Long-term platinum retention after treatment with cisplatin and oxaliplatin

Background  

The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term platinum retention in patients treated with cisplatin and oxaliplatin.     

Isolation and characterization of human papillomavirus type 6-specific T cells infiltrating genital warts.

The potential role of T cells in the control of human papillomavirus type 6 (HPV-6) infections is an appealing premise, but their actual role has been sparsely investigated. Since HPV-6 infections are confined to the epithelium, such an investigation should focus on the T cells present at the site of infection (i.e., the warts). Therefore, we isolated wart-infiltrating lymphocytes (WIL) from patients with clinically diagnosed anogenital warts. These WIL were characterized by their phenotype and their specificity for E7 and L1 proteins of HPV-6. The phenotype of WIL varied drastically from patient to patient, as determined by their expression of CD4, CD8, T-cell receptor alpha/beta chain (TCR alpha beta), and TCR gamma delta. Despite this heterogeneity in phenotype, HPV-6 E7 and/or L1-specific WIL, as determined by lymphoproliferation, could be isolated from more than 75% of the patients studied. Among all L1 peptides recognized by WIL, peptides 311-330 and 411-430 were the most consistently detected, with seven of nine patients for whom L1 peptide reactivity was observed responding to at least one of them. Moreover, the HPV-6 epitopic peptides recognized by WIL differed to some extent from those recognized by peripheral T cells.     

Efficacy and deficiencies of rapid biomonitoring in biodiversity conservation: a case study in South Africa

Rapid biomonitoring protocols, using biotic indices based on macroinvertebrate diversity to assess river ecosystem health, are widely used globally. Such quick assessment techniques are lauded for the rapid results obtained and the relatively easy protocol used to achieve an answer. However, do such quick assessments of water quality give enough information about ecosystems? Are important details being overlooked? When should a full faunal survey be used in preference? Important research programmes, including environmental impact studies, often misuse biomonitoring techniques, making influential management decisions using superficial, low-level data obtained using biomonitoring tools, inappropriate to address those management objectives. The value of using biomonitoring as a quick tool, versus a more detailed faunal assessment, is considered here. The assessment of teloganodid mayfly fauna occurring in South African rivers provides an example of the value of detailed studies versus superficial family level investigations, showing that a rapid biomonitoring approach should not be used as a shortcut when a more detailed survey is needed. Each situation should be assessed for its own merit in a given set of project circumstances. A checklist of criteria is presented, giving guidance on when rapid biomonitoring alone is valuable and when more detailed assessments would give a more relevant result.     

Up- and down-modulation of liver cytochrome P450 activities and associated events in two murine malaria models

Background

The mechanisms by which malaria up and down-regulates CYP activities are not understood yet. It is also unclear whether CYP activities are modulated during non-lethal malaria infections. This study was undertaken to evaluate the time course of CYP alterations in lethal (Plasmodium berghei ANKA) and non-lethal (Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi) murine malaria. Additionally, hypotheses on the association of CYP depression with enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production, and of CYP2a5 induction with endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction, enhanced haem metabolism and oxidative stress were examined as well.

Methods

Female DBA-2 and C57BL/6 mice were infected with P.berghei ANKA or P. chabaudi and killed at different post-infection days. Infection was monitored by parasitaemia rates and clinical signs. NO levels were measured in the serum. Activities of CYP1a (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase), 2b (benzyloxyresorufin-O-debenzylase), 2a5 (coumarin-7-hydroxylase) and uridine-diphosphoglucuronyl-transferase (UGT) were determined in liver microsomes. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity and concentrations of gluthatione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) were determined in the liver. Levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) were evaluated by immunoblotting, while mRNAs of haemoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were determined by quantitative RT-PCR.

Results

Plasmodium berghei depressed CYP1a and 2b and induced 2a5 in DBA-2 mice. In P.berghei-infected C57BL/6 mice CYP activities remained unaltered. In both strains, GST and UGT were not affected by P.berghei. Plasmodium c. chabaudi depressed CYP1a and 2b and induced 2a5 activities on the day of peak parasitaemia or near this day. CYP2a5 induction was associated with over-expression of HO-1 and enhanced oxidative stress, but it was not associated with GRP78 induction, a marker of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Plasmodium chabaudi increased serum NO on days near the parasitaemia peak in both strains. Although not elevating serum NO, P.berghei enhanced iNOS mRNA expression in the liver.

Conclusion

Down-regulation of CYP1a and 2b and induction of 2a5 occurred in lethal and non-lethal infections when parasitaemia rates were high. A contribution of NO for depression of CYP2b cannot be ruled out. Results were consistent with the view that CYP2a5 and HO-1 are concurrently up-regulated and suggested that CYP2a5 induction may occur in the absence of enhanced endoplasmic reticulum stress.     

