levoleucovorin and Mycoses

We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of ketoconazole versus nystatin antimycotic prophylaxis in a prospective randomized study of 32 patients receiving intensive weekly outpatient combination chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with crossover to the other drug if failure occurred. Thirteen patients were assigned to nystatin and 19 to ketoconazole. Fungal infections occurred in three patients receiving nystatin (16%) and one patient receiving ketoconazole (8%); one patient refused his assigned drug due to taste intolerance. Including the crossover courses of drug, the failure rate associated with ketoconazole was 6% while that for nystatin was 20% (p = 0.23). We favor ketoconazole as antifungal prophylaxis during antilymphoma chemotherapy because of at least equivalent and possibly superior efficacy, better acceptance by patients, easier administration, and systemic absorption.

Topics: Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Bleomycin; Clinical Trials as Topic; Cyclophosphamide; Doxorubicin; Female; Humans; Ketoconazole; Leucovorin; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Male; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Mycoses; Nystatin; Prednisone; Prospective Studies; Random Allocation; Time Factors; Vincristine

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal lung disease with limited response to currently available therapies. Alveolar type II (ATII) cells act as progenitor cells in the adult lung, contributing to alveolar repair during pulmonary injury. However, in IPF, ATII cells die and are replaced by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. In previous preclinical studies, we demonstrated that ATII-cell intratracheal transplantation was able to reduce pulmonary fibrosis. The main objective of this study was to investigate the safety and tolerability of ATII-cell intratracheal transplantation in patients with IPF.. We enrolled 16 patients with moderate and progressive IPF who underwent ATII-cell intratracheal transplantation through fiberoptic bronchoscopy. We evaluated the safety and tolerability of ATII-cell transplantation by assessing the emergent adverse side effects that appeared within 12 months. Moreover, pulmonary function, respiratory symptoms, and disease extent during 12 months of follow-up were evaluated.. No significant adverse events were associated with the ATII-cell intratracheal transplantation. After 12 months of follow-up, there was no deterioration in pulmonary function, respiratory symptoms, or disease extent.. Our results support the hypothesis that ATII-cell intratracheal transplantation is safe and well tolerated in patients with IPF. This study opens the door to designing a clinical trial to elucidate the potential beneficial effects of ATII-cell therapy in IPF.

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Aged; Alveolar Epithelial Cells; Anti-Infective Agents; Bacterial Infections; Bronchoscopy; Cell Transplantation; Disease Progression; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Ganciclovir; Graft Rejection; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Immunosuppressive Agents; Leucovorin; Male; Middle Aged; Mycophenolic Acid; Mycoses; Nystatin; Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; Tacrolimus; Trachea; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Valganciclovir; Virus Diseases; Vital Capacity; Walk Test

As more drugs are approved for the prevention of opportunistic infections, concerns regarding the benefits and potential risks of these therapies are arising. A synopsis of the data for prophylaxis against opportunistic infections is provided for the following: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, fungal infections, Mycobacterium avium complex, cytomegalovirus infections, and toxoplasmosis. General precautions in using preventive medications for people with fewer than 100 CD4 plus cells are highlighted.

Topics: Acyclovir; AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Clarithromycin; Clindamycin; Clinical Trials as Topic; Clotrimazole; Cytomegalovirus Infections; Dapsone; Fluconazole; Ganciclovir; Humans; Itraconazole; Leucovorin; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Mycoses; Pentamidine; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Pyrimethamine; Rifabutin; Toxoplasmosis; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Valacyclovir; Valine