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D S Stein

Publications and source records attributed to D S Stein.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Factors influencing the emergence of resistance to indinavir: role of virologic, immunologic, and pharmacologic variables.

A major problem with the use of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitors as monotherapy has been an unacceptably high rate of emergence of resistance. To examine possible influences on the time to emergence of resistance, 24-week data were examined from five studies in which indinavir had been administered as monotherapy or as a component of combination therapy. Monotherapy data indicated a correlation between the level of HIV-1 RNA achieved and the risk of emergence of resistance: the lower the level, the lower the risk. When combination and monotherapy regimens were compared, the group receiving indinavir + lamivudine + zidovudine had a significantly lower risk of resistance, even after adjusting for the minimum HIV-1 RNA level achieved. The findings indicate that if at all possible, HIV-1-infected patients should receive combination chemotherapy to minimize the emergence of resistance to the protease inhibitor portion of the regimen. The goal of therapy should be to decrease the HIV-1 RNA load to a less-than-detectable level.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

Mathematical modeling of the interrelationship of CD4 lymphocyte count and viral load changes induced by the protease inhibitor indinavir.

While CD4 cell counts are widely used to predict disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, they are poorly explanatory of the progression to AIDS or death after the introduction of chemotherapy. Changes in HIV load (as measured by RNA PCR) have been shown to be a much better predictor of the risk of disease progression. Since the interrelationship of these markers is of great clinical interest, we modeled the time-averaged return of CD4 cell count and change in viral load subsequent to therapy with the HIV protease inhibitor indinavir. We found that CD4 cell return was significantly related to both the baseline CD4 count (r2 = 0.86, P < 0.001) and the decline in HIV RNA PCR-determined viral load (also referred to in this work as the HIV RNA PCR decline) (r2 = 0.60, P < 0.01). Simultaneously modeling both influences in a linked nonlinear model (r2 = 0.93, P < 0.001) demonstrated that (i) the starting number of CD4 cells accounted for the majority of the change in CD4 cell return and (ii) the return of CD4 cells attributable to viral load decrease was 50% of maximal with only a decrease of approximately 0.2 log of HIV RNA as modeled from the first 12 weeks of therapy. Much greater viral inhibition beyond that necessary for maximal CD4 cell return is possible. Given that HIV RNA PCR decline is more strongly linked to ultimate clinical course in HIV disease, our findings indicate that CD4 return is potentially misleading as an indicator of antiviral effect, since it is determined more by the starting CD4 value than by viral load decline and since near-maximal changes occur with minimal antiviral effect.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Health Watch 2000: community health assessment in south central Ohio.

In Ohio, there has been a recent but concerted effort from the state health department down through the local health departments to complete community health assessment studies for the prioritization and delivery of health services in their respective communities. At the same time, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations has been actively encouraging hospitals to assess targeted communities prior to the delivery of community-based services. In a changing health care system that demands greater emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, new alliances are born of necessity, with collaborative products and benefits to all involved. A local health department and a community hospital in south central Ohio that was jointly owned by the city and county, in consultation with a neighboring state university, embarked on a 1 1/2-year study to define, prioritize, and plan service delivery for the community through Health Watch 2000. Six priority health areas based on national health objectives were determined along with subsequent health planning recommendations, leading to the ultimate goal of healthy people in healthy communities.

Adolescent↗

Comparative pharmacokinetics and renal effects of cyclosporin A and cyclosporin G in renal allograft recipients.

