CAR T-Cell Therapy for Cancer: Latest Updates and Challenges, with a Focus on B-Lymphoid Malignancies and Selected Solid Tumours.

Although exponential progress in treating advanced malignancy has been made in the modern era with immune checkpoint blockade, survival outcomes remain suboptimal. Cellular immunotherapy, such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells, has the potential to improve this. CAR T cells combine the antigen specificity of a monoclonal antibody with the cytotoxic 'power' of T-lymphocytes through expression of a transgene encoding the scFv domain, CD3 activation molecule, and co-stimulatory domains. Although, very rarely, fatal cytokine-release syndrome may occur, CAR T-cell therapy gives patients with refractory CD19-positive B-lymphoid malignancies an important further therapeutic option. However, low-level expression of epithelial tumour-associated-antigens on non-malignant cells makes the application of CAR T-cell technology to common solid cancers challenging, as does the potentially limited ability of CAR T cells to traffic outside the blood/lymphoid microenvironment into metastatic lesions. Despite this, in advanced neuroblastoma refractory to standard therapy, 60% long-term overall survival and an objective response in 63% was achieved with anti GD2-specific CAR T cells.

Distal Gastrectomy With Roux-en-Y Reconstruction for a Seriously Dilated Stomach With Gastric Outlet Obstruction Secondary to Sarcina ventriculi: A Case Report.

Sarcina ventriculi is an anaerobic gram-positive coccus that can resist the acidic media of the stomach and cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Here, we report the case of a 43-year-old male patient with a history of schizophrenia presenting with abdominal distention, nausea, vomiting, early satiety, and weight loss. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast revealed a severely dilated stomach and signs of gastric outlet obstruction on multiple occasions. The endoscopic evaluation showed a dilated stomach, and biopsies revealed non-specific gastritis, negative Helicobacter pylori, and positive S. ventriculi with metaplasia. Medical treatment with proton pump inhibitors, pro-kinetics, ciprofloxacin, and metronidazole failed to improve his symptoms. Finally, the patient was managed surgically with distal gastrectomy with Roux en Y reconstruction, and gastrostomy tube placement was done with satisfactory improvement in his symptoms.

Coronavirus disease 2019 and renal transplantation.

Ever since the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) struck the world, global health strategies have changed significantly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kidney transplant recipients are stratified as being high risk of developing fatal illness from COVID-19 infection. Kidney transplant is the gold-standard treatment for end-stage kidney disease subjects. During the pandemic, significant concerns have emerged regarding continuation of kidney transplant surgeries and management of kidney transplant recipients post-transplant. The added risk of immunosuppression in this cohort was and remains a theoretical concern, posing a potential risk of transplantation rather than benefit. This comprehensive review aims to cover most of the faced challenges in kidney transplantation in different stages of the pandemic. In addition, it will elucidate the epidemiology, nature, course of the disease, surgical consideration in donors and recipients as well as role of immunosuppression and management of COVID-19 infected kidney transplant recipients during these extraordinary circumstances.

Adrenal Insufficiency in patients with cardiogenic shock: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Adrenal Insufficiency (AI) is rarely observed in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). We aimed to identify the prevalence of AI in patients with CS and its effect on their clinical outcomes. AIMS: Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of AI in CS patients who underwent treatments for CS. METHODS: The articles concerning AI in CS were extracted for review from PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, World Wide Science.org, and Pro-Quest. The research articles included patients with CS, post-cardiac-arrest shock, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and CS after acute myocardial infarction. RStudio (version 1.0.136) was used for analyzing AI in CS patients. RESULTS: The search revealed 1463 unique publications, including 256 studies identified after screening the titles and the abstracts. Five observational cohort studies met the eligibility criteria for meta-analysis after the preliminary screening. The included studies reported a corticotropin stimulation test for AI diagnosis. The studies reportedly exhibited a low-to-fair quality. The random-effects pooled estimates indicated a 32% AI prevalence in the setting of CS [95% CI; 21%-45%; I2 = 81%]. The outcomes from the included studies were statistically significant for high heterogeneity (P = 0.001). The pooled results confirmed an 11%-51% AI prevalence in CS patients. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed a moderate level prevalence of AI in CS patients.

