Number Of Donors Research Articles

Outcome analysis of brain-death referral to NOD-Lb: A retrospective chart review of a single hospital experience over 3 years.

Organ donation shortage and in particular organ procurement is an international concern as the gap between the number of donors and recipients is steadily growing. Organ procurement is a chain of steps with donor identification and referral (ID&R) as the very first link in this chain. Failure of this step hinders the progress in the organ transplantation program. Our study was conducted to evaluate and highlight the gap between the national system and the practice at the identification and referral (ID&R) step of the organ procurement chain in a single tertiary-care academic health center in Beirut: the Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH), and to appraise the literature for challenges at this step and for possible interventions for improvement based on the international experience. This retrospective study was a descriptive case series of ICU and ED deceased patients at a single tertiary-care university hospital in Beirut. Patients' characteristics were collected from medical records for all patients who died between 2017 and 2019 while in the ICU or the ED and shared with the National Organization for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (NOD-Lb), for each subject separately, to decide on the donor status. All data collected from the patient cohort was analyzed using R version 3.6.1. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, chi-squared, and fisher-exact tests were used to compare differences in clinical characteristics in terms of donor status when appropriate. This study served as 3 years audit of a single hospital experience, and it demonstrates failure to make any referrals to NOD-Lb and zero actual organ and tissue donations over the study period. The review of 295 deceased subjects' charts demonstrates 295 missed alerts to NOD-Lb and the overall missing of 5 organ and tissue donors and 24 cornea donors assuming the organ procurement chain of steps will continue uninterrupted after ID&R. The data gathered suggests the presence of an inefficient identification and referral system that is translated into a complete failure of reporting to NOD-Lb from LAUMC-RH. A systematic evidence-based approach to evaluate for the most cost-effective intervention to increase identification and referral rates is needed with a serious effort to examine and account for any inefficient implantation.

Kegiatan Donor Darah Di Restoran Ayam Penyet Cindelaras Berastagi Bekerjsama Dengan PMI Kabupaten Karo

Blood donation activities are carried out to maintain the stability of the blood stock of PMI Karo Regency. The blood donation activity will be held on Sunday, November 16 2023 starting at 09.30 WIB at the Ayam Penyet Cindelaras Berastagi Restaurant. The blood donation service activity was attended by a total of 20 participants. From the results of the activity, 14 bags of blood were collected. Based on interviews with the participants, their motivation for donating blood was due to a sense of humanity for people in need, to maintain their own health, invitations from friends, and some were interested because of the gifts offered at the end of the event. The implementation of this blood donation activity as part of community service has been carried out well and received a good response from the participants. More outreach is needed so that the number of blood donors increases and more people are willing to become blood donors.

(145) Utilization of Crowdfunding for Genital Gender Affirmation Surgery

Abstract Introduction Though the incidence of gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is increasing within the United States (US), many transgender and gender diverse individuals are denied insurance coverage for these procedures. Some turn to crowdfunding for financial assistance. Objective We aimed to determine characteristics of fundraisers for genital GAS within the US and factors associated with greater funding. Methods GoFundMe is the largest individual crowdfunding platform in the US and was queried in January 2023 using search terms related to genital GAS such as “bottom surgery”, “gender affirming surgery”, and “transgender surgery”. Duplicate, outside the US, non-English, and non-relevant campaigns were excluded. For each campaign, organizer’s state, fundraising goal, amount raised, number of donors, and campaign description were retrieved. Generalized additive models were created to determine the relationship of predictors with achieving full funding. An additional Bayesian estimation approach model was created to determine the relationship of predictors with overall campaign progress. Results From 4,921 viewable campaigns, 1,497 met inclusion criteria for analysis. All states were represented with the greatest number in California (n = 155, 10.4%). The median amount raised was $195 (IQR 0-2,270) of a goal of $12,000 (IQR 5,000-30,000); 87 (5.8%) campaigns were fully funded, while 555 (37.1%) had no funding. Three-quarters of campaigns were less than one-third funded. Of 1,315 campaigns where transition type was indicated, 76.6% (n = 1,007) were for FGS and 22.7% (n=298) were for MGS. Though the average marginal effect of increasing the goal was to decrease funding progress (FGS -0.329, 95% CI -0.445 to -0.0248, MGS -0.589, 95% CI -1.071 to -0.347), an increase in funding progress was seen with increasing the goal from $1,000 to $10,000 for FGS. The average marginal effect of increasing word count was +0.26 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.36) with the greatest effect between 100 to 500 words. The average marginal effect of increasing campaign age on progress was +0.35 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.47), with the greatest effect between 500 to 1000 days. Conclusions Crowdfunding is an attractive option for TGD individuals who need financial support for genital GAS and related expenses, but the majority of individual fundraisers on GoFundMe will only raise one-third or less of their goal. Specific windows of funding goal, word count, and campaign age are associated with greater odds of campaign progress. Such information can be used to counsel patients who are seeking financial assistance for genital GAS. Disclosure No.

