A comparison of stavudine, didanosine and indinavir with zidovudine, lamivudine and indinavir for the initial treatment of HIV-1 infected individuals: selection of thymidine analog regimen therapy (START II).

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of stavudine (d4T), didanosine (ddI) and indinavir (IDV) with zidovudine (ZDV), lamivudine (3TC) and IDV in HIV-1 infected patients. DESIGN: Randomized, open-label. SETTING: Fourteen HIV Clinical Research Centers. PATIENTS: Two-hundred and five patients with less than 4 weeks antiretroviral treatment, naive to 3TC and protease inhibitors and with CD4 cell counts > or = 200 x 10(6)/l and plasma HIV-1 RNA levels > or = 10,000 copies/ml. INTERVENTIONS: Stavudine 40 mg and ddI 200 mg twice daily plus IDV 800 mg every 8 h compared with ZDV 200 mg every 8 h or 300 mg twice daily, 3TC 150 mg twice daily plus IDV. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels < 500 copies/ml and < or = 50 copies/ml and changes in CD4 cell counts were compared. RESULTS: In an analysis of the primary endpoint, 61% of patients on d4T + ddI + IDV and 45% of patients on ZDV + 3TC + IDV had all HIV-1 RNA values obtained between weeks 40 and 48 < 500 copies/ml [95% confidence interval (CI) for the difference between proportions, 1.7-30.3%; P = 0.038]. In an intent-to-treat analysis, the percentage of all patients randomized with all HIV-1 RNA levels < 500 copies/ml between 40 and 48 weeks were 53% for the d4T + ddI + IDV arm and 41% for the ZDV + 3TC + IDV arm (95% CI, -1.4% to 25.7%; P = 0.068). At 48 weeks 41% and 35% were < or = 50 copies/ml for the stavudine- and ZDV-containing arms respectively (P > 0.2). The median time-weighted average increases in CD4 cells count over 48 weeks were 150 x 10(6)/l cells for the d4T arm and 106 x 10(6)/l cells for the ZDV arm (P= 0.001). The occurrence of serious adverse events was not significantly different between arms. CONCLUSION: The combination of stavudine, ddl and IDV resulted in potent antiretroviral effects over a 48-week period, comparable or superior to zidovudine, 3TC and IDV supporting the use of stavudine, ddI and a protease inhibitor as an initial antiretroviral treatment.

Herpes zoster-associated encephalitis: clinicopathologic report of 12 cases and review of the literature.

Herpes-zoster associated encephalitis (HZAE) is an uncommon complication of herpes zoster. Over 8 years, we evaluated 12 patients with this clinical diagnosis. The majority of our patients were elderly, immunosuppressed, and found to have disseminated skin lesions prior to the onset of CNS symptoms. All patients had abnormal EEGs, and CSF pleocytosis was found in most. In the seven patients who were tested, specific antibody to the varicella-zoster membrane antigen (FAMA) was detected in spinal fluid during the course of the illness. Although three patients died during the period of active infection, the virus could not be definitively implicated as the cause of death. These HZAE patients could not be distinguished from our other herpes zoster patients on the basis of age, initially involved dermatome, or mortality rate. However, among herpes zoster patients who survived, duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in those with a diagnosis of HZAE. All surviving HZAE patients had a slow but eventual return to their prior cognitive status.

Malignant group B streptococcal endocarditis associated with saline-induced abortion.

A 20-year-old woman developed acute group B streptococcal endocarditis following saline-induced abortion. In the pre-antibiotic era, most cases of group B streptococcal endocarditis occurred in parturient or postabortal women. Currently, this disease is rarely described in obstetrical patients, and no previous cases following saline-induced abortion have been reported. Purulent pericarditis and a perivalvular abscess were present in our patient and represent only the second instance in which these findings have been documented in this disease.

