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Background and Objectives Pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of escalating infusion rates of BT090, a 10% intravenous immunoglobulin ( IVIg), were studied in patients with primary immunodeficiency disease. Materials and Methods In Part A, patients ( n = 30) received 3 infusions of BT090 at their pretrial dose and dosing interval; the infusion rate of BT090 was increased from 0·3 to 1·4 to 2·0 ml/kg/h for each infusion in each patient initially at 30-min intervals. Pharmacokinetics was evaluated at the 3rd infusion ( n = 24). At the 4th infusion, infusion rates were to be gradually escalated from 0·3 to 1·4 to 4·0 to a maximum of 8·0 ml/kg/h initially at 30-min intervals to establish the maximum tolerated infusion rate per patient. Results The pharmacokinetic characteristics and safety profile of BT090 were comparable with those of other IVIgs, including Intratect®. Escalation of infusion rates was well tolerated, allowing identification of individual patient's maximum tolerated infusion rate. At subsequent infusions, all patients tolerated their individually defined maximum infusion rate: 17 patients (68·0%) tolerated infusion rates of 6·0 or 8·0 ml/kg/h and four patients (16%) had maximum tolerated infusion rates of <4·0 ml/kg/h at subsequent infusions. Escalation of infusion rates shortened infusion time from a median of around 2·5 h to around 1·6 h. SAEs were reported in three patients, but none was related to BT090 treatment. Conclusions Shortening infusion time may reduce overall healthcare spending, for example nursing time needed, and also minimize disruption of patients' daily routine, especially for those patients in work or school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absence of the spleen constitutes a risk of infection caused by encapsulated bacteria. The aim of our study was to determine the immune response to Haemophilus influenzae type-b (Hib) conjugate vaccine (HibCV) in asplenic individuals, considering the cause of asplenia, the age when splenectomy was carried out, and previous Hib vaccinations. Twenty asplenic patients, aged five to 25 years, were immunized with a single dose of HibCV. The specific antibody concentrations against HibCV were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Before vaccinations, the geometric mean antibody concentration (GMC) had an average value of 3.21 μg/ml and was comparable for all of the patients, regardless of the causes of asplenia. After vaccinations, the GMC was significantly higher, with an average of 6.78 μg/ml. Further, 4.5 years after vaccinations, the GMC was comparable to that of previously unvaccinated children. Moreover, 17/20 patients had GMC ≥ 1.0 μg/ml, which included all of the children with congenital asplenia, children splenectomized before the age of six years, and only 57% of children splenectomized after that age. HibCV gives asplenic patients long-term protection. Hence, HibCV should be administered regardless of previous vaccinations and time from splenectomy, even if antibody evaluation is not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusions are effective, safe and well tolerated in the treatment of primary immunodeficiencies, but only limited data on the treatment of children are available. We investigated the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of home therapy with a 16% liquid human immunoglobulin G preparation (Vivaglobin®) when administered subcutaneously in children with primary immunodeficiencies. Data were analysed from 22 children (2-<12 years) who participated in two prospective, open-label studies (one in Europe/Brazil, one in North America). All children had previously received intravenous immunoglobulins. They started weekly subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusions with an approximately 3-month wash-in/wash-out period, followed by a 6-month (Europe/Brazil) or 12-month (North America) efficacy evaluation period. In Europe/Brazil, subcutaneous doses generally equalled the previous weekly equivalent intravenous doses. In North America, subcutaneous doses during the efficacy evaluation period were 126% (median) of the previous weekly equivalent intravenous doses. Efficacy end-points in both studies included the occurrence of serious bacterial infections and any infections, and serum immunoglobulin G trough levels. Median serum immunoglobulin G trough levels exceeded those during previous intravenous therapy by 13% (North America) and 16% (Europe/Brazil). During the efficacy evaluation period of both studies, none of the children had a serious bacterial infection; the mean overall infection rate/patient year was 4·7 in Europe/Brazil and 5·6 in North America, concurring with previous reports in adults. The adverse event profile was comparable to previous reports in adults. Both studies confirmed the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy with Vivaglobin in children with primary immunodeficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic profiles of Intratect®, a