Early treatment of COVID-19 with anakinra guided by soluble urokinase plasminogen receptor plasma levels: a double-blind, randomized controlled phase 3 trial.

Early increase of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) serum levels is indicative of increased risk of progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to respiratory failure. The SAVE-MORE double-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of anakinra, an IL-1α/ß inhibitor, in 594 patients with COVID-19 at risk of progressing to respiratory failure as identified by plasma suPAR ≥6 ng ml-1, 85.9% (n = 510) of whom were receiving dexamethasone. At day 28, the adjusted proportional odds of having a worse clinical status (assessed by the 11-point World Health Organization Clinical Progression Scale (WHO-CPS)) with anakinra, as compared to placebo, was 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.26-0.50). The median WHO-CPS decrease on day 28 from baseline in the placebo and anakinra groups was 3 and 4 points, respectively (odds ratio (OR) = 0.40, P < 0.0001); the respective median decrease of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on day 7 from baseline was 0 and 1 points (OR = 0.63, P = 0.004). Twenty-eight-day mortality decreased (hazard ratio = 0.45, P = 0.045), and hospital stay was shorter.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in an Adult (MIS-A) Successfully Treated with Anakinra and Glucocorticoids.

During the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a novel syndrome termed "multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" (MIS-C) has emerged. MIS-C was linked to COVID-19 and shared some features with Kawasaki disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome, with a common pathogenetic substrate of hyperinflammation and cytokine storm. Lately, MIS was also described in adults (≥21 years of age) and named "MIS-A". There is no consensus about the treatment of MIS-A; successful use of glucocorticoids and immunoglobulins has been reported in case series, but more solid evidence is lacking. Furthermore, the role of biologic agents with proven benefits against COVID-19, MIS-C, or Kawasaki disease is still unexplored. In this report, we detail the clinical picture and the diagnostic process that led to the diagnosis of MIS-A in a 27-year-old man, focusing on its treatment with anakinra and glucocorticoids, which resulted in full recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful use of anakinra for MIS-A, a drug that has already proven useful in the treatment of refractive cases of MIS-C. Anakinra may also play a pivotal role for the treatment of MIS-A.

Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

A high burden of epilepsy is observed in Africa where parasitological infections are endemic. In 2016, in an Onchocerciasis endemic area in the Logo health zone, in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a door-to-door study showed an epilepsy prevalence of 4.6%, and 50.6% of persons with epilepsy were infected with Onchocerca volvulus. In the current study, the serum of 195 people infected with O. volvulus persons with epilepsy were tested to determine the proportion of co-infections with Taenia solium, Toxocara canis and Strongyloides. These proportions were, respectively, 8.2, 18.5 and 12.8%. Persons with a T. solium co-infection were older than those without co-infection (p = 0.021). In six (37.5%) of the T. solium co-infected persons, the first seizures appeared after the age of 30 years compared to three (2.1%) persons without a co-infection (p < 0.0001). Our study suggests that an O. volvulus infection is the main parasitic cause of epilepsy in the Ituri province, but in some persons, mainly in those with late onset epilepsy and with focal seizures, the epilepsy may be caused by neurocysticercosis. As the population in the area rears pigs, activities to limit T. solium transmission should be implemented.

Effect of ABCC2 and ABCG2 Gene Polymorphisms and CSF-to-Serum Albumin Ratio on Ceftriaxone Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid Concentrations.

We measured ceftriaxone pharmacokinetics in patients' plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and assessed the influence of biometric, demographic, genetic (ABCB1, ABCC2, ABCB11, ABCG2, and SLCO1A2 polymorphisms) and pathological features. Adult patients with signs and symptoms of central nervous system infections, receiving intravenous ceftriaxone, were enrolled. Ceftriaxone plasma and CSF concentrations were measured by high-precision liquid chromatographic methods; allelic discrimination was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Forty-three patients were included: median ceftriaxone maximal concentration was 15,713 ng/mL in plasma and 3512 ng/mL in CSF with a CSF-to-plasma ratio of 0.3. ABCC2 1249 rs2273697 (P = .027) and ABCG2 1194+928 rs13120400 (P = .015) variants were significantly associated with CSF concentrations and CSF-to-plasma ratios. At linear regression analysis, CSF-to-serum albumin ratio was an independent predictor of ceftriaxone CSF concentrations (P = .001; also in those with intact blood-brain barrier: P = .031) and CSF-to-plasma ratio (P = .001; also in those with blood-brain barrier impairment: P = .040). We here report the role of transporters' genetic variants as well as of blood-brain barrier permeability in predicting ceftriaxone exposure in the central nervous system.