Potential for organ donation after controlled circulatory death: a retrospective analysis.

Despite the discrepancy between demand and availability of organs for transplantation, controlled circulatory death donation has not been implemented in Portugal. This study aimed to estimate the potential increase in organ donation from implementing such a program. All deceased patients within the intensive care medicine department at Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, throughout the year 2019, were subjected to retrospective analysis. Potential gain was estimated comparing the results with the number of donors and organs collected during the same period at this hospital center. Differences in variables between groups were assessed using t tests for independent samples or Mann-Whitney U tests for continuous variables, and chi-squared tests were used for categorical variables. During 2019, 152 deaths occurred after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, 10 of which would have been potentially eligible for donation after controlled circulatory death. We can anticipate a potential increase of 10 prospective donors, a maximum 21% growth in yearly transplantation activity, with a greater impact on kidney transplantation. For most patients, the time between withdrawal of organ support and death surpassed 120 minutes, an outcome explained by variations in withdrawal of life-sustaining measures and insufficient clinical records, underestimating the potential for controlled circulatory arrest donation. This study effectively highlights public health benefits of controlled circulatory arrest donation. Legislation allowing donation through this method represents a social gain and enables patients who will never meet brain death criteria to donate organs as part of the end-of-life process in intensive care medicine, within a framework of complete ethical alignment.

Eligibility for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a cohort of children with sickle cell disease: a single-center report

BackgroundHematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), is the only currently available curative option for SCD. Yet, the eligibility of SCD patients for HSCT is always limited by the significant associated toxicity and lack of suitable donors. At Cairo University’s pediatric hematology outpatient clinic, we aimed to determine hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) candidates among a sickle cell disease (SCD) cohort, estimate the number of possible donors, and analyze the differences between patients with and without an HSCT indication.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional analytic study including 128 SCD children. Their demographic, clinical, and laboratory profiles, total number, and number of siblings with SCD were obtained from their medical records.ResultsSixty-nine (53.9%) had at least one HSCT indication. Recurrent severe pain episodes despite hydroxyurea were the most common indication. Hemoglobin was lower, while reticulocyte count, serum ferritin, and aspartate aminotransferase were higher in HSCT candidates (p value < 0.001). Additionally, the prevalence of splenomegaly, the dose of hydroxyurea, and the number of transfusions were noticeably higher in HSCT candidates (p value = 0.013, 0.005, and < 0.0001 respectively). Among those indicated for HSCT; 75.3% had at least one healthy sibling who might be a potential donor.ConclusionMore than half were eligible for HSCT which should always be considered to provide a possible cure for the disease. Of the transplantation-eligible cases, about two-thirds had at least one healthy sibling who might potentially serve as a donor. Those meeting the requirements for HSCT eligibility should routinely undergo human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing of their unaffected siblings.

Distribution pattern of abo and rhesus blood group among voluntary blood donors in Abakaliki

ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood group antigens are hereditary characters and are useful in population genetic studies, in resolving medico-legal issues and more importantly in compatibility test in blood transfusion practice. The aim of this work is to determine the distribution pattern of ABO and Rh (D) blood group among voluntary blood donors in Abakaliki. Blood groups and rhesus were tested in 500 subjects comprising of 446 male donors and 54 female donors. Cell and serum grouping technique was carried out using standard procedures respectively. The overall distribution of ABO cell and serum grouping, and Rh (D) groups result shows that A, B, AB and O are 87(17%), 63(13%), 5(1%) and 345(69%) respectively. For the Rh group, 473 (95%) of the donors were Rh (D) positive and 27(5%) were Rh D negative. The reduction in number of female donors is due to religious belief of some, menstrual flow, fear of needle prick, Low PCV etc. In Conclusion, this work could help health institutions to identify where they can obtain blood products necessary for medical interventions. Moreover, this piece of information contributes to the knowledge of the genetic structure of the Abakaliki population which could have significant implications in different fields of biomedicine.

