Pilot study on the use of basophil activation tests and skin tests for the prevention of allergic transfusion reactions.

Background And Objectives: Management of severe allergic transfusion reactions (ATR) is challenging. In this study, we investigate the usefulness of skin tests and basophil activation tests (BAT) in chronically transfused patients for the prevention of future ATR.

Materials And Methods: BAT and skin tests were carried with the supernatant of red blood cell (RBC) units for a sickle-cell disease patient under chronic exchange transfusion who has presented a severe ATR, in order to prevent potential future ATR.

Lack of the human choline transporter-like protein SLC44A2 causes hearing impairment and a rare red blood phenotype.

Blood phenotypes are defined by the presence or absence of specific blood group antigens at the red blood cell (RBC) surface, due to genetic polymorphisms among individuals. The recent development of genomic and proteomic approaches enabled the characterization of several enigmatic antigens. The choline transporter-like protein CTL2 encoded by the SLC44A2 gene plays an important role in platelet aggregation and neutrophil activation.

Low Levels of Natural Anti-α--Acetylgalactosamine (Tn) Antibodies Are Associated With COVID-19.

Human serum contains large amounts of anti-carbohydrate antibodies, some of which may recognize epitopes on viral glycans. Here, we tested the hypothesis that such antibodies may confer protection against COVID-19 so that patients would be preferentially found among people with low amounts of specific anti-carbohydrate antibodies since individual repertoires vary considerably. After selecting glycan epitopes commonly represented in the human anti-carbohydrate antibody repertoire that may also be expressed on viral glycans, plasma levels of the corresponding antibodies were determined by ELISA in 88 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals, including 13 asymptomatic, and in 82 non-infected controls.

Management of sickle cell disease during pregnancy: experience in a third-level hospital and future recommendations.

Objective: To describe the outcomes of sickle-cell disease in pregnancy according to the different treatments adopted before and during pregnancy and to propose a systematic approach to treat sickle-cell disease (SCD) during pregnancy.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study compared pregnancy outcomes among women with SCD who stopped hydroxyurea (HU) once pregnant (Group 1), were never treated before and during pregnancy (Group 2) or were treated by HU before conception who received prophylactic transfusion during pregnancy (Group 3). For each group we recorded the population's characteristics and the transfusion-related, obstetrical, perinatal and SCD complications.

A Tutsi family harbouring two new RHCE variant alleles and a new haplotype in the Rh blood group system.

Background: RHCE*ceEK is a rare RH allele mostly encountered in people of African descent. This allele is defined by four single nucleotide substitutions: c.48G>C, c.

Acute hemolytic transfusion reaction associated with anti-Mt : case report and review of the literature.

Background: Mt (MNS14) is a low-prevalence antigen of the MNS system. A few cases of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn caused by anti-Mt have been reported in the literature, but up to now this antibody has never been associated with a hemolytic transfusion reaction (HTR).

Case Report: A 38-year-old male with sickle cell disease undergoing exchange transfusion presented with shivering, nausea, dyspnea, and pain in the lower limbs.

Automated RBC exchange compared to manual exchange transfusion for children with sickle cell disease is cost-effective and reduces iron overload.

Background: Chronic transfusion in sickle cell disease (SCD) remains the gold standard therapy for stroke prevention and for patients with severe disease despite adequate hydroxyurea treatment. The aim of our study was to assess the safety and efficacy of automated red blood cell exchange (aRBX) in patients with SCD previously treated with manual exchange transfusion (MET). Costs related to transfusion and chelation overtime were evaluated.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is defined as the onset or the worsening of respiratory distress within 6  h of the transfusion of a plasma-containing blood component. It is currently considered to be one of the leading causes of severe posttransfusion morbidity and acute mortality in countries with a high development index. Understanding of the pathogenesis of TRALI has resulted in the development of preventive measures that have contributed to reducing its incidence.

Blood storage duration and morbidity and mortality in children undergoing cardiac surgery. A retrospective analysis.

Background: Blood transfusion is frequently required in children undergoing cardiac surgery and is associated with altered postoperative outcome. This may be due to alterations in red blood cell properties related to the storage process.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of blood storage duration on postoperative morbidity and mortality in children undergoing cardiac surgery.

Transfusion support of autoimmune hemolytic anemia: how could the blood group genotyping help?

Conventional pretransfusion testing based on hemagglutination assays can be challenging for patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) because of the presence of auto-antibodies. It has been suggested that deoxyribonucleic acid-based methods could be more efficient in the selection of antigen-matched red blood cell units in those settings. Because of the high risk of alloimmunization of these patients and the labor-intensive nature of adsorption techniques, we decided to evaluate the feasibility of selecting antigen-matched units on the basis of RBC genotyping.

Evaluation of immunochemiluminometric assays for the measurement of insulin and C-peptide using the ADVIA Centaur.

We evaluated new immunochemiluminometric assays (ICMAs) for insulin and C-peptide (ADVIA Centaur Insulin & C-Peptide-Serum assays). Both ADVIA Centaur assays are two-site sandwich immunoassays using direct chemiluminescent technology. Precision was investigated using serum pools at three levels of the two analytes, measured in duplicate for 10 days.