RAPID IMPLEMENTATION OF REAL-TIME REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTION POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (REAL-TIME RT-PCR) ASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF SARS-COV-2 IN A MOROCCAN HOSPITAL.

Background: The main challenge faced in the African countries was to implement efficient molecular diagnostic facilities and start Covid-19 diagnosis as fast as possible to handle the rapid and unpredictable rise of cases.

Materials Methods And Results: We describe our experience in implementing a molecular biology unit at Sheikh Zaïd International University Hospital in Rabat, with a delay as short as one week, and starting real-time RT-PCR assay for the detection of SARS-Cov-2 infection, since the outbreak widened in Morocco in mid-March, 2020.

Conclusion: The challenges encountered in the first period of Covid-19 pandemic are still present.

Oral Hygiene Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Related Factors.

Objectives: To evaluate oral hygiene status in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, to analyse possible related factors, and to investigate the role of the rheumatologist in information about importance of adequate oral hygiene status in RA patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study that included 100 consecutive RA patients (89% female, mean age 46.7 ± 11.

Platelet Function in Viral Immunity and SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Platelets, as nonnucleated blood components, are classically recognized for their pivotal role in hemostasis. In recent years, however, accumulating evidence points to a nonhemostatic role for platelets, as active participants in the inflammatory and immune responses to microbial organisms in infectious diseases. This stems from the ability of activated platelets to secrete a plethora of immunomodulatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as directly interplaying with viral receptors.

First Report of a SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequence with a Spike His69-Val70 Deletion and an Asn439Lys Mutation in Morocco.

We report the nearly complete genome sequence and the genetic variations of a clinical sample of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) collected from a nasopharyngeal swab specimen from a male patient from Harhoura-Rabat, Morocco. The sequence, which was obtained using Ion Torrent technology, is valuable as it carries a recently described deletion (His69-Val70) and substitution (Asn439Lys).