Toxoplasma chorioretinitis, more simply known as ocular toxoplasmosis, is possibly the most common cause of infections in the back of the eye (posterior segment) worldwide. The causitive agent is Toxoplasma gondii, and in the United States, most cases are acquired congenitally. The most common symptom is decreased visual acuity in one eye. The diagnosis is made by examination of the eye, using ophthalmoscopy. Sometimes serologic testing is used to rule out the disease, but due to high rates of false positives, serologies are not diagnostic of toxoplasmic retinitis. If vision is not compromised, treatment may not be necessary. When vision is affected or threatened, treatment consists of pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and folinic acid for 4–6 weeks. Prednisone is sometimes used to decrease inflammation. Signs and symptoms
A unilateral decrease in visual acuity is the most common symptom of toxoplasmic retinitis. Under ophthalmic examination, toxoplasmic chorioretinitis classically appears as a focal, white retinitis with overlying moderate inflammation of the vitreous humour. A unifocal area of acute-onset inflammation adjacent to an old chorioretinal scar is virtually pathognomonic for toxoplasmic chorioretinitis. Focal condensation of vitreous and inflammatory cells may be seen overlying the pale yellow or gray-white raised lesion in the posterior pole. Pathophysiology
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that causes a necrotizing chorioretinitis. Congenital disease
Congenital disease occurs due to the acquisition of the organism by a pregnant woman exposed to tissue cysts or oocytes in uncooked meat or substances contaminated with cat feces. Spontaneous abortion may result if the disease is acquired during the first trimester.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel, sold under the brand name Yescarta, is a medication used for the treatment for large B-cell lymphoma that has failed conventional treatment. T cells are removed from a person with lymphoma and genetically engineered to produce a specific T-cell receptor. The resulting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts) that react to the cancer are then given back to the person to populate the bone marrow. Axicabtagene treatment carries a risk for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological toxicities.Due to CD19 being a pan-B cell marker, the T-cells that are engineered to target CD19 receptors on the cancerous B cells also influence normal B cells, except some plasma cells. Side effects
Because treatment with axicabtagene carries a risk of cytokine release syndrome and neurological toxicities, the FDA has mandated that hospitals be certified for its use prior to treatment of any patients. History
It was developed by California-based Kite Pharma.Axicabtagene ciloleucel was awarded U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) breakthrough therapy designation on 18 October 2017, for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, transformed follicular lymphoma, and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. It also received priority review and orphan drug designation.Based on the ZUMA-1 trial, Kite submitted a biologics license application for axicabtagene in March 2017, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.The FDA granted approval on 18 October 2017, for the second-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.On 1 April 2022, the FDA approved axicabtagene ciloleucel for adults with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) that is refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or relapses within twelve months of first-line chemoimmunotherapy.