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Ednan K Bajwa,1 Dawn Cislak,1 Amit Kumar,1 Dan Li,1 Eric J Messina,1 Tom Reynders,2 Jean-François Denef,2 Vasile Corcea,3 Ketan P Buch,4 Eseng Lai,1 S Aubrey Stoch1 1MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA; 2Translational Medicine, MSD Belgium, Brussels, Belgium; 3PMSI Republican Clinical Hospital “T. Mosneaga”, ARENSIA EM Unit, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Lexington VA Healthcare, Lexington, KY, USACorrespondence: Ednan K Bajwa, Translational Medicine, Merck Research Laboratories Massachusetts LLC, 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, MAILSTOP BMB-3-420, Boston, MA, 02115-5727, USA, Tel +1 617 992-3470, Email ednan.bajwa@merck.comPurpose: This phase 1 study (NCT04370873) evaluated safety and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of MK-5475 in participants with pulmonary hypertension associated with COPD (PH-COPD).Methods: Eligible participants were 40– 80 years old with COPD (FEV1/FVC < 0.7; FEV1 > 30% predicted) and PH (mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥ 25 mmHg). Participants were randomized 2:1 to MK-5475 or placebo via dry-powder inhaler once daily for 7 days in Part 1 (360 μg) or 28 days in Part 2 (380 μg). Safety was assessed by adverse events (AEs) and arterial blood oxygenation. Part-2 participants had pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; primary PD endpoint) and pulmonary blood volume (PBV; secondary PD endpoint) measured at baseline and Day 28. A non-informative prior was used to calculate posterior probability (PP) that the between-group difference (MK-5475 – placebo) in mean percent reduction from baseline in PVR was less than − 15%.Results: Nine participants were randomized in Part 1, and 14 participants in Part 2. Median age of participants (86.4% male) was 68.5 years (41– 77 years); 95.5% had moderate-to-severe COPD. Incidences of AEs were comparable between MK-5475 and placebo: overall (5/14 [36%] versus 5/8 [63%]), drug-related (1/14 [7%] versus 2/8 [25%]), and serious (1/14 [7%] versus 1/8 [13%]). MK-5475 caused no meaningful changes in arterial blood oxygenation or PBV. MK-5475 versus placebo led to numerical improvements from baseline in PVR (− 21.2% [95% CI: − 35.4, − 7.0] versus − 5.4% [95% CI: − 83.7, 72.9]), with between-group difference in PVR less than − 15% and calculated PP of 51%.Conclusion: The favorable safety profile and numerical reductions in PVR observed support further clinical development of inhaled MK-5475 for PH-COPD treatment.Keywords: pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, MK-5475, soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, dry powder inhaler, pulmonary vascular resistance

Pulmonary hypertension and concomitant right ventricular failure present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in the intensive care unit and have been associated with a high mortality. Significant co-morbidities and hemodynamic instability are often present, and routine critical care unit resuscitation may worsen hemodynamics and limit the chances of survival in patients with an already underlying poor prognosis. Right ventricular failure results from structural or functional processes that limit the right ventricle's ability to maintain adequate cardiac output. It is commonly seen as the result of left heart failure, acute pulmonary embolism, progression or decompensation of pulmonary hypertension, sepsis, acute lung injury, or in the perioperative setting. Prompt recognition of the underlying cause and institution of treatment with a thorough understanding of the elements necessary to optimize preload, cardiac contractility, enhance systemic arterial perfusion, and reduce right ventricular afterload are of paramount importance. Moreover, the emergence of previously uncommon entities in patients with pulmonary hypertension (pregnancy, sepsis, liver disease, etc.) and the availability of modern devices to provide support pose additional challenges that must be addressed with an in-depth knowledge of this disease.

Levetiracetam is considered by many clinicians to be one of the most benign antiepileptic medications available. We report the case of a 24-year-old man presenting with seizures for which he was started on levetiracetam. Despite an extensive work-up and treatment of possible infectious and noninfectious issues, the patient remained intermittently febrile. When a marked peripheral eosinophilia was noted, the patient's levetiracetam was discontinued and phenytoin prescribed. The fever resolved within 24 hours, and the patient's eosinophilia count returned to normal limits following discharge back to his long-term care facility. We estimate the probability of this reaction related to levetiracetam as probable based on a score of 7 on the Naranjo scale. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility that levetiracetam may be an offending agent in a patient with unexplained fever and eosinophilia. These may be early signs of the progression to a more serious drug hypersensitivity reaction, such as drug rash, eosinophilia, and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome., (© 2015 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.)

Objective: To report on invasive aspergillosis infection in an immunocompetent adult after a near-drowning event, which allowed this pathogen to easily gain access to the human respiratory system and result in rapid, severe infection., Case Summary: A 51-year-old female developed severe pneumonia after a near-drowning accident. Two days after admission, a bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and was positive for Aspergillus fumigatus. After a 30-day hospital course, multiple antifungals, and various routes of administration, the patient expired., Discussion:: Pneumonia is particularly common because of the aspiration of contaminated water. Whereas pneumococci, staphylococci, and Gram-negative bacteria are all common pathogens for this type of infection, fungi such as Aspergillus spp can also be involved and may be life threatening. Typically, these cases are reported in individuals with an immunodeficiency such as from receipt of myelosuppressive chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, or lung transplants. Despite initiation of an appropriate empirical antifungal regimen, the rapid recovery of A fumigatus from pulmonary alveolar lavage and BAL samples as well as extremely elevated levels of galactomannan and (1→3)-β-D glucan may have indicated an invasive fungal infection (IFI)., Conclusion:: IFIs are uncommon in immunocompetent adults, but in the event of a near-drowning accident, environmental fungi can gain access to the human respiratory system and result in rapid, severe infection. Based on this case and the others described, it appears that near-drowning patients need an early initial evaluation for IFI., (© The Author(s) 2014.)