Analysis of plateletpheresis donor deferral rate in family replacement donors and volunteer donors: A brief review of the China Chongqing area

In order to ensure an adequate and safe blood supply, the plateletpheresis donor deferral rate in family replacement donors and volunteer donors were analyzed in this study. The study was undertaken in Chongqing Blood Center, China. Nucleic acid testing (NAT) and ELISA were applied to assess the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Treponema palladium（TP）in plateletpheresis donors. From January 2015 to December 2016, a total of 17,342 plateletpheresis donors in Chongqing blood center were enrolled in this study. Among the 3,642 plateletpheresis donors, 21.00% were younger than 25, followed by 26–35 years group (41.19%), 36-45 years group (22.46%), 46-55 years group (13.97%) and 56-60 years group (1.38%). Replacement and voluntary donors contributed 5,305 (30.59%) and 12,037 (69.41%), respectively. Among all the plateletpheresis donors, 194 (1.12%) were deferred because of seropositive serology. Replacement and voluntary deferred donors comprised 109 (2.05%) and 85 (0.68%), respectively (P＜0.05). Among the deferred donors, 194 (1.12%) were seropositive for HBsAg (0.44%), followed by anti-HCV (0.28%), TP (0.24%) and HIV (0.15%). Prevalence deferred females contributed 67 (1.60%), while males contributed 127 (0.97%) of the deferred cases, respectively (P＜0.05). Deferral rate was highest among 46-55 years group (1.65%) followed by 36-45 years group (1.63%), The other groups were less than 1%. It is necessary to reduce family replacement donors and replace them with regular volunteer donors, and to improve blood donor retention strategies to boost the regular blood donors’ motivating. In addition to increasing and maintaining volunteer supply, it is desirable to keep the deferral rate at a low level, to ensure an adequate and safe blood supply.     

The immunological response in volunteer donors immunized with a Pseudomonas vaccine]

The trial of experimental vaccine consisting of protective protein antigens of P. aeruginosa cell wall was carried out on 114 volunteers. The vaccine proved to be faintly reactogenic and induced the formation of specific humoral immunity in 98% of the volunteers who retained a high level of anti-P. aeruginosa antibodies in their blood for up to 5 months (the term of observation after the course of immunization was over.     

Serum selenium in danish Blood Bank donors

Biological Trace Element Research - Serum selenium concentration was determined over a full year in healthy donors from the Blood Bank at the municipal Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark. The age range of...     

Bone-marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anaemia using histocompatible unrelated volunteer donors.

Two patients with severe aplastic anaemia received bone-marrow transplants from unrelated donors selected for HLA compatibility. Graft-versus-host disease occurred in both patients but responded to treatment. Both patients had stormy courses after grafting, but subsequently their conditions improved, and one was not receiving any treatment at follow-up after day 330 while the other had mild chronic graft-versus-host disease at day 150. These results show that unrelated, histocompatible volunteers may successfully donate marrow for the treatment of severe aplastic anaemia, though many problems remain to be solved.     

Blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in blood donors after plasmapheresis]

Authors were interested in blood coagulation proteins and fibrinolysis in blood donors following several plasmaphereses. This interest was related to the occurrence of thrombo-embolic and hemorrhagic complications in these subjects. Blood morphology, serum protein, blood coagulation and fibrinolysis have been examined in 40 healthy blood donors, aged between 19 and 46 years, who gave blood plasma by plasmapheresis technique for 1-59 times. Results did not show any significant changes in blood morphology and serum protein levels prior to and after consecutive plasmaphereses. No significant decrease in blood coagulation proteins and fibrinolysis has been noted. However, a significant increase in factors VIII and IX activities was noted in several blood donors, who underwent the largest number of plasmaphereses. It may predispose these donors to thrombo-embolic complications.     

Blood parasites of some columbiform and passeriform birds from Chile.

Ninety-one birds of 23 species from Chile were examined for haematozoa; 13 birds of seven species harbored species of Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium, Trypanosoma and microfilariae. Haemoproteids (representing four species) were the most common parasites and occurred in 10 of the 13 infected birds.     

Letter from Chile: Re-establishing health care in Chile

Chile''s long term social policy has produced very impressive outcomes in general health indicators, with a national health service established as early as 1952. During the years of the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-89) public health institutions were greatly affected, with sharp diminution in financing which affected investment and salaries. The democratic government initiated in 1990 faced a difficult situation, with underpaid staff and decrepit hospitals. The ministry took immediate action to improve salaries and start an ambitious health sector reform including investment in infrastructure, technology, and modern management. Decentralisation and autonomy, changes in payment for service mechanisms, and a public-private mix are the main objectives of this reform, keeping the public role as predominant in the proposed structure. This process has been affected by union unrest and public opinion dissatisfaction, which tend to present obstacles to progress in this complicated issue.     

Growing seasons in Chile: Observation and prediction

Temperature data for 42 Chilean locations were analysed and heat sums calculated (for base 5°C and 10°C). Also, the length, starting and ending dates of the growing seasons were obtained. Temperature values normally found in Chilean climatological records, i.e. monthly and annual means, were related with temperature accumulations. In Chile it is possible to predict the accumulation of temperature from the annual mean temperature (r=0.995, P<.001, for base 5°C and r=0.984, P<.001, for base 10°C) or from the mean monthly temperature of January. In this latter case, a good adjustment with an exponential curve is found (r=0.76, P<0.001, base 5°C; r=0.78, P<0.001, base 10°C). For Chile, temperature courses along the year were approximated by using a harmonic analysis. No significant differences were observed between predicted and observed values. By integrating these equations as a function of time, it is possible to determine both the accumulation of temperature and the length of growing seasons for different threshold temperatures. A significant relationship was found between these variables and the latitude, and gradients were also obtained. Differences exist between littoral and continental stations in the extension of growing seasons and the accumulation of temperatures.Presented at the Eighth International Congress of Biometeorology 9–14 September 1979, Shefayim, Israel.     

Surnames in Chile: a study of the population of Chile through isonymy

In Chile, the Hispanic dual surname system is used. To describe the isonymic structure of this country, the distribution of 16,277,255 surnames of 8,178,209 persons was studied in the 15 regions, the 54 provinces, and the 346 communes of the nation. The number of different surnames found was 72,667. Effective surname number (Fisher's α) for the entire country was 309.0, the average for regions was 240.8 ± 17.6, for provinces 209.2 ± 8.9, and for communes 178.7 ± 4.7. These values display a variation of inbreeding between administrative levels in the Chilean population, which can be attributed to the 'Prefecture effect' of Nei and Imaizumi. Matrices of isonymic distances between units within administrative levels were tested for correlation with geographic distance. The correlations were highest for provinces (r = 0.630 ± 0.019 for Euclidean distance) and lowest for communes (r = 0.366 ± 0.009 for Lasker's). The geographical distribution of the first three-dimensions of the Euclidean distance matrix suggests that population diffusion may have taken place from the north of the country toward the center and south. The prevalence of European plus European-Amerindian (95.4%) over Amerindian ethnicity (4.6%, CIA World Factbook) is compatible with diffusion of Caucasian groups over a low-density area populated by indigenous groups. The significant excess of maternal over paternal indigenous surnames indicates some asymmetric mating between nonAmerindian and Amerindian Chileans. The available studies of Y-markers and mt-markers are in agreement with this asymmetry. In the present work, we investigate the Chilean population with the aim of detecting its structure through the study of isonymy (Crow and Mange,1965) in the three administrative levels of the nation, namely 15 regions, 54 provinces, and 346 communes.