Error-Prone Replication through UV Lesions by DNA Polymerase θ Protects against Skin Cancers.

Cancers from sun-exposed skin accumulate "driver" mutations, causally implicated in oncogenesis. Because errors incorporated during translesion synthesis (TLS) opposite UV lesions would generate these mutations, TLS mechanisms are presumed to underlie cancer development. To address the role of TLS in skin cancer formation, we determined which DNA polymerase is responsible for generating UV mutations, analyzed the relative contributions of error-free TLS by Polη and error-prone TLS by Polθ to the replication of UV-damaged DNA and to genome stability, and examined the incidence of UV-induced skin cancers in Polθ-/-, Polη-/-, and Polθ-/- Polη-/- mice. Our findings that the incidence of skin cancers rises in Polθ-/- mice and is further exacerbated in Polθ-/- Polη-/- mice compared with Polη-/- mice support the conclusion that error-prone TLS by Polθ provides a safeguard against tumorigenesis and suggest that cancer formation can ensue in the absence of somatic point mutations.

WRN exonuclease imparts high fidelity on translesion synthesis by Y family DNA polymerases.

Purified translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases (Pols) replicate through DNA lesions with a low fidelity; however, TLS operates in a predominantly error-free manner in normal human cells. To explain this incongruity, here we determine whether Y family Pols, which play an eminent role in replication through a diversity of DNA lesions, are incorporated into a multiprotein ensemble and whether the intrinsically high error rate of the TLS Pol is ameliorated by the components in the ensemble. To this end, we provide evidence for an indispensable role of Werner syndrome protein (WRN) and WRN-interacting protein 1 (WRNIP1) in Rev1-dependent TLS by Y family Polη, Polι, or Polκ and show that WRN, WRNIP1, and Rev1 assemble together with Y family Pols in response to DNA damage. Importantly, we identify a crucial role of WRN's 3' → 5' exonuclease activity in imparting high fidelity on TLS by Y family Pols in human cells, as the Y family Pols that accomplish TLS in an error-free manner manifest high mutagenicity in the absence of WRN's exonuclease function. Thus, by enforcing high fidelity on TLS Pols, TLS mechanisms have been adapted to safeguard against genome instability and tumorigenesis.

Implications of inhibition of Rev1 interaction with Y family DNA polymerases for cisplatin chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy with cisplatin becomes limiting due to toxicity and secondary malignancies. In principle, therapeutics could be improved by targeting translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerases (Pols) that promote replication through intrastrand cross-links, the major cisplatin-induced DNA adduct. However, to specifically target malignancies with minimal adverse effects on normal cells, a good understanding of TLS mechanisms in normal versus cancer cells is paramount. We show that in normal cells, TLS through cisplatin intrastrand cross-links is promoted by Polη- or Polι-dependent pathways, both of which require Rev1 as a scaffolding component. In contrast, cancer cells require Rev1-Polζ. Our findings that a recently identified Rev1 inhibitor, JH-RE-06, purported to specifically disrupt Rev1 interaction with Polζ to block TLS through cisplatin adducts in cancer cells, abrogates Rev1's ability to function with Y family Pols as well, implying that by inactivating Rev1-dependent TLS in normal cells, this inhibitor will exacerbate the toxicity and tumorigenicity of chemotherapeutics with cisplatin.

DNA polymerase θ accomplishes translesion synthesis opposite 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine with a remarkably high fidelity in human cells.

Here we show that translesion synthesis (TLS) opposite 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (εdA), which disrupts Watson-Crick base pairing, occurs via Polι/Polζ-, Rev1-, and Polθ-dependent pathways. The requirement of Polι/Polζ is consistent with the ability of Polι to incorporate nucleotide opposite εdA by Hoogsteen base pairing and of Polζ to extend synthesis. Rev1 polymerase and Polθ conduct TLS opposite εdA via alternative error-prone pathways. Strikingly, in contrast to extremely error-prone TLS opposite εdA by purified Polθ, it performs predominantly error-free TLS in human cells. Reconfiguration of the active site opposite εdA would provide Polθ the proficiency for error-free TLS in human cells.

Immunogenicity, clinical efficacy and safety of additional second COVID-19 booster vaccines against Omicron and its subvariants: A systematic review.