Modeling the Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability of Potential Heterocyclic Drugs via Biomimetic IAM Chromatography Technique Combined with QSAR Methodology.

Penetration through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is desirable in the case of potential pharmaceuticals acting on the central nervous system (CNS), but is undesirable in the case of drug candidates acting on the peripheral nervous system because it may cause CNS side effects. Therefore, modeling of the permeability across the blood-brain barrier (i.e., the logarithm of the brain to blood concentration ratio, log BB) of potential pharmaceuticals should be performed as early as possible in the preclinical phase of drug development. Biomimetic chromatography with immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) and the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methodology were successful in modeling the blood-brain barrier permeability of 126 drug candidates, whose experimentally-derived lipophilicity indices and computationally-derived molecular descriptors (such as molecular weight (MW), number of rotatable bonds (NRB), number of hydrogen bond donors (HBD), number of hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA), topological polar surface area (TPSA), and polarizability (α)) varied by class. The QSARs model established by multiple linear regression showed a positive effect of the lipophilicity (log kw, IAM) and molecular weight of the compound, and a negative effect of the number of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, on the log BB values. The model has been cross-validated, and all statistics indicate that it is very good and has high predictive ability. The simplicity of the developed model, and its usefulness in screening studies of novel drug candidates that are able to cross the BBB by passive diffusion, are emphasized.

Recruiting refugees and migrants as potential hematopoietic stem cell donors to serve patients of comparable ethnicities with rare human leucocyte antigen patterns - The BluStar.NRW project in North Western Germany

Currently, approximately 19 million people with a migration background live in Germany. The majority of those descend from regions where the population has a genetically different distribution of HLA antigens when compared to the HLA frequencies usually found in North Western Europe. In case of severe haematological disorders of these individuals, allogeneic stem cell transplantation may be the treatment of choice. However, finding appropriate histocompatible hematopoietic stem cell donors continues to be a major challenge. If no matching sibling donors are available, there are only few suitable donors with a similar genetic background available in international blood stem cell donor registries.The “BluStar.NRW” project aimed to recruit new blood and hematopoietic stem cell donors with a migration background and to noticeably increase the number of suitable donors for patients within this group. Since December 2017, a total number of 9100 blood and stem cell donors with a migration background were recruited and typed for this project. HLA typing for HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1, and -DPB1 was performed by Next Generation Sequencing. We assessed the proportion of rare alleles according to HLA frequency tables, as defined by a frequency of <1:1000. The rare HLA allele frequencies according to HLA frequency tables of the BluStar.NRW cohort were compared with a matched control donor cohort: Rare HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles occurred three times more frequent than in the control group, but rare HLA-DPB1 alleles occurred more frequently in the control cohort. This difference was highly significant for all HLA alleles (p < 0.0001 for HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DPB1; p = 0.0002 for HLA-DQB1). In addition, the distribution of rare alleles differed between the two groups. To date, 29 work-ups were initiated, 12 PBSC, one BM and three DLI were collected so far out of the BluStar.NRW cohort. The apheresis probability is twofold higher (0.18% vs. 0.07%) compared to the control group which clearly shows a serious medical need. However, 13 work-ups were cancelled in the BluStar.NRW donor cohort which represents an almost twice as higher cancellation rate (45% vs. 25%).This single registry analysis with a large sample cohort clearly indicates that hematopoietic stem cell donors with a migration background represent an adequate donor pool to serve patients of comparable ethnicity.

Use of an eligibility checklist on arrival of emergency room as a registry system for corneal donation-A 9-year retrospective cohort study.

