Web interface-supported transmission risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis of postdonation screening: a global model applied to Ghana, Thailand, and the Netherlands.

Background: The goal of our research was to actively involve decision makers in the economic assessment of screening strategies in their region. This study attempted to accomplish this by providing an easy-to-use Web interface at http://www.bloodsafety.

HBsAg diagnostic kits in the detection of hepatitis B virus mutation within "a" determinant.

The performance of currently available hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) commercial kits was analyzed by using a panel of 212 well-characterized plasma donors all over the country and a panel of nine recombinant HBsAg mutants containing single point or combinations of mutations between amino acid residues 124 and 147 of the "a" determinant. HBsAg commercial kits in this study were machine-based immunoassays with a one-step sandwich ELISA method using either an automatic closed system or manual system. The sensitivity of all machine-based assays evaluated with 105 HBsAg plasma panels was 100% (95% CL = 95.

Anion exchanger 1 mutations associated with distal renal tubular acidosis in the Thai population.

We have previously demonstrated that compound heterozygous (SAO/G701D) and homozygous (G701D/G701D) mutations of the anion exchanger 1 (AE1) gene, encoding erythroid and kidney AE1 proteins, cause autosomal recessive distal renal tubular acidosis (AR dRTA) in Thai patients. It is thus of interest to examine the prevalence of these mutations in the Thai population. The SAO and G701D mutations were examined in 844 individuals from north, northeast, central, and south Thailand.