IMPORTANCE BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccination in the third trimester was found to be associated with a strong maternal humoral IgG response that crossed the placenta and approached maternal titers in the newborn.OBJECTIVE To evaluate maternal and neonatal SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels at birth after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during the second trimester of pregnancy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis prospective cohort study, conducted at a single medical center in Haifa, Israel, from May to July 2021, included women with a singleton pregnancy over 24 weeks of gestation at least 7 days after receipt of their second COVID-19 vaccine dose who were not known to be previously infected with COVID-19.EXPOSURES BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccination. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titers measured in the parturient at admission and in the umbilical cord blood within 30 minutes after delivery. Secondary outcomes were the correlation between antibody titers, feto-maternal characteristics, maternal adverse effects after vaccination, and time interval from vaccination to delivery. RESULTS Antibody levels were measured for 129 women (mean [SD] age, 31.9 [4.9] years) and 114 neonates, with 100% of the tests having positive results. The mean (SD) gestational age at administration of the second vaccine dose was 24.9 (3.3) weeks. Neonatal IgG titers were 2.6 times higher than maternal titers (median [range], 3315.7 [350.1-17 643.5] AU/mL vs 1185.2 [146.6-32 415.1] AU/mL). A positive correlation was demonstrated between maternal and neonatal antibodies (r = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.94). Multivariable analysis revealed that for each week that passed since receipt of the second vaccine dose, maternal and neonatal antibody levels changed by −10.9% (95% CI, −17.2% to −4.2%; P = .002) and −11.7% (95% CI, −19.0 to −3.8%; P = .005), respectively. For each 1-year increase in the mother's age, maternal and neonatal antibody levels changed by −3.1% (95% CI, −5.3% to −0.9%; P = .007) and −2.7% (95% CI, −5.2% to −0.1%; P = .04), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this cohort study, receipt of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with maternal and neonatal humoral responses, as reflected in maternal and neonatal SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels measured after delivery. These findings support COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant individuals during the second trimester to achieve maternal protection and newborn safety during the pandemic.

Predictive value (PV) of surveillance fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with chemotherapy-rituximab (R) versus chemotherapy only, remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to compare the performance of surveillance PET in DLBCL patients receiving CHOP (cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, and prednisone) alone versus CHOP-R. Institutional database was retrospectively searched for adults with newly diagnosed DLBCL, receiving CHOP or CHOP-R, who achieved complete remission and underwent surveillance PETs. Follow-up (FU) PET was considered positive for recurrence in case of an uptake unrelated to physiological or known benign process. Results were confirmed by biopsy, imaging and clinical FU. One hundred nineteen patients, 35 receiving CHOP and 84 CHOP-R, who underwent 422 FU-PETs, were analyzed. At a median PET-FU of 3.4 years, 31 patients relapsed (17 vs. 14, respectively; P 5 0.02). PET detected all relapses, with no false-negative studies. Specificity and positive PV (PPV) were significantly lower for patients receiving CHOP-R vs. CHOP (84% vs. 87%, P 5 0.023; 23% vs. 74%, P < 0.0001), reflecting a higher false-positive (FP) rate in subjects receiving CHOP-R (77% vs. 26%, P < 0.001). In the latter group, FP-rate remained persistently high up to 3 years post-therapy. Multivariate analysis confirmed rituximab to be the most significant predictor for FP-PET. In conclusion, routine surveillance FDG-PET is not recommended in DLBCL treated with rituximab; strict criteria identifying patients in whom FU-PET is beneficial are required. Am. J. Hematol. 88:400-405,

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Higher pregestational BMI, maternal hyperglycemia and above-recommended GWG independently contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, there is mutual effect between these three factors and adverse outcomes. Appropriate pregestational weight and adequate GWG might reduce risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.