Sepsis as a Possible Adverse Drug Reaction in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated With TNFα Antagonists

Meprin and ADAM proteases as triggers of systemic inflammation in sepsis

Systemic inflammatory disorders (SIDs) comprise a broad range of diseases characterized by dysregulated excessive innate immune responses. Severe forms of SIDs can lead to organ failure and death, and their increasing incidence represents a major issue for the healthcare system. Protease-mediated ectodomain shedding of cytokines and their receptors represents a central mechanism in the regulation of inflammatory responses. The metalloprotease A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) 17 is the best-characterized ectodomain sheddase capable of releasing TNF-α and soluble IL-6 receptor, which are decisive factors of systemic inflammation. Recently, meprin metalloproteases were also identified as IL-6 receptor sheddases and activators of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. In different mouse models of SID, particularly those mimicking a sepsis-like phenotype, ADAM17 and meprins have been found to promote disease progression. In this review, we summarize the role of ADAM10, ADAM17, and meprins in the onset and progression of sepsis and discuss their potential as therapeutic targets.

CTLA4 Immunoglobulin but Not Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy Promotes Staphylococcal Septic Arthritis in Mice

BACKGROUND

The development of biologics has greatly increased the quality of life and the life expectancy of many patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, a large number of these patients have an increased risk of developing serious infections. The aim of this study was to examine differential effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment and CTLA4 immunoglobulin (Ig) treatment on both immunological response and host defense in a murine model of septic arthritis.

METHODS

Abatacept (CTLA4-Ig), etanercept (anti-TNF), or phosphate-buffered saline were given to NMRI mice intravenously inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus. The clinical course of septic arthritis and histopathological and radiological changes of joints were compared among the groups.

RESULTS

Mice receiving CTLA4-Ig treatment had more-severe septic arthritis, compared with controls and mice receiving anti-TNF treatment. Anti-TNF treatment led to more-severe weight loss and kidney abscesses, as well as a higher bacterial burden in the kidneys. Mice receiving CTLA4-Ig therapy had lower serum levels of interleukin 4, whereas mice receiving anti-TNF therapy had higher levels of TNF-α. Both iNOS and arginase-1 expression were reduced in peritoneal macrophages from mice receiving CTLA4-Ig, compared with expression in the anti-TNF group.

CONCLUSIONS

CTLA4-Ig therapy significantly increased the susceptibility to S. aureus septic arthritis in mice, whereas anti-TNF therapy deteriorated host bacterial clearance, resulting in more-severe weight loss and kidney abscesses.

ADRIC: Adverse Drug Reactions In Children – a programme of research using mixed methods

Aims

To comprehensively investigate the incidence, nature and risk factors of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in a hospital-based population of children, with rigorous assessment of causality, severity and avoidability, and to assess the consequent impact on children and families. We aimed to improve the assessment of ADRs by development of new tools to assess causality and avoidability, and to minimise the impact on families by developing better strategies for communication.

Review methods

Two prospective observational studies, each over 1 year, were conducted to assess ADRs in children associated with admission to hospital, and those occurring in children who were in hospital for longer than 48 hours. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review of ADRs in children. We used the findings from these studies to develop and validate tools to assess causality and avoidability of ADRs, and conducted interviews with parents and children who had experienced ADRs, using these findings to develop a leaflet for parents to inform a communication strategy about ADRs.

Results

The estimated incidence of ADRs detected in children on admission to hospital was 2.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5% to 3.3%]. Of the reactions, 22.1% (95% CI 17% to 28%) were either definitely or possibly avoidable. Prescriptions originating in the community accounted for 44 out of 249 (17.7%) of ADRs, the remainder originating from hospital. A total of 120 out of 249 (48.2%) reactions resulted from treatment for malignancies. Off-label and/or unlicensed (OLUL) medicines were more likely to be implicated in an ADR than authorised medicines [relative risk (RR) 1.67, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.02;p < 0.001]. When medicines used for the treatment of oncology patients were excluded, OLUL medicines were not more likely to be implicated in an ADR than authorised medicines (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.48;p = 0.830). For children who had been in hospital for > 48 hours, the overall incidence of definite and probable ADRs based on all admissions was 15.9% (95% CI 15.0 to 16.8). Opiate analgesic drugs and drugs used in general anaesthesia (GA) accounted for > 50% of all drugs implicated in ADRs. The odds ratio of an OLUL drug being implicated in an ADR compared with an authorised drug was 2.25 (95% CI 1.95 to 2.59;p < 0.001). Risk factors identified were exposure to a GA, age, oncology treatment and number of medicines. The systematic review estimated that the incidence rates for ADRs causing hospital admission ranged from 0.4% to 10.3% of all children [pooled estimate of 2.9% (95% CI 2.6% to 3.1%)] and from 0.6% to 16.8% of all children exposed to a drug during hospital stay. New tools to assess causality and avoidability of ADRs have been developed and validated. Many parents described being dissatisfied with clinician communication about ADRs, whereas parents of children with cancer emphasised confidence in clinician management of ADRs and the way clinicians communicated about medicines. The accounts of children and young people largely reflected parents’ accounts. Clinicians described using all of the features of communication that parents wanted to see, but made active decisions about when and what to communicate to families about suspected ADRs, which meant that communication may not always match families’ needs and expectations. We developed a leaflet to assist clinicians in communicating ADRs to parents.

