Real-World Experience, Effectiveness, and Safety of Direct-Acting Antivirals for the Treatment of Hepatitis C in Oman: A Cross-Sectional, Multicenter Study.

: The advent of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has revolutionized the treatment landscape of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive research study of the real-world effectiveness and safety of DAA treatment, representing the first study conducted in the Omani population. : A cross-sectional study was conducted including 375 HCV patients with different genotypes, treated using different DAA regimens, with or without ribavirin, between January 2012 and December 2020 at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and the medical city for military and security services, two tertiary hospitals in Muscat, Oman.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Acute Leukaemia: An academic centre experience.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the frequency, clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all patients treated at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, Oman with AML or ALL from January 2017 to December 2021. Data were obtained from the electronic medical record, and patients diagnosed before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared with those diagnosed during the pandemic using appropriate statistical tests.

Expression of JAK/STAT Signaling Proteins at Diagnosis and Remission in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Objectives: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), among other malignancies, has been linked to the deregulation of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signalling pathway, which is essential for cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. This study aimed to investigate the expression of JAK/STAT proteins at diagnosis and remission and how it affects overall survival (OS).

Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University.

Special Report: Summary of the eighth workshop of the worldwide network for blood and marrow transplantation on the status and issues related to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in near-east countries, held in Pakistan from September 22 to 23, 2022.

The eighth workshop of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, from September 22 to 23, 2022, aiming to foster hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) activity in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). Participating countries, including Pakistan, Oman, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, reported increased HSCT in the last few years, whereas others from the EMRO and beyond, including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, and Bangladesh, started HSCT recently and have developed HSCT programs with excellent results. During educational sessions and open dialog, participating teams and international experts from the WBMT shared their experience and discussed minimum essential requirements for establishing and expanding HSCT in emerging countries, indications for HSCT training and dissemination of knowledge, stem cell donor selection and safety, quality assurance in transplant centers, and the value and importance of transplant outcome databases.

Current Status and Management of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in the Gulf Region: Survey Results and Expert Opinion.

Studies on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the Gulf region are scarce, consisting of a survey and expert meeting that included 15 experts in 2023 which discussed CML diagnosis, testing, treatment objectives, toxicities, and discontinuation in the Gulf region. Most patients were reported to be in first-line therapy, and the most common treatments were imatinib/imatinib generic in first-line and dasatinib in second- and third-lines. Mutation analysis was not reported to be routinely performed at the time of diagnosis but rather in case of progression to accelerated/blast phase or any sign of loss of response.

Consensus-Based Guidelines for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Management in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Addressing Unmet Regional Needs and the Changing AML Landscape.

Purpose: AML is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy. Region-specific recommendations for AML management can enhance patient outcomes. This article aimed to develop recommendations for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Immune reconstitution and survival, following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Omani patients with inborn errors of immunity.

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment for certain inborn errors of immunity.

Methods: A 17-year retrospective cohort study was conducted on 40 immunodeficient patients who underwent HSCT.

Results: The median age at transplant was 11.

The Contemporary Role of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in the Management of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Is It the Same in All Settings?

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients has transitioned from the standard of care to a treatment option limited to those with unsatisfactory tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) responses and advanced disease stages. In recent years, the threshold for undergoing HSCT has increased. Most CML patients now have life expectancies comparable to the general population, and therefore, the goal of therapy is shifting toward achieving treatment-free remission (TFR).

Cytomegalovirus Infection Post-hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcome in an Omani Cohort.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the first year following hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) among Omani patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included allogenic HSCT recipients between January 2006 and December 2018. We investigated the possible factors associated with CMV infection and CMV impact on one-year mortality.

Molecular Characterization of Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Oman.

Objectives: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most encountered abnormality of red blood cell metabolism worldwide and has a high prevalence in Oman. The objective of the study was to characterize the mutation variants of G6PD deficiency in a cohort of the Omani population with partial and complete enzyme deficiency.

Methods: This prospective study included newborns and children less than one year of age with partial or complete G6PD enzyme deficiency identified on routine screening using a fluorescent spot test from 31 January 2017 to 12 September 2017 in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital.

Management of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A consensus report from the GCC Adult ALL Working Group.

Leukemia burden is growing in the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) countries. Nonetheless, there is no unified protocol for managing adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients in the GCC-countries. Therefore, the GCC Adult-ALL Treaters working group developed this consensus to address the adult-ALL treatment protocols in the GCC-countries and related toxicities' management.

