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Global News

General

• TM blog: I can see clearly now (Musings on using artificial intelligence in transfusion medicine)
• CSTM blog: Canada's TSO mailing list
• Research continues on rules for MSM blood donors (29 Nov. 2019)
  • Mindy Goldman of CBS comment: "Since HIV transmission risks are low, hundreds of thousands of men would need to be tested to confirm the safety of individualised risk assessments. Statistical modelling is a better way to explore the safety of this approach."
• Expanding the definition of a 'maternal near miss" (28 Nov. 2019)
• The burden of platelet transfusions in patients with chronic liver disease (26 Nov. 2019)
  • Brown Jr RS, Bentley R, Cai B, Flamm SL, Kanakamedala H, Lai J, et al. The clinical and economic burden of patients with chronic liver disease and thrombocytopaenia receiving platelet transfusions during planned invasive procedures. GastroHep 2019;1(5): 236-48. (Open access)
• What's in the average transfusion? Anti-anxiety drugs, caffeine, cough medicines. (26 Nov. 2019)
  • Chen L, van Breemen RB. Validation of a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for cytochrome P450 probe substrates caffeine, tolbutamide, dextromethorphan, and alprazolam in human serum reveals drug contamination of serum used for research. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2019 Nov 10:112983. [Epub ahead of print]
• Early plasma transfusion may benefit women with persistent postpartum hemmorrhage ( 16 Nov. 2019)
  • Henriquez DDCA, Caram-Deelder C, le Cessie S, Zwart JJ, van Roosmalen JJM, Eikenboom JCJ, et al; TeMpOH-1 Research Group. Association of timing of plasma transfusion with adverse maternal outcomes in women with persistent postpartum hemorrhage.JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Nov 1;2(11):e1915628. Epub 15 Nov. 2019. (Open access)
• First new HIV strain in 19 years identified (6 Nov. 2019) | Related:
  • Scientists discover new subtype of HIV (6 Nov. 2019)
  • Yamaguchi J, McArthur C, Vallari A, Sthreshley L, Cloherty GA, Berg MG, Rodgers MA. Complete genome sequence of CG-0018a-01 establishes HIV-1 subtype L. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019 Nov 6. [Epub ahead of print]
• Study finds flow cytometry may allow more accurate detection of RBC autoantibody formation in thalassemia patients compared with DAT (5 Nov. 2019)
  • Thedsawad A, Taka O, Wanachiwanawin W. Prevalence and clinical significances of red cell alloimmunization and red cell bound immunoglobulin G in polytransfused patients with thalassemias. Hematology. 2019 Dec;24(1):208-14. (Free full text)
• Canada: Blood system safer because of landmark study at UHN (21 Oct. 2019)
  • Callum J, Farkouh ME, Scales DC, Heddle NM, Crowther M, Rao V, et al; FIBRES Research Group. Effect of fibrinogen concentrate vs cryoprecipitate on blood component transfusion after cardiac surgery: The FIBRES Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2019 Oct 21:1-11. [Epub ahead of print]
• From the archives: Ruiz MT, Verbrugge LM. A two way view of gender bias in medicine. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1997 Apr;51(2):106-9. (Free full text)
• Austrian skier Max Hauke receives five-month jail sentence for 'serious sports fraud' (30 Oct. 2019) | He'd already received four-year ban by Austrian Anti-Doping Agency for being caught during a blood transfusion in 'Aderlass' scandal.
• Anemia and risk of transfusion after vaginal delivery (29 Oct. 2019)
  • Echevarria G, Dgheim C, Junior CC, Grant GJ. Anemia at admission for labor and delivery and the risk of transfusion after vaginal delivery. (Abstract A3046)

