The PGD test detected bacterial contamination in 1:3069 (9 of 27,620) doses released as negative by prestorage culture in PLTs as young as 3 days old. Three contaminated doses, two clinically insignificant, had nonreactive PGD tests, while 0.51% of tests were false positives. Application of this test on day of issue can interdict contaminated units and prevent transfusion reactions.

The direct antiglobulin test (DAT) is a laboratory test that detects immunoglobulin and/or complement on the surface of red blood cells. The utility of the DAT is to sort hemolysis into an immune or nonimmune etiology. As with all tests, DAT results must be viewed in light of clinical and other laboratory data. This review highlights the most common clinical situations where the DAT can help classify causes of hemolysis, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia, transfusion-related hemolysis, hemolytic disease of the fetus/newborn, drug-induced hemolytic anemia, passenger lymphocyte syndrome, and DAT-negative hemolytic anemia. In addition, the pitfalls and limitations of the test are addressed. False reactions may occur with improper technique, including improper washing, centrifugation, and specimen agitation at the time of result interpretation. Patient factors, such as spontaneous red blood cell agglutination, may also contribute to false results. Am. J. Hematol. 87:707-709, 2012. V

The Transfusion and Anemia Expertise Initiative recommendations provide important clinical guidance and applicable tools to avoid unnecessary RBC transfusions. Research recommendations identify areas of focus for future investigation to improve outcomes and safety for RBC transfusion.

Estrogen receptor and c-Myc are frequently overexpressed during breast cancer progression but are downregulated in many aggressive forms of the disease. High levels of the EphA2 tyrosine kinase are consistently found in the most aggressive breast cancer cells, and EphA2 overexpression can increase metastatic potential. We demonstrate, herein, that estrogen and Myc negatively regulate EphA2 expression in mammary epithelial cells. These data reveal EphA2 as a downstream target of estrogen and Myc and suggest a mechanism by which estrogen and Myc may regulate breast cancer.

AHLE has a fulminant course requiring accurate and rapid diagnosis. Successful therapy requires aggressive management of intracranial pressure and immunosuppression. Two other reports of AHLE document successful management with TPE. Each of these patients survived with minimal neurologic impairments. Given the likely immune-mediated nature of this disease, combined treatment of steroids, surgery, and TPE may lead to shorter hospital stays and improved neurologic outcomes. Clinical studies are needed to further study the effect of TPE on neurologic outcome in AHLE.

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The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) Journal of Clinical Apheresis (JCA) Special Issue Writing Committee is charged with reviewing, updating, and categorizing indications for the evidence-based use of therapeutic apheresis (TA) in human disease. In the Ninth Edition, the JCA Special Issue Writing Committee has incorporated systematic review and evidence-based approaches in the grading of evidence and categorization of apheresis indications to make recommendations on the use of apheresis in a wide variety of diseases and conditions. This edition has largely maintained the general layout and concept of a fact sheet introduced in the Fourth Edition (2007). Each fact sheet succinctly summarizes the evidence for the use of TA in a specific disease or medical condition. The Ninth Edition of the JCA Special Issue comprises 91 fact sheets and