PIP: This case report describes a 20-year-old woman who developed acute group B streptococcal endocarditis after a saline-induced abortion. She was admitted 2 weeks after an uncomplicated saline-induced abortion for a 16-week pregnancy with a 1-week history of fever, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath. The patient showed poor response to antibiotic therapies (initially to nafcillin and gentamicin and then to aqueous penicillin G). 6 to 6 blood cultures after hospital admission showed group B streptococcus which was penicillin sensitive by tetracycline resistant. On Day 3 of admission, a pericardial friction rub was noted and repeat chest x-rays showed marked enlargement of the cardiac shadow. Surgery was performed, and the mitral valve posterior leaflet was necrotic, and a mitral valve prosthesis was placed and an aortic embolectomy was performed. Postoperatively, she was treated with an additional 6-week course of intravenous penicillin, and subsequently, she has remained asymptomatic after 6 months. An addendum to this report, which was only the 2nd such report of endocarditis after saline abortion, describes another case of group B streptococcal endocarditis in a drug abuser after a saline-induced abortion. She required tricuspid valvulectomy and is slowly improving postoperatively.

Antibiotic prophylaxis during clean neurosurgery: a large, multicenter study using cefuroxime.

Cefuroxime is a second-generation cephalosporin with in vitro activity against the organisms that are commonly associated with neurosurgical wound infections. Other properties of cefuroxime are an elimination half-life of 1.3 hours, which yields prolonged serum concentrations, and its ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier in proportion to the degree of inflammation. A prospective, multicenter, open-label study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cefuroxime for antibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing clean neurosurgery. Cefuroxime 1.5 g was given intravenously 25 to 60 minutes before surgery; for procedures lasting more than 3 hours, cefuroxime 750 mg was given intravenously 8 hours after the initial dose. Patients were examined before surgery, daily during hospitalization, and at 8 weeks after surgery. A total of 956 adults were enrolled in the study. The most common procedures in study patients were laminectomy (41.8% of patients) or craniotomy (24.3%), and the mean duration of surgery was 3.2 hours. Infection occurred in 2 (0.3%) of 592 assessable patients by the time of discharge and in 1 additional patient by the 8-week follow-up evaluation for a total of 3 (0.5%) of 560 assessable patients. Drug-related adverse events occurred in 5 (0.5%) of 956 patients. These results indicate that antibiotic prophylaxis with cefuroxime is associated with a low incidence of postoperative wound infection and is well tolerated in patients undergoing clean neurosurgery.

A multicenter comparative study of cefotetan once daily and cefoxitin thrice daily for the treatment of infections of the skin and superficial soft tissue.

To compare the effectiveness of cefotetan administered at 2 g once a day with cefoxitin at 1 or 2 g three times a day in the treatment of hospitalized patients with skin and superficial soft tissue infections, 194 patients from eight centers were enrolled in an open, randomized trial. Most of the 104 evaluable patients in the cefotetan group and 50 in the cefoxitin group were young men with community-acquired, moderate or severe cellulitis, or abscesses of the upper and lower extremities caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Bacteroides fragilis and other species of bacteroides, peptococcus species, and peptostreptococcus species. The mean duration of treatment was 7.5 days for cefotetan and 7.1 days for cefoxitin. A successful clinical response was achieved in 97 percent of the cefotetan patients and in 94 percent of the cefoxitin patients. Of the 88 and 39 bacteriologically evaluable patients in the cefotetan and cefoxitin groups, respectively, a satisfactory bacteriologic response occurred in 96 percent and 87 percent of the patients. No clinically significant changes in clinical laboratory determinations were noted. The incidence of adverse reactions in the cefotetan group (17 percent) was significantly different from that for the cefoxitin group (6 percent) (p less than 0.05); however, the incidence of treatment-related reactions was not significant and the events were mild. Discontinuation of therapy was necessary only in two patients in whom allergic-type reactions developed. A once-daily regimen of cefotetan was as effective as thrice-daily cefoxitin in this study in the treatment of primarily polymicrobial, moderate, or severe infections of the skin and superficial soft tissue.

Cephalosporin therapy in intraabdominal infections. A multicenter randomized, comparative study of cefotetan, moxalactam, and cefoxitin.

