Our study showed that dysgeusia after AHSCT led to the decrease in oral intake and extended the TPN administration period. Moreover, MEAM or LEED chemotherapy and oral mucositis were independent risk factors for dysgeusia in patients undergoing AHSCT, while oral cryotherapy was an independent suppressive factor for dysgeusia. Therefore, oral cryotherapy should be implemented into the regimen of supportive care management in patients undergoing AHSCT.

BackgroundPeripheral neuropathy is a well-known side effect of vincristine (VCR), a microtubule inhibitor used for R-CHOP or R-CHOP-like (namely R-CVP and R-THP-COP) regimens. Previous studies have shown that both the total dose of VCR and the number of treatment cycles are related to the incidence of VCR-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN). However, VIPN will also occur during the first treatment cycle regardless of the total dose of VCR or number of treatment cycles (early-onset VIPN). There is little information about early-onset VIPN, and it is difficult to predict. The present study’s goal was to identify risk factors for early-onset VIPN.MethodsWe analyzed the case records of patients who had their first administration of an R-CHOP or R-CHOP-like regimen between April 2008 and August 2013 at Tokushima University Hospital in Tokushima, Japan. To identify the risk factors for early-onset VIPN, we performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.ResultsForty-one patients underwent an R-CHOP or R-CHOP-like regimen for the first time at Tokushima University Hospital between April 2008 and August 2013, and 14 patients had grade 1 or higher early-onset VIPN. A univariate analysis revealed that age, the dose of VCR and the concomitant use of aprepitant appeared to be the risk factors of early-onset VIPN. In our calculation using receiver-operator characteristics curves, the cut-off value for patient age was 65 years and that of the dose of VCR was 1.9 mg. A multivariate analysis revealed that VCR dose ≥ 1.9 mg and the concomitant use of the antiemetic aprepitant were independent risk factors for early-onset VIPN.ConclusionsOur present study showed that the patients who had VCR dose ≥ 1.9 mg and the concomitant use of aprepitant had the risk for early-onset VIPN. This suggests that it is important to use aprepitant in light of the risk of early-onset VIPN and the benefit of aprepitant’s antiemetic effect in R-CHOP and R-CHOP-like regimens.

Sapovirus (SaV) and astrovirus (AstV) are important viral agents causing acute gastroenteritis. In this study, to determine the percentage of SaV and AstV as causative viruses of infectious gastroenteritis, we examined 53 samples of unknown cause from pediatric clinics in Kobe, Japan, where sentinel surveillance for infectious gastroenteritis was conducted from 2016 to 2019. SaV and AstV were screened for their presence by real-time PCR. Positive samples were genotyped by sequencing and genetic analysis of the partial regions of capsid and RdRp. Ninteen SaV and 3 AstV were detected, and the detection rate per unknown case and total case were follows; SaV: 35.8%, 11.0%, AstV: 5.7%, 1.7%. The most frequently detected genotype of SaV was GI.1, followed by GII.3.AstV genotypes were MAstV1.1 and MAstV1.4. This study indicates that SaV and AstV are important causative viruses of pediatric infectious gastroenteritis.