Hematology Advisor

2 weeks ago | hematologyadvisor.com | John Schieszer

The time has come for a paradigm shift in newborn screening for hemoglobinopathies through the adoption of universal molecular genetic testing, according to a group of experts in the field. In this era of high throughput molecular methods and bioinformatics with enhanced sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic assays, the current strategy of newborn screening (NBS) for hemoglobinopathies should be revisited.

2 weeks ago | hematologyadvisor.com | natasha persaud

A recent meta-analysis identifies a wide range of underappreciated risk factors for anemia following kidney transplantation. It highlights the importance of kidney disease etiology and use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). Suwasin Udomkarnjananun, MD, PhD, of Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, The Thai Red Cross Society in Bangkok, Thailand, and colleagues performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 85 studies including data from 38,233 patients.

2 weeks ago | hematologyadvisor.com | Ryner Lai

Psychological empowerment interventions that are technology-based significantly improve the psychological well-being of parents of pediatric patients with cancer, according to a study published in Psycho-Oncology. A pediatric diagnosis of cancer has a profound effect on the child, and the child’s parents as well. Parents typically play the roles of primary caregiver and emotional anchor; the demands of pediatric oncology care can therefore result in significant psychological distress.

2 weeks ago | hematologyadvisor.com | Ryner Lai

A psychosocial care model was developed for patients with hemophilia who require novel therapies such as gene therapy. This care model was presented in a letter to the editor of Haemophilia. Recently, there has been an increasing number of novel therapies having received approval for treating hemophilia, including gene therapy.

2 weeks ago | hematologyadvisor.com | Diana Ernst

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia (fitusiran) for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with hemophilia A or hemophilia B, with or without factor VIII or IX inhibitors. Fitusiran is an anti-thrombin-directed small interfering ribonucleic acid therapeutic that prevents bleeds in patients with hemophilia A or B by reducing antithrombin levels.