Retention of "safe" blood donors. The Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

BACKGROUND: There are obvious advantages to increasing donor retention. However, for reasons of blood safety, certain donors may, in fact, be more desirable to retain than others. “Safe” donors are defined as those who provided a blood donation that was negative on all laboratory screening tests and who subsequently reported no behavioral risks in response to an anonymous survey. This study identifies the most important factors affecting the intention of “safe” donors to provide another donation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An anonymous survey asking about donation history, sexual history, injecting drug use, and recent donation experience was mailed to 50,162 randomly selected allogeneic donors (including directed donors) who gave blood from April through July or from October through December 1993 at one of the five United States blood centers participating in the Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study. Before mailing, questionnaires were coded to designate donors with nonreactive laboratory screening tests at their most recent donation. RESULTS: A total of 34,726 donors (69%) responded, with substantially higher response among repeat donors. According to reported intentions only, the vast majority of “safe” donors indicated a high likelihood of donating again within the next 12 months. Only 3.4 percent reported a low likelihood of donating again. A comparison of those likely to return and those unlikely to return reveals significant differences in demographics and in ratings of the donation experience. A higher proportion of those unlikely to return were first-time donors, minority-group donors, and donors with less education. The highest projected loss among “safe” donors was seen for those who gave a fair to poor assessment of their treatment by blood center staff or of their physical well-being during or after donating. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that efforts to improve donors' perceptions of their donation experience, as well as attention to the physical effects of blood donation, may aid in the retention of both repeat and first-time donors.     

Childhood Pityriasis Rosea

Abstract: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute, self‐limiting papulosquamous disorder of unknown etiology. Published studies of childhood PR are scarce and most are reviews. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical features of childhood PR.     

6-(αα-二苯基乙酰哌嗪基苯基)-4,5-二氢-5-甲基-3(2H)-哒嗪酮对兔血小板聚集及TXB2,cAMP的影响

6-(αα-二苯基乙酰哌嗪基苯基)-4,5-二氢-5-甲基-3(2H)-哒嗪酮(简称DMDP)是我院新合成的哒嗪酮的衍生物。DMDP可以显著抑制由花生四烯酸(AA(?),ADP和血小板活化因子(PAF)诱导的免血小板聚集,其IC₅₀分别为1.12±0.1.4.19±0.5和2.97±0.1μmol/L。实验还表明DMDP在1～500 μmol/L浓度范围内呈剂量依赖性地抑制兔血小板内血栓素B₂含量,但升高兔血小板内环腺苷酸水平,这可能是其抑制血小板聚集的作用机理之一。     

The “ÉOL” respiratory muscle training device

Regional Hospital, Tula. Translated from Meditsinskaya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 25–27, May–June, 1992.     

Thrombosis risk and survival in cancer patients with elevated C‐reactive protein

Summary. Background: The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increased among cancer patients. Objective: We assessed serum levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP) in order to study their prognostic significance for VTE and survival in the prospective observational Cancer and Thrombosis Study (CATS). Patients and methods: This study includes patients with recently diagnosed cancer or progression of disease after remission. Occurrence of VTE and information on the patients’ anti‐cancer‐treatment are recorded. Observation ends with occurrence of objectively confirmed VTE, death or after 2 years. CRP levels were determined by an immunonephelometric method. Results: We included 705 consecutive patients with solid tumors. During the observation period, VTE occurred in 43 (6.1%) patients and 413 (58.6%) died. The cumulative probability of VTE was 6.6% after 1 year. In univariate analysis, CRP (as metric variable, per double increase) was associated with VTE [hazard ratio (HR) 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–1.3 P = 0.048]. However, in multivariable analysis including chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy, metastasis, cancer‐site and sP‐selectin the association with VTE (HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.9–1.2 P = 0.932) was no longer observed. CRP was clearly associated with worse survival probability with a HR of 1.3 (95% CI 1.2–1.3, P < 0.0001) in multivariable analysis. The cumulative survival after 12 months was 43% in patients with CRP above the 75th percentile (1.8 mg dL^?1) and 82% in those below the 75th percentile. Conclusions: In cancer patients elevated CRP was not independently associated with VTE. CRP was significantly associated with worse survival.     

Inhibitory activity of xanthine oxidase by fractions Crateva adansonii

ObjectiveTo study the inhibitory effect of various extracts from Crateva adansonii (C. adansonii) used traditionally against several inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout, was investigated on purified bovine milk xanthine oxidase (XO) activity.MethodsXanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was assayed spectrophotometrically and the degree of enzyme inhibition was determined by measuring the increase in absorbance at 295 nm associated with uric acid formation. Enzyme kinetics was carried out using Lineweaver-Burk plots using xanthine as the substrate.ResultsAmong the fractions tested, the chloroform fraction exhibited highest potency (IC₅₀ 20.2±1.6 μg/mL) followed by the petroleum ether (IC₅₀ 30.1±2.2 μg/mL), ethyl acetate (IC₅₀ 43.9±1.4 μg/mL) and residual (IC₅₀ 98.0±3.3 μg/mL) fractions. The IC₅₀ value of allopurinol used, as the standard was 5.7±0.3 μg/mL.ConclusionsEnzyme inhibition mechanism indicated that the mode of inhibition was of a mixed type. Our findings suggest that the therapeutic use of these plants may be due to the observed Xanthine oxidase inhibition, thereby supporting their use in traditional folk medicine against inflammatory-related diseases, in particular, gout.