The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a new variant of concern (VOC) and an emerging subvariant that exhibits heightened infectivity, transmissibility, and immune evasion, escalating the incidence of moderate to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It resists monoclonal antibodies and diminishes vaccine efficacy. Notably, new sublineages have outpaced earlier predominant sublineages. Although the primary vaccination series and initial boosters were robust against previous VOCs, their efficacy waned against Omicron and its subvariants. In this systematic review, we assessed real-world evidence on the immunogenicity, clinical efficacy, and safety of a second booster or fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose against the Omicron VOC and its subvariants. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, bioRxiv, and medRxiv, and relevant studies published between 2022 and 30 May 2023 were reviewed. We found a total of 40 relevant articles focusing on a second booster dose for COVID-19, including clinical trials and observational studies, involving 3,972,856 patients. The results consistently revealed that an additional second booster dose restored and prolonged waning immunity, activating both humoral and cellular responses against Omicron and its subvariants. A second booster treatment correlated with enduring protection against COVID-19, notably preventing substantial symptomatic disease and mortality associated with severe Omicron infection. Both monovalent messenger RNA (mRNA) and nonmRNA vaccines demonstrated similar efficacy and safety, with bivalent mRNA vaccines exhibiting broader protection against emerging subvariants of Omicron. The safety profiles of second booster were favourable with only mild systemic and local symptoms reported in some recipients. In conclusion, this systematic review underscores the additional COVID-19 vaccine boosters, particularly with bivalent or multivalent mRNA vaccines, for countering the highly infectious emerging subvariants of Omicron.

Yeast 9-1-1 complex acts as a sliding clamp for DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase ε.

Eukaryotic cells harbor two DNA-binding clamps, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and another clamp commonly referred to as 9-1-1 clamp. In contrast to the essential role of PCNA in DNA replication as a sliding clamp for DNA polymerase (Pol) δ, no such role in DNA synthesis has been identified for the human 9-1-1 clamp or the orthologous yeast 17-3-1 clamp. The only role identified for either the 9-1-1 or 17-3-1 clamp is in the recruitment of signal transduction kinases, which affect the activation of cell cycle checkpoints in response to DNA damage. However, unlike the loading of PCNA by the replication factor C (RFC) clamp loader onto 3'-recessed DNA junctions for processive DNA synthesis by Polδ, the 17-3-1 clamp or the 9-1-1 clamp is loaded by their respective clamp loader Rad24-RFC or RAD17-RFC onto the 5'-recessed DNA junction of replication protein A-coated DNA for the recruitment of signal transduction kinases. Here, we identify a novel role of 17-3-1 clamp as a sliding clamp for DNA synthesis by Polε. We provide evidence that similar to the loading of PCNA by RFC, the 17-3-1 clamp is loaded by the Rad24-RFC clamp loader at the 3'-recessed DNA junction in an ATP-dependent manner. However, unlike PCNA, the 17-3-1 clamp does not enhance the processivity of DNA synthesis by Polε; instead, it greatly increases the catalytic efficiency of Polε for correct nucleotide incorporation. Furthermore, we show that the same PCNA-interacting peptide domain in the polymerase 2 catalytic subunit mediates Polε interaction with the 17-3-1 clamp and with PCNA.

DNA polymerase ε leading strand signature mutations result from defects in its proofreading activity.

The evidence that purified pol2-M644G DNA polymerase (Pol)ε exhibits a highly elevated bias for forming T:dTTP mispairs over A:dATP mispairs and that yeast cells harboring this Polε mutation accumulate A > T signature mutations in the leading strand have been used to assign a role for Polε in replicating the leading strand. Here, we determine whether A > T signature mutations result from defects in Polε proofreading activity by analyzing their rate in Polε proofreading defective pol2-4 and pol2-M644G cells. Since purified pol2-4 Polε exhibits no bias for T:dTTP mispair formation, A > T mutations are expected to occur at a much lower rate in pol2-4 than in pol2-M644G cells if Polε replicated the leading strand. Instead, we find that the rate of A > T signature mutations are as highly elevated in pol2-4 cells as in pol2-M644G cells; furthermore, the highly elevated rate of A > T signature mutations is severely curtailed in the absence of PCNA ubiquitination or Polζ in both the pol2-M644G and pol2-4 strains. Altogether, our evidence supports the conclusion that the leading strand A > T signature mutations derive from defects in Polε proofreading activity and not from the role of Polε as a leading strand replicase, and it conforms with the genetic evidence for a major role of Polδ in replication of both the DNA strands.

