Issue Archive

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Neutrophils must penetrate the endothelial barrier to diapedese into sites of infection or inflammation. Though well recognized to be initiated by neutrophil adherence through adhesion molecules, the process by which the endothelial barrier is breached is not established. In this month’s CME article, Wang and colleagues demonstrate that adhesion cooperates with blood flow–induced shear stress and increased endothelial membrane tension to activate PIEZO1, the mechanosensitive cation channel that activates downstream signaling events that open the endothelial barrier.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago, its global impact has been enormous. Our growing understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease has particular links to hematology. Introduced by Ortel and Berliner, this Review Series provides up-to-date overviews of the many areas in which COVID-19 has implications for hematology practice.

Pincez et al examined splenectomy outcomes in 161 pediatric patients with autoimmune cytopenia. Failure-free survival is markedly decreased in patients with associated immunopathologic disease, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.39 in those with a diagnosed systemic autoimmune disease before splenectomy, and an HR of 0.21 in those with a diagnosis subsequent to splenectomy.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare hyperinflammatory state that can occur as a primary inherited disorder or secondary to other triggers. CD8⁺ T-cell activation is seen in both primary and infection-associated HLH, and this activation distinguishes these disorders from sepsis. De Matteis et al report that T-cell activation profiles of pediatric patients with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a form of HLH associated with systemic autoimmune disease, is highly similar to that seen in HLH. They further identify a subset of activated T cells highly correlated with severity of MAS.

Karnes and colleagues report on the results of a genome-wide association study to find predictors of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, comparing patients with a positive functional assay for platelet activation, patients with anti-PF4 antibodies, and antibody-negative controls. A positive functional assay is highly associated with ABO O blood group, and a single nucleotide polymorphism is identified for future exploration of clinical utility in risk prediction.