Safety, efficacy, and affordability of ABVD for Hodgkin lymphoma in Malawi: a prospective cohort study.

Background: ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dexamethasone) is a proven, curative regimen for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Prospective data describing HL treatment in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. We aimed to fill this knowledge gap, using data from Malawi.

Increased early mortality after fludarabine and melphalan conditioning with peripheral blood grafts in haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide.

Due to the evolving use of haploidentical donor grafts in hematopoietic cell transplantation, there is increased need to better understand the risks and benefits of using bone marrow versus peripheral blood grafts, as well as how specific pre-transplantation conditioning regimens impact patient safety and treatment outcomes. We performed a retrospective analysis of 38 patients at two centers who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation using fludarabine plus melphalan-based conditioning regimens with post-transplant cyclophosphamide and peripheral blood donor grafts. We observed an unexpectedly high rate of early non-relapse mortality and severe cytokine release syndrome.

Extremely high birth prevalence of sickle cell disease in rural Tanzania.

Background/objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an important, hidden cause of childhood mortality worldwide. It is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa where national newborn screening programs remain unavailable and most children in rural areas are never diagnosed. We conducted a study at a rural district hospital in northern Tanzania to determine the birth prevalence and community awareness of SCD and to determine the feasibility of using point-of-care testing to enroll newborns in a new SCD clinic for ongoing treatment.