The predictive power of baseline metabolic and volumetric [F]FDG PET parameters with different thresholds for early therapy failure and mortality risk in DLBCL patients undergoing CAR-T-cell therapy.

Objective: [F]FDG imaging is an integral part of patient management in CAR-T-cell therapy for recurrent or therapy-refractory DLBCL. The calculation methods of predictive power of specific imaging parameters still remains elusive. With this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate the predictive power of the baseline metabolic parameters and tumor burden calculated with automated segmentation via different thresholding methods for early therapy failure and mortality risk in DLBCL patients.

Aggressive Lymphoma after CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy.

The development of a fatal, clonal, autonomously proliferating CD4-CD8- chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)+ peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) occurred 1 month after a patient received treatment with tisagenlecleucel for relapsed primary central nervous system lymphoma. The PTCL had a clonal T-cell receptor rearrangement, which was already detectable in the apheresis product for CAR T-cell manufacturing and 7 months earlier for autologous transplantation. Somatic and mutations in CD34+ stem cells and their progeny were detected in the PTCL, in the apheresis specimen that was obtained for CAR T-cell production, and in the autotransplant.

Ultra-sensitive CTC-based liquid biopsy for pancreatic cancer enabled by large blood volume analysis.

The limited sensitivity of circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) stems from their extremely low concentration in the whole circulating blood, necessitating enhanced detection methodologies. This study sought to amplify assay-sensitivity by employing diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA) to screen large blood volumes. Sixty patients were subjected to DLA, with a median processed blood volume of ~ 2.

Prognostic markers for the clinical course in the blood of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: The presentation of peptides and the subsequent immune response depend on the MHC characteristics and influence the specificity of the immune response. Several studies have found an association between HLA variants and differential COVID-19 outcomes and have shown that HLA genotypes are associated with differential immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, particularly in severely ill patients. Information, whether HLA haplotypes are associated with the severity or length of the disease in moderately diseased individuals is absent.

Association of HLA genotypes, AB0 blood type and chemokine receptor 5 mutant CD195 with the clinical course of COVID-19.

Background: COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, may take highly variable clinical courses, ranging from symptom-free and pauci-symptomatic to fatal disease. The goal of the current study was to assess the association of COVID-19 clinical courses controlled by patients' adaptive immune responses without progression to severe disease with patients' Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genetics, AB0 blood group antigens, and the presence or absence of near-loss-of-function delta 32 deletion mutant of the C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5).

Patient And Methods: An exploratory observational study including 157 adult COVID-19 convalescent patients was performed with a median follow-up of 250 days.

Informed consent and informed intervention: SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations not just call for disclosure of newly emerging safety data but also for hypothesis generation and testing.

Background: COVID-19 infection is a major threat to patients and health care providers around the world. One solution is the vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive query of the latest publications on the prevention of viral infections including the recent vaccination program and its side effects.

Diagnostic leukapheresis for CTC analysis in breast cancer patients: CTC frequency, clinical experiences and recommendations for standardized reporting.

Diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA) is based on continuous centrifugation that collects mononuclear cells from peripheral blood with a density of 1.055-1.08 g/ml.

Diagnostic leukapheresis enables reliable detection of circulating tumor cells of nonmetastatic cancer patients.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are promising biomarkers for diagnosis and therapy in systemic cancer. However, their infrequent and unreliable detection, especially in nonmetastatic cancer, currently impedes the clinical use of CTCs. Because leukapheresis (LA) targets peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which have a similar density to CTCs, and usually involves processing the whole circulating blood, we tested whether LA could substantially increase CTC detection in operable cancer patients.

Comparison of soluble CD40L concentrations and release capacities in apheresis and prestorage pooled platelet concentrates.

Introduction: Soluble CD40L (sCD40L) is expressed by platelets and is involved in the stabilization of arterial thrombi. Additionally, it was shown that sCD40L accumulation occurred in stored blood products triggering adverse transfusion reactions like TRALI. To study the influence of the preparation technique on sCD40L accumulation and platelet function we examined CD40L concentrations in prestorage pooled platelet concentrates compared to apheresis products.

