Publications by authors named "Tariq Al-Farsi"

Article Synopsis
  • Angioedema (AE) is a condition characterized by localized swelling in the skin or mucous membranes and can be hereditary or acquired, making its classification complex due to various underlying mechanisms and taxonomies.
  • The DANCE initiative, involving 91 experts from 35 countries, aimed to create a unified consensus on the definition, acronyms, and classification of AE through an extensive online discussion and voting process over 16 months.
  • The resulting DANCE classification introduces five types of AE, standardizes terminology, and is designed to enhance research and patient care while complementing existing clinical guidelines without replacing them.
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Chronic giardia infection can lead to non-erosive gastrointestinal disorders, including protein-losing enteropathy (PLE). This report describes non-diarrheal PLE in chronic giardiasis in children with defective humoral immunity. Methods: The retrospective report is related to 2 children known to have a monogenic inborn error of immunity.

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Aims: To understand the characteristics of combined immunodeficiency disorders that affect cellular and humoral immunity (CID) in the Arabian Peninsula.

Methods: Retrospective study of 236 patients with CID from the region were enrolled from 2004 to 2022.

Results: 236 patients were included with a majority being profound CID.

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Background: There is an increased demand for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) to treat various diseases including combined immunodeficiencies (CID), with limited worldwide availability. Variables affecting the decision regarding CID patients' prioritization for HSCT are not known. We aimed to determine general, clinical, and immunologic factors associated with the higher risk of early death (≤6 months after diagnosis) in untransplanted CID patients.

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Human inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a group of 485 distinct genetic disorders affecting children and adults. Signs and symptoms of IEI are heterogeneous, and accurate diagnosis can be challenging and depends on the available human expertise and laboratory resources. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has an increased prevalence of IEI because of the high rate of consanguinity with a predominance of autosomal recessive disorders.

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Monogenic immune dysregulation diseases (MIDD) are caused by defective immunotolerance. This study was designed to increase knowledge on the prevalence and spectrum of MIDDs, genetic patterns, and outcomes in Middle East and North Africa (MENA). MIDD patients from 11 MENA countries (Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Jordan, Qatar, and Azerbaijan) were retrospectively evaluated.

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Aims: To present the details of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-vaccine associated complications (VACs) in combined immunodeficiencies (CID) patients.

Methods: Five centers participated in this retrospective study and completed a data form, which included general patients' information, clinical and laboratory data.

Results: Among 236 CID patients, 127 were BCG vaccinated.

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CBL-B is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates proteins downstream of immune receptors to downregulate positive signaling cascades. Distinct homozygous mutations in CBLB were identified in 3 unrelated children with early-onset autoimmunity, one of whom also had chronic urticaria. Patient T cells exhibited hyperproliferation in response to anti-CD3 cross-linking.

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Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are being recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in communities with a high frequency of consanguinity, such as Oman, and thus recessively inherited conditions. Various monogenic causes of IEI have been recently discovered; however, the disease phenotype may be variable and does not always include infection at presentation, leading to a delay in diagnosis and a poor outcome. It is now well recognized that immune dysregulation manifestations are observed in a significant proportion of patients with IEI and occasionally precede infection.

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is a rare but important pathogen, especially in children with immunodeficiency. Intestinal cryptosporidiosis is well described in immunocompetent and immunocompromised children, but respiratory and disseminated cryptosporidiosis in immunodeficient children is not often reported. We describe an Omani infant with disseminated cryptosporidiosis and failing pharmacological therapy in the context of severe combined immunodeficiency.

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Background: Homozygous loss of DIAPH1 results in seizures, cortical blindness, and microcephaly syndrome (SCBMS). We studied 5 Finnish and 2 Omani patients with loss of DIAPH1 presenting with SCBMS, mitochondrial dysfunction, and immunodeficiency.

Objective: We sought to further characterize phenotypes and disease mechanisms associated with loss of DIAPH1.

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Introduction: Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) results from various monogenic defects that impair immune function and brings on early severe and life-threatening infections. The main stay of treatment for SCID is hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) with near normal survival at 5 years for an early transplant done at or before the age of 3.5 months of life and the patient is maintained free of infections.

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The glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit 3 (G6PC3) encodes a ubiquitously expressed enzyme that regulates cytoplasmic glucose availability. Loss-of-function biallelic G6PC3 mutations cause severe congenital neutropenia and a diverse spectrum of extra-hematological manifestations, among which inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been anecdotally reported. Neutrophil function and clinical response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were investigated in 4 children with G6PC3 deficiency-associated IBD.

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Objectives: Optimal glycemic control is an important goal in the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Although the use of multiple daily injections (MDI) is a common regimen worldwide, its use is not yet universal in many countries. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of switching from a twice daily (BID) to a MDI insulin regimen in children and adolescents with T1DM in order to revisit its benefits in the Omani population.

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