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Sample records for automated blood bank

  1. [Automated management of the Center of Transfusion Blood Bank equipped with Autogrouper 16 C].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girard, M; Connes, Y; Picot, P

    1981-11-01

    We describe in this paper a first processing of direct connection and data management from the Autogrouper 16 C. It bas been used since November 1980 in the Centre Départemental de Tranfusion Sanguine des Hauts-de-Seine. The automation of validation procedures, updating blood donors' file and labelling blood units allows the suppression of clerical errors that are the major cause of Trannsfusion accidents. The progressive development of programming lets a good adaptation of working methods and makes the setting of the system much easier in the Blood Bank.

  2. Virtual blood bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kit Fai Wong

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Virtual blood bank is the computer-controlled, electronically linked information management system that allows online ordering and real-time, remote delivery of blood for transfusion. It connects the site of testing to the point of care at a remote site in a real-time fashion with networked computers thus maintaining the integrity of immunohematology test results. It has taken the advantages of information and communication technologies to ensure the accuracy of patient, specimen and blood component identification and to enhance personnel traceability and system security. The built-in logics and process constraints in the design of the virtual blood bank can guide the selection of appropriate blood and minimize transfusion risk. The quality of blood inventory is ascertained and monitored, and an audit trail for critical procedures in the transfusion process is provided by the paperless system. Thus, the virtual blood bank can help ensure that the right patient receives the right amount of the right blood component at the right time.

  3. Automated clearing system and the banking sector performance: the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Automated clearing system and the banking sector performance: the Nigerian experience. ... Abstract. This study investigated the impact of automated clearing system on the Nigerian banking system. ... AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO ...

  4. Blood banking services in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sardana, V N

    1996-01-01

    India's health care sector has made impressive strides toward providing health for all by the year 2000. That progress, however, has not been supported by a modern transfusion services network which continues to improve itself. In India, blood collection, storage, and delivery occur mainly in blood banks attached to hospitals, most of which are under central and state government controls. A significant portion of blood banking activity is also done by voluntary agencies and private sector blood banks. A study found the blood transfusion services infrastructure to be highly decentralized and lacking of many critical resources; an overall shortage of blood, especially from volunteer donors; limited and erratic testing facilities; an extremely limited blood component production/availability/use; and a shortage of health care professionals in the field of transfusion services. Infrastructural modernization and the technical upgrading of skills in the blood banks would, however, provide India with a dynamic transfusion services network. The safety of blood transfusion, the national blood safety program, HIV testing facilities, modernization of blood banks, the rational use of blood, program management, manpower development, the legal framework, voluntary blood donation, and a 1996 Supreme Court judgement on the need to focus greater attention upon the blood program are discussed.

  5. Cord Blood Banking for Potential Future Transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shearer, William T; Lubin, Bertram H; Cairo, Mitchell S; Notarangelo, Luigi D

    2017-11-01

    This policy statement is intended to provide information to guide pediatricians, obstetricians, and other medical specialists and health care providers in responding to parents' questions about cord blood donation and banking as well as the types (public versus private) and quality of cord blood banks. Cord blood is an excellent source of stem cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with some fatal diseases. Cord blood transplantation offers another method of definitive therapy for infants, children, and adults with certain hematologic malignancies, hemoglobinopathies, severe forms of T-lymphocyte and other immunodeficiencies, and metabolic diseases. The development of universal screening for severe immunodeficiency assay in a growing number of states is likely to increase the number of cord blood transplants. Both public and private cord blood banks worldwide hold hundreds of thousands of cord blood units designated for the treatment of fatal or debilitating illnesses. The procurement, characterization, and cryopreservation of cord blood is free for families who choose public banking. However, the family cost for private banking is significant and not covered by insurance, and the unit may never be used. Quality-assessment reviews by several national and international accrediting bodies show private cord blood banks to be underused for treatment, less regulated for quality control, and more expensive for the family than public cord blood banks. There is an unquestionable need to study the use of cord blood banking to make new and important alternative means of reconstituting the hematopoietic blood system in patients with malignancies and blood disorders and possibly regenerating tissue systems in the future. Recommendations regarding appropriate ethical and operational standards (including informed consent policies, financial disclosures, and conflict-of-interest policies) are provided for physicians, institutions, and organizations that

  6. Cost-effectiveness of private umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaimal, Anjali J; Smith, Catherine C; Laros, Russell K; Caughey, Aaron B; Cheng, Yvonne W

    2009-10-01

    To investigate the cost-effectiveness of private umbilical cord blood banking. A decision-analytic model was designed comparing private umbilical cord blood banking with no umbilical cord blood banking. Baseline assumptions included a cost of $3,620 for umbilical cord blood banking and storage for 20 years, a 0.04% chance of requiring an autologous stem cell transplant, a 0.07% chance of a sibling requiring an allogenic stem cell transplant, and a 50% reduction in risk of graft-versus-host disease if a sibling uses banked umbilical cord blood. Private cord blood banking is not cost-effective because it cost an additional $1,374,246 per life-year gained. In sensitivity analysis, if the cost of umbilical cord blood banking is less than $262 or the likelihood of a child needing a stem cell transplant is greater than 1 in 110, private umbilical cord blood banking becomes cost-effective. Currently, private umbilical cord blood banking is cost-effective only for children with a very high likelihood of needing a stem cell transplant. Patients considering private blood banking should be informed of the remote likelihood that a unit will be used for a child or another family member. III.

  7. Automated nucleic acid amplification testing in blood banks: An additional layer of blood safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pragati Chigurupati

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in India. Blood safety thus becomes a top priority, especially with a population of around 1.23 billion and a high prevalence rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV in general population. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT in blood donor screening has been implemented in many developed countries to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted viral infections (TTIs. NAT takes care of the dynamics of window period of viruses and offers the safest blood pack for donation. Aims: The aim of this study is to show the value of NAT in blood screening. Settings and Design: Dhanavantari Blood Bank, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Subjects and Methods: Over a period of 1 year from January 2012 to December 2012, a total number of 15,000 blood donor samples were subjected to tests for HIV, HBV, and HCV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA method and 8000 ELISA nonreactive samples were subjected for NAT using multiplex polymerase chain reaction technology. Results: Of the 15,000 donors tested, 525 were seroreactive. In 8000 ELISA negative blood samples subjected to NAT, 4 donor samples were reactive for HBV. The NAT yield was 1 in 2000. Conclusions: NAT could detect HIV, HBV, and HCV cases in blood donor samples those were undetected by serological tests. NAT could interdict 2500 infectious donations among our approximate 5 million annual blood donations.

  8. 21 CFR 864.9050 - Blood bank supplies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Blood bank supplies. 864.9050 Section 864.9050 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... and Blood Products § 864.9050 Blood bank supplies. (a) Identification. Blood bank supplies are general...

  9. Ethical considerations in umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Nathan S; Chervenak, Frank A; McCullough, Laurence B

    2008-01-01

    Pregnant patients have the option at delivery of having their cord blood collected and stored for future use. At many hospitals, they have the option of donating their cord blood to the public banking system for future use by anyone who is an appropriate match (public banking). Patients also have the option of having their cord blood stored for a fee with a commercial/private company for future use within their family (private banking). Currently, private banking is not recommended by major obstetric and pediatric professional organizations. We applied current evidence of the risks and benefits of private and public cord blood banking and accepted ethical principles to answer the following two related questions: 1) Do obstetricians have an ethical obligation to comply with a request for private banking? and 2) Do obstetricians have an ethical obligation to routinely offer private banking to women who do not request it? The only situation where there is a known benefit to private banking is when public banking is not available and the patient currently has an affected family member who may benefit from cord blood therapy. We conclude that when presented with a request for private banking, obstetricians have an ethical obligation to explain the lack of proven benefit of this procedure. If the patient still requests private banking, it would be appropriate to comply, because there is minimal or no risk to the procedure. However, obstetricians are not ethically obligated to offer private banking, even when public banking is not available, except in the limited circumstance when the patient currently has an affected family member who may benefit from cord blood therapy.

  10. Banking on cord blood stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Michael J

    2008-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood gifted to non-profit public cord blood banks is now routinely used as an alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplantation for children and adults with cancer, bone marrow failure syndromes, haemoglobinopathies and many genetic metabolic disorders. Because of the success and outcomes of public cord banking, many companies now provide private cord banking services. However, in the absence of any published transplant evidence to support autologous and non-directed family banking, commercial cord banks currently offer a superfluous service.

  11. Family-directed umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gluckman, Eliane; Ruggeri, Annalisa; Rocha, Vanderson; Baudoux, Etienne; Boo, Michael; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Welte, Kathy; Navarrete, Cristina; van Walraven, Suzanna M

    2011-11-01

    Umbilical cord blood transplantation from HLA-identical siblings provides good results in children. These results support targeted efforts to bank family cord blood units that can be used for a sibling diagnosed with a disease which can be cured by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or for research that investigates the use of allogeneic or autologous cord blood cells. Over 500 patients transplanted with related cord blood units have been reported to the Eurocord registry with a 4-year overall survival of 91% for patients with non-malignant diseases and 56% for patients with malignant diseases. Main hematologic indications in children are leukemia, hemoglobinopathies or inherited hematologic, immunological or metabolic disorders. However, family-directed cord blood banking is not widely promoted; many cord blood units used in sibling transplantation have been obtained from private banks that do not meet the necessary criteria required to store these units. Marketing by private banks who predominantly store autologous cord blood units has created public confusion. There are very few current validated indications for autologous storage but some new indications might appear in the future. Little effort is devoted to provide unbiased information and to educate the public as to the distinction between the different types of banking, economic models and standards involved in such programs. In order to provide a better service for families in need, directed-family cord blood banking activities should be encouraged and closely monitored with common standards, and better information on current and future indications should be made available.

  12. Using an integrated automated system to optimize retention and increase frequency of blood donations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitney, J Garrett; Hall, Robert F

    2010-07-01

    This study examines the impact of an integrated, automated phone system to reinforce retention and increase frequency of donations among blood donors. Cultivated by incorporating data results over the past 7 years, the system uses computerized phone messaging to contact blood donors with individualized, multilevel notifications. Donors are contacted at planned intervals to acknowledge and recognize their donations, informed where their blood was sent, asked to participate in a survey, and reminded when they are eligible to donate again. The report statistically evaluates the impact of the various components of the system on donor retention and blood donations and quantifies the fiscal advantages to blood centers. By using information and support systems provided by the automated services and then incorporating the phlebotomists and recruiters to reinforce donor retention, both retention and donations will increase. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  13. Automation in Immunohematology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meenu Bajpai

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available There have been rapid technological advances in blood banking in South Asian region over the past decade with an increasing emphasis on quality and safety of blood products. The conventional test tube technique has given way to newer techniques such as column agglutination technique, solid phase red cell adherence assay, and erythrocyte-magnetized technique. These new technologies are adaptable to automation and major manufacturers in this field have come up with semi and fully automated equipments for immunohematology tests in the blood bank. Automation improves the objectivity and reproducibility of tests. It reduces human errors in patient identification and transcription errors. Documentation and traceability of tests, reagents and processes and archiving of results is another major advantage of automation. Shifting from manual methods to automation is a major undertaking for any transfusion service to provide quality patient care with lesser turnaround time for their ever increasing workload. This article discusses the various issues involved in the process.

  14. Manual versus automated blood sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teilmann, A C; Kalliokoski, Otto; Sørensen, Dorte B

    2014-01-01

    Facial vein (cheek blood) and caudal vein (tail blood) phlebotomy are two commonly used techniques for obtaining blood samples from laboratory mice, while automated blood sampling through a permanent catheter is a relatively new technique in mice. The present study compared physiological parameters......, glucocorticoid dynamics as well as the behavior of mice sampled repeatedly for 24 h by cheek blood, tail blood or automated blood sampling from the carotid artery. Mice subjected to cheek blood sampling lost significantly more body weight, had elevated levels of plasma corticosterone, excreted more fecal...... corticosterone metabolites, and expressed more anxious behavior than did the mice of the other groups. Plasma corticosterone levels of mice subjected to tail blood sampling were also elevated, although less significantly. Mice subjected to automated blood sampling were less affected with regard to the parameters...

  15. Umbilical Cord Blood: Counselling, Collection, and Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armson, B Anthony; Allan, David S; Casper, Robert F

    2015-09-01

    To review current evidence regarding umbilical cord blood counselling, collection, and banking and to provide guidelines for Canadian health care professionals regarding patient education, informed consent, procedural aspects, and options for cord blood banking in Canada. Selective or routine collection and banking of umbilical cord blood for future stem cell transplantation for autologous (self) or allogeneic (related or unrelated) treatment of malignant and non-malignant disorders in children and adults. Cord blood can be collected using in utero or ex utero techniques. Umbilical cord blood counselling, collection, and banking, education of health care professionals, indications for cord blood collection, short- and long-term risk and benefits, maternal and perinatal morbidity, parental satisfaction, and health care costs. Published literature was retrieved through searches of Medline and PubMed beginning in September 2013 using appropriate controlled MeSH vocabulary (fetal blood, pregnancy, transplantation, ethics) and key words (umbilical cord blood, banking, collection, pregnancy, transplantation, ethics, public, private). Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized control trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. There were no date limits, but results were limited to English or French language materials. Searches were updated on a regular basis and incorporated in the guideline to September 2014. Grey (unpublished) literature was identified through searching the websites of health technology assessment and health technology-related agencies, clinical practice guideline collections, and national and international medical specialty societies. The quality of evidence in this document was rated using the criteria described in the Report of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Table 1). Umbilical cord blood is a readily available source of hematopoetic stem cells used with increasing frequency as an alternative to

  16. Umbilical cord blood for unrelated bone marrow replacement; Asia bank and Japan cord blood bank network update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mugishima, Hideo; Takahashi, Tuneo; Nagamura, Tokiko; Asano, Sigetaka; Saito, Hidehiko

    2002-08-01

    Cord blood offers many advantages including a high concentration of hematopoietic stem cells, a large number of potential donors, and ease of harvest. Furthermore, since there is no risk for either the mother or baby, few people refuse to donate. There is thought to be a low risk for virus contamination and also probably a low incidence and severity of GVHD. Cord blood can be obtained quickly without the assistance of a coordinator and one or 2 locus-mismatched HLA is usually acceptable. In Japan, there are 10 cord blood banks supported by the government. Between 1996 and June 2002, 9,500 units were registered with the Japan cord blood bank network (JCBBN). 630 units were delivered and most of these were transplanted. The status of registered cord blood units worldwide is shown. 59,081 units have been registered by NETCORD. The Japan cord blood bank network accounts for 13% of these units. I will discuss the Tokyo cord blood tank (TCBB). The bank at Tokyo, to which we belong, is one of the largest banks in Japan. We helped to establish Asia CORD in 2000 and have held annual conferences and meetings in Tokyo to exchange information. So far, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam and Japan have participated. We accepted three trainees from the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Center for training in cord blood transplantation in May 2001. In January 2002, a patient with ALL received cord blood and was successfully engrafted at Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Center. We present here the clinical outcome of these patients through Tokyo cord blood bank and Japan cord blood bank network. First, the number of CB units stored and registered at JCBBN and TCBB has increased rapidly over the past two years. Second, the survival rate of acute leukemia patients in release was significantly lower than that in patients in CR. Third, the engraftment rate in patients with metabolic disease (50%) was lower than that in patients with leukemia

  17. Cord blood banking and transplantation: advances and controversies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoder, Mervin C

    2014-04-01

    A review of articles published since January 2012 on the topic of cord blood banking and cord blood stem cell transplantation was conducted for this the 25th anniversary year of the first cord blood transplant performed in a human. Cord blood banking is performed throughout the world. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation is recognized as an acceptable alternative stem cell source for paediatric and adults requiring a haematopoietic transplant, particularly for patients of racial and ethnic minorities. To further advance the use of UCB, methods to enhance UCB stem cell expansion, engraftment and maintenance may be required. Controversy on the most effective and economically sustainable model for banking and storing an optimal UCB product continues to persist. Cord blood banking and transplantation of cord blood stem cells has advanced rapidly over the initial 25 years, as more than 30 ,000 patients have benefited from the therapy. New concepts on the use of methods to expand UCB stem cells for transplantation and use for nonhaematopoietic indications may increase demand for UCB over the next few decades.

