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Methylprednisolone Treatment (methylprednisolone + treatment)
Selected AbstractsHigh-dose methylprednisolone influences the physiology and virulence of Candida albicans ambiguously and enhances the candidacidal activity of the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B and the superoxide-generating agent menadioneFEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 2 2007Ágnes Gyetvai Abstract Although exposure of Candida albicans cells to high-dose (4 mM) methylprednisolone stimulated microbial growth, germination rate in serum and phospholipase release, it also promoted the recognition of C. albicans cells by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Pretreatment of C. albicans cells with methylprednisolone did not result in any increase in the pathogenicity of the fungus in intraperitoneal and intravenous mouse assays. Therefore, the virulence of C. albicans is unlikely to increase in patients treated with comparably high-dose methylprednisolone on skin and mucosal membranes. Methylprednisolone treatments also increased the production of conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and the menadione sensitivity of C. albicans cells, which can be explained by a significant decrease in the specific activities of several antioxidant enzymes. The combination of methylprednisolone with oxidants, e.g. in topical applications, may be of clinical importance when the predisposition to candidiasis is high. Methylprednisolone treatments negatively affected membrane fluidity and decreased the antifungal effects of both the polyene antibiotic nystatin and the ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor lovastatin, and also enhanced the deleterious effects of the polyene antimycotic amphotericin B on C. albicans cells. These corticosteroid,polyene drug interactions should be considered in the treatment of C. albicans infections in patients with prolonged topical application of corticosteroids. [source] The corticosteroid-induced inhibitory effect on NK cell function reflects down-regulation and/or dysfunction of triggering receptors involved in natural cytotoxicityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 11 2004Chiara Vitale Abstract Corticosteroids are known to inhibit NK cell functions. However no information is available on whether such inhibition may affect the expression and/or the function of receptors involved in NK cell activation. In an attempt to analyze this point, we studied peripheral blood NK cells isolated from pediatric patients undergoing allogeneic BM transplantation. NK cells were analyzed before, during and after methylprednisolone administration to treat acute graft-versus-host disease. In NK cells freshly isolated from peripheral blood during methylprednisolone treatment, the surface expression of activating receptors, particularly NKp46 and NKp30, was consistently reduced. Such impaired expression could also be detected after 5,days of culture in IL-2. Such cultured NK cells also failed to express the IL-2-inducible NKp44 receptor. Accordingly, cytotoxicity against different tumor target cell lines was sharply reduced. The effect on NK cells isolated from healthy individuals and cultured in the presence of methylprednisolone was also analyzed. A similar inhibitory effect occurred in the expression of activating NK receptors. In addition, a sharp impairment of NK cytotoxicity against different tumor target cell lines or immature DC was detected. [source] EFNS guideline on treatment of multiple sclerosis relapses: report of an EFNS task force on treatment of multiple sclerosis relapsesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 12 2005F. Sellebjerg Relapses, exacerbations or attacks of multiple sclerosis are the dominating feature of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), but are also observed in patients with secondary progressive MS. High-dose methylprednisolone is the routine therapy for relapses at present, but other treatments are also in current use. The objective of the task force was to review the literature on treatment of MS relapses to provide evidence-based treatment recommendations. Review was carried out on the literature with classification of evidence according to the EFNS guidelines for scientific task forces. Short-term, high-dose methylprednisolone treatment should be considered for the treatment of relapses of MS (level A recommendation). The optimal glucocorticoid treatment regimen, in terms of clinical efficacy and adverse events, remains to be established. A more intense, interdisciplinary rehabilitation programme should be considered as this probably further improves recovery after treatment with methylprednisolone (level B recommendation). Plasma exchange is probably efficacious in a subgroup of patients with severe relapses not responding to methylprednisolone therapy, and should be considered in this patient subgroup (level B recommendation). There is a need for further randomized, controlled trials in order to establish the optimal treatment regimen for relapses of MS. [source] Myeloprotective effect of short-course high-dose methylprednisolone treatment before consolidation therapy in children with acute myeloblastic leukemiaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Selin Aytaç Elmas Abstract In our previous studies, short-course high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) has been shown to shorten the chemotherapy-induced neutropenic period by stimulating the CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in children with acute leukemia. In this study, we investigate the role of short-course HDMP on induction of a myeloprotective effect when administered before consolidation therapy consisting of high-dose cytosine arabinoside and daunorubicin. Thirty-four consecutive newly diagnosed children with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) who received 64 courses of consolidation regimen were entered into the study. The patients received HDMP (group A) at a daily dose of 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone starting 4 days before the initiation of consolidation therapy. The control group did not receive HDMP (group B). There were no differences in the white blood cell (WBC) and absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) between group A (at day ,4) and group B (at day 0) at the beginning of the study (medians: 3 × 109/L vs. 3.2 × 109/L and 1.5 × 109/L vs. 1.7 × 109/L, respectively). The WBC count increased significantly from 3 × 109/L to 6.4 × 109/L, and ANC increased from 1.5 × 109/L to 3.9 × 109/L after 4 days of HDMP treatment in group A (P < 0.01). Following high-dose chemotherapy, the median values of WBC and ANC also remained higher than the control values during the 16 days of the follow-up period. The neutropenic period was significantly shorter in the HDMP group than in the control group (9 ± 5.2 days vs. 22 ± 4.7 days) (P < 0.05). The duration of hospitalization and the interval between two chemotherapy cycles were significantly decreased in group A when compared group B (9 ± 2.7 vs. 14 ± 2.7 days; 22 ± 4.7 vs. 26 ± 4.2 days, respectively) (P < 0.05). Moreover, following consolidation therapy, the number of patients with ANC values below 0.5 × 109/L was lower in group A when compared the group B. In conclusion, the administration of short-course (4 days) HDMP before high-dose chemotherapy has been found to be beneficial for reducing the duration and severity of neutropenia. Further studies with short-course HDMP are required to evaluate its myeloprotective effects in patients with other malignancies. Am. J. Hematol. 80:1,5, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effect of high-dose methylprednisolone treatment on Th17 cells in patients with multiple sclerosis in relapseACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2009M. Liu Objectives,,, Growing evidences have suggested that Th17 cells are involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Treatment with high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) has beneficial effects on functional recovery in patients with MS during relapse. The present study was designed to analyze the influences of IVMP on Th17 cells in patients with MS after a 5-day high-dose IVMP treatment. Materials and methods,,, Th17 cell count and the production of IL-17 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured using flow cytometry and ELISA respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze the mRNA expression of Th17 cell-related factors (IL-17, RORc and IL-23R) in PBMCs. Results,,, A significant reduction in IL-17 production and Th17 cells count in PBMCs was found in patients with MS after IVMP treatment. Moreover, the expression of IL-17, IL-23R and RORc mRNA decreased significantly after IVMP treatment. Conclusions,,, Treatment with methylprednisolone has a suppressive effect on Th17 cells and may be related to its clinical efficiency. [source] | ||||||||||