Impact of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in the management of patients with lymphoma and COVID19: A retrospective study.

COVID19 in patients affected by lymphoma represents an important challenge because of the higher mortality rate. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (anti-S MoAbs) appear promising in this setting. We report a monocentric retrospective study including 176 patients affected by lymphoma which developed SARS-CoV-2 infection since the start of COVID19 pandemic. Overall, mortality was 13.1%, with a decreasing trend between first waves to the last wave of pandemic (18.5% vs. 9.4%, p 0.076). Patients receiving anti-S MoAbs (41.3%) showed inferior mortality rate (overall survival, OS 93.2% vs. 82.7%, p 0.025) with no serious toxicity, reduced documented pneumonia (26% vs. 33%, p 0.005), and reduced need of oxygen support (14.5% vs. 35.7%, p 0.003). Among patients who received 3 doses of vaccine, the employment of anti-COVID MoAbs showed a trend of superior survival versus those who did not receive Anti-S MoAbs (OS rates 97.3% vs. 84.2%, p 0.064). On multivariate analysis, active haematological disease (OS 72% (HR 2.49 CI 1.00-6.41), bendamustine exposure (OS 60% HR 4.2 CI 1.69-10.45) and at least one comorbidity (HR 6.53 CI 1.88-22.60) were independent prognostic factors for death. Our study confirms the adverse prognostic role of COVID-19 in lymphoma patients in presence of active disease, comorbidities and previous exposure to bendamustine. In our experience, anti-S MoAbs represented a therapeutic option in vaccinated patients.

Primary choroid plexus papilloma of the sacral nerve roots.

The authors describe a unique case of a choroid plexus papilloma of the sacral nerve roots. This 60-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of a 1-year history of sacral pain, rectal and urinary bladder retention, and paradoxical episodic incontinence. Physical examination revealed sensory abnormalities in the S-2 dermatomes and poor rectal and bladder sphincter contractions. Contrast-enhanced spinal MR imaging showed a well-circumscribed, ovoid, homogeneously enhancing mass at the S1-2 level suggesting a diagnosis of ependymoma or schwannoma, and surgery allowed the identification and complete removal of a soft gray mass intimately adhering to the sacral nerve roots. Histological examination revealed a tumor consisting of papillary structures lined by a single layer of columnar cells, with an immunophenotype that satisfied the diagnostic criteria of choroid plexus papilloma. After diagnosis, contrast-enhanced brain MR imaging excluded the presence of a primary choroid plexus papilloma in the cerebral ventricles, thus ruling out a drop metastasis along the CSF pathways. A review of the literature did not reveal any similar cases of choroid plexus papilloma, and so the authors also discuss the inclusion of primary or metastatic papillary tumors in this unusual location as part of the differential diagnosis.

Suicide in the Italian military environment (1986-1998).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to provide data about suicide and attempted suicide in the Italian military environment from 1986 to 1998. METHODS: Italian data were gathered from the clinical documentation archived by the Epidemiological Observatory. These data were collected in a Case Report Form and subsequently sorted into the statistical program database, SPSS, and then processed. RESULTS: From 1986 to 1998, there were 122 suicides and 136 attempted suicides. The most frequently involved ranks were military troops. Subject age range varied from 17 to 60 years. The most frequent ages for both suicides and attempted suicides were 19, 20, 21, and 22 years old. DISCUSSION: The authors assume that the lower predominance of suicide in the military population is mainly attributable to the following factors: screening procedures of military personnel aim to exclude mentally disturbed and the military service provides a young individual with the possibility to belong and to identify himself with a group.