OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of plasma exchange and tocilizumab in treatment of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Six patients with severe COVID-19 admitted in First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from January 25 to February 25, 2020. Three patients were treated with plasma exchange and three patients were treated with tocilizumab. The effect on excessive inflammatory reaction of plasma exchange and tocilizumab was observed. RESULTS: The C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6 levels were significantly decreased and the lymphocyte and prothrombin time were improved in 3 patients after treatment with plasma exchange; while inflammation level was not significantly decreased, and lymphocyte and prothrombin time did not improve in 3 patients treated with tocilizumab. CONCLUSIONS For severe COVID-19 patients with strong inflammatory reaction, plasma exchange may be preferred.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; administration & dosage ; Betacoronavirus ; isolation & purification ; Coronavirus Infections ; blood ; immunology ; therapy ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; therapy ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Plasma Exchange ; standards ; Pneumonia, Viral ; blood ; immunology ; therapy ; Prothrombin Time ; Treatment Outcome

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. There are two classes of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC represents approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIPs) are a class of inhibitors of programmed death-1 and programmed death-ligand 1. Preclinical studies have shown that ICIPs have shown good clinical efficacy and durable response in diverse cancers. Among them, atezolizumab (MPDL3280), an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, is being investigated as a potential therapy against solid tumors and hematologic malignancies in humans. Pseudoprogression is reported as one of the unique phenomena with immune therapeutic agents. Here we report case of a person with advanced NSCLC who developed pseudoprogression after receiving immunotherapy. We hope this case could help clinicians to make appropriate decision when assessing therapeutic effects of immunotherapy.
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Antibodies, Monoclonal ; administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-5 receptor α to deplete blood eosinophils and improve the clinical outcomes of allergic asthma. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different doses of benralizumab in patients with eosinophilic asthma. All randomized controlled trials involving benralizumab treatment for patients with eosinophilic asthma, which were searched in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library published until January 2017, as well as the rate of asthmatic exacerbation, pulmonary functionality, asthma control, quality of life scores, and adverse events were included. Randomized-effect models were used in the meta-analysis to calculate the pooled mean difference, relative risks, and 95% confidence intervals. Five studies involving 1951 patients were identified. Compared with the placebo, benralizumab treatment demonstrated significant improvements in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire scores, decreased asthmatic exacerbation and Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (ACQ-6) scores. Benralizumab treatment was also not associated with increased adverse events. These findings indicated that benralizumab can be safely used to improve FEV1, enhance patient symptom control and quality of life, and reduce the risk of exacerbations and ACQ-6 scores in patients with eosinophilic asthma. Furthermore, our meta-analysis showed that benralizumab with 30 mg (every eight weeks) dosage can improve the health-related quality of life and appear to be more effective than 30 mg (every four weeks) dosage. Overall, data indicated that the optimal dosing regimen for benralizumab was possibly 30 mg (every eight weeks).
Adult ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; Disease Progression ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Eosinophils ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Quality of Life ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

The NCCN has recently released its 2017 version 1.0 guideline for colorectal cancer. There are several updates from this new version guideline which are believed to change the current clinical practice. Update one, low-dose aspirin is recommended for patients with colorectal cancer after colectomy for secondary chemoprevention. Update two, biological agents are removed from the neoadjuvant treatment regimen for resectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This update is based on lack of evidence to support benefits of biological agents including bevacizumab and cetuximab in the neoadjuvant setting. Both technical criteria and prognostic information should be considered for decision-making. Currently biological agents may not be excluded from the neoadjuvant setting for patients with resectable but poor prognostic disease. Update three, panitumumab and cetuximab combination therapy is only recommended for left-sided tumors in the first line therapy. The location of the primary tumor can be both prognostic and predictive in response to EGFR inhibitors in metastatic colorectal cancer. Cetuximab and panitumumab confer little benefit to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in the primary tumor originated on the right side. On the other hand, EGFR inhibitors provide significant benefit compared with bevacizumab-containing therapy or chemotherapy alone for patients with left primary tumor. Update four, PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors including pembrolizumab or nivolumab are recommended as treatment options in patients with metastatic deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colorectal cancer in second- or third-line therapy. dMMR tumors contain thousands of mutations, which can encode mutant proteins with the potential to be recognized and targeted by the immune system. It has therefore been hypothesized that dMMR tumors may be sensitive to PD-1 inhibitors.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Bevacizumab ; therapeutic use ; Biological Products ; therapeutic use ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Cetuximab ; therapeutic use ; Clinical Decision-Making ; methods ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Contraindications ; Humans ; Mutation ; physiology ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; standards ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; drug therapy ; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Prognosis ; Secondary Prevention ; methods ; standards