Mismatch repair operates at the replication fork in direct competition with mismatch extension by DNA polymerase δ.

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) in eukaryotes is believed to occur post-replicatively, wherein nicks or gaps in the nascent DNA strand are suggested to serve as strand discrimination signals. However, how such signals are generated in the nascent leading strand has remained unclear. Here we examine the alternative possibility that MMR occurs in conjunction with the replication fork. To this end, we utilize mutations in the PCNA interacting peptide (PIP) domain of the Pol3 or Pol32 subunit of DNA polymerase δ (Polδ) and show that these pip mutations suppress the greatly elevated mutagenesis in yeast strains harboring the pol3-01 mutation defective in Polδ proofreading activity. And strikingly, they suppress the synthetic lethality of pol3-01 pol2-4 double mutant strains, which arises from the vastly enhanced mutability due to defects in the proofreading functions of both Polδ and Polε. Our finding that suppression of elevated mutagenesis in pol3-01 by the Polδ pip mutations requires intact MMR supports the conclusion that MMR operates at the replication fork in direct competition with other mismatch removal processes and with extension of synthesis from the mispair by Polδ. Furthermore, the evidence that Polδ pip mutations eliminate almost all the mutability of pol2-4 msh2Δ or pol3-01 pol2-4 adds strong support for a major role of Polδ in replication of both the leading and lagging DNA strands.

The impact and future of artificial intelligence in medical genetics and molecular medicine: an ongoing revolution.

Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms have emerged as pivotal tools in genetics and molecular medicine, as in many other fields. The growth in patient data, identification of new diseases and phenotypes, discovery of new intracellular pathways, availability of greater sets of omics data, and the need to continuously analyse them have led to the development of new AI platforms. AI continues to weave its way into the fabric of genetics with the potential to unlock new discoveries and enhance patient care. This technology is setting the stage for breakthroughs across various domains, including dysmorphology, rare hereditary diseases, cancers, clinical microbiomics, the investigation of zoonotic diseases, omics studies in all medical disciplines. AI's role in facilitating a deeper understanding of these areas heralds a new era of personalised medicine, where treatments and diagnoses are tailored to the individual's molecular features, offering a more precise approach to combating genetic or acquired disorders. The significance of these AI platforms is growing as they assist healthcare professionals in the diagnostic and treatment processes, marking a pivotal shift towards more informed, efficient, and effective medical practice. In this review, we will explore the range of AI tools available and show how they have become vital in various sectors of genomic research supporting clinical decisions.

Brassica juncea leaf cuticle contains xylose and mannose (xylomannan) which inhibit ice recrystallization on the leaf surface.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Conjugated sugars showed antifreeze activity in the cuticle by ice recrystallization inhibition rather than thermal hysteresis, enhancing freezing capacity at the surface of B. juncea leaves. Antifreeze biomolecules play a crucial role in mitigating the physical damage from frost by controlling extracellular ice crystal growth in plants. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are reported from the apoplast of different plants. Interestingly, there is no report about antifreeze properties of the cuticle. Here, we report the potential antifreeze activity in the Brassica juncea (BJ) leaf cuticle. Nano LC-MS/MS analysis of a cuticle protein enriched fraction (CPE) predicted over 30 putative AFPs using CryoProtect server and literature survey. Ice crystal morphology (ICM) and ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) analysis of ABC supernatant showed heat and pronase-resistant, non-protein antifreeze activities as well as hexagonal ice crystals with TH of 0.17 °C and IRI 46%. The ZipTip processed ABC supernatant (without peptides) had no effect on TH activity, confirming a non-protein antifreeze molecule contributing to activity. To understand the origin and to confirm the source of antifreeze activity, cuticular membranes were isolated by pectinase and cellulase hydrolysis. FTIR analysis of the intact cuticle showed xylose, mannose, cellulose, and glucose. Xylanase and cellulase treatments of the ZipTip processed ABC supernatant led to an increase in sugar content and 50% loss in antifreeze activity. UV spectroscopy and NMR analysis supported the finding of FTIR and enzyme hydrolysis suggesting the contribution of xylose and mannose to antifreeze activity. By TLC analysis, conjugated sugars were found in the cuticle. This work has opened up a new research area where the antifreeze capacity needs to be established with regard to complete characterization and mechanism of action of the antifreeze carbohydrates (conjugated sugars) on the leaf surface.

