Martina Palacková

Mechanism of impaired glucose metabolism during nilotinib therapy in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia

Hyperglycemia represents frequent adverse event reported in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients treated with nilotinib. In order to determine the major mechanism of glucose metabolism impairment, we performed a metabolic analysis using an oral glucose tolerance test as well as assessment of incretins and adipokines at baseline and after 3 months of nilotinib treatment in patients with CML. We proved that rapid insulin resistance, compensatory hyperinsulinaemia, and hypoadiponectinaemia develop after initiation of nilotinib therapy, which clarifies not only the mechanism of impaired glucose metabolism, but also explains the fast development of dyslipidaemia and peripheral artery occlusion in nilotinib-treated CML patients.

Disseminated fusariosis by Fusarium proliferatum in a patient with aplastic anaemia receiving primary posaconazole prophylaxis - case report and review of the literature.

Disseminated fusariosis is a life‐threatening, invasive, opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients, especially those with haematological malignancies. The prognosis is poor because these fungi are resistant to many of the available antifungal agents. We present a case of disseminated fusariosis caused by Fusarium proliferatum in a patient with severe aplastic anaemia complicated by a secondary infection of Aspergillus flavus, with a fatal outcome. We also review the documented Fusarium infections in immunocompromised hosts.

Detecting human cytomegalovirus drug resistant mutations and monitoring the emergence of resistant strains using real-time PCR

BACKGROUND Antiviral resistance development is a serious complication of human cytomegalovirus virostatic therapy caused by mutations in UL 97 and/or UL54 genes. OBJECTIVES To determinate the presence of sensitive and resistant strains in patients developing antiviral resistance. STUDY DESIGN We used three different molecular biological methods for mutation analysis-restriction fragment length polymorphism, sequencing and real-time PCR approach. RESULTS We describe three allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients developing the GCV resistant HCMV strains manifested by virostatic treatment failure. In these patients we identified UL97 mutations L595S, A594V and A594T and monitored the dynamics of coexisted sensitive/resistant strains. We confirmed the presence of mixed HCMV populations and in two patients a phenomenon of sensitive strain repopulation which occurred after 6.5 months and 1 month after removing GCV pressure. CONCLUSIONS Our results show changes in proportions of sensitive/resistant subpopulations over time but other studies would be required to demonstrate the beneficial impact of their monitoring on clinical outcome.