Cyclosporin G (CSG) has produced less nephrotoxicity than cyclosporin A (CSA) at equivalent doses in animal models. Conflicting results have been reported concerning differences in the pharmacokinetics of CSA and CSG in preclinical studies, and no data exist regarding the effect of steady-state oral administration of CSG on renal function in transplant patients or CSG-induced release of endothelin and nitric oxide (NO) in vivo. The objective of the study was to examine steady-state pharmacokinetic profiles of adult renal allograft recipients receiving CSA and CSG in relation to concentrations of endothelin-1 and NO2/NO3 in urine and plasma, creatinine clearance (Clcr), and urinary excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) 9 months after transplantation. Concentrations of CSA and CSG were measured in whole blood over a 12-hour dose interval by both a monoclonal and polyclonal fluorescence polarization radioimmunoassay for CSA. A metabolite fraction was defined as the numerical difference between the levels obtained at each time point by both assays. Patient groups were defined as follows: group 1: initial CSA (n = 6); group 2: initial CSG (n = 7); group 3: five of the seven patients in group 2 taking CSG subsequently undergoing conversion to CSA; group 4: the same five patients in group 3 restudied 1 month after 1:1 dosage conversion to CSA; and group 5: CSA groups 1 and 4 combined (n = 11). In group 1, the metabolite fraction accounted for 32% to 54% of the total measurable drug concentration at each time point, whereas in group 2, the metabolite fraction accounted for at most 10% to 15% of the total drug levels measurable by polyclonal fluorescence polarization radioimmunoassay. Although there were no significant differences in any of the mean pharmacokinetic parameters between groups using monoclonal fluorescence polarization radioimmunoassay, the normalized area under the concentration-time curve (NAUC) value was less in four of five patients after conversion from CSG to CSA, with a more variable and delayed time to reach peak concentration (tmax) but equivalent apparent oral clearance (Clpa) values. Clcr was found to change significantly with time in groups 1 and 5 but not in group 2, with CSA producing a more profound and sustained decrease than CSG. Endothelin-1 and NO2/NO3 levels in plasma and urine remained relatively constant after administration of both CSA and CSG, and there were no significant differences between groups 3 and 4 regarding mean endothelin-1 and NO2/NO3 concentrations in plasma, urinary release of endothelin-1 and NO2/NO3, and mean AUC of endothelin-1 and AUC of NO2/NO3. However, monoclonal NAUC correlated significantly with total urinary endothelin-1 within CSA groups 1 and 5 but not within CSG group 2. Metabolite NAUC correlated significantly with total urinary NAG within CSA group 1. Although limited by the small number of patients, this study suggests that 1) CSG may produce less of a reduction in Clcr over time after oral administration at steady state than does CSA, and 2) this beneficial effect of CSG may be in part due to decreased intrarenal release of endothelin-1, as urinary excretion of endothelin-1 seemed to correlate better with CSA than with CSG exposure.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

The impact of public education videotapes on knowledge about cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in terms of content and medium, the ability of a videotaped information series to increase the general public's knowledge of cancer. METHODS: In the first phase of the intervention, the videotapes were screened by focus groups, who rated them for length, design, style, and content. In phase two of the study, the videotapes were shown to three random samples of the general population. A portion of each sample was asked to complete a knowledge-survey instrument without viewing the videotapes; a portion was asked to view the tapes before completing the survey instrument. RESULTS: Survey results showed that those who viewed the videotapes had higher knowledge-of-cancer scores than those who did not. CONCLUSION: Community focus groups are inclined to accept cancer information from mediated sources other than those traditionally cited such as physicians and other health professionals.

Adult↗

Predicting clinical progression or death in subjects with early-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection: a comparative analysis of quantification of HIV RNA, soluble tumor necrosis factor type II receptors, neopterin, and beta2-microglobulin. Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

Quantification of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA by branched-chain DNA signal amplification, measurement of soluble tumor necrosis factor type II receptors (sTNFR-II), neopterin, beta2-microglobulin, or CD4 cell counts can be used to predict the risk of clinical progression or death in HIV infection but have not been compared in the same study. Ninety subjects were categorized into progression groups by their rate of CD4 cell decline and matched into triplets by initial CD4 cell count, age, race, and calendar time. By matched logistic regression, only the sTNFR-II and HIV RNA values were predictive of outcome across the progression groups. Categorization of baseline HIV RNA and sTNFR-II resulted in differences in progression to several clinical outcomes. sTNFR-II concentrations were the only immune marker examined that increased the prognostic utility of HIV RNA determination in early-stage subjects. Further studies in later stages of disease or after therapy are indicated.

CD4 Lymphocyte Count↗

Modeling of the change in CD4 lymphocyte counts in patients before and after administration of the human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor indinavir.

