Iodixanol Pharmacokinetics in Children

The objective of this report was to study the elimination pharmacokinetics of iodixanol in children. Iodixanol (V isipaque ®, Nycomed Inc., Wayne, PA, USA) is a new iso-osmolar iodinated radiocontrast agent. We hypothesized that elimination of this agent would be dependent on age-related differences in renal clearance. Seven centers enrolled 43 patients. Cardiac catheterization was performed in 41 patients and cranial computed tomography in 2. Patients were entered into 5 age groups: newborn to 6 months of age that is comparable to normal adults. Prolonged elimination in children <6 months of age is related to renal immaturity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42384/1/246-22-3-223_10220223.pd

Efficacy of increasing dosages of clarithromycin for treatment of experimental Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

Objectives: Mycoplasma pneumoniae respiratory infection is a common cause of acute respiratory infection in children and adults. We evaluated the efficacy of increasing dosages of clarithromycin for the optimized therapy of M. pneumoniae respiratory infection in a mouse model. Methods: BALB/c mice were intranasally inoculated once with M. pneumoniae or SP4 broth (control). Groups of mice were treated with increasing dosages of clarithromycin (10, 25 or 75 mg/kg/day) or placebo subcutaneously daily. Groups of mice were evaluated after 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 days of therapy. Outcome variables included quantitative M. pneumoniae culture, histopathological score of the lungs, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytokine/chemokine/growth factor concentrations and plethysmography after aerosolized methacholine to assess airway hyperresponsiveness. Results: Elevated dosages of clarithromycin resulted in greater antimicrobial efficacy with significantly reduced M. pneumoniae quantitative cultures (P < 0.05), as well as greater improvement in markers of disease severity with significantly reduced lung histopathology scores, BAL cytokine concentrations and airway hyperresponsiveness (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Escalated dosing of clarithromycin resulted in significantly greater therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of experimental M. pneumoniae respiratory infection