Canada

• In Memoriam: Dr Elianna Saidenberg (21 Oct. 2019)
  • ‘Acts of kindness to repair the world’: CBS remembers Dr. Elianna Saidenberg (22 Oct. 2019)
• CSTM Draft Scientific Program - 2020 Annual meeting (28-31 May 2020, Montréal)
• CSTM blog: Canada's TSO mailing list
• CBS: Annual Report 2018-19 (96 pp.)
• Blood in war zones - Canada’s contributions and ongoing support for soldiers who need transfusions(8 Nov. 2019)
• Research opportunity: Establishment of specific criteria associated with septic transfusion reactions using Quebec’s hemovigilance database - QC-234
• CE/CPD:
  • CBS: Upcoming educational events
  • ORBCoN: 2019 webcast schedule

Australia

• Red Cross Lifeblood changes name, needs donations as fires rage (15 Nov. 2019)

India

• Without medical officer hospital blood bank cannot collect blood from donors (24 Nov. 2019)
• It is high time unbanked direct blood transfusion been allowed (25 Oct. 2019)

Japan

• For first time ISBT recognizes Japanese scientists for discovering new blood group (16 Nov. 2019)
  • Omae Y, Ito S, Takeuchi M, Isa K, Ogasawara K, Kawabata K, et al. Integrative genome analysis identified the KANNO blood group antigen as prion protein. Transfusion. 2019 Jul; 59(7):2429-35. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

Pakistan

• HIV crisis among children (2 Nov. 2019)

Tanzania

• Improve blood bank strategies (editorial, 29 Oct. 2019)

UK

• Desperately ill kitten's life saved by xenotransfusion of dog’s blood (25 Nov. 2019)
• Resources: Five SHOT posters (2019 BBTS Annual Scientific Meeting)
• Infected Blood Inquiry
  • Blood Inquiry website
  • Blood Inquiry hearings (videos)
  • October 2019 Newsletter (4 Oct. 2019)
• NEWS - Infected Blood Inquiry:
  • My husband caught AIDS from infected blood products and it must not happen again (17 Nov. 2019)
  • NI victims hit out at "very unfair" payments compared to other parts of the UK (14 Nov. 2019)
  • Inquiry chief 'won't hesitate to name names' and assign fault as first phase of hearings closes (6 Nov. 2019)
  • 'Harrowing' evidence of contaminated blood victims comes to close (3 Nov. 2019)
  • Sir Brian Langstaff: 'Many left in grinding hardship' (1 Nov. 2019)

USA

• Florida woman needs rare Kp(b-) blood donations for life-saving surgery (27 Nov. 2019)
• Woman questions stem cell treatment after paying thousands without pain relief (25 Nov. 2019)
• MD Anderson patients, staff in immediate jeopardy after recent federal inspection (5 Nov. 2019) | Background:
  • Report made public after federal investigation (26 June 2019) | Link includes 99 pp. report,
• Blood for money (29 Oct. 2019)

Vietnam

• 'Core medical laboratory' (Bioch/Haematol/Transfusion) technologist weighing 50kg dedicated to donating blood (16 Nov. 2019)

Industry news

• In pricing our gene therapy, Bluebird weighed value, shared risk, and a lifetime cap | Oped by Bluebird's CEO (26 Nov. 2019)
• USA: Big Pharma sinks to bottom of industry rankings (3 Sept. 2019)
• Australia: CSL share price hits all-time high on immunoglobulin and albumin sales (4 Nov. 2019)
• USA: Ambrosia, the young blood startup, is quietly back in business (8 Nov. 2019)

Diseases in the news

• HCV/HIV: See UK above (Infected bBlood Inquiry)