Methyl eugenol and cue-lure traps for suppression of male oriental fruit flies and melon flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii: effects of lure mixtures and weathering

Methyl eugenol (4-allyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene-carboxylate) and cue-lure [4-(p-acetoxyphenyl)-2-butanone] are highly attractive kairomone lures to oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and melon fly, B. cucurbitae (Coquillett), respectively. Plastic bucket traps were evaluated as dispensers for methyl eugenol and cue-lure for suppression of the 2 fruit flies in Hawaii. Methyl eugenol and cue-lure mixtures were compared with pure methyl eugenol or cue-lure over 4 seasons. B. dorsalis captures differed significantly with treatment and season. B. dorsalis captures with 100% methyl-eugenol were significantly greater than all other treatments (25, 50, and 75%). B. cucurbitae captures also differed significantly with treatment but not with season. Captures with 100, 75, and 50% cue-lure were not significantly different. Bucket traps baited with cue-lure (+ malathion) and weathered under Hawaiian climatic conditions were attractive to B. cucurbitae up to 8 wk. Two methyl eugenol dispensers (canec disks and Min-U-Gel) were compared with bucket traps. Dispensers (methyl eugenol + malathion) were weathered for 2-16 wk under Hawaiian climatic conditions and bioassayed during summer and winter. Initially, captures of B. dorsalis were not significantly different for the 3 dispensers. Bucket traps and canec disks were most resistant to weather, remaining attractive to B. dorsalis flies up to 16 wk. Min-U-Gel was least resistant, losing attractiveness to B. dorsalis flies within 2 wk. On the basis of performance, bucket traps and canec disks were equally long-lived up to 14 wk; thereafter, bucket traps were slightly more attractive during winter. Canec disks were cheapest, but on the basis of possible environmental concerns, bucket traps may be the best all-around choice for areawide suppression of fruit flies.     

Antibodies to citrullinated proteins and differences in clinical progression of rheumatoid arthritis

Antibodies to citrullinated proteins (anti-cyclic-citrullinated peptide [anti-CCP] antibodies) are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and precede the onset of disease symptoms, indicating a pathogenetic role for these antibodies in RA. We recently showed that distinct genetic risk factors are associated with either anti-CCP-positive disease or anti-CCP-negative disease. These data are important as they indicate that distinct pathogenic mechanisms are underlying anti-CCP-positive disease or anti-CCP-negative disease. Likewise, these observations raise the question of whether anti-CCP-positive RA and anti-CCP-negative RA are clinically different disease entities. We therefore investigated whether RA patients with anti-CCP antibodies have a different clinical presentation and disease course compared with patients without these autoantibodies. In a cohort of 454 incident patients with RA, 228 patients were anti-CCP-positive and 226 patients were anti-CCP-negative. The early symptoms, tender and swollen joint count, and C-reactive protein level at inclusion, as well as the swollen joint count and radiological destruction during 4 years of follow-up, were compared for the two groups. There were no differences in morning stiffness, type, location and distribution of early symptoms, patients' rated disease activity and C-reactive protein at inclusion between RA patients with and without anti-CCP antibodies. The mean tender and swollen joint count for the different joints at inclusion was similar. At follow-up, patients with anti-CCP antibodies had more swollen joints and more severe radiological destruction. Nevertheless, the distribution of affected joints, for swelling, bone erosions and joint space narrowing, was similar. In conclusion, the phenotype of RA patients with or without anti-CCP antibodies is similar with respect to clinical presentation but differs with respect to disease course.     

Cost-effectiveness of abatacept,rituximab, and TNFi treatment after previous failure with TNFi treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: a pragmatic multi-centre randomised trial

IntroductionFor patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whose treatment with a tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) is failing, several biological treatment options are available. Often, another TNFi or a biological with another mode of action is prescribed. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of three biologic treatments with different modes of action in patients with RA whose TNFi therapy is failing.MethodsWe conducted a pragmatic, 1-year randomised trial in a multicentre setting. Patients with active RA despite previous TNFi treatment were randomised to receive abatacept, rituximab or a different TNFi. The primary outcome (Disease Activity Score in 28 joints) and the secondary outcomes (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and 36-item Short Form Health Survey scores) were analysed using linear mixed models. Cost-effectiveness was analysed on the basis of incremental net monetary benefit, which was based on quality-adjusted life-years (calculated using EQ-5D scores), and all medication expenditures consumed in 1 year. All analyses were also corrected for possible confounders.ResultsOf 144 randomised patients, 5 were excluded and 139 started taking abatacept (43 patients), rituximab (46 patients) or a different TNFi (50 patients). There were no significant differences between the three groups with respect to multiple measures of RA outcomes. However, our analysis revealed that rituximab therapy is significantly more cost-effective than both abatacept and TNFi over a willingness-to-pay range of 0 to 80,000 euros.ConclusionsAll three treatment options were similarly effective; however, when costs were factored into the treatment decision, rituximab was the best option available to patients whose first TNFi treatment failed. However, generalization of these costs to other countries should be undertaken carefully.

Trial registration

Netherlands Trial Register number NTR1605. Registered 24 December 2008.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0630-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.