Interferon dosing interval

Bain VG, Marotta P, Kaita K, Yoshida E, Swain MG, Bailey R, Neumann AU, Cronin PW, McHutchison JG, Pulkstenis E, Subramanian GM (2007) Comparable antiviral response rates with albumin interferon alpha-2b dosed at Q2W or Q4W intervals in naive subjects with genotype 2 or 3 chronic hepatitis C. J Hepatol 46 S7... 

It has been suggested that low-to-intermediate doses of aldesleukin alone or associated with interferon alfa may be safer under outpatient conditions (5). Patients over 60 years of age and individuals with previously raised serum creatinine concentrations have been thought to be likely to have longer-lasting and more severe renal impairment, but neither previous nephrectomy nor the interval between nephrectomy and initiation of aldesleukin therapy were associated with a higher risk of renal insufficiency (4). 

In one study, in which prospective ophthalmic examinations were made before and at regular 2-week intervals after the beginning and end of treatment, 28 of 81 patients who received a uniform total dose of natural interferon aha (478 MU) for chronic hepatitis C developed the typical findings of interferon-induced asymptomatic retinopathy (cottonwool spots and/or retinal hemorrhages) (84). In contrast, there were no lesions in the 25 patients with chronic hepatitis C who did not receive interferon alfa or in the 20 with diabetes mellitus and/or hjrpertension but without chronic hepatitis C. Most of the cases were observed within 4 months of treatment, and the lesions always abated after withdrawal or even despite continuation, suggesting that treatment can be continued unless patients develop sjmp-toms. Indeed, most patients with retinopathy associated with interferon alfa remained asymptomatic. 

The toxicity of TSST-1 and HI 35 A was tested in 20 g BALB/c mice (n=15 per dose) injected intraperitoneally (ip) with either protein diluted in PBS. Four hours later, mice were injected ip with 75 pg of E. coli 055 B5 LPS (Difco Laboratories, MI) and lethality was observed over 72 h. The serum cytokine levels of tumor necrosis factor a and P (TNF), as well as interferon gamma (IFNy), were measured over 14 h (2 h intervals) in mice injected with either 15 pg TSST-1, 15 pg TSST-1 plus 75 pgLPS, 15 pgH135Aplus LPS, or 75 pg LPS only. Serum levels of TNF were determined by an ELISA (Genzyme, M A) with triplicate samples the standard deviation (SD). Data for IFNy were collected from an L929 cell lysis assay with duplicate samples 10%. 

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