[Less iron deficiency in whole-blood donors: the effect of ferritin-guided donation intervals].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of ferritin-guided donation intervals on haemoglobin (Hb) and ferritin levels, iron deficiency and low Hb deferrals in whole-blood donors.

Design: A cluster-randomized stepped-wedge trial.

Methods: In 2017-2019, Sanquin gradually implemented ferritin-guided donation intervals.

Effectiveness of ferritin-guided donation intervals in whole-blood donors in the Netherlands (FIND'EM): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial.

Background: Whole-blood donors are at increased risk for iron deficiency and anaemia. The current standard of haemoglobin monitoring is insufficient to ensure the maintenance of proper iron reserves and donor health. We aimed to determine the effects of ferritin-guided donation intervals for blood donor health and blood supply in the Netherlands.

Pain is what hurts: An exploration of perception and management of pain in peripheral blood stem cell donors.

Background: Pain is a side effect of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) administration. This prospective study investigates various aspects including pain perception occurring in Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donors.

Materials And Methods: Related and unrelated PBSC donors were prospectively studied.

Mass spectrometry-based analysis on the impact of whole blood donation on the global plasma proteome.

Background: Biomonitoring may provide important insights into the impact of a whole blood donation for individual blood donors.

Study Design And Methods: Here, we used unbiased mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics to assess longitudinal changes in the global plasma proteome, after a single blood donation for new and regular donors. Subsequently, we compared plasma proteomes of 76 male and female whole blood donors, that were grouped based on their ferritin and hemoglobin (Hb) levels.

Whole blood donor return rates after deferral for tattooing or body piercing-Survey across blood donation services: The BEST collaborative study.

Background And Objectives: To protect transfusion recipients from transfusion-transmissible infections, blood donors are deferred from donating after recent tattooing or piercing. To explore to what extent and how this deferral impacts donor availability, we performed an international study to investigate how many donors were deferred for a recent tattoo or piercing and how many of these donors returned to donate.

Materials And Methods: We surveyed blood centre members of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative and the European Blood Alliance Donor Studies Working Group on their numbers of donations, tattoo and piercing deferrals, and return rates in the year 2017.

Balancing non-discriminatory donor selection and blood safety in the Netherlands: Evaluation of an individual risk assessment of sexual behavior.

Background: To better balance the safety of the blood supply and the inclusion of men who have sex with men (MSM), further improvements are needed to the risk management strategy employed in the Netherlands to reduce transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs). A gender-neutral individual risk assessment could provide a solution by determining donor eligibility based on sexual behaviors known to increase the risk of TTIs. Our objective is to estimate the proportion of blood donors that would be deferred by such an assessment, as well as their discomfort answering such questions.

Prediction and impact of personalized donation intervals.

Background And Objectives: Deferral of blood donors due to low haemoglobin (Hb) is demotivating to donors, can be a sign for developing anaemia and incurs costs for blood establishments. The prediction of Hb deferral has been shown to be feasible in a number of studies based on demographic, Hb measurement and donation history data. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how state-of-the-art computational prediction tools can facilitate nationwide personalized donation intervals.

Donation-induced iron depletion is significantly associated with low hemoglobin at subsequent donations.

Background: Blood donation is associated with a loss of hemoglobin (Hb)-bound iron. Hb levels recover relatively fast by using stored iron. However, it takes more time to replenish iron stores, potentially resulting in iron deficiency.

An intervention study for the prevention of vasovagal reactions and evaluating donors' experience: Analysis of donors' return for subsequent donation.

Background And Objectives: The EPISoDe (Experience Success in Donation) study investigated the effect of interventions on self-reported vasovagal reactions (VVRs) in first-time and novice (second to fourth donation) whole blood donors aged ≤30 years, demonstrating a 23% reduction of VVR from water drinking shortly before donation in the novice donors. Because donation experience and complications affect donor retention, we analysed intervention group donors' return for subsequent donation, a predefined secondary outcome.

Materials And Methods: The interventions were as follows: 330 ml water, 500 ml water, ball squeezing before phlebotomy (placebo) and a control group.

Low awareness of past SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthy plasma donors.

Awareness of infection with SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the effectiveness of COVID-19 control measures. Here, we investigate awareness of infection and symptoms in relation to antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in healthy plasma donors. We asked individuals donating plasma across the Netherlands between May 11 and 18 2020 to report COVID-19-related symptoms, and we tested for antibodies indicative of a past infection with SARS-CoV-2.

New blood donors in times of crisis: Increased donation willingness, particularly among people at high risk for attracting SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Traditionally, during crises the number of new blood donors increases. However, the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created additional barriers to donate due to governmental prevention measures and increased personal health risks. In this report, we examined how the pandemic affected new donor registrations in the Netherlands, especially among groups with higher risk profiles for severe COVID-19.

Dietary intake of heme iron is associated with ferritin and hemoglobin levels in Dutch blood donors: results from Donor InSight.

Whole blood donors, especially frequently donating donors, have a risk of iron deficiency and low hemoglobin levels, which may affect their health and eligibility to donate. Lifestyle behaviors, such as dietary iron intake and physical activity, may influence iron stores and thereby hemoglobin levels. We aimed to investigate whether dietary iron intake and questionnaire-based moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with hemoglobin levels, and whether ferritin levels mediated these associations.

