Publications by authors named "Sarina Levy-Mendelovich"

Introduction: Hemophilia A (HA) therapy poses a significant healthcare burden. In recent years, emicizumab has been approved for prophylaxis. The current study explores the impact of transitioning to emicizumab on emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in pediatric and adult HA patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on pediatric immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) treatment using intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and compared two dose regimens: 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg.
  • Data from 168 hospitalized children showed no significant difference in treatment outcomes, such as sustained platelet count response and the development of chronic ITP, between the two dosage groups.
  • While the higher dose (2 g/kg) had a higher percentage of adverse events (47.7%) compared to the lower dose (32.9%), the initial conclusion suggests that the 1 g/kg dose may be as effective as the 2 g/kg dose, with lower risks of side effects.
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Severe protein C deficiency (SPCD) is a rare inherited thrombotic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. In the current study, we established a viable murine model of SPCD, enabling preclinical gene therapy studies. By creating SPCD mice with severe hemophilia A (PROC/F8), the multi-month survival of SPCD mice enabled the exploration of recombinant adeno-associated viral vector-PC (rAAV8-PC) gene therapy (GT).

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  • Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are commonly used for treating venous thromboembolism (VTE), but their effectiveness in patients with inherited thrombophilia (IT) is not well studied.
  • In a large study with over 100,000 patients, it was found that those with certain types of IT experienced varying rates of VTE recurrence, major bleeding, and mortality while on DOACs compared to standard anticoagulants.
  • Overall, patients with IT using DOACs had lower major bleeding rates compared to standard treatments, indicating that DOACs are a safe and effective option for VTE patients with IT.
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Pediatric splenic infarction (SI) is rare yet clinically significant. Publications regarding this complication are mostly limited to case reports. This is a retrospective study examining SI etiology, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes among children.

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Background: Pediatric immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) may precede systemic autoimmune disorders. In adolescent patients with ITP, routine screening for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be performed by testing for antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a safe and effective immunomodulatory drug in patients with SLE but rarely used in ITP.

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The hallmark of haemophilia A (HA) therapy is prophylaxis, aimed at spontaneous bleeding prevention. Emicizumab provides a viable alternative to intravenous factor replacement therapy. However, data on its use in infants are limited.

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Splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), a thrombosis which involves the portal, mesenteric, and splenic veins, and the Budd-Chiari syndrome, represents an uncommon type of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Like with deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities and pulmonary embolism, ample evidence suggests a significant association between SVT and cancer, particularly intra-abdominal solid malignancies (e.g.

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Background: This study aimed to evaluate the bleeding phenotype and to conduct a comprehensive hemostatic evaluation in individuals with Noonan syndrome (NS), a dominantly inherited disorder caused by pathogenic variants in genes associated with the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway.

Methods: Children with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of NS underwent clinical evaluation, routine laboratory tests, platelet function testing, and thrombin generation (TG) assessment.

Results: The study included 24 children.

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Background: Persons with hemophilia A may require surgical procedures. Real-world data on invasive procedures in persons with hemophilia A receiving emicizumab prophylaxis are limited.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety of invasive procedures in persons with hemophilia A receiving emicizumab prophylaxis and their outcomes in a longitudinally followed cohort.

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Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis (SOVT) are rare diseases in the pediatric population; however, the ophthalmic and neurologic morbidity are significant. As published data are scarce for these conditions, we present our experience with pediatric ocular venous thrombosis in four patients, and discuss recommended management for evaluation and treatment. We suggest performing thrombophilia workup for all pediatric patients with RVO or SOVT.

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Background: Using emicizumab in lieu of immune tolerance induction (ITI) for patients with hemophilia A (HA) and factor (F)VIII inhibitors has been well described. However, decisions regarding ITI initiation, regimen, and preservation of tolerance remain to be elucidated.

Objectives: To study the course of FVIII inhibitors in patients with HA and a history of FVIII inhibitors receiving emicizumab prophylaxis.

