Seroprevalence of antibodies and chronic Q fever among post-mortal and living donors of tissues and cells from 2010 to 2015 in the Netherlands.

BackgroundAfter a large Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands in the period from 2007 to 2010, the risk of Q fever transmission through tissue and cell transplantation from undiagnosed chronic Q fever cases became a potential issue. We aimed to evaluate the risk of Q fever transmission through tissue and cell transplantation. We performed a retrospective observational cohort study among 15,133 Dutch donors of tissues and stem cells from 2010 to 2015 to assess seroprevalence of antibodies, to identify factors associated with presence of antibodies, and to assess the proportion of undiagnosed chronic Q fever cases.

Successful disinfection of femoral head bone graft using high hydrostatic pressure.

The current standard for sterilization of potentially infected bone graft by gamma irradiation and thermal or chemical inactivation potentially deteriorates the biomechanical properties of the graft. We performed an in vitro experiment to evaluate the use of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP); which is widely used as a disinfection process in the food processing industry, to sterilize bone grafts. Four femoral heads were divided into five parts each, of which 16 were contaminated (in duplicate) with 10-10 CFU/ml of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Candida albicans, respectively.

Report of the clinical donor case workshop of the European Association of Tissue Banks annual meeting 2014.

The European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB) donor case workshop is a forum held within the program of the EATB annual congress. The workshop offers an opportunity to discuss and evaluate possible approaches taken to challenging situations regarding donor selection. Donor case workshops actively engage participants with diverging background and experience in an informal, secure and enjoyable setting.

The risk of transmitting cutaneous malignancy through skin transplantation: a literature-based risk assessment.

According to the European Union Tissues and Cells Directives donation of tissue is contraindicated in the presence of or a previous history of malignant disease, with the exception of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma. Skin cancer is the most common cancer. Due to ultraviolet light exposure and increasing life expectancy an increasing prevalence of malignant or premalignant skin lesions is observed, which may result in a decline of the availability of skin for transplantation.

Report of the clinical donor case workshop of the European Association of Tissue Banks Annual Congress 2013.

The European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB) Donor Case Workshop is a forum held within the program of the EATB Annual Congress. The workshop offers an opportunity to discuss and evaluate approaches taken to challenging donor selection and donation ethics, and it strengthens networking between tissue banking professionals. The workshops actively engage participants from a wide array of international expertise, in an informal, secure and enjoyable setting in which learning from peers and finding potential solutions for submitted cases are facilitated.

Screening of post-mortem tissue donors for Coxiella burnetii infection after large outbreaks of Q fever in The Netherlands.

Background: After the largest outbreaks of Q fever ever recorded in history occurred in the Netherlands, concern arose that Coxiella may be transmitted via donated tissues of latent or chronically infected donors. The Dutch Health Council recently advised to screen tissue donors, donating high risk tissues, for Coxiella infection.

Methods: After validation of an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test for IgG antibodies against phase 2 of C.

Report of the clinical donor case workshop of the European Association of Tissue Banks annual meeting 2012.

The European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB) donor case workshop is a forum held within the program of the EATB annual congress. The workshop offers an opportunity to discuss and evaluate approaches taken to challenging situations regarding donor selection, it promotes consensus development in deciding tissue donor acceptability when donor health issues are not addressed in standards and regulations, and serves to strengthen the professional tissue banking networks across Europe and beyond. This report reflects some of the discussion at the workshop during the annual congress in Vienna in 2012.

A Q Fever Outbreak in the Netherlands: Consequences for Tissue Banking.

BACKGROUND: Emerging infectious diseases can compromise the safety of tissues for transplantations. A recent outbreak of Q fever, a zoonosis caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, in the Netherlands compelled the Dutch tissue banks to assess the risk of Q fever transmission through tissue transplantation in order to maintain optimal safety. MATHODS: This article describes the systematic approach that was followed in the Netherlands.

Physical examination of potential tissue donors: results of a risk management procedure to identify the critical elements of the physical examination.

To identify critical elements of physical examination (PE) of potential tissue donors that could help to improve the safety of tissue transplantation. Physical signs were identified that can indicate the presence of a contraindication mentioned in EU Directive 2006/17/EC and that can theoretically be detected at PE. A risk assessment was designed, according to the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis model.

Risk factors for rejection for morphological reasons of heart valves for transplantation.