  18. Religious perspectives on umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordens, Christopher F C; O'Connor, Michelle A C; Kerridge, Ian H; Stewart, Cameron; Cameron, Andrew; Keown, Damien; Lawrence, Rabbi Jeremy; McGarrity, Andrew; Sachedina, Abdulaziz; Tobin, Bernadette

    2012-03-01

    Umbilical cord blood is a valuable source of haematopoietic stem cells. There is little information about whether religious affiliations have any bearing on attitudes to and decisions about its collection, donation and storage. The authors provided information about umbilical cord blood banking to expert commentators from six major world religions (Catholicism, Anglicanism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism) and asked them to address a specific set of questions in a commentary. The commentaries suggest there is considerable support for umbilical cord blood banking in these religions. Four commentaries provide moral grounds for favouring public donation over private storage. None attach any particular religious significance to the umbilical cord or to the blood within it, nor place restrictions on the ethnicity or religion of donors and recipients. Views on ownership of umbilical cord blood vary. The authors offer a series of general points for those who seek a better understanding of religious perspectives on umbilical cord blood banking.

  19. [Costs of Chagas' disease screening test in blood donors in two Colombian blood banks, 2015].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvis, Nelson José; Díaz, Diana Patricia; Castillo, Liliana; Alvis, Nelson Rafael; Bermúdez, María Isabel; Berrío, Olga Maritza; Beltrán, Mauricio; Castañeda-Orjuela, Carlos Andrés

    2018-03-15

    Transfusion is a mechanism of transmission of Chagas' disease. There are no studies on the costs of the screening test in Colombian blood banks. To estimate the costs of the screening test for Chagas' disease among blood donors in two Colombian blood banks, 2015. We conducted a micro-costing study from the perspective of the health care provider to estimate the cost of Chagas' disease testing in two blood banks, Banco de Sangre de la Cruz Roja, Seccional Bolívar, and Banco de Sangre del Hospital de Yopal, Casanare, taking into account four cost categories: 1) Administrative costs: public services and insurance costs were calculated based on the blood bank area in square meters; 2) capital costs: building and equipment costs that were annualized using a 3% discount rate and a lifespan of 20 years for building and five for equipment; 3) costs of Chagas' disease test materials and reagents adjusted by blood bank production level, and 4) costs of staff in charge of Chagas' disease test processing. The costs of transfusion bagsand immunohematology tests are also reported. The cost of Chagas' disease test in the blood bank of Seccional Bolívar was COP$ 37,804 (USD$ 12), and the blood bag and immunohematology test costs were COP$ 25,941 (USD$ 8.2) and COP$ 6,800 (USD$ 2.2), respectively. In the blood bank of Yopal, Casanare, the costs were COP$ 77,384 (USD$ 24.6), COP$ 30,141 (USD$ 9.6) and COP$ 12,627 (USD$ 4), respectively. Personnel cost accounted for the highest percentage of the total cost for both blood banks (47.5% in Seccional Bolívar, and 55.7% in Yopal, Casanare). Our results are an important input for the planning of services and cost-effectiveness studies for screening tests for Chagas' disease in Colombian blood banks.

  20. Family cord blood banking for sickle cell disease: a twenty-year experience in two dedicated public cord blood banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafii, Hanadi; Bernaudin, Françoise; Rouard, Helene; Vanneaux, Valérie; Ruggeri, Annalisa; Cavazzana, Marina; Gauthereau, Valerie; Stanislas, Aurélie; Benkerrou, Malika; De Montalembert, Mariane; Ferry, Christele; Girot, Robert; Arnaud, Cecile; Kamdem, Annie; Gour, Joelle; Touboul, Claudine; Cras, Audrey; Kuentz, Mathieu; Rieux, Claire; Volt, Fernanda; Cappelli, Barbara; Maio, Karina T; Paviglianiti, Annalisa; Kenzey, Chantal; Larghero, Jerome; Gluckman, Eliane

    2017-06-01

    Efforts to implement family cord blood banking have been developed in the past decades for siblings requiring stem cell transplantation for conditions such as sickle cell disease. However, public banks are faced with challenging decisions about the units to be stored, discarded, or used for other endeavors. We report here 20 years of experience in family cord blood banking for sickle cell disease in two dedicated public banks. Participants were pregnant women who had a previous child diagnosed with homozygous sickle cell disease. Participation was voluntary and free of charge. All mothers underwent mandatory serological screening. Cord blood units were collected in different hospitals, but processed and stored in two public banks. A total of 338 units were stored for 302 families. Median recipient age was six years (11 months-15 years). Median collected volume and total nucleated cell count were 91 mL (range 23-230) and 8.6×10 8 (range 0.7-75×10 8 ), respectively. Microbial contamination was observed in 3.5% (n=12), positive hepatitis B serology in 25% (n=84), and homozygous sickle cell disease in 11% (n=37) of the collections. Forty-four units were HLA-identical to the intended recipient, and 28 units were released for transplantation either alone (n=23) or in combination with the bone marrow from the same donor (n=5), reflecting a utilization rate of 8%. Engraftment rate was 96% with 100% survival. Family cord blood banking yields good quality units for sibling transplantation. More comprehensive banking based on close collaboration among banks, clinical and transplant teams is recommended to optimize the use of these units. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

  1. Fostering public cord blood banking and research in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isasi, Rosario; Dalpe, Gratien; Knoppers, Bartha M

    2013-12-01

    In June 2013, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) established the National Public Cord Blood Bank (NPCBB) accessible to Canadian and international patients and researchers. The NPCBB promotes efforts that contribute to research and improved clinical care by making units not suitable for banking or transplantation available for research. In the context of the NPCBB of the CBS, this article will focus on the practical tools (e.g., consent protocols) developed to optimize umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking and research while enabling ethical provenance of UCB stem cells. The Canadian approach represents an ideal model for comparison as it is a country in which the national public bank (and other regional/provincial public banks) coexists with private companies.

  2. 96 THE EFFECT OF AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES ON BANKS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    reduces the number of human deployment by banks thereby reducing cost of operations. ... United States (PLUS and CIRRUS) drooped their long standing opposition to allowing ..... Automated teller machine network pricing – A review of the.

  3. Court upholds $405,000 award against blood banking industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-06-30

    The New Jersey Superior Court has ruled that the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the nation's largest blood bank trade group, was negligent during the early 1980s when it recommended that blood banks not screen and test donors to reduce the chance of HIV contamination of the nation's blood supply. [Name removed], who received HIV-contaminated blood in 1984 as a result of a transfusion at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, sued and reached out-of-court settlements with his doctors and the Bergen Community Blood Center, which provided the blood. Only the AABB suit proceeded to trial, with the jury finding that one-third of the damages were attributable to the AABB's actions. In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested that blood banks might reduce the risk of AIDS entering the blood supply by using the surrogate hepatitis B test. The AABB, the American Red Cross, and the Council of Community Blood Centers recommended against testing, saying that evidence of transmission by blood was inconclusive and unproven. In March 1985, the AABB adopted the ELISA test. This is the first time the AABB has been held responsible; the AABB said it may appeal the decision. The court disagreed with AABB's claim that it was immune from liability because it was a charity, saying it also performs a critical governance function in respect of the operation of blood banks. The decision puts considerable liability for the U.S. cases of HIV contracted through tainted blood transfusions on the AABB.

  4. ACOG committee opinion number 399, February 2008: umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-02-01

    Two types of banks have emerged for the collection and storage of umbilical cord blood--public banks and private banks. Public banks promote allogenic (related or unrelated) donation, analogous to the current collection of whole blood units in the United States. Private banks were initially developed to store stem cells from umbilical cord blood for autologous use (taken from an individual for subsequent use by the same individual) by a child if the child develops disease later in life. If a patient requests information on umbilical cord blood banking, balanced and accurate information regarding the advantages and disadvantages of public versus private banking should be provided. The remote chance of an autologous unit of umbilical cord blood being used for a child or a family member (approximately 1 in 2,700 individuals) should be disclosed. The collection should not alter routine practice for the timing of umbilical cord clamping. Physicians or other professionals who recruit pregnant women and their families for for-profit umbilical cord blood banking should disclose any financial interests or other potential conflicts of interest.

  5. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalon, Jeremy; Maiers, Martin; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Navarrete, Cristina; Rubinstein, Pablo; Brown, Colin; Schramm, Catherine; Larghero, Jérome; Katsahian, Sandrine; Chabannon, Christian; Picard, Christophe; Platz, Alexander; Schmidt, Alexander; Katz, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies. Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts). 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A) to the most selective (scenario D). We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit. When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted) along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million). We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million) that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long term. We also found that

  6. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalon, Jeremy; Maiers, Martin; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Navarrete, Cristina; Rubinstein, Pablo; Brown, Colin; Schramm, Catherine; Larghero, Jérome; Katsahian, Sandrine; Chabannon, Christian; Picard, Christophe; Platz, Alexander; Schmidt, Alexander; Katz, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    Background Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies. Methods Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts). 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A) to the most selective (scenario D). We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit. Results When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted) along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million). We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million) that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long

  7. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy Magalon

    Full Text Available Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies.Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A to the most selective (scenario D. We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit.When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million. We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long term. We also

  8. Distribution of blood groups in blood donors in the blood bank of Jagdalpur, Bastar district, Chhattisgarh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachin A Badge

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims and Objectives: The incidence of ABO and rhesus (Rh groups varies markedly in different races, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic groups in different parts of the world. The frequencies of ABO and Rh blood groups vary from one population to another and time to time in the same region. The present study was carried out to find the distribution of blood group in rural and tribal populations of Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective study was carried out at late Shri Baliram Kashyap Memorial Government Medical College and Maharani Hospital blood bank, Jagdalpur, Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, India, during the 2-year period from January 2014 to December 2015. The blood collections were taken from the voluntary donors at outdoor blood donation camp and in-house blood bank as well as from replacement donors at blood bank. Totally 12,852 donors were considered medically fit and accepted for blood donation during the study period. Results: Out of the total 12,852 donors, most of the donors, i.e., 3996 (31.09% were with blood Group O followed by B (30.44%, A (24.95%, and AB (13.52%. Out of the 12,852 blood donors, majority, i.e., 12,779 (99.43% were male and 73 (0.57% were female. Maximum blood donors, i.e., 12,777 (99.42% were Rh positive while only 75 (0.58% were Rh negative. Conclusion: The knowledge of distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups at local and regional levels is helpful in effective management of blood banks and safe blood transfusion services.

  9. Age, Sex, and Religious Beliefs Impact the Attitude towards Cord Blood Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundell, Inger Birgitta; Setzer, Teddi J

    2015-01-01

    In this study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess opinions about stem cell research and cord blood banking. Three attitudes were examined: willingness to accept cord blood banking, willingness to accept embryonic stem cell research, and religious belief system. A total of 90 Wayne State University students enrolled in the study in response to an invitation posted on a web page for the university. Sex distribution among study participants was 79 females and eight males; three declined to state their sex. Support for cord blood banking was high (> 70%) among students. Students over the age of 25 years of age were more (85%) positive than students 18 to 24 years old (57%). They prefered a public cord blood bank over a private cord blood bank. Atheist/agnostic or spiritual/not religious students (> 90%), Catholic students (78%) and Christian students (58%) support cord blood banking. Age, sex and religion seems influence the student's attitude towards stem cell research and cord blood banking.

  10. Blood donor haematology parameters in two regions of Kenya ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives: To determine the status of blood donor haematology in two regional sites in Kenya and to assess the potential role of automated haematology in National blood bank process control. Design: A cross sectional descriptive study. Setting: Two regional blood banks - Nairobi and its environs (Blood Transfusion ...

  11. Private Cord Blood Banking: Experiences And Views Of Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Physicians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornley, Ian; Eapen, Mary; Sung, Lillian; Lee, Stephanie J.; Davies, Stella M.; Joffe, Steven

    2011-01-01

    Objective Private cord blood banks are for-profit companies that facilitate storage of umbilical cord blood for personal or family use. Pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) physicians are currently best situated to use cord blood therapeutically. We sought to describe the experiences and views of these physicians regarding private cord blood banking. Participants and Methods Emailed cross-sectional survey of pediatric HCT physicians in the United States and Canada. 93/152 potentially eligible physicians (93/130 confirmed survey recipients) from 57 centers responded. Questions addressed the number of transplants performed using privately banked cord blood, willingness to use banked autologous cord blood in specific clinical settings, and recommendations to parents regarding private cord blood banking. Results Respondents reported having performed 9 autologous and 41 allogeneic transplants using privately banked cord blood. In 36/40 allogeneic cases for which data were available, the cord blood had been collected because of a known indication in the recipient. Few respondents would choose autologous cord blood over alternative stem cell sources for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in second remission. In contrast, 55% would choose autologous cord blood to treat high-risk neuroblastoma, or to treat severe aplastic anemia in the absence of an available sibling donor. No respondent would recommend private cord blood banking for a newborn with one healthy sibling when both parents were of Northern European descent; 11% would recommend banking when parents were of different minority ethnicities. Conclusions Few transplants have been performed using cord blood stored in the absence of a known indication in the recipient. Willingness to use banked autologous cord blood varies depending on disease and availability of alternative stem cell sources. Few pediatric HCT physicians endorse private cord blood banking in the absence of an identified recipient

  12. Database Security for an Integrated Solution to Automate Sales Processes in Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Alexandra Maria Ioana FLOREA

    2013-01-01

    In order to maintain a competitive edge in a very active banking market the implementation of a web-based solution to standardize, optimize and manage the flow of sales / pre-sales and generating new leads is requested by a company. This article presents the realization of a development framework for software interoperability in the banking financial institutions and an integrated solution for achieving sales process automation in banking. The paper focuses on presenting the requirements for ...

  13. 21 CFR 864.9650 - Quality control kit for blood banking reagents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Quality control kit for blood banking reagents... SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Products Used In Establishments That Manufacture Blood and Blood Products § 864.9650 Quality control kit for blood banking reagents. (a...

  14. Factors affecting the labor efficiency of hospital-based blood bank laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, H C; Kominski, G F; Petz, L D; Sofaer, S

    1994-09-01

    A variety of financing mechanisms and managerial innovations have been developed in the past decade to control hospital costs. Some evidence suggests that those changes have not produced substantial improvements in labor efficiency among employees in the hospital's technical level, such as in the blood bank laboratories. This study measured labor efficiency in 40 hospital-based blood bank laboratories in Southern California during the year from July 1989 to June 1990 and explored the impact of financial, managerial, and operational factors on labor efficiency. With standardized output measures used in all blood bank laboratories, a wide variation of labor efficiency was found. Multivariate analyses indicate that the labor efficiency of blood bank employees was not influenced by organizational financial incentives, but was affected by the managerial styles of blood bank managers. Interpretation of the findings suggests that labor efficiency is affected by operational designs intended to improve responses to variable workloads and reduce slack time.

  15. Economic and workflow analysis of a blood bank automated system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Kyung-Hwa; Kim, Hyung Hoi; Chang, Chulhun L; Lee, Eun Yup

    2013-07-01

    This study compared the estimated costs and times required for ABO/Rh(D) typing and unexpected antibody screening using an automated system and manual methods. The total cost included direct and labor costs. Labor costs were calculated on the basis of the average operator salaries and unit values (minutes), which was the hands-on time required to test one sample. To estimate unit values, workflows were recorded on video, and the time required for each process was analyzed separately. The unit values of ABO/Rh(D) typing using the manual method were 5.65 and 8.1 min during regular and unsocial working hours, respectively. The unit value was less than 3.5 min when several samples were tested simultaneously. The unit value for unexpected antibody screening was 2.6 min. The unit values using the automated method for ABO/Rh(D) typing, unexpected antibody screening, and both simultaneously were all 1.5 min. The total cost of ABO/Rh(D) typing of only one sample using the automated analyzer was lower than that of testing only one sample using the manual technique but higher than that of testing several samples simultaneously. The total cost of unexpected antibody screening using an automated analyzer was less than that using the manual method. ABO/Rh(D) typing using an automated analyzer incurs a lower unit value and cost than that using the manual technique when only one sample is tested at a time. Unexpected antibody screening using an automated analyzer always incurs a lower unit value and cost than that using the manual technique.

  16. Optimization of informed consent for umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugarman, Jeremy; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Box, Tamara L; Horner, Ronnie D

    2002-12-01

    The purpose of this project was to evaluate the informed consent process for donation to a public umbilical cord blood bank. Telephone interviews were conducted with 170 women who had given consent to donate their newborn infants' umbilical cord blood. Of the 170 women who were contacted, 96.8% of the women reported that all their questions had been answered. Nevertheless, approximately one third of the respondents did not consider themselves to be in research, and almost one quarter of the respondents did not know how to contact the umbilical cord blood bank if they or their infant became seriously ill. Further, a substantial proportion of the respondents did not understand the full range of alternatives to donation and incorrectly endorsed potential benefits. Informed consent could be optimized by (1) having those personnel who obtain consent emphasize that banking involves research and to explain the true benefits of donation, (2) ensuring that parents know how and when to contact the umbilical cord blood bank after donation, and (3) using phone surveys to continue assessments and to monitor changes in the process.

