Clozapine-Induced Severe Toxicity: Exploring the Pharmacokinetic Profile of Clozapine and Its Significance in Hemodynamic Instability - A Case Report.

Hemodynamic instability in patients with clozapine intoxication can indirectly reflect the serum concentration of clozapine.We have described a case of a 32-year-old pregnant woman who developed life-threatening clozapine toxicity at 28 weeks of gestation. The levels of clozapine and norclozapine in the serum were high. We initiated hemoperfusion(HP) and other detoxification therapies to remove the drug. The patient had severely dilated peripheral blood vessels, which led to cardiac symptoms such as fatal hypotension and uncontrollable tachycardia, resulting in very high cardiac output and elevated Central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2). Pharmacological intervention significantly improved the hemodynamics.In light of our observations in the ongoing case, we posit that evaluating hemodynamic parameters before and after blood detoxification could serve as a valuable means to gauge effectiveness and provide guidance for treatment.

Tumor-suppressive effect of Reg3A in COAD is mediated by T cell activation in nude mice.

Regenerating family protein 3 A (Reg3A) is highly expressed in a variety of organs and inflammatory tissues, and is closely related to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, clinical statistics show that high expression of Reg3A is associated with better prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, suggesting a tumor-suppressive effect. The precise action and underlying mechanism of Reg3A in CRC remain controversial. The present study sought to investigate the relationship among Reg3A expression, CRC development, and immune cell alteration in patients using the TCGA, GEPIA, PrognoScan, TIMER and TISIDB databases. Reg3A-overexpressing LoVo cell line (LoVo-Reg3A), a representative of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), was constructed and the action of Reg3A was assessed in a xenograft nude mouse model. Our bioinformatical analyses revealed that Reg3A upregulation is highly associated with CRC, along with increased frequency of immune cell infiltration. In the xenograft nude mice, Reg3A overexpression offered a tumor-suppressive effect by inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. The result of RNA-seq suggested a positive regulation of leukocytes and an upregulation of T cells in LoVo-Reg3A tumor tissue. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in tumors, splenic Reg3A-reactive IFN-γ+/CD4+ T cells, and serum TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 were significantly increased by Reg3A overexpression. In the ex vivo co-culture experiment, elevated cytotoxic effect, increased proportion of CD3ε+ T cells, and upregulated expressions of TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 were detected in the PBMCs isolated from LoVo-Reg3A cell-xenografted nude mice. In conclusion, high expression of Reg3A could activate and recruit T cells in COAD leading to the cytotoxic tumor-suppressive effect.

Clinical Features of Fatal Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 Infection Complicated by Invasive Pulmonary Fungal Infection.

BACKGROUND: Severe pneumonia caused by influenza virus infection can be secondary to invasive pulmonary fungal (IPF) infection. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to summarize the incidence of IPF infection secondary to influenza virus infection and further explore its etiologic mechanism and high-risk factors. METHODS: All adult patients with confirmed influenza A (H1N1) virus infection admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of Nanjing Drum Hospital from November 2017 to March 2018 were retrospectively selected. The differences in baseline factors, risk factors, immune function and outcome parameters were studied between patients with and without IPF. RESULTS: Of the 19 critically ill patients with H1N1 infection, 11 (57.9%) developed IPF infection after 7 days of ICU admission. Two patients had proven and nine probable IPF infection. A difference in human leukocyte antigen-DR isotype (△HLA-DR; day 7-day 1) was found between the two groups. △HLA-DR (day 7-day 1) was higher in patients with no IPF infection than in those with IPF infection [(14.52 ± 14.21)% vs ( - 11.74 ± 20.22)%, P = 0.019]. The decline in HLA-DR indicated impaired immune function secondary to fungal infection in patients with H1N1 infection. CONCLUSIONS: IPF infection was diagnosed in 57.9% of critically ill patients with H1N1 virus infection after a median of 7 days following ICU admission. A continuous decline in immune function could lead to the development of IPF infections. Dynamic monitoring of immune function may help in the early detection of IPF infection.