Leukoreduction of red blood cell units decreases dysregulatory micro RNAs during routine storage: An observational study with In-silico analysis.

BACKGROUND: Red Blood cells (RBCs) bring about harmful consequences during storage. MicroRNA (miRNA) dysregulation in stored RBCs could represent potential biomarkers of storage lesions. Although leukoreduction prevents damage to RBCs, it is uncertain whether leukoreduction of RBCs would impact the dysregulation of miRNAs during storage. This study evaluated the potential role of miRNAs for any alteration of leukoreduced (LR) and non-leukoreduced (NLR) RBCs till 21 days of storage. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this prospective study, thirty male volunteers' blood was equally divided into leukoreduced RBCs (LR) and NLR RBC (NLR) bags and stored till Day 21 at 4-60c. Selected miRNAs were quantified on Days 0 and 21. Further, bioinformatic tools were used to analyze the selected miRNAs and their predicted target genes (mRNAs) and identify the miRNA-mRNA regulatory relationships. RESULTS: A significantly higher fold change values of three miRNAs (miR-96-5p, miR-197-3p, miR-769-3p) were observed in NLR RBCs (p < .05). A significantly higher (p < .05) expression levels of miR-150-5p and miR-197-3p were observed in NLR RBCs till 21 days of storage. Further, the correlation with mRNA quantification confirmed the regulatory role of these miRNAs upon functional pathway enrichment analysis. DISCUSSION: A higher level of dysregulation of miRNAs was observed in NLR RBCs. Validation from In-Silico analysis suggested the regulatory role of miRNAs in cell apoptosis, senescence, and RBC-related signaling pathways. This indicated that stored LR RBCs would likely have better in vivo survival and function following transfusion. However, an in vivo study of miRNA in RBCs is warranted for conclusive evidence.

One-Step High-Temperature Electrodeposition of Fe-Based Films as Efficient Water Oxidation Catalysts.

Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen requires an efficient catalyst preferably made of cheap and abundant metal ions for the improved water oxidation reaction. An Fe-based film has been deposited in a single step by electrochemical deposition at temperatures higher than the room temperature. Until now, the electrodeposition of iron oxide has been carried out at 298 K or at lower temperatures under a controlled atmosphere to prohibit atmospheric oxidation of Fe2+ of the iron precursor. A metal inorganic complex, ferrocene, and non-aqueous electrolyte medium propylene carbonate have been used to achieve electrodeposition of iron oxide without the need of any inert or controlled atmosphere. At 298 K, the amorphous film was formed, whereas at 313 K and at higher temperatures, the hematite film was grown, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The transformation of iron of the ferrocene into a higher oxidation state under the experimental conditions used was further confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. The films deposited at 313 K showed the best performance for water oxidation with remarkable long-term electrocatalytic stability and an impressive turnover frequency of 0.028 s-1 which was 4.5 times higher than that of films deposited at 298 K (0.006 s-1). The observed overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 was found to be 100 mV less for the film deposited at 313 K compared to room-temperature-derived films under similar experimental conditions. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance data revealed that films obtained at 313 K have the least charge transfer resistance (114 Ω) among all, supporting the most efficient electron transport in the film. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-ever report where the crystalline iron-based film has been shown to be electrodeposited without any post-deposition additional treatment for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction application.

Efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in severe COVID-19 disease: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been used in severe COVID-19 disease to eliminate the cytokine storm. This meta-analysis aims to assess the effectiveness of TPE in reducing mortality in severe COVID-19 disease compared to standard treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, the Cochrane database and the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP). The random-effect model was used to calculate the risk ratio and standardized mean difference (SMD) as pooled effect size for the difference in mortality and length of the intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The risk of bias and publication bias were assessed in R version 4.1.0. The certainty of the evidence was calculated using the GradePro tool. RESULTS: The database identified 382 participants from six studies, including one randomized control trial. Egger's test did not detect any publication bias (p = 0.178). The random model analysis for mortality evaluated a risk ratio of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.28-0.52) with a significant reduction in the TPE group. The certainty of the evidence was moderate, with a risk ratio of 0.34 (95% CI: 0.24-0.49). Length of ICU stays between TPE versus standard care showed an SMD of 0.08 (95% CI: -0.38, 0.55) and was not significant. CONCLUSION: The length of ICU stay in the TPE group was not different from standard care. However, this meta-analysis revealed a significant benefit of TPE in reducing mortality in severe COVID-19 disease compared to standard treatment.

