First report of serological, molecular detection, and characterization of human parvovirus B19 infections among sickle cell anaemia patients in Khartoum State, Sudan.

Background: Patients with haematological disorders, such as sickle cell anaemia, are at an elevated risk of transient aplastic crisis due to parvovirus B19 infection. The virus targets specific integration sites in the human genome, disrupting cellular division. However, the molecular mechanisms of infection remain poorly understood.

Treatment failure patterns in early versus late introduction of CAR T-cell therapy in large B-cell lymphoma.

CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has recently been approved as second-line treatment for relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). This study compares patterns of disease relapse and progression across patients receiving CAR-T as second-line (early administration) versus third or subsequent lines (late administration). We analyzed 354 patients treated with Axicabtagene ciloleucel (71%) and Lisocabtagene maraleucel (29%); 80 (23%) received early administration, and 274 (77%) late administration.

Frieden's Group-V Aplasia Cutis Congenita with in utero Scarring in a Dichorionic Twin: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review.

Introduction: Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by the localized absence of skin at birth, primarily affecting the scalp but also affecting the trunk and limbs. Nine different presentations have been reported. Group V-ACC (G-V ACC) is a rare type associated with fetus papyraceus.

Preventing Severe COVID-19 with Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab in Hematological Patients Treated with Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibodies: An International Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Despite the declining public health emergency status, COVID-19 still poses significant risks, especially for immunocompromised individuals. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of tixagevimab-cilgavimab (T-C) prophylaxis in preventing severe COVID-19 in patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) treated with anti-CD20 therapy during the early Omicron variant phase of the pandemic.

Methods: The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group for Respiratory Viruses (ESGREV) conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study involving 15 centers from 5 countries.

Patient-centric knowledge graphs: a survey of current methods, challenges, and applications.

Patient-Centric Knowledge Graphs (PCKGs) represent an important shift in healthcare that focuses on individualized patient care by mapping the patient's health information holistically and multi-dimensionally. PCKGs integrate various types of health data to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive understanding of a patient's health, enabling more personalized and effective care. This literature review explores the methodologies, challenges, and opportunities associated with PCKGs, focusing on their role in integrating disparate healthcare data and enhancing patient care through a unified health perspective.

Novel Bispecific T-Cell Engagers for the Treatment of Relapsed B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas: Current Knowledge and Treatment Considerations.

This article provides an overview of the novel treatments focusing on the class of bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs) for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL), the two most prevalent subtypes of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHL). After a brief outline of these diseases, the difficulties in the management of relapsed or refractory (R/R) disease are highlighted. There are currently 4 main BiTEs showing promise in treating R/R B-NHL-glofitamab, epcoritamab, mosunetuzumab, and odronextamab.

The Ruminant Telomere-to-Telomere (RT2T) Consortium.

Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies reveal new insights into the structure and function of the previously 'invisible' parts of the genome and allow comparative analyses of complete genomes across entire clades. We present here an open collaborative effort, termed the 'Ruminant T2T Consortium' (RT2T), that aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for numerous species of the Artiodactyla suborder Ruminantia to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication of species used as livestock.

The Association between Lifestyle Factors and COVID-19: Findings from Qatar Biobank.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifestations range from mild to severe life-threatening symptoms, including death. COVID-19 susceptibility has been associated with various factors, but studies in Qatar are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between COVID-19 susceptibility and various sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, including age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, education level, dietary patterns, supplement usage, physical activity, a history of bariatric surgery, diabetes, and hypertension.

Review: Phenotypic and molecular evidence of inter- and trans-generational effects of heat stress in livestock mammals and humans.

Internal and external factors can change an individual's phenotype. A significant external threat to humans and livestock is environmental heat load, a combination of high ambient temperatures and humidity. A heat stress response occurs when an endothermal animal is exposed to a heat load that challenges its' thermoregulation capacity.

Calling the question: what is mammalian transgenerational epigenetic inheritance?

While transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has been extensively documented in plants, nematodes, and fruit flies, its existence in mammals remains controversial. Several factors have contributed to this debate, including the lack of a clear distinction between intergenerational and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), the inconsistency of some studies, the potential confounding effects of in-utero vs. epigenetic factors, and, most importantly, the biological challenge of epigenetic reprogramming.

SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers more potent antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses than mRNA-, vector-, and inactivated virus-based COVID-19 vaccines.

Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are elicited after infection and vaccination and have been well studied. However, their antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) functionality is still poorly characterized. Here, we investigated ADCC activity in convalescent sera from infected patients with wild-type (WT) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) or omicron variant compared with three coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine platforms and postvaccination breakthrough infection (BTI).

Characterization of genomic regions escaping epigenetic reprogramming in sheep.

