A rare vascular injury in a blood donor after whole blood donation.

Background: Blood donation is a safe process though reactions may still occur. We describe a rare vascular complication in a frequent donor, with improvements in the collection process aimed at avoiding future events.

Methods: A 63-year-old woman presented with local pain and an apparent collection in the left arm 8 days after donation.

Hospital red blood cell and platelet supply and utilization from March to December of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: The BEST collaborative study.

Background: At the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, widespread blood shortages were anticipated. We sought to determine how hospital blood supply and blood utilization were affected by the first wave of COVID-19.

Study Design And Methods: Weekly red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) inventory, transfusion, and outdate data were collected from 13 institutions in the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Denmark from March 1st to December 31st of 2020 and 2019.

Treatment of severe COVID-19 patients with either low- or high-volume of convalescent plasma standard of care: A multicenter Bayesian randomized open-label clinical trial (COOP-COVID-19-MCTI).

Background: Administration of convalescent plasma may serve as an adjunct to supportive treatment to prevent COVID-19 progression and death. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2 volumes of intravenous convalescent plasma (CP) with high antibody titers for the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a Bayesian, randomized, open-label, multicenter, controlled clinical trial in 7 Brazilian hospitals.

The 4-Year Experience with Implementation and Routine Use of Pathogen Reduction in a Brazilian Hospital.

(1) Background: We reviewed the logistics of the implementation of pathogen reduction (PR) using the INTERCEPT Blood System™ for platelets and the experience with routine use and clinical outcomes in the patient population at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital of São Paulo, Brazil. (2) Methods: Platelet concentrate (PC), including pathogen reduced (PR-PC) production, inventory management, discard rates, blood utilization, and clinical outcomes were analyzed over the 40 months before and after PR implementation. Age distribution and wastage rates were compared over the 10 months before and after approval for PR-PC to be stored for up to seven days.

Surrogate test performance for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) for convalescent plasma (CCP): How useful could they be?

Background: COVID-19 high-titer CCP selection is a concern, because neutralizing antibody (nAb) testing requires sophisticated labs and methods. Surrogate tests are an alternative for measuring nAb levels in plasma bags, including those that are pathogen-reduced.

Study Design/methods: We studied a panel consisting of 191 samples from convalescent donors tested by nAb (CPE-VNT), obtained from 180 CCP donations (collection: March 20-January 21) and 11 negative controls, with a total of 80 and 111 serum and plasma samples (71 amotosalen/UV treated), with nAb titers ranging from negative to 10,240.

COVID-19 convalescent plasma cohort study: Evaluation of the association between both donor and recipient neutralizing antibody titers and patient outcomes.

Background: Current evidence regarding COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) transfusion practices is limited and heterogeneous. We aimed to determine the impact of the use of CCP transfusion in patients with previous circulating neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in COVID-19.

Methods: Prospective cohort including 102 patients with COVID-19 transfused with ABO compatible CCP on days 0-2 after enrollment.

Anti-A and SARS-CoV-2: an intriguing association.

Background: Blood groups and anti-A isohemagglutinin may be involved in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively studied 268 COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors and 162 COVID-19 inpatients (total 430 subjects, confirmed by RT-PCR) and 2,212 healthy volunteer first-time blood donors as a control group. These were further divided into two groups: those with anti-A (blood types O and B) and those without it (types A and AB).

A longitudinal study of convalescent plasma (CCP) donors and correlation of ABO group, initial neutralizing antibodies (nAb), and body mass index (BMI) with nAb and anti-nucleocapsid (NP) SARS-CoV-2 antibody kinetics: Proposals for better quality of CCP collections.

Introduction: Little is known about the neutralizing (nAb) and binding antibody kinetics in COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors, especially during the first 100 days after disease onset.

Materials And Methods: A cohort of previously RT-PCR positive (detected by nasopharyngeal swab during the acute phase), male convalescent patients, all with mild symptoms, were enrolled in serial blood sample collection for a longitudinal nAb titers and anti-nucleocapsid (NP) antibodies (IgM, IgG and IgA) evaluation. NAbs were detected by a cytopathic effect-based virus neutralization test (CPE-based VNT), carried out with SARS-CoV-2 (GenBank: MT350282).

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in convalescent plasma in Brazil: Preliminary lessons from a voluntary convalescent donor program.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma (CCP) collection began in two Brazilian hospitals for treatment of severe/critical patients.

Methods And Materials: Mild/moderate COVID-19 convalescents were selected as CCP donors after reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and absence of symptoms for ≥14 days plus (a) age (18-60 years), body weight greater than 55 kg; (b) immunohematological studies; (c) no infectious markers of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, human T-lymphotropic virus-1/2, Chagas and syphilis infection; (d) no HLA antibodies (multiparous); (e) second RT-PCR (nasopharyngeal swab and/or blood) negativity; (f) virus neutralization test (cytopathic effect-based virus neutralization test neutralizing antibody) and anti-nucleocapsid protein SARS-CoV-2 IgM, IgG, and IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Results: Among 271 donors (41 females, 230 males), 250 presented with neutralizing antibodies.

Anti-A and anti-A,B monoclonal antisera with high titers favor the detection of A weak phenotypes.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the reactivity and the titers of commercial anti-A and anti-A,B antisera in the detection of A weak antigen expression in human red blood cells.

Background: Commercial monoclonal antisera for ABO phenotyping are useful reagents allowing the identification of the four main ABO phenotypes (A, B, AB, and O). However, the reactivity of these commercial reagents can not be evident when the A or B antigens are weakly expressed, and these antisera have low titers.

Application of Green Technology for the Acquisition of Extracts of Araçá (Psidium grandifolium Mart. ex DC.) Using Supercritical CO and Pressurized Ethanol: Characterization and Analysis of Activity.

Brazil is home to a wide variety of flora, including several lesser known species, such as araçá that were processed in this study using two green technologies consecutively: supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for nonpolar fraction and pressurized liquid extraction. For polar fraction, the experiments followed a central composite design involving ethanol as solvent, with temperature and static time in each bath as independent variables. Both extracts were analyzed for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.