Publications by authors named "Custer B"
Background: Increasing syphilis infection rates are a concerning issue worldwide. Blood donation screening is an opportunity to monitor the burden of asymptomatic infections, providing information on contemporary factors associated with infection and public health insights into transmission.
Methods: Blood donations collected at five Brazilian blood centers between January 2020 and February 2022 were screened with treponemal or non-treponemal assays according to local protocols, followed by alternate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); samples with reactive or indeterminate results in the alternate ELISA were further tested with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), and categorized as RPR-positive or RPR-negative.
Background: The Assessing Donor Variability and New Concepts in Eligibility (ADVANCE) study was a multicenter cross-organizational collaboration to collect data to inform possible changes in blood donor selection criteria for men who have sex with men. Multiple recruitment approaches were used, and these may be applicable to current efforts in LGBTQ+ community engagement to recruit new blood donors.
Methods: Fieldwork for ADVANCE was a partnership between blood collection organizations (BCOs) and LGBTQ+ community organizations.
Article Synopsis
- HIV/AIDS stigma remains a global issue, affecting individuals' willingness to test, seek care, or access treatment, yet there's a lack of research on stigma factors after blood donation notifications.
- A survey of 268 HIV-positive blood donors showed that most valued counseling from blood centers, but 61% experienced moderate stigma, with heterosexual orientation and active healthcare-seeking linked to higher stigma levels.
- The findings highlight the critical role of counseling in connecting individuals to care and mitigating HIV-related stigma in Brazil.
Article Synopsis
- Latin Americans are often overlooked in genetic studies, which can widen gaps in personalized medicine due to the challenges of accessing genetic data and consent processes.
- The Genetics of Latin American Diversity (GLAD) Project compiles genetic information from over 53,000 individuals across various regions to explore diverse ancestry and gene flow in the Americas.
- GLAD includes a tool called GLAD-match to align external genetic samples with its database while protecting individual privacy, thus supporting more inclusive genomic research and enhancing personalized medicine for Latin Americans.
Background: Transfusion-transmissible infection (TTI) prevalence among US blood donors has been widely documented. Here we estimate the prevalence of donors presenting with ≥2 TTIs (multiple infections past or present referred to as coinfections) and describe their demographics and associations.
Methods: Data from the Transfusion-Transmissible Infections Monitoring System were compiled for October 2020-September 2023 (3 years).
Background: General vaccination rates have been falling globally despite unequivocal health benefits. Noncompliance can result from access barriers and/or hesitant attitudes. Few studies have investigated the prevalence and determinants of noncompliance with COVID-19 vaccination in blood donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a Mendelian disorder characterized by a point mutation in the β-globin gene that leads to sickling of erythrocytes. Several studies have shown that absolute neutrophil count is strongly associated with clinical severity of SCD, suggesting an apparent role of white blood cells (WBC) in SCD pathology. However, the mechanism by which genetic variants lead to WBC count differences in SCD patients remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exposure to antiretrovirals at or early after HIV acquisition can suppress viral replication and blunt antibody (Ab) responses; a reduced HIV detectability could impact diagnosis and blood donation screening.
Methods: We used three antigen (Ag)/Ab assays and one nucleic acid test (NAT) to analyze samples collected in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trials (iPrEx; Partners PrEP) before infection detection by Ab-only rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and in early antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation studies (RV254; SIPP).
Results: Reactivity using NAT and Ag/Ab assays in samples collected up to 8 weeks prior to the first reactive RDT from 251 PrEP trials participants varied between 49-61% for active PrEP users and between 27-37% for placebo users.
Article Synopsis
- Cardiometabolic diseases can worsen COVID-19 outcomes, and this study aimed to see if variability in related health indicators affects hospitalizations and long-term symptoms (PCC) in generally healthy individuals.
- The study involved 3,344 blood donors whose health data was analyzed over several years and found that higher variability in body mass index (BMI) was linked to increased hospitalization and PCC risk, while blood pressure and cholesterol variability did not show a significant relationship.
- The findings suggest that maintaining consistent BMI could be important for reducing COVID-19 severity and associated long-term effects.
Background: Monitoring genotypes of HIV infections in blood donors may provide insights into infection trends in the general population.
Methods: HIV RNA was extracted from plasma samples of blood donors confirmed as HIV positive by blood screening nucleic acid and antibody tests. HIV genome target regions were amplified using nested real time-polymerase chain reaction followed by next-generation sequencing.
Article Synopsis
- Long COVID is a complex condition affecting about 12% of COVID-19 survivors, with various symptoms and no widely accepted definition, pushing researchers to study its immune profile.
- A survey of over 33,000 blood donors revealed that higher levels of anti-nucleocapsid antibodies are linked to an increased risk of long COVID, while higher anti-spike IgG levels can reduce that risk.
- The study identified four clinical subphenotypes—ranging from neurological to multi-systemic symptoms—suggesting that different immune responses may contribute to varied long COVID experiences.
Article Synopsis
- * A study involving 142,599 blood donors established a new, lower threshold for detecting past infections using the Ortho VITROS Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Total-N Antibody assay, which boosted detection sensitivity while keeping specificity above 98%.
