Publications by authors named "Massimo La Raja"
Background: Adherence to optimal practices in the preparation and issuance of pediatric blood components can significantly influence patient care outcomes. This study aims to examine the blood banking procedures across prominent Italian children's hospitals, with the goal of identifying both consistent and potentially divergent standards within this field.
Materials And Methods: A survey was conducted among the blood banks affiliated with the Italian Association of Pediatric Hospitals.
Artificial intelligence (AI) uses sophisticated algorithms to "learn" from large volumes of data. This could be used to optimise recruitment of blood donors through predictive modelling of future blood supply, based on previous donation and transfusion demand. We sought to assess utilisation of predictive modelling and AI blood establishments (BE) and conducted predictive modelling to illustrate its use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Universal serological screening in endemic areas is essential for preventing Chagas disease transmission by transfusions, while in non-endemic areas, screening is provided only to donors exposed to the infection risk. In this respect, in order to ensure high and uniform standards of quality and safety of blood components, the Italian National Blood Centre conducted a survey to detect information on management of donors at risk of Chagas disease and on the current transfusion risk.
Methods: The National Blood Centre conducted a survey on preventive measures for Chagas disease in the years 2020-2021.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused outbreaks of the pandemic starting from the end of 2019 and, despite ongoing vaccination campaigns, still influences health services and economic factors globally. Understanding immune protection elicited by natural infection is of critical importance for public health policy. This knowledge is instrumental to set scientific parameters for the release of "immunity pass" adopted with different criteria across Europe and other countries and to provide guidelines for the vaccination of COVID-19 recovered patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives And Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) has been used worldwide to contrast SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since April 2020, it has also been used in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in the Veneto region (Italy), along with all the other available drugs and therapeutic tools. Here we report data analysis and clinical results in 1,517 COVID-19 inpatients treated with CP containing high-titre neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (CCP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpondyloarthritis (SpA) comprises multifactorial diseases characterized by a complex interplay between an inherited background and environmental factors that lead to immune response dysregulation and inflammation. Unlike for other rheumatic diseases, no specific biomarkers are available in clinical practice for diagnosing SpA. The aim of the present study was to search new potential biomarkers for SpA diagnosis by focusing on the innate immune response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The incidental finding of monoclonal immunoglobulin in the sera of healthy blood donors is a relatively frequent event and in such cases the subjects are commonly deferred permanently from donating blood. However, no follow-up studies of these cases have been published so far.
Materials And Methods: Since 2000, all regular blood donors at Trieste Blood Bank have undergone annual screening by serum protein electrophoresis.