  17. The effect of automated teller machines on banks' services in Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search ... work is to find out the effects of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) on Bank's services. ... used by successful organizations for gaining competitive advantage over others.

  18. US public cord blood banking practices: recruitment, donation, and the timing of consent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broder, Sherri M; Ponsaran, Roselle S; Goldenberg, Aaron J

    2013-03-01

    Cord blood has moved rapidly from an experimental stem cell source to an accepted and important source of hematopoietic stem cells. There has been no comprehensive assessment of US public cord blood banking practices since the Institute of Medicine study in 2005. Of 34 US public cord blood banks identified, 16 participated in our qualitative survey of public cord blood banking practices. Participants took part in in-depth telephone interviews in which they were asked structured and open-ended questions regarding recruitment, donation, and the informed consent process at these banks. Thirteen of 16 participants reported a variably high percentage of women who consented to public cord blood donation. Fifteen banks offered donor registration at the time of hospital admission for labor and delivery. Seven obtained full informed consent and medical history during early labor and eight conducted some form of phased consent and/or phased medical screening and history. Nine participants identified initial selection of the collection site location as the chief mode by which they recruited minority donors. Since 2005, more public banks offer cord blood donor registration at the time of admission for labor and delivery. That and the targeted location of cord blood collection sites are the main methods used to increase access to donation and HLA diversity of banked units. Currently, the ability to collect and process donations, rather than donor willingness, is the major barrier to public cord blood banking. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  19. A Blood Bank Information Management System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, James J.

    1982-01-01

    A computerized Blood Bank Management system is described. Features include product oriented data input, inventory control reports, product utilization reports, rapid retrieval of individual patient reports. Relative benefits of the system are discussed.

  20. Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Optimizing Assignment of Blood in Blood Banking System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olusanya, Micheal O.; Arasomwan, Martins A.; Adewumi, Aderemi O.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the performance of particle swarm optimization (PSO) for the assignment of blood to meet patients' blood transfusion requests for blood transfusion. While the drive for blood donation lingers, there is need for effective and efficient management of available blood in blood banking systems. Moreover, inherent danger of transfusing wrong blood types to patients, unnecessary importation of blood units from external sources, and wastage of blood products due to nonusage necessitate the development of mathematical models and techniques for effective handling of blood distribution among available blood types in order to minimize wastages and importation from external sources. This gives rise to the blood assignment problem (BAP) introduced recently in literature. We propose a queue and multiple knapsack models with PSO-based solution to address this challenge. Simulation is based on sets of randomly generated data that mimic real-world population distribution of blood types. Results obtained show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm for BAP with no blood units wasted and very low importation, where necessary, from outside the blood bank. The result therefore can serve as a benchmark and basis for decision support tools for real-life deployment. PMID:25815046

  1. Particle swarm optimization algorithm for optimizing assignment of blood in blood banking system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olusanya, Micheal O; Arasomwan, Martins A; Adewumi, Aderemi O

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the performance of particle swarm optimization (PSO) for the assignment of blood to meet patients' blood transfusion requests for blood transfusion. While the drive for blood donation lingers, there is need for effective and efficient management of available blood in blood banking systems. Moreover, inherent danger of transfusing wrong blood types to patients, unnecessary importation of blood units from external sources, and wastage of blood products due to nonusage necessitate the development of mathematical models and techniques for effective handling of blood distribution among available blood types in order to minimize wastages and importation from external sources. This gives rise to the blood assignment problem (BAP) introduced recently in literature. We propose a queue and multiple knapsack models with PSO-based solution to address this challenge. Simulation is based on sets of randomly generated data that mimic real-world population distribution of blood types. Results obtained show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm for BAP with no blood units wasted and very low importation, where necessary, from outside the blood bank. The result therefore can serve as a benchmark and basis for decision support tools for real-life deployment.

  2. Awareness of cord blood banking among pregnant women in semi urban area

    OpenAIRE

    Poomalar G. K.; Jayasree M.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent stem cells, derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord. These HSC are accepted method of treatment for various disorders. Cord blood can be stored either in private or public bank. Awareness about cord blood banking among semi urban and rural population is less compared to urban population. The aim of our study is to evaluate the awareness of cord blood banking among pregnant women in semi urban area and to evaluat...

  3. Designing an automated blood fractionation system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McQuillan, Adrian C; Sales, Sean D

    2008-04-01

    UK Biobank will be collecting blood samples from a cohort of 500 000 volunteers and it is expected that the rate of collection will peak at approximately 3000 blood collection tubes per day. These samples need to be prepared for long-term storage. It is not considered practical to manually process this quantity of samples so an automated blood fractionation system is required. Principles of industrial automation were applied to the blood fractionation process leading to the requirement of developing a vision system to identify the blood fractions within the blood collection tube so that the fractions can be accurately aspirated and dispensed into micro-tubes. A prototype was manufactured and tested on a range of human blood samples collected in different tube types. A specially designed vision system was capable of accurately measuring the position of the plasma meniscus, plasma/buffy coat interface and the red cells/buffy coat interface within a vacutainer. A rack of 24 vacutainers could be processed in blood fractionation system offers a solution to the problem of processing human blood samples collected in vacutainers in a consistent manner and provides a means of ensuring data and sample integrity.

  4. US Public Cord Blood Banking Practices: Recruitment, Donation, and the Timing of Consent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broder, Sherri; Ponsaran, Roselle; Goldenberg, Aaron

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND Cord blood has moved rapidly from an experimental stem cell source to an accepted and important source of hematopoietic stem cells. There has been no comprehensive assessment of US public cord blood banking practices since the Institute of Medicine study in 2005. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Of 34 US public cord blood banks identified, 16 participated in our qualitative survey of public cord blood banking practices. Participants took part in in-depth telephone interviews in which they were asked structured and open-ended questions regarding recruitment, donation, and the informed consent process at these banks. RESULTS 13 of 16 participants reported a variably high percentage of women who consented to public cord blood donation. 15 banks offered donor registration at the time of hospital admission for labor and delivery. 7 obtained full informed consent and medical history during early labor and 8 conducted some form of phased consent and/or phased medical screening and history. 9 participants identified initial selection of the collection site location as the chief mode by which they recruited minority donors. CONCLUSION Since 2005, more public banks offer cord blood donor registration at the time of admission for labor and delivery. That, and the targeted location of cord blood collection sites, are the main methods used to increase access to donation and HLA diversity of banked units. Currently, the ability to collect and process donations, rather than donor willingness, is the major barrier to public cord blood banking. PMID:22803637

  5. Code development of the national hemovigilance system and expansion strategies for hospital blood banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jeongeun

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives : The aims of this study were to develop reportable event codes that are applicable to the national hemovigilance systems for hospital blood banks, and to present expansion strategies for the blood banks. Materials and Methods : The data were obtained from a literature review and expert consultation, followed by adding to and revising the established hemovigilance code system and guidelines to develop reportable event codes for hospital blood banks. The Medical Error Reporting System-Transfusion Medicine developed in the US and other codes of reportable events were added to the Korean version of the Biologic Products Deviation Report (BPDR developed by the Korean Red Cross Blood Safety Administration, then using these codes, mapping work was conducted. We deduced outcomes suitable for practice, referred to the results of the advisory councils, and conducted a survey with experts and blood banks practitioners. Results : We developed reportable event codes that were applicable to hospital blood banks and could cover blood safety - from blood product safety to blood transfusion safety - and also presented expansion strategies for hospital blood banks. Conclusion : It was necessary to add 10 major categories to the blood transfusion safety stage and 97 reportable event codes to the blood safety stage. Contextualized solutions were presented on 9 categories of expansion strategies of hemovigilance system for the hospital blood banks.

  6. Blood banking and transfusion medicine for the nephrologist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehrli, Gay

    2012-01-01

    Therapeutic Apheresis Medicine Services work closely with Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine Services (BBTMS). The BBTMS performs patient testing and provides blood components for patients undergoing therapeutic apheresis procedures. This article will provide an overview of blood component descriptions, patient testing, and blood component options and preparations for therapeutic apheresis procedures. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Database Security for an Integrated Solution to Automate Sales Processes in Banking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Maria Ioana FLOREA

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available In order to maintain a competitive edge in a very active banking market the implementation of a web-based solution to standardize, optimize and manage the flow of sales / pre-sales and generating new leads is requested by a company. This article presents the realization of a development framework for software interoperability in the banking financial institutions and an integrated solution for achieving sales process automation in banking. The paper focuses on presenting the requirements for security and confidentiality of stored data and also on presenting the identified techniques and procedures to implement these requirements.

  8. 21 CFR 864.9275 - Blood bank centrifuge for in vitro diagnostic use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Blood bank centrifuge for in vitro diagnostic use. 864.9275 Section 864.9275 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... Manufacture Blood and Blood Products § 864.9275 Blood bank centrifuge for in vitro diagnostic use. (a...

  9. Incorporating placental tissue in cord blood banking for stem cell transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teofili, Luciana; Silini, Antonietta R; Bianchi, Maria; Valentini, Caterina Giovanna; Parolini, Ornella

    2018-06-01

    Human term placenta is comprised of various tissues from which different cell populations can be obtained, including hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). Areas covered: This review will discuss the possibility to incorporate placental tissue cells in cord blood banking. It will discuss general features of human placenta, with a brief review of the immune cells at the fetal-maternal interface and the different cell populations isolated from placenta, with a particular focus on MSCs. It will address the question as to why placenta-derived MSCs should be banked with their hematopoietic counterparts. It will discuss clinical trials which are studying safety and efficacy of placenta tissue-derived MSCs in selected diseases, and preclinical studies which have proven their therapeutic properties in other diseases. It will discuss banking of umbilical cord blood and raise several issues for improvement, and the applications of cord blood cells in non-malignant disorders. Expert Commentary: Umbilical cord blood banking saves lives worldwide. The concomitant banking of non-hematopoietic cells from placenta, which could be applied therapeutically in the future, alone or in combination to their hematopoietic counterparts, could exploit current banking processes while laying the foundation for clinical trials exploring placenta-derived cell therapies in regenerative medicine.

  10. Analyses of Blood Bank Efficiency, Cost-Effectiveness and Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Hwai-Tai Chen

    In view of the increasing costs of hospital care, it is essential to investigate methods to improve the labor efficiency and the cost-effectiveness of the hospital technical core in order to control costs while maintaining the quality of care. This study was conducted to develop indices to measure efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and the quality of blood banks; to identify factors associated with efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality; and to generate strategies to improve blood bank labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Indices developed in this study for labor efficiency and cost-effectiveness were not affected by patient case mix and illness severity. Factors that were associated with labor efficiency were identified as managerial styles, and organizational designs that balance workload and labor resources. Medical directors' managerial involvement was not associated with labor efficiency, but their continuing education and specialty in blood bank were found to reduce the performance of unnecessary tests. Surprisingly, performing unnecessary tests had no association with labor efficiency. This suggested the existence of labor slack in blood banks. Cost -effectiveness was associated with workers' benefits, wages, and the production of high-end transfusion products by hospital-based donor rooms. Quality indices used in this study included autologous transfusion rates, platelet transfusion rates, and the check points available in an error-control system. Because the autologous transfusion rate was related to patient case mix, severity of illness, and possible inappropriate transfusion, it was not recommended to be used for quality index. Platelet-pheresis transfusion rates were associated with the transfusion preferences of the blood bank medical directors. The total number of check points in an error -control system was negatively associated with government ownership and workers' experience. Recommendations for improving labor efficiency and cost

  11. Banking cord blood stem cells: attitude and knowledge of pregnant women in five European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Gregory; Mills, Antonia; Garcia, Joan; Hooper, Karen; McGuckin, Colin; Platz, Alexander; Rebulla, Paolo; Salvaterra, Elena; Schmidt, Alexander H; Torrabadella, Marta

    2011-03-01

    This study explores pregnant women's awareness of cord blood stem cells and their attitude regarding banking options in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Questionnaires were distributed in six maternities. This anonymous and self-completed questionnaire included 29 multiple-choice questions based on: 1) sociodemographic factors, 2) awareness and access to information about cord blood banking, 3) banking option preferences, and 4) donating cord blood units (CBUs) to research. A total of 79% of pregnant women had little awareness of cord blood banking (n = 1620). A total of 58% of women had heard of the therapeutic benefits of cord blood, of which 21% received information from midwives and obstetricians. A total of 89% of respondents would opt to store CBUs. Among them, 76% would choose to donate CBUs to a public bank to benefit any patient in need of a cord blood transplant. Twelve percent would choose a mixed bank, and 12%, a private bank. A total of 92% would donate their child's CBU to research when it is not suitable for transplantation. The study reveals a strong preference for public banking in all five countries, based on converging values such as solidarity. Attitudes of pregnant women are not an obstacle to the rapid expansion of allogeneic banking in these EU countries. Banking choices do not appear to be correlated with household income. The extent of commercial marketing of cord blood banks in mass media highlights the importance for obstetric providers to play a central role in raising women's awareness early during their pregnancy with evidence-based medical information about banking options. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  12. Alarming levels of carboxyhemoglobin in banked blood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehlers, Melissa; Labaze, Georges; Hanakova, Marcela; McCloskey, David; Wilner, George

    2009-06-01

    To determine the level of carboxyhemoglobin found in banked blood in the Albany, NY region. A retrospective descriptive analysis of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in a series of packed red blood cell (PRBC) units. The blood bank of a university tertiary care hospital in Albany, NY. All PRBC units considered for possible use in pediatric cardiac surgery were first analyzed for levels of COHb. Only those units with COHb levels of <1.5% were deemed acceptable for use during pediatric cardiac surgery. A sample of blood drawn from the sample side arm of each PRBC unit was analyzed on a Chiron 855 Blood Gas Analyzer (Chiron Inc, Emeryville, CA, now Siemens/Bayer RapidLab 865) to determine the level of COHb. The average COHb level was 0.78% (standard deviation +/- 1.48%), and out of the 468 units tested, 48 (10.3%) had COHb levels of 1.5% or greater. The highest recorded COHb level was 12%. The transfusion of PRBC units may artificially elevate readings of COHb and cause confusion over possible causes. Certain high-risk populations (eg, cyanotic neonates undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass) may be especially at risk. Although levels of COHb in the US blood supply are dropping, institutions may want to consider analyzing COHb levels in their PRBC units before transfusion in these high-risk populations.

  13. Transfusion management using a remote-controlled, automated blood storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagliaro, Pasqualepaolo; Turdo, Rosalia

    2008-04-01

    Generally, the safety of transfusion terapies for patients depends in part on the distribution of the blood products. The prevention of adverse events can be aided by technological means, which, besides improving the traceability of the process, make errors less likely. In this context, the latest frontier in automation and computerisation is the remote-controlled, automated refrigerator for blood storage. Computer cross-matching is an efficient and safe method for assigning blood components, based on Information Technology applied to typing and screening. This method can be extended to the management of an automated blood refrigerator, the programme of which is interfaced with the Transfusion Service's information system. The connection we made in our Service between EmoNet and Hemosafe enables real-time, remote-controlled management of the following aspects of blood component distribution: a) release of autologous and allogeneic units already allocated to a patient, b) release of available units, which can be allocated by remote-control to known patients, in the presence of a valid computer cross-match, c) release of O-negative units of blood for emergencies. Our system combines an information database, which enables computer cross-matching, with an automated refrigerator for blood storage with controlled access managed remotely by the Transfusion Service. The effectiveness and safety of the system were validated during the 4 months of its routine use in the Transfusion Service's outpatient department. The safety and efficiency of the distribution of blood products can and must be increased by the use of technological innovations. With the EmoNet/Hemosafe system, the responsibility for the remote-controlled distribution of red blood cell concentrates remains with the chief of the Transfusion Services, through the use of automated computer procedures and supported by continuous training of technicians and nursing staff.

  14. Can routine commercial cord blood banking be scientifically and ethically justified?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas M Fisk

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: Umbilical cord blood--the blood that remains in the placenta after birth--can be collected and stored frozen for years. A well-accepted use of cord blood is as an alternative to bone marrow as a source of hematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplantation to siblings or to unrelated recipients; women can donate cord blood for unrelated recipients to public banks. However, private banks are now open that offer expectant parents the option to pay a fee for the chance to store cord blood for possible future use by that same child (autologous transplantation.