The study aim was to identify risk factors for morphological rejection of aortic and pulmonary valves for transplantation that could be used to optimize donor selection. The files of all Dutch heart valve donors, donating in a 2.5 years period, whose hearts were processed at Heart Valve Bank Rotterdam, were reviewed for all factors that could be relevant for valve rejection and related to outcome of morphological assessment of the valves.

Results of the clinical donor case and quality system case workshops of the European Association of Tissue Banks annual meeting 2009.

The European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB) Donor Case Workshop and Quality System Case workshop are forums held within the program of the EATB Annual Congress. These workshops offer an opportunity to discuss and evaluate approaches taken to challenging situations, regarding donor selection and quality issues, and strengthen the professional tissue banking and regulatory networks across Europe. This report reflects some of the discussion at the congress workshops and also subsequent correspondence between the various individuals who submitted cases for discussion.

The value of autopsy and other histological examinations for the safety of tissue transplantation.

Directive 2006/17/EC requires that all available medical information, including autopsy reports, is evaluated before releasing tissues for transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether evaluation of results of autopsy and other histological examinations contributes to the safety of tissue transplantation. From the files of all deceased Dutch donors, from whom tissues were retrieved in a 6-month period, results of autopsy and other histological examinations (remnant heart after valve donation and biopsies obtained during retrieval) were evaluated for contraindications for transplantation.

Factors involved in the occurrence of bleeding complications after enucleation for cornea donation.

Purpose: To identify risk factors for the occurrence of bleeding complications after enucleation for cornea donation, in order to develop preventive activities to reduce the occurrence of bleeding complications and especially the development of ocular hematomas.

Methods: From all Dutch cornea donors deceased in the year 2006, donor characteristics, retrieval characteristics, and bleeding complication data were collected. First, univariate relations between donor and retrieval factors and bleeding complications were determined.

EATB Donor Case Workshop 2007.

The European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB) Donor Case Workshop is a forum held within the programme of the EATB annual Congress since 2003. This workshop has been used to discuss clinical donor cases with peer review of practice. It was agreed in advance that the experience of the 2007 workshop should be shared by publication as an example of participative learning which can be extended to other fields within tissue banking and which may be applicable in other disciplines.

Evaluation of the autopsy report before releasing musculoskeletal tissue donors; what is the benefit? EATB International Conference, October 17-20, Budapest, Hungary.

EU directive 2006/17/EC requires that all available medical information, including the autopsy report, is evaluated before releasing tissues for transplantation. The study objective was to investigate whether evaluation of autopsy results of musculoskeletal tissue donors contributes to safety and availability of transplantable tissues. The files of all donors of whom musculoskeletal tissues were retrieved by BIS in 2006 were reviewed for death cause and autopsy results.

Microparticles in cardiovascular diseases.

Microparticles are membrane vesicles released from many different cell types. There are two mechanisms that can result in their formation, cell activation and apoptosis. In these two mechanisms, different pathways are involved in microparticle generation.

Enhanced coagulation activation in preeclampsia: the role of APC resistance, microparticles and other plasma constituents.

Coagulation activation in pregnancy is further enhanced in preeclampsia. We investigated whether this results from increased thrombin generation by the plasma itself or its cell-derived microparticles. Plasma samples were obtained from preeclamptic, normal pregnant and nonpregnant women (each n = 10).

Microparticle subpopulations are increased in preeclampsia: possible involvement in vascular dysfunction?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cellular origin and numbers of circulating microparticles in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia.

Study Design: Plasma samples from 10 women with preeclampsia, from 10 normal pregnant women, and from 10 nonpregnant women matched for age and gestation, were analyzed by flow cytometry.

Results: The total number of circulating microparticles was unaltered in pregnancy and preeclampsia.

Resistance artery smooth muscle function in pregnancy and preeclampsia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the altered vascular resistance in pregnancy and preeclampsia results from alterations in intrinsic vascular smooth muscle properties or from external influences on vascular smooth muscle function.

Study Design: We studied subcutaneous resistance arteries from women with preeclampsia, from normal pregnant women, and from nonpregnant women, that were obtained during cesarean delivery or gynecologic surgical procedures, in a pressure myograph. Arteries were denervated, and smooth muscle cells were loaded with calcium indicator fura-2.