Resource Library / Links

• NEW TM blog: I can see clearly now (Musings on using artificial intelligence in transfusion medicine)
  • October blog: I will remember you (Musings on gender in transfusion medicine)
• CSTM blog: Canada's TSO mailing list
• AUSTRALIA:
  • Australia/New Zealand: ANZBT Guidelines
  • BloodSafe ELearning Australia has new free courses based on Iron Deficiency Anaemia
    • Essentials/Paediatrics/Preoperative/Heavy Menstrual Bleeding/Maternity/Chronic and Complex
  • BloodSafe ELearning Australia has a new free course: Viscoelastic Haemostatic Testing
    • The course provides an introduction to the methodology and clinical use of viscoelastic haemostatic tests, thromboelastography (TEG^®) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM^®), which are used to assess haemostasis in patients with major bleeding.
  • BloodSafe ELearning Australia has new free courses based on Patient Blood Management Guidelines: Module 6 - Neonatal and Paediatrics:
  • PBM for Neonatal and Paediatrics
  • Neonatal Preterm
  • Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia
  • Paediatric Haematology/Oncology
  • Paediatric Surgical
  • Paediatric Major Haemorrhage
  • Paediatric Iron Deficiency Anaemia
• CANADA:
  • BC PBCO
    • Blood Products
    • Contingency Plan for Arboviruses
    • Education
    • Programs (appropriate product use and safety)
    • Resources
    • TraQ case studies
    • PBCO-TraQ manuals
    • TraQ's monthly newsletter
  • Canadian Blood Services
    • Clinical Guide to Transfusion | Latest updates:
      • Fractionated Blood Products and Associated Pathogen Safety - Ch. 7 (10 Sept. 2019)
      • Donor Selection, Donor Testing and Pathogen Reduction - Ch. 6 (8 Aug. 2019)
    • Serological best practices Includes the following:
      • Diego BGS: anti-Di^a; anti-Wr^a
      • Kell BGS: anti-Js^a; anti-Kp^a
      • Lewis BGS: Lewis antibodies / Lutheran BGS: anti-Lu^a
      • MNS BGS: anti-M / Rh BGS: anti C^w; anti-V
      • Whole blood donors with antibodies
    • CBS BloodTechNet program
    • CBS-sponsored LearnTransfusion series
  • Héma-Québec: Plasma donation: what happens after (3:40 min. video)
  • Choosing Wisely Canada's transfusion recommendations (Entertaining and informative 2-2.5 min. animated videos)
  • Blood & Blood Clots
    • Educational resources housed on CanadiEM dedicated to the management of bleeding and thrombosis
    • Resources include Interactive Quizlets, Blog Posts, and Podcasts
  • ORBCoN
    • Transfusion Committee Handbook, v3 (Updated Sept. 2019) | Scroll to download link
    • Home Infusion Toolkit v2.0
    • Bloody Easy 4 (Guide to Transfusion Medicine, ed. 4)
    • Bloody Easy Blood Administration, v. 2
    • 2019 webcast schedule
  • UK
    • Five SHOT posters (2019 BBTS Annual Scientific Meeting)
    • New SHOT videos (3 Sept. 2019)
      • Transfusion laboratory transfusion errors (6:50 mins)
      • Pulmonary complications of transfusion - TRAL, TACO, TAD (6:15 mins.)
    • 2018 Annual SHOT Report (9 July 2019) | 210 pp.
• Cord Blood Connect International Congress: On-line recordings of 2019 presentations (Sept. 13-15 in Miami Beach,USA)

Journals, etc.