  15. Blood banking and regulation: procedures, problems, and alternatives

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Dauer, Edward A

    This volume examines regulatory and policymaking procedures in blood banking, regulatory enforcement and compliance, innovations and alternatives in regulation, congressional oversight and regulatory...

  16. Utilization of banked blood in pediatric surgical procedures in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... quantities of blood but utilizing only little is tantamount to inadequate use and delays surgical intervention. Indirectly, it increases cost of surgery. There is need to rationalize our blood ordering habits without causing harm to patients. Key words: Banked Blood, Calabar – Nigeria, pediatrics, surgical procedures, utilization ...

  17. An efficient model to improve the performance of platelet inventory of the blood banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annista Wijayanayake

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Platelet transfusions are vital for the prevention of fatal hemorrhage. Therefore, a stable inventory of platelets is required for an efficient and effective delivery of services in all the hospitals and medical centers. However, over the past decades, the requirement for platelets seems to be continuously increasing, while the number of potential donors is decreasing. Moreover, due to its very short life span of just five days, a large volume of platelets expires while they are on the shelves, resulting unnecessary shortages of platelets. Furthermore, it is very costly and difficult to get platelets from another blood bank in a short notice. Hence, these unexpected shortages put the life of patients at risk. This study is focused on addressing the issues discussed, by developing an efficient blood inventory management model to reduce the platelet shortages, and wastages, while reducing the related inventory costs. Currently, the blood banks are managing platelet inventory according to their own instincts, which result to shortages and wastages. As a solution, we propose a model to manage the daily supply of platelets by forecasting the daily demand. Three different algorithms were developed using lower bound, average and upper bound values and tested to find the optimal solution that best fits to manage platelet inventory. These models were tested using data for 60 days obtained from two different levels of blood banks in Sri Lanka, namely a General Hospital blood bank and a Base Hospital blood bank. In General hospitals, the demand for blood components including platelets is very high when compared to the Base hospitals. The study was able to come up with two different inventory management models for the two different types of blood banks. The model that best fits the General Hospital blood bank where the demand is high and was able to reduce the shortages by 46.74%, wastage by 89.82% and total inventory level by 39.10% and, the model that

  18. 21 CFR 864.9175 - Automated blood grouping and antibody test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...) Identification. An automated blood grouping and antibody test system is a device used to group erythrocytes (red blood cells) and to detect antibodies to blood group antigens. (b) Classification. Class II (performance... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Automated blood grouping and antibody test system...

  19. Epidemiology of Hepatitis C Virus in the private blood banking ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is an agent of Transfusion Transmissible Infection (TTI) which serves as a threat to blood safety and sufficiency of blood and blood products supply. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the distribution patterns of HCV among potential blood donors in a private Blood Bank in ...

  20. Short report: screening for Trypanosoma cruzi in the blood supply by the Red Cross blood bank in Quito, Ecuador.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grijalva, M J; Chiriboga, R; Racines, J R; Escalante, L; Rowland, E C

    1997-12-01

    The status of Chagas' disease in Ecuador is not clear. In response to reports suggesting the possibility of transfusion-associated transmission of Chagas' disease in the blood bank in Quito, the Ecuadorian Red Cross in collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Higiene, Zona Norte and the Tropical Disease Institute of Ohio University implemented a pilot Chagas' disease screening of the donated blood in the Quito blood bank. The results of the screening showed a low incidence of seropositivity among the donors (0.01% in 1994, 0.04% in 1995, and 0.02% in 1996) to the Quito blood bank and a higher seropositivity in samples donated to smaller blood banks (0.4% in 1994, 0.28% in 1995, and 0.13% in 1996) located in areas considered endemic, as well as from at least two areas previously considered nonendemic for Chagas' disease. This report highlights the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the prevalence and distribution of Chagas' disease in Ecuador.

  1. Transfusion transmitted malaria in three major blood banks of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study estimates the risk of acquiring malaria from a single unit of blood in North of Pakistan. A prospective study was conducted to investigate transfusion transmitted malaria in three major blood banks of Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 1558 (1534 males and 24 females) healthy volunteer blood donors were screened for ...

  2. Novel automated blood separations validate whole cell biomarkers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas E Burger

    Full Text Available Progress in clinical trials in infectious disease, autoimmunity, and cancer is stymied by a dearth of successful whole cell biomarkers for peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs. Successful biomarkers could help to track drug effects at early time points in clinical trials to prevent costly trial failures late in development. One major obstacle is the inaccuracy of Ficoll density centrifugation, the decades-old method of separating PBLs from the abundant red blood cells (RBCs of fresh blood samples.To replace the Ficoll method, we developed and studied a novel blood-based magnetic separation method. The magnetic method strikingly surpassed Ficoll in viability, purity and yield of PBLs. To reduce labor, we developed an automated platform and compared two magnet configurations for cell separations. These more accurate and labor-saving magnet configurations allowed the lymphocytes to be tested in bioassays for rare antigen-specific T cells. The automated method succeeded at identifying 79% of patients with the rare PBLs of interest as compared with Ficoll's uniform failure. We validated improved upfront blood processing and show accurate detection of rare antigen-specific lymphocytes.Improving, automating and standardizing lymphocyte detections from whole blood may facilitate development of new cell-based biomarkers for human diseases. Improved upfront blood processes may lead to broad improvements in monitoring early trial outcome measurements in human clinical trials.

  3. Novel automated blood separations validate whole cell biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burger, Douglas E; Wang, Limei; Ban, Liqin; Okubo, Yoshiaki; Kühtreiber, Willem M; Leichliter, Ashley K; Faustman, Denise L

    2011-01-01

    Progress in clinical trials in infectious disease, autoimmunity, and cancer is stymied by a dearth of successful whole cell biomarkers for peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs). Successful biomarkers could help to track drug effects at early time points in clinical trials to prevent costly trial failures late in development. One major obstacle is the inaccuracy of Ficoll density centrifugation, the decades-old method of separating PBLs from the abundant red blood cells (RBCs) of fresh blood samples. To replace the Ficoll method, we developed and studied a novel blood-based magnetic separation method. The magnetic method strikingly surpassed Ficoll in viability, purity and yield of PBLs. To reduce labor, we developed an automated platform and compared two magnet configurations for cell separations. These more accurate and labor-saving magnet configurations allowed the lymphocytes to be tested in bioassays for rare antigen-specific T cells. The automated method succeeded at identifying 79% of patients with the rare PBLs of interest as compared with Ficoll's uniform failure. We validated improved upfront blood processing and show accurate detection of rare antigen-specific lymphocytes. Improving, automating and standardizing lymphocyte detections from whole blood may facilitate development of new cell-based biomarkers for human diseases. Improved upfront blood processes may lead to broad improvements in monitoring early trial outcome measurements in human clinical trials.

  4. Erythrocyte endogenous proteinase activity during blood bank storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Angelis, V; de Matteis, M C; Orazi, B M; Santarossa, L; Della Toffola, L; Raineri, A; Vettore, L

    1990-01-01

    We studied proteolytic alterations of membrane proteins in ghosts derived from human red blood cells, preserved up to 35 days in the liquid state either as whole blood or with additive solution. The study was carried out by performing sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of stromal proteins from erythrocytes, either previously treated with proteinase inhibitors or previously incubated in conditions promoting proteolysis. To differentiate the effect of erythrocyte from granulocyte proteinases, the investigation was also carried out in leukocyte-free red cell preparations. The results show: (1) the effects of endogenous proteinases on membrane proteins derived from red cells stored under blood bank conditions; (2) a decrease of proteolytic effects in ghosts derived from red cells which have been submitted to a longer storage; (3) a relevant influence of the red cell resuspending medium before lysis on the time-dependent onset and exhaustion of proteolysis in ghosts. The presence of increased proteolysis in ghosts could be regarded as a marker of molecular lesions induced in red cells by storage under blood bank conditions.

  5. The prevalence of HIV among blood donors at Juba Teaching Hospital Blood Bank, South Sudan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth L L Sube

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Objectives The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of HIV among blood donors in Juba Teaching Hospital Blood Bank, South Sudan in 2013. Method and Materials This is a retrospective study that involved the abstraction of data from registers at the blood bank. Data were collected onto data sheets and entered into a computer database. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 20 Software. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Out of 1095 blood donors, 1074 (98.1% were males and 21 (1.9% were females. The mean age and the range for the whole group was 29+7.16 (15-69 yrs. The prevalence of HIV was higher among males than females 85 (7.9% vs 1 (4.8% respectively but this was not statistical significant (p=0.6. The 20 to 29 year age group had the highest prevalence of 49 (57% with no statistical significance (p=0.3.The prevalence of HIV was 7.0 % (86 and there were co-infections between HIV and HBV, HCV and syphilis of 14 (50%, 5 (18%, 9 (32% with p=0.7, p=0.1, p=0.8 respectively. Blood group O positive had the highest percentage 58.1 % (n=50 and was the commonest group. Conclusion In this study, HIV prevalence is very high among blood donors at the Juba Teaching Hospital blood bank.

  6. Cord Blood Banking Standards: Autologous Versus Altruistic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, Sue

    2015-01-01

    Cord blood (CB) is either donated to public CB banks for use by any patient worldwide for whom it is a match or stored in a private bank for potential autologous or family use. It is a unique cell product that has potential for treating life-threatening diseases. The majority of CB products used today are for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and are accessed from public banks. CB is still evolving as a hematopoietic stem cell source, developing as a source for cellular immunotherapy products, such as natural killer, dendritic, and T-cells, and fast emerging as a non-hematopoietic stem cell source in the field of regenerative medicine. This review explores the regulations, standards, and accreditation schemes that are currently available nationally and internationally for public and private CB banking. Currently, most of private banking is under regulated as compared to public banking. Regulations and standards were initially developed to address the public arena. Early responses from the medical field regarding private CB banking was that at the present time, because of insufficient scientific data to support autologous banking and given the difficulty of making an accurate estimate of the need for autologous transplantation, private storage of CB as "biological insurance" should be discouraged (1, 2, 3). To ensure success and the true realization of the full potential of CB, whether for autologous or allogeneic use, it is essential that each and every product provided for current and future treatments meets high-quality, international standards.

  7. 21 CFR 864.5240 - Automated blood cell diluting apparatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Automated blood cell diluting apparatus. 864.5240 Section 864.5240 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Automated and Semi-Automated Hematology Devices...

  8. Cord Blood Banking in the Arab World: Current Status and Future Developments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Monica M; Dajani, Rana; Matthews, Kirstin R W

    2015-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood transplants are now used to treat numerous types of immune- and blood-related disorders and genetic diseases. Cord blood (CB) banks play an important role in these transplants by processing and storing CB units. In addition to their therapeutic potential, these banks raise ethical and regulatory questions, especially in emerging markets in the Arab world. In this article, the authors review CB banking in five countries in the region, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, selected for their different CB banking policies and initiatives. In assessing these case studies, the authors present regional trends and issues, including religious perspectives, policies, and demographic risk factors. This research suggests strong incentives for increasing the number of CB units that are collected from and available to Arab populations. In addition, the deficit in knowledge concerning public opinion and awareness in the region should be addressed to ensure educated decision-making. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. A common registration-to-publication automated pipeline for nomenclatural acts for higher plants (International Plant Names Index, IPNI), fungi (Index Fungorum, MycoBank) and animals (ZooBank)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Robert, Vincent

    2016-01-01

    Collaborative effort among four lead indexes of taxon names and nomenclatural acts (International Plant Name Index (IPNI), Index Fungorum, MycoBank and ZooBank) and the journals PhytoKeys, MycoKeys and ZooKeys to create an automated, pre-publication, registration workflow, based on a

  10. Negative peri-donation events among whole blood donors in a blood bank in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fasola, Foluke A

    2017-12-31

    The existence and sustenance of the blood bank depends on blood donors. It is imperative that the donation experience is satisfactory for the donors. Therefore this study was carried out to determine the frequency of undesirable events experienced by the blood donor as part of donor haemovigilance. This was a retrospective descriptive study of the events that occurred amongst the blood donors of the blood bank of a tertiary institution. The blood donor incident book was reviewed for the period of six months. Negative undesirable events occurred in 2% of the donor populations, of which 45.8% could not complete the blood donation process while only 16.7% completed the blood donation process. Mild vasovagal attack occurred in 0.2% of the donor population. Undisclosed deferrable risk factors/ behaviours were identified by the phlebotomist in the bleeding room which made donors unfit for donation even though they had passed the donor screening criteria. This accounted for 20.8% of those with negative experience. Guidelines are required to identify donors that are not likely to complete donation to avoid wastage of time, blood, resources and reduce undesirable experiences.

  11. Red Blood Cell Count Automation Using Microscopic Hyperspectral Imaging Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qingli; Zhou, Mei; Liu, Hongying; Wang, Yiting; Guo, Fangmin

    2015-12-01

    Red blood cell counts have been proven to be one of the most frequently performed blood tests and are valuable for early diagnosis of some diseases. This paper describes an automated red blood cell counting method based on microscopic hyperspectral imaging technology. Unlike the light microscopy-based red blood count methods, a combined spatial and spectral algorithm is proposed to identify red blood cells by integrating active contour models and automated two-dimensional k-means with spectral angle mapper algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has better performance than spatial based algorithm because the new algorithm can jointly use the spatial and spectral information of blood cells.

  12. A novel system for providing compatible blood to patients during surgery: "self-service" electronic blood banking by nursing staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, G; Chiu, D S; Chung, A S; Wong, H F; Chan, M W; Lui, Y K; Choy, F M; Chan, J C; Chan, A H; Lam, S T; Fan, T C

    1996-04-01

    A good blood bank must be able to provide compatible blood units promptly to operating room patients with minimal wastage. A "self-service" by nursing staff blood banking system that is safe, efficient, and well-accepted has been developed. Specific blood units are no longer assigned to surgical patients who have a negative pretransfusion antibody screen, irrespective of the type of surgery. A computer-generated list of the serial numbers of all group-identical blood units currently in the blood bank inventory is provided for each patient. The units themselves are not labeled with a patient's name. The group O list will be provided for group O patients, the group A list for group A patients, and so forth. Should the patient require transfusion during surgery, the operating room nurses go to the refrigerator, remove any group-identical unit, and check the serial number of the unit against the serial numbers on the patient's list. If the serial number is on that list, the blood bank will accept responsibility for compatibility. The system was implemented in 1995. Since implementation, a total of 2154 patients have undergone operations at this hospital. Thirty-two patients received more than 10 units of red cells each. There were no transfusion errors. The crossmatch-to-transfusion ratio was reduced from 1.67 to 1.12. Turnaround time for supplying additional or urgent units to patients in operating room was shortened from 33 to 2.5 minutes. There was no incidence of a blood unit's serial number not being on the list. Work by nurses and technical staff was reduced by nearly 50 percent. The "self-service" (by nursing staff) blood banking system described is safe and efficient. It saves staff time and can be easily set up.

  13. The quest for quality blood banking program in the new millennium the American way.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae Un

    2002-08-01

    For an industry to succeed and satisfy its customers, "QUALITY" must be a primary goal. Quality has been central to blood banking from its inception, with the evolution of a Quality Program since the opening of the first blood bank in U.S. at the Cook County Hospital in 1937. Over the ensuing decades, continuous scientific progress in blood preservation, filters, viral and blood group testing, crossmatching, automation, and computerization including bar coding, etc. has contributed to the quality and safety of the blood products and transfusion service. However, with the advent of the AIDS era, an increasingly sensitized and informed public is continuously demanding that the highest level of quality be achieved and maintained in all processes involved in providing all blood products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced the concept of a "zero risk blood supply" as the industry goal. Furthermore, the cost containment and resource-constrained environment have changed the complexity of the quality practice. Both regulatory agencies such as the FDA, the Health Care Financing Administration [HCFA, which was recently renamed as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in July, 2001], and the State Department of Health, and accrediting agencies, such as the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), require blood banks and transfusion services to establish and follow a Quality Control and Quality Assurance Program for their licensing, certification and accreditation. Every laboratory has to comply with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA '88) quality requirements being implemented by the CMS. The FDA guidelines assist facilities in compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). The AABB's Quality System Essentials (QSE) are based on these specifications and provide additional guidance in

  14. [Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with unrelated cord blood: report of three cases from the Chilean cord blood bank].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barriga, Francisco; Wietstruck, Angélica; Rojas, Nicolás; Bertin, Pablo; Pizarro, Isabel; Carmona, Amanda; Guilof, Alejandro; Rojas, Iván; Oyarzún, Enrique

    2013-08-01

    Public cord blood banks are a source of hematopoietic stem cells for patients with hematological diseases who lack a family donor and need allogeneic transplantation. In June 2007 we started a cord blood bank with units donated in three maternity wards in Santiago, Chile. We report the first three transplants done with cord blood units form this bank. Cord blood units were obtained by intrauterine collection at delivery. They were depleted of plasma and red cells and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Tests for total nucleated cells, CD34 cell content, viral serology, bacterial cultures and HLA A, B and DRB1 were done. Six hundred cord blood units were stored by March 2012. Three patients received allogeneic transplant with cord blood from our bank, two with high risk lymphoblastic leukemia and one with severe congenital anemia. They received conditioning regimens according to their disease and usual supportive care for unrelated donor transplantation until full hematopoietic and immune reconstitution was achieved. The three patients had early engraftment of neutrophils and platelets. The child corrected his anemia and the leukemia patients remain in complete remission. The post-transplant course was complicated with Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and BK virus infection. Two patients are fully functional 24 and 33 months after transplant, the third is still receiving immunosuppression.

