Manejo de la toxicidad por fármacos antirretrovirales

Rilpivirine attenuates liver fibrosis through selective STAT1-mediated apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells

OBJECTIVE

Liver fibrosis constitutes a major health problem worldwide due to its rapidly increasing prevalence and the lack of specific and effective treatments. Growing evidence suggests that signalling through cytokine-activated Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways regulates liver fibrosis and regeneration. Rilpivirine (RPV) is a widely used anti-HIV drug not reported to produce hepatotoxicity. We aimed to describe the potential hepatoprotective effects of RPV in different models of chronic liver injury, focusing on JAK-STAT signalling regulation.

DESIGN

The effects of RPV on hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrogenesis were studied in a nutritional mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis and bile duct ligation-induced fibrosis. Primary human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) and human cell lines LX-2 and Hep3B were used to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS

RPV exerted a clear anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effect in all the in vivo models of liver injury employed, and enhanced STAT3-dependent proliferation in hepatocytes and apoptosis in HSC through selective STAT1 activation. These results were reproduced in vitro; RPV undermined STAT3 activation and triggered STAT1-mediated pathways and apoptosis in HSC. Interestingly, this selective pro-apoptotic effect completely disappeared when STAT1 was silenced. Conditioned medium experiments showed that HSC apoptosis activated STAT3 in hepatocytes in an interleukin-6-dependent mechanism.

CONCLUSION

RPV ameliorates liver fibrosis through selective STAT1-dependent induction of apoptosis in HSC, which exert paracrinal effects in hepatocytes, thus promoting liver regeneration. RPV's actions may represent an effective strategy to treat chronic liver diseases of different aetiologies and help identify novel therapeutic targets.

Nature and prevalence of adverse drug reaction of antiretroviral medications in Halibet National Referral Hospital: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Monitoring the safety of antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a challenge in resource-constrained countries such as Eritrea due to their serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence, nature, seriousness and possible risk factors of ART associated ADRs in Halibet National Referral Hospital in Eritrea.

METHOD

A three month retrospective, longitudinal, descriptive study of patients treated with ART between September 2005 and December 2016 was conducted in Halibet National Referral Hospital. Demographic characteristics, treatment details, reaction and outcome details, laboratory investigations and other information was abstracted manually from patients' clinical cards. Statistical analysis was conducted using both univariate and multivariate analysis and statistical significance was tested using 95% confidence intervals and/or p-value. A P-value < 0.05 was regarded as being statistically significant.

RESULTS

Of the 309 patients screened, 62.8% encountered at least one ADR and 29.8% of the reactions were serious with similar male to female ratio. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common ADR and were associated mostly with Atripla followed by AZT + 3TC + NVP drug combinations, but lipodystrophy followed by peripheral neuropathy which were both commonly associated with Stavudine and anemia associated with Zidovudine were the most serious. Patients with CD4 count below 200 were more likely to develop ADRs (p = 0.000).

CONCLUSION

ADRs associated with ART drugs in Halibet hospital were found to be highly prevalent. Furthermore, CD4 count below 200, was identified as a major risk factor that predisposes patients to ADRs. This is burdensome to resource constrained countries such as Eritrea who have limited drug options and high HIV prevalence, therefore these findings will help patients and healthcare professionals understand the nature as well as seriousness of these ADRs and identify the risks involved with ART medications which can help minimize ART associated ADRs early on.

[Etravirine in clinical practice: Experience in 151 non-naïve patients]

BACKGROUND

There are limited data on etravirine (ETV) use in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

The reasons, efficacy and tolerability of its use are retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Overall, 151patients started a regimen containing ETV. The main reasons for prescription were toxicity and virological failure. After a median follow-up of 16months 76.2% of the patients had an undetectable viral load. Patients with detectable HIV-RNA at baseline had a greater risk of failure (31.7% vs 18%; P=.05).

CONCLUSION

ETV is safe, effective and durable.

[Consensus statement of the National AIDS Plan Secretariat, Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine and AIDS Study Group of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology on Emergency and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection]

OBJECTIVE

Supporting non-HIV specialist professionals in the treatment of patients with urgent diseases resulting from HIV infection.

METHODS

These recommendations have been agreed by an expert panel from the National AIDS Plan Secretariat, the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine, and the AIDS Study Group. A review has been made of the safety and efficacy results of clinical trials and cohort studies published in biomedical journals (PubMed and Embase) or presented at conferences. The strength of each recommendation (A, B, C) and the level of supporting evidence (I, II, III) are based on a modification of the criteria of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

RESULTS

The data to be collected from the emergency medical history in order to recognize the patient at risk of HIV infection were specified. It stressed the basic knowledge of ART principles and its importance in terms of decline in morbidity and mortality of HIV+ patients and referring to the HIV specialist for follow-up, where appropriate, including drug interactions. Management of different emergency situations that may occur in patients with HIV infection is also mentioned.

CONCLUSIONS

The non-HIV specialist professional, will find the necessary tools to approach HIV patients with an emergency disease.