Efficacy and safety of 5 mg olanzapine combined with aprepitant, granisetron and dexamethasone to prevent carboplatin-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with gynecologic cancer: A multi-institution phase II study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic administration of 5 mg olanzapine (OLZ) combined with neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist (NK1RA), 5-hydroxytryptamine type-3 receptor antagonist (5-HT3RA), and dexamethasone (DEX) to prevent nausea and vomiting in carboplatin (CBDCA) combination therapy for patients with gynecological cancer. METHODS: We conducted a single-arm, multi-institution, phase II study. Gynecological cancer patients scheduled to receive AUC ≥4 mg/mL/min CBDCA were enrolled. All patients received 5 mg OLZ (once daily after supper on days 1-4) combined with NK1RA, 5-HT3RA, and DEX. The primary end point was complete response (CR; no emesis and rescue therapy) during overall phase (120 h after the start of carboplatin administration). RESULTS: Between May 2018 and June 2019, 60 patients were enrolled from 3 institutions in Japan. A total of 57 patients who met the criteria were included in the efficacy and safety analysis. The CR rate for the overall phase was 78.9%. Acute (0-24 h) and delayed phases (24-120 h) were 96.5% and 80.7%, respectively. Somnolence was observed in 73.7% patients. However, somnolence of grade 2 or higher was observed in only 3.5% of cases. There were no grade 3 or 4 toxicities associated with OLZ. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive use of OLZ combined with standard triplet therapy had promising activity with manageable safety, suggesting that this combination could be an effective standard treatment option for patients with AUC ≥4 mg/mL/min CBDCA combination therapy.

Effectiveness of pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection for Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile surface contamination in a Japanese hospital.

BACKGROUND: Contaminated environmental surfaces are important sources of transmission for healthcare-associated pathogens, including Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile. The effectiveness of manual bleach cleaning and pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection on C. difficile contamination of hospital room high-touch surfaces in Japan was evaluated. METHODS: The environmental surfaces of 20 C. difficile infection (CDI) isolation rooms were sampled immediately after CDI patients were discharged or transferred. High-touch surfaces were sampled before and after either bleach cleaning or PX-UV disinfection in addition to nonbleach cleaning. Changes in the number of C. difficile-positive samples and bacterial counts for each cleaning method were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 286 samples were collected (bleach cleaning, 144 samples; PX-UV disinfection, 142 samples). Before cleaning, the positive rates of C. difficile were 27.8% and 31.0% in bleach cleaning and PX-UV disinfection, respectively. Both bleach cleaning and PX-UV disinfection significantly reduced overall C. difficile-positive samples (P = .018 and P = .002, respectively) and C. difficile colony-forming unit counts (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: PX-UV disinfection in addition to manual nonbleach cleaning effectively reduces C. difficile contamination from high-touch surfaces. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the effect of PX-UV disinfection on CDI rates in Japanese hospitals.

[Successful treatment of chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome with continuous subcutaneous infusion of heparin using a mobile infusion pump: report of 2 cases].

We report here two patients with chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (chronic DIC) secondary to aortic aneurysm, who were successfully treated with continuous subcutaneous infusion of heparin. The patients were 69- and 89-year-old males, who were admitted to our hospital because of thrombocytopenia and marked bleeding tendency. The underlying conditions were aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm, respectively. Coagulation test demonstrated that these patients had DIC, and a diagnosis of chronic DIC secondary to aortic aneurysm was made. Anti-coagulation treatment with oral camostat mesylate and daily subcutaneous infusion of heparin calcium was started. However, the treatment was insufficient to control chronic DIC, and these patients developed recurrent severe subcutaneous hemorrhages. Therefore, we attempted continuous subcutaneous infusion of heparin using a mobile infusion pump. This delivery of heparin markedly improved the coagulopathy, and the hemorrhagic episode disappeared with good compliance in the use of infusion equipment in these patients. Continuous subcutaneous infusion of heparin using a mobile infusion pump is effective and useful for long term treatment of chronic DIC by the outpatient department.

Excellent therapeutic effect of tocilizumab on intestinal amyloid a deposition secondary to active rheumatoid arthritis.

A 64-year-old woman suffering from progressive amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, associated with active rheumatoid arthritis, was transferred to our hospital due to hypovolemic shock. Although intensive care, including treatment with prednisolone and methotrexate, improved the hypovolemic shock, paralytic ileus became dominant instead of the marked diarrhea, suggesting the terminal stage of AA amyloidosis of the GI tract. Thus, we administered tocilizumab, a humanized anti-interleukin 6 receptor antibody (8 mg/kg, repeated every 4 weeks). Two weeks after the first injection of tocilizumab, serum AA rapidly returned to their normal ranges in accordance with the amelioration of paralytic ileus and systemic joint pain. Surprisingly, after three courses of tocilizumab treatment, colon biopsy revealed no amyloid deposition. Tocilizumab is a promising agent to treat secondary AA amyloidosis by strongly suppressing serum AA levels.