The association of cytokine levels and postnatal factors with retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: Prematurity has been known to trigger several cellular pathways, leading to the clinical occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This study compared the levels of a panel of serum cytokines in premature infants with and without ROP.

Methods: This is a prospective observational study.

Molecular prevalence of spp. in bat flies in east coast Malaysia.

Bats are a significant reservoir for numerous pathogens, including spp. It is one of the emerging zoonotic bacterial diseases that can be transmitted to humans and may cause various unspecific clinical manifestations. Thus, bartonellosis is rarely diagnosed and is regarded as a neglected vector-borne disease (VBD).

Unveiling immune checkpoint regulation: exploring the power of CRISPR screenings in cancer immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy by reinvigorating antitumor immune responses, but their efficacy remains limited in most patients. To address this challenge and optimize Immune check inhibitor treatment, understanding the underlying molecular intricacies involved is crucial. The emergence of CRISPR-Cas9 technology has empowered researchers to precisely investigate gene function and has introduced transformative shifts in identifying key genes for various physiological and pathological processes.

Maternal Kangaroo care education program in the neonatal intensive care unit improved mothers' perceptions, knowledge, perceived barriers and stress relates to premature infant.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of the maternal kangaroo care education programme over 1 month and 3 months on the mother's perception, knowledge, perceived barriers and stress.

Design: A quasi-experimental and longitudinal study was conducted among mothers with premature infants.

Methods: Forty-eight mother-infant dyads were enrolled per arm in the control and experimental groups.

Flexible surgical guide to improve implant placement accuracy. Dental technique.

Surgical guide retention and stability is a key factor for accurate implant placement in static computer assisted implant placement protocol. The use of flexible acrylic resin to construct the surgical guide allows engaging undercuts and extending the guide to the vestibules and hence maximizing the retention and stability of the guide which in turn enhances the accuracy of the placed implant.

Medico-legal assessment of acid attack (Vitriolage) injuries in Egypt: Fate, outcomes and permanent infirmity.

Background: Vitriolage is an aggressive criminal act that results in different degrees of burn injuries and serious health consequences. Vitriolage has been known as a popular method of assault in some developing countries. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Egypt to study the medicolegal aspects of vitriolage crime.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on respiratory morbidity during infancy: A birth-cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of wheezing and overall respiratory morbidity in healthy infants born during the first peak of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, compared with infants born during the preceding year.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective birth cohort study to compare a cohort of children born between February and March 2020 (COVID-19 group) to a control group of children born between February and March 2019 (pre-COVID-19 group). At 1 year of age, we collected respiratory data using parental and telephone questionnaires.

The Association between Serum Bilirubin and Kernicterus Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Total serum bilirubin (TSB) is used in managing neonates with jaundice, but clear evidence on its association with major outcomes is lacking.

Objectives: We evaluated the association between TSB and kernicterus spectrum disorder (KSD).

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL till July 2021.

Cardiac tamponade from peripherally-inserted central venous catheters in neonates: Three case reports.

Pericardial effusion (PCE) and cardiac tamponade (CT) are rare but life-threatening complications of percutaneouslyinserted central catheter (PICC) use in neonates. There is often a lack in index of suspicion in a neonate with sudden deterioration, resulting in high mortality. We describe a series of three cases of PICC-related PCE/CT in low birth weight infants whose timely diagnosis with echocardiography and pericardiocentesis led to successful resuscitation and survival.

Present and future treatment strategies for coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: The recent pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in many challenges to the healthcare organizations around the world. Unfortunately, until now, there are no proven effective therapeutic agents against this virus.

Main Body: Several evolving studies suggest repurposing a potential list of drugs which have appropriate pharmacological and therapeutic effects to be used in treating COVID-19 cases.

Cytogenetic analysis of early pregnancy loss after assisted reproduction treatment using intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of numerical chromosomal abnormalities in the patients with early pregnancy loss (EPL) following in vitro fertilization, and evaluate the role of different confounders of the risk of chromosomal abnormality-related pregnancy loss.

Material And Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients from our in vitro fertilization (IVF) center who conceived using assisted reproduction techniques between April 2017 and 2019, who experienced a subsequent early pregnancy loss, and whose abortus materials were successfully karyotyped were included.

Results: Of the 243 patients experienced an early loss, the overall rate of chromosomal abnormality was 46.