  15. Reasons for exclusion of 6820 umbilical cord blood donations in a public cord blood bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tso-Fu; Wen, Shu-Hui; Yang, Kuo-Liang; Yang, Shang-Hsien; Yang, Yun-Fan; Chang, Chu-Yu; Wu, Yi-Feng; Chen, Shu-Huey

    2014-01-01

    To provide information for umbilical cord blood (UCB) banks to adopt optimal collection strategies and to make UCB banks operate efficiently, we investigated the reasons for exclusion of UCB units in a 3-year recruitment period. We analyzed records of the reasons for exclusion of the potential UCB donation from 2004 to 2006 in the Tzu-Chi Cord Blood Bank and compared the results over 3 years. We grouped these reasons for exclusion into five phases, before collection, during delivery, before processing, during processing, and after freezing according to the time sequence and analyzed the reasons at each phase. Between 2004 and 2006, there were 10,685 deliveries with the intention of UCB donation. In total, 41.2% of the UCB units were considered eligible for transplantation. The exclusion rates were 93.1, 48.4, and 54.1% in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. We excluded 612 donations from women before their child birth, 133 UCB units during delivery, 80 units before processing, 5010 units during processing, and 421 units after freezing. There were 24 UCB units with unknown reasons of ineligibility. Low UCB weight and low cell count were the first two leading causes of exclusion (48.6 and 30.9%). The prevalence of artificial errors, holiday or transportation problem, low weight, and infant problems decreased year after year. The exclusion rate was high at the beginning of our study as in previous studies. Understanding the reasons for UCB exclusion may help to improve the efficiency of UCB banking programs in the future. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

  16. Studies on RBC lipid and protein phosphorylation during blood bank storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dumaswala, U.J.; Bryan, D.J.; Greenwalt, T.J.

    1986-01-01

    Recent evidence has suggested that phosphoinositides play a significant role in maintaining membrane structure and function. Their importance during blood bank storage is not understood. They have performed preliminary studies of the phosphoinositide synthetic pathway enzymes of RBC during blood bank storage. At 0 and 35 days of storage leaky ghosts were prepared and incubated with [γ- 32 P]ATP for 5 minutes at 30 C. One aliquot was subjected to acidified solvent extraction and thin layer chromatography. The labeled phosphoinositide -4,5 biphosphate (PIP 2 ), phosphoinositide-4 phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidic acid (PA) spots were scraped and counted by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Another aliquot was used for SDS-PAGE and the radioactivity associated with the β-spectrin was measured. These experiments suggest a decrease in RBC phosphoinositol and PIP-Kinases and β-spectrin kinase activities during blood bank storage. Further studies are being done to evaluate significance of these observations

  17. Guidelines on product liability for the hospital blood bank. The British Committee for Standards in Haematology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-01-01

    This report aims to clarify the position of the hospital blood bank in the light of product liability legislation contained in the Consumer Protection Act of 1987. Blood has been defined a 'product' under this Act. The potential for the blood bank to be seen in the role of 'supplier', 'keeper' or even 'producer' in the chain of product supply to the patient is explained and advice given on the resulting implications for blood bank practice. It will be necessary to define, adopt and implement standard operating procedures (SOP) for all blood bank activities. Guidance is given on the format, preparation and content of SOPs and specimen examples offered. The fundamental importance of quality assurance is emphasized.

  18. Internal quality control of blood products: An experience from a tertiary care hospital blood bank from Southern Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sultan, Sadia; Zaheer, Hasan Abbas; Waheed, Usman; Baig, Mohammad Amjad; Rehan, Asma; Irfan, Syed Mohammed

    2018-01-01

    Internal quality control (IQC) is the backbone of quality assurance program. In blood banking, the quality control of blood products ensures the timely availability of a blood component of high quality with maximum efficacy and minimal risk to potential recipients. The main objective of this study is to analyze the IQC of blood products as an indicator of our blood bank performance. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at the blood bank of Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, from January 2014 to December 2015. A total of 100 units of each blood components were arbitrarily chosen during the study. Packed red cell units were evaluated for hematocrit (HCT); random platelet concentrates were evaluated for pH, yield, and culture; fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and cryoprecipitate (CP) were evaluated for unit volume, factor VIII, and fibrinogen concentrations. A total of 400 units were tested for IQC. The mean HCT of packed red cells was 69.5 ± 7.24, and in 98% units, it met the standard (<80% of HCT). The mean platelet yield was 8.8 ± 3.40 × 10 9 /L and pH was ≥6.2 in 98% bags; cultures were negative in 97% of units tested. Mean factor VIII and fibrinogen levels were found to be 84.24 ± 15.01 and 247.17 ± 49.69 for FFP, respectively. For CP, mean factor VIII and fibrinogen level were found to be 178.75 ± 86.30 and 420.7 ± 75.32, respectively. The IQC of blood products at our blood bank is in overall compliance and met recommended international standards. Implementation of standard operating procedures, accomplishment of standard guidelines, proper documentation with regular audit, and staff competencies can improve the quality performance of the transfusion services.

  19. Cord blood stem cell banking: a snapshot of the Italian situation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capone, Francesca; Lombardini, Letizia; Pupella, Simonetta; Grazzini, Giuliano; Costa, Alessandro Nanni; Migliaccio, Giovanni

    2011-09-01

    In Italy, the law does not permit the setting up of private banks to preserve cord blood (CB) stem cells for personal use. However, since 2007 the right to export and preserve them in private laboratories located outside Italy has existed, and an increasing number of women are requesting this collection of umbilical CB at delivery to enable storage of stem cells for autologous use. Since private banks recruit clients mainly via the Internet, we examined the content of 24 Italian-language websites that offer stem cells storage (from CB or amniotic fluid), to assess what information is available. We found that the majority of private banks give no clear information about the procedures of collection, processing, and banking of CB units and that the standards offered by private CB banks strongly differ in terms of exclusion or acceptance criteria from the public banks. These factors may well influence the overall quality of the CB units stored in private CB banks. Of note, during the period 2007 to 2009, the number collected for autologous use did not create a downward trend on the number of units stored in public CB banks for allogeneic use. CB is a valuable community resource but expectant parents should be better informed as to the quality variables necessary for its storage, both by institutions and by professionals. Currently, most of the advertising is insufficient to justify the expense and the hopes pinned on autologous use of CB stem cells. © 2011 American Association of Blood Banks.

  20. Concepts, Utility and Limitations of Cord Blood Banking: What Clinicians Need to Know.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanan, Dhanya Lakshmi; Phadke, Shubha R

    2018-03-20

    Stem cell transplantation and cord blood banking have received much popularity among general public and medical professionals in the recent past. But information about the scientific aspects, its utility and limitations is incomplete amongst laypersons as well as many medical practitioners. Stem cells differ from all other types of cells in the human body because of their ability to multiply in order to self perpetuate and differentiate into specialized cells. Stems cells could be totipotent, multipotent, pluripotent, oligopotent or unipotent depending on the type of cells that can arise or differentiate from them. Umbilical cord blood serves as a potent source of hematopoeitic stem cells and is being used to treat various disorders like blood cancers, hemoglobinopathies and immunodeficiency disorders for which hematological stem cell transplantation is the standard of care. Cord blood can be collected at ease, without any major complications and has a lower incidence of graft vs. host reaction compared to bone marrow cells or peripheral blood cells. Both public and private banks have been established for collection and storage of umbilical cord blood. However, false claims and misleading commercial advertisements about the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells for the treatment of a variety of conditions ranging from neuromuscular disorders to cosmetic benefits are widespread and create unrealistic expectations in laypersons and clinicians. Many clinicians and laypersons are unaware of the limitations of cord blood banking, as in treating a genetic disorder by autologous cord blood transplant. Knowledge and awareness about the scientific indications of cord blood stem cell transplantation and realistic expectations about the utility of cord blood among medical practitioners are essential for providing accurate information to laypersons before they decide to preserve umbilical cord blood in private banks and thus prevent malpractice.

  1. Automated Blood Sample Preparation Unit (ABSPU) for Portable Microfluidic Flow Cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaturvedi, Akhil; Gorthi, Sai Siva

    2017-02-01

    Portable microfluidic diagnostic devices, including flow cytometers, are being developed for point-of-care settings, especially in conjunction with inexpensive imaging devices such as mobile phone cameras. However, two pervasive drawbacks of these have been the lack of automated sample preparation processes and cells settling out of sample suspensions, leading to inaccurate results. We report an automated blood sample preparation unit (ABSPU) to prevent blood samples from settling in a reservoir during loading of samples in flow cytometers. This apparatus automates the preanalytical steps of dilution and staining of blood cells prior to microfluidic loading. It employs an assembly with a miniature vibration motor to drive turbulence in a sample reservoir. To validate performance of this system, we present experimental evidence demonstrating prevention of blood cell settling, cell integrity, and staining of cells prior to flow cytometric analysis. This setup is further integrated with a microfluidic imaging flow cytometer to investigate cell count variability. With no need for prior sample preparation, a drop of whole blood can be directly introduced to the setup without premixing with buffers manually. Our results show that integration of this assembly with microfluidic analysis provides a competent automation tool for low-cost point-of-care blood-based diagnostics.

  2. Umbilical Cord Blood Banking for Transplantation in Morocco: Problems and opportunities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mazini L

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Since the success of the first umbilical cord blood (UCB transplantation in a child with Fanconi anaemia in 1989, great interests have emerged for this source of stem cells. UCB provides an unlimited source of ethnically diverse stem cells and is an alternative for bone marrow (BM and peripheral blood (PB heamatopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT. Thus, UCB and manipulated stem cells are now collected and banked according to international accreditation standards for listing on registries allowing rapid search and accessibility worldwide. This work aims to identify problems limiting the creation of a Moroccan cord blood bank and to highlight opportunities and issues of a new legislation promoting additional applications of cell therapy.

  3. Awareness of cord blood collection and the impact on banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandari, Rusha; Lindley, Amy; Bhatla, Deepika; Babic, Aleksandar; Mueckl, Kathy; Rao, Rakesh; Brooks, Paula; Geiler, Vicki; Gross, Gilad; Al-Hosni, Mohamad; Shenoy, Shalini

    2017-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an important source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation especially in minority populations with limited chances of finding a histocompatible volunteer donor in the registry. UCB has the advantages of early availability, successful outcomes despite some histocompatibility mismatch, and low incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease. Public cord blood banks that disseminate UCB products for transplant depend on voluntary donation at participating hospitals and obstetrical providers for collection. Using survey questionnaires, we evaluated attitudes toward UCB donation, the frequency of donation, and provider opinions on UCB collection in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area that caters to minority ethnicities in significant numbers. Our data suggest that nervousness and lack of information regarding the donation and utility of the product were ubiquitous reasons for not donating. Additionally, irrespective of age or level of education, women relied on healthcare providers for information regarding UCB donation. Providers reported primarily time constraints to discussing UCB donation at prenatal visits (54%). Of the interviewees, 62% donated UCB. Fallout due to refusal or preferring private banking was miniscule. These results suggest that dedicated personnel focused on disseminating information, obtaining consent, and collecting the UCB product at major hospitals can enrich cord blood banks especially with minority cords. Sustained and focused efforts could improve upon a relatively high wastage rate and ensure a robust supply of UCB products at local public banks. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. An automated blood sampling system used in positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eriksson, L.; Bohm, C.; Kesselberg, M.

    1988-01-01

    Fast dynamic function studies with positron emission tomography (PET), has the potential to give accurate information of physiological functions of the brain. This capability can be realised if the positron camera system accurately quantitates the tracer uptake in the brain with sufficiently high efficiency and in sufficiently short time intervals. However, in addition, the tracer concentration in blood, as a function of time, must be accurately determined. This paper describes and evaluates an automated blood sampling system. Two different detector units are compared. The use of the automated blood sampling system is demonstrated in studies of cerebral blood flow, in studies of the blood-brain barrier transfer of amino acids and of the cerebral oxygen consumption. 5 refs.; 7 figs

  5. Pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes about stem cells and cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinç, H; Sahin, N H

    2009-06-01

    This study was to determine pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes towards stem cells and cord blood banking in Istanbul, Turkey. Stem cell research is one of the most important and, at the same time, the most controversial topics of science and technology today. Nurses need to understand stem cell research so they can enter the debate on this issue. They can become important sources of information in order to help parents understand the issues. This exploratory descriptive study was conducted in two antenatal outpatient clinics in Istanbul. The sample consisted of 334 pregnant women during routine prenatal visits. Data were collected in interviews by using an interview form developed by the researchers according to the literature. The form included demographic characteristics of participants and 20 questions about stem cells, storing cord blood and banking and 10 independent attitude statements. The majority of the participants had a lack of knowledge about stem cells and cord blood banking and wanted more information. Before pregnancy, they received some information through the media (newspaper, Internet, television, etc.), but unintentionally. It was determined that they wanted information before becoming pregnant, more from their obstetrician but also from nurses and midwives. The majority also wanted to store their infants' cord blood and stated that they would be more likely to choose a public cord blood bank. Those giving ante- and perinatal care need to offer accurate and scientific counselling services on this subject to parents who need to be informed.

  6. Usability Assessment of Text-to-Speech Synthesis for Additional Detail in an Automated Telephone Banking System

    OpenAIRE

    Morton , Hazel; Gunson , Nancie; Marshall , Diarmid; McInnes , Fergus; Ayres , Andrea; Jack , Mervyn

    2010-01-01

    Abstract This paper describes a comprehensive usability evaluation of an automated telephone banking system which employs text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis in offering additional detail on customers? account transactions. The paper describes a series of four experiments in which TTS was employed to offer an extra level of detail to recent transactions listings within an established banking service which otherwise uses recorded speech from a professional recording artist. Results from ...

  7. Nucleic acid amplification testing in Indian blood banks: A review with perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kanjaksha Ghosh

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT is restricted to a few blood banks in India since 2008. This review was directed toward understanding NAT yield in different parts of the country and prevalence in the NAT of different types of virus. Materials and Methods: English literature was searched from 1990 to 2016 in PubMed, Scopus, Ind med, and Google database using properly constructed key words. Literature was collected and finally the data were synthesized. Results: NAT results from 11 publications and one personal communication showed that till date 389387 blood units have been NAT tested from various parts of the country. NAT yield varied from 1:476 to 1:4403 in various studies. Till date, 58/2550 (2% blood banks of India are doing NAT testing but all of them have not published their results. Majority of the centers have used ID-NAT (Individual NAT protocol and 21 blood banks are using minipool format of the test. One center has used in-house NAT testing system. In> 70% of the time, the NAT positivity with due to hepatitis B (Hep B. For individual infection, NAT yield from the pooled data showed HIV in 1:66,000, Hep C virus 1:5484 and Hep B in 1:1761 seronegative donors. Discussion and Conclusion: In view of the very high NAT yield (1:1361, NAT in some from needs to be universally applied in Indian blood banks. However, the high Hep B occult infection suggests stricter donor selection and immunization of adults for Hep B may be way forward toward ensuring the viral safety of blood components in India.