Three broad-spectrum cephalosporins (cefotetan, moxalactam, and cefoxitin) proved effective in this randomized, prospective trial for treatment of 303 surgical patients with moderately severe regional peritonitis.

Ampicillin/Sulbactam vs. Cefoxitin for the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease.

OBJECTIVE: The safety and efficacy of ampicillin plus sulbactam were compared with those of cefoxitin in the treatment of women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). METHODS: This single-site, randomized, prospective, third-party-blinded, comparative, parallel-treatment study enrolled 93 women with a diagnosis of PID. Patients were treated with either ampicillin/sulbactam (2 g/1 g, administered intravenously [IV], every 6 h) or cefoxitin (2 g, administered IV, every 6 h) for a minimum of 12 doses. Patients with cultures positive for Chlamydia trachomatis also received concurrent oral or IV doxycycline (100 mg twice daily). Patients with cultures negative for C. trachomatis received prophylactic oral doxycycline (100 mg twice daily) for 10-14 days after treatment with either ampicillin/sulbactam or cefoxitin was completed. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients were entered in the study: 47 in the ampicillin/sulbactam arm and 46 in the cefoxitin arm. All 93 patients were evaluable for safety; 61 (66%) were evaluable for efficacy. Demographic characteristics were similar for the groups. Of the 27 evaluable ampicillin/sulbactam-treated patients, 67% experienced clinical cure, 30% improved, and 4% failed treatment. Respective values for the 34 cefoxitin-treated patients were 68%, 24%, and 9% (P = 0.67). Pathogens were eradicated in 70% of the women given ampicillin/sulbactam vs. 56% of those who received cefoxitin (P = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, ampicillin/sulbactam demonstrated clinical and bacteriologic efficacy at least equivalent to that of cefoxitin in the treatment of women with acute PID. The use of ampicillin/sulbactam for this indication may avoid the complex dosing regimens associated with other treatments.

Effects of sodium piperacillin on platelet function in normal volunteers.

Piperacillin is a new semisynthetic penicillin which is similar in structure to carbenicillin and ticarcillin. Since the latter antibiotics have been shown to cause abnormalities in hemostasis, we studied the effects of piperacillin on blood coagulation and platelet function. Fifteen healthy volunteers received the drug in doses of either 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg per day for a period of 7 days. Serial studies showed no abnormalities in blood coagulation in any subject. Decreased platelet aggregation responses to adenosine diphosphate, epinephrine, collagen, and achidonic acid were commonly noted, but prolongation of the bleeding time occurred in only 3 of 15 subjects after 7 days of piperacillin administration. These results suggest that although piperacillin also induces platelet dysfunction, these effects may be less than those caused by ticarcillin or carbenicillin at an equivalent dosage.

Treatment of acute bacterial bronchitis and pneumonia with cefaclor.

Sixty patients with pneumonia and/or bronchitis were treated with cefaclor, a new orally administered cephalosporin. Of those 60, 27 adults were treated with 500 mg every 8 hours, 26 adults with 250 mg every 6 hours, and 7 children with 50 mg/kg/day. In the adults, pneumonia was caused most frequently by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. The 7 children had pneumococcal pneumonia. All but 2 adults, both elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were successfully treated. One instance of drug hypersensitivity occurred. All 7 children responded rapidly, with no side effects, to cefaclor therapy.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Haemophilus parainfluenzae by a kinetic killing-curve method.

A kinetic killing-curve method, designed to mimic several aspects of clinical therapy in endocarditis, was used to test 10 strains of Haemophilus parainfluenzae against 28 antibiotic regimens. In an effort to simulate changing in vivo levels of antibiotic in serum, concentrations of three penicillins, three cephalosporins, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol were sequentially adjusted over a 12-hr period. Against six beta-lactamase-negative strains, gentamicin in combination with penicillin or cephalosporin invariably resulted in an additive or synergistic effect. Chloramphenicol and a penicillin or cephalosporin usually displayed an indifferent effect, but chloramphenicol was often antagonistic when combined with gentamicin. With four beta-lactamase-positive strains, variable responses were noted to penicillin-aminoglycoside combinations; cephalosporin-aminoglycoside combinations were usually synergistic. This dynamic approach to killing-curve studies may be more appropriate than a static system for in vitro examination of the effect of antimicrobial combinations against selected organisms.