A Major Role of DNA Polymerase δ in Replication of Both the Leading and Lagging DNA Strands.

Genetic studies with S. cerevisiae Polδ (pol3-L612M) and Polε (pol2-M644G) mutant alleles, each of which display a higher rate for the generation of a specific mismatch, have led to the conclusion that Polε is the primary leading strand replicase and that Polδ is restricted to replicating the lagging strand template. Contrary to this widely accepted view, here we show that Polδ plays a major role in the replication of both DNA strands, and that the paucity of pol3-L612M-generated errors on the leading strand results from their more proficient removal. Thus, the apparent lack of Polδ contribution to leading strand replication is due to differential mismatch removal rather than differential mismatch generation. Altogether, our genetic studies with Pol3 and Pol2 mutator alleles support the conclusion that Polδ, and not Polε, is the major DNA polymerase for carrying out both leading and lagging DNA synthesis.

Rev1 promotes replication through UV lesions in conjunction with DNA polymerases η, ι, and κ but not DNA polymerase ζ.

Translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases (Pols) promote replication through DNA lesions; however, little is known about the protein factors that affect their function in human cells. In yeast, Rev1 plays a noncatalytic role as an indispensable component of Polζ, and Polζ together with Rev1 mediates a highly mutagenic mode of TLS. However, how Rev1 functions in TLS and mutagenesis in human cells has remained unclear. Here we determined the role of Rev1 in TLS opposite UV lesions in human and mouse fibroblasts and showed that Rev1 is indispensable for TLS mediated by Polη, Polι, and Polκ but is not required for TLS by Polζ. In contrast to its role in mutagenic TLS in yeast, Rev1 promotes predominantly error-free TLS opposite UV lesions in humans. The identification of Rev1 as an indispensable scaffolding component for Polη, Polι, and Polκ, which function in TLS in highly specialized ways opposite a diverse array of DNA lesions and act in a predominantly error-free manner, implicates a crucial role for Rev1 in the maintenance of genome stability in humans.

How accurate are infrared-only and rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products in the southwest monsoon precipitation estimation across India?

A dense network of rain gauges and considerably large variability of the southwest monsoon precipitation across the country make India a suitable test-bed to evaluate any satellite-based precipitation product. In this paper, three real-time infrared-only precipitation products derived from the INSAT-3D satellite namely, INSAT Multispectral Rainfall (IMR), Corrected IMR (IMC) and Hydro-Estimator (HEM) and three rain gauge-adjusted Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)-based multi-satellite precipitation products namely, Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) and an Indian merged satellite-gauge product (INMSG) have been evaluated over India at a daily timescale for the southwest monsoon seasons of 2020 and 2021. An evaluation against rain gauge-based gridded reference dataset shows noticeable reduction of bias in IMC product over IMR, primarily over the orographic regions. However, INSAT-3D infrared-only precipitation retrieval algorithms have limitations in shallow and convective precipitation estimation. Among rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite products, INMSG is shown to be the best product in the monsoon precipitation estimation over India due to use of rather larger number of rain gauges than IMERG and GSMaP products. All satellite-derived precipitation products, i.e. infrared-only and gauge-adjusted multi-satellite products underestimate heavy monsoon precipitation by 50-70%. The bias decomposition analysis indicates that a simple statistical bias correction would considerably improve the performance of the INSAT-3D precipitation products over the central India, but the same might not work over the west coast due to rather larger contributions of both positive and negative hit bias components. Although rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products show very small or negligible total biases in the monsoon precipitation estimation, positive and negative hit bias components are considerable over the west coast and central India. Furthermore, rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products underestimate very heavy to extremely heavy precipitation with larger magnitudes than the INSAT-3D derived precipitation products over the central India. Among the rain gauge-adjusted multi-satellite precipitation products, INMSG has smaller bias and error than IMERG and GSMaP products for very heavy to extremely heavy monsoon precipitation over the west coast and central India. Preliminary results of this study would be useful for end users in choosing a better precipitation product for real-time and research applications as well as for algorithm developers in further improving these products.

