A Critical Evaluation of the Factual Accuracy and Scholarly Foundations of The Witch-Hunt Narrative.

We comment on The Witch-Hunt Narrative ( TWHN) by Cheit. As its first hypothesis, TWHN argues that most of the famous ritual child abuse cases of the 1980s and 1990s were not really witch-hunts at all. In response, we criticize the TWHN definition of a witch-hunt as overly narrow and idiosyncratic. Based on the scholarly literature, we propose 10 criteria for identifying a witch-hunt. We rate four well-known ritual child abuse cases with these criteria and show they were classic witch-hunts. As its second hypothesis, TWHN argues that most defendants in child ritual abuse cases were guilty or probably guilty. In response, we point out many instances in which TWHN has omitted or mischaracterized important facts or ignored relevant scientific information running contrary to its hypotheses. We conclude that TWHN is often factually inaccurate and tends to make strong assertions without integrating relevant scholarly and scientific information. Scholars should approach the book with caution.

Chemotherapy-refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and indolent B-cell malignancies can be effectively treated with autologous T cells expressing an anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor.

PURPOSE: T cells can be genetically modified to express an anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). We assessed the safety and efficacy of administering autologous anti-CD19 CAR T cells to patients with advanced CD19(+) B-cell malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We treated 15 patients with advanced B-cell malignancies. Nine patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), two had indolent lymphomas, and four had chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Patients received a conditioning chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine followed by a single infusion of anti-CD19 CAR T cells. RESULTS: Of 15 patients, eight achieved complete remissions (CRs), four achieved partial remissions, one had stable lymphoma, and two were not evaluable for response. CRs were obtained by four of seven evaluable patients with chemotherapy-refractory DLBCL; three of these four CRs are ongoing, with durations ranging from 9 to 22 months. Acute toxicities including fever, hypotension, delirium, and other neurologic toxicities occurred in some patients after infusion of anti-CD19 CAR T cells; these toxicities resolved within 3 weeks after cell infusion. One patient died suddenly as a result of an unknown cause 16 days after cell infusion. CAR T cells were detected in the blood of patients at peak levels, ranging from nine to 777 CAR-positive T cells/µL. CONCLUSION: This is the first report to our knowledge of successful treatment of DLBCL with anti-CD19 CAR T cells. These results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of treating chemotherapy-refractory B-cell malignancies with anti-CD19 CAR T cells. The numerous remissions obtained provide strong support for further development of this approach.

Randomized selection design trial evaluating CD8+-enriched versus unselected tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for adoptive cell therapy for patients with melanoma.

PURPOSE: Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) administered to lymphodepleted patients with melanoma can cause durable tumor regressions. The optimal TIL product for ACT is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with metastatic melanoma were prospectively assigned to receive unselected young TILs versus CD8(+)-enriched TILs. All patients received lymphodepleting chemotherapy and high-dose IL-2 therapy and were assessed for response, toxicity, survival, and immunologic end points. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients received unselected young TILs with a median of 8.0% CD4(+) lymphocytes, and 35 patients received CD8(+)-enriched TILs with a median of 0.3% CD4(+) lymphocytes. One month after TIL infusion, patients who received CD8(+)-enriched TILs had significantly fewer CD4(+) peripheral blood lymphocytes (P = .01). Twelve patients responded to therapy with unselected young TILs (according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]), and seven patients responded to CD8(+)-enriched TILs (35% v 20%; not significant). Retrospective studies showed a significant association between response to treatment and interferon gamma secretion by the infused TILs in response to autologous tumor (P = .04), and in the subgroup of patients who received TILs from subcutaneous tumors, eight of 15 patients receiving unselected young TILs responded but none of eight patients receiving CD8(+)-enriched TILs responded. CONCLUSION: A randomized selection design trial was feasible for improving individualized TIL therapy. Since the evidence indicates that CD8(+)-enriched TILs are not more potent therapeutically and they are more laborious to prepare, future studies should focus on unselected young TILs.