This study aimed to evaluate whether the use of an eligibility checklist uncovered potential corneal donors among deceased outpatients and increased the donation. In this retrospective cohort study, we applied the eligibility checklist to nearly all outpatients (age ≥ 18 y/o) who were transferred to our emergency department and identified as deceased between 2012 and 2020. Whether the use of the checklist contributed to the increase in corneal donation was examined, and the reasons for refusal of the donation were also evaluated. Furthermore, yearly changes in the number of the donation were assessed, with the data obtained before initiation of the checklist in 2010-2011 as references. The primary outcome was the number of corneal donors, with yearly changes in donation numbers assessed using data from 2010 to 2011 as a reference before the checklist was introduced. Among 1776 outpatients to whom the eligibility checklist was applied, 1169 patients were regarded as potential donors. Of them, 126 families gave consent and 80 patients finally donated cornea; medical diseases as a cause of death were less likely to retract donation offer (OR = 0.31 [95% CI: 0.09-0.99]). The number of corneal donors in 2010-2011 corresponded to 1.6% of the deceased outpatients but increased since the checklist was introduced the total number of donors reached 87 (4.3%) during 2012-2020. A routine use of the eligibility checklist at the initial interview will reinforce the awareness of corneal donation among the families of patients and contribute to the increased number of corneal donors.

Future Blood Debt: Projecting Blood Supply and Demand of Korea Based on Subnational Population Projections (2021-2050).

South Korea faces a critical challenge with its rapidly declining fertility rates and an increasingly aging population, which significantly impacts the country's blood supply and demand. Despite these nationwide trends, regional disparities in blood supply and demand have not been thoroughly studied. This research utilized blood donation data from the Korean Red Cross and blood transfusion data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We analyzed these datasets in conjunction with regional population projections to simulate blood supply and demand from 2021 to 2050 across South Korea. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of various factors, including the number of donors, age eligibility criteria for donations, frequency of donations, and blood discard rates. Our projections indicate a decreasing trend in blood supply, from 2.6 million units in 2021 to 1.4 million units by 2050, while demand is expected to peak at 5.1 million units by 2045 before declining. Metropolitan areas, particularly Gyeonggi Province, are projected to experience the most severe shortages. Sensitivity analyses suggest that increasing the donation frequency of existing donors and relaxing age eligibility criteria are more effective strategies in addressing these imbalances than merely increasing the number of new donors. Blood discard rates showed minimal impact on the overall blood shortage. The findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted strategies to mitigate national and regional blood supply shortages in South Korea. Encouraging frequent donations from experienced donors and broadening eligibility criteria are critical steps toward stabilizing the blood supply amidst demographic shifts. These strategies must be prioritized to address the impending regional disparities in blood availability.

Evaluation of patients diagnosed with brain death in the intensive care unit: 10 years of tertiary center experience in Istanbul.

Early and accurate diagnosis of brain death in intensive care units (ICU) is essential for organ transplantation. This study aimed to evaluate the cases diagnosed with brain death in the ICU of a tertiary center in Istanbul. The cases diagnosed as brain death in the ICU during the ten years between January 2013 and September 2022 were evaluated retrospectively. The demographic characteristics of the patients, the diagnosis of hospitalization in the ICU, the time from arrival to the ICU until the diagnosis of brain death, the somatic survival time after the diagnosis of brain death, the acceptance rate of organ donation by the families and the organs removed were evaluated. A total of 44 patients were diagnosed with brain death. The mean age of the cases was 39.7±17.4 years, and 63% were male. The most common hospitalization diagnosis was intracranial hemorrhage (81.8%). Traffic accidents, hypertensive and aneurysm-related hemorrhages, gunshot wounds, and falls from height were the most common causes of intracranial hemorrhage. Patients were admitted to the ICU most frequently from the emergency department (54%). The mean time to brain death was 7.9±6.2 days, and the somatic survival time was 1.9±1.9 days in patients who did not receive organ transplantation. While the apnea test was positive in 91% of the cases, the apnea test could not be completed in 9% of the cases. While relatives of 7% (n=3) of the cases accepted organ donation, a patient was not allowed to be an organ donor for medical reasons. Organ transplantation was performed in two patients (5%). As in the whole world, getting treatment as soon as possible for the patients waiting on the organ transplant list in Turkiye by increasing the number of organs to be obtained from cadavers. In cases with suspected brain death in the ICU, diagnosing brain death as soon as possible and conducting family interviews with trained organ transplant coordinators will increase the number of cadaver donors. However, we think policies should be developed to ensure that society is informed and encouraged about brain death and organ donation.