We investigated the relationships between changes in CD4 lymphocytes counts over 24 weeks after the initiation of therapy with indinavir at dosages of > or = 2.4 g/day (n = 15) in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients and compared them to the baseline values. Starting CD4 count were linked to the time-weighted average CD4 cell count (return) through a nonlinear effect model. The diminution of destruction of CD4 cells after the initiation of indinavir therapy was estimated by fitting simultaneous differential equations to the data by using a linked lymph node (LN)-blood (BL) (two-compartment) system in which there is a constant rate of generation (R), first-order transfer rate constants (KLN-BL and KBL-LN) of compartment exchange, and first-order rate constants of CD4 destruction in the absence and presence of indinavir (KLN-OUT1 and KLN-OUT2). The half-life of CD4 lymphocytes was calculated from the rate constants by standard two-compartment methods. The CD4 lymphocyte counts at the start and return were linked in a sigmoid-Emax model were the maximal effect (Emax) was at 574.6 cells/microliters and 50% of the effect occurred at 157.1 cells/microliters (r2 = 0.94; P < 0.001). The mean +/- standard deviation (median) KLN-OUT2 was 0.574 +/- 0.202 (0.589), indicating that indinavir decrease the destruction of CD4 cells by circa 41 to 42%. The mean (median) CD4 half-life was 11.5 +/- 5.72 day (10.3 days). In multivariate analysis, KLN-OUT2 was significantly correlated with starting the CD4 cells count and the change in the CD4 cell count on therapy. The relationship between CD4 lymphocyte half-life and the starting CD4 lymphocyte count was hyperbolic, with a rapid increase in half-life as the CD4 count decreased. On the basis of the calculated half-life, the average production (destruction) of CD4 lymphocytes was approximately 3 x 10(9) cells/day, with an individual variation of 44-fold. These findings suggest that (i) the CD4 lymphocyte cell count at the start is significantly correlated to both the decrease in the destruction rate of CD4 cells and the degree of change in the CD4 lymphocytes on therapy, (ii) the lower the initial CD4 lymphocyte count, the higher the amount of CD4 lymphocyte turnover and the lower the ability of the immune system to increase absolute CD4 lymphocyte levels after viral suppression, consistent with a decreased regenerative capacity with progression of disease; and (iii) the increase in CD4 lymphocytes is likely secondary to the expansion of proliferating pool of cells since our determinations are based on 24 weeks of effect.

Anti-HIV Agents↗

Zidovudine alone or in combination with didanosine or zalcitabine in HIV-infected patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or fewer than 200 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter. Investigators for the Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS.

BACKGROUND: We compared two combinations of nucleosides with zidovudine alone in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. METHODS: A total of 1102 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or fewer than 200 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter were randomly assigned to receive zidovudine alone or zidovudine combined with either didanosine or zalcitabine. Disease progression, survival, toxic effects, and the CD4 cell response were assessed. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 35 months, disease progression or death occurred in 62 percent of the 363 patients assigned to zidovudine plus didanosine, 63 percent of the 367 assigned to zidovudine plus zalcitabine, and 66 percent of the 372 assigned to zidovudine only (P=0.24). As compared with zidovudine therapy, treatment with zidovudine plus didanosine was associated with a relative risk of disease progression or death of 0.86 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.71 to 1.03), and treatment with zidovudine plus zalcitabine was associated with a relative risk of 0.92 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.76 to 1.10). Survival was similar in the three groups. In a subgroup analysis, combination therapy delayed disease progression or death in patients who had previously received zidovudine for 12 months or less. Therapy with zidovudine plus didanosine resulted in more gastrointestinal adverse effects, and treatment with zidovudine plus zalcitabine, more neuropathy. The mean increases in CD4 cell counts at two months were higher with combination therapy than with zidovudine alone. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced HIV infection, combination therapy with zidovudine and either didanosine or zalcitabine is not superior to zidovudine therapy alone. However, these combinations may be more effective than zidovudine monotherapy in patients with little or no previous zidovudine treatment.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Phase 1 study of combination therapy with L-697,661 and zidovudine. The ACTG 184 Protocol Team.