B-cell depletion and remissions of malignancy along with cytokine-associated toxicity in a clinical trial of anti-CD19 chimeric-antigen-receptor-transduced T cells.

We conducted a clinical trial to assess adoptive transfer of T cells genetically modified to express an anti-CD19 chimeric Ag receptor (CAR). Our clinical protocol consisted of chemotherapy followed by an infusion of anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells and a course of IL-2. Six of the 8 patients treated on our protocol obtained remissions of their advanced, progressive B-cell malignancies. Four of the 8 patients treated on the protocol had long-term depletion of normal polyclonal CD19(+) B-lineage cells. Cells containing the anti-CD19 CAR gene were detected in the blood of all patients. Four of the 8 treated patients had prominent elevations in serum levels of the inflammatory cytokines IFNγ and TNF. The severity of acute toxicities experienced by the patients correlated with serum IFNγ and TNF levels. The infused anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells were a possible source of these inflammatory cytokines because we demonstrated peripheral blood T cells that produced TNF and IFNγ ex vivo in a CD19-specific manner after anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T-cell infusions. Anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells have great promise to improve the treatment of B-cell malignancies because of a potent ability to eradicate CD19(+) cells in vivo; however, reversible cytokine-associated toxicities occurred after CAR-transduced T-cell infusions.

T cells targeting carcinoembryonic antigen can mediate regression of metastatic colorectal cancer but induce severe transient colitis.

Autologous T lymphocytes genetically engineered to express a murine T cell receptor (TCR) against human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were administered to three patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard treatments. All patients experienced profound decreases in serum CEA levels (74-99%), and one patient had an objective regression of cancer metastatic to the lung and liver. However, a severe transient inflammatory colitis that represented a dose limiting toxicity was induced in all three patients. This report represents the first example of objective regression of metastatic colorectal cancer mediated by adoptive T cell transfer and illustrates the successful use of a TCR, raised in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) transgenic mice, against a human tumor associated antigen. It also emphasizes the destructive power of small numbers of highly avid T cells and the limitations of using CEA as a target for cancer immunotherapy.

Eradication of B-lineage cells and regression of lymphoma in a patient treated with autologous T cells genetically engineered to recognize CD19.

Adoptive transfer of genetically modified T cells is an attractive approach for generating antitumor immune responses. We treated a patient with advanced follicular lymphoma by administering a preparative chemotherapy regimen followed by autologous T cells genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognized the B-cell antigen CD19. The patient's lymphoma underwent a dramatic regression, and B-cell precursors were selectively eliminated from the patient's bone marrow after infusion of anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T cells. Blood B cells were absent for at least 39 weeks after anti-CD19-CAR-transduced T-cell infusion despite prompt recovery of other blood cell counts. Consistent with eradication of B-lineage cells, serum immunoglobulins decreased to very low levels after treatment. The prolonged and selective elimination of B-lineage cells could not be attributed to the chemotherapy that the patient received and indicated antigen-specific eradication of B-lineage cells. Adoptive transfer of anti-CD19-CAR-expressing T cells is a promising new approach for treating B-cell malignancies. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00924326.

Gene therapy with human and mouse T-cell receptors mediates cancer regression and targets normal tissues expressing cognate antigen.

Gene therapy of human cancer using genetically engineered lymphocytes is dependent on the identification of highly reactive T-cell receptors (TCRs) with antitumor activity. We immunized transgenic mice and also conducted high-throughput screening of human lymphocytes to generate TCRs highly reactive to melanoma/melanocyte antigens. Genes encoding these TCRs were engineered into retroviral vectors and used to transduce autologous peripheral lymphocytes administered to 36 patients with metastatic melanoma. Transduced patient lymphocytes were CD45RA(-) and CD45RO(+) after ex vivo expansion. After infusion, the persisting cells displayed a CD45RA(+) and CD45RO(-) phenotype. Gene-engineered cells persisted at high levels in the blood of all patients 1 month after treatment, responding patients with higher ex vivo antitumor reactivity than nonresponders. Objective cancer regressions were seen in 30% and 19% of patients who received the human or mouse TCR, respectively. However, patients exhibited destruction of normal melanocytes in the skin, eye, and ear, and sometimes required local steroid administration to treat uveitis and hearing loss. Thus, T cells expressing highly reactive TCRs mediate cancer regression in humans and target rare cognate-antigen-containing cells throughout the body, a finding with important implications for the gene therapy of cancer. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov as NCI-07-C-0174 and NCI-07-C-0175.