Synthesis, photophysical properties, anticancer evaluation, and molecular docking studies of new pyrimidine linked 4-arylidene-thiazolidin-4-ones as potent anticancer agents.

The reaction of 4-(chloroacetamido)pyrimidine (1) with ammonium thiocyanate gave 2-(pyrimidin-4-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-one (2), which, when condensed with four substituted benzaldehyde analogues, gave the consequent 5-arylidine-2-(pyrimidin-4-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-ones 3a-d. In addition, the absorbance and fluorescence behaviours of pyrimidinylimino-thiazolidin-4-one hybrids 3a-d in various organic solvents were investigated. The emphasis was on studying UV absorption capacities and the effect of various structural components on photophysical qualities such as the 5-arylidene-2-(pyrimidin-4-ylimino)thiazolidin-4-ones and N,N-dimethylamino tail. The cytotoxic effect of four pyrimidinylimino-thiazolidin-4-one hybrids 3a-d on tumour cell lines (HepG2, HCT-116, PC3, MCF-7) and a normal cell line (WI38) is investigated in this work. The cytotoxicity was measured by comparing the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) to the reference medication, 5-fluorouracil. The findings indicate that these hybrid compounds had varying cytotoxic effects on the cell lines examined; hybrids 3b and 3c demonstrated significant anticancer activity against MCF-7 with IC50 values of 7.53 ±0.43 and 9.17 ±0.31 μM, respectively. The inhibitory efficacy of various synthesized hybrids on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase was investigated. EGFR is a crucial target in cancer treatment because inhibiting it may reduce tumour development and proliferation. The IC50 value was used to calculate the inhibitory activity, which is the concentration of inhibitor necessary to induce half-maximal inhibition of EGFR kinase activity. In addition, the predicted ADME results show that pyrimidinylimino-thiazolidin-4-one hybrids have good pharmacokinetic properties; hybrid 3d is more lipophilic than the other compounds. It has a medium molecular weight, a small number of hydrogen bond acceptors and donors, and a large number of aromatic heavy atoms. Moreover, molecular docking simulations revealed precise information on the interactions of pyrimidinylimino-thiazolidin-4-one hybrids 3a-d and 5-Fu with their respective protein targets. These interactions point to possible pathways for their biological activities and call for more testing to establish their effectiveness as bioactive molecules or therapeutic candidates.

Donation after Circulatory Death Does Not Worsen Survival after Heart Transplant for Patients with a Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device

Heart transplantation from donors after circulatory death (DCD) has demonstrated increased primary graft dysfunction. Durable mechanical circulatory (MCS) recipients have slightly higher perioperative risk but excellent long‐term survival. We sought to determine if the use of DCD donors impacted outcomes for patients with MCS. The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried from 2019 to 2023 for all adult recipients who underwent heart transplant with a durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Outcomes were compared for recipients of DBD and DCD donors. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to compare survival. A total of 3449 recipients underwent heart transplant who met the study criteria. The number of DCD and DBD donors was 288 (8.4%) and 3161 (92.6%). There was no difference in the length of stay, postoperative dialysis, pacemaker, stroke rate, or in‐hospital mortality. Recipients with durable LVADs of DCD donors had a higher rate of treatment for rejection within the first year. Overall survival was not different between DBD and DCD donors (p = 0.153). Postoperative and survival outcomes for DCD donation remain similar between patients with and without MCS. These findings may help decrease waitlist time for patients with durable MCS.

Experimental and Computational Investigation of Novel Triazole-Pyrazole Derivative as a Synthetic Corrosion Inhibitor for M-Steel in 1.0M HCl

TzPz, a newly synthesized ethyl 2-(3-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol1-yl)-H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) ethan-ol, was evaluated as a mild steel corrosion inhibitor in 1.0 HCl environment. The synthesis objective for this type of molecule-type was to create a triazole-based molecule with a simple yet effective structure, as well as to increase the number of nitrogen donors to boost adsorption affinities at the metal surface. This investigation began with electrochemical techniques such as EIS &amp; PDP. The results obtained suggest that TzPz is a good inhibitor, with a maximal effectiveness (91.9%) at 303 K. The inhibitory efficacy increases dramatically with increasing concentration and decreases with increasing temperature. According to electrochemical data, TzPz functions as a mixed inhibitor, and the corrosion process is controlled by charge transfer. In addition, the adsorption isotherm adheres to the Langmuir model. UV-visible spectroscopy is used to evaluate the probability of Fe-inhibitory molecule interactions. Theoretical calculations using the DFT technique were performed and discussed for the molecule TzPz in order to understand its interfacial approach and compare them to experimental data.

