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M Cynamon

Publications and source records attributed to M Cynamon.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Characterization of pncA mutations in pyrazinamide-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a first-line drug for short-course tuberculosis therapy. Resistance to PZA is usually accompanied by loss of pyrazinamidase (PZase) activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PZase converts PZA to bactericidal pyrazinoic acid, and the loss of PZase activity is associated with PZA resistance. The gene (pncA) encoding the M. tuberculosis PZase has recently been sequenced, and mutations in pncA were previously found in a small number of PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. To further understand the genetic basis of PZA resistance and determine the frequency of PZA-resistant strains having pncA mutations, we analyzed a panel of PZA-resistant clinical isolates and mutants made in vitro. Thirty-three of 38 PZA-resistant clinical isolates had pncA mutations. Among the five strains that did not contain pncA mutations, four were found to be falsely resistant and one was found to be borderline resistant to PZA. The 33 PZA-resistant clinical isolates and 8 mutants made in vitro contained various mutations, including nucleotide substitutions, insertions, or deletions in the pncA gene. The identified mutations were dispersed along the pncA gene, but some degree of clustering of mutations was found at the following regions: Gly132-Thr142, Pro69-Leu85, and Ile5-Asp12. PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was shown to be useful for the rapid detection of pncA mutations in the PZA-resistant strains. We conclude that a mutation in the pncA gene is a major mechanism of PZA resistance and that direct sequencing by PCR or SSCP analysis should help to rapidly identify PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis strains.

Amidohydrolases↗

A randomized trial of clarithromycin as prophylaxis against disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection in patients with advanced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Disseminated infection with Mycobacterium avium complex is the most common opportunistic infection in patients with advanced stages of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We studied the efficacy and safety of prophylactic treatment with clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of clarithromycin in patients with AIDS in the United States and Europe. Entry criteria included blood cultures that were negative for M. avium complex, a Karnofsky performance score of 50 or higher, a CD4 cell count of 100 or less per cubic millimeter, and a life expectancy of at least six months. RESULTS: After the first interim analysis, the study was stopped. M. avium complex infection developed in 19 of the 333 patients (6 percent) assigned to clarithromycin and in 53 of the 334 (16 percent) assigned to placebo (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.31; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.53; P<0.001). During the follow-up period of about 10 months, 32 percent of the patients in the clarithromycin group died and 41 percent of those in the placebo group died (hazard ratio, 0.75; P=0.026). In the clarithromycin group, isolates from 11 of the 19 patients with M. avium complex infection were resistant to clarithromycin. Prophylaxis with clarithromycin was associated with an increased incidence of taste perversion (11 percent in the clarithromycin group vs. 2 percent in the placebo group, P<0.001) and rectal disorders (8 percent vs. 3 percent, P = 0.007); however, the frequency of more severe adverse events was similar in the two groups (7 percent and 6 percent, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced AIDS, the prophylactic administration of clarithromycin is well tolerated, prevents M. avium complex infection, and reduces mortality.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Evaluation of new anti-infective drugs for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Food and Drug Administration.

This guideline addresses the evaluation of new antimycobacterial drugs in the treatment and prevention (secondary prophylaxis) of infection by M. tuberculosis. Patients may be enrolled in clinical trials on the basis of clinical and/or microbiological criteria. A therapeutic regimen will likely include a combination of drugs; a randomized, active-control, comparative clinical trial is recommended. If appropriate samples can be obtained for culture during follow-up without placing the patient at unwarranted risk, the assessment of microbiological outcome is paramount. Prophylaxis will probably require a single drug, and a similar study design is preferred.

Adult↗

Evaluation of new anti-infective drugs for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by the Mycobacterium avium complex. Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Food and Drug Administration.

The bacteria of the Mycobacterium avium complex are ubiquitous; thus it is often difficult to distinguish environmental contamination from colonization or infection. Patients with either pulmonary or disseminated infection may be enrolled in clinical trials. Disseminated disease occurs mostly in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. In general, a randomized, active-control, double-blinded clinical trial is preferred; there should at least be a blinded evaluator. With regard to immunosuppressed populations, new antimycobacterial drugs need to be evaluated not only for the treatment but also for the prevention of disease. For trials of prophylaxis a placebo-controlled design is ethical until a drug is proven effective; then the use of an active-control regimen is appropriate. Since no regimen has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment or prevention of disease caused by the M. avium complex, demonstration of the superiority of the study regimen to the control regimen should be the objective of the clinical trial.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Evaluation of new anti-infective drugs for the treatment of disease caused by Mycobacterium kansasii and other mycobacteria. Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Food and Drug Administration.

Mycobacterium kansasii is a photochromogenic nontuberculous mycobacterium that usually causes infections of the respiratory tract in humans. Although spontaneous resolution of infection has been reported, most patients require antimycobacterial therapy. A three- or four-drug combination--isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol and/or streptomycin--usually is prescribed. For evaluation of a new drug, a randomized, double-blind or evaluator-blinded, active-control comparative study design is recommended. Treatment should continue for 18-24 months, and follow-up evaluations should be conducted every 6 months for 3 years. Microbiological outcome is paramount.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

Functional inactivation of lac alpha-peptide mRNA by a factor that purifies that Escherichia coli RNase III.

Using RNA-directed synthesis of the alpha-peptide of beta-galactosidase as an assay, a factor was purified that inactivated further function of the mRNA. In the presence of Ca2+ ions to inhibit most nuclease activity, inactivation of mRNA occurred during incubation with ribosomes or with a 1 M KCl wash of ribosomes. The inactivation activity required Mg2+ ions, and purified as a single factor which did not bind to DEAE-cellulose, but bound reversibly to phosphocellulose. The factor eluted from Sephadex G-150 with an apparent molecular weight of about 43,000. Purified 700-fold, it showed no detectable exonuclease activity, and little or no cleavage of a variety of single-stranded substrates, including full length lac operon mRNA; but repurified inactivated mRNA was still inactive for protein synthesis. The factor did not inhibit poly(U)-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis. When proteins isolated from the ribosomal wash were individually tested, highly purified RNase III, which purifies in the same way and has the same size, also inactivated lac mRNA. The ribosomal wash from an RNase III- strain showed little if any activity compared to that from an isogenic RNase III+ strain. The possibility of a site-specific inactivating cleavage of mRNA by RNase III at or near the 5' end is considered.

Calcium↗

Multicenter study of the clinical efficacy of imipenem/cilastatin for treatment of serious infections.

The efficacy and safety of imipenem/cilastatin was evaluated in a multicenter study. For 49 of the 78 patients with 79 infections entered into the study, the clinical and bacteriologic efficacy of therapy could be evaluated. Toxicity data were analyzed for all 79 infections. Overall, 35 of 49 infections were cured or improved: 10 of 11 cases of pneumonia; 8 of 15 cases of pyelonephritis; 4 of 5 cases of osteomyelitis; 3 of 4 intravascular infections; 6 of 9 soft tissue infections; and 4 of 5 miscellaneous infections. There were 13 bacteriologic failures; superinfections with resistant organisms (i.e., Candida albicans, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas maltophilia) occurred in three patients; reinfection with sensitive pathogens complicated one urinary tract infection; relapses developed of five urinary tract infections and of one case of endarteritis; and bacteriologic persistence occurred in three soft tissue infections. Infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most difficult to treat. In only six of 11 P. aeruginosa infections was both bacteriologic and clinical cure achieved. Adverse effects were minimal; no serious hematologic or hepatic toxicity and no adverse renal effects were noted.

Adult↗