Search results for "Immunosuppressive Agents"

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as part of therapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease: A phase I/II study

2017

Abstract Background aims Despite the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), the procedure is still associated with high toxicity in patients with refractory graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a new mode of therapy in the context of allo-HSCT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the use of adipose tissue–derived MSCs (AT-MSCs) in patients with chronic GvHD. Methods Fourteen patients with moderate (n = 7) or severe (n = 7) chronic GvHD received 1 × 106/kg (group A, n = 9) or 3 × 106/kg (group B, n = 5) AT-MSCs with cyclosporine and prednisone as first-line therapy. Results Ten of the…

Dimethyl Fumarate Treatment Mediates an Anti-Inflammatory Shift in B Cell Subsets of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

2017

Abstract The therapeutic mode of action of dimethyl fumarate (DMF), approved for treating patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, is not fully understood. Recently, we and others demonstrated that Ab-independent functions of distinct B cell subsets are important in mediating multiple sclerosis (MS) relapsing disease activity. Our objective was to test whether and how DMF influences both the phenotype and functional responses of disease-implicated B cell subsets in patients with MS. High-quality PBMC were obtained from relapsing-remitting MS patients prior to and serially after initiation of DMF treatment. Multiparametric flow cytometry was used to monitor the phenotype and fun…

Treatment response to dimethyl fumarate is characterized by disproportionate CD8+ T cell reduction in MS

2017

Background: The effect of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on circulating lymphocyte subsets and their contribution as predictors of clinical efficacy have not yet been investigated in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: To evaluate lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets (analyzed 6 months after DMF start) in MS patients with and without disease activity after 1 year of treatment in a retrospective study. Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. Untreated MS patients ( n = 40) were compared to those 6 months after onset of DMF treatment ( n = 51). Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity of DMF-treated patients were assessed in the first year un…

Incidence of severe COVID-19 outcomes in psoriatic patients treated with systemic therapies during the pandemic: A Biobadaderm cohort analysis

2021

Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in the treatment of refractory pemphigus.

2010

BACKGROUND: One of the major goals of pemphigus therapy is to reduce the patient's cumulative exposure to systemic corticosteroids. To investigate the efficacy of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS), 10 patients with active, refractory pemphigus vulgaris (PV) or foliaceous (PF) were treated with EC-MPS (1440 mg daily) and prednisone (75 mg daily) over 18 months. OBSERVATIONS: Following EC-MPS/prednisone therapy, disease progression was inhibited between days 30 and 45 in 9/10 patients (8 PV; 1 PF). At 18 months, 8/9 PV patients had clinically quiescent disease; EC-MPS therapy was no longer required in two patients as a result of disease remission. The remaining PV patient showed no…

Fatigue in SLE: diagnostic and pathogenic impact of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoantibodies.

2019

ObjectivesWe explored the impact of circulating anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies on the severity of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsSerum samples of 426 patients with SLE were analysed for the presence of antibodies to the NR2 subunit of the NMDAR. In parallel, the severity of fatigue was determined according to the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive functions questionnaire. In a subgroup of patients with SLE, the hippocampal volume was correlated with the levels of anti-NR2 antibodies. Isolated immunoglobulin G from patients with anti-NR2 antibodies were used for murine immunohistochemical experiments and functional assays on neuro…

Cyclosporin- and nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth in renal transplant patients: correlations with periodontal and pharmacological parameters, a…

1996

The factors associated with cyclosporin A (CsA)- and nifedipine (Nif)-induced gingival overgrowth were investigated in 113 renal transplant recipients receiving CsA alone (Group 1) [n = 61], CsA and Nif (Group 2) [n = 28], or azathioprine (Aza) (Control Group) [n = 24]. Periodontal and pharmacological parameters were assessed for each patient. The patients with a gingival overgrowth index (GOI) score1 were considered responders (R); those with a score/= 1 were non-responders (NR). Gingival overgrowth occurred in 33.7% of the patients in Groups 1 and 2; 60% of the responders were receiving CsA+Nif. In R, no relationship was found between the GOI and the periodontal and pharmacological parame…

Phase I/II study of pixantrone in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone in patients with relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin lym…

2011

Pixantrone is a potentially more effective, less cardiotoxic alternative to doxorubicin for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (aNHL). This phase I/II non-comparative study evaluated pixantrone in place of doxorubicin in the standard CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), i.e. CPOP (cyclophosphamide, pixantrone, vincristine, and prednisone), in patients with relapsed aNHL who had previously received CHOP ± rituximab. Patients were administered pixantrone on day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Phase I (n = 35) dose escalation from 80 mg/m(2) to 180 mg/m(2) established the phase II (n = 30) dose as 150 mg/m(2). In phase II, 20 patients (67%) received all…

Diagnosis and grading of acute graft-versus-host disease in endoscopic biopsy series throughout the upper and lower intestine in patients after allog…

2019

Intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a potentially life-threatening condition after allogenic hematological stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Although efforts have been made to determine the best sites for endoscopic biopsies, an approach involving all accessible anatomical regions is lacking. We investigated 22 complete biopsy series, each comprising biopsies from 10 different sites of the upper and lower intestine from 21 patients. The majority of biopsies investigated revealed histological signs of acute GvHD. The highest incidence and most advanced grades of acute GvHD were found in the right colon and terminal ileum. We detected significant correlations between crypt or g…

Combined Therapy with Azathioprine, Prednisolone, and Ursodiol in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: A Case Series

1999

No established medical therapy alters the progressive course of primary sclerosing cholangitis.To explore the potential usefulness of combined therapy with azathioprine, steroids and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary sclerosing cholangitis.Case series.University hospital in Mainz, Germany.15 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.Azathioprine (1 to 1.5 mg/kg of body weight per day), prednisolone (1 mg/kg per day initially, tapering to 5 to 10 mg per day) and UDCA (500 to 750 mg per day).Clinical and laboratory evaluation, liver biopsy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (a30% change in stenosis was considered significant).After a median observation period of 41 months (ran…