Current systematic reviews and meta-analyses of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has left a significant impact on the world's health, economic and political systems; as of November 20, 2020, more than 57 million people have been infected worldwide, with over 1.3 million deaths. While the global spotlight is currently focused on combating this pandemic through means ranging from finding a treatment among existing therapeutic agents to inventing a vaccine that can aid in halting the further loss of life. AIM: To collect all systematic reviews and meta-analyses published related to COVID-19 to better identify available evidence, highlight gaps in knowledge, and elucidate further meta-analyses and umbrella reviews that are yet to be performed. METHODS: We explored studies based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses with the key-terms, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), SARS virus, coronavirus disease, COVID-19, and SARS coronavirus-2. The included studies were extracted from Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases. The publication timeframe of included studies ranged between January 01, 2020, to October 30, 2020. Studies that were published in languages other than English were not considered for this systematic review. The finalized full-text articles are freely accessible in the public domain. RESULTS: Searching Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases resulted in 1906, 669, and 19 results, respectively, that comprised 2594 studies. 515 duplicates were subsequently removed, leaving 2079 studies. The inclusion criteria were systematic reviews or meta-analyses. 860 results were excluded for being a review article, scope review, rapid review, panel review, or guideline that produced a total of 1219 studies. After screening articles were categorized, the included articles were put into main groups of clinical presentation, epidemiology, screening and diagnosis, severity assessment, special populations, and treatment. Subsequently, there was a second subclassification into the following groups: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, stroke, thrombosis, anosmia and dysgeusia, ocular manifestations, nephrology, cutaneous manifestations, D-dimer, lymphocyte, anticoagulation, antivirals, convalescent plasma, immunosuppressants, corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, technology, diabetes mellitus, obesity, pregnancy, children, mental health, smoking, cancer, and transplant. CONCLUSION: Among the included articles, it is clear that further research is needed regarding treatment options and vaccines. With more studies, data will be less heterogeneous, and statistical analysis can be better applied to provide more robust clinical evidence. This study was not designed to give recommendations regarding the management of COVID-19.

The association between COVID-19 and type 1 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: /Aim: Various reports of the occurrence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in patients with COVID-19 have been published, denoting an association between both diseases. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review to summarize the prevalence of T1DM in COVID-19 patients and to identify the clinical presentations and outcomes in this patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Up to 10/27/2020, Medline, Embase, cochrane and google scholar databases were searched for original studies investigating the association between COVID-19 and T1DM. A manual search was conducted to identify missing studies. The quality of included studies was analyzed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) risk of bias tool. Outcomes included length of hospital stay, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), severe hypoglycemia, and death. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included in the qualitative analysis. Included studies reported data of both adult and pediatric patients. The prevalence of T1DM in COVID-19 patients ranged from 0.15% to 28.98%, while the rate of COVID-19 in patients with T1DM ranged from 0% to 16.67%. Dry cough, nausea, vomiting, fever and elevated blood glucose levels were the most commonly reported presentations. The investigated outcomes varied widely among studied populations. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of T1DM in patients with COVID-19 ranged from 0.15% to 28.98%. The most common presentation of COVID-19 in patients with T1DM included fever, dry cough, nausea and vomiting, elevated blood glucose and diabetic ketoacidosis. The outcomes of COVID-19 in terms of length of hospital stay, hospitalization, ICU admission, DKA rate, and severe hypoglycemia were reported variably in included studies. Due to the heterogeneous study populations and the presence of many limitations, more studies are still warranted to reach a definitive conclusion.

Compliance with Oral Hormonal Therapy for Breast Cancer at Oman National Oncology Center; Descriptive Study.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer amongst females. The incidence of breast cancer is estimated to be around 260K yearly. Oral hormonal medication is an essential part of the management of breast cancer for hormone receptor-positive patients. Adjuvant hormonal medication is recommended to be taken daily for 5-10 years. Adjuvant hormonal medication reduces mortality by 30% and the recurrence rate in receptor-positive patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study's primary goal is to evaluate the rate of nonadherence to Endocrine Therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients at Oman National Oncology Center. This study included patients taking hormonal therapy (either with Tamoxifen or Aromatase inhibitor) and presented for regular followup between June 2019 and February 2020 at the National oncology center, Oman. Data was collected using a written questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done by using SPSS. A cross-sectional descriptive study for patients taking oral hormonal therapy. 131 patients were included. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-one patients were included, Tamoxifen was used by 73 (55.73%). 71 (54%) of breast surgery was "WLE" The majority of patients 95 (72.5%) did not identify a specific reason for non-compliance. The most commonly reported adverse effects were musculoskeletal symptoms by 75 patients (57.3%), with other reported side effects included hot flashes (33.6%), anxiety (30.5%), gynecological toxicity (29.8%), decreased concentration (19.1%), neurological symptoms (16%), and depression (9.9%). DISCUSSION: We reported that patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer have a high adherence rate to the medication than developing countries; selfreported non-compliance to oral hormonal medication is 41.22% below the average of non-compliance to chronic disease therapy of developing countries as WHO report. Medical insurance, unemployment, or drug cost is not a cause for non-compliance to medication. CONCLUSION: The self-reported nonadherence to oral hormonal medication is (41,22%). Most of the patients (72.5%) did not report a specific cause for non-adherent to medication. Close follow-up is recommended increasing compliance to medication.

Primary Gastric Chorioadenocarcinoma.

Primary gastric chorioadenocarcinoma (PGC) is a rare and rapidly invasive tumor. Choriocarcinoma is usually known to be of endometrial origin and gestational; however, it has been reported in other extragenital organs, such as the gall bladder, prostate, lung, liver, and the gastrointestinal tract. Human chorionic gonadotropin related neoplasms of the stomach are seldom discussed in the literature. We report a case of PGC in a 56-year-old man treated with a standard non-gestational choriocarcinoma chemotherapy regimen, EMA/CO (etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, vincristine), with a complete response and good tolerability.