The study failed to show noninferiority of PRT-PLTs based on predefined CCI criteria. PLT and red blood cell utilization in the two groups was not significantly different suggesting that the slightly lower CCIs (PRT-PLTs) did not increase blood product utilization. Safety data showed similar findings in the two groups. Further studies are required to determine if the lower CCI observed with PRT-PLTs translates into an increased risk of bleeding.

The French hemovigilance system provides an accurate estimate of the TTBI incidence during a period with diversion and improving skin disinfection but without bacterial detection screening. This tool would be able to evaluate further additional safety procedures like bacterial screening and pathogen reduction technology.

These results provide support for the systematic use of blood filtration in the preparation of blood components to prevent Y. enterocolitica infection of patients receiving transfusions.

Experiments conducted under realistic conditions are needed to determine whether it would be worthwhile recommending the rapid storage of RBCs at 4 degrees C after WBC reduction of the blood product.

Corticotropin-induced secreted protein (CISP) is a trimeric glycoprotein secreted by primary cultures of bovine adrenortical cells in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This protein was recently purified in our laboratory, and its N-terminal amino-acid sequence revealed a significant similarity with thrombospondin-2 (TSP2). We report here the nucleotide sequence of a 386 bp RT-PCR fragment specific for CISP. The deduced protein sequence shares 84% identity with the N-terminal portion of mature human TSP2, suggesting that CISP is its bovine counterpart. Northern analysis of adrenocortical cell RNA using the above cDNA fragment as a probe revealed a 6.0 kb CISP/TSP2 mRNA whose abundance was increased nearly fivefold following a 24 h cell treatment with 10(-7) M ACTH. Under the same conditions, the expression of TSP1 mRNA was reduced by tenfold. The protein levels of TSP1 and CISP/TSP2 varied accordingly with their respective mRNA levels, as shown by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence experiments. Taken together, these data show that ACTH induces a dramatic shift in the pattern of adrenocortical cell thrombospondin expression from TSP1 to CISP/TSP2. This observation suggests that these two members of the thrombospondin family exert distinct biological functions in the adrenal cortex. This hypothesis is further supported by the observation that anti-CISP antibodies inhibit the maintenance of the morphological changes of bovine adrenocortical cells induced by ACTH, whereas anti-TSP1 antibodies do not.