BACKGROUND Bacterial infections are a major cause of illness and death in patients who are neutropenic after chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Trials have shown the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in decreasing the incidence of bacterial infections but not in reducing mortality rates. PURPOSE To evaluate whether antibiotic prophylaxis in neutropenic patients reduces mortality and incidenc...

BACKGROUND Neutropenia, as a predisposing factor for invasive candidiasis, is defined as a reduction in neutrophil count to less than 1500/mm3. It is a common condition in patients with hematological malignancy and cytostatic chemotherapy. Extensive chemotherapy and prophylaxis with antifungals have increased the resistance of Candida isolates to antifungal drugs. Although, Candida albicans is ...

A retrospective cohort analysis was performed to determine the impact of neutropenia on the outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with myelodysplasia (MDS). Among 291 consecutive patients, 178 (61%) had absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) <1500/microL and 113 (39%) had ANCs > or =1500/microL within 2 weeks before HSCT. Neutropenic patients more often had poor-risk karyo...

Infection in the neutropenic patient has remained a major clinical challenge for over three decades. While diagnostic and therapeutic interventions have improved greatly during this period, increases in the number of patients with neutropenia, changes in the etiologic agents involved, and growing antibiotic resistance have continued to be problematic. The evolving etiology of infections in this...

AIM To evaluate a newly developed aspergillus mitochondrial gene PCR-ELISA assay for the early diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in neutropenic patients. METHODS The aspergillus mitochondrial gene was chosen for the amplification target for use with a solution hybridisation assay with colorimetric end stage detection in microtitre plate format (PCR-ELISA). The study group co...

INTRODUCTION Intentional release of Yersinia pestis will likely be propagated by aerosol exposure. We explored the effects of neutropenia on the outcome of doxycycline and gentamicin therapy. METHODS Female BALB/c mice were exposed to 20 LD(50) of Y. pestis CO92 by aerosol. Treatments were saline (negative control), levofloxacin at 15 mg/kg every 12 h (positive control), doxycycline at 40 mg/...

BACKGROUND Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a major dose-limiting toxicity of cancer chemotherapy resulting in considerable morbidity, mortality, and cost. This study evaluated the time course of neutropenic events and patterns of supportive care interventions in patients receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer treated in oncology community practices. METHODS A prospective cohort stud...

BACKGROUND There is a great need for novel strategies to overcome the high mortality associated with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in immunocompromised patients. To evaluate the antifungal and antihepatotoxic potentials of Sepia ink extract, its effect on liver oxidative stress levels was analyzed against IPA in neutropenic mice using amphotercin B as a reference drug. MATERIALS AND ...

AIM To evaluate the incidence and duration of late-onset neutropenia (defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <1500 mm(-3) at a postnatal age of >3 wk) in a population of infants with birthweight <2000 g, and to determine whether copper deficiency, a possible cause of both anemia and neutropenia, may be associated with this complication. METHODS Complete blood cell count and differentia...

OBJECTIVE To determine the gastrointestinal toxic effects of idarubicin and cytosine arabinoside combination therapy in patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a single-institution retrospective analysis of the incidence of neutropenic colitis in patients with newly diagnosed AML receiving idarubicin and cytosine arabinoside combinatio...