  8. Effect of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology in Blood Banking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Focosi, Daniele

    2016-01-01

    Summary Population aging has imposed cost-effective alternatives to blood donations. Artificial blood is still at the preliminary stages of development, and the need for viable cells seems unsurmountable. Because large numbers of viable cells must be promptly available for clinical use, stem cell technologies, expansion, and banking represent ideal tools to ensure a regular supply. Provided key donors can be identified, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology could pave the way to a new era in transfusion medicine, just as it is already doing in many other fields of medicine. The present review summarizes the current state of research on iPSC technology in the field of blood banking, highlighting hurdles, and promises. Significance The aging population in Western countries is causing a progressive reduction of blood donors and a constant increase of blood recipients. Because blood is the main therapeutic option to treat acute hemorrhage, cost-effective alternatives to blood donations are being actively investigated. The enormous replication capability of induced pluripotent stem cells and their promising results in many other fields of medicine could be an apt solution to produce the large numbers of viable cells required in transfusion and usher in a new era in transfusion medicine. The present report describes the potentiality, technological hurdles, and promises of induced pluripotent stem cells to generate red blood cells by redifferentiation. PMID:26819256

  9. Cord blood banking - bio-objects on the borderlands between community and immunity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Nik; Williams, Rosalind

    2015-01-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has become the focus of intense efforts to collect, screen and bank haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in hundreds of repositories around the world. UCB banking has developed through a broad spectrum of overlapping banking practices, sectors and institutional forms. Superficially at least, these sectors have been widely distinguished in bioethical and policy literature between notions of the 'public' and the 'private', the commons and the market respectively. Our purpose in this paper is to reflect more critically on these distinctions and to articulate the complex practical and hybrid nature of cord blood as a 'bio-object' that straddles binary conceptions of the blood economies. The paper draws upon Roberto Esposito's reflections on biopolitics and his attempt to transcend the dualistic polarisations of immunity and community, or the private and the public. We suggest that his thoughts on immunitary hospitality resonate with many of the actual features and realpolitik of a necessarily internationalised and globally distributed UCB 'immunitary regime'.

  10. Electronic remote blood issue combined with a computer-controlled, automated refrigerator for major surgery in operating theatres at a distance from the transfusion service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verlicchi, Franco; Pacilli, Pasqua; Bragliani, Arianna; Rapuano, Silvia; Dini, Daniele; Vincenzi, Daniele

    2018-02-01

    The difficulty of supplying red blood cells within an adequate time to patients undergoing surgery is a known problem for transfusion services, particularly if the operating theater is located at some distance from the blood bank. The consequences frequently are that more blood is ordered than required; several units are allocated and issued; and unused units must be returned to the blood bank. Some sparse reports have demonstrated that remote blood issue systems can improve the efficiency of issuing blood. This study describes a computer-controlled, self-service, remote blood-release system, combined with an automated refrigerator, installed in a hospital at which major surgery was performed, located 5 kilometers away from the transfusion service. With this system, red blood cell units were electronically allocated to patients immediately before release, when the units actually were needed. Two 2-year periods, before and after implementation of the system, were compared. After implementation of the system, the ratio of red blood cell units returned to the transfusion service was reduced from 48.9% to 1.6% of the issued units (8852 of 18,090 vs. 182 of 11,152 units; p blood cell units was observed, probably mainly due to changes in the number and complexity of surgical procedures. No transfusion errors occurred in the two periods. The current results demonstrate that the remote blood-release system is safe and useful for improving the efficiency of blood issue for patients in remote operating theatres. © 2017 AABB.

  11. Automated processing of whole blood units: operational value and in vitro quality of final blood components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurado, Marisa; Algora, Manuel; Garcia-Sanchez, Félix; Vico, Santiago; Rodriguez, Eva; Perez, Sonia; Barbolla, Luz

    2012-01-01

    The Community Transfusion Centre in Madrid currently processes whole blood using a conventional procedure (Compomat, Fresenius) followed by automated processing of buffy coats with the OrbiSac system (CaridianBCT). The Atreus 3C system (CaridianBCT) automates the production of red blood cells, plasma and an interim platelet unit from a whole blood unit. Interim platelet unit are pooled to produce a transfusable platelet unit. In this study the Atreus 3C system was evaluated and compared to the routine method with regards to product quality and operational value. Over a 5-week period 810 whole blood units were processed using the Atreus 3C system. The attributes of the automated process were compared to those of the routine method by assessing productivity, space, equipment and staffing requirements. The data obtained were evaluated in order to estimate the impact of implementing the Atreus 3C system in the routine setting of the blood centre. Yield and in vitro quality of the final blood components processed with the two systems were evaluated and compared. The Atreus 3C system enabled higher throughput while requiring less space and employee time by decreasing the amount of equipment and processing time per unit of whole blood processed. Whole blood units processed on the Atreus 3C system gave a higher platelet yield, a similar amount of red blood cells and a smaller volume of plasma. These results support the conclusion that the Atreus 3C system produces blood components meeting quality requirements while providing a high operational efficiency. Implementation of the Atreus 3C system could result in a large organisational improvement.

  12. The meanings of consent to the donation of cord blood stem cells: perspectives from an interview-based study of a public cord blood bank in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busby, Helen

    2010-03-01

    This paper explores the perspectives of women who have agreed that their umbilical cord blood may be collected for a public 'cord blood bank', for use in transplant medicine or research. Drawing on interview data from 27 mothers who agreed to the collection and use of their umbilical cord blood, these choices and the informed consent process are explored. It is shown that the needs of sick children requiring transplants are prominent in narrative accounts of cord blood banking, together with high expectations for future applications of stem cells. Given this dynamic, a concern arises that the complex and multiple uses of tissues and related data might be oversimplified in the consent process. In conclusion, the positive finding of a commitment to mutuality in cord blood banking among these women is underlined, and its implications for the wider debate on cord blood banking are discussed.

  13. Effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding menstrual blood stem cells banking among nursing students

    OpenAIRE

    Neelam Hans; Sandeep Kaur

    2016-01-01

    Background: Menstrual blood banking enables women to store their menstrual blood under required conditions and preserve it for future. Stem cells present in the menstrual blood have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding menstrual blood stem cells banking among nursing students studying in selected nursing college of Amritsar, Punjab. M...

  14. Utilizing Radiofrequency Identification Technology to Improve Safety and Management of Blood Bank Supply Chains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coustasse, Alberto; Meadows, Pamela; Hall, Robert S; Hibner, Travis; Deslich, Stacie

    2015-11-01

    The importance of efficiency in the supply chain of perishable products, such as the blood products used in transfusion services, cannot be overstated. Many problems can occur, such as the outdating of products, inventory management issues, patient misidentification, and mistransfusion. The purpose of this article was to identify the benefits and barriers associated with radiofrequency identification (RFID) usage in improving the blood bank supply chain. The methodology for this study was a qualitative literature review following a systematic approach. The review was limited to sources published from 2000 to 2014 in the English language. Sixty-five sources were found, and 56 were used in this research study. According to the finding of the present study, there are numerous benefits and barriers to RFID utilization in blood bank supply chains. RFID technology offers several benefits with regard to blood bank product management, including decreased transfusion errors, reduction of product loss, and more efficient inventory management. Barriers to RFID implementation include the cost associated with system implementation and patient privacy issues. Implementation of an RFID system can be a significant investment. However, when observing the positive impact that such systems may have on transfusion safety and inventory management, the cost associated with RFID systems can easily be justified. RFID in blood bank inventory management is vital to ensuring efficient product inventory management and positive patient outcomes.

  15. Assessing the Role of Automation in Managing of Iranian E-banking and its Impact on Social Benefit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidreza Salmani MOJAVERI

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Banks in the field of commercial developments have attention to create structural changes in the receiving and payment systems and also have facilities in services process to customers. In fact we can claim one of the reasons of general tendency to electronic business is the banks managers’ attention to the importance and necessity of this phenomenon, thus have led to their trend and serious attention for providing banking structure, based on electronic method. What banking services makes it different in comparing with other conventional methods for using E-Banking systems, is, quantitative and qualitative expansion in customer service. In other words, E-Banking, prepares the situation to customer till have wider and more diverse services. Furthermore, time and spatial dimension will not have effect in reducing or increasing services to customers. Also the customer can control his/her financial activities in every time and everywhere without attending in bank’s branches. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the status of banking automation, its social and organizational consequences in Iranian E-banking system, and providing appropriate recommendations.

  16. Internal quality control of blood products: An experience from a tertiary care hospital blood bank from Southern Pakistan

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    Sadia Sultan

    2018-01-01

    CONCLUSION: The IQC of blood products at our blood bank is in overall compliance and met recommended international standards. Implementation of standard operating procedures, accomplishment of standard guidelines, proper documentation with regular audit, and staff competencies can improve the quality performance of the transfusion services.

  17. Evaluation of the impact of banking umbilical cord blood units with high cell dose for ethnically diverse patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stritesky, Gretta; Wadsworth, Kimberly; Duffy, Merry; Buck, Kelly; Dehn, Jason

    2018-02-01

    Umbilical cord blood units provide an important stem cell source for transplantation, particularly for patients of ethnic diversity who may not have suitably matched available, adult-unrelated donors. However, with the cost of cord blood unit acquisition from public banks significantly higher than that for adult-unrelated donors, attention is focused on decreasing cost yet still providing cord blood units to patients in need. Historical practices of banking units with low total nucleated cell counts, including units with approximately 90 × 10 7 total nucleated cells, indicates that most banked cord blood units have much lower total nucleated cell counts than are required for transplant. The objective of this study was to determine the impact on the ability to identify suitable cord blood units for transplantation if the minimum total nucleated cell count for banking were increased from 90 × 10 7 to 124 or 149 × 10 7 . We analyzed ethnically diverse patients (median age, 3 years) who underwent transplantation of a single cord blood unit in 2005 to 2016. A cord blood unit search was evaluated to identify units with equal or greater human leukocyte antigen matching and a greater total nucleated cell count than that of the transplanted cord blood unit (the replacement cord blood unit). If the minimum total nucleated cell count for banking increased to 124 or 149 × 10 7 , then from 75 to 80% of patients would still have at least 1 replacement cord blood unit in the current (2016) cord blood unit inventory. The best replacement cord blood units were often found among cords with the same ethnic background as the patient. The current data suggest that, if the minimum total nucleated cell count were increased for banking, then it would likely lead to an inventory of more desirable cord blood units while having minimal impact on the identification of suitable cord blood units for transplantation. © 2017 AABB.

  18. Automated Office Blood Pressure Measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Martin G

    2018-04-01

    Manual blood pressure (BP) recorded in routine clinical practice is relatively inaccurate and associated with higher readings compared to BP measured in research studies in accordance with standardized measurement guidelines. The increase in routine office BP is the result of several factors, especially the presence of office staff, which tends to make patients nervous and also allows for conversation to occur. With the disappearance of the mercury sphygmomanometer because of environmental concerns, there is greater use of oscillometric BP recorders, both in the office setting and elsewhere. Although oscillometric devices may reduce some aspects of observer BP measurement error in the clinical setting, they are still associated with higher BP readings, known as white coat hypertension (for diagnosis) or white coat effect (with treated hypertension). Now that fully automated sphygmomanometers are available which are capable of recording several readings with the patient resting quietly, there is no longer any need to have office staff present when BP is being recorded. Such readings are called automated office blood pressure (AOBP) and they are both more accurate than conventional manual office BP and not associated with the white coat phenomena. AOBP readings are also similar to the awake ambulatory BP and home BP, both of which are relatively good predictors of cardiovascular risk. The available evidence suggests that AOBP should now replace manual or electronic office BP readings when screening patients for hypertension and also after antihypertensive drug therapy is initiated. Copyright © 2018. The Korean Society of Cardiology.

  19. Comparative Analysis of Clinical Samples Showing Weak Serum Reaction on AutoVue System Causing ABO Blood Typing Discrepancies

    OpenAIRE

    Jo, Su Yeon; Lee, Ju Mi; Kim, Hye Lim; Sin, Kyeong Hwa; Lee, Hyeon Ji; Chang, Chulhun Ludgerus; Kim, Hyung-Hoi

    2016-01-01

    Background ABO blood typing in pre-transfusion testing is a major component of the high workload in blood banks that therefore requires automation. We often experienced discrepant results from an automated system, especially weak serum reactions. We evaluated the discrepant results by the reference manual method to confirm ABO blood typing. Methods In total, 13,113 blood samples were tested with the AutoVue system; all samples were run in parallel with the reference manual method according to...

  20. Controversies in hybrid banking: attitudes of Swiss public umbilical cord blood donors toward private and public banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manegold, Gwendolin; Meyer-Monard, Sandrine; Tichelli, André; Granado, Christina; Hösli, Irene; Troeger, Carolyn

    2011-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) stored in public inventories has become an alternative stem cell source for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The potential use of autologous UCB from private banks is a matter of debate. In the face of the limited resources of public inventories, a discussion on "hybrid" public and private UCB banking has evolved. We aimed to explore the attitudes of the donating parents toward public and private UCB banking. A standardized, anonymous questionnaire was sent to the most recent 621 public UCB donors including items regarding satisfaction with recruitment process, the need for a second consent before release of the UCB unit for stem cell transplantation, and the donors' views on public and private UCB banking. Furthermore, we asked about their views on UCB research. Of the questionnaires, 48% were returned, and 16% were lost due to mail contact. Of our donors, 95% would donate to the public bank again. As much as 35% of them were convinced that public banking was useful. Whereas 27% had never heard about private UCB banking, 34% discussed both options. Nearly 70% of donors opted for public banking due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Of our public UCB donors, 81% stated that they did not need a re-consent before UCB release for stem cell transplantation. In case of sample rejection, 53.5% wanted to know details about the particular research project. A total of 9% would not consent. Almost all donors would choose public banking again due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Shortly after donation, mail contact with former UCB donors was difficult. This might be a relevant issue in any sequential hybrid banking.

  1. Automated dried blood spots standard and QC sample preparation using a robotic liquid handler.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Long; Zhang, Duxi; Aubry, Anne-Francoise; Arnold, Mark E

    2012-12-01

    A dried blood spot (DBS) bioanalysis assay involves many steps, such as the preparation of standard (STD) and QC samples in blood, the spotting onto DBS cards, and the cutting-out of the spots. These steps are labor intensive and time consuming if done manually, which, therefore, makes automation very desirable in DBS bioanalysis. A robotic liquid handler was successfully applied to the preparation of STD and QC samples in blood and to spot the blood samples onto DBS cards using buspirone as the model compound. This automated preparation was demonstrated to be accurate and consistent. However the accuracy and precision of automated preparation were similar to those from manual preparation. The effect of spotting volume on accuracy was evaluated and a trend of increasing concentrations of buspirone with increasing spotting volumes was observed. The automated STD and QC sample preparation process significantly improved the efficiency, robustness and safety of DBS bioanalysis.

  2. Blood component fractionation: manual versus automatic procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasqualetti, Daniela; Ghirardini, Alessandro; Cristina Arista, Maria; Vaglio, Stefania; Fakeri, Azis; Waldman, Alan A; Girelli, Gabriella

    2004-02-01

    Over the last few years, quality system requirements have been introduced for blood components. The necessary compliance with standard productions will have a considerable impact on Blood Banks. The introduction of automated methods is the most satisfactory means to meet these requirements for blood component preparation. A new device has been developed to automate the fractionation of blood into components. We evaluated the efficacy of this instrument as compared to manual methods. A total of 218 units of blood have been collected, into several different commercial blood bag systems (77 into standard quadruple bag systems, 141 into bag systems with integrated in line filters), and used to evaluate the universality of the instrument. Whole blood units were processed using the Top/Top system and the Compomat G4 (Fresenius HemoCare). A separate program protocol was developed for each kind of bag. Use of the Compomat G4 resulted in a statistically significant (pblood components, and has been shown adaptable to use with different blood bag systems.

  3. A new strategy for umbilical cord blood collection developed at the first Colombian public cord blood bank increases total nucleated cell content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanegas, Diana; Triviño, Lady; Galindo, Cristian; Franco, Leidy; Salguero, Gustavo; Camacho, Bernardo; Perdomo-Arciniegas, Ana-María

    2017-09-01

    The total nucleated cell dosage of umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an important factor in determining successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after a minimum human leukocyte antigen donor-recipient match. The northern South American population is in need of a new-generation cord blood bank that cryopreserves only units with high total nucleated cell content, thereby increasing the likelihood of use. Colombia set up a public cord blood bank in 2014; and, as a result of its research for improving high total nucleated cell content, a new strategy for UCB collection was developed. Data from 2933 collected and 759 cryopreserved cord blood units between 2014 and 2015 were analyzed. The correlation of donor and collection variables with cellularity was evaluated. Moreover, blood volume, cell content, CD34+ count, clonogenic capacity, and microbial contamination were assessed comparing the new method, which combines in utero and ex utero techniques, with the conventional strategies. Multivariate analysis confirmed a correlation between neonatal birth weight and cell content. The new collection method increased total nucleated cell content in approximately 26% and did not alter pre-cryopreservation and post-thaw cell recovery, viability, or clonogenic ability. Furthermore, it showed a remarkably low microbial contamination rate (1.2%). The strategy for UCB collection developed at the first Colombian public cord blood bank increases total nucleated cell content and does not affect unit quality. The existence of this bank is a remarkable breakthrough for Latin-American patients in need of this kind of transplantation. © 2017 The Authors Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AABB.

