Personal and professional quality of life among French health care workers during the first COVID-19 wave: a cross-sectional study.

Background: We aimed to assess the personal and professional quality of life changes among health care workers of different professions during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large French university hospital. Other published data originated from countries with different health care systems and outbreak dynamics.

Methods: All health care workers from our hospital were invited to fill-in an anonymous e-questionnaire of 71 questions regarding perceived personal, professional and overall quality of life before and during the first COVID-19 wave, general profile, occupation and job characteristics, change of assignment, COVID-care features if relevant, general perception during the first wave, and personal experience of being encouraged or stigmatised.

Rituximab and Corticosteroid Effect on Desmoglein-Specific B Cells and Desmoglein-Specific T Follicular Helper Cells in Pemphigus.

Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease mediated by autoantibodies directed against desmogleins (DSGs). We recently showed that first-line treatment with rituximab (RTX) enables more patients to achieve long-lasting remission off therapy than corticosteroids alone. To understand the immunological mechanisms that mediate long-lasting clinical remission after RTX treatment, we analyzed the phenotype of DSG-specific memory B cells and DSG-specific T follicular helper cells by flow cytometry and measured antibody-secreting cells by enzyme-linked immune absorbent spot in patients treated with corticosteroids alone or RTX.

Author Correction: B-cell depletion induces a shift in self antigen specific B-cell repertoire and cytokine pattern in patients with bullous pemphigoid.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Rituximab is an effective treatment in patients with pemphigus vulgaris and demonstrates a steroid-sparing effect.

Background: Corticosteroids (CS) with or without adjuvant immunosuppressant agents are standard treatment for pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The efficacy of adjuvant therapies in minimizing steroid-related adverse events (AEs) is unproven.

Objectives: To utilize data collected in a French investigator-initiated, phase III, open-label, randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of rituximab and seek approval for its use in PV.

B-cell depletion induces a shift in self antigen specific B-cell repertoire and cytokine pattern in patients with bullous pemphigoid.

Bullous Pemphigoid is the most common auto-immune bullous skin disease. It is characterized by the production of auto-antibodies directed against 2 proteins of the hemi-desmosome (BP180 and BP230). We assessed the efficacy and mechanisms of action of rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, in 17 patients with severe and relapsing type of bullous pemphigoid.