Meeting the Shortage of Human Cells and Tissues: The Andalusian Quality Assurance Programme for Tissue Donation.

Background A quality assurance programme for the tissue donation process was launched in Andalusia in 2020 to facilitate the integration of tissue donation into end-of-life care, and to respond to the growing need for human tissue for therapeutic purposes. The results of this programme are presented here. Methods After identifying the hospital departments in which to intensify the detection of tissue donors, expanding training activities and designing a specific data collection system for possible tissue donors who do not donate their tissues, the results of the donation activity were quantified and the causes of non-donation were analysed by applying the critical pathway for deceased tissue donation methodology. Results After an initial drop in activity, which coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, the number of tissue donors increased by 48.4% in 2022 compared to 2019. From the eligible donors, 83% were actual tissue donors and 71% were utilised donors. The modifiable causes of tissue donation loss, in order of frequency, were family refusal, followed by organisational or logistical issues, failure to notify or failure to identify possible donors, and failure to complete donor evaluation. Conclusion As a result of the collaboration of the various professionals involved in the programme, tissue donation activity has increased remarkably, the potential and effectiveness of the donation process have been evaluated, and areas for improvement have been identified, which we hope will lead to continuous improvement of the process.

Prescreened Whole O Blood Group Walking Blood Bank Capabilities for Nontraditional Maritime Medical Receiving Platforms: A Case Series.

Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines recognize low-titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) as the resuscitative fluid of choice for combat wounded. Utilization of prescreened LTOWB in a walking blood bank (WBB) format has been well described by the Ranger O low-titer blood (ROLO) and the United States Marine Corps Valkyrie programs, but it has not been applied to the maritime setting. We describe three WBB experiences of an expeditionary resuscitative surgical system (ERSS) team, attached to three nontraditional maritime medical receiving platforms, over 6 months. Significant variations were identified in the number of screened eligible donors, the number of LTOWB donors, and the timely arrival at WBB activation sites between the platforms. Overall, 95% and 84% of the screened eligible group O blood donors on the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer (DDG) and Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier (CVN), respectively, were determined to be LTOWB. However, only 37% of the eligible screened group O blood donors aboard the Harper's Ferry Class Dock Landing Ship (LSD) were found to be LTOWB. Of the eligible donors, 66% did not complete screening, with 52% citing a correctable reason for nonparticipation. LTOWB attained through WBBs may be the only practical resuscitative fluid on maritime platforms without inherent blood product storage capabilities to perform remote damage control resuscitation. Future efforts should focus on optimizing WBBs through capability development, education, and training efforts.

En bloc kidney transplantation of an infant to an adolescent girl - one-year follow-up

Introduction. En bloc kidney transplantation (EBKT) overcomes the problems of insufficient nephron mass of the solitary kidney of the youngest donors and the creation of a vascular anastomosis with small blood vessels. Although there are positive experiences with EBKT in adult patients, there is little data in pediatric recipients. Case outline. The kidney donor was a six-month-old male infant (7 kg), and the recipient was a 16-year-old adolescent girl (58.7 kg). The estimated glomerular filtration rate increased during the one-year follow-up after EBKT and reached 88.8 ml/min/1.73m2, which was accompanied by an increase in the dimensions of the medial and lateral kidneys. Normalization of proteinuria and tubular functions occurred 6 and 12 months after transplantation, respectively. Conclusion. EBKT in an adolescent girl was performed without vascular complications, with satisfactory kidney function and physiological values of proteinuria after a one-year follow-up. EBKT of infants could increase the number of cadaveric donors but also enable better function and survival of the graft, given that the growth and functional maturation of the infant's kidneys continue postnatally in the body of the graft recipient.

CCR5Δ32 and HLA allele diversity in bone marrow donors from southern Brazil.