Evaluation of the ratio of the estimated area under the concentration-time curve to minimum inhibitory concentration (estimated AUIC) as a predictor of the outcome for tigecycline treatment for pneumonia due to multidrug-resistant bacteria in an intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: Based on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tigecycline (TGC), dose increases have been advocated to maximize the efficacy against pneumonia that is suspected to be due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in an intensive care unit. This practice-based study explored the relationship between the predicted PK parameter, the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve to the 24 h of dosing/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC0-24/MIC or AUIC), and the clinical and microbiological outcomes in critically ill patients with pneumonia due to MDR bacteria. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of the treatment of pneumonia due to MDR bacteria in an intensive care unit. The study patients were recruited and assigned to either TGC standard dose (SD, 50 mg q12 h) or high dose (HD, 100 mg q12 h) for the treatment of pneumonia due to MDR bacteria depending on the doctors' decisions. The relationships between the PK/PD parameters and outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Over the study period, 105 patients were included in the study. Whereas C1/2, Cmin, MIC and AUC were dramatically higher in the HD group than in the SD group (all P < 0.05), the Cmax and AUIC had no difference in both groups (all P > 0.05). The patients in the HD group had a higher clinical cure rate than those in the SD group (P = 0.029), but the bacterial eradication rate and survival rate of the patients in the HD group were not better than those in SD group (P = 0.279 and 0.416, respectively). The Cmax, C1/2, Cmin and AUC in the cured group were higher than those in failure group (all P < 0.05). The MICs were dramatically higher in the failure group than those in cure group (P = 0.0001), which led to significantly lower AUICs (P = 0.0001). In the ROC analysis, the areas of Cmax, C1/2, Cmin, AUC, negative-MIC and AUIC under the ROC curve were 0.64, 0.69, 0.67, 0.66, 0.73 and 0.82, respectively. The sensitivity was ascertained to be 75% and the specificity was 89% when the AUIC cut-off value was considered to be 10.12. Moreover, the sensitivity was ascertained to be 63% and the specificity was 80% when the MIC cut-off value was considered to be 1.75 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: The AUIC and MIC are associated with tigecycline treatment outcomes in pneumonia due to MDR bacteria, and aiming to achieve an individualized AUIC ≥ 10.12 when MIC < 1.75 mg/L could improve outcomes.

[Analysis of clinical characteristics of bloodstream infection in patients with immune function inhibition].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of bloodstream infection in patients with immune function inhibition. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted. 234 patients with bloodstream infection admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from August 1st in 2015 to December 31st in 2017 were enrolled. According to the immune function on the day of bloodstream infection, they were divided into normal immune function group [human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) > 30%, n = 144] and immunosuppression group (HLA-DR ≤ 30%, n = 90). The gender, age, primary disease, complication, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) with 24 hours after ICU admission, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, etiology, infection parameters on the day of bloodstream infection [peak temperature, white blood count (WBC), neutrophils ratio, procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP)] and prognosis parameters (bacterial clearance time, the length of ICU and hospital stay, 28-day mortality) between the two groups were analyzed. RESULTS: 234 patients were enrolled in the final analysis, including 132 males and 102 females, with an average age of (60.5±18.4) years old. Severe pneumonia and abdominal infection were the main causes of primary diseases. There was no significant difference in gender composition, age, APACHE II, SOFA score, other complications and primary morbidity between the two groups except that the proportion of malignant tumors in the immunosuppressive group was higher than that in the normal immune function group [43.3% (39/90) vs. 41.7% (60/144), P < 0.05]. Compared with the normal immune function group, the Gram-positive cocci infection rate in the immunosuppressive group was significantly lowered [40.0% (36/90) vs. 56.2% (81/144)], Gram-negative bacilli infection rate [50.0% (45/90) vs. 39.6% (57/144)] and fungus infection rate [10.0% (9/90) vs. 4.2% (6/144)] were significantly increased (both P < 0.05). The levels of WBC, neutrophils ratio, and PCT on the day of bloodstream infection in the immunosuppressive group were significantly lower than those of normal immune function group [WBC (×109/L): 10.2±2.1 vs. 13.5±3.6, neutrophils ratio: 0.87±0.17 vs. 0.96±0.22, PCT (µg/L): 1.3±1.1 vs. 4.7±2.1, all P < 0.05], but no significant difference in the peak temperature (centigrade: 38.5±1.7 vs. 38.9±1.3) or CRP (mg/L: 134.0±42.6 vs. 164.0±55.8) was found as compared with normal immune function group (both P > 0.05). Compared with the normal immune function group, the bacterial clearance time in the immunosuppressive group was significantly prolonged (days: 16.0±10.1 vs. 12.3±4.7), 28-day mortality was significantly increased [61.1% (55/90) vs. 44.4% (64/144)] with statistical significances (both P < 0.05), but no significance was found in the length of ICU stay (days: 21.0±17.1 vs. 18.7±10.4) or the length of hospital stay (days: 36.0±28.1 vs. 33.8±16.8, both P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Gram-negative bacilli was the main pathogen of bloodstream infection in immunosuppressive patients, and the fungal infection rate was high, inflammation reaction was not obvious, bacterial clearance time was long, and prognosis was poor.

Association between HLA-DR Expression and Multidrug-resistant Infection in Patients with Severe Acute Pancreatitis.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection is a common complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). This study aimed to explore the association between human leukocyte antigen-antigen D-related (HLA-DR) expression and multidrug-resistant infection in patients with SAP. A total of 24 SAP patients who were admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between May 2015 and December 2016 were enrolled in the study. The percentages of CD4+, CD8+, natural killer (NK), and HLA-DR (CD14+) cells and the CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio on days 1,7,14, and 28 after admission were determined by flow cytometry. Eighteen patients presented with the symptoms of infection. Among them, 55.6% patients (10/18) developed MDR infection. The most common causative MDR organisms were Enterobacter cloacae and Acinetobacter baumannii. The CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio and the percentage of NK cells were similar between patients with non-MDR and patients with MDR infections. In patients without infection, the HLA-DR percentage was maintained at a high level throughout the 28 days. Compared to the patients without any infection, the HLA-DR percentage in patients with non-MDR infection was reduced on day 1 but increased and reached similar levels on day 28. In patients with MDR infection, the HLA-DR percentage remained below normal levels at all-time points. It was concluded that persistent down-regulation of HLA-DR expression is associated with MDR bacterial infection in patients with SAP.

