picibanil and Bacterial-Infections

In patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax, fever and elevated level of white blood cell count (WBC) are frequently observed after chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432, which make it difficult to differentiate whether it was from the side effects of OK-432 or concurrent bacterial infection.. Procalcitonin (PCT) levels were measured before and after pleurodesis so as to discuss whether PCT is useful for distinguishing between the side effects of OK-432 and concurrent bacterial infection.. Twenty-six patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax who underwent chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between August 2010 and August 2012 were included in our study. Levels of PCT and WBC were measured before and after pleurodesis.. Of all 26 patients, 22 patients were with refractory pleural effusion, and the other four were with pneumothorax. The median serum levels of PCT and WBC elevated from 0.155 to 1.470 ng/mL (P = 0.009) and from 5.920 to 10.475 × 10(9) /L (P = 0.000), respectively. No patient was given antibiotics and fever subsided.. Intrapleural injection of OK-432 could increase the serum level of PCT and WBC with no bacterial infection. The serum PCT level may not be useful to distinguish whether fever was caused by the side effects of OK-432 or concurrent bacterial infection.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Bacterial Infections; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Comorbidity; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Picibanil; Pleural Effusion; Pleurodesis; Pneumothorax; Protein Precursors; Young Adult

The intrathoracic administration of OK-432, a lyophilized preparation of the heat- and penicillin-treated Su-strain of type 3, group A Streptococcus pyogenes, is performed in Japan for pleurodesis of malignant pleural effusion or pneumothorax. Persistent fever is often observed after pleurodesis. To elucidate whether procalcitonin (PCT) is useful for distinguishing between the side effects of OK-432 and infection, we measured the serum PCT levels before and after pleurodesis.. We performed a prospective study of 12 patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax who required pleurodesis using OK-432 between August 2011 and February 2012. The serum PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured on days 1 and 3.. Of the 12 patients, five had pneumothorax and seven had uncontrolled pleural effusion with carcinomatous pleurisy. The median serum levels of PCT and CRP increased from 0.055 to 1.59 ng/mL (p=0.0022) and from 1.52 to 16.82 mg/dL (p=0.0022), respectively. The fevers subsided without antibiotic administration.. The serum PCT level may not be useful for distinguishing fever caused by side effects of OK-432 from that caused by bacterial infection. The intrathoracic administration of OK-432 increased the serum levels of both PCT and CRP in the absence of any bacterial infection.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents; Bacterial Infections; C-Reactive Protein; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Female; Fever; Humans; Male; Picibanil; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Pleurodesis; Pneumothorax; Prospective Studies; Protein Precursors

The palatine tonsil is the most important element of Waldeyer's ring as a defense mechanism against various microorganisms. The neutrophils are the initial active participants in bacterial infection and inflammation, but their interaction with other cellular participants is poorly understood. To clarify this point, the effects of culture supernatant from human tonsillar cells on the peripheral neutrophil function were investigated. Supernatants from tonsillar cells were incubated in the presence or absence of streptococcal preparation (OK-432) enhanced chemiluminescence, adherence, phagocytosis, chemotaxis, and superoxide production of human peripheral neutrophils. The results suggest that tonsils play an important role in the regulation of neutrophil function.

Topics: Bacterial Infections; Biological Factors; Cell Adhesion; Cells, Cultured; Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; Culture Media; Humans; Luminescent Measurements; Lymphocytes; Macrophages; Neutrophils; Palatine Tonsil; Phagocytosis; Picibanil; Superoxides

The preventive capability of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1) against bacterial infections was estimated in normal and anticancer drug-treated BALB/c mice in comparison with OK432, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interferons alpha and gamma, and interleukin 2. Pretreatment with IL-1 (days -4 and -2) resulted in a significantly higher survival rate in normal mice inoculated i.p. with Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Listeria monocytogenes (day 0). The i.p. and s.c. administrations of IL-1 were equally effective for the induction of antibacterial resistance. Pretreatment with OK432 showed an equal degree of resistance to i.p. infection but was effective only by i.p. administration. Enhanced antibacterial resistance by IL-1 and OK432 was also observed in cyclophosphamide- and aminomethylpyrimidinylmethylchloroethylnitrosourea hydrochloride-pretreated (day -5) normal hosts and in cyclophosphamide-treated tumor-bearing hosts. In the case of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (i.p. or s.c.) (days -4 to -1), a statistical difference in survival rate between granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and its vehicle-treated groups was observed in cyclophosphamide-pretreated hosts, but not in normal hosts or aminomethylpyrimidinylmethylchloroethylnitrosourea hydrochloride-pretreated hosts. Viable bacteria in the peritoneal cavity and blood at 12 h after i.p. infection of K. pneumoniae correlated well with the survival rate. In IL-1-pretreated hosts, the earlier and increased accumulation of neutrophils into peritoneal cavity after the infection was observed and the number of inflammatory cells in peritoneal cavity correlated well with the survival rate. The enhanced resistance to bacterial infection by IL-1 was suggested to be in part due to the enhanced cellular defense mechanisms. The prophylactic administration of IL-1 would be beneficial for the management of serious infections in cancer patients.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Bacterial Infections; Immunologic Factors; Inflammation; Interleukin-1; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Neoplasms, Experimental; Peritoneal Cavity; Phagocytosis; Picibanil; Spleen

Effects of a novel synthetic compound, Y-19995, on the host defence in immunocompromised mice were investigated in terms of the restoration of leukocytopenia and the protection against several microbial infections. Oral or intravenous administration of Y-19995 into mice after X-irradiation, treatment with cyclophosphamide or mitomycin C prevented the leukocytopenia to some extent and promoted the restoration in cell numbers of both the peripheral blood leukocytes and bone marrow. Intravenous administration of Y-19995 increased significantly the survival rates of X-ray irradiated mice against acute systemic infections with Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, and intramuscular infection with Escherichia coli. The clearance of Escherichia coli from the blood of X-ray irradiated mice was also promoted by the treatment with Y-19995. The augmented protection against microbial infections in immunocompromised hosts by Y-19995 may be attributed mainly to the prevention of leukocytopenia or the enhanced restoration from leukocytopenia.

Topics: Animals; Bacterial Infections; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Cells; Candidiasis; Cyclophosphamide; Escherichia coli Infections; Immunosuppression Therapy; Leukocyte Count; Leukopenia; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Mitomycins; Picibanil; Pseudomonas Infections; Pyridines