Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the new coronavirus responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome and atypical pneumonia. In non-pregnant women, studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 causes cardiac injury, which can result in myocardial inflammation and damage. Despite many studies investigating the extent of cardiac compromise in severely ill COVID-19 patients, little is known regarding its impact on pregnant women. Objective To illustrate the clinical, laboratory, radiological findings, and outcomes of COVID-19 pregnant patients who developed myocardial injury with ventricular dysfunction. Study Design We retrospectively reviewed the paper records of fifteen pregnant women with COVID-19, who developed myocardial injury on a single tertiary care hospital in the Dominican Republic. Patient's baseline characteristics, clinical picture, laboratory, and radiological findings were presented, and maternal and fetal outcomes were analyzed. Results Of 154 pregnant patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at our hospital during the study period, 15 (9.7%), developed myocardial injury. These patients' mean age and gestational age were 29.87 ± 5.83 and 32.31 ± 3.68, respectively. 66.7% of patients presented with shortness of breath and 16.3% with palpitations. All patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 86.6% needed intubation. Patients developed myocardial injury confirmed with highly elevated troponin (34.6 [14.4-55.5 ng/ml]), and pro-BNP concentrations (209 [184-246 pg/ml]). Additionally, all patients developed left ventricular dysfunction demonstrated by an echocardiogram with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 37.67 ± 6.4 %. Two patients that presented with palpitations passed away a few days after admission. Conclusion Our study showed COVID-19 induced myocardial injury and left ventricular dysfunction in pregnant women with a 13.3% mortality rate which was attributed to malignant arrhythmias.

An acute respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously known as 2019-nCoV], the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China. Since then, the virus has spread rapidly worldwide leading to a global public health crisis. Due to its devastating effect on public health, it is crucial to identify a viable therapeutic option to mitigate the damage the disease causes. In spite of various governments implementing aggressive global lock-down and quarantine protocols, the number of cases continues to follow an upward trend. At present, the therapeutic strategies are supportive or preventative, focusing on reducing transmission. Given the gravity of the situation, we aim to explore the drugs that have been tried so far and their efficacy when applied in clinical trials. Since newer interventions would take months to years to develop, by looking at the pool of existing therapeutic options, including remdesivir (RDV), plasma exchange or cytapheresis, hydroxychloroquine, baricitinib, and lopinavir (LPV), we have tried to detail the principles behind their use to treat COVID-19, current application, and adverse effects. Many coronaviruses have a highly mutable single-stranded RNA genome and hence discovering new drugs against the virus is going to be challenging owing to the possible viral genetic recombination. Extensive research is still needed to safely advocate the efficacy of the currently available therapeutic options.

To determine the prevalence, level of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk perception attitude and preventive behavior implemented by the Latino population in the United States of America (USA). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 25 and August 25, 2020, and included asymptomatic Latino participants (n=410) with no current/previous COVID-19 within a religious community in Maryland. Participants answered a questionnaire consisting of three components: patient demographics/socioeconomic status, COVID-19 risk perception, and precautionary behavior. Additionally, a focused history taking and physical examination were performed, and nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing were obtained. Results Around 80% of our study population was 35 years and older, considerably healthy, with only about a third reporting history of chronic disease (~80%); most were females (~66%). Of our participants, 90% lived under poverty; only ~6% had made it to college. When asked about the likelihood of acquiring COVID-19, 97.3% stated they have a low risk of getting infected. However, as we asked about the risk of individuals living in their neighborhood, state, and country, the rates changed to moderate to high (78.4%, 86.3%, and 86.6%, respectively). When asked about preventive behavior, 71.2% stated they never wear masks and 85.4% mentioned they never keep social distance. Additionally, 76 (18.5%) tested positive for COVID-19, whereas 64 (84.2%) developed symptoms at follow-up, 57 (75%) were hospitalized, and 4 (5.2%) died. Conclusions Our study identified inadequate COVID-19 threat perception and lack of engagement in preventive behavior among a group of Latinos living in the USA. We believe that Latino communities across the USA are at markedly high risk of acquiring, spreading, and dying of COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries worldwide have witnessed an unprecedented decline in hospital emergency visits and even in acute coronary syndrome-related hospitalizations. 1,2 A high burden of cardiac injury has been seen in COVID-19 patients and also an increase in the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been reported in the during COVID-19 outbreak in various countries. 3 Therefore, we planned to do this meta-analysis to get an idea about the exact change in the OHCA incidence and mortality in the COVID-19 period compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and SCOPUS search until July 15th, 2020 using keywords "Out of hospital cardiac arrest or OHCA, COVID-19, SARS-COV-2,2019-nCov" resulted in 41 articles of which we finally included 3 articles. 3 À5 The random-effects model regardless of heterogeneity using Haenszel formula was used for Odds ratios (ORs) calculation.We found one study each from the USA, France, and Italy. Baldi et al. considered the COVID-19 period from the first documented case in the Lombardy Region (

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are the first cells to recover following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and play a crucial role in enabling engraftment, preventing post-transplant infection and tumor relapse. In addition, NK cells also reduce the risk of graft versus host disease (GvHD) and increase the graft versus leukemia effect (GVL). The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to know the impact of NK cells reconstitution on outcomes of allogeneic HSCT. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov through January 2021. We used MeSH terms and keywords for "hematologic malignancies" OR "hematopoietic stem cell transplantation" AND "natural killer cells." No filters or publication time limits were applied for the search. A total of 13 studies were included after screening 988 records and excluding duplicates, review, and non-relevant articles. An arbitrary value of NK cell count of 22.2 cell/ul was set as a cut-off to divide between high and low groups of NK where applicable. Quality evaluation was done using the NIH quality assessment tool and Inter-study variance was calculated using Der Simonian-Laird Estimator. Pooled analysis was done using the 'meta' package (Schwarzer et al. R programming language), and proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Results: A total of 1623 patients were evaluated from 13 studies. (Table 1) The median age of patients was 44 (8.6-63) years and 33.5% were males. The median duration of follow-up was 18 (0.3-122) months. The median 2-year overall survival (OS) for high NK cohort and low NK cohort was 77% (95%CI 0.70-0.83, I 2 =82%, n=982) and 52%(95%CI 0.38-0.67, I 2 =95%, n=982), respectively. The pooled rate of relapse in high NK group was 8% (95%CI 0.01-0.19, I 2 =83%, n=226) and it was 20% (95%CI 0.06-0.39, I 2 =90%, n=226) for low NK group. The pooled incidence of acute GvHD was 24% (95%CI 0.09-0.42, I 2 =91%, n=336) and 44% (95%CI 0.26-0.62, I 2 =91%, n=336) for high and low NK cohorts, respectively. The pooled incidence for viral infection for high NK group was 17% (95%CI 0.01-0.47, I 2 =98%, n=508) while it was 29% (95%CI 0.04-0.65, I 2 =98%, n=508) for low NK group, respectively. Conclusion: Higher reconstitution of NK cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant has a favorable impact on outcomes, including better overall survival and low incidence of relapse, acute GvHD, and viral infections. Our findings suggest the need for further prospective studies to investigate utility of NK cells infusion early post-transplant to improve clinical outcomes and survival. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures McGuirk: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; EcoR1 Capital: Consultancy; Astelllas Pharma: Research Funding; Allovir: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Fresenius Biotech: Research Funding; Gamida Cell: Research Funding; Magenta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kite/ Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel accommodations, expense, Kite a Gilead company, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Juno Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pluristem Therapeutics: Research Funding.