{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03651354534746761, 'fraction_numerical': 0.021790341578327443, 'mean_word_length': 5.244485294117647, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 1, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 1, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
A monthly roundup of key articles in other journals

Early safety indicators of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 5000 patients. Joyner MJ, Wright RS, Fairweather D, et al., MedRxiv preprint not yet peer reviewed ABO-compatible transfusion of plasma from recovered patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) does not appear to confer risk beyond that expected from plasma use in critically ill patients, supporting the push toward randomized clinical trials. As casualties of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to mount, clinical researchers are racing to develop effective therapies. Passive antibody therapy via convalescent plasma is drawing wide interest; observational studies have been published, and randomized clinical trials are currently under way. In the interim, a national, multicenter, open-label, expanded-access program has been established in the United States to collect and distribute plasma from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. As part of this expanded access program, Joyner et al. evaluated the safety of ABO-compatible plasma transfusion in adults hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 and judged to be at risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease. The primary outcome of the analysis was safety, as measured by incidence of serious adverse events, including mortality. Between April 3 and May 11, 2020, 14,288 patients were enrolled in the expanded-access program, and 8932 received a plasma transfusion. This analysis includes the first 5000 patients: 81% (n = 4051) had a high risk of progressing to severe or life-threatening COVID-19, and 66% had been admitted to an intensive care unit. The study included a diverse group of health care centers and patients with broad inclusion criteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network definitions of transfusion reactions were used to categorize adverse events. Overall, the incidence of serious adverse events following transfusion was low. There were 36 serious adverse events reported, 25 of which were deemed to be possibly or probably related to the transfusion: mortality (n = 4), transfusionassociated circulatory overload (TACO; n = 7), transfusionrelated acute lung injury (TRALI; n = 11), and severe allergic transfusion reactions (n = 3). The 7-day mortality rate was 14.9%, a rate consistent with the estimated COVID-19 fatality rate among hospitalized patients of 15% to 20%. The findings suggest a low risk of adverse events definitely related to plasma transfusion in patients with COVID19. Nonetheless, the risk of TACO and TRALI is worthy of attention, given the pulmonary pathology observed in COVID-19. There was no evidence that antibody-dependent enhancement is present and/or results in worse clinical outcomes. Moreover, plasma transfusion did not appear to exacerbate coagulopathies that have been associated with the disease during the study period. Randomized clinical trials are required to determine efficacy of convalescent plasma transfusion. 1 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Manual: Biovigilance Component v2.5. Atlanta, GA: Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/PDFs/Biovigilance/ BV-HV-protocol-current.pdf.