  4. Knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women with regard to collection, testing and banking of cord blood stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez, Conrad V; Gordon, Kevin; Van den Hof, Michiel; Taweel, Shaureen; Baylis, Françoise

    2003-03-18

    Umbilical cord blood is used as a source of hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of malignant and nonmalignant disease. We sought to examine pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes regarding cord blood banking, as their support is crucial to the success of cord blood transplant programs. A questionnaire examining sociodemographic factors and women's attitudes to cord blood banking was developed on the basis of findings from 2 focus groups and a pilot study. The questionnaire was distributed to 650 women attending antenatal clinics at a regional women's hospital between April and July 2001. A total of 443 women (68%) responded. More than half of the women (307/438 or 70% [95% confidence interval, CI, 66% to 74%]) reported poor or very poor knowledge about cord blood banking. Many of the respondents (299/441 or 68% [95% CI 63% to 72%]) thought that physicians should talk to pregnant women about the collection of cord blood, and they wanted to receive information about this topic from health care professionals (290/441 or 66% [95% CI 61% to 70%]) or prenatal classes (308/441 or 70% [95% CI 65% to 74%]). Most of the women (379/442 or 86% [95% CI 82% to 89%]) would elect to store cord blood in a public bank, many citing altruism as the reason for this choice. A much smaller proportion (63/442 or 14% [95% CI 11% to 18%]) would elect private banking, indicating that this would be a good investment or that they would feel guilty if the blood had not been stored. Additional acceptable uses for cord blood included research (mentioned by 294/436 women or 67% [95% CI 63% to 72%]) and gene therapy (mentioned by 169/437 women or 39% [95% CI 34% to 43%]). Most of the women in this study supported the donation of cord blood to public cord blood banks for potential transplantation and research.

  5. Rational and timely haemostatic interventions following cardiac surgery - coagulation factor concentrates or blood bank products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Mariann; Fenger-Eriksen, Christian; Wierup, Per; Greisen, Jacob; Ingerslev, Jørgen; Hjortdal, Vibeke; Sørensen, Benny

    2017-06-01

    Cardiac surgery may cause a serious coagulopathy leading to increased risk of bleeding and transfusion demands. Blood bank products are commonly first line haemostatic intervention, but has been associated with hazardous side effect. Coagulation factor concentrates may be a more efficient, predictable, and potentially a safer treatment, although prospective clinical trials are needed to further explore these hypotheses. This study investigated the haemostatic potential of ex vivo supplementation of coagulation factor concentrates versus blood bank products on blood samples drawn from patients undergoing cardiac surgery. 30 adults were prospectively enrolled (mean age=63.9, females=27%). Ex vivo haemostatic interventions (monotherapy or combinations) were performed in whole blood taken immediately after surgery and two hours postoperatively. Fresh-frozen plasma, platelets, cryoprecipitate, fibrinogen concentrate, prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), and recombinant FVIIa (rFVIIa) were investigated. The haemostatic effect was evaluated using whole blood thromboelastometry parameters, as well as by thrombin generation. Immediately after surgery the compromised maximum clot firmness was corrected by monotherapy with fibrinogen or platelets or combination therapy with fibrinogen. At two hours postoperatively the coagulation profile was further deranged as illustrated by a prolonged clotting time, a reduced maximum velocity and further diminished maximum clot firmness. The thrombin lagtime was progressively prolonged and both peak thrombin and endogenous thrombin potential were compromised. No monotherapy effectively corrected all haemostatic abnormalities. The most effective combinations were: fibrinogen+rFVIIa or fibrinogen+PCC. Blood bank products were not as effective in the correction of the coagulopathy. Coagulation factor concentrates appear to provide a more optimal haemostasis profile following cardiac surgery compared to blood bank products. Copyright © 2017

  6. Public Awareness on Cord Blood Banking in Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dunia Jawdat

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. In the last decade, cord blood (CB has proven to be a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation to treat many hematological disorders. Since then, many CB banks have been established worldwide. Our aim was to estimate the level of public awareness of CB banking in Saudi Arabia. Study Design and Methods. A self-administered questionnaire of 22 multiple choices was conveniently distributed, consisting of demographics, awareness measure, attitude toward banking preference, and donation for research data. Results. A total of 1146 participants have completed the questionnaire. The majority were young female 19–25 years old (26%, who are college graduates (57% with middle class socioeconomic status (82%. The subjective assessment of the overall knowledge was inadequate (66%. For the objective assessment, 12 questions were asked about CB source, collection, storage, and usage. Only half of the subjects (52% knew that CB is a source of stem cells. More than half did not know the main use of CB. About half did not know about the method of collection nor the condition of storing. Conclusion. This study shows a high lack of knowledge about CB banking. More than half of the subjects were unaware of CB banking and its uses. However, most subjects are accepting CB storage, which anticipates great impact and efficacy on educational programs. Moreover, the data demonstrated that health professionals were not the source of knowledge. We recommend having comprehensive educational campaigns with clear information about CB banking to facilitate positive perspectives towards donation and scientific research.

  7. Public Awareness on Cord Blood Banking in Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    AlTwijri, Sulaiman; AlSemari, Hadeel; Saade, Mayssa; Alaskar, Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Background In the last decade, cord blood (CB) has proven to be a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation to treat many hematological disorders. Since then, many CB banks have been established worldwide. Our aim was to estimate the level of public awareness of CB banking in Saudi Arabia. Study Design and Methods A self-administered questionnaire of 22 multiple choices was conveniently distributed, consisting of demographics, awareness measure, attitude toward banking preference, and donation for research data. Results A total of 1146 participants have completed the questionnaire. The majority were young female 19–25 years old (26%), who are college graduates (57%) with middle class socioeconomic status (82%). The subjective assessment of the overall knowledge was inadequate (66%). For the objective assessment, 12 questions were asked about CB source, collection, storage, and usage. Only half of the subjects (52%) knew that CB is a source of stem cells. More than half did not know the main use of CB. About half did not know about the method of collection nor the condition of storing. Conclusion This study shows a high lack of knowledge about CB banking. More than half of the subjects were unaware of CB banking and its uses. However, most subjects are accepting CB storage, which anticipates great impact and efficacy on educational programs. Moreover, the data demonstrated that health professionals were not the source of knowledge. We recommend having comprehensive educational campaigns with clear information about CB banking to facilitate positive perspectives towards donation and scientific research. PMID:29765424

  8. Transfusion medicine in the Formosa Fun Coast water park explosion: The role of combined tissue and blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chih-Chun; Yeh, Chin-Chuan; Chu, Fang-Yeh

    2016-10-01

    The Formosa Fun Coast explosion, occurring in a recreational water park located in the Northern Taiwan on 27 June 2015, made 499 people burn-injured. For those who had severe burn trauma, surgical intervention and fluid resuscitation were necessary, and potential blood transfusion therapy could be initiated, especially during and after broad escharotomy. Here, we reviewed the literature regarding transfusion medicine and skin grafting as well as described the practicing experience of combined tissue and blood bank in the burn disaster in Taiwan. It was reported that patients who were severely burn-injured could receive multiple blood transfusions during hospitalization. Since the use of skin graft became a mainstay alternative for wound coverage after the early debridement of burn wounds at the beginning of the 20th century, the development of tissue banking program was initiated. In Taiwan, the tissue banking program was started in 2006. And the first combined tissue and blood bank was established in Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in 2010, equipped with the non-sterile, clean and sterile zones distinctly segregated with a unidirectional movement in the sterile area. The sterile zone was a class 10000 clean room equipped with high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPAF) and positive air pressure ventilation. The combined tissue and blood bank has been able to provide the assigned blood products and tissue graft timely and accurately, with the concepts of centralized management. In the future, the training of tissue and blood bank technicians would be continued and fortified, particularly on the regulation and quality control for further bio- and hemovigilance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Comparison of exercise blood pressure measured by technician and an automated system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Gregory, J A; Jackson, A S; Studeville, J; Squires, W G; Owen, C A

    1984-05-01

    We evaluated the automated system Blood Pressure Measuring System (BPMS) developed by NASA on 277 adult males who elected to have a treadmill test as part of their annual physical. The BPMS uses acoustic transduction with a computer-assisted ECG gating to detect nonsynchronous noise. The BPMS readings were compared to pressures simultaneously measured by trained technicians. For all stages of work, BPMS readings were higher for systolic and lower for diastolic than technician readings. At peak stages of work, BPMS systolic pressures were about 20 mmHg higher than technician readings. Within each 3-min workstage, BPMS readings were found to be more inconsistent than technician readings. The standard errors of measurement for BPMS were from two to three times higher than technician values. These data showed automated blood pressure readings were significantly different than technician values and subject to more random fluctuations. These findings demonstrate the need to view exercise blood pressure measured by automated systems with caution.

  10. Automated blood-sample handling in the clinical laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godolphin, W; Bodtker, K; Uyeno, D; Goh, L O

    1990-09-01

    The only significant advances in blood-taking in 25 years have been the disposable needle and evacuated blood-drawing tube. With the exception of a few isolated barcode experiments, most sample-tracking is performed through handwritten or computer-printed labels. Attempts to reduce the hazards of centrifugation have resulted in air-tight lids or chambers, the use of which is time-consuming and cumbersome. Most commonly used clinical analyzers require serum or plasma, distributed into specialized containers, unique to that analyzer. Aliquots for different tests are prepared by handpouring or pipetting. Moderate to large clinical laboratories perform so many different tests that even multi-analyzers performing multiple analyses on a single sample may account for only a portion of all tests ordered for a patient. Thus several aliquots of each specimen are usually required. We have developed a proprietary serial centrifuge and blood-collection tube suitable for incorporation into an automated or robotic sample-handling system. The system we propose is (a) safe--avoids or prevents biological danger to the many "handlers" of blood; (b) small--minimizes the amount of sample taken and space required to adapt to the needs of satellite and mobile testing, and direct interfacing with analyzers; (c) serial--permits each sample to be treated according to its own "merits," optimizes throughput, and facilitates flexible automation; and (d) smart--ensures quality results through monitoring and intelligent control of patient identification, sample characteristics, and separation process.

  11. Benefits to blood banks of a sales and operations planning process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keal, Donald A; Hebert, Phil

    2010-12-01

    A formal sales and operations planning (S&OP) process is a decision making and communication process that balances supply and demand while integrating all business operational components with customer-focused business plans that links high level strategic plans to day-to-day operations. Furthermore, S&OP can assist in managing change across the organization as it provides the opportunity to be proactive in the face of problems and opportunities while establishing a plan for everyone to follow. Some of the key outcomes from a robust S&OP process in blood banking would include: higher customer satisfaction (donors and health care providers), balanced inventory across product lines and customers, more stable production rates and higher productivity, more cooperation across the entire operation, and timely updates to the business plan resulting in better forecasting and fewer surprises that negatively impact the bottom line. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  12. Marrow donor registry and cord blood bank in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Tsung Dao

    2002-08-01

    Unrelated Bone marrow transplant was initiated thirty years ago. Though there are over millions of donors registered with the bone marrow registries worldwide, Asian patients rarely find a match with all these donors. Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registry was established to meet this need. It has become the largest Asian marrow donor registry in the world. With the introduction of high technology to test the HLA of the donors and recipients, the success rate of bone marrow transplant is greatly improved among Asian countries. 50% of blood disease Asian patients who cannot find a bone marrow matched donor will be complemented by the establishment of cord blood banks in Taiwan.

  13. Partial Red Blood Cell Exchange in Children and Young Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: Manual Versus Automated Procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escobar, Carlos; Moniz, Marta; Nunes, Pedro; Abadesso, Clara; Ferreira, Teresa; Barra, António; Lichtner, Anabela; Loureiro, Helena; Dias, Alexandra; Almeida, Helena

    2017-10-31

    The benefits of manual versus automated red blood cell exchange have rarely been documented and studies in young sickle cell disease patients are scarce. We aim to describe and compare our experience in these two procedures. Young patients (≤ 21 years old) who underwent manual- or automated-red blood cell exchange for prevention or treatment of sickle cell disease complications were included. Clinical, technical and hematological data were prospectively recorded and analyzed. Ninety-four red blood cell exchange sessions were performed over a period of 68 months, including 57 manual and 37 automated, 63 for chronic complications prevention, 30 for acute complications and one in the pre-operative setting. Mean decrease in sickle hemoglobin levels was higher in automated-red blood cell exchange (p exchange and access alarm on automated-red blood cell exchange. No major complication or alloimunization was recorded. Automated-red blood cell exchange decreased sickle hemoglobin levels more efficiently than manual procedure in the setting of acute and chronic complications of sickle cell disease, with minor technical concerns mainly due to vascular access. The threshold of sickle hemoglobin should be individualized for clinical and hematological goals. In our cohort of young patients, the need for an acceptable venous access was a limiting factor, but iron-overload was avoided. Automated red blood cell exchange is safe and well tolerated. It permits a higher sickle hemoglobin removal efficacy, better volume status control and iron-overload avoidance.

  14. Safety analysis code input automation using the Nuclear Plant Data Bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, H.; Leung, J.; Tajbakhsh, A.; Viles, F.

    1985-01-01

    The Nuclear Plant Data Bank (NPDB) is a computer-based system that organizes a nuclear power plant's technical data, providing mechanisms for data storage, retrieval, and computer-aided engineering analysis. It has the specific objective to describe thermohydraulic systems in order to support: rapid information retrieval and display, and thermohydraulic analysis modeling. The Nuclear Plant Data Bank (NPBD) system fully automates the storage and analysis based on this data. The system combines the benefits of a structured data base system and computer-aided modeling with links to large scale codes for engineering analysis. Emphasis on a friendly and very graphically oriented user interface facilitates both initial use and longer term efficiency. Specific features are: organization and storage of thermohydraulic data items, ease in locating specific data items, graphical and tabular display capabilities, interactive model construction, organization and display of model input parameters, input deck construction for TRAC and RELAP analysis programs, and traceability of plant data, user model assumptions, and codes used in the input deck construction process. The major accomplishments of this past year were the development of a RELAP model generation capability and the development of a CRAY version of the code

  15. La experiencia de Perú con un programa nacional de bancos de sangre Peru's experience with a national blood banking program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Fuentes Rivera Salcedo

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes Peru's experiences with its National Blood Banking Program. Until the mid-1990s, the country faced a host of problems, including the lack of a legal framework to regulate blood banks, a high maternal mortality rate due to a shortage of blood, virtually no voluntary donations, a high risk of infection from transfusions, the use of only whole blood for transfusion, serious disorganization in the blood banks, deficiencies in blood bank supervision and control, no training programs, indifference on the part of health officials, frequent selling of blood, and limited community awareness. Subsequently, a strategic plan was prepared that made it possible to solve many of those problems. Legal instruments were prepared; the rate of voluntary donations rose from 0% to 19.5%; the safety of the blood was improved through compulsory screening of all donated blood units for seven markers of infectious diseases, as well as by placing a national seal of quality on all screened units. The availability of blood doubled, thus meeting 70% of the need; sales of blood decreased; and the use of blood components was improved, with 80% of the blood being fractionated. In addition, supervisory control of 100% of the blood banks in the country was achieved, a national registry was established, the cost-benefit relationship for blood units was improved through centralized screening, internal and external quality control was made mandatory, and prodonation campaigns led to commitments from civil society. While important, all these achievements represent just a first step. This is especially true given that developing the National Blood Banking Program required the participation of outside organizations, such as the Pan American Health Organization, whose support, together with the experience provided by other countries, was key. The Program is facing a number of new challenges, and the progress that has been achieved could be threatened if current

  16. Normative evaluation of blood banks in the Brazilian Amazon region in respect to the prevention of transfusion-transmitted malaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Roberto Coradi Freitas

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective:To evaluate blood banks in the Brazilian Amazon region with regard to structure and procedures directed toward the prevention of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM.Methods:This was a normative evaluation based on the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA Resolution RDC No. 153/2004. Ten blood banks were included in the study and classified as 'adequate' (≥80 points, 'partially adequate' (from 50 to 80 points, or 'inadequate' (<50 points. The following components were evaluated: 'donor education' (5 points, 'clinical screening' (40 points, 'laboratory screening' (40 points and 'hemovigilance' (15 points.Results:The overall median score was 49.8 (minimum = 16; maximum = 78. Five blood banks were classified as 'inadequate' and five as 'partially adequate'. The median clinical screening score was 26 (minimum = 16; maximum = 32. The median laboratory screening score was 20 (minimum = 0; maximum = 32. Eight blood banks performed laboratory tests for malaria; six tested all donations. Seven used thick smears, but only one performed this procedure in accordance with Ministry of Health requirements. One service had a Program of External Quality Evaluation for malaria testing. With regard to hemovigilance, two institutions reported having procedures to detect cases of transfusion-transmitted malaria.Conclusion:Malaria is neglected as a blood–borne disease in the blood banks of the Brazilian Amazon region. None of the institutions were classified as 'adequate' in the overall classification or with regard to clinical screening and laboratory screening. Blood bank professionals, the Ministry of Health and Health Surveillance service managers need to pay more attention to this matter so that the safety procedures required by law are complied with.