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Hemophilia A (HA), a rare recessive X-linked bleeding disorder, is caused by either deficiency or dysfunction of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) resulting from deleterious mutations in the F8 gene encoding FVIII. Over the last 4 decades, the methods aimed at determining the HA carrier status in female relatives of HA patients have evolved from phenotypic studies based on coagulation tests providing merely probabilistic results, via genetic linkage studies based on polymorphic markers providing more accurate results, to next generation sequencing studies enabling highly precise identification of the causative F8 mutation. In parallel, the options for prenatal diagnosis of HA have progressed from examination of FVIII levels in fetal blood samples at weeks 20-22 of pregnancy to genetic analysis of fetal DNA extracted from chorionic villus tissue at weeks 11-14 of pregnancy.

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Article Synopsis
  • 3K3A-Activated Protein C (APC) is a new anticoagulant that offers protective benefits and a lower risk of bleeding, showing promise for treating choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which can lead to vision loss.
  • In experiments using a mouse model with laser-induced CNV, 3K3A-APC was injected into the eye, revealing its effects on immune cell activation and inflammatory markers.
  • The results showed that 3K3A-APC reduced harmful immune responses and inflammation, leading to a decrease in CNV growth and leakage, suggesting it could be a effective multi-target treatment for this eye condition.
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Background: The clinical characteristics of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) in pediatric patients and its optimal treatment strategies are unknown.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of anticoagulant therapy for pediatric SVT.

Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched up to December 2021.

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Introduction: In the past HIV infection was a common complication of haemophilia therapy. Gene therapy trials in Haemophilia patients using rAAV have shown promising results; Unfortunately, the majority of gene therapy trials studies have excluded HIV positive patients. We decided to systematically review the published clinical trials using rAAV for HIV prevention.

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Hemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder with a deficiency of coagulation factor 8 or 9 (hemophilia A or B, respectively) and a tendency for recurrent bleeding, especially into muscles and joints, which may cause orthopedic damage and necessitate joint replacement surgeries at a young age. In recent years, there has been a huge breakthrough in the treatment of hemophilia. Until recently, the only available therapy was based on repeated intravenous injection of factor concentrates (replacement therapy).

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Article Synopsis
  • - 3K3A-Activated Protein C (APC) is a modified version of a natural anticoagulant that shows protective effects without causing bleeding risks and has anti-inflammatory qualities in various neurological injury models.
  • - In a study on mice with LPS-induced uveitis, treatment with 3K3A-APC led to a significant decrease in the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the retina, helping control inflammation and prevent retinal thickening.
  • - 3K3A-APC treatment also suppressed the activation of inflammatory pathways, specifically by reducing levels of NLRP3 inflammasome components and IL-1β, indicating its potential as a new treatment for inflammatory retinal diseases.
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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease is associated with coagulopathy and an increased risk of thrombosis. An association between thrombin generation (TG) capacity, disease severity, and outcomes has not been well described.

Methods: We assessed the correlation of TG with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) scores and clinical outcomes by analysis of plasma samples obtained from hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

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Studies from the past 50 years have contributed to the expanding knowledge regarding developmental hemostasis. This is a dynamic process that begins in the fetal phase and is characterized by physiological variations in platelet counts and function, and concentrations of most coagulation factors and the native coagulation inhibitors in early life, as compared with adulthood. The developmental hemostasis studies since the 1980 to 1990s established the laboratory reference values for coagulation factors.

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Background: Hemophilia A (HA) therapy requires intravenous replacement infusions of factor (F) VIII concentrate. Inhibitors are high-affinity immunoglobulin G that are directed against FVIII and thereby render replacement therapy ineffective. This complication has significant prognostic implications.

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Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is rare among pediatric patients. The diagnosis of HIT depends upon clinical decision tools to assess its pretest probability, supported by laboratory evidence of anti-platelet factor 4 (anti-PF4)/heparin antibodies.

Aims: To compare the use of the 4Ts score clinical decision tool, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings between pediatric and adult patients with suspected HIT.

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