Characteristics and Outcomes Among Patients With Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases Requiring a Higher Level of Care.

Objective: Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) have a higher risk of developing organ failure, and they may require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of our study is to determine the reasons for admission to the ICU, identify potential risk factors associated with mortality, and assess the outcomes of patients with ARD diseases admitted to the ICU.

Methods: We conducted a medical records review study of patients with ARD admitted to the ICU from 2012 to 2018.

Paraneoplastic Inflammatory Arthritis.

The immunodeficiency virus infection is known to increase the risk of malignancies, including lymphomas. We report a case of a 51-year-old male with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, well-controlled on antiretroviral treatment, who presented with polyarthritis and hypercalcemia due to an elevated parathyroid-hormone-related peptide. Computer tomography (CT) revealed diffuse lymphadenopathy and a lymph node biopsy revealed large B-cell lymphoma.

Blinatumomab-induced donor T-cell activation for post-stem cell transplant-relapsed acute CD19-positive biphenotypic leukemia.

Post-stem cell transplantation (SCT) relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has extremely poor prognosis with median survival of less than 1 year. Donor lymphocyte infusion, second transplantation, chemotherapy or cytokine treatment have been tried as a salvage regimen without significant clinical benefit. Recently, blinatumomab, a bispecific monoclonal antibody targeting CD3-expressing T cells and CD19-expressing B-cell lineage malignant cells demonstrated promising outcomes in relapsed/refractory ALL patients.