Abstract. Oral mucositis is a condition that is characterized by ulcerative lesions in the mucosa of patients undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Oral mucositis is currently considered to be the most severe complication of anticancer therapy, affecting 40-80% of patients undergoing chemotherapy and almost all those undergoing radiotherapy of the head and neck. Although they do not prevent lesions from appearing, drugs for the treatment of oral mucositis are required to minimize its clinical aggressiveness and improve the nutritional status, hydration and quality of life of the affected patients. Furthermore, the prevention and control of oral ulcers is crucial for cancer prognosis, since the establishment of severe lesions may lead to temporary or permanent treatment discontinuation and compromise cancer control.

Background: Complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) remain challenging to treat because of their polymicrobial etiology including multi-drug resistant bacteria. The efficacy and safety of tigecycline, an expanded broad-spectrum glycylcycline antibiotic, was compared with imipenem/cilastatin (IMI/CIS) in patients with cIAI.

Abstract. Malignant neoplasia represents the second cause of disease-related mortality and, among all patients diagnosed with cancer, 70% will receive chemotherapy during the course of treatment. As a consequence, an increasing number of researchers have focused their attention on the search for more specific anticancer therapies associated with fewer side effects. Leukopenia is an important adverse effect associated with chemotherapy. Secondary infection is very common among leukopenic patients, directly affecting the continuity of the chemotherapeutic treatment and leading to possible complications in tumor immune defense. Atorvastatin, a type of statin, is a known agent used to control hypercholesterolemia. Trans-caryophyllene, isolated from a resinous oil extracted from the Copaiba tree, possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, through a complete leukocyte count, the systemic immunomodulation potential of pentoxifylline (PTX), atorvastatin and trans-caryophyllene, as well as the possible prophylactic role of these drugs against secondary leukopenia, in an experimental chemotherapy model induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in Wistar rats. A total of 32 male Wistar rats were used, 24 of which were submitted to treatment with atorvastatin, PTX and trans-caryophyllene prior to the administration of chemotherapy. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to verify normality and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for negative data in the normality test. Among the drugs selected, atorvastatin exhibited the best preventive potential in regards to leukopenia secondary to experimental chemotherapy induced by 5-FU, in comparison to the group receiving saline solution, while PTX amplified such alterations in the leukograms of the animals in this trial.

In this study, ertapenem and ceftriaxone/metronidazole were comparably effective treatments for adult patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections.

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