Association of vitamin D pathway SNPs and clinical response to interferon in a cohort of HBeAg-negative patients.

AIM: Vitamin D modulates biological processes; an influence of vitamin D levels and genetic variants was identified concerning hepatitis B virus infection. We evaluated the role of some SNPs of vitamin D pathway genes in some clinical features of hepatitis B affected patients treated with pegylated interferon. METHODS: We investigated SNPs in IL-28B, CYP27B1, CYP27A1, CYP24A1, VDBP and VDR genes, through real-time PCR. RESULTS:  VDRApaI SNP was associated to viral load and HBsAg presence at different timings. In logistic regression analyses, VDRApaI AA genotype predicted baseline viral load >6 Log IU/ml (marker of nonresponse), and both virological and biochemical responses. CONCLUSION: Pharmacogenetic data could help physicians in the prediction of patients with higher probability to achieve a good response.

Pharmacogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus related mixed cryoglobulinemia.

AIM: Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is an extra hepatic hepatitis C virus related problem and different studies suggested genetics' role in predicting this complication. We evaluated the influence of SNPs in IL-28B, SLC29A1, SLC28A2, NT5C2, HNF4 and ABCB1 genes in MC prediction. PATIENTS & METHODS: SNPs were evaluated through real-time PCR. RESULTS:  ABCB1 (gene encoding P-glycoprotein) 3435C>T SNP was associated with MC presence (p = 0.034): related to T allele carriers (CC vs CT/TT), we reached a p-value of 0.013. In the logistic regression analysis baseline viral load >600.000 IU/ml (p < 001), IL28B rs8099917/rs12979860 TT/CC (p < 0.001), NT5 (gene encoding for 5' nucleotidase) 153 TC (p = 0.012) and ABCB1 3435 CT/TT (p = 0.034) genotypes predicted MC presence. CONCLUSION: These data could help clinicians to identify patients with higher probability to show MC extra hepatic complication.

Treatment with PEG-IFN and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C, low grade of hepatic fibrosis, genotype 1 and 4 and favorable IFNL3 genotype: A pharmacogenetic prospective study.

The new direct-acting antivirals agents (DAAs) rapidly changed the treatment approach in chronic hepatitis C (CHC); however, the interferon (IFN)-free therapies availability is currently different in some countries, due to higher costs of these drugs. Naïve treated patients, who are not eligible for IFN-free therapies, could be selected for standard dual treatment with pegylated (PEG)-IFN and ribavirin (RBV), through IFN lambda 3 gene polymorphisms and fibrosis stage evaluation. Inclusion criteria were: naïve treated CHC patients with GT1 or GT4, without major contraindication to PEG-IFN or RBV, with fibrosis stage F0-F2 and IFNL3 rs8099917/rs12979860 TT/CC genotypes. 65 patients were included in the study. Overall SVR was observed in 50 patients (76.9%); SVR rates among different genotypes were as follows: 15 with GT1a (71.4%), 27 with GT1b (79.4%) and 8 for GT4 (80%). The RBV cutoff at 2weeks of 1800ng/mL, predictor of RVR, was determined (p=0.003; sensibility=60.4%, specificity=88.2%, positive predictive value=88.9%, negative predictive value=100%). In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with treatment failure were living alone condition (OR=4.302; 95%IC=1.254-16.257; p=0.034) and RBV plasma level <1800ng/mL at 2weeks (OR=4.970; 95%IC=1.405-17.565; p=0.009). Considering a pharmacogenetic-guided approach, dual therapy with PEG-IFN and RBV can be considered a reliable option for patients ineligible for IFN-free treatments, who are motivated and well informed about all the aspects related to PEG-IFN administration.

