Prevalence, donation practices, and risk assessment of blood donors with hemochromatosis

CONTEXT: Despite changes in eligibility policies, practical barriers limit blood donations from individuals with hemochromatosis. Increased knowledge of hemochromatosis donor characteristics may help foster further changes that will promote more donations. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of donors diagnosed as having hemochromatosis and to compare rates of unreported deferrable risks for transfusion-transmissible viral infections (TTVIs), positive screening test results for TTVIs, and donation patterns between hemochromatosis patient donors and donors reporting no medical conditions necessitating phlebotomy (non-health-related donors). DESIGN: An anonymous mail survey conducted in 1998 as part of the ongoing Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Among a stratified probability sample of 92 581 blood donors from 8 geographically diverse US blood centers, 52 650 (57%) responded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of hemochromatosis among blood donors; prevalence of unreported deferrable risks and positive screening test results for TTVIs among hemochromatosis patient donors vs non-health-related donors. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-seven respondents (0.4%) identified themselves as hemochromatosis patients and 50 079 (95.1%) as non-health-related donors. An estimated 0.8% of all donations were from hemochromatosis patients, 45.8% of whom reported that they had donated blood to treat their illness. The proportion of repeat donors was higher in hemochromatosis patients than in non-health-related donors (83.5% vs 76.5%; P =.03). Among repeat donors, 68.7% of hemochromatosis patients reported donating at least 3 times in the past year compared with 49.1% of non-health-related donors (P<.001). The prevalence of unreported deferrable risks for TTVIs was similar in hemochromatosis patients (2.0%) and non-health-related donors(3.1%) as was the overall prevalence of positive screening test results (1.3% of hemochromatosis patients vs 1.6% of non-health-related donors). CONCLUSIONS: Although significant numbers of hemochromatosis patients reported donating blood for therapeutic reasons, our findings suggest that this population does not present a greater risk to blood safety than other donors.     

Cutaneous Ciliated Cyst with Interspersed Apocrine Features Presenting as a Pilonidal Cyst in a Child

We present a case of a cutaneous ciliated cyst that presented in a 13-year-old female. The lesion was felt to be a pilonidal cyst, based on its location and clinical appearance. This case is unusual because it is the youngest reported example of this very rare lesion. In addition, the admixture of apocrine and ciliated cells is extremely unusual. The histogenesis of cutaneous ciliated cysts is considered. Received April 13, 2000; accepted July 21, 2000.     

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission and screening in United States blood donors

BACKGROUND: Increased knowledge of HIV transmission and behavioral and test screening may encourage high-risk blood donors to self-defer. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Knowledge of HIV transmission and screening and the association with demographics, screening test reactivity, and unreported deferrable risks (UDRs) was assessed by a 1998 anonymous mail survey sent to 92,581 blood donors, of whom 57 percent responded. Groups were compared by using weighted chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Four percent of the donors thought that it was very likely or somewhat likely for a person to contract HIV from donating blood, and 20 percent perceived a similar risk from blood transfusion. Only 60 percent of the donors knew that the available screening tests may not detect a recent infection. Thirty-seven percent either did not know or felt it was acceptable to donate blood to obtain HIV testing. Those most likely to answer knowledge questions incorrectly were more likely to have a higher prevalence of test reactivity or UDRs and to be 相似文献   

The Changing Balance Between Osteoblastogenesis and Adipogenesis in Aging and its Impact on Hematopoiesis

Osteoblasts (OBs) and adipocytes (APs) share a common mesenchymal ancestor. It is now clear that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) maturation along the OB lineage comes at the expense of adipogenesis and vice versa. During aging, this balance increasingly favors the formation of APs. Hematopoiesis also slowly declines during the aging process. The role of OB lineage cells in hematopoiesis has been studied, but less is known about how APs regulate hematopoiesis. A few studies have demonstrated a negative relationship between APs and hematopoiesis; however, there is also evidence that brown adipose tissue (BAT) may promote hematopoiesis. This review will examine the current knowledge of how adipogenesis and osteogenesis change with aging and the implications of this changing environment on hematopoeisis.