Comprehensive analysis of parvovirus B19 infection in blood donors: epidemiological trend and implications for transfusion safety and management strategies in Italy.

Parvovirus B19 (B19V) presents a significant concern in the context of blood transfusion safety, given its potential for transmission through contaminated blood products, and the increased viral circulation recently reported across Europe. This study examines the recent epidemiological trends of B19V in Italy, where a notable increase in B19V-positive plasma units was observed during early 2024. While routine NAT testing for B19V in individual blood donations is not currently justified, the existing screening protocols for plasma intended for industrial fractionation are crucial to ensure the safety of plasma-derived medicinal products.

Patient Blood Management in pediatric and adolescent bone marrow donors: results from an Italian survey.

Background: Current national and international guidelines (Italian Bone Marrow Donor Registry [IBMDR], World Marrow Donor Association [WMDA] standards) provide an indication for preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) only in adult family and volunteer non-family donors in anticipation of bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donation to avoid the use of homologous transfusions. In addition, there is no clear guidance from the relevant scientific societies regarding pediatric and adolescent donors.

Material And Methods: To assess the actual use of PAD in pediatric (up to 14 years) and adolescent (aged 15-18 years) family donors in relation to BM HSC donation in the five years 2017-2021, a specific online questionnaire was administered to blood establishments and clinical units of pediatric transplantation programs responsible for BM HSC collection.

The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis in SISTRA: Year of activity 2023.

The Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA) collects clinical data on patients undergoing therapeutic apheresis procedures throughout the national territory, with the main objective of improving the quality and safety of the care provided to the patient. Given the importance of centralizing the collection and analysis of information on therapeutic apheresis, the National Blood Center (NBC), at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Hemapheresis and Cellular Manipulation (SIdEM), has included IRTA in the Information System of Transfusion Services (SISTRA), which is the information system of the Ministry of Health for the exchange of data on blood and its derivatives between the Italian Regions and the NBC. This manuscript reports IRTA activity data for 2023 maintaining the general approach introduced in previous manuscripts to facilitate comparison with already published activity data (2020-2022).

Platelet rich plasma for facial rejuvenation: an overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a non-surgical therapy for facial rejuvenation is increasingly adopted. This article aims to review the literature and critically appraise the available evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of PRP for facial rejuvenation.

Material And Methods: An overview of systematic reviews (SRs) of PRP use for facial rejuvenation.

A survey on the implementation of Patient Blood Management programs in Italy.

Background: Since 2012, in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) resolution WHA63.12 of 05/21/2010, the Italian National Blood Center has been promoting patient blood management (PBM). In order to verify the level of PBM implementation nationwide, we submitted a survey to all healthcare providers.

Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for COVID-19: an overview of systematic reviews.

Objectives: A reappraisal of the validity of the conclusions of systematic reviews (SRs) related to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for the treatment of COVID-19.

Methods: An overview of SRs (umbrella review). The methodological quality of the SRs was assessed using the AMSTAR 2 checklist; quality of the evidence from the trials included in each SR was appraised following the GRADE approach.

The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis in SISTRA: Year of activity 2022.

Therapeutic apheresis refers to a group of extracorporeal blood processing procedures used in the treatment of a variety of systemic diseases. These complex procedures are burdened by adverse reactions related to both procedures and underlying medical conditions. Given the importance of centralizing the collection and the analysis of information on therapeutic apheresis, the Italian National Blood Center (NBC), at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Hemapheresis and Cell Manipulation (SIdEM), implemented the Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA) including it in the Information System of Transfusion Services (SISTRA), coordinated by the NBC.

Platelet rich plasma use for treatment of acne scars: an overview of systematic reviews.

Background: A reappraisal of the conclusions of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses validity related to Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), alone or in combination with other treatments, compared to regimens PRP-free for the treatment of acne scars.

Materials And Methods: An overview of SRs. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed using AMSTAR-2 checklist; quality of the evidence of primary studies was appraised following the GRADE approach.

Hyperimmune Globulins for the Management of Infectious Diseases.

