Successful Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient With Catatonia and Maternal Duplication 15q11-13 Syndrome.

The 15q11-q13 chromosomal region contains genes encoding for GABA-A receptor subunits and is a known region of epigenetic modification associated with the development of neurodevelopmental disorders. The presence of at least one additional copy of the maternal 15q11-q13 results in a syndrome (maternal dup15q) characterized by intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, mood disorders, and epilepsy. Catatonia is a serious syndrome of behavioral and motor dysfunction, which occurs across a variety of psychiatric, neurologic, and general medical conditions, which has successfully been treated with benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy.

Optic Perineuritis in an Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Introduction: Optic perineuritis (OPN) is a previously undescribed sequela of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Here we present a case of OPN that developed several weeks after initial confirmation of the presence of novel coronavirus RNA in the nasopharynx by polymerase chain reaction assay and subsequent confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity in the absence of other systemic inflammatory or infectious markers.

Case Report: An asymptomatic 71-year-old man with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) tested RNA positive for SARS-CoV-2 during a routine screening of patients at a skilled nursing facility.

Targeting Two Antigens Associated with B-ALL with CD19-CD123 Compound Car T Cell Therapy.

The recent FDA approval of the first CAR immunotherapy marks a watershed moment in the advancement toward a cure for cancer. CD19 CAR treatment for B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia has achieved unprecedented remission rates. However, despite success in treating previously relapsed and refractory patients, CD19 CAR faces similar challenges as traditional chemotherapy, in that malignancy can adapt and overcome treatment.

Preclinical Targeting of Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using CD4-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells and NK Cells.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive malignancy lacking targeted therapy due to shared molecular and transcriptional circuits as well as phenotypic markers with normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Identifying leukemia specific markers expressed on AML or AML subtypes for therapeutic targeting is of exquisite clinical value. Here we show that CD4, a T lymphocytes membrane glycoprotein that interacts with major histocompatibility complex class II antigens and is also expressed in certain AML subsets but not on HSCs is a proper target for genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells).

Compound CAR T-cells as a double-pronged approach for treating acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bears heterogeneous cells that can consequently offset killing by single-CAR-based therapy, which results in disease relapse. Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) associated with CD123 expression comprise a rare population that also plays an important role in disease progression and relapse. Here, we report on the robust anti-tumor activity of a compound CAR (cCAR) T-cell possessing discrete scFv domains targeting two different AML antigens, CD123, and CD33, simultaneously.