Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia Among Renal Transplant Recipients Despite Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a well-known opportunistic infection in renal transplant recipients; it is associated with high mortality, mostly within the first 6 months post-transplantation. The disease has been effectively prevented by routine antibiotic prophylaxis. Recently, however, we encountered three consecutive cases of PCP; one developed the disease at 8 months and another at 11 months post-transplantation. An overall assessment of a patient's degree of immunosuppression is essential when considering the duration of PCP prophylaxis. Instead of the routine regimen of 6 months, 1-year PCP prophylaxis may be required for those who are on both tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil

The pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of Gengraf and Neoral in stable renal transplant recipients

AbstractObjectiveGengraf capsule, an AB-rated generic cyclosporine for Neoral, has been shown to be bioequivalent in previous studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of Gengraf and Neoral in stable Chinese renal allograft recipientsMethodsIn a prospective, open-label, two-period design study, 20 renal allograft recipients receiving stable doses of Neoral were recruited. Subjects continued their Neoral regimen during period I (days 1-14). They were then switched from Neoral on a milligram-for-milligram basis to Gengraf during period II (days 15-28). Four-hour pharmacokinetic parameters (concentration before dosing [Ctrough], maximum blood concentration [Cmax], time to maximum concentration [Tmax], and area under the blood concentration-versus-time curve [AUC0-4]) were taken on days 1, 8, 21, and 28. Biochemical parameters were also evaluated.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the pharmacokinetics of Gengraf (Ctrough, Tmax, Cmax, and AUC0-4) as compared with that of Neoral in stable renal transplant recipients. The bioequivalent capsules were interchangeable with respect to Ctrough, Cmax and AUC0-4. The 90% confidence intervals of the ratio of Ctrough, Cmax, Tmax, and AUC0-4 of Gengraf and Neoral were 0.94 to 1.21 for Ctrough, 0.97 to 1.20 for Cmax, and 0.97 to 1.20 for AUC0-4. Ctrough and C2 remained stable throughout the study without any dosage adjustments. Gengraf was well tolerated, and had a comparable safety profile as Neoral.ConclusionGengraf are bioequivalent to Neoral. Gengraf is well tolerated and interchangeable with Neoral in stable Chinese renal allograft recipients

Development of salient medication reminders to facilitate information transfer during transition from inpatient to primary care: the Delphi process

Objective Transitional care is important to successful hospital discharge. Providing patients with a clear and concise summary of medication-related information can help improve outcomes, in particular, among older adults. The present study aimed to propose a framework for the development of salient medication reminders (SMR), which include drug-related risks and precautions, using the Delphi process.Design Identification of potential SMR statements for 80% of medication types used by older adult patients discharged from geriatric medicine departments, followed by a Delphi survey and expert panel discussion.Settings Medical and geriatric departments of public hospitals in Hong Kong.Participants A panel of 13 geriatric medical experts.Outcome measure A Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) points, scoring item relevance, importance and clarity. The minimum of 70% consensus was required for each statement to be included.Results The expert panel achieved consensus through the Delphi process on 80 statements for 44 medication entities. Subsequently, the SMR steering group endorsed the inclusion of these statements in the SMR to be disseminated among older adults at the time of discharge from geriatric medicine departments.Conclusions The Delphi process contributed to the development of SMR for older adult patients discharged from public hospitals in Hong Kong. Patient experience with and staff response to the SMR were assessed at four hospitals before implementation at all public hospitals

Low-dose azathioprine is effective in maintaining remission in steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis: results from a territory-wide Chinese population-based IBD registry

Background: Whether low-dose azathioprine (AZA) is effective in maintaining remission in patients with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC) remains unclear. We assessed the efficacy and safety of low-dose AZA in a Chinese population with UC. Methods: We identified steroid-dependent UC patients in clinical remission on AZA maintenance therapy from a territory-wide IBD Registry. Standard- and low-dose AZA were defined as at least 2 mg/kg/day and less than 2 mg/kg/day, respectively. Relapse rates were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier analysis and compared using log-rank test. Results: Among 1226 UC patients, 128 (53% male, median duration on AZA 44 months) were included. Median maintenance AZA dose was 1.3 mg/kg/day. 97.7% of the patients were on concomitant oral 5-aminosalicylic acid. Cumulative relapse-free rates in patients on standard-dose and low-dose AZA were 71.2%, 52.8% and 45.2%, and 71.8%, 55.3% and 46.2% at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively ( p = 0.871). Relapse rate within 12 months was higher in patients who withdrew compared with those who maintained on AZA (52.6% versus 29.4%; p = 0.045). Mean corpuscular volume increased after AZA therapy in both of the low-dose [median (interquartile range, IQR): 88.2 (81.4–92.2) versus 95.1 (90.1–100.9) fl, p < 0.001] and standard-dose subgroups [median (IQR) 86.8 (76.9–89.9) versus 94.7 (85.9–99.7) fl, p < 0.001]. Leukopenia occurred in 21.1% of the patients. Patients on standard dose had a higher risk for leukopenia than those on low-dose AZA [odds ratio (OR) 3.9, 95% CI 1.9–8.2, p < 0.001]. Conclusions: In the Chinese population, low-dose AZA is effective for maintaining remission in steroid-dependent UC patients. Standard-dose AZA was associated with more than threefold increased risk of leukopenia