Comparative study between chronic automated red blood cell exchange and manual exchange transfusion in patients with sickle cell disease: A single center experience from Saudi Arabia.

Background: Red cell transfusion remains the gold standard in managing sickle cell disease (SCD) with severe complications. Offering red blood cell exchange (RBCX) either manual exchange transfusion (MET) or automated RBCX (aRBCX) can reduce the complications of chronic transfusion and maintain target Hb thresholds. This study audits the hospital experience of overseeing adult SCD patients treated with RBCX, both automated and manual, and compares the safety and efficacy.

Analytical interference of HBOC-201 (Hemopure, a synthetic hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier) on four common clinical chemistry platforms.

Background: There are 13 million blood transfusions each year in the US. Limitations in the donor pool, storage capabilities, mass casualties, access in remote locations and reactivity of donors all limit the availability of transfusable blood products to patients. HBOC-201 (Hemopure®) is a second-generation glutaraldehyde-polymer of bovine hemoglobin, which can serve as an "oxygen bridge" to maintain oxygen carrying capacity while transfusion products are unavailable.

Status of blood banking and the blood supply in Afghanistan.

Background: As a result of more than 20 years of war in Afghanistan, its blood supply system has been damaged. We carried out an assessment of that blood supply system to determine the type and extent of assistance needed to increase blood availability and safety.

Study Design And Methods: An assessment tool was developed, daily activities in Afghanistan were observed, and key personnel were interviewed.

Maspin binds to urokinase-type and tissue-type plasminogen activator through exosite-exosite interactions.

Maspin is a member of the serpin family with a reactive center loop that is incompatible with proteinase inhibition by the serpin conformational change mechanism. Despite this there are reports that maspin might regulate uPA-dependent processes in vivo. Using exogenous and endogenous fluorescence, we demonstrate here that maspin can bind uPA and tPA in both single-chain and double-chain forms, with K(d) values between 300 and 600 nM.

Crystal structure of human maspin, a serpin with antitumor properties: reactive center loop of maspin is exposed but constrained.

Maspin, a member of the serpin superfamily, has tumor suppressing activity against breast and prostate cancer. Maspin inhibits tumor growth by blocking cell invasion, and its reactive center loop (RCL) is thought to mediate this activity. To understand this function on the molecular level, we have solved the three-dimensional structure of Maspin to 3.