meropenem exposure, focusing on the renal function impact. Results: A total of 36% (n = 51) of the overall observed patients (n = 144) were in the therapeutic range (8–16 mg/L), whereas 64% (n = 93) required a meropenem dose modification (37 patients (26%) underexposed; 53 (38%) overexposed). We found a strong relationship between renal function and meropenem concentrations (correlation coefficient = −0.7; p-value < 0.001). We observed different dose-normalized meropenem exposure (Css/D) among renal-impaired (severe and moderate), normal, and hyperfiltrating patients, with a median (interquartile range) of 13.1 (10.9–20.2), 7.9 (6.1–9.5), 3.8 (2.6–6.0), and 2.4 (1.6–2.7), respectively (p-value < 0.001). Conclusions: Meropenem TDM in clinical practice allows modification of dosing in patients inadequately exposed to meropenem to maximize antibiotic efficacy and minimize the risk of antibiotic resistance, especially in renal alterations despite standard dose adaptations

A case report of treatment of a streptococcal brain abscess with ceftobiprole supported by the measurement of drug levels in the cerebrospinal fluid

In this paper, we describe the case of a patient admitted to our hospital because of a brain abscess due to Streptococcus intermedius. The management of brain abscess is challenging given the limited potential drug options with effective penetration into both the central nervous system and the abscess capsule to achieve adequate therapeutic concentrations. Due to the high anti-streptococcal activity of ceftobiprole and the availability of ceftobiprole therapeutic drug monitoring in our hospital, we decided to treat the patient with ceftobiprole. To maximize the antimicrobial effect of ceftobiprole, we chose a prolonged intravenous infusion, and we monitored its concentrations in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid

Mutant MYO1F alters the mitochondrial network and induces tumor proliferation in thyroid cancer

Familial aggregation is a significant risk factor for the development of thyroid cancer and Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer (FNMTC) accounts for 5-7% of all NMTC. Whole Exome Sequencing analysis in the family affected by FNMTC with oncocytic features where our group previously identified a predisposing locus on chromosome 19p13.2, revealed a novel heterozygous mutation (c.400G>A, NM_012335; p.Gly134Ser) in exon 5 of MYO1F, mapping to the linkage locus. In the thyroid FRTL-5 cell model stably expressing the mutant MYO1F p.Gly134Ser protein we observed an altered mitochondrial network, with increased mitochondrial mass and a significant increase of both intracellular and extracellular Reactive Oxygen Species, compared to cells expressing the wild-type protein or carrying the empty vector. The mutation conferred a significant advantage in colony formation, invasion and anchorage independent growth. These data were corroborated by in vivo studies in zebrafish, since we demonstrated that the mutant MYO1F p.Gly134Ser, when overexpressed, can induce proliferation in whole vertebrate embryos, compared to the wild-type one. MYO1F screening in additional 192 FNMTC families identified another variant in exon 7, which leads to exon skipping, and is predicted to alter the ATP-binding domain in MYO1F. Our study identified for the first time a role for MYO1F in NMTC. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Pharmacological Management of Obesity: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

OBJECTIVE: To formulate clinical practice guidelines for the pharmacological management of obesity. PARTICIPANTS: An Endocrine Society-appointed Task Force of experts, a methodologist, and a medical writer. This guideline was co-sponsored by the European Society of Endocrinology and The Obesity Society. EVIDENCE: This evidence-based guideline was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to describe the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. CONSENSUS PROCESS: One group meeting, several conference calls, and e-mail communications enabled consensus. Committees and members of the Endocrine Society, the European Society of Endocrinology, and The Obesity Society reviewed and commented on preliminary drafts of these guidelines. Two systematic reviews were conducted to summarize some of the supporting evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss is a pathway to health improvement for patients with obesity-associated risk factors and comorbidities. Medications approved for chronic weight management can be useful adjuncts to lifestyle change for patients who have been unsuccessful with diet and exercise alone. Many medications commonly prescribed for diabetes, depression, and other chronic diseases have weight effects, either to promote weight gain or produce weight loss. Knowledgeable prescribing of medications, choosing whenever possible those with favorable weight profiles, can aid in the prevention and management of obesity and thus improve health

Sarcopenic obesity and reduced BMD in young men living with HIV: body composition and sex steroids interplay