Free full text papers | * 1 or more Canadian authors

• Free sample journal issues
  • Brit J Haematol 2019 Jan; 184(1):1-112. | Special Issue: Themed Issue: Hodgkin Lymphoma Today and Tomorrow
  • Brit J Haematol 2017 June;177(6):827-1007. | Special Issue:Low to middle income countries
  • Immunohematology (J of American Red Cross): 1988-2017. (Articles in these years are free)
  • AABB journal Transfusion 2019 Jan; 59(1):1-431.
  • Transfus Med Rev 2019 Jan;33(1):1-68.
  • Vox Sang 2019 Jan;114(1):1-103.
• Open access journal: The Lancet Digital Health 2019 May;1(1):e1-e44.
• Abstracts of the Regional Congress of the ISBT(Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 Nov. 2019) Vox Sang 2019; 114(S2): 5-135. Epub 5 Nov. 2019
• UK: Meeting of the BBTS, 18–20 Sept. 2019 - Abstracts
• Ait Bouchrim SA, Haddad A, Boui Assi T, Oriol P, Guyotat D, Bois C, Garraud O. Residents' knowledge in transfusion medicine and educational programs: A pilot study. Transfus Clin Biol. 2019 Oct 24. pii: S1246-7820(19)30450-1. [Epub ahead of print]
• Allen TC. Threats remain (editorial). Arch Pathol Lab Med 2019 Dec. 143(12):1440-1.
• Allen ES, Conry-Cantilena C. Mobilization and collection of cells in the hematologic compartment for cellular therapies: stem cell collection with G-CSF/plerixafor, collecting lymphocytes/monocytes. Semin Hematol 2019. Epub 8 Nov. 2019.
• Brown Jr RS, Bentley R, Cai B, Flamm SL, Kanakamedala H, Lai J, et al. The clinical and economic burden of patients with chronic liver disease and thrombocytopaenia receiving platelet transfusions during planned invasive procedures. GastroHep 2019;1(5): 236-48.
• Carter JH, Flegel WA. Transfusion support in patients with hematologic disease: New and novel transfusion modalities. Semin Hematol 2019. Epub 8 Nov. 2019.
• Chen L, van Breemen RB. Validation of a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for cytochrome P450 probe substrates caffeine, tolbutamide, dextromethorphan, and alprazolam in human serum reveals drug contamination of serum used for research. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2019 Nov 10:112983. [Epub ahead of print]
• Cole E, Weaver A, Gall L, West A, Nevin D, Tallach R, et al. A decade of damage control resuscitation: new transfusion practice, new survivors, new directions. Ann Surg. 2019 Oct 22. [Epub ahead of print]
• CRASH-3 trial collaborators. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, disability, vascular occlusive events and other morbidities in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (CRASH-3): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2019 Nov 9;394(10210):1713-23. Epub 2019 Oct 14. (Open access)
• Denys G, Tulpule A, Roth J, Warns P, Collins T, Mindel S. A dual-center evaluation of platelet culture vials to detect the presence of microorganisms in platelets. Transfusion. 2019 Nov 25. [Epub ahead of print]
• Ekblom K, Petersson A. Introduction of cost display reduces laboratory test utilization. Am J Manag Care. 2018 May 1;24(5):e164-e169.
• Estep TN. Issues in the development of hemoglobin based oxygen carriers (HBOC). Semin Hematol 2019. Epub 14 Nov. 2019.
• Godbey EA, Thibodeaux SR. Ensuring safety of the blood supply in the United States: donor screening, testing, emerging pathogens and pathogen inactivation. Semin Hematol 2019. Epub 13 Nov. 2019.
• Goffman D, Friedman AM, Sheen JJ, Kessler A, Vawdrey D, Green R, et al. A framework for improving characterization of obstetric hemorrhage using informatics data. Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Nov 4. [Epub ahead of print]
• Grainger B, Flanagan P. Informed consent for whole blood donation. Vox Sang. 2019 Nov 13. [Epub ahead of print]
• Hanna MG, Reuter VE, Samboy J, England C, Corsale L, Fine SW, et al. Implementation of digital pathology offers clinical and operational increase in efficiency and cost savings. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2019 Dec;143(12):1545-55. Epub 2019 Jun 11.
• Henriquez DDCA, Caram-Deelder C, le Cessie S, Zwart JJ, van Roosmalen JJM, Eikenboom JCJ, et al; TeMpOH-1 Research Group. Association of timing of plasma transfusion with adverse maternal outcomes in women with persistent postpartum hemorrhage. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Nov 1;2(11):e1915628. Epub 15 Nov. 2019.
