Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pediatric oncology care in the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia region: A report from the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) group.

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer is a highly curable disease when timely diagnosis and appropriate therapy are provided. A negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on access to care for children with cancer is likely but has not been evaluated. METHODS: A 34-item survey focusing on barriers to pediatric oncology management during the COVID-19 pandemic was distributed to heads of pediatric oncology units within the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) collaborative group, from the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia. Responses were collected on April 11 through 22, 2020. Corresponding rates of proven COVID-19 cases and deaths were retrieved from the World Health Organization database. RESULTS: In total, 34 centers from 19 countries participated. Almost all centers applied guidelines to optimize resource utilization and safety, including delaying off-treatment visits, rotating and reducing staff, and implementing social distancing, hand hygiene measures, and personal protective equipment use. Essential treatments, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, were delayed in 29% to 44% of centers, and 24% of centers restricted acceptance of new patients. Clinical care delivery was reported as negatively affected in 28% of centers. Greater than 70% of centers reported shortages in blood products, and 47% to 62% reported interruptions in surgery and radiation as well as medication shortages. However, bed availability was affected in <30% of centers, reflecting the low rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the corresponding countries at the time of the survey. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanisms to approach childhood cancer treatment delivery during crises need to be re-evaluated, because treatment interruptions and delays are expected to affect patient outcomes in this otherwise largely curable disease.

In vitro cadmium-induced alterations in growth and oxidative metabolism of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic pollutant, which cause both dose- and time-dependent physiological and biochemical alterations in plants. The present in vitro study was undertaken to explore Cd-induced physiological and biochemical changes in cotton callus culture at 0, 550, 700, 850, and 1000 µM Cd for four different stress periods (7, 14, 21, and 28 days). At 1000 µM Cd, mean growth values were lower than their respective control. The cell protein contents decreased only after 7-day and 14-day stress treatment. At 550 µM Cd, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents decreased after various stress periods except 21-day period. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at 1000 µM Cd improved relative to its respective controls in the first three stress regimes. Almost a decreasing trend in the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and peroxidase (POD) activities at all Cd levels after different stress periods was noticed. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity descended over its relevant controls in the first three stress regimes except at 700 µM Cd after 14- and 21-day stress duration. Moreover, catalase (CAT) mean values significantly increased as a whole. From this experiment, it can be concluded that lipid peroxidation as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was relatively higher as has been revealed by higher MDA contents and greater SOD, CAT activities.

Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Trends in Pakistan: Activity Survey from Pakistan Bone Marrow Transplant Group.

Pakistan is the fifth most populous country with a population of 225 million and has health expenditure accounting for only 2.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Accordingly, there are a limited number of haematology-oncology and transplant centers in the country. The Pakistan Blood and Marrow Transplant (PBMT) group was established in 2020, and this report is the first activity survey from January 2021 to December 2022 focusing on the trends of matched-related donor, haploidentical, and autologous transplants in a developing country. A total of 12 transplant centers contributed data on the modified PBMT survey form retrospectively and 806 haematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs) were carried out during the study duration. Allogeneic HSCT constituted 595 (73.8%) of all the transplants; this is in stark contrast to Western data, where autologous HSCT accounts for the majority of transplants. ß-thalassemia major and aplastic anemia were the commonest indications for allogeneic HSCT, in contrast to Western data, where acute leukemia is the leading transplant indication. Autologous transplants were more frequently performed for Hodgkin's lymphoma as compared to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The use of peripheral and bone marrow stem cells was comparable. A myeloablative conditioning regimen was routinely used in patients with acute leukemia. This report provides an insight of HSCT trends in Pakistan which are different from those of Western centers contributing to transplant data from South Asia.

Do Weekly Surveillance Cultures Contribute to Antibiotic Stewardship and Correlate with Outcome of HSCT in Children? A Multicenter Real-World Experience of 5 Years from the Indian Subcontinent.

