Bacterial screening of platelet concentrates:results of 2 years active surveillance of transfused positive cultured units released as negative to date

BACKGROUND: The BacT/ALERT system for bacterial monitoring of platelet concentrates (PCs) was introduced in the Netherlands in 2001. Samples are cultured for 7 days, and as a result of the short shelf-life of PCs, they are usually released as 'negative to date'. Therefore, some of the PCs have already been transfused at the moment of a positive signal in continued cultures in the BacT/Alert. It is unclear, however, whether these PCs are associated with more transfusion reactions. METHODS: During a 2-year period clinical data were collected from all patients who received PCs released as 'negative to date' but with a positive bacterial culture after being transfused. RESULTS: Data of 158 patients who received PCs with confirmed positive bacterial culture tests were analysed. Two patients developed a transfusion reaction. In both PCs, Propionibacterium was cultured. The imputability as related to the transfusion was classified as unlikely in both patients. CONCLUSION: Two of 158 transfusions of PCs released as 'negative to date', but with a confirmed positive BacT/ALERT result, were initially associated with transfusion reactions. However, the imputability of both reactions was low

A novel approach to detect test-seeking behaviour in the blood donor population : making the invisible visible

Background and Objectives: Individuals may donate blood in order to determine their infection status after exposure to an increased infection risk. Such test-seeking behaviour decreases transfusion safety. Instances of test seeking are difficult to substantiate as donors are unlikely to admit to such behaviour. However, manifestation in a population of repeat donors may be determined using statistical inference. Materials and Methods: Test-seeking donors would be highly motivated to donate following infection risk, influencing the timing of their donation. Donation intervals within 2005–2014 of all Dutch blood donors who acquired syphilis (N = 50), HIV (N = 13), HTLV (N = 4) or HCV (N = 2) were compared to donation intervals of uninfected blood donors (N = 7 327 836) using the Anderson–Darling test. We adjusted for length bias as well as for age, gender and donation type of the infected. Additionally, the power of the proposed method was investigated by simulation. Results: Among the Dutch donors who acquired infection, we found only a non-significant overrepresentation of short donation intervals (P = 0·54). However, we show by simulation that both relatively short and long donation intervals among infected donors can reveal test seeking. The power of the method is >90% if among 69 infected donors >35 (51%) are test seeking, or if among 320 infected donors >90 (30%) are test seeking. Conclusion: We show how statistical analysis may be used to reveal the extent of test seeking in repeat blood donor populations. In the Dutch setting, indications for test-seeking behaviour were not statistically significant. This may, however, be due to the low number of infected individuals

Calculation System in Company Pittsburgh Corning, Ltd.

Import 22/07/2015Cílem bakalářské práce je analýza současného kalkulačního systému, zhodnocení jeho silných a slabých stránek a navržení možného vylepšení způsobu tvorby cen nových produktů ve výrobní společnosti Pittsburgh Corning, s.r.o.The goal of the barchelor thesis is to analyze the current calculation system, evaluation of its strong and weak points and the proposal for possible improvement of the method for creation new product prices within company Pittsburgh Corning, s.r.o.Prezenční545 - Institut ekonomiky a systémů řízenívýborn