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Objective To describe the risk factors, clinical profile and outcomes of COVID-19 in the paediatric population.Design Multicentre, retrospective observational study.Setting Four tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia.Patients We recruited 390 paediatric patients aged 0–18 years who presented from March to December 2020 and tested positive for COVID-19 on PCR.Main outcome measures We retrospectively analysed medical records for sociodemographics, health indicators, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, clinical complications, and outcomes.Results The mean participant age was 5.66±4.90 years, and the mean hospital stay was 2.17±3.48 days. Forty patients, mostly school-aged children (16, 40.00%; p=0.005) and children with comorbidities (25, 62.50%; p

The Sahel experienced a severe drought during the 1970s and 1980s after wet periods in the 1950s and 1960s. Although rainfall partially recovered since the 1990s, the drought had devastating impacts on society. Most studies agree that this dry period resulted primarily from remote effects of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies amplified by local land surface-atmosphere interactions. This paper reviews advances made during the last decade to better understand the impact of global SST variability on West African rainfall at interannual to decadal time scales. At interannual time scales, a warming of the equatorial Atlantic and Pacific/Indian Oceans results in rainfall reduction over the Sahel, and positive SST anomalies over the Mediterranean Sea tend to be associated with increased rainfall. At decadal time scales, warming over the tropics leads to drought over the Sahel, whereas warming over the North Atlantic promotes increased rainfall. Prediction systems have evolved from seasonal to decadal forecasting. The agreement among future projections has improved from CMIP3 to CMIP5, with a general tendency for slightly wetter conditions over the central part of the Sahel, drier conditions over the western part, and a delay in the monsoon onset. The role of the Indian Ocean, the stationarity of teleconnections, the determination of the leader ocean basin in driving decadal variability, the anthropogenic role, the reduction of the model rainfall spread, and the improvement of some model components are among the most important remaining questions that continue to be the focus of current international projects.

Abstract Newly approved subunit and mRNA vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) demonstrate effectiveness in preventing severe disease, with protection exceeding 80% primarily through the generation of antibodies. An alternative vaccine platform called self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) holds promise in eliciting humoral and cellular immune responses. We evaluate the immunogenicity of a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-formulated saRNA vaccine called SMARRT.RSV.preF, encoding a stabilized form of the RSV fusion protein, in female mice and in non-human primates (NHPs) that are either RSV-naïve or previously infected. Intramuscular vaccination with SMARRT.RSV.preF vaccine induces RSV neutralizing antibodies and cellular responses in naïve mice and NHPs. Importantly, a single dose of the vaccine in RSV pre-exposed NHPs elicits a dose-dependent anamnestic humoral immune response comparable to a subunit RSV preF vaccine. Notably, SMARRT.RSV.preF immunization significantly increases polyfunctional RSV.F specific memory CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells compared to RSV.preF protein vaccine. Twenty-four hours post immunization with SMARRT.RSV.preF, there is a dose-dependent increase in the systemic levels of inflammatory and chemotactic cytokines associated with the type I interferon response in NHPs, which is not observed with the protein vaccine. We identify a cluster of analytes including IL-15, TNFα, CCL4, and CXCL10, whose levels are significantly correlated with each other after SMARRT.RSV.preF immunization. These findings suggest saRNA vaccines have the potential to be developed as a prophylactic RSV vaccine based on innate, cellular, and humoral immune profiles they elicit.

Background: Cardiac arrest remains a critical global health challenge, necessitating effective interventions to improve outcomes. Autopulse Mechanical Chest Compression has emerged as a potential adjunct to conventional manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the association between Autopulse use and various outcomes following cardiac arrest. Methods: A thorough literature review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. Articles were evaluated for eligibility according to predefined criteria. The collected data was synthesized, and the findings were subsequently presented. Results: Sixteen studies were included in the study. A synthesis of diverse studies revealed nuanced perspectives on Autopulse Mechanical Chest Compression. Enhanced CPR success and improved survival rates in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were demonstrated, while potential drawbacks were suggested, warranting scrutiny of device design and implementation strategies. Meta-analyses on ROSC favored Autopulse, indicating a statistically significant advantage over Manual CPR (relative risk 1.43, 95% CI 1.07-1.92). Complication analyses showed no significant difference (relative risk 1.11, 95% CI 0.93-1.33), emphasizing comparable safety profiles. Patient survival rates exhibited variations, with Autopulse demonstrating higher rates in some studies, but nuances were observed in 30-day survival and hospital discharge rates. Conclusion: Autopulse Mechanical Chest Compression holds promise as a supplementary strategy in cardiac arrest resuscitation. However, complexities arose in longer-term outcomes, highlighting the need for contextual considerations. [SJEMed 2024; 5(1.000): 030-041]