Reduction of dietary poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs) improves abdominal symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease-a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Functional gut symptoms are common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs) appear to play an important role in the induction of functional gut symptoms, we aimed to determine the effect of their dietary restriction on abdominal symptoms in patients with stable IBD and to examine factors associated with success of and adherence to the diet. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 52 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease and 20 with ulcerative colitis who received dietary advice at least 3 months prior at a gastrointestinal dietetic service in Victoria, Australia, underwent a retrospective telephone questionnaire. Information gathered included patient demographics, recall of dietary advice, dietary adherence, and change in gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: Up to 70% of patients were adherent to the diet. Approximately one in two patients responded (defined as improvement of at least 5 out of 10 in overall symptoms). Overall abdominal symptoms, abdominal pain, bloating, wind and diarrhoea improved in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (p<0.02 for all), but constipation did not. For Crohn's disease, efficacy was associated with dietary adherence (p= 0.033) and inefficacy with non-adherence (p=0.013). Sustained response was associated with post-secondary education and working 35 h per week or less (p<0.03). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that reduction of FODMAP intake offers an efficacious strategy for patients with IBD who have concurrent functional gut symptoms. A controlled dietary intervention trial is indicated.

A single center experience of methotrexate in the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: a case for subcutaneous administration.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Methotrexate (MTX) is used as a second-line immuno-modulator in patients with inflammatory bowel disease when purine analogs are not tolerated or lack efficacy. High-level evidence indicates efficacy for intramuscular administration in Crohn's disease, but there are few reports of experience with subcutaneous delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the response to and tolerance of MTX where subcutaneous administration was the preferred option. METHOD: The records of all patients treated with MTX were evaluated with regard to the dose, duration, response, and tolerance to MTX. Remission was defined as improvement in symptoms with no corticosteroid requirement for 3 months or ability to wean off steroids. RESULTS: MTX was initiated in 45 patients with Crohn's disease and 23 ulcerative colitis (median age, 46 years; range, 20-80 years; 54% men) because of intolerance (69%) or resistance (31%) to purine analogues. MTX was initiated in 74% of patients in doses of 25 mg (33) or 20 mg (17), administered by subcutaneous self-injection in 90% of subjects. Remission was achieved in 24 of 45 (53%) with Crohn's disease and 11 of 23 (48%) with ulcerative colitis. An additional four (9%) patients with Crohn's disease and three patients (13%) with ulcerative colitis demonstrated symptomatic improvement and/or ability to decrease corticosteroid dose. While nine patients ceased therapy and nine successfully reduced their doses due to intolerance, three of four patients had no adverse effects. Subcutaneous delivery was well accepted. CONCLUSIONS: Subcutaneously administered MTX exhibits apparent efficacy, acceptance, tolerance, and safety in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis who are steroid-dependent and where purine analogs have been ineffective or intolerable.

Hepatitis B and C virus infections and anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy: guidelines for clinical approach.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) therapy has recently been recognized to be associated with activation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, with a potentially fatal outcome, mirroring experience in the setting of immune suppression and subsequent reconstitution in cancer chemotherapy and transplantation. Although there is no current evidence that anti-TNF therapy influences the natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the involvement of TNF in the pathogenesis of hepatic injury and extrapolation from other clinical situations heighten awareness of a potential conflict. Preventive strategies should be mandatory. These include screening of all patients for HBV and HCV infection prior to commencement of anti-TNF therapy, and active monitoring of aminotransferases and, for HBV, viral load during and for 3 months after therapy has terminated. Prophylactic or early intervention strategies with nucleoside analogs are recommended for patients with evidence of HBV infection.