The utility of weekly rectal swab surveillance cultures (RSSCs) as a resource to identify gut colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing organisms and guide empirical antibiotic therapy in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients continues to be a subject of interest. There is an urgent need to assess and justify modifications to empirical antibiotics based on regional epidemiology and patient groups. This study aimed to study the utility of weekly rectal swab surveillance cultures (RSSCs) to guide empirical antibiotic therapy and to examine the impact of gut colonization on transplantation outcomes. This retrospective analysis of 317 successive first HSCTs performed mainly for hemoglobinopathies was conducted in 3 pediatric bone marrow transplantation centers in the Indian subcontinent between April 2016 and April 2021. Transplantation, infection control, and febrile neutropenia management protocols were identical in the 3 centers. First-line antibiotics were chosen based on RCCS reports, with meropenem used for ESBL and high-dose meropenem with colistin used for carbapenemase-resistant colonization for first half of the study, with no adjustment made in the second half. Clinical response to antibiotics, long-term outcomes, antibiotic-resistant bacteremia, and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were analyzed. The log-rank test, chi-square, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare data using R Statistical software. Of the 871 weekly RSSCs done, 162 were positive for ESBL- or KPC-resistant organism. RCCSs were ESBL-positive in 106 patients (33%) and KPC-positive in 10 patients (3%). Among the 97 ESBL-positive patients for whom a antimicrobial susceptibility testing report was available, only 22 (25%) demonstrated clinical resistance to piperacillin-tazobactam (Pip-Taz). Among the 10 KPC-positive patients, only 4 (40%) demonstrated clinical resistance to Pip-Taz and 3 (30%) had clinical resistance to meropenem. Two-thirds of patients with ESBL-positive RSSC in whom first-line empirical antibiotics were used responded clinically. Even among the 15 patients who were resistant to first-line empirical antibiotics (Pip-Taz) on RSSC reports, 67% responded clinically to Pip-Taz. Twenty-seven of these patients (56%) never needed carbapenem therapy. Empirical Pip-Taz therapy in ESBL-positive patients did not prolong meropenem use within 100 days of transplantation (P = .18). All patients with a KPC-positive RSSC who received first-line empirical antibiotics responded clinically, including 4 who were resistant to Pip-Taz and 3 who were meropenem-resistant on RCCS. Comparing patients who were ESBL-positive, KPC-positive, and not positive for either showed no statistically significant differences in overall survival (OS) (P = .95), disease-free survival (DFS) (P = .45), transplantation-related mortality (TRM) (P = .97), graft rejection (P = .68), or rate of acute GVHD grade II-IV (P = .78). No statistically significant differences were seen between the ESBL-positive patients who received and those who did not receive higher-level empirical antibiotics in OS (P = .32), DFS (P = .64), TRM (P = .65), graft rejection (P = .46), acute GVHD grade II-IV (P = .26), or antibiotic-resistant bacteremia (P = .3). In the context of HSCT for nonmalignant hematologic disorders, choosing empiric antibiotic therapy based on RSSCs is not justified, even in regions with a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing reports in surveillance cultures did not correlate with in vivo clinical response. Colonization reported on weekly RSSCs showed no correlation with clinical outcomes. © 2021 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Setting up and sustaining blood and marrow transplant services for children in middle-income economies: an experience-driven position paper on behalf of the EBMT PDWP.

Severe blood disorders and cancer are the leading cause of death and disability from noncommunicable diseases in the global pediatric population and a major financial burden. The most frequent of these conditions, namely sickle cell disease and severe thalassemia, are highly curable by blood or bone marrow transplantation (BMT) which can restore a normal health-related quality of life and be cost-effective. This position paper summarizes critical issues in extending global access to BMT based on ground experience in the start-up of several BMT units in middle-income countries (MICs) across South-East Asia and the Middle East where close to 700 allogeneic BMTs have been performed over a 10-year period. Basic requirements in terms of support systems, equipment, and consumables are summarized keeping in mind WHO's model essential lists and recommendations. BMT unit setup and maintenance costs are summarized as well as those per transplant. Low-risk BMT is feasible and safe in MICs with outcomes comparable to high-income countries but at a fraction of the cost. This report might be of assistance to health care institutions in MICs interested in developing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation services and strengthening context appropriate tertiary care and higher medical education.