Treatment with daclatasvir and sofosbuvir for 24 weeks without ribavirin in cirrhotic patients who failed first-generation protease inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C who failed the triple therapy with first generation of protease inhibitors is not still defined. The combined use of sofosbuvir (SOF) and daclatasvir (DCV) seems to be promising due to higher genetic barrier, good tolerance and effectiveness. METHODS: We described the treatment with this drug combination in a real-life cohort of 20 cirrhotic patients with genotype 1 who failed the triple therapy. RESULTS: 18 of them (90%) with Child-Pugh A, 11 (55%) with genotype 1a, 17 (85%) with more than 1 and 8 (40%) with more than 2 previous failed treatment; all patients had at baseline NS3 resistance-associated variants related to triple therapy failure. RBV was not administered due to anemia in previous treatments. The sustained virological response was 100%. CONCLUSION: Treatment with SOF + DCV without RBV for 24 weeks is safe and effective in cirrhotic patients who failed triple therapy with the first generation of protease inhibitors.

A UHPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of direct antiviral agents simeprevir, daclatasvir, ledipasvir, sofosbuvir/GS-331007, dasabuvir, ombitasvir and paritaprevir, together with ritonavir, in human plasma.

To date, the new standard for treatment of chronic hepatitis C is based on the administration of novel direct acting antivirals. Among these, sofosbuvir, simeprevir, daclatasvir, ledipasvir, dasabuvir, ombitasvir and paritaprevir already entered the clinical use. Anyway, since few pharmacokinetic studies have been conducted on these drugs in a "real life" context poor knowledge is available about their optimal therapeutic range. Without this background, therapeutic drug monitoring is not applicable for treatment optimization. Up to now, a few methods are reported to quantify these drugs in human plasma, and none of them in a simultaneous way. The aim of this work was to develop and validate a simple, fast and cheap, but still reliable UHPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of these drugs, feasible for a clinical routine use. Solid phase extraction was performed using HLB C18 96-well plates. Chromatographic separation was performed on a BEH C18 1.7µm, 2.1mm×50mm column, settled at 50°C, with a gradient run of two mobile phases: ammonium acetate 5mM (pH 9.5) and acetonitrile, with a flow rate of 0.4mL/min for 5min. Tandem-mass detection was carried out in positive electrospray ionization mode. Both inter and intraday imprecision and inaccuracy were below 15%, as required by FDA guidelines, while both recoveries and matrix effects resulted within the acceptance criteria. The method was tested on 80 patients samples with good performance. Being robust, simple and fast and requiring a low plasma volume, this method resulted eligible for a clinical routine use.

Vitamin D pathway gene polymorphisms as predictors of hepatitis C virus-related mixed cryoglobulinemia.

Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is the most frequent extrahepatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) complication. Vitamin D is a modulator of several biological processes, including immune and skeletal systems and MC presence and systemic vasculitis were associated independently with low levels of vitamin D. Considering the impact of vitamin D, we aimed to evaluate the role of some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of vitamin D pathway genes in the prediction of MC in HCV patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. We investigated SNPs in IL-28B, CYP27B1, CYP27A1, CYP24A1, VDBP, and VDR genes through real-time PCR. VDR gene SNPs were related to baseline viral load: VDR BsmI AA (P=0.018), TaqI CC (P=0.009), and ApaI AA (P=0.004) showed a lower baseline HCV count. Among vitamin D pathway gene polymorphisms, VDR FokI T>C was a factor associated with the presence of MC in the study population (P=0.011): related to C allele carriers (TT vs. TC/CC), we obtained a P-value of 0.003. In the logistic regression analysis to assess which demographic, clinical, or genetic factors could predict the presence of cryoglobulin, the TT/CC IL-28B rs8099917/rs12979860 haplotype [P<0.001; odds ratio (OR) 3.516 (1.951-6.336)], baseline viral load [P<0.001; OR 1.000 (0.999-1.001)], and VDR FokI TC/CC genotypes [0.044; OR 0.463 (0.218-0.981)] remained in the final regression model. These data could help physicians identify patients with a higher probability of developing MC extrahepatic complications.