Ferritin measurement IN Donors-Effectiveness of iron Monitoring to diminish iron deficiency and low haemoglobin in whole blood donors (FIND'EM): study protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.

Background: Blood donors are at risk for reduced iron stores, because of which donor iron monitoring received increased attention in the last decade. Despite the importance for donor health, international consensus on an appropriate policy for iron monitoring is lacking. Therefore, we conduct a trial to evaluate to what extent ferritin-guided donation intervals are effective in increasing haemoglobin and ferritin levels, decreasing low-haemoglobin deferral, increasing donor return and improving the health of whole blood donors in the Netherlands.

Development and validation of a universal blood donor genotyping platform: a multinational prospective study.

Each year, blood transfusions save millions of lives. However, under current blood-matching practices, sensitization to non-self-antigens is an unavoidable adverse side effect of transfusion. We describe a universal donor typing platform that could be adopted by blood services worldwide to facilitate a universal extended blood-matching policy and reduce sensitization rates.

Variations in hemoglobin measurement and eligibility criteria across blood donation services are associated with differing low-hemoglobin deferral rates: a BEST Collaborative study.

Background: Determination of blood donor hemoglobin (Hb) levels is a pre-requisite to ensure donor safety and blood product quality. We aimed to identify Hb measurement practices across blood donation services and to what extent differences associate with low-Hb deferral rates.

Methods: An online survey was performed among Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative members, extended with published data.

The impact of age and sex on first-time donor return behavior.

Background: This study examined the impact of age and sex of first-time donors who had not experienced an adverse event or deferral on their likelihood of and time to return.

Study Design And Methods: On behalf of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative, international blood collection agencies (BCAs) were invited to provide data on first-time whole blood donors in 2014, including initial presentation date, collection site type, age, sex, blood type, return to donate within 24 months (yes/no), and subsequent presentation date.

Results: Eight BCAs contributed 706,789 records.

No increased risk of transfusion-transmissible infections after tattooing, body piercing, or acupuncture among blood donors in the Netherlands.

Background: In the Netherlands, needle-related events (NREs) including tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture are a reason for temporary blood donor deferral. This study aims to evaluate whether donors with recent NREs had a higher risk of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) compared to donors without recent NREs.

Study Design And Methods: Data from 2006 through 2015 on all blood donation attempts in the Netherlands were collected.

The association between population density and blood lipid levels in Dutch blood donors.

Background: In low and middle-income countries (LMIC), the total and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels of residents of urban areas are reported to be higher than those of rural areas. This may be due to differences in lifestyle behaviors between residents of urban areas and rural areas in LMIC. In this study, our aims were to (1) examine whether or not LDL cholesterol, total/HDL ratios and triglyceride levels of individuals in densely populated areas are higher than those of individuals living in less-densely populated areas in a high-income country (HIC) and (2) investigate the potential mediating roles of physical activity and sedentary behavior.

Donor InSight: characteristics and representativeness of a Dutch cohort study on blood and plasma donors.

Background And Objectives: More insight into donor health and behaviour may contribute to more efficient and focused strategies regarding donor care and management. Donor InSight (DIS) is a Dutch cohort study of blood and plasma donors. We aimed to outline the objectives and methods of DIS, describe the cohort, and compare it to the active Dutch donor population.

Deferral rate variability in blood donor eligibility assessment.

Background: Both donors and the blood bank rely on the result of the donor health interview. However, survey data suggest that substantial variability in deferral rates among interviewers exist. We studied whether variability remained after adjusting for conditional factors.

Associations of health status with subsequent blood donor behavior-An alternative perspective on the Healthy Donor Effect from Donor InSight.

Introduction: In donor health research, the 'Healthy Donor Effect' (HDE) often biases study results and hampers their interpretation. This refers to the fact that donors are a selected 'healthier' subset of a population due to both donor selection procedures and self-selection. Donors with long versus short donor careers, or with high versus low donation intensities are often compared to avoid this HDE, but underlying health differences might also cause these differences in behaviour.

Meat consumption is a major risk factor for hepatitis E virus infection.

Background: The incidence of autochthonous hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV gt3) infections in Western Europe is high. Although pigs are a major reservoir of the virus, the exact sources and transmission route(s) of HEV gt3 to humans remain unclear.

Methods: To determine the role of meat consumption at a population level, the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies was compared between Dutch blood donors with a vegetarian lifestyle and donors who consume meat on a daily basis.

The potential premium range of risk-rating in competitive markets for supplementary health insurance.

In this paper, we simulate several scenarios of the potential premium range for voluntary (supplementary) health insurance, covering benefits which might be excluded from mandatory health insurance (MI). Our findings show that, by adding risk-factors, the minimum premium decreases and the maximum increases. The magnitude of the premium range is especially substantial for benefits such as medical devices and drugs.

Health-based risk adjustment: improving the pharmacy-based cost group model by adding diagnostic cost groups.

Since 1991, risk-adjusted premium subsidies have existed in the Dutch social health insurance sector, which covered about two-thirds of the population until 2006. In 2002, pharmacy-based cost groups (PCGs) were included in the demographic risk adjustment model, which improved the goodness-of-fit, as measured by the R2, to 11.5%.