Challenge of forecasting demand of medical resources and supplies during a pandemic: A comparative evaluation of three surge calculators for COVID-19.

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic, there has been a public health debate concerning medical resources and supplies including hospital beds, intensive care units (ICU), ventilators and protective personal equipment (PPE). Forecasting COVID-19 dissemination has played a key role in informing healthcare professionals and governments on how to manage overburdened healthcare systems. However, forecasting during the pandemic remained challenging and sometimes highly controversial.

The Digenic Causality in Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Revising the Genotype-Phenotype Correlations of the Disease.

Genetically inherited defects in lipoprotein metabolism affect more than 10 million individuals around the globe with preponderance in some parts where consanguinity played a major role in establishing founder mutations. Mutations in four genes have been so far linked to the dominant and recessive form of the disease. Those players encode major proteins implicated in cholesterol regulation, namely, the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and its associate protein 1 (LDLRAP1), the proprotein convertase substilin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), and the apolipoprotein B (APOB).

Magnetic Non-invasive Auricular Acupuncture During Eye-Exam for Retinopathy of Prematurity in Preterm Infants: A Multicentre Randomized Controlled Trial.

Eye exam for Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a painful procedure and pharmacological analgesia might be ineffective. We hypothesized that magnetic auricular acupuncture (MAA) compared to placebo will decrease pain during ROP exam in preterm infants. Multicentre randomized controlled trial conducted in three hospitals (Australia, Canada, and Malaysia).

Anatomical Study of the Infrapatellar Branch of the Saphenous Nerve in Humans.

 To perform an anatomical study of the location of the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve in relation to the structures of the knee.  An anatomical study was performed by dissection of 18 humans knees (9 right and 9 left knees). After exposure of the infrapatellar branch and its direct and indirect branches, they were then measured.

Paediatric Palliative Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Malaysian Perspective.

Malaysia had its first four patients with COVID-19 on 25 January 2020. In the same week, the World Health Organization declared it as a public health emergency of international concern. The pandemic has since challenged the ethics and practice of medicine.

Thalidomide-Revisited: Are COVID-19 Patients Going to Be the Latest Victims of Yet Another Theoretical Drug-Repurposing?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide threatening health issue. The progression of this viral infection occurs in the airways of the lungs with an exaggerated inflammatory response referred to as the "cytokine storm" that can lead to lethal lung injuries. In the absence of an effective anti-viral molecule and until the formulation of a successful vaccine, anti-inflammatory drugs might offer a complementary tool for controlling the associated complications of COVID-19 and thus decreasing the subsequent fatalities.

Acute Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis Associated With a High Ki-67 Proliferative Index.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HSP) is an interstitial lung disease caused by exposure to a large range of environmental antigens. Inhaling aerosolized particles leads to a heightened immune response. HSP comes in acute, subacute, or chronic forms, all with their own potential clinical and radiographic findings.

Post-lingual non-syndromic hearing loss phenotype: a polygenic case with 2 biallelic mutations in MYO15A and MITF.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) represents the most common congenital sensory impairment with an incidence of 1-5 per 1000 live births. Non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) is an isolated finding that is not part of any other disorder accounting for 70% of all genetic hearing loss cases.

Methods: In the current study, we reported a polygenic mode of inheritance in an NSHL consanguineous family using exome sequencing technology and we evaluated the possible effect of the detected single nucleotide variants (SNVs) using in silico methods.

Correction to: A Novel Somatic Variant in HEY2 Unveils an Alternative Splicing Isoform Linked to Ventricular Septal Defect.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author name. The first author name should be Manal Fardoun instead of Manal Fardon. The original article has been corrected.

A Novel Somatic Variant in HEY2 Unveils an Alternative Splicing Isoform Linked to Ventricular Septal Defect.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading cause of death in infants under 1 year of age. Aberrations in the expression and function of cardiac transcription factors (TFs) are a major contributor to CHDs. Despite the numerous studies undertaken to functionally characterize these TFs, their exact role in different stages of cardiogenesis is still not fully elucidated.

Preterm Infant Outcomes after Randomization to Initial Resuscitation with FiO 0.21 or 1.0.

Objective: To determine rates of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 2 years corrected age (primary outcome) in children <32 weeks' gestation randomized to initial resuscitation with a fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO) value of 0.21 or 1.0.