DNA polymerase λ promotes error-free replication through Watson-Crick impairing N1-methyl-deoxyadenosine adduct in conjunction with DNA polymerase ζ.

In a previous study, we showed that replication through the N1-methyl-deoxyadenosine (1-MeA) adduct in human cells is mediated via three different Polι/Polθ, Polη, and Polζ-dependent pathways. Based on biochemical studies with these Pols, in the Polι/Polθ pathway, we inferred a role for Polι in the insertion of a nucleotide (nt) opposite 1-MeA and of Polθ in extension of synthesis from the inserted nt; in the Polη pathway, we inferred that this Pol alone would replicate through 1-MeA; in the Polζ pathway, however, the Pol required for inserting an nt opposite 1-MeA had remained unidentified. In this study, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence for a role for Polλ in inserting the correct nt T opposite 1-MeA, from which Polζ would extend synthesis. The high proficiency of purified Polλ for inserting a T opposite 1-MeA implicates a role for Polλ-which normally uses W-C base pairing for DNA synthesis-in accommodating 1-MeA in a syn confirmation and forming a Hoogsteen base pair with T. The potential of Polλ to replicate through DNA lesions by Hoogsteen base pairing adds another novel aspect to Polλ's role in translesion synthesis in addition to its role as a scaffolding component of Polζ. We discuss how the action mechanisms of Polλ and Polζ could be restrained to inserting a T opposite 1-MeA and extending synthesis thereafter, respectively.

Comparative evaluation of efficacy and safety of automated versus manual red cell exchange in sickle cell disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exchange transfusion is a valuable treatment option in sickle cell disease (SCD) and is preferred over simple transfusion as it removes abnormal haemoglobin S (HbS) levels and reduces complications. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of automated red cell exchange (aRBX) procedure over manual red cell exchange transfusion (MET) in SCD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A standard meta-analysis protocol was developed, and after performing a comprehensive literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane and International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP), reviewers assessed eligibility and extracted data from nine relevant studies. A random effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect size calculated from the mean difference in HbS percentage, serum ferritin level and risk ratio for the adverse events. Quality assessment was done using the risk-of-bias assessment tool, and a summary of observations was prepared using standard Cochrane methodology with GradePro GDT. RESULTS: The random-model analysis revealed a mean difference of 4.10 (95% CI: -3.29-11.49; Z = 1.09; p = 0.28) for HbS percentage, mean difference of 435.29 (95% CI: -73.74-944.32; Z = 1.68; p = 0.09) for serum ferritin and pooled risk ratio of 1.35 (95% CI: 0.63-2.87; Z = 0.77; p = 0.44) for adverse events. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis did not reveal any significant benefit of aRBX in reducing HbS percentage and attenuating the serum ferritin level when compared with MET. There was also no significant increased risk of adverse events detected in association with aRBX.

Impact of COVID-19 on blood donor deferral patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Blood donor deferral is an essential tool for blood safety. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected blood transfusion services all over the world. But its impact on donor deferral rate and the pattern is unclear in light of the new donor deferral policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was divided into pre-COVID and COVID (15 March 2019-14 March 2021). All the deferred donors were divided into six different categories: (1) medical causes, (2) surgical causes, (3) drugs and vaccination, (4) risk of transfusion-transmitted diseases, (5) miscellaneous causes and (6) flu-like symptoms. In addition, COVID-related deferrals were also incorporated. All these above categories along with the donor demography were analysed by SPSS software version 25. RESULTS: The donor deferral rate was 17.03% and 12.74% during the pre-COVID and COVID periods, respectively. During the pre-COVID period, Category 3 deferrals and during COVID period, Category 6 deferrals were significantly higher. A reversal in pattern with increased blood pressure (40.2% vs. 24.04%) over-riding low haemoglobin (34.77% vs. 55.5%) was noted in the Category 1 deferral during the COVID period. Category 1 deferral was more in middle-aged adults as compared to young and old adults (p < 0.05). Among middle-aged adults, deferral due to flu-like symptoms was also significantly more during the COVID period (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 significantly affected the donor pool and changed the pattern of donor deferral. Understanding donor deferral patterns may help in identifying targeted donor populations and planning donor recruitment strategies in future pandemic crises.