Transplantation of stem cells derived from donors with CCR5Δ32 homozygous genotype is a potential strategy to achieve both the control of malignant hematological disease as well as sustained remission of the HIV infection, and researchers in different countries are looking for CCR5Δ32 homozygous donors to replicate such a 'double-target' strategy. We determined the frequency of the CCR5Δ32 variant in a sample of 1,398 bone marrow donors from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This study also evaluated whether HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 genotypes are homogeneously distributed between CCR5Δ32 carriers and non-carriers in a population characterized by a significant genetic admixture. The CCR5Δ32 allele frequency was 7.4% (CI0.95 6.4-8.4%), and the frequency of the Δ32/Δ32 homozygous genotype was 0.72% (CI0.95 0.34-1.31%). In general, HLA genotypes are homogeneously distributed between CCR5Δ32 carriers and non-carriers. Considering the large number of bone marrow donors in Brazil and the high CCR5Δ32 allele frequency observed in our study, our results clearly indicate the existence of a considerable amount of potential CCR5Δ32 homozygous bone marrow donors in southern Brazil, suggesting that an active search for these donors is not only feasible but an attractive and promising strategy towards effective HIV infection control and treatment.

Calculation of the Weight of Evidence for Combined Single-Cell and Extracellular Forensic DNA.

The weight of DNA evidence for forensic applications is typically assessed through the calculation of the likelihood ratio (LR). In the standard workflow, DNA is extracted from a collection of cells where the cells of an unknown number of donors are mixed. The DNA is then genotyped, and the LR is calculated through well-established methods. Recently, a method for calculating the LR from single-cell data has been presented. Rather than extracting the DNA while the cells are still mixed, single-cell data is procured by first isolating each cell. Extraction and fragment analysis of relevant forensic loci follows such that individual cells are genotyped. This workflow leads to significantly stronger weights of evidence, but it does not account for extracellular DNA that could also be present in the sample. In this paper, we present a method for calculation of an LR that combines single-cell and extracellular data. We demonstrate the calculation on example data and show that the combined LR can lead to stronger conclusions than would be obtained from calculating LRs on the single-cell and extracellular DNA separately.

Launch of the first canine mobile blood donation center in Asia: development, outcomes, and influence of an animal bloodmobile.

A mobile blood donation station allows a maximum number of donors to donate blood at any location. In veterinary medicine, no previous studies have reported the use of bloodmobiles for blood donation in animals. We assessed Asia's first canine mobile blood donation center, which was trialed using a modified vehicle in South Korea. A vehicle was modified into a canine bloodmobile with two sections: the front as a laboratory and the back as a blood collection room with necessary equipment. To recruit companion dogs nationwide, the campaign was advertised on television and promoted via social media. Applications of the dogs meeting the following criteria were accepted: in general good health, between 2-8 years old, body weight above 25kg, vaccinated, regularly on heartworm and ectoparasite prophylactics. Pre-donation procedures included medical screening and informed consent, followed by blood collection in a routine fashion. Post-donation, dogs were monitored for complications and owners completed a post-donation survey. Of the 750 applicants, 48 donor dogs were selected for investigation. Ten failed to donate blood owing to the following issues: behavioral problems (2/48), positive results on vector-borne disease screening tests (5/48), in-tubing clot formation (2/48), and absence on the relevant appointment date (1/48). Blood collection took approximately 12 minutes, and the entire procedure lasted an average of 1.5 hours per donor. The prevalence rates of dog erythrocyte antigen 1-negative and 1-positive blood were 32.6% and 67.4%, respectively. There were no donation-related complications, except for one dog that had contact dermatitis induced by clipper irritation. The post-donation survey completed by 46 owners revealed that most were satisfied with the campaign. The convenience of the mobile blood drive (93.5%) was a key factor contributing to high owner satisfaction and willingness to participate in future campaigns (95.7%), in line with findings from prior veterinary and human blood donation motivation research. The bloodmobile effectively increased engagement in canine blood donation by enhancing accessibility. To optimize canine mobile blood drives, procuring larger vehicles and enhancing infrastructure for future campaigns would be beneficial. In conclusion, this study showed that Asia's first canine bloodmobile was successful in terms of improving the convenience, accessibility, and efficacy of canine blood donation. Although the concept is still unfamiliar to the public, active promotion of canine blood donation can help ensure a robust blood donation culture in the veterinary field.