Clinical features of fatal severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome that is complicated by invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

INTRODUCTION: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has been prevalent in parts of Asia during recent years. However, SFTS with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is rare, and it is important to understand its clinical features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total four cases of SFTS with IPA are reviewed and detailing the disease progression, treatment options, and prognosis were summarized and analyzed. RESULTS: The patients with SFTS-associated IPA first presented with fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and multiple organ failure. After 1-2 weeks, the patients developed mild polypnea and wheezing rales, and quickly developed dyspnea and respiratory failure. Tracheal intubation was usually performed, but did not relieve the intractable airway spasm and pulmonary ventilation failure. Bronchoscopy confirmed that the antifungal treatment was ineffective and the aspergillosis had worsened. All patients died of type 2 respiratory failure caused by continued airway obstruction and spasticity. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high mortality rate in this series, there is a need for increased awareness of SFTS-associated IPA. Additional examinations should be performed in these cases, and early-stage antifungal treatment with organ support may be helpful.

Substance P Attenuates Hypoxia/Reoxygenation-Induced Apoptosis via the Akt Signalling Pathway and the NK1-Receptor in H9C2Cells.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with coronary heart disease. During I/R injury, cardiomyocytes undergo cell death including apoptosis and necrosis with increased frequency, and this leads to compensatory cardiac hypertrophy, dysfunction, ventricular remodelling, and ultimately, heart failure. Accumulating evidence indicates that substance P is cardio-protective following I/R primarily due to its potent coronary vasodilator actions. However, its direct effect on cardiomyocytes in vitro remains controversial. METHODS: An hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cell death model was established to mimic I/R injury, in which the effect of substance P (SP) pretreatment on H9C2 cardiomyocytes and the mechanism of action were explored. RESULTS: Substance P was demonstrated to inhibit H/R-induced apoptosis. Phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt) was decreased in H/R groups and was increased by SP pretreatment. Inhibition of p-Akt reduced the beneficial effects of SP in reducing apoptosis, whereas activation of Akt failed to provide additional improvement in the presence of SP. This suggests a key role for Akt in the process of reduced apoptosis by SP following H/R injury. In addition, the NK1-receptor antagonist prohibited the anti-apoptotic effect of SP. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that SP pretreatment attenuates H/R-induced apoptosis via the Akt signalling pathway and the NK1-receptor.

[The effect of blood glucose fluctuations on prognosis of critically ill patients in intensive care unit].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between glucose fluctuations and hospital mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. METHODS: A retrospective study involving 90 critically ill patients in ICU according to the patients' outcome were divided into survivors (49 cases) and nonsurvivors (41 cases), in whom the blood glucose level was monitored in the first 72 hours, and the initial blood glucose (GluAdm), the average blood glucose (GluAve), glucose standard deviation (GluSD), coefficient of variation glucose (GluCV) were determined, then GluAdm, GluAve, GluSD, and GluCV were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was applied to evaluate the association between blood glucose fluctuation and prognosis. According to the values of GluSD, GluCV, the critically patients were divided into four subgroups, and mortality in ICU and hospital was compared. RESULTS: The levels of GluAdm, GluAve, GluSD, GluCV of nonsurvivors were higher than those of survivors [GluAdm: (11.47+/-3.91) mmol/L vs. (9.23+/-2.96) mmol/L, GluAve: (9.22+/-1.31) mmol/L vs. (8.28+/-1.15) mmol/L, GluSD: (2.62+/-0.97) mmol/L vs. (1.66+/-0.64) mmol/L, GluCV: 0.28+/-0.10 vs. 0.20+/-0.07, all P<0.05]. When ROC was applied, the area under the curve (AUC) of GluSD, GluCV were 0.782+/-0.049 and 0.757+/-0.053, they were higher than that of the GluAdm and GluAve (0.669+/-0.058 and 0.690+/-0.056, both P<0.05). When GluSD was 4.35-5.66 mmol/L, the ICU mortality was 95.7%, hospital mortality was 98.6%; when GluCV was 0.378-0.500, the ICU mortality was 83.3%, hospital mortality was 100.0%. CONCLUSION: The increase in GluSD and GluCV in critically ill patients is significantly correlated with ICU mortality and hospital mortality, and they are more valuable in predicting ICU mortality than GluAdm, GluAve. Diminution in fluctuation of blood glucose might be an important aspect of glucose management.