Digital polymerase chain reaction strategies for accurate and precise detection of vector copy number in chimeric antigen receptor T-cell products.

Background Aims: Vector copy number (VCN), an average quantification of transgene copies unique to a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell product, is a characteristic that must be reported prior to patient administration, as high VCN increases the risk of insertional mutagenesis. Historically, VCN assessment in CAR T-cell products has been performed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). qPCR is reliable along a broad range of concentrations, but quantification requires use of a standard curve and precision is limited.

Pharmacologic Pain Management Trends among Adults Hospitalized with Cellulitis: An Evidence-Based Practice Project.

Background: Nurses commonly administer opioids, following "as needed" order sets, to patients hospitalized for acute pain conditions like cellulitis. Practice guidelines recommend limiting opioid administration for acute pain management. At two hospitals in the Pacific Northwest, an opioid stewardship committee was formed to align with best practice.

Mediastinal plasmacytoma detected by echocardiography and biopsied with EUS-FNA.

Mediastinal ultrasound is currently being performed by a variety of different practioners but all need to be familiar with major pathology outside their narrow fields. We are reporting the first case where echocardiography led to the discovery of a mediastinal mass which upon endoscopic-ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) was found to be a plasmacytoma. The differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses is briefly reviewed.

Computed tomography diagnosis of ischemia and complete obstruction in small bowel obstruction: a systematic review.

This review was designed to describe the diagnostic performance of computed tomography (CT) in assessing bowel ischemia and complete obstruction in small bowel obstruction (SBO). A MEDLINE search (1966-2004) identified 15 studies dealing with the CT diagnosis of ischemia and complete obstruction in SBO. Ischemia was defined by operative findings, and complete obstruction was defined by enteroclysis or operative findings.