Publications by authors named "Drews S"
Background And Objectives: Despite screening procedures, a few blood donors confirm positive for transfusion-transmissible infections and are deferred. Effective notification of laboratory results is essential to ensure that donors are advised of confirmed results and to seek medical care. Here we report results from post-notification interviews of Canadian Blood Services donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWest Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic flavivirus which often causes asymptomatic infection in humans but may develop into a deadly neuroinvasive disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate variables potentially associated with human WNV infection using human and mosquito WNV surveillance and monitoring datasets, established over 20 years, from 2003 to 2022, across the province of Ontario, Canada. We combined climatic and geographic data, mosquito surveillance data (n = 3010 sites), blood donation arboviral detection testing data in the human population, and demographic and socio-economic data from Canadian population censuses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains a challenging malignancy with a poor prognosis. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has emerged as a potential treatment for unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (UPAC) aimed at improving survival and quality of life. This meta-analysis and systematic review evaluates the outcomes of RFA in UPAC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) screening is used in blood establishments worldwide to help prevent the transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), especially from donors with occult HBV infection (OBI).
- A survey conducted revealed varied practices in HBV screening across 30 responses from 25 countries, with some establishments screening all donations for anti-HBc and HBV DNA, while others had different approaches, leading to inconsistencies in donor deferral strategies.
- The findings highlight the need for improved confirmation of anti-HBc results to minimize unnecessary donor deferrals while balancing the risk of transmission from anti-HBc negative OBI donors, particularly in high-endemic regions where sensitive HBV DNA testing is crucial.
Background: Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. About 70% (50-80%) of infections become chronic and exhibit anti-HCV and HCV nucleic acid (NAT) positivity. Direct acting oral pan genotypic antiviral treatment became available in 2014 and was free for most Canadians in 2018.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The pilot study aims to create machine learning models that can predict BMI changes for up to 5 years after bariatric surgery, improving preoperative obesity treatment and patient care.
- - Conducted from January 2012 to December 2021 in Switzerland, the study involved analyzing data from over 1,100 patients who underwent obesity surgeries, focusing on those with complete pre and postoperative information.
- - The results show reliable BMI predictions with low root mean square error values, highlighting the study's effectiveness in forecasting weight outcomes and the development of a web-based calculator for healthcare professionals.
Background And Objectives: There is a growing infectious syphilis outbreak in Western Canada. Although blood donors are screened for syphilis risks, some blood donors will still be confirmed test-positive for syphilis. This study compares the characteristics of confirmed test-positive syphilis donations in both Western Canada and Eastern Canada, November 2022-August 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- In Canada, each province and territory handles their own health data, which made it tricky to share information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- There were 11 different surveys done to test how many people had antibodies from the virus, but they each used different methods, making it hard to compare results across regions.
- To do better in the future, Canada needs a strong and flexible system for tracking health data that can quickly adjust to new situations and work together across different areas.
Background And Objectives: Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (CD), an anthropozoonosis from the American continent that progresses from an acute phase to an indeterminate phase, followed by a chronic symptomatic phase in around 30% of patients. In countries where T. cruzi is not endemic, many blood transfusion services test blood donors who have stayed in an endemic country ('at-risk stay')-even if they do not present with other risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Canadian blood donors played a critical role in tracking anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the pandemic, allowing researchers to compare vaccination rates between donors and the general population.
- A study involving 165,240 blood donors in Canada showed that while the general population initially vaccinated at a higher rate, by mid-2021, blood donors had a higher percentage of vaccination antibodies.
- Survey results indicated that a significant portion of blood donors believed in the importance of vaccination, with 83.5% recognizing the seriousness of COVID-19 and 77.8% believing even those previously infected should get vaccinated.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 viruses in Canadian blood donors and identify demographic risk factors associated with infection from 1990 to 2022.
- Analysis involved testing blood samples from first-time donors across Canada (except Quebec) and conducting risk factor interviews with identified cases and matched controls.
- Results showed a low prevalence of HTLV-1/2 (12 per 100,000), higher odds in females, older age groups, and those from certain regions, while highlighting that infection likely occurs both overseas and within Canada.