Quantitative nasal cultures from carriers of Staphylococcus aureus: effects of oral therapy with erythromycin, rosamicin, and placebo.

Serial quantitative nasal cultures were performed on 87 healthy nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus, who were randomly assigned to 7 days of oral therapy with erythromycin, rosamicin (an investigational macrolide antibiotic), or placebo. Staphylococcal carrier rates decreased during therapy with both antibiotics; however, erythromycin was significantly more effective in lowering carrier rates than was rosamicin. The anti-staphylococcal effects of both antibiotics were similar when the mean numbers of S. aureus isolated from positive cultures during therapy were compared. Side effects to each regimen were minimal.

Treatment with lamivudine, zidovudine, or both in HIV-positive patients with 200 to 500 CD4+ cells per cubic millimeter. North American HIV Working Party.

BACKGROUND: The reverse-transcriptase inhibitor lamivudine has in vitro synergy with zidovudine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We studied the activity and safety of lamivudine plus zidovudine as compared with either drug alone as treatment for patients with HIV infection, most of whom had not previously received zidovudine. METHODS: Three hundred sixty-six patients with 200 to 500 CD4+ cells per cubic millimeter who had received zidovudine for four weeks or less were randomly assigned to treatment with one of four regimens: 300 mg of lamivudine every 12 hours; 200 mg of zidovudine every 8 hours; 150 mg of lamivudine every 12 hours plus zidovudine; or 300 mg of lamivudine every 12 hours plus zidovudine. The study was double-blind and lasted 24 weeks, with an extension phase for another 28 weeks. RESULTS: Over the 24-week period, the low-dose and high-dose regimens combining lamivudine and zidovudine were associated with greater increases in the CD4+ cell count (P = 0.002 and P = 0.015, respectively) and the percentage of CD4+ cells (P < 0.001 for both) and with greater decreases in plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA (P < 0.001 for both) than was treatment with zidovudine alone. Combination therapy was also more effective than lamivudine alone in lowering plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and increasing the percentage of CD4+ cells (P < 0.001 for all comparisons), and these advantages persisted through 52 weeks. Adverse events were no more frequent with combination therapy than with zidovudine alone. CONCLUSIONS: In HIV-infected patients with little or no prior antiretroviral therapy, treatment with a combination of lamivudine and zidovudine is well tolerated over a one-year period and produces more improvement in immunologic and virologic measures than does treatment with either agent alone.

Clinical efficacy of monotherapy with stavudine compared with zidovudine in HIV-infected, zidovudine-experienced patients. A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Bristol-Myers Squibb Stavudine/019 Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Stavudine is a promising antiretroviral agent, but its clinical efficacy has not been determined. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of stavudine (2',3'-didehydro-3'-deoxythymidine) monotherapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. SETTING: 56 outpatient clinics in private practices, universities, and contract research organizations in the United States, France, and Italy. PATIENTS: 822 HIV-infected adults who had 50 to 500 CD4+ cells/mm3 and had previously received at least 6 months of zidovudine treatment. INTERVENTION: Monotherapy with peroral stavudine capsules or peroral zidovudine capsules. MEASUREMENTS: The primary end point was clinical progression, which was defined as all occurrences of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining events or death. RESULTS: Patients receiving stavudine reached clinical end points at a rate of 26 per 100 person-years, compared with 32 per 100 person-years for patients receiving zidovudine (relative risk, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58 to 0.98]; P = 0.03). The risk for death alone was 26% lower in the stavudine group than in the zidovudine group, but the comparison was not statistically significant (relative risk, 0.74 [CI, 0.53 to 1.02]; P = 0.066). The benefit of stavudine therapy was seen in all CD4+ cell strata (< or = 100 cells/mm3, 101 to 300 cells/mm3, and > 300 cells/mm3) and clinical stages of HIV disease (asymptomatic, symptomatic, and AIDS). Four weeks after treatment began, CD4+ cell counts were 30 cells/mm3 higher in the stavudine group than in the zidovudine group; this difference was sustained for 96 weeks (P < 0.001). Nausea and vomiting were more common in patients receiving zidovudine (P < 0.01), and neuropathy occurred more frequently in those receiving stavudine (12% in the stavudine group compared with 4% in the zidovudine group; P < 0.001). Neuropathy resolved completely in many patients (63%) after interruption of stavudine treatment; these patients could resume stavudine therapy at a lower dose. CONCLUSIONS: Stavudine was well tolerated and delayed progression of HIV disease in patients who had previously received 6 or more months of zidovudine treatment. Benefits were apparent in all CD4+ cell strata and clinical stages of HIV disease. Stavudine is an important agent to consider for trials of combination chemotherapy.

