Hepatitis C virus infection and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Serum antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) were tested for inpatients undergoing allogeneic BMT to determine the risk of acquiring HCV infection and the role of HCV in posttransplant liver complications. The HCV seroconversion rate was evaluated according to the date of BMT and blood donor screening at the time. Anti-HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) were detected with a second-generation ELISA and confirmed with a second-generation radioimmunoblot assay.

[Reduction of the post-transfusion hepatitis C risk in patients undergoing bone marrow allograft].

Post-transfusion hepatitis C incidence was studied in a series of patients with bone marrow allograft. The risk of HCV seroconversion was evaluated according to the date of grafting and the screening tests carried out in blood donors at this time. Anti-HCV antibodies were screened using Elisa tests of 2d generation and confirmed by Riba tests of 2d generation.

Peripheral blood stem cell collection with a blood cell separator.

Forty-three patients with malignant nonmyeloid diseases underwent peripheral blood stem cell collections on an apheresis system (Spectra, COBE BCT, Lakewood, CO). Collections took place during the white cell (WBC) recovery phase following conditioning chemotherapy. One hundred two procedures were done after chemotherapy alone, and 72 procedures after chemotherapy plus granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF).

[Influence of clinical status on the efficacy of stored platelet transfusion].

The efficiency of stored platelet transfusion was evaluated in terms of clinical status in 136 thrombocytopenic patients. In a paired prospective study in which fresh platelets were used as controls, clinical efficiency was assessed on the basis of the ability to increase platelet count (recovery) and the interval to the next transfusion (D). In 48 clinically stable patients, recovery of fresh and stored platelets was similar (47% and 41% respectively) and the interval to the next transfusion was D4 and D3.

Frozen blood and transfusion-transmitted hepatitis C virus.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of frozen red cell transfusion on the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) before the introduction of blood donor screening. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 59 patients with sickle-cell disease who required chronic transfusions and had exclusively received frozen red blood cells (RBC). The files were reviewed for clinical signs of chronic hepatitis C.

Immunochemical analysis of platelet autoantibodies in HIV-related thrombocytopenic purpura: a study of 68 patients.

Serum antiplatelet IgG and platelet-associated IgG (PAIgG) were studied in 68 AIDS-free human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with severe immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), for the presence of platelet autoantibodies. Serum IgG with antiplatelet activity was found in 72% of the sera. However, the presence of autoantibodies against platelet surface glycoproteins was not found in these sera by means of Western blot and immunoprecipitation procedures.

Apheresis experience with a continuous flow cell separator.

The Dideco Vivacell separator is a continuous-flow centrifugation system that has only recently been used for cytapheresis. The authors' experience with this separator in 451 plateletpheresis and 164 leukapheresis procedures is presented. Platelet collection provided high platelet yields (9.