Publications by authors named "G Hetland"

Allergen-specific immunoglobulin-E (As-IgE) in blood donors (BD) can be transferred to transfusion recipients via plasma-containing blood components (PCBC) and sensitize recipient's mast cells. These cells can activate upon allergen exposure and cause allergy. This study aimed to assess sensitization profiles against an array of allergens in BD to identify donors with As-IgE and explore if this IgE can lead to allergic symptoms in recipients.

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Background And Objectives: Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) plasticizer must be removed from polyvinylchloride (PVC) medical devices due to toxicity. DEHP/PVC blood bags were shown to provide stable quality under blood component production and to create good storage conditions for red blood cells concentrate (RBC). It is important that substitution of the DEHP maintains the RBC quality during storage, which should be achieved with Di (isononyl) cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH), although substitution of the plasticizer has been challenging.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on identifying biomarkers that could help predict the hospitalization risk in patients with mild COVID-19 during the first pandemic wave in Northern Italy.
  • Researchers analyzed blood samples from 76 symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive patients and matched healthy controls, measuring levels of various inflammatory markers.
  • Results indicated that elevated levels of calprotectin and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were associated with hospitalized patients, while neopterin levels increased more significantly in hospitalized patients, suggesting these biomarkers could aid in assessing risk levels for COVID-19 patients.
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IgE sensitization profiles to single birch allergens in birch-sensitized patients differ among European countries. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of specific IgE antibodies to major and minor birch pollen allergens in a population of allergic Norwegian individuals by using a birch allergic blood donor population as a surrogate sample. Sixty blood donors were recruited and sampled based on birch allergy symptoms such as rhinitis, rhinoconjunctivitis and/or mild asthma in previous seasons.

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Increased levels of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been detected in individuals with vaccine complications after the ChAdOx1 nCov vaccine with a correlation between the severity of vaccine side effects and the level of NETosis. DNases may disrupt NETs by degrading their content of DNA, and a balance has been reported between NETs and DNases. Because of this and since the inflammatory marker NETs may be used as a confirmatory test in diagnosing VITT, it is of interest to monitor levels of DNase in patients with increased NETs levels.

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