Sufficient blood, safe blood: can we have both?

The decision in September 2011 in the UK to accept blood donations from non-practicing men who have sex with men (MSM) has received significant public attention. Will this rule change substantially boost the number of blood donations or will it make our blood less safe? Clearly, most European countries have a blood procurement problem. Fewer young people are donating, while the population is aging and more invasive therapies are requiring more blood. Yet if that was the reason for allowing non-practicing MSM to donate, clearly re-admission of some other, much larger populations that are currently deferred from donation should likewise be considered. As far as risks for blood safety are concerned, evidence has been provided that the current quality of infectious disease marker testing significantly mitigates against, although does not completely eradicate, risks associated with admission of donors with a high risk of carrying certain blood-transmissible agents. However, it could be argued that more effective recruitment of the non-donor pool, which is substantially larger than the group of currently ineligible donors, would be a better strategy. Recruitment of this group will benefit the availability of blood without jeopardizing the current excellent safety profile of blood

Pathogen reduction/inactivation of products for the treatment of bleeding disorders:what are the processes and what should we say to patients?

Patients with blood disorders (including leukaemia, platelet function disorders and coagulation factor deficiencies) or acute bleeding receive blood-derived products, such as red blood cells, platelet concentrates and plasma-derived products. Although the risk of pathogen contamination of blood products has fallen considerably over the past three decades, contamination is still a topic of concern. In order to counsel patients and obtain informed consent before transfusion, physicians are required to keep up to date with current knowledge on residual risk of pathogen transmission and methods of pathogen removal/inactivation. Here, we describe pathogens relevant to transfusion of blood products and discuss contemporary pathogen removal/inactivation procedures, as well as the potential risks associated with these products: the risk of contamination by infectious agents varies according to blood product/region, and there is a fine line between adequate inactivation and functional impairment of the product. The cost implications of implementing pathogen inactivation technology are also considered

Comportement du dioxyde de soufre au cours de l’oxydation lente de mélanges pentane — Dioxyde de soufre — Air

Le dosage de SO2 en présence de composés intermédiaires d’oxydation d’hydrocarbures (peroxydes) étant particulièrement délicat par suite des réactions secondaires en phase liquide, nous proposons une méthode expérimentale permettant de séparer les différents produits. Dans ce but, les gaz de combustion traversent des solutions appropriées. Grâce à cette méthode, il est montré que la concentration de SO2 n’est pratiquement pas modifiée au cours de l’oxydation lente du pentane. Il en résulte que la réaction de SO2 avec les radicaux hydroperoxyles en phase gazeuse n’est pas importante dans nos conditions expérimentales

Insertion torque values and success rates for paramedian insertion of orthodontic mini-implants : A retrospective study.

Objectives Orthodontic mini-implants (OMIs) are a reliable method to provide temporary orthodontic anchorage. We hypothesized that there is an optimal insertion torque (10 Ncm) will decrease the success rate and increase palatal OMI failure was rejected

Esthetic Provisional Restoration after Space Closure in Patients with Missing Upper Lateral Incisors

Orthodontic space closure in a patient with a missing upper lateral incisor requires a mesial shift that will bring the canine and first premolar into esthetic focus. Additive or subtractive restorative measures such as odontoplasty or enamel reduction will then be needed to alter the visible tooth surfaces. Many cases require individualized adaptation of tooth shapes and colors

Detection of Usutu virus infection in a healthy blood donor from south-west Germany, 2012

From September 2011 until November 2012, 31 serum samples from German patients with clinically sus - pected acute Usutu virus (USUV) infections were tested for USUV-specific antibodies. All samples tested nega - tive. In addition, 4,200 serum samples from healthy blood donors from south-west Germany were collected in January 2012 and also analysed for the presence of specific antibodies. One sample tested positive for USUV-IgG and -IgM. Thus, the seroprevalence of USUV antibodies in healthy blood donors from south-west Germany was low in January 2012