Irradiation of blood components with ionizing radiation generated by a specific device is recommended to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease. However, a linear accelerator can also be used in the absence of such a device, which is the case of the blood bank facility studied herein. In order to evaluate the quality of the irradiated packed red blood cells, this study aimed to determine whether the procedure currently employed in the facility is effective in inhibiting the proliferation of T lymphocytes without damaging blood components.The proliferation of T lymphocytes, plasma potassium levels, and the degree of hemolysis were evaluated and compared to blood bags that received no irradiation. Packed red blood cell bags were irradiated at a dose of 25 Gy in a linear accelerator. For this purpose, a container was designed to hold the bags and to ensure even distribution of irradiation as evaluated by computed tomography and dose-volume histogram.Irradiation was observed to inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes. The percentage of hemolysis in irradiated bags was slightly higher than in non-irradiated bags (p-value >0.05), but it was always less than 0.4% of the red cell mass. Although potassium increased in both groups, it was more pronounced in irradiated red blood cells, especially after seven days of storage, with a linear increase over storage time.The findings showed that, at an appropriate dosage and under validated conditions, the irradiation of packed red blood cells in a linear accelerator is effective, inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation but without compromising the viability of the red cells.

Correspondência: Helio Moraes de Souza Av. Getúlio Guarita, 3312-5077 E-mail: helio.moraes@hemominas.mg.gov.br Artigo / Article REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE HEMATOLOGIA E H E M O T E R A P I A IntroduçãoO teste para detecção de anti-HCV tornou-se obrigató-rio na triagem sorológica dos bancos de sangue brasileiros em novembro de 1993.1 Alguns hemocentros introduziramno mais precocemente, como a Fundação Hemominas, que introduziu-o em sua rotina em 1992.2 Desde então, o aperfeiçoamento das técnicas e o desenvolvimento dos testes anti-HCV de segunda, terceira e quarta geração vêm incrementando progressivamente a sensibilidade e a especificidade dos mesmos, com detecção cada vez mais precoce da infecção, aumentando a eficácia da triagem sorológica e conseqüentemente, reduzindo as taxas de incidência de hepatite C pós-transfusional.Para aumentar a segurança do receptor de sangue e hemoderivados, exige-se que os testes utilizados na triagem

A record of HPA-typed donors would enable rapid identification and selection of donors when HPA-compatible platelets are required for transfusion.

The aim of the present study was to outline the serological profile of hepatitis C among blood donors seen at the uberaba regional Blood Center, hemominas Foundation, over the last 14 years. The frequency of hepatitis C was compared between first-time and repeat donors and the epidemiological characteristics of those with positive and indeterminate ELISA anti-hCV (third and fourth generation) were analyzed based on the donor histories kept in the archives of the uberaba regional Blood Center. The serological ineligibility rate was 0.3%, with higher prevalence in the group of firsttime donors. We did not find any significant differences regarding age, skin color, marital status or place of residence between eligible and ineligible donors; however, the frequency of positive serology was higher among men. The lower (0.3%) rate of ineligibility due to hepatitis C that was observed at the uberaba regional Blood Center, in relation to most Brazilian blood centers, is probably due to the large number of repeat donors (83.3%). This reinforces the importance of achieving donor commitment for increasing transfusion safety. Key-words:Blood donor. Serological screening. hepatitis C. Epidemiology. RESuMOO objetivo deste estudo foi traçar o perfil sorológico para a hepatite C nos doadores de sangue do hemocentro regional de uberaba/Fundação hemominas nos últimos 14 anos, comparando a sua ocorrência em doadores iniciais e de retorno e analisando as características epidemiológicas daqueles com ELISA anti-hCV (terceira e quarta geração) positivo e indeterminado, a partir dos históricos dos doadores nos arquivos do hemocentro regional de uberaba. A inaptidão sorológica encontrada foi de 0,3%, com maior ocorrência no grupo de doadores iniciais. Não encontramos diferenças significativas quanto à idade, cor da pele, estado civil e local de residência entre os aptos e os inaptos, porém a ocorrência de sorologia positiva foi maior nos homens. A menor prevalência de inaptidão para hepatite C (0,3%) no hemocentro regional de uberaba, em relação à maioria dos hemocentros do país, é provavelmente devido ao grande (83,3%) número de doadores de repetição, reforçando assim a importância da fidelização do doador para o aumento da segurança transfusional. The hepatitis C virus (hCV) was identified in 1989 by Choo et al 5 and current estimates indicate that 130 million people worldwide are infected 7 . hCV is transmitted through infected blood and its derivatives, by means of percutaneous exposure (shared use of syringes by drug addicts, tattooing and accidents with biological material), and possibly through domestic or sexual contact with hCV-infected persons. In approximately 30% of hepatitis C cases, no risk factor can be identified 2 . Vertical transmission is rare when compared with hepatitis B; however, pregnant women with a high hCV load or coinfected with hIV are at greater risk of transmitting the disease to their children 14 . According to the World health Organization, shared use of syringes by intravenous drug users is the m...

