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This study evaluated the potential for antibody‐dependent enhancement (ADE) in serum samples from patients exposed to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV). Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccination on ADE in individuals with a MERS infection history. We performed ADE assay in sera from MERS recovered and SARS‐CoV‐2‐vaccinated individuals using BHK cells expressing FcgRIIa, SARS‐CoV‐2, and MERS‐CoV pseudoviruses (PVs). Further, we analyzed the association of ADE to serum IgG levels and neutralization. Out of 16 MERS patients, nine demonstrated ADE against SARS‐CoV‐2 PV, however, none of the samples demonstrated ADE against MERS‐CoV PV. Furthermore, out of the seven patients exposed to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination after MERS‐CoV infection, only one patient (acutely infected with MERS‐CoV) showed ADE for SARS‐CoV‐2 PV. Further analysis indicated that IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 against SARS‐CoV‐2 S1 and RBD subunits, IgG1 and IgG2 against the MERS‐CoV S1 subunit, and serum neutralizing activity were low in ADE‐positive samples. In summary, samples from MERS‐CoV‐infected patients exhibited ADE against SARS‐CoV‐2 and was significantly associated with low levels of neutralizing antibodies. Subsequent exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination resulted in diminished ADE activity while the PV neutralization assay demonstrated a broadly reactive antibody response in some patient samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with special needs such as those with autism spectrum disorder have been recorded as ostracized and stigmatized in many parts of the world. Little is known about whether such negative views are present among mainstream teachers in Oman. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate school teachers' awareness about autism spectrum disorder in an urban region in Oman. A total of 164 teachers were randomly enrolled from five schools. Misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder were found to be common among mainstream teachers in the country. We posit that such lack of awareness was likely to be rooted with sociocultural patterning as well as conflicting views often "spun" by the scientific community and mass media. Enlightened views toward children with autism spectrum disorder should be presented to Omani teachers to overcome misconceptions and negative attitudes toward children with autism spectrum disorder.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate whether caregiver's variations in socioeconomic status (SES) has direct bearing on challenges of nurturing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Oman. A cadre of caregivers (n = 150) from two types of SES (low-income and middle-high income) were compared based on four domains: (1) accessing and perception of remedial services, (2) utilization and perception of psychiatric services, (3) constraints for being a caregiver of children with ASD and (4) financial expenses of taking care of children with ASD. There is little indication that any particular SES fare well on these domains. Factors to mitigate such predicaments are therefore imperative in order to improve quality of life for caregivers among children with ASD.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate whether caregiver's variations in socioeconomic status (SES) has direct bearing on challenges of nurturing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Oman. A cadre of caregivers (n = 150) from two types of SES (low-income and middle-high income) were compared based on four domains: (1) accessing and perception of remedial services, (2) utilization and perception of psychiatric services, (3) constraints for being a caregiver of children with ASD and (4) financial expenses of taking care of children with ASD. There is little indication that any particular SES fare well on these domains. Factors to mitigate such predicaments are therefore imperative in order to improve quality of life for caregivers among children with ASD. Keywords Socio-economic burden * Autism * ASD * Caregiver * Oman, Introduction Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are defined by impairments within the following three categories: social interaction, communication skills, and patterns of activities (American [...]