recently developed polyvalent intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparation. Fifty-one patients (aged 6–48 years) with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) and established replacement therapy using a licensed IVIG were enrolled and treated for 12 months with Intratect®. Retrospective patient data served as prestudy controls. The primary efficacy variable was the annual rate of acute serious bacterial infection (ASBI) per patient. Secondary parameters were annual rate of acute relevant infection (ARI), days with antibiotic use, fever, absence from school/work and hospitalization. The average IVIG dose was 0·49 g/kg, with an average infusion rate of 2·4 ml/kg/h. The annual ASBI rate/patient was 0·02 and ARIs were detected 128 times during the 630 adverse events in 40 patients, specified mainly as bronchitis, sinusitis, respiratory tract infection, rhinitis and pharyngitis. The annual rate of respiratory ARIs/patient was 2·0 and the rates/patient for days with fever >38°C, school/work absence and hospitalization were 1·81, 3·99 and 0·36, respectively. A total of 630 adverse events (AEs) were observed in 50 of 51 (98·0%) of patients. In 46 of 51 patients the AEs were not related to infusion. Pharmacokinetic studies after the first infusion revealed a mean elimination half-life of 50·8 ± 30·3 days. During this study, 19 of 649 (2·9%) IgG trough levels were below 6 g/l, better than that of reference IVIGs during the 6 months before study start (10 of 201). These data suggest that Intratect® is a well tolerated, safe and effective IgG concentrate for the treatment of patients with PID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of pneumococcal antibodies after a dose of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 30 asplenic children between 4 months and 19 years of age. Fifteen children had received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) approximately 5 years prior to vaccination with PCV7. The antibody concentrations against serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F were measured by ELISA before and after the PCV7 vaccination. Before vaccination with PCV7, the antibody concentrations were similar in children who had or had not received PPV previously. A dose of PCV7 stimulated a good immune response in asplenic patients. Prior immunization with PPV did not affect the antibody concentration after the vaccination with PCV7. In conclusion, asplenic children vaccinated with PPV may need revaccination with PPV earlier than the recommended 3–5 years after the first dose. PCV7 induces a satisfactory immune response in asplenic patients and should be considered as an alternative vaccine in that patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an early onset autosomal recessive ataxia associated with characteristic chromosomal aberrations, cell cycle checkpoint defects, cancer susceptibility, and sensitivity to ionizing radiation. We utilized the protein truncation test (PTT), and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) on cDNA, as well as denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC) on genomic DNA (gDNA) to screen for mutations in 24 Polish A-T families. Twenty-six distinct Short Tandem Repeat (STR) haplotypes were identified. Three founder mutations accounted for 58% of the alleles. Three-quarters of the families had at least one recurring (shared) mutation, which was somewhat surprising given the low frequency of consanguinity in Poland. STR haplotyping greatly improved the efficiency of mutation detection. We identified 44 of the expected 48 mutations (92%): sixty-nine percent were nonsense mutations, 23% caused aberrant splicing, and 5% were missense mutations. Four mutations have not been previously described. Two of the Polish mutations have been observed previously in Amish and Mennonite A-T patients; this is compatible with historical records. Shared mutations shared the same Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and STR haplotypes, indicating common ancestries. The Mennonite mutation, 5932 G>T, is common in Russian A-T families, and the STR haplovariants are the same in both Poland and Russia. Attempts to correlate phenotypes with genotypes were inconclusive due to the limited numbers of patients with identical mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Careful evaluation of the pharmacokinetic properties of a new immunoglobulin G (IgG) preparation is necessary to ensure that the product will not deviate significantly from existing products, in terms of pharmacological activity. Materials and Methods A prospective, open and uncontrolled trial was performed in 16 patients with primary immunodeficiency syndromes. Patients who had been under replacement therapy with licensed preparations prior to study inclusion, received 280 ± 60 mg/kg of a solution of IgG, ready for intravenous administration, every 3 weeks for 6 months. Trough and peak plasma levels were measured immediately before and 1 h after each infusion, respectively. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for total IgG and IgG subclasses. Results Total IgG, IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 declined mono-exponentially in contrast to IgG4 which showed a bi-exponential decline. Half-lives which were highly variable among patients were similar for total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 (35.9 10.8, 36.3 9.2, and 37.1 13.9 days, respectively) and shorter for IgG3 and IgG4 (28.6 10.4 and 15.6 4.5 days, respectively). Conclusions The decline of IgG4 probably reflected a complex catabolic pathway specific for this subclass. As the plasma level of IgG4 is low, the decline of total IgG remained unaffected. Pharmacokinetic properties were consistent with results reported elsewhere in patients undergoing replacement therapy for primary immunodeficiency syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opsonisation of four different campylobacter species for human neutrophils was studied using a chemiluminescence system and electron microscopy. Opsonisation of Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter jejuni was mediated by antibody and enhanced by complement. Antibody was not, however, required for the phagocytosis of Campylobacter pylori because it activates the classical pathway of complement directly. This unusual property may be important in the pathogenesis of C pylori associated gastritis and duodenal ulcer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unlabelled: We conducted a multicentre, open-label prospective study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lenograstim (human-identical glycosylated rHuG-CSF) in the prevention of infectious episodes of severe chronic neutropenia in 19 patients. The median follow up period was 54.6 months. Lenograstim was administered subcutaneously at a starting dosage of 5 microg/kg per day. Neutrophil recovery was achieved in all patients at induction dosages of 5 (n = 15), 10 (n = 2), 15 (n = 1) or 20 microg/kg per day (n = 1) and occurred at a median 7 days after therapy initiation. Alternate-day administration of double-dose lenograstim was feasible in 7 of 17 patients. Lenograstim treatment significantly (P = 0.012) reduced the incidence of treated infections and hospitalization for infection compared with the pre study period and significantly (P < 0.001) improved perceived health and disease-related symptoms. One patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events (pustulosis) initially related to lenograstim therapy but not confirmed. One patient withdrew by personal choice and was therefore only treated occasionally. One patient committed suicide after 45 months because of social difficulties. One patient was lost during follow up, and three patients presented with a spontaneous neutrophil recovery after 9, 15 and 27 months, respectively. Moderate and transient side-effects related to lenograstim were observed (thrombocytopenia, n = 2; splenomegaly, n = 2; moderate anaemia (without transfusion requirement), n = 5; bone pain, n = 2; increased of alkaline phosphatase, n = 5).Conclusion: Lenograstim produced a sustained neutrophil recovery in patients with severe chronic neutropenia, reduced the incidence and severity of infection, and improved quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a multicentre, open-label prospective study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lenograstim (human-identical glycosylated rHuG-CSF) in the prevention of infectious episodes of severe chronic neutropenia in 19 patients. The median follow up period was 54.6 months. Lenograstim was administered subcutaneously at a starting dosage of 5 μg/kg per day. Neutrophil recovery was achieved in all patients at induction dosages of 5 (n = 15), 10 (n = 2), 15 (n = 1) or 20 μg/kg per day (n = 1) and occurred at a median 7 days after therapy initiation. Alternate-day administration of double-dose lenograstim was feasible in 7 of 17 patients. Lenograstim treatment significantly (P= 0.012) reduced the incidence of treated infections and hospitalization for infection compared with the pre study period and significantly (P<0.001) improved perceived health and disease-related symptoms. One patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events (pustulosis) initially related to lenograstim therapy but not confirmed. One patient withdrew by personal choice and was therefore only treated occasionally. One patient committed suicide after 45 months because of social difficulties. One patient was lost during follow up, and three patients presented with a spontaneous neutrophil recovery after 9, 15 and 27 months, respectively. Moderate and transient side-effects related to lenograstim were observed (thrombocytopenia, n = 2; splenomegaly, n = 2; moderate anaemia (without transfusion requirement), n = 5; bone pain, n = 2; increased of alkaline phosphatase, n = 5).Conclusion Lenograstim produced a sustained neutro phil recovery in patients with severe chronic␣neutropenia, reduced the incidence and severity of infection, and improved quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]