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This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and the epidemiologic factors associated with HCV infection in patients with chronic renal failure before the onset of ESRD. Sex, age, type of renal disease, level of renal function, and history of blood transfusions and invasive procedures were analyzed in 226 patients with renal disease, compared with a population of 1,244 normal subjects and 124 patients with impaired immunity (patients having autoimmune diseases and receiving chemotherapy treatment). Eighteen seropositive patients with renal disease (prevalence, 7.9%) were found, which was significantly higher than the prevalence in the normal population (1.03% in blood donors, 0.98% in pregnant women; P < 0.001, chi 2). There was no significant association of sex, number of blood transfusions, or history of invasive procedures with the presence of HCV antibodies. The prevalence of HCV antibodies was higher (16.6%) in patients with glomerulonephritis compared with patients diagnosed with interstitial nephritis, pyelonephritis, nephrosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, polycystic kidney, and miscellaneous renal diseases (P < 0.01, chi 2). There was a higher prevalence of HCV antibodies in patients with creatinine clearance lower than 30 mL/min (13%) compared with patients with creatinine clearance higher than 30 mL/min (2.7%) (P < 0.01, chi 2). These data suggest that HCV infection may be associated with the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis. Alternatively, glomerulonephritis or severe renal insufficiency may increase the likelihood of HCV infection.

BackgroundRecently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the promoter region of the perforin gene (PRF1) and it was found that the -398T mutant allele is correlated with lower amounts of protein in circulating CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the presence of the -398C/T polymorphism in the perforin gene in oncohematological patients. MethodsSixty-two patients with hematological malignancies treated at the teaching hospital of the Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro were invited to participate in this study. The identification of the polymorphism was achieved by amplification using polymerase chain reaction, digestion using the TaqI enzyme and electrophoresis in 1% agarose gel.ResultsThe heterozygous -398C/T polymorphism was identified in 16.7% patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 40% with multiple myeloma, 50% with essential thrombocythemia, 14.3% with Hodgkin's disease, 7.7% with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 33.3% with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The homozygous mutant allele was identified in one mulatto individual (25%) with myelodysplastic syndrome. When Afro-Brazilian and Whites were analyzed together, there was a higher frequency of the -398T allele in patients than in healthy individuals (p-value = 0.0291).Conclusionne patient was homozygous for the -398T allele. Based on these findings, further studies should be conducted to assess whether the presence of this polymorphism may be a risk factor for the development of hematologic malignancies.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells play a crucial role in eliminating tumour and virus-infected cells. The perforin is a key part of the arsenal that these cells use to destroy their targets. In this study, we characterized single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the promoter region of the perforin gene among distinct Brazilian ethnic groups. The study was carried out by sequencing this region in three groups: European, African and Asian descents. We demonstrated for the first time the occurrence of three new polymorphisms in the promoter region of gene PRF1: 494A/G (rs78058707), 720G/A (rs75925789) and 1176C/T (rs75183511). Three other SNPs already described in the literature 63A/G (rs35401316), 112A/G (rs10999428) and 1012C/T (rs35069510) were also detected. The SNPs are distributed differently in the ethnic groups studied. The 112G allele was observed at high frequency, especially among Asian descents (48.1%). The 1012T allele was detected only among European descents, the 494G allele only among Asian descents and 1176T allele only in African descents. Based on the association between the polymorphisms described, ten new haplotypes were originated. In functional analysis, we noticed that SNPs present in most common haplotypes cannot induce significant differences in expression levels of perforin alone. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time the existence of three new polymorphisms in perforin promoter and, contrary to what was stated, the presence of these SNPs does not alter the levels of protein expression.