Publications by authors named "Amira Sarraj"
Article Synopsis
- High-frequency blood group antigens (HFA) are found in over 90% of people, making it hard to find compatible blood for those who lack these antigens and may have alloantibodies.* -
- This study used high-throughput SNP genotyping on more than 37,000 Swiss blood donors to identify individuals with low-frequency blood group antigens (LFA).* -
- 326 potential donors with rare blood group genotypes were identified, highlighting the genetic diversity among Swiss donors influenced by regional and cultural factors.*
Article Synopsis
- Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is becoming more important in transfusion medicine due to high seroprevalence rates, particularly in Switzerland, where a study analyzed anti-HEV IgG in blood donations using a sensitive diagnostic method.
- The study found that about 20.4% of the blood samples taken from 2014-2016 tested positive for anti-HEV IgG, with variations across different regions and a higher prevalence in older populations.
- Overall seroprevalence in the Bern canton has decreased from 30.3% in 1997/98 to 22.3% in 2015/16, highlighting the risk to transfusion recipients, prompting the implementation of nucle
Too Many Blood Donors - Response Bias in the Swiss Health Survey 2012.
Transfus Med Hemother
November 2016
Background: Data on blood donor status obtained from general surveys and health interview surveys have been widely used. However, the integrity of data on self-reported blood donor status from surveys may be threatened by sampling and non-sampling error. Our study aimed to compare self-reported blood donors (including one-time as well as regular donors) from the Swiss Health Survey 2012 (SHS) with register-based blood donors recorded by blood establishments and evaluate the direction and magnitude of bias in the SHS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Several studies have raised concerns that future demand for blood products may not be met. The ageing of the general population and the fact that a large proportion of blood products is transfused to elderly patients has been identified as an important driver of blood shortages. The aim of this study was to collect, for the first time, nationally representative data regarding blood donors and transfusion recipients in order to predict the future evolution of blood donations and red blood cell (RBC) use in Switzerland between 2014 and 2035.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study found that traditional genotyping methods for MNSs antigens struggle due to technical challenges arising from the similar gene sequences of GYPA, GYPB, and GYPE.
- Using MALDI-TOF MS, researchers identified eight MNSs-specific SNPs in a large sample of blood donors and achieved extremely high concordance and accuracy rates between serotyping and genotyping for M/N and S/s antigens.
- The research also assessed gene copy number variations using peak signal measurements, revealing new GYP*401 variants and suggesting potential for improved understanding of gene content variations, particularly in individuals of African descent.