Taste assessment for paediatric drug Development: A comparison of bitterness taste aversion in children versus Naïve and expert young adult assessors.

Medicines for children often taste bitter, presenting a significant challenge to treatment compliance. However, most studies on paediatric drug development rely on adult volunteers for sensory research, and the level of expertise required from these assessors is unclear. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating perceived bitterness aversion to taste strips impregnated with different concentrations of quinine hydrochloride in 439 school-aged children. Expert (n = 26) and naïve (n = 65) young adult assessors evaluated quinine solutions as well as taste strips, for methodological bridging purposes. All assessors differentiated the aversiveness of the taste strips in a dose dependent manner. Younger children aged 4-8 years had difficulty discriminating higher bitter concentrations, whereas pre-adolescents 9-11 years and naive adults showed better discrimination at the top of the scale. Naive assessors showed similar bitter perception as children. However, the results were slightly different between strips and solution in adults. These findings highlight the key role that adult panels can play in paediatric formulation development. Taste strips show promise as a safe and pragmatic tool for sensory pharmaceutical evaluations, though further studies are warranted to establish the relationship between age and hedonic taste perception using compounds with diverse physicochemical and sensory qualities.

I know I am not out of control, but I just cannot shake the feeling: exploring feeling out of control in eating disorders.

PURPOSE: Individuals with anorexia (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) often present with fear of loss of control in the context of eating. It is unclear whether this fear of loss of control, which has been associated with fear of failure and a sense of not being in charge of one's own life in eating disorders, can be distinguished from self-perceived maintained control over food intake in AN. Further, anxious traits are elevated across eating disorders and could contribute to this fear of loss of control. METHODS: We recruited 113 adult women: restricting type AN (n = 26), BN (n = 28), and healthy controls (CW, n = 59). Participants completed the Eating Expectancies Inventory (EEI), which assesses learned expectations on the effects of eating, including whether Eating Leads to Feeling out of Control, and the Trait Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-T), which measures food craving and the ability to withstand those cravings, including self-perceived Lack of Control Over Eating. RESULTS: Eating Leads to Feeling out of Control was elevated in AN and BN compared to CW. Lack of Control Over Eating was similar between AN and CW but elevated in BN. Intolerance of uncertainty correlated with those measures in CW only. CONCLUSION: Individuals with restricting-type AN experience feeling out of control when eating while maintaining self-perceived control over eating. The EEI's eating leads to feeling out of control is associated with negative self-improvement expectations. Targeting self-improvement through more functional strategies could be an important aspect in psychotherapy in AN and reduce the perceived need to restrict food intake. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Review of medication adherence in children and adults with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the prevalence, potential causes, and consequences of medication nonadherence in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a common, chronic, and impairing neuropsychiatric disorder, affecting 4.4% of the US adult population. Medications alleviate many aspects of the disorder, but associated difficulties with disorganization and planning can lead patients to have poor adherence and subsequent treatment failure. This review will examine the scope and consequences of medication nonadherence in children and adults with ADHD. METHODS: Comprehensive literature reviews via PubMed searches were conducted for continuity of medication and medication adherence (and related terms) in ADHD (and ADD). The studies were reviewed and classified regarding prevalence, measure of adherence or continuity, etiology, and consequences of medication nonadherence in childhood/adolescent and adult ADHD. RESULTS: Studies of pharmacy claims databases and treatment studies have shown that the prevalence of medication discontinuation or nonadherence is between 13.2% to 64%. More studies have focused on medication adherence in children/adolescents than in adult ADHD. Medication nonadherence is more prevalent in immediate-release versus extended-release psychostimulants in childhood/adolescent ADHD, but differences in the formulations have not been studied extensively in adults. Current studies have almost exclusively relied on patient reports. Possible etiologies of medication nonadherence have not been examined with formal rating instruments in adult ADHD. The long-term consequences of medication nonadherence, in terms of impairments, have not been examined. CONCLUSIONS: Studies have documented that medication nonadherence is common in childhood/adolescent ADHD. Further prospective studies are necessary to document the scope of the problem in adult ADHD and to examine the potential benefits of utilizing extended-release medications in adult ADHD. Studies correlating the impact of medication nonadherence on symptoms and impairments in adult ADHD are needed. Future studies should consider utilizing technology to document medication nonadherence, such as MEMS caps.