PURPOSE: Reduced brain glucose metabolism and basal forebrain cholinergic neuron degeneration are common features of Alzheimer's disease and have been correlated with memory function. Although regions representing glucose hypometabolism in patients with Alzheimer's disease are targets of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, the interaction between cholinergic denervation and glucose hypometabolism is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate glucose metabolism changes caused by cholinergic deficits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We lesioned basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in rats using 192 immunoglobulin G-saporin. After 3 weeks, lesioned animals underwent water maze testing or were analyzed by 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography. RESULTS: During water maze probe testing, performance of the lesioned group decreased with respect to time spent in the target quadrant and platform zone. Cingulate cortex glucose metabolism in the lesioned group decreased, compared with the normal group. Additionally, acetylcholinesterase activity and glutamate decarboxylase 65/67 expression declined in the cingulate cortex. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that spatial memory impairment in animals with selective basal forebrain cholinergic neuron damage is associated with a functional decline in the GABAergic and cholinergic system associated with cingulate cortex glucose hypometabolism.
Acetylcholine/metabolism ; Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*pharmacology ; Basal Forebrain/*drug effects/metabolism ; Cholinergic Agents/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Cholinergic Neurons/*drug effects/metabolism ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; GABAergic Neurons/*drug effects/metabolism ; Glucose/*metabolism ; Gyrus Cinguli/*drug effects/metabolism ; Humans ; Injections ; Maze Learning ; Motor Activity/physiology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Rats ; Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1/*pharmacology

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon, characterized by diffuse mucosal inflammation and blood-mixed diarrhea. The main treatment has been 5-aminosalicylic acid, steroid, thiopurine, and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) antibodies including infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab. Golimumab, a new anti-TNF-alpha agent has been recently approved for patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. Its efficacy and safety has been demonstrated in line with infliximab and adalimumab in preclinical and clinical studies. This review will focus on golimumab therapy in ulcerative colitis.
Antibodies, Monoclonal/blood/*therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*drug therapy ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology

Administration, Inhalation ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Adrenergic beta-Agonists ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Guideline Adherence ; Humans ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Omalizumab ; therapeutic use ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Primary Prevention ; Quality Improvement ; Sublingual Immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint blockades including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been emerged as a promising anticancer therapy. Several immune checkpoint blockades have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and have shown notable success in clinical trials for patients with advanced melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Radiotherapy is a promising combination partner of immune checkpoint blockades due to its potent pro-immune effect. This review will cover the current issue and the future perspectives for combined with radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockades based upon the available preclinical and clinical data.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; Radiotherapy* ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; United States Food and Drug Administration

PURPOSE: Recently, bortezomib has been used to treat antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) refractory to conventional treatment such as plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab. The authors aimed to describe their experiences when bortezomib was used to treat refractory AMR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven refractory AMR episodes treated with bortezomib were included in this study. The patients received one or two cycles of bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2) on days 1, 4, 8, and 11. RESULTS: Bortezomib effectively reduced antibodies against various targets, including human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II, ABO blood group antigen, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor. Antibodies were depleted or reduced significantly in eight AMR episodes. Overall, there was a significant improvement in the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 3 months after therapy (36.91+/-22.15 mL/min/1.73 m2) versus eGFR at time of AMR diagnosis (17.00+/-9.25 mL/min/1.73 m2; p=0.007). All six early-onset AMR episodes (within 6 months post-transplantation) showed full recovery of allograft function. Additionally, three of the five late-onset AMR episodes (>6 months post-transplantation) showed improved allograft function. CONCLUSION: Anti-humoral treatment based on bortezomib might be an effective strategy against refractory AMR caused by various types of antibodies. Notably, this treatment could be more effective in early-onset AMR than in late-onset AMR.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Boronic Acids/therapeutic use ; Bortezomib/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Graft Rejection/*drug therapy/*prevention & control ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use ; Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use ; Isoantibodies ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/*surgery ; *Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plasmapheresis ; Pyrazines/administration & dosage ; Transplantation, Homologous

PURPOSE: To compare pain scores of patients during intravitreal 27-gauge bevacizumab and 30-gauge ranibizumab injection procedures. METHODS: Seventy eyes of 70 patients who had not previously undergone intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy were included in this study. Thirty-five patients received ranibizumab and 35 patients received bevacizumab. The diagnoses of the patients were: 27 age related macular degeneration, 15 diabetic macular edema, 9 diabetic vitreous hemorrhage, 6 central retinal vein occlusion, 11 branch retinal vein occlusion and 2 central serous chorioretinopathy. Bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) was injected into the vitreous cavity using a 27-gauge needle, and ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 mL) was injected with 30-gauge needle. Patients were asked just after the injection to rate their perceived pain during the injection using the visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable/worst pain). The average of these scores was used as the primary outcome. RESULTS: The VAS pain scores in the ranibizumab and bevacizumab groups were 1.06 +/- 0.91 (range, 0 to 3) and 1.94 +/- 1.55 (range, 0 to 7), respectively, a significant difference (p = 0.005). Patients <65 and > or =65 years of age in both the ranibizumab and bevacizumab groups were then compared. For patients <65, there was a significant difference in the average VAS pain scores between groups (p = 0.003). However, for patients > or =65 years, there was not a significant difference in the average VAS pain scores between groups (p = 0.238). Female and male patients in both ranibizumab and bevacizumab groups were also compared. For female patients, there was a significant difference in the average VAS pain scores between groups (p = 0.016), although not for male patients (p = 0.078). CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-gauge intravitreal injection is more comfortable than 27-gauge injection. Injection of bevacizumab with 30-gauge needle syringes may be more tolerable for patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/*administration & dosage ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/*administration & dosage ; Bevacizumab/*administration & dosage ; Diabetic Retinopathy/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; *Intravitreal Injections ; Macular Degeneration/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Macular Edema/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Measurement ; Ranibizumab/*administration & dosage ; Retinal Vein Occlusion/drug therapy/physiopathology