Infections caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: differences in therapy and mortality in a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: Infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) carbapenemase (KPC)-producing strains of Kp have become a significant threat in recent years. To assess their outcomes and identify risk factors for 14 day mortality, we conducted a 4 year (2010-13) retrospective cohort study in five large Italian teaching hospitals. METHODS: The cohort included 661 adults with bloodstream infections (BSIs; n = 447) or non-bacteraemic infections (lower respiratory tract, intra-abdominal structure, urinary tract or other sites) caused by a KPC-Kp isolate. All had received ≥48 h of therapy (empirical and/or non-empirical) with at least one drug to which the isolate was susceptible. RESULTS: Most deaths occurred within 2 weeks of infection onset (14 day mortality: 225/661, 34.1%). Logistic regression analysis identified BSI (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.34-3.29), presentation with septic shock (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.47-4.08), inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.01-2.18), chronic renal failure (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.44-3.58), high APACHE III score (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07) and colistin-resistant isolates (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.37-3.46) as independent predictors of 14 day mortality. Combination therapy with at least two drugs displaying in vitro activity against the isolate was associated with lower mortality (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.35-0.77), in particular in patients with BSIs, lung infections or high APACHE III scores and/or septic shock at infection onset. Combinations that included meropenem were associated with significantly higher survival rates when the KPC-Kp isolate had a meropenem MIC of ≤8 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: KPC-Kp infections are associated with high mortality. Treatment with two or more drugs displaying activity against the isolate improves survival, mainly in patients who are critically ill.

Different HBsAg decline after 3 years of therapy with entecavir in patients affected by chronic hepatitis B HBeAg-negative and genotype A, D and E.

The role of measurement of hepatitis B "s" antigen (HBsAg) during the therapy with oral nucleos(t)ide analogues is still debatable. The HBsAg declines after 3 years of therapy with entecavir (ETV) was investigated among patients affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV), e antigen (HBeAg)-negative and genotypes A, D and E. A prospective cohort of 123 patients was enrolled consecutively from April 2007 to May 2010 with at least 3 years of treatment with ETV. Patients with chronic HBV infection, HBeAg-negative, naive for previous treatment and with virological response to ETV were included in the study. HBsAg level and HBV-DNA were tested every 3 months during the first year of treatment, then every 6 months for a time of at least 3 years. After 3 years, HBsAg decline was 0.77 log IU/ml, 0.65 log IU/ml, 0.45 respectively; A versus D (P = 0.012), A versus E (P < 0.001), D versus E (P < 0.001). In the multivariate linear regression analysis only the HBV genotype was predictive of HBsAg decline after 3 years of treatment (P < 0.001). The expected time to HBsAg loss was 15.6 years for the A genotype, 17 years for D, 24.6 years for E (P < 0.001). The treatment with ETV leads the different kinetics in HBsAg decline among genotypes A, D and E; the expected time of HBsAg loss was significantly higher in E genotype compared to A and D genotype.

Telaprevir-S isomer enhances ribavirin exposure and the ribavirin-related haemolytic anaemia in a concentration-dependent manner.

The standard-of-care for the treatment of genotype-1 chronic hepatitis C is based on the combination of direct acting antivirals, such as boceprevir and telaprevir, with ribavirin and pegylated-interferon alfa. These triple regimens give a higher response rate than dual therapy, but on the other hand show a more than 10% higher rate of anaemia. Not enough focus has been given to the interaction between telaprevir and RBV. In this work, we aimed to study and deepen this relationship by comparing ribavirin plasma and intra-erythrocytic concentrations at one month of triple and dual therapy (17 vs. 119 patients). Moreover, we determined telaprevir isomers concentrations and tested them for correlation with ribavirin concentrations and haemoglobin loss at one month of treatment. Finally, all drugs concentration data were tested for their correlation with the renal function during treatment. The comparisons of ribavirin concentration and toxicity data were repeated on a sub-group of 9 patients who had been treated 1 year before with dual therapy and then re-treated with triple therapy. The observed ribavirin plasma and intra-erythrocytic concentrations in triple therapy were significantly higher compared to dual therapy, both in whole group and sub-group comparison. Ribavirin concentrations were significantly correlated to the haemoglobin loss and telaprevir-S isomer concentrations (r(2)=0.317 P(value)=0.023 and r(2)=0.388 P(value)=0.008, respectively). Renal function had a significant decrease from the baseline value, but was not significantly correlated with drugs concentrations. These results highlight for the first time that, in the context of triple therapy with telaprevir, ribavirin exposure is related to the telaprevir-S isomer plasma concentration. We conclude that the addition of telaprevir to the dual therapy increases ribavirin exposure and haemoglobin loss: this effect could probably be managed through the therapeutic drug monitoring of ribavirin and telaprevir-S concentrations.