Conclusion

The Adverse Drug Reactions In Children (ADRIC) programme has provided the most comprehensive assessment, to date, of the size and nature of ADRs in children presenting to, and cared for in, hospital, and the outputs that have resulted will improve the management and understanding of ADRs in children and adults within the NHS. Recommendations for future research: assess the values that parents and children place on the use of different medicines and the risks that they will find acceptable within these contexts; focusing on high-risk drugs identified in ADRIC, determine the optimum drug dose for children through the development of a gold standard practice for the extrapolation of adult drug doses, alongside targeted pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies; assess the research and clinical applications of the Liverpool Causality Assessment Tool and the Liverpool Avoidability Assessment Tool; evaluate, in more detail, morbidities associated with anaesthesia and surgery in children, including follow-up in the community and in the home setting and an assessment of the most appropriate treatment regimens to prevent pain, vomiting and other postoperative complications; further evaluate strategies for communication with families, children and young people about ADRs; and quantify ADRs in other settings, for example critical care and neonatology.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

Sulfatide attenuates experimental Staphylococcus aureus sepsis through a CD1d-dependent pathway

Natural killer T (NKT) lymphocytes are implicated in the early response to microbial infection. Further, sulfatide, a myelin self-glycosphingolipid, activates a type II NKT cell subset and can modulate disease in murine models. We examined the role of NKT cells and the effect of sulfatide treatment in a murine model of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. The lack of CD1d-restricted NKT cells did not alter survival after a lethal inoculum of S. aureus. In contrast, sulfatide treatment significantly improved the survival rate of mice with S. aureus sepsis, accompanied by decreased levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 in the blood. The protective effect of sulfatide treatment depended on CD1d but not on type I NKT cells, suggesting that activation of type II NKT cells by sulfatide has beneficial effects on the outcome of S. aureus sepsis in this model.

Development and inter-rater reliability of the Liverpool adverse drug reaction causality assessment tool

Aim

To develop and test a new adverse drug reaction (ADR) causality assessment tool (CAT).

Methods

A comparison between seven assessors of a new CAT, formulated by an expert focus group, compared with the Naranjo CAT in 80 cases from a prospective observational study and 37 published ADR case reports (819 causality assessments in total).

Main Outcome Measures

Utilisation of causality categories, measure of disagreements, inter-rater reliability (IRR).

Results

The Liverpool ADR CAT, using 40 cases from an observational study, showed causality categories of 1 unlikely, 62 possible, 92 probable and 125 definite (1, 62, 92, 125) and ‘moderate’ IRR (kappa 0.48), compared to Naranjo (0, 100, 172, 8) with ‘moderate’ IRR (kappa 0.45). In a further 40 cases, the Liverpool tool (0, 66, 81, 133) showed ‘good’ IRR (kappa 0.6) while Naranjo (1, 90, 185, 4) remained ‘moderate’.

Conclusion

The Liverpool tool assigns the full range of causality categories and shows good IRR. Further assessment by different investigators in different settings is needed to fully assess the utility of this tool.

The combination of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor and antibiotic alleviates staphylococcal arthritis and sepsis in mice

BACKGROUND

Despite advances in medical practices, in recent decades permanent reductions in joint function have not been achieved, and the high mortality rate of patients with staphylococcal septic arthritis has not substantially improved.

METHODS

We evaluated the effects of a combined tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor and antibiotic therapy on the course of Staphylococcus aureus arthritis and sepsis in mice.