• Hughes JD, Hernandez MC, Jenkins DH, Rivera M, Sawyer MD, Kreuter JD, et al. Survey of medical center employees' willingness and availability to donate blood in support of a civilian warm fresh whole blood program. Am J Disaster Med. 2019 Spring;14(2):101-11.
• Huish S, Green L, Curnow E, Wiltshire M, Cardigan R. Effect of storage of plasma in the presence of red blood cells and platelets: re-evaluating the shelf life of whole blood. Transfusion. 2019 Nov;59(11):3468-77. Epub 2019 Oct 16.
• Karafin MS, Glisch C, Souers RJ, Hudgins J, Park YA, Ramsey GE, et al; College of American Pathologists Transfusion, Apheresis, and Cellular Therapy Committee. Use of fetal hemoglobin quantitation for Rh-positive pregnant females: A national survey and review of the literature. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2019 Dec; 143 (12):1539-44. Epub 2019 Jun 11.
• Levin JH, Collins L, Adekunle O, Jackson HT, Vaziri K, Schroeder M, Davison D. Blood product wastage reduction by utilising low-cost, low-impact multimodal physician-to-physician communication initiatives. Transfus Med. 2019 Oct 29. [Epub ahead of print]
• Lim MY, Blaszczyk K, Jacobsen-Tews L, Mott L, Sarode R, Ziegler J, Mahajerin A. Impact of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society trainee workshop in recruiting the next generation of nonmalignant hematologists. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2019 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
• Martín-Santana JD, Beerli-Palacio A, Romero-Domínguez L. Recruitment strategies: non-donor segmentation based on intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli. Vox Sang. 2019 Nov 6. [Epub ahead of print]
• Motta I, Ghiaccio V, Cosentino A, Breda L. Curing hemoglobinopathies: challenges and advances of conventional and new gene therapy approaches. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 1;11(1):e2019067.
• Omae Y, Ito S, Takeuchi M, Isa K, Ogasawara K, Kawabata K, et al. Integrative genome analysis identified the KANNO blood group antigen as prion protein. Transfusion. 2019 Jul; 59(7):2429-35. Epub 2019 Apr 24.
• Prodgera CF, Rampotasa A, L.J.Estcourt LJ, Stanworth SJ, Murphy MF. Platelet transfusion: alloimmunization and refractoriness. Semin Hematol 2019. Epub 8 Nov. 2019.
• Riveira MC, Louzon MJ, Tuott EE, Monoski TJ, Cruz-Cody VG, Tesfamariam A, Hess JR. Blood school. Am J Clin Pathol. 2019 Nov 27. pii: aqz192. [Epub ahead of print]
• Ruiz MT, Verbrugge LM. A two way view of gender bias in medicine. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1997 Apr;51(2):106-9.
• * Sahakyan Y, Wong W, Yi Q, Thein HH, Tomlinson G, Krahn M. Long-term morbidity and mortality in a Canadian post-transfusion hepatitis C cohort: over 15 years of follow-up. J Viral Hepat. 2019 Oct 26. [Epub ahead of print]
• Skattum L. Clinical Complement Analysis - An Overview. Transfus Med Rev. 2019 Oct 18. pii: S0887-7963(19)30129-4. [Epub ahead of print]
• Suster S. On the importance of continuing medical education. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2019 Dec. 143(12):1442-3.
• Thedsawad A, Taka O, Wanachiwanawin W. Prevalence and clinical significances of red cell alloimmunization and red cell bound immunoglobulin G in polytransfused patients with thalassemias. Hematology. 2019 Dec;24(1):208-14.
• Thurn L, Wikman A, Westgren M, Lindqvist PG. Massive blood transfusion in relation to delivery: incidence, trends and risk factors: a population-based cohort study. BJOG. 2019 Dec;126(13):1577-86. Epub 2019 Sep 23.
• Tynuv M, Flegel WA. Quality improvement with platelet additive solution for safer out-of-group platelet transfusions. Immunohematology. 2019 Sep;35(3):108-15. (Free full text)
• Yamaguchi J, McArthur C, Vallari A, Sthreshley L, Cloherty GA, Berg MG, Rodgers MA. Complete genome sequence of CG-0018a-01 establishes HIV-1 subtype L. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019 Nov 6. [Epub ahead of print]
• Zewdie K, Genetu A, Mekonnen Y, et al. Efficiency of blood utilization in elective surgical patients. BMC Health Serv Res 19, 804 (2019)