Phase II trial of trastuzumab in women with advanced or recurrent, HER2-positive endometrial carcinoma: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated efficacy of single-agent trastuzumab against advanced or recurrent HER2-positive endometrial carcinoma (EC), and explored predictors for HER2 amplification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had measurable stage III, IV, or recurrent EC. There was no limit on prior therapy although total prior doxorubicin dose was limited to 320 mg/m(2). Tumors were required to have HER2 overexpression (2+ or 3+ immunohistochemical staining) or HER2 amplification (FISH HER2/CEP 17 ratio >2.0). Trastuzumab was administered intravenously at a dose of 4 mg/kg in week 1, then 2 mg/kg weekly until disease progression. The primary endpoint was tumor response. RESULTS: Of the 286 tumors centrally screened by LabCorp, 33 (11.5%) were HER2-amplified. Three of 8 clear (38%) cell carcinomas and 7 of 25 serous carcinomas (28%) screened exhibited HER2 amplification compared with 7% (2/29) of endometrioid adenocarcinomas. HER2 overexpression was correlated with HER2 amplification (r=0.459; p<0.0001). Thirty-four women were enrolled; 1 was excluded (refused treatment); and 18 had tumors with known HER2 amplification. No major tumor responses were observed. Twelve women experienced stable disease, 18 had increasing disease, and 3 were indeterminate for tumor response. Neither HER2 overexpression nor HER2 amplification appeared to be associated with progression-free survival or overall survival. CONCLUSION: Trastuzumab as a single agent did not demonstrate activity against endometrial carcinomas with HER2 overexpression or HER2 amplification, although full planned accrual of women with HER2 amplified tumors was not achieved due to slow recruitment. Serous and clear cell endometrial carcinomas appear to be more likely to demonstrate HER2 amplification.

A phase II trial of paclitaxel poliglumex in recurrent or persistent ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer (EOC): a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the anti-tumor activity and toxicity of paclitaxel poliglumex (PPX) in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (EOC) in second or third line treatment. METHOD: Twenty-five patients received PPX at 235 mg/m(2) every 21 days (Cohort 1). At a planned analysis following first stage accrual, the dose was reduced to 175 mg/m(2) Cohort 2) for additional accrual to 78 patients. RECIST and CTC toxicity criteria were used. RESULTS: Patients received PPX in the second line (15%) and third line (85%) setting. In cohort 2, 25 out of 47 determined cases (53%) were platinum resistant and 17 out of 43 determined cases (40%) were taxane-resistant. The overall response rates for cohort 2 were 0/49 (0%) CR, 8/49 (16%) PR, and 20/49 (41%) SD. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.8 months (95% CI 1.48-4.8 months) and median overall survival (OS) was 15.4 months. The most frequent grade III or IV toxicities in cohort 2 were: neutropenia (24%/20%), constitutional (8%/0%), gastrointestinal (6%/0%), and neuropathy (24%/0%). CONCLUSION: PPX at 175 mg/m(2) every 21 days has a modest activity of limited duration when given as second or third line therapy in patients with epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer. The incidence of neuropathy using this dose in recurrent ovarian cancer is higher than predicted from studies in other tumors with PPX. The Gynecology Oncology Group (GOG) is currently exploring its use at 135 mg/m(2) every 28 days in a randomized trial evaluating maintenance chemotherapy in first remission.

Phase II study of oxaliplatin as second-line chemotherapy in endometrial carcinoma: a Gynecologic Oncology Group study.

OBJECTIVE: A phase II study was conducted to determine the efficacy of oxaliplatin therapy in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer who had received one prior platinum therapy. METHODS: Eligible patients were to have measurable disease and one prior chemotherapy regimen which could include cisplatin or carboplatin. Oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 was administered intravenously over 2 h. This treatment was repeated every 21 days until progression of disease or adverse effects prohibited further therapy. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients were entered on study, of which 52 were eligible and 50 had had prior platinum therapy. The overall response rate was 13.5%, with three patients (5.8%) achieving a complete response and four patients (7.7%) achieving a partial response. Median duration of response was 10.9+ (range: 4.1-50.3+) months. Stable disease was reported in 15 (28.8%) patients, with an associated median duration of 5.4 (range: 2.2-19.6) months. Drug-related toxicities consisted of anemia, nausea and vomiting, and neurotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Oxaliplatin at the dose and schedule employed has limited activity in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma who have had previous platinum therapy.