The mortality of COVID-19 in CML patients from 2020 until 2022: results from the EPICOVIDEHA survey.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an overall improvement in patient mortality. However, haematological malignancy patients continue to experience significant impacts from COVID-19, including high rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mortality. In comparison to other haematological malignancy patients, individuals with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) generally have better prognosis.

Concurrent coronary artery disease and immune thrombocytopenia: a systematic review.

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) management in the setting of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) remains very challenging to clinicians as a reasonable balance between bleeding and thrombosis risks needs to be achieved, and the evidence guiding such management is scarce.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines to summarize the available literature on the management and outcomes of CAD coexisting with ITP. We searched PubMed and Embase for studies published in English exploring CAD and ITP management until 05 October 2022.

Differential Production of Midkine and Pleiotrophin by Innate APCs upon Stimulation through Nucleic Acid-Sensing TLRs.

Midkine (MK) and pleiotrophin (PTN) belong to the same family of cytokines. They have similar sequences and functions. Both have important roles in cellular proliferation, tumors, and diseases.

Mortality and complications in Omani patients with beta-thalassemia major: a long-term follow-up study.

Beta thalassemia major (β-TM) is a genetic blood disorder requiring lifelong blood transfusions.  The resulting iron overload damages multiple organs, particularly the heart and endocrine organs. This study aimed to describe and assess the predictors of survival and complications in Omani patients with β-TM.

Limited Sampling Strategy Using End of Infusion and Six-Hour Concentrations Overestimates Intravenous Busulfan Clearance Compared With Standard Six-Point Sampling in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring for busulfan (Bu) is important to improve outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, standard therapeutic drug monitoring requires multiple samples and is inconvenient, labor-intensive, and costly. Accordingly, a limited sampling strategy (LSS) was evaluated, using 2-point sampling at end of infusion and at 6 hours, and the area-under-the-curve and Bu clearances (CLs) were compared with the results obtained from the standard sampling strategy (SSS) using 5-6 samples.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia is a medical condition where blood platelet count drops very low. This drop in platelet count can be attributed to many causes including medication, sepsis, viral infections, and autoimmunity. Clinically, the presence of thrombocytopenia might be very dangerous and is associated with poor outcomes of patients due to excessive bleeding if not addressed quickly enough.

Current Practice of Oral Care for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients: A Survey of the Eastern Mediterranean Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group.

Introduction: The oral cavity is one of the most common sites impacted by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with acute complications including mucositis, bleeding, salivary gland dysfunction, infection, and taste alteration. These complications may result in significant morbidity and can negatively impact outcomes such as length of stay and overall costs. As such, oral care during HSCT for prevention and management of oral toxicities is a standard component of transplant protocols at all centers.

Impact of mutations in epigenetic modifiers in acute myeloid leukemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic significance of epigenetic mutations on the overall survival (OS) in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). We searched for studies evaluating epigenetic mutations in AML (up to November 2018) in PubMed, Trip database and Cochrane library. Hazard ratio (HR) of outcomes were extracted, and random-effects model was used to pool the results.

Simultaneous Onset of Haematological Malignancy and COVID: An Epicovideha Survey.

Background: The outcome of patients with simultaneous diagnosis of haematological malignancies (HM) and COVID-19 is unknown and there are no specific treatment guidelines. Methods: We describe the clinical features and outcome of a cohort of 450 patients with simultaneous diagnosis of HM and COVID-19 registered in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between March 2020 to February 2022. Results: Acute leukaemia and lymphoma were the most frequent HM (35.

Productivity of Clinical Trials Conducted in the Gulf Cooperative Council Region.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the productivity of clinical trials in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait and to address the existing research gap. Specifically, this paper aimed to estimate the number of clinical trials conducted and estimate the proportion of clinical trials conducted in the GCC countries published in peer-reviewed journals.

Methods: The clinical trials registry of the US National Library of Medicine was searched for clinical trials conducted from January 2000 to October 2019.

Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Therapeutic Studies.

A systematic review is a specific and reproducible method to search, identify, select, appraise, and summarize all studies relevant to a particular health care question. In this paper, we will review the concept of level of evidence, define the terms systematic review and meta-analysis, and outline the steps in performing a systematic review and meta-analysis with an illustrative example. We will also introduce some important concepts in systematic reviews and meta-analyses like heterogeneity, publication bias, forest plots, and quality assessment.

The Challenges in Diagnosis and Management of Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Consensus Report from Three Gulf Countries.

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP) is a rare hematological emergency characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fever, and multiorgan failure due to autoimmune-mediated deficiency in ADAMTS-13 activity. Currently, plasma exchange, with or without steroids, is the frontline option for the management of aTTP. The treatment should be started promptly once the disorder is clinically suspected.