- * The updated test showed a high sensitivity of 98.1% for unvaccinated individuals and 95.6% for those who were vaccinated, though sensitivity was influenced by factors like the virus variant, donor age,
Background: Studies preceding the COVID-19 pandemic found that slower time-to-return was associated with first-time, deferred, and mobile drive blood donors. How donor return dynamics changed during the COVID-19 pandemic is not well understood.
Methods: We analyzed visits by whole blood donors from 2017 to 2022 in South Africa (SA) and the United States (US) stratified by mobile and fixed environment, first-time and repeat donor status, and pre-COVID19 (before March 2020) and intra-COVID19.
Article Synopsis
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified genes linked to telomere length, but previous research hadn't validated these findings until now.
- In a large analysis involving over 211,000 people, the study discovered five new signals linked to telomere length and highlighted the importance of blood/immune cells in this area.
- The researchers confirmed that the genes KBTBD6 and POP5 truly affect telomere length by demonstrating that manipulating these genes can lengthen telomeres and that their regulation is crucial for understanding telomere biology.
Evaluation of blood cell count using an automatic hematology analyzer to optimize collection of peripheral blood progenitor cells by leukapheresis.
Hematol Transfus Cell Ther
December 2024
Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation is a treatment modality for several diseases. Prediction of successful mobilization may be useful to optimize hematopoietic stem cell collection.
Study Design And Methods: This was a retrospective study with data from transplantation candidates between September 2015 and December 2021 being analyzed.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed changes in blood donor demographics and infectious diseases before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using a large database of over 26 million donations.
- Findings revealed an increase in donations from females, older individuals, and repeat donors during the pandemic, while the overall frequency of donations also rose among these groups.
- The prevalence of HIV and HCV infections decreased during the pandemic, whereas HBV prevalence remained unchanged, prompting ongoing monitoring of infection rates in blood donors.
Background: Despite being the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States, Hispanic/Latinos (H/L) are significantly underrepresented among blood donors. A lack of proximal blood donation opportunities may be one factor contributing to these disparities. However, few studies have investigated this possibility.
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- Nucleic acid-amplification testing (NAT) is a method used to check blood donations for harmful viruses to keep people safe.
- In 2019, a global survey showed that countries mostly followed government rules for testing blood for viruses like HIV and hepatitis.
- The results indicated a trend towards using individual samples for testing instead of larger pools to improve safety in blood donations.
Article Synopsis
- The project reviewed the global use of nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) in blood services to detect viral and parasite nucleic acids and reduce transfusion-related infections.
- A survey conducted among members of the International Society of Blood Transfusion revealed a significant increase in NAT adoption over the past decade, with data showing low but notable positivity rates for various viruses in blood donations.
- While NAT has enhanced blood transfusion safety worldwide, there is a call to address economic barriers that prevent some regions from implementing these important testing methods.
Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global health problem. Risk factors for HBV infection are usually assessed in prevalent rather than incident infections. To identify demographic and behavioral risks associated with incident HBV among South African blood donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cardiometabolic diseases are associated with greater COVID-19 severity; however, the influences of cardiometabolic health on SARS-CoV-2 infections after vaccination remain unclear. Our objective was to investigate the associations between temporal blood pressure and total cholesterol patterns and incident SARS-CoV-2 infections among those with serologic evidence of vaccination.
Methods: In this prospective cohort of blood donors, blood samples were collected in 2020-2021 and assayed for binding antibodies of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein antibody seropositivity.
Article Synopsis
- Several high-income countries have ended the practice of deferring gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood, moving towards a gender-neutral donor selection approach.
- An international symposium held in April 2023 brought together experts to discuss the impacts of this shift on transfusion safety and the challenges of implementing such policies.
- Findings indicate that most countries adopted similar strategies for this transition, which were positively received by stakeholders and showed reassuring safety data, although further research on HIV risks is needed.
Article Synopsis
- Between October 2020 and September 2022, a study on the prevalence of syphilis among blood donors in the US found that syphilis rates increased significantly, particularly in the second year of the study.
- The overall syphilis prevalence was noted to be 28.4 cases per 100,000 donations, with specific demographic groups such as males, younger individuals, and Black donors showing higher infection rates.
- Additionally, the study revealed that donors positive for syphilis were substantially more likely to also be HIV positive, highlighting a concerning association between syphilis and HIV infections.
Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are the most common route of intravenous (I.V.) access for treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbations, but repeated PICC placement can result in upper extremity peripheral venous stenosis.
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- The study looked into the safety of transfusing plasma or platelets that contain SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to hospitalized patients who do not have COVID-19, during different phases of the pandemic.
- Researchers analyzed data from over 21,000 hospitalizations across pre-COVID, pre-vaccine, and post-vaccine periods to see if there were any changes in health outcomes related to transfusions.
- The results indicated that there were no significant increases in thrombotic events, oxygen requirements, ICU stays, hospital mortality, or rehospitalizations due to plasma or platelet transfusions, regardless of the pandemic period.