CD19 CAR-T Cell Therapy Induced Immunotherapy Associated Interstitial Pneumonitis: A Case Report.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR-T) targeting CD19 has produced a high durable response in refractory or relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Besides well-known cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome during CAR-T cell therapy, there were several rarely encountered fatal complications. Case Report: A 63-year-old male patient with refractory EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, developed interstitial pneumonitis with prolonged hypoxemia at 16 weeks after CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. There was no evidence of CRS and any infections. The patient recovered after intravenous immunoglobulin without tocilizumab or glucocorticoid administration. Now he is still in remission without interstitial pneumonitis 3 years after CAR-T cell therapy. Conclusion: This is the first report of immunotherapy-associated interstitial pneumonitis after CAR-T cell therapy. Our finding suggested the importance of careful follow-up and proper treatments for immunotherapy-associated pneumonitis in the CAR-T cell therapy schedule.

Effect of continuous nursing on negative emotion and quality of life in patients with leukemia under chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of continuous nursing on negative emotion and quality of life in patients with leukemia under chemotherapy. METHODS: Ninety-two patients with leukemia who received chemotherapy in our department were divided into observation group (n=46) and control group (n=46) according to the random number table. The patients in the control group were treated with routine nursing. The patients in the observation group were treated with continuous nursing on the basis of routine nursing. The scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and Quality of Life Index Scale (Spitzer) of patients on admission and one month after discharge in both groups were compared. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in HAMD, HAMA and Spitzer scores of patients on admission between the two groups (P>0.05). After one month of discharge, the HAMD and HAMA scores of patients in both groups were decreased, while the Spitzer scores of patients in both groups were increased (all P<0.05). In addition, compared with the control group, the HAMD and HAMA scores in the observation group were lower, while the Spitzer scores and nursing satisfaction in the observation group were higher (all P<0.001). The incidence of chemotherapy-related adverse reactions in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Continuous nursing can improve the negative emotion, quality of life and nursing satisfaction in patients with leukemia under chemotherapy.

The N gene of SARS-CoV-2 was the main positive component in repositive samples from a cohort of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: Repositivity of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in discharged COVID-19 patients was reported recently. However, the characteristics of repositive results are still not well understood, leading to a lack of effective monitoring strategies. METHODS: In the present study, a total of 59 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, and the characteristics of the repositive samples were analyzed. RESULTS: The repositive rate in this cohort was 15.79%. The N gene was the main target gene that was positive in the repositive results as well as in the last positive results of all patients. The median duration from diagnosis to the last positive test was 20 days (IQR, 16-31 days), and the longest duration was 40 days. Repositivity was only observed in IgM single- or both IgM- and IgG-positive patients, instead of IgG single-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant proportion of repositives in the recovered COVID-19 patients, and increasing the required number of negatives for consecutive nucleic acid tests may reduce the incidence of repositives. The recommended monitoring strategy for repositivity is monitoring the N gene in IgM-positive patients. This can ensure high sensitivity while reducing the time and cost of nucleic acid detection.