Blood donors' preferences for blood donation for biomedical research.

Background: Increasing numbers of blood donors are recruited to participate in biomedical research. As blood services depend on voluntary donors, successful recruitment calls for a better understanding of donors' expectations and attitudes toward the use of samples in research.

Study Design And Methods: Sixty-one semistructured interviews were conducted with blood donors at eight Finnish Red Cross Blood Service donation sites in Finland.

Bacterial skin flora and contamination of blood components: do we defer blood donors wisely?

Background And Objectives: Bacterial infection through contaminated blood is currently the greatest infection risk in relation to a transfusion. Deferral of prospective blood donors with a skin disorder is a common practise, because bacteria usually originate from the donor's skin. The effectiveness of current deferral guidelines to prevent the bacterial contamination of blood has not been assessed.

Vaccinovigilance in Europe--need for timeliness, standardization and resources.

Objective: To identify gaps in the systems for reporting adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in Europe by means of an interactive database constructed using a standardized approach.

Methods: A comparative survey was conducted in 1999-2000, using structured questionnaires addressed to the government authorities responsible for national immunization programmes and drug safety surveillance in all European Union (EU) Member States and in Norway and Switzerland.

Findings: The reporting of adverse vaccine reactions (AVRs) is covered by regulations in 13 of the 17 countries.

Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak involving several hospitals.

This population-based, retrospective, cohort study describes a large methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) epidemic caused by one strain (E1) in the greater Helsinki region. The epidemic comprised 210 cases at several hospitals, but was finally controlled. The study period ranged from June 1991 to December 2000.