The mammalian genome undergoes two global epigenetic reprogramming events during the establishment of primordial germ cells and in the pre-implantation embryo after fertilization. These events involve the erasure and re-establishment of DNA methylation marks. However, imprinted genes and transposable elements (TEs) maintain their DNA methylation signatures to ensure normal embryonic development and genome stability.

An international multicenter study comparing COVID-19 omicron outcomes in patients with hematological malignancies treated with obinutuzumab versus rituximab.

Objectives: Hematological malignancy (HM) patients treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are at higher risk for severe COVID-19. A previous single-center study showed worse outcomes in patients treated with obinutuzumab compared to rituximab. We examined this hypothesis in a large international multicenter cohort.

Factors contributing to the rising prevalence of waterpipe smoking dependence among university students: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Waterpipe smoking (WPS) has been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, consequences, and symptoms of nicotine dependence. This study aims to determine the prevalence of WPS dependence among Palestinian university waterpipe smoking students, their normative beliefs about WPS, and their relationship to dependence.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of current WPS university students at five major Palestinian universities was conducted from September to December 2022.

An Undiagnosed Shone Complex in a 52-Year-Old Female: A Case Report.

Shone complex (SC) is a rare congenital heart disease characterized by four obstructive anomalies, including parachute mitral valve (PMV), left atrial supra-valvular ring, subaortic stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta. Typically, SC manifests early in life. However, we encountered a 52-year-old female with a history of hypertension diagnosed at 26 years and left-sided weakness poststroke.

Feasibility and acceptability of phone-delivered psychological therapy for refugee children and adolescents in a humanitarian setting.

Background: Refugee children are at high risk of mental health problems but face barriers to accessing mental health services, a problem exacerbated by a shortage of mental health professionals. Having trained lay counsellors deliver therapy via telephone could overcome these barriers. This is the first study to explore feasibility and acceptability of telephone-delivered therapy with refugee children in a humanitarian setting.

Early transcriptomic changes in peripheral blood 7 days after embryo transfer in dairy cattle.

A common goal of the dairy industry is to shorten the calving interval to reap several benefits associated with improved fertility. Early pregnancy detection is crucial to shorten this interval, allowing for prompt re-insemination of cows that failed to conceive after the first service. Currently, the industry lacks a method to accurately predict pregnancy within the first 3 wk.

Longitudinal dynamics of circulating miRNAs in a swine model of familial hypercholesterolemia during early atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a complex progressive disease involving intertwined biological mechanisms. We aimed to identify miRNA expression dynamics at the early stages of atherosclerosis using a large swine model (Wisconsin Miniature Swine, WMS). A total of 18 female pigs; 9 familial hypercholesterolemic (WMS-FH) and 9 normal control swine (WMS-N) were studied.

Left Ventricular Myxoma: A Case Report.

Cardiac myxomas are the most common primary cardiac neoplasms, with only a small percentage being found in the left ventricle. Herein, we describe a 25-year-old male who presented with a complaint of chest pain for almost three months and was found to have a 2x2 cm encapsulated tumor attached by a 2-3 mm stalk to the mid-septum, 5 cm below the aortic annulus, via echocardiography. Additionally, a chest CT angiography was performed and revealed a small defect in the left ventricle with a low attenuation density originating from the septum.

Turning point in COVID-19 severity and fatality during the pandemic: a national cohort study in Qatar.

Objective: To assess the evolution of COVID-19 severity and fatality in a unique setting that consistently applied, throughout the pandemic, rigorous and standardised criteria for defining severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Methods And Analysis: We conducted a national cohort study on 312 109 Qatari citizens to investigate incidence of severe, critical or fatal COVID-19 classified according to the WHO criteria between 28 February 2020 and 21 April 2023. Incidence rates for severe, critical or fatal COVID-19 were estimated during the pre-omicron phase, first omicron wave, combined phases and throughout the pandemic.

History of primary-series and booster vaccination and protection against Omicron reinfection.

Laboratory evidence suggests a possibility of immune imprinting for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We investigated the differences in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a cohort of persons who had a primary Omicron infection, but different vaccination histories using matched, national, retrospective, cohort studies. Adjusted hazard ratio for reinfection incidence, factoring adjustment for differences in testing rate, was 0.

Short- and longer-term all-cause mortality among SARS-CoV-2- infected individuals and the pull-forward phenomenon in Qatar: a national cohort study.

Objectives: We assessed short-, medium-, and long-term all-cause mortality risks after a primary SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: A national, matched, retrospective cohort study was conducted in Qatar to assess risk of all-cause mortality in the national SARS-CoV-2 primary infection cohort compared with the national infection-naïve cohort. Associations were estimated using Cox proportional-hazards regression models.