A puerperal patient with agranulocytosis during tazobactam / piperacillin administration†:†A case report.

Tazobactam / piperacillin (TAZ / PIPC) is an injectable combination drug consisting of a broad-spectrum penicillin and a ß-lactamase inhibitor. This antimicrobial has a wide spectrum of efficacy against both Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobes. Adverse events usually present as diarrhea or liver dysfunction ; agranulocytosis has not been reported in Japanese patients with puerperal disorders. However, we report a 32-year-old Japanese woman who received TAZ / PIPC to treat an intraperitoneal infection that developed after complications related to transvaginal delivery. Within 14 days of beginning TAZ / PIPC therapy, the patient developed agranulocytosis, indicated by a white blood cell count of 1900 cells / µL and a neutrophil count of 475 cells / µL. We discontinued TAZ / PIPC at this point and changed the antimicrobial to meropenem. Seven days later, her white blood cell count increased to 3700 cells / µL (neutrophil count : 1684 cells / µL), and the intraperitoneal infection resolved. Patients receiving TAZ / PIPC should be monitored periodically for agranulocytosis as well as for diarrhea and liver dysfunction. J. Med. Invest. 68 : 368-371, August, 2021.

Relationship between Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations and Adverse Events in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients treated with Afatinib.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as afatinib are used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and show varying efficacy depending on EGFR gene mutation. Few studies have examined the relationship between EGFR gene mutations and the adverse events of afatinib in NSCLC. This retrospective study included 32 Japanese patients with NSCLC with EGFR gene mutation who were treated with afatinib between May 2014 and August 2018 at Kagawa University Hospital. Among the 32 Japanese patients with NSCLC treated with afatinib, 19 patients were positive for exon 19 deletion mutation (Del 19) and 13 patients were negative for Del 19. The incidence of grade ≥ 2 skin rash was slightly higher in patients positive for Del 19 (42.1% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.050). No significant differences were detected in other adverse events between the two patient groups. Patients positive for Del 19 also showed significantly longer median progression-free survival (288 vs. 84 days, P = 0.049). Our study indicates a higher incidence of skin rash associated with afatinib treatment in Japanese patients with NSCLC positive for Del 19 compared with patients without Del 19. The Del 19 positive patient group also showed better progression-free survival. J. Med. Invest. 68 : 125-128, February, 2021.

Uterine sarcoma with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome associated with pazopanib.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to report on a case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome associated with pazopanib. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 64-year-old patient with uterine sarcoma developed PRES 3 days after pazopanib was initiated. After the discontinuation of pazopanib, the symptoms of PRES improved. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The first report worldwide to describe a patient with uterine sarcoma experiencing PRES caused by pazopanib. Patients with uterine sarcoma may experience PRES, even in the early phase of pazopanib therapy.

Factorial invariance of a questionnaire assessing medication beliefs in Japanese non-adherent groups.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to verify invariance of latent factors derived from the BMQ (Belief about Medicines Questionnaire) among Japanese adherent and non-adherent groups (adherent to medication and intentionally, unintentionally, and overlapping non-adherent groups) and to estimate mean differences of the latent factors among the groups. SETTING: A Japanese university hospital. METHODS: After administration of a cross-sectional survey, covariance structure analyses of the two-factor model were conducted. Groups that exhibited factorial invariance were identified, and structured mean analyses estimated the differences of the latent means of the factors between groups using the bootstrap method without relying on theoretical assumptions for sampling distributions. Effect size was employed as an indicator of these differences. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The differences in the latent means of the two factors (the necessity and concerns factors for prescribed medications) across the groups exhibiting factorial invariance, which reflect true differences between them. RESULTS: Factorial invariance was demonstrated only across adherent and unintentionally non-adherent groups. Unintentionally non-adherent patients had significantly lower latent means for the necessity factor than adherent patients, with a very close to medium effect size (-0.49; 95% CI -0.84, -0.14; bootstrap method). CONCLUSION: A meaningful comparison of BMQ scale scores can be made between adherent and unintentionally non-adherent groups of Japanese patients.