Purpose Sex steroids play a key role on male bone homeostasis and body composition (BC), their role in men living with HIV (MLWH) is less recognized. This study aimed at investigating the prevalence of low BMD, sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity (SO) and their relationship with sex steroids in MLWH aged &lt; 50. Methods Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study on MLWH younger than 50 (median age 47.0 years). BC and BMD were evaluated with DXA. Two different definitions of sarcopenia were applied: appendicular lean mass/height(2) (ALMI) &lt; 7.26 kg/m(2) or appendicular lean mass/body weight (ALM/W) &lt; 28.27%. Low BMD was defined for Z-score &lt; -2.0. Sarcopenia coupled with obesity identified SO. Serum total testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were measured by LC-MS/MS; free testosterone (cFT) was calculated by Vermeulen equation. Results Sarcopenia was detected in 107 (34.9%) and 44 (14.3%) out of 307 MLWH according to ALMI and ALM/W, respectively. The prevalence of SO was similar by using both ALMI (11.4%) and ALM/W (12.4%). Sarcopenic and SO MLWH had lower total T and cFT in both the definition for sarcopenia. BMD was reduced in 43/307 (14.0%). Serum E2 &lt; 18 pg/mL was an independent contributing factor for sarcopenia, SO, and low BMD. Conclusions T and E2 are important determinants of BC even in MLWH. This is among the first studies investigating the distribution of obesity phenotypes and the prevalence of SO among MLWH showing that SO is present in 11-12% of enrolled MLWH regardless of the definition used. However, deep differences emerged using two different diagnostic definitions

Endothelin receptor B antagonists decrease glioma cell viability independently of their cognate receptor

Background: Endothelin receptor antagonists inhibit the progression of many cancers, but research into their influence on glioma has been limited. Methods: We treated glioma cell lines, LN-229 and SW1088, and melanoma cell lines, A375 and WM35, with two endothelin receptor type B (ETRB)-specific antagonists, A-192621 and BQ788, and quantified viable cells by the capacity of their intracellular esterases to convert non-fluorescent calcein AM into green-fluorescent calcein. We assessed cell proliferation by labeling cells with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and quantifying the fluorescence by FACS analysis. We also examined the cell cycle status using BrdU/propidium iodide double staining and FACS analysis. We evaluated changes in gene expression by microarray analysis following treatment with A-192621 in glioma cells. We examined the role of ETRB by reducing its expression level using small interfering RNA (siRNA). Results: We report that two ETRB-specific antagonists, A-192621 and BQ788, reduce the number of viable cells in two glioma cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We describe similar results for two melanoma cell lines. The more potent of the two antagonists, A-192621, decreases the mean number of cell divisions at least in part by inducing a G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Microarray analysis of the effects of A-192621 treatment reveals up-regulation of several DNA damage-inducible genes. These results were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Importantly, reducing expression of ETRB with siRNAs does not abrogate the effects of either A-192621 or BQ788 in glioma or melanoma cells. Furthermore, BQ123, an endothelin receptor type A (ETRA)-specific antagonist, has no effect on cell viability in any of these cell lines, indicating that the ETRB-independent effects on cell viability exhibited by A-192621 and BQ788 are not a result of ETRA inhibition. Conclusion: While ETRB antagonists reduce the viability of glioma cells in vitro, it appears unlikely that this effect is mediated by ETRB inhibition or cross-reaction with ETRA. Instead, we present evidence that A-192621 affects glioma and melanoma viability by activating stress/DNA damage response pathways, which leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. This is the first evidence linking ETRB antagonist treatment to enhanced expression of DNA damage-inducible genes

Ivermectin reduces in vivo coronavirus infection in a mouse experimental model

SARS-CoV2 is a single strand RNA virus member of the type 2 coronavirus family, responsible for causing COVID-19 disease in humans. The objective of this study was to test the ivermectin drug in a murine model of coronavirus infection using a type 2 family RNA coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV2, the mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). BALB/cJ female mice were infected with 6,000 PFU of MHV-A59 (Group Infected; n=20) and immediately treated with one single dose of 500 μg/kg of ivermectin (Group Infected + IVM; n=20), or were not infected and treated with PBS (Control group; n=16). Five days after infection/treatment, mice were euthanized to obtain different tissues to check general health status and infection levels. Overall results demonstrated that viral infection induces the typical MHV disease in infected animals, with livers showing severe hepatocellular necrosis surrounded by a severe lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory infiltration associated with a high hepatic viral load (52,158 AU), while ivermectin administration showed a better health status with lower viral load (23,192 AU; p<0.05) and few livers with histopathological damage (p<0.05), not showing statistical differences with control mice (P=NS). Furthermore, serum transaminase levels (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) were significantly lower in treated mice compared to infected animals. In conclusion, ivermectin seems to be effective to diminish MHV viral load and disease in mice, being a useful model for further understanding new therapies against coronavirus diseases.Fil: Arevalo, A. P.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Pagotto, R.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Pórfido, Jorge Luis. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; Uruguay. Universidad de la República; Uruguay. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Daghero, H.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Segovia, Alcira Mercedes. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; Uruguay. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Yamasaki, K.. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Veterinaria.; UruguayFil: Varela, B. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Veterinaria.; UruguayFil: Hill, Marcelo. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; Uruguay. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Verdes, J. M.. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Veterinaria.; UruguayFil: Duhalde Vega, Maite. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; Uruguay. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Bollati Fogollin, M.. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; UruguayFil: Crispo, Martina. Instituto Pasteur de Montevideo; Urugua