We performed a pilot study that examined the clinical and pharmacokinetic interactions between zidovudine (ZDV) and a pyridinone derivative, L-697-661. The results indicate that the drugs were well tolerated, with no important pharmacokinetic interactions, when administered concomitantly for as long as 8 weeks. Although the number of study participants was small, we noted rapid emergence of resistance to L-697,661 among ZDV-naive study subjects who were administered L-697,661 as monotherapy but did not observe isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) resistant to L-697,661 among those who were administered concomitant ZDV. These results suggest a potential interaction between development of resistance to L-697,661 and ZDV. Although the clinical development of L-697,661 has been halted, our results support the need for further studies to test whether specific interactions among antiretroviral agents administered in combination and the molecular target can delay the emergence of isolates that exhibit resistance to all drugs in the regimen.

Adult↗

Survival in HIV-infected patients who have received zidovudine: comparison of combination therapy with sequential monotherapy and continued zidovudine monotherapy. Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Among patients who begin receiving zidovudine during intermediate-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, it is unclear whether changing to combination therapy (adding didanosine or zalcitabine) or sequential monotherapy (changing to didanosine or zalcitabine) significantly improves survival. OBJECTIVE: To determine, among patients who began receiving zidovudine during intermediate-stage HIV infection, the differential effects of changing to combination therapy (zidovudine with didanosine or zalcitabine) or sequential monotherapy (with didanosine or zalcitabine) or continuing zidovudine monotherapy. PATIENTS: 1077 HIV-seropositive men in the Multicenter AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Cohort Study who began receiving zidovudine before an AIDS-defining illness developed. SETTING: University-affiliated clinics in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study, Treatment groups and important prognostic variables were modeled as time-dependent covariates in Cox proportional hazards models. MEASUREMENTS: Progression to AIDS and death. RESULTS: Compared with patients receiving continued zidovudine monotherapy, patients receiving combination therapy had a 45% improvement in survival (relative risk, 0.55 [95% Cl, 0.41 to 0.74; P < 0.001]) and patients who changed to sequential monotherapy had a 32% improvement in survival (relative risk, 0.68 [Cl, 0.52 to 0.89; P = 0.005]). In the landmark analyses, the median prolongation of survival associated with changing therapy was, at best, 3 to 6 months. Survival curves converged at 3.5 years for the 50 cells/mm3 disease-stage landmark, at 4.4 years for the 100 cells/mm3 landmark and at 4.9 years for the 150 cells/mm3 landmark. Mortality within these periods was 100%, regardless of treatment group or landmark. CONCLUSIONS: For patients who began receiving zidovudine during intermediate-stage disease, changing to either combination therapy or sequential monotherapy was associated with a statistically significant survival benefit compared with continuation of zidovudine monotherapy. The absolute increase in survival was modest, however, and long-term survival remained poor. Simultaneous time-dependent adjustment for changes in therapy and in important prognostic variables is necessary to derive relatively unbiased estimates of treatment effects in observational studies of HIV infection.

Antiviral Agents↗

Endotoxin stimulates hydrogen peroxide detoxifying activity in rat hepatic endothelial cells.

The study aimed to assess the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vivo (from Escherichia coli, 2 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally) on the production and elimination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in rat hepatic endothelial and Kupffer cells. Twenty-two hours after the injection of LPS, hepatic cells were isolated by collagenase and pronase digestion followed by centrifugal elutriation, and cell-associated H2O2 was determined by flow cytometry analysis using 2',7'-dichloroflorescin diacetate (DCF-diacetate). LPS treatment did not alter the basal or phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated levels of H2O2-related fluorescence in endothelial cells; however, it doubled phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated fluorescence in Kupffer cells. Administration of varying concentrations of H202 (range, 10(-7) - 10(-4) mol/L) in vitro caused a significantly delayed increase in fluorescence in endothelial cells from endotoxemic rats as compared with cells from saline-injected animals. The 50% effective concentration of H202 was found at 1.1 x 10(-6) and 8.1 x 10(-6) mol/L on endothelial cells after saline and LPS treatment, respectively. No differences were detected in H2O2-stimulated fluorescence between resting and LPS-stimulated Kupffer cells. Administration of varying glucose concentrations in vitro significantly decreased the H2O2-stimulated fluorescence in endothelial and Kupffer cells from LPS-injected animals. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by in vitro administration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NNMMA) did not alter the H2O2- or phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated responses in endothelial and Kupffer cells. As shown earlier, LPS stimulates the gene expression of GLUT1 glucose transporter, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), superoxide dismutases, and glutathione peroxidase in hepatic endothelial cells. The present data indicate that the LPS-induced metabolic alterations are accompanied by an increased H2O2-detoxifying capacity in hepatic endothelial cells. This may represent a protective mechanism against exogenous oxidative stress caused by activated hepatic phagocytes during inflammation. Our observations are consistent with primed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LPS-activated Kupffer cells.