Comparative study of cefotetan and cefoxitin in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections.

One hundred eighty-eight patients were enrolled in a multicenter, randomized clinical trial to compare the safety and effectiveness of 1 to 2 gm cefotetan every 12 hours with those of 1 to 2 gm cefoxitin every 6 hours in patients with intra-abdominal infections. Most of the infections were community acquired, were associated with gastrointestinal tract perforation, and were caused by both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. The median duration of therapy was 6 days for each group. The clinical response rate for the 95 evaluable patients in the cefotetan group was 98%, and that for the 43 evaluable patients in the cefoxitin group was 95%. Bacteriologically, 97% of the 58 evaluable patients in the cefotetan group and 89% of the 27 evaluable patients in the cefoxitin group had a satisfactory or presumed satisfactory response; two patients in the cefotetan group and three in the cefoxitin group were considered bacteriologic failures. Cefotetan was as effective as cefoxitin in eradicating Bacteroides fragilis and other species of Bacteroides, Clostridium sp., and gram-negative bacilli. The incidence of treatment-related adverse reactions for cefotetan (27%) was not statistically different from that for cefoxitin (17%). No clinically significant differences were detected between the treatment groups in changes in the results of clinical laboratory tests performed before and after treatment; a decrease in hematocrit among the cefotetan group was statistically greater (p = 0.04) than that for the cefoxitin group, and a decrease in serum creatinine level for the cefoxitin group was greater than that for the cefotetan group (p = 0.02). Cefotetan may represent an effective, safe, and cost-saving alternative to cefoxitin for the prompt treatment of community-acquired intra-abdominal infections.

A randomized trial of clarithromycin as prophylaxis against disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection in patients with advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Disseminated infection with Mycobacterium avium complex is the most common opportunistic infection in patients with advanced stages of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We studied the efficacy and safety of prophylactic treatment with clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of clarithromycin in patients with AIDS in the United States and Europe. Entry criteria included blood cultures that were negative for M. avium complex, a Karnofsky performance score of 50 or higher, a CD4 cell count of 100 or less per cubic millimeter, and a life expectancy of at least six months. RESULTS: After the first interim analysis, the study was stopped. M. avium complex infection developed in 19 of the 333 patients (6 percent) assigned to clarithromycin and in 53 of the 334 (16 percent) assigned to placebo (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.31; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.53; P<0.001). During the follow-up period of about 10 months, 32 percent of the patients in the clarithromycin group died and 41 percent of those in the placebo group died (hazard ratio, 0.75; P=0.026). In the clarithromycin group, isolates from 11 of the 19 patients with M. avium complex infection were resistant to clarithromycin. Prophylaxis with clarithromycin was associated with an increased incidence of taste perversion (11 percent in the clarithromycin group vs. 2 percent in the placebo group, P<0.001) and rectal disorders (8 percent vs. 3 percent, P = 0.007); however, the frequency of more severe adverse events was similar in the two groups (7 percent and 6 percent, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced AIDS, the prophylactic administration of clarithromycin is well tolerated, prevents M. avium complex infection, and reduces mortality.