This review is focused on the use of hyperimmune globulin therapy to treat some infectious diseases of viral or bacterial origin. Despite the introduction of antibiotics and vaccines, plasma immunoglobulin therapy from whole blood donation can still play a key role. These treatments provide passive transfer of high-titer antibodies that either reduces the risk or the severity of the infection and offer immediate but short-term protection against specific diseases.

A survey on preoperative autologous blood donation policy in bone marrow stem cell donors in Italy.

Background: The high safety of homologous blood components, together with the introduction of the Patient Blood Management strategy, has led to the progressive abandonment of preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) in surgery. Furthermore, recent scientific publications provide evidence about the non-usefulness of PAD in the collection of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from bone marrow (BM), also in consideration of harvest procedure safety. Nevertheless, no conclusive studies have been published yet.

Corticosteroids use for COVID-19: an overview of systematic reviews.

Purpose: A reappraisal of the validity of the conclusions of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses related to corticosteroids use for the treatment of COVID-19.

Material And Methods: An overview of SRs (umbrella review). The methodological quality of the SRs was assessed using tha AMSTAR-2 checklist; quality of the evidence was appraised following the GRADE approach.

Chagas Disease and Transfusion Risk in Italy: The Results of a National Survey.

Background: 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.

Epidemiology of Treponema pallidum and HIV co-infections in the Italian blood donor population: 2009-2021.

Background: In recent years, co-infection from HIV and Treponema pallidum has become more common. Early detection of the co-infection allows us to implement therapeutic strategies to control the evolution of the disease and to contain its transmission in the general population. The donor population is the target of choice for the detection of early-stage infections.

Efficacy and Safety of Pathogen-Reduced Platelets Compared with Standard Apheresis Platelets: A Systematic Review of RCTs.

In this systematic review, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of blood components treated with pathogen reduction technologies (PRTs). We searched the Medline, Embase, Scopus, Ovid, and Cochrane Library to identify RCTs evaluating PRTs. Risk of bias assessment and the Mantel-Haenszel method for data synthesis were used.

Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis E virus infection in blood donors: a nationwide survey in Italy, 2017 to 2019.

BackgroundIn high-income countries, hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is mainly a zoonosis. However, it is also transfusion-transmissible and some countries, but not Italy, have introduced HEV screening for blood donations.AimWe assessed HEV infection prevalence and risk factors in a nationwide sample of Italian blood donors.

Lack of Evidence of Chikungunya Virus Infection among Blood Donors during the Chikungunya Outbreak in Lazio Region, Italy, 2017.

Background: The latest European Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak occurred in Italy in 2017, in the municipalities of Anzio and Rome (Lazio Region), with a secondary outbreak in the Calabrian Region. Most CHIKV infections are symptomatic but about 15% of people who acquire the infection may be asymptomatic. A retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the prevalence of recent/ongoing CHIKV infections on the blood donor population in the Lazio Region, during the 2017 outbreak (including in the period before it was detected).

Recycling Apparent Waste Into Biologicals: The Case of Umbilical Cord Blood in Italy and Spain.

Most public cord blood banking programs are currently facing financial difficulties due to a progressive decline in the number of cord blood transplants performed worldwide and to a high discard rate of the donated units caused by progressively increasing thresholds of the stem cell dose required to perform safe and effective hemopoietic cord blood transplants. Recycling a proportion of unused cord blood units to prepare novel cord blood components obtained with minimal manipulation (platelets, plasma, red blood cells) and to develop more technologically complex products regulated in the US as Cellular and Gene Therapy Products and in Europe as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products [e.g.

Platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The number of articles evaluating the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and alopecia areata (AA) has increased exponentially during the last years. This systematic review and meta-analysis is aimed at evaluating the benefit of PRP in the treatment of alopecia.

Material And Methods: We searched MEDLINE (through PUBMED), Embase, and CENTRAL for relevant data.

Correction: Cruciani et al. Ivermectin for Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021, , 1645.

The correct affiliation 1 should be "Italian National Blood Centre, National Institute of Health, 00162 Rome, Italy" [...