Animals↗

Soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor type II (sTNF alpha RII) correlates with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA copy number in HIV-infected patients.

Soluble TNF receptor type II (sTNF alpha RII) levels in serum, CD4 lymphocyte counts, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burdens have each been correlated with HIV disease progression. The level of sTNF alpha RII and HIV RNA was measured in serum and the CD4 lymphocyte count of 25 HIV-infected patients was determined. sTNF alpha RII ranged between 3.019 and 12.57 ng/mL (mean +/- SD, 6.705 +/- 2.5). HIV-1 RNA varied from 960 to 281,160 copies/mL (71,988 +/- 75,684). CD4 cell number was between 4 and 540/microL (181.3 +/- 152.2). Univariate analysis revealed a moderate inverse correlation of sTNF alpha RII with CD4 cell number (r = -.41, P < .05) and a strong positive correlation between sTNF alpha RII and log RNA copy number (r = .62, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, sTNF alpha RII strongly correlated with RNA copy number (P < .01) but not CD4 lymphocyte count. sTNF alpha RII measurements appear to be predictive of clinical outcomes because they are a surrogate indicator of the patients' immunologic response to a virus load.

CD4 Lymphocyte Count↗

A 24-week open-label phase I/II evaluation of the HIV protease inhibitor MK-639 (indinavir).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and activity of the orally bio-available protease inhibitor MK-639. DESIGN: An open-label Phase I/II trial of medically stable subjects with screening CD4 lymphocyte counts < or = 300 x 10(6)/I and > or = 20,000 HIV RNA copies/ml. Pharmacokinetics were performed at days 1 and 15. In order to better understand the relationships between drug exposure, baseline activity markers, and their changes during the study, mathematical modeling was performed using the traditional sigmoid-Emax relationship of pharmacologic effect and first order inhomogeneous differential equations for a two compartment system. RESULTS: The five men enrolled had extensive prior nucleoside therapy (mean, 32.6 +/- 25.6 months), a low mean CD4 lymphocyte cell count (CD4 count, 66.1 +/- 61 x 10(6)/I and CD4 percentage, 4.4 +/- 3.1%), high soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha type II (sTNFII) receptor concentration (6.23 +/- 2.76 ng/ml) and high viral load (5.13 +/- 0.46 log10 RNA copies/ ml; geometric mean, 133,941 copies/ml). The drug was well tolerated at a dose of 600 mg every 6 h. The steady state concentrations Cmax and Cmin were 4.94 +/- 2.16 microM and 0.28 +/-0.1 microM, respectively, which are approximately equal to 50 and 3 times the 95% inhibitory concentration (IC95) for clinical isolates, respectively. The mean increase in CD4 cell count was 143 x 10(6)/ (217% increase ), the mean increase in CD4 percentage was 5.2 percentage points (118%), mean decrease in HIV RNA was 1.55 log10 RNA copies/ml (a geometric mean difference of 130,120 copies/ml or 97% decrease) with a slow upward drift on continued therapy to a mean 0.64 log10 RNA copies/ml decrease by week 24 (a geometric mean difference of 103,084 copies/ml or 77% decrease), and a mean decrease in sTNFII receptors of 2.78 ng/ml (45% decrease). The mean CD4 counts per week as a function of the starting CD4 counts fit a sigmoid-Emax relationship (r2 = 0.998, P < 0.0001) with the return of CD4 cells being strongly related to the number of CD4 cells at baseline. Drug exposure as measured by either the total exposure (area under the concentration/time curve) or as the Cmin gave similar significant relationships to the fractional inhibition of HIV generation (r2 = 0.999, P < 0.0001, and r2 = 0.996, P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: MK-639 appears to have significant dose-related antiviral activity and is well tolerated.

Adult↗