Transient appearance of postoperative EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia in a patient after gastrectomy.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) is a well known phenomenon. Antiplatelet antibodies cause platelet clumping in EDTA anticoagulated blood samples, and blood count analysers calculate a spurious low platelet count. We describe a case of a transient appearance of EDTA-PTCP in a patient after gastrectomy.

PCR-Based amplification of platelet mRNA sequences obtained from small-scale platelet samples.

Platelet transcriptome studies provide a powerful tool in the analysis of disorders affecting the megakaryocytic-platelet lineage. However, individualised platelet gene expression profiling is hampered by the exceptionally low yield of platelet mRNA. The yield of mRNA transcripts that can be obtained from small-scale platelet preparations is generally not sufficient for standard RNA-labeling reactions used in expression profiling.

A novel internally controlled real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay for HIV-1 RNA targeting the pol integrase genomic region.

Given the worldwide increasing spread of HIV-1 genetic variants, it is mandatory that assays used for nucleic acid testing for HIV-1 detect all existing groups and subtypes of HIV-1. In this report the development and evaluation of a quantitative real-time HIV-1 RT-PCR assay that targets a conserved region within the pol integrase domain is described. As an internal control reaction, endogenous glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase transcripts were detected in a multiplex configuration.

Recurrent intracardiac thrombosis as an unusual manifestation of inherited thrombophilia.

Patients with inherited thrombophilia are at high risk for the development of venous thrombosis that manifests mainly as deep venous thrombosis of the legs and/or pulmonary embolism. We report spontaneous right-sided intracardiac thrombosis in a young man as an unusual manifestation of inherited thrombophilia. The diagnosis of thrombophilia was confirmed by demonstration of the prothrombin-G20210A-mutation in the homozygous state.

Gene expression analysis in platelets from a single donor: evaluation of a PCR-based amplification technique.

Background: Genetic analysis of platelet mRNA may facilitate the diagnosis of disorders affecting the megakaryocytic-platelet lineage. Its use, however, is limited by the exceptionally small yield of platelet mRNA and the risk of leukocyte contamination during platelet preparation.

Methods: We depleted platelet suspensions of leukocytes by filtration and used a PCR-based RNA amplification step [switching mechanism at the 5' end of RNA templates (SMART)].

[Biventricular thrombi dissolution and antibody development with lepirudin therapy].

History And Admission Findings: A 50-year-old patient presented with clinical symptoms of heart failure with orthopnoe and edema (NYHA IV).

Investigations: Echocardiography revealed a dilated left ventricle with severely reduced left ventricular function and biventricular floating thrombi, due to dilatative cardiomyopathy.

Treatment And Course: With a heart failure medication clinical symptoms reduced and body weight decreased > 10 kg in 3 weeks.

Antibiotic therapy after acute myocardial infarction: a prospective randomized study.

Background: Infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae is suspected to contribute to the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. We investigated whether treatment with the macrolide antibiotic roxithromycin would reduce mortality or morbidity in patients with an acute myocardial infarction.

Methods And Results: Eight hundred seventy-two patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were randomly assigned to receive double-blind treatment with either 300 mg roxithromycin or placebo daily for 6 weeks.

Cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in the elderly. ALKK-Study Group. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Leitender Kardiologischer Krankenhausaerzte.

The purpose of this investigation was to define cardioversion success rates, frequency of complications of cardioversion, and current treatment practices in elderly patients (aged > or = 65 years) with atrial fibrillation (AF). The results were compared with those in younger patients (aged < 65 years). The investigation was a prospective multicenter observational study with 61 participating cardiology clinics.

Interleukin-1 beta upregulates tissue-type plasminogen activator in a keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT).

Human keratinocytes synthesize and secrete tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). tPA converts the inactive precursor enzyme plasminogen into the trypsin-like proteinase plasmin. tPA is not found in normal epidermis, but in lesional epidermis from patients with a variety of cutaneous diseases, including psoriasis, pemphigus and pemphigoid.