Update on Mpox Management: Epidemiology, Vaccines and Therapeutics, and Regulatory Changes.

Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), is categorized into two primary clades: Clade I and Clade II, with notable outbreaks linked to Clade IIb. Historically endemic in Africa, recent years have seen significant global spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August 2024, highlighting the emergence of Clade Ib outside Africa and the broadening demographic impact of the outbreak.

Transgender Health in the Middle East Region: What Do We Know So Far? A Literature Review.

Purpose: Our aim is to review transgender people in terms of education, religion, financial security, quality of life (QOL), sexual orientation, behaviors, relationships, access to health care, and gender-affirming therapies in the Middle East region.

Methods: Electronic databases were used. Eligible studies were those targeting transgender people exclusively in Middle Eastern countries.

Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Older Adults: A Narrative Review of the Most Recent Literature on Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Management.

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder among older adults. The aim of this review is to shed light on PHPT, particularly in this age group, in terms of prevalence, clinical manifestations, medical and surgical management, and post-operative complications.

Methods: Eligible studies were those considering PHPT exclusively in the older population (main databases: PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar and the University Online database).

Psychosocial wellbeing and risky health behaviors among Syrian adolescent refugees in South Beirut: a study using the HEEADSSS interviewing framework.

Purpose: Adolescent refugees are at risk of mental health disorders and underdiagnosed risky behaviors. Limited research exists in the Middle East and North Africa. This study aims to assess psychosocial wellbeing and risk-taking behaviors among adolescent refugees displaced to South Beirut following a standardized framework.

Prevention and Treatment of Monkeypox.

Human monkeypox is a zoonotic orthopoxvirus with presentation similar to smallpox. Monkeypox is transmitted incidentally to humans when they encounter infected animals. Reports have shown that the virus can also be transmitted through direct contact (sexual or skin-to-skin), respiratory droplets, and via fomites such as towels and bedding.

Mechanisms and management of drug-induced hyperkalemia in kidney transplant patients.

Hyperkalemia is a common and potentially life-threatening complication following kidney transplantation that can be caused by a composite of factors such as medications, delayed graft function, and possibly potassium intake. Managing hyperkalemia after kidney transplantation is associated with increased morbidity and healthcare costs, and can be a cause of multiple hospital admissions and barriers to patient discharge. Medications used routinely after kidney transplantation are considered the most frequent culprit for post-transplant hyperkalemia in recipients with a well-functioning graft.

Expanded Access Programs, compassionate drug use, and Emergency Use Authorizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Expanded Access (EA) Program, which allows for compassionate uses of unapproved therapeutics and diagnostics outside of clinical trials, has gained significant traction during the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While development of vaccines has been the major focus, uncertainties around new vaccine safety and effectiveness have spawned interest in other pharmacological options. Experimental drugs can also be approved under the FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) program, designed to combat infectious disease and other threats.

Novel approaches to management of hyperkalaemia in kidney transplantation.

Purpose Of Review: Medications used frequently after kidney transplantation, including calcineurin inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers and antimicrobials, are considered the leading culprit for posttransplant hyperkalaemia in recipients with a well functioning allograft. Other risk factors include comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and heart failure; and consumption of a potassium-enriched diet. We review the mechanisms for hyperkalaemia following kidney transplantation that are addressed using nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions.

Pharmaco-Immunomodulatory Therapy in COVID-19.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness is a syndrome of viral replication in concert with a host inflammatory response. The cytokine storm and viral evasion of cellular immune responses may play an equally important role in the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and outcomes of COVID-19. Systemic proinflammatory cytokines and biomarkers are elevated as the disease progresses towards its advanced stages, and correlate with worse chances of survival.

Rupture of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Patients with and without Antecedent Endovascular Repair.

Background: Reported results of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) in patients with antecedent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to those presenting with de novo rupture show a similar or slightly improved outcome. The aim of this study was to compare differences in the presentation and outcomes of rAAA with and without prior EVAR.

Methods: A retrospective review of 121 patients with rAAA, ruptured identified 2 groups.

Results of iliac stenting and aortofemoral grafting for iliac artery occlusions.

Objective: To compare long-term results of percutaneous iliac artery stenting (PCIS) with aortobifemoral (ABF) grafting for patients with symptomatic iliac artery occlusions.

Methods: A retrospective review of 229 patients (January 2000 to December 2011) with symptomatic iliac artery occlusions was performed. In 100 patients, 103 PCIS procedures were performed, and 101 patients underwent ABF grafting.

Technical strategies to expand stent-graft applicability in the aortic arch and proximal descending thoracic aorta.

The endovascular repair of thoracic aortic pathology is on an evolutionary threshold, as advancing technologies and techniques combine to offer the interventionist expanded treatment opportunities. A variety of maneuvers are recommended to address the landing zone limitations to thoracic endografting imposed by the arch vessels: transostial bare stent placement, intentional occlusion of the arch vessel origin, vessel transposition, and bypass grafting. These adjunctive techniques can help us extend the option of a minimally invasive treatment to a greater number of patients with severe thoracic aortic lesions and comorbidities that place them at high risk for standard surgical intervention.