Objectives: In high-income countries hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an uncommonly diagnosed porcine-derived zoonoses. After identifying disproportionate chronic HEV infections in persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) postlung transplant, we sought to understand its epidemiology and potential drivers.
Design: All pwCF post-transplant attending our regional CF centre were screened for HEV.
Article Synopsis
- Traditional methods for analyzing SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence often underestimate antibody presence in vaccinated individuals, particularly in detecting anti-nucleocapsid responses.
- A study compared four different immunoassays using a new method that focuses on increases in anti-N antibody levels, revealing significantly better sensitivity than conventional approaches.
- Results showed that while the conventional approach fell short of regulatory standards for sensitivity, the new ratio-based method allowed all tested immunoassays to meet the necessary criteria, enhancing reliability in assessing seroprevalence.
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Nova Scotia blood donors.
J Assoc Med Microbiol Infect Dis Can
March 2024
Background: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence monitors cumulative infection rates irrespective of case testing protocols. We aimed to describe Nova Scotia blood donor seroprevalence in relation to public health policy and reported data over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic (May 2020 to August 2022).
Methods: Monthly random Nova Scotia blood donation samples (24,258 in total) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection antibodies (anti-nucleocapsid) from May 2020 to August 2022, and vaccination antibodies (anti-spike) from January 2021 to August 2022.
Background And Objectives: In Canada, plasma sent for fractionation is tested for both parvovirus B19 (B19V) and hepatitis A virus (HAV). This study compared positivity rates of B19 and HAV nucleic acid tests (NATs) in Canadian plasma samples for the pre-COVID-19 restriction era (2015 to end of February 2020 [Q1] 2020) and the post-COVID-19 restriction era.
Materials And Methods: Pooled EDTA plasma specimens were tested within 24 months of blood draw using the Procleix Panther System (Grifols Diagnostic Solutions Inc, San Diego, CA, USA) for B19V and HAV detection.
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
- Hepatitis B is transmitted through sexual contact, blood exposure, and from mother to child, with higher chronic infection rates found in immigrants and their Canadian-born children.
- A study analyzing data from over 1.5 million Canadian blood donors identified a chronic hepatitis B prevalence of 47.5 cases per 100,000, particularly among males, older individuals, and those from lower-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods.
- The research underscores the need for better diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis B, especially in low-risk populations who may not be aware of their infection status.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined the distribution and trends of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Canada from 2016 to 2021, focusing on blood donors and chronic HBV patients due to increased immigration from endemic regions.
- Six HBV genotypes were found in blood donors, while eight were identified in chronic patients, with significant demographic differences, particularly concerning gender and age.
- The findings indicate a diverse HBV population in Canada and suggest that ongoing monitoring is necessary due to changes in genotype prevalence among the affected groups.
Article Synopsis
- This study analyzed how antibody levels decline over 11 months in paramedics who received two doses of mRNA vaccines, specifically looking for factors that accelerate this decline.* -
- Researchers found that the highest antibody levels occurred 21 days post-vaccination, followed by a half-life of about 94 days, after which levels plateaued around day 295.* -
- Factors such as older age, shorter time between vaccine doses, and receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine were linked to quicker antibody decay, which could help guide booster shot recommendations.*
Hospitals are facing difficulties in predicting, evaluating, and managing cost-affecting parameters in patient treatments. Inaccurate cost prediction leads to a deficit in operational revenue. This study aims to determine the ability of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict the cost of care in bariatric and metabolic surgery and develop a predictive tool for improved cost analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: is a tick-borne intraerythrocytic parasite that is globally ubiquitous, yet understudied. Several species of have been shown to be transfusion-transmissible. has been reported in blood donors, animals, and ticks in the Tyrol (Western Austria), and regional cases of human babesiosis have been described.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Tick-borne parasites like spp. can affect various vertebrate hosts, and climate change may alter their transmission patterns, raising concerns about transfusion-transmitted infections (TTB) in humans, particularly in North America.
- TTB can lead to moderate-to-severe illness in patients, and while most cases are reported in the U.S., increased awareness and changing epidemiology could affect case numbers globally due to climate factors.
- Microbiologists are crucial in minimizing TTB risks by developing blood donor screening methods, investigating cases, and creating guidelines, particularly in both endemic and non-endemic regions as the landscape of transmission evolves.