RESULTS

Treatment with the combination of a TNF inhibitor and an antibiotic resulted in a quicker relief of clinical arthritis in mice with septic arthritis, compared with an antibiotic monotherapy. Both histopathologically verified synovitis and the extent of joint destruction were reduced by this combined treatment. Importantly, anti-TNF treatment significantly improved the survival rate of mice with S. aureus sepsis and staphylococcal enterotoxin shock syndrome; this effect might be the result of a partial restoration of the hemostatic balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Finally, we demonstrated that anti-TNF treatment downregulates high-mobility group protein B1 in staphylococcal enterotoxin shock syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, simultaneous systemic TNF inhibition and antibiotic therapy has beneficial effects on the outcome of S. aureus arthritis and sepsis in a mouse model, suggesting that the combination of a TNF inhibitor and antibiotics represents a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of staphylococcal infections.

Clinical development of onercept, a tumor necrosis factor binding protein, in psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α plays a critical role in psoriasis pathogenesis, and several anti-TNF agents have been developed as therapeutic drugs in this indication.

SCOPE

To present the preclinical rationale and clinical data for onercept, a novel anti-TNF agent developed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and to critically evaluate the onercept clinical development program.

FINDINGS

Onercept was shown in preclinical studies to inhibit TNF-α and suppress clinical signs in several inflammatory conditions. In phase II studies onercept demonstrated a therapeutic benefit in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and no safety issues were identified. Based on these results, a phase III program comprising three multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies examining onercept in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis was initiated. Following the occurrence of two cases of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and lower than expected efficacy results, an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) determined that the risk-benefit ratio was not sufficiently favorable to justify continued development, and all clinical studies were promptly terminated. Although not initially diagnosed as such by the investigators, two further SIRS events were reported, one after study discontinuation. Although an increased incidence of infection and sepsis-like events has been associated with other anti-TNF therapies, an increased risk of infection was not observed with onercept treatment. Moreover, no infectious etiology was determined in the SIRS cases. The data suggest that the SIRS reactions were due to a systemic inflammatory response.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite promising early clinical results, onercept showed many of the expected risks associated with other anti-TNF agents and proved not to have an exceptional efficacy and safety profile. The clinical development of onercept highlights the critical importance of DSMBs and closely monitoring patient safety and evaluating risk-benefit profiles in large clinical programs.

Incidence and nature of infectious disease in patients treated with anti-TNF agents

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors offer a targeted therapeutic strategy that contrasts with the nonspecific immunosuppressive agents traditionally used to treat most inflammatory diseases. These biologic agents have had a significant impact in ameliorating the signs and symptoms of inflammatory rheumatoid disease and improving patient function. From the onset of clinical trials, a central concern of cytokine blockade has been a potential increase in susceptibility to infections. Not surprisingly, a variety of infections have been reported in association with the use of TNF-alpha inhibitor agents. In particular, there is evidence suggesting an increased rate of granulomatous infections in patients treated with monoclonal TNF-alpha inhibitors. This review provides the incidence and nature of infections in patients treated with TNF-alpha inhibitor agents and reminds the clinician of the required vigilance in monitoring patients.

Bacterial and opportunistic infections during anti-TNF therapy

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a crucial role in host defence against bacterial infections. Summarizing the results, the findings of immunological and clinical research suggest a higher infection risk in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis patients receiving anti-TNF treatment. This is especially true for granulomatous infections in patients treated with the monoclonal TNF-alpha antibodies infliximab or adalimumab. Furthermore, patients treated with TNF inhibitors have a higher susceptibility to infections because of their higher active and more severe disease. Therefore, patients receiving anti-TNF treatment should be closely monitored for serious infections. A rapid and sufficient treatment of infections that are not mild and transient is recommended. There are atypical signs and symptoms as well as atypical pathogen that should be considered. Patients should be educated about how to avoid infectious complications.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: why do I have to hurt so much?

In the current world of high-tech medicine, some individuals nevertheless experience immeasurable chronic pain daily. Among these are 60,000 to 70,000 children in the United States who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The children affected by this disease experience a decreased quality of life and sometimes blindness. Outcome severity in these cases is related directly to the amount of injury to bones, joints, soft tissue, and eyes at the time of diagnosis. There are not enough specialists to ensure timely diagnosis and medications, and although the symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are treatable, there is no cure. Until timely diagnosis and treatment can be ensured, pain and blindness will continue to be the daily experience of these children.