  17. A framework for evaluating the performance of automated teller machine in banking industries: A queuing model-cum-TOPSIS approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Osita Anyaeche

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The improvement in the provision of banking services to customers enhances bank’s performance (profitability and productivity and the amounts of dividend declared to shareholders as well as bank’s competitiveness. One means of fast tracking the service time for bank customers is through the use of self-servicing machines, such as automated teller machine (ATM. Total service cost, expected waiting time in queue, ATM utilization and percentage of customer loss are some of the performance indices that are used to evaluate the service rendered by a bank’s ATM. This study proposes a framework for evaluating the performance of ATM by integrating queuing model and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS methodology. Applicability of the framework was tested using practical data obtained from four banks in Nigeria. It was observed that the average ATM usage in the study area was less than 50%. The TOPSIS results identified Bank A as the best ranked bank. In addition, the results obtained revealed that banks with two ATM were ranked higher than banks with more than two ATM

  18. Quality Control in Screening for Infectious Diseases at Blood Banks. Rationale and Methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sáez-Alquezar, Amadeo; Albajar-Viñas, Pedro; Guimarães, André Valpassos; Corrêa, José Abol

    2015-11-01

    Quality control procedures are indispensable to ensure the reliability of the results provided by laboratories responsible for serological screening in blood banks. International recommendations on systems of quality management classify as a top component the inclusion of two types of control: (a) internal quality control (IQC) and (b) external quality control (EQC). In EQC it is essential to have, at least, a monthly frequency of laboratory assessment. On the other hand, IQC involves the daily use of low-reactivity control sera, which should be systematically added in all run, carried out in the laboratory for each parameter. Through the IQC analysis some variations in the criteria of run acceptance and rejection may be revealed, but it is of paramount importance to ensure the previous definition of these criteria and even more importantly, the adherence to them; and that corresponds to the validation of analytical runs of each test. Since 2010 this has been, for instance, the experience of the PNCQ*, developing external quality control programmes on serology for blood banks. These programmes use samples of lyophilized sera well-characterized for the reactivity related to the parameters used for the serological screening of blood donors. The programmes have used blind panels of six samples for monthly assessments. In the last 50 assessments, which involved 68 blood banks in Brazil, a significant number of instances of non-compliance were observed in all monthly assessments. These results provide strong support to the recommendation of systematic monthly assessments. (*) National Quality Control Programme (PNCQ).

  19. 12 CFR 205.16 - Disclosures at automated teller machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Disclosures at automated teller machines. 205... SYSTEM ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS (REGULATION E) § 205.16 Disclosures at automated teller machines. (a) Definition. Automated teller machine operator means any person that operates an automated teller machine at...

  20. Sizing inventory of blood products in a blood bank at Brazil based on a model of inventory management and a demand forecast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Lorena Marques Gurgel

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available The management of the stocks of products derived from the blood processing collected in blood banks is a problem for health services in Brazil and the world. Quantify the stocks of these products in order to equalize the demand and supply is not a simple task. It's necessary ensure that the product is available when needed and in due time. However, there is no how overestimate these stocks given that the product is perishable and it is not easy the availability of raw material (blood for processing. There are few studies in Brazil, however, that discuss this issue. This study will focus on one Brazilian Hemocentro, which has faced the challenge of measure the demand for haemotherapic's products and establish parameters to control their stocks. Thus, it was sought to adapt a recent study realized out of the country, about sizing of stocks of a inventory for blood banks, combined with a forecast model of demand for blood derivatives subclassified by blood type. This control aims to increase the availability of the transfusion service, as it intends to reduce shortages and wastage of the blood collected.

  1. Microfluidic cartridges for automated, point-of-care blood cell counting

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Smith, Suzanne

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Disposable, low-cost microfluidic cartridges for automated blood cell counting applications are presented in this article. The need for point-of-care medical diagnostic tools is evident, particularly in low-resource and rural settings, and a full...

  2. Is D U Phenotype Testing A Necessity In Blood Bank Practice In ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: To evaluate the necessity of Du Phenotype testing in blood bank practice in Nigeria. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Three health institutions within Port Harcourt metropolis: The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Braithewaite Memorial Hospital, Port Harcourt and Orogbum comprehensive ...

  3. Blood banking-induced alteration of red blood cell oxygen release ability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yaojin; Xiong, Yanlian; Wang, Ruofeng; Tang, Fuzhou; Wang, Xiang

    2016-05-01

    Current blood banking procedures may not fully preserve red blood cell (RBC) function during storage, contributing to the decrease of RBC oxygen release ability. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of routine cold storage on RBC oxygen release ability. RBC units were collected from healthy donors and each unit was split into two parts (whole blood and suspended RBC) to exclude possible donor variability. Oxygen dissociation measurements were performed on blood units stored at 4 °C during a 5-week period. 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels and fluorescent micrographs of erythrocyte band 3 were also analysed. P50 and oxygen release capacity decreased rapidly during the first 3 weeks, and then did not change significantly. In contrast, the kinetic properties (PO2-t curve and T*50) of oxygen release changed slowly during the first 3 weeks of storage, but then decreased significantly in the last 2 weeks. 2,3-diphosphoglycerate decreased quickly during the first 3 weeks of storage to almost undetectable levels. Band 3 aggregated significantly during the last 2 weeks of storage. RBC oxygen release ability appears to be sensitive to routine cold storage. The thermodynamic characteristics of RBC oxygen release ability changed mainly in the first 3 weeks of storage, due to the decrease of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, whereas the kinetic characteristics of RBC oxygen release ability decreased significantly at the end of storage, probably affected by alterations of band 3.

  4. The role of comprehensive check at the blood bank reception on blood requisitions in detecting potential transfusion errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Ashish; Kumari, Sonam; Marwaha, Neelam; Sharma, Ratti Ram

    2015-06-01

    Pre-transfusion testing includes proper requisitions, compatibility testing and pre-release checks. Proper labelling of samples and blood units and accurate patient details check helps to minimize the risk of errors in transfusion. This study was aimed to identify requisition errors before compatibility testing. The study was conducted in the blood bank of a tertiary care hospital in north India over a period of 3 months. The requisitions were screened at the reception counter and inside the pre-transfusion testing laboratory for errors. This included checking the Central Registration number (C.R. No.) and name of patient on the requisition form and the sample label; appropriateness of sample container and sample label; incomplete requisitions; blood group discrepancy. Out of the 17,148 blood requisitions, 474 (2.76 %) requisition errors were detected before the compatibility testing. There were 192 (1.11 %) requisitions where the C.R. No. on the form and the sample were not tallying and in 70 (0.40 %) requisitions patient's name on the requisition form and the sample were different. Highest number of requisitions errors were observed in those received from the Emergency and Trauma services (27.38 %) followed by Medical wards (15.82 %) and the lowest number (3.16 %) of requisition errors were observed from Hematology and Oncology wards. C.R. No. error was the most common error observed in our study. Thus a careful check of the blood requisitions at the blood bank reception counter helps in identifying the potential transfusion errors.

  5. Complications associated with blood donations in a blood bank at an Indian tertiary care hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meena, Monika; Jindal, Tarun

    2014-09-01

    Blood donation, though safe, has a few potentially avoidable complications associated with it. They are important reasons for the failure of the donors to return for repeat donations. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and identify the possible factors associated with increased risk of blood donation related complications so that they can be minimized. A prospective study was done over a period of four months in the blood bank of an Indian tertiary care hospital to record the donation related complications. Out of 7450 blood donations, total donation associated complications were 74, of which majority were vasovagal reactions (VVRs) (n=48), followed by venous hematomas (n=24) and arterial punctures (n=2). The incidence of VVRs was more, though not statistically significant, in females, replacement/repeat donors, donors between 21-30 y of age and who had a body-mass-index (BMI) of 18.5-24.9. VVRs were more common in April (p=0.002) and in those who donated 450ml of blood (pdonated 350ml of blood, statistically significant association was seen only in repeat donors (pdonation in our country has a complication rate of nearly 1%.

  6. The effect of increased centrifugation temperature on the quality of red-blood-cell concentrates of automated whole blood processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinigel, C; Rummler, S; Barz, D

    2013-10-01

    There are manual and automated methods to separate whole blood (WB) available. The Atreus whole blood processing system is an automated method, which combines centrifugation and expression of components into a single device. A major difference to conventional methods is that centrifugation temperature is not controlled at 22°C. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of increased centrifugation temperatures on the quality of red-blood-cell concentrates (RCC) after active cooling of WB prior to processing. A total of 28 WB were processed: 16 at centrifugation temperatures of up to 28°C (1st protocol) and 12 at 34°C (2nd protocol). RCC quality parameters were tested weekly for 42 days. Red-blood-cell concentrates (RCC) quality complied with the European and German guidelines. Haemolysis was not significantly different throughout storage. Significant statistical differences were detected between both protocols in potassium concentration at the end of storage and in ATP levels at the day of processing. Centrifugation temperatures of up to 34°C are well tolerated by the red blood cells with minimal interference with the RCC quality parameters. © 2013 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

  7. Pregnant women's perspectives on umbilical cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugarman, J; Kaplan, L; Cogswell, B; Olson, J

    1998-08-01

    Promising clinical results suggest that umbilical cord blood (UCB) collected after delivery of a child may have many advantages over bone marrow for transplantation. As there are an increasing number of options regarding the collection of UCB, including private and public banking, more pregnant women are likely to be asked to make decisions about UCB collection. We conducted three focus groups with pregnant women to learn about their perspectives on this emerging technology. All the women in these focus groups indicated that they would choose to have UCB collected. Reasons leading to this choice were that the UCB would otherwise be discarded and altruism. Participants indicated that possible reasons to decide not to have UCB collected include concerns about the safety of the mother and neonate, beliefs about the placenta, threats against confidentiality, rejection of UCB, and the influence of fathers. While feeling confident in making an anticipatory decision about UCB collection, women expressed a clear desire to learn much more about the collection, storage (including distinctions between public and private banking), and use of UCB. In addition, they believed that recruitment for UCB collection should occur after sufficient education about UCB and certainly not after delivery and collection. These data will be useful in guiding efforts to help women make decisions about having UCB collected and in developing an appropriate recruitment and informed consent process for donating UCB to a public bank.

  8. Banking Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) Stem Cells: Awareness, Attitude and Expectations of Potential Donors from One of the Largest Potential Repository (India).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Deeksha; Kaur, Simar; Kamath, Asha

    2016-01-01

    The concept of Umbilical Cord blood (UCB) stem cells is emerging as a non-invasive, efficacious alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells to treat a variety of blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers, metabolic disorders and immune deficiencies. Aim of the present study was to determine the level of awareness about banking UCB among pregnant women in India. We also assessed patient perception for banking of UCB and explored the patient expectations of banking UCB in future. This is the first study to assess current attitudes, in a sample population of potential donors from one of the largest potential UCB repository (India). Obtaining this information may help optimize recruitment efforts and improve patient education. Present explorative questionnaire based survey included 254 pregnant women in the final analysis. We established only 26.5% pregnant women in our study population knew what exactly is meant by UCB. A large proportion (55.1%) was undecided on whether they want to bank UCB or not. Women were more aware of the more advertised private cord blood banking compared to public banking. More than half of the pregnant women expected their obstetrician to inform them regarding UCB. One-third of the women in our population had undue expectations from banking of the UCB. Obstetricians should play a more active role in explaining the patients regarding pros and cons of UCB banking.

  9. Banking Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB Stem Cells: Awareness, Attitude and Expectations of Potential Donors from One of the Largest Potential Repository (India.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deeksha Pandey

    Full Text Available The concept of Umbilical Cord blood (UCB stem cells is emerging as a non-invasive, efficacious alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells to treat a variety of blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers, metabolic disorders and immune deficiencies. Aim of the present study was to determine the level of awareness about banking UCB among pregnant women in India. We also assessed patient perception for banking of UCB and explored the patient expectations of banking UCB in future. This is the first study to assess current attitudes, in a sample population of potential donors from one of the largest potential UCB repository (India. Obtaining this information may help optimize recruitment efforts and improve patient education.Present explorative questionnaire based survey included 254 pregnant women in the final analysis.We established only 26.5% pregnant women in our study population knew what exactly is meant by UCB. A large proportion (55.1% was undecided on whether they want to bank UCB or not. Women were more aware of the more advertised private cord blood banking compared to public banking. More than half of the pregnant women expected their obstetrician to inform them regarding UCB. One-third of the women in our population had undue expectations from banking of the UCB.Obstetricians should play a more active role in explaining the patients regarding pros and cons of UCB banking.

  10. Nomogram to Predict Graft Thickness in Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty: An Eye Bank Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Steven S; Menninga, Isaac; Hoshino, Richard; Humphreys, Christine; Chan, Clara C

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a nomogram to predict postcut thickness of corneal grafts prepared at an eye bank for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Retrospective chart review was performed of DSAEK graft preparations by 3 experienced technicians from April 2012 to May 2017 at the Eye Bank of Canada-Ontario Division. Variables collected included the following: donor demographics, death-to-preservation time, death-to-processing time, precut tissue thickness, postcut tissue thickness, microkeratome head size, endothelial cell count, cut technician, and rate of perforation. Linear regression models were generated for each microkeratome head size (300 and 350 μm). A total of 780 grafts were processed during the study period. Twelve preparation attempts resulted in perforation (1.5%) and were excluded. Mean precut tissue thickness was 510 ± 49 μm (range: 363-670 μm). Mean postcut tissue thickness was 114 ± 22 μm (range: 57-193 μm). Seventy-nine percent (608/768) of grafts were ≤130 μm. The linear regression models included precut thickness and donor age, which were able to predict the thickness to within 25 μm 80% of the time. We report a nomogram to predict thickness of DSAEK corneal grafts prepared in an eye bank setting, which was accurate to within 25 μm 80% of the time. Other eye banks could consider performing similar analyses.

  11. Role of blood bag temperature indicators in maintaining patent temperature of the returned unused blood bags in blood bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurasyikin, Y; Leong, C F; Fadhlullah, T M; Hafiz, W M; Nadiah, Z; Atieqah, A N; Ling, T J; Das, S

    2011-01-01

    The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the temperature chain of red blood cells (RBC) returned unused blood bags using blood temperature indicator and ascertain the factors like transportation time, type, size of coolant box and number of bags per box. A total of 250 blood bags with the indicator were observed for the temperature changes with other factors like transportation time, type and size of coolant box and number of bags per box. The recordings were performed at several checkpoints located between the blood bank and the wards. Out of the 250 bags, 74 (29.6%) showed colour changes in which 64 (86.3%) were returned unused (RU) blood bags. The transportation time for these 74 bags was 818.3 ± 941.643 min, significantly higher than bags without colour changes, (p=0.02). Interestingly, 71.4% of the colour changes occurred within the ward. The 7 litre coolant box with an average of 1-5 blood bags per box had a statistically significant higher percentage of colour change with 59.2% compared to the 5 litre coolant box (p=0.05). This study showed that the temperature chain of blood bags was often not well maintained. These results could be mainly due to the non-adherence to the standard operating procedure (SOP) of blood transfusion and the usage of non-standardized coolant boxes.

  12. Automation of vibroacoustic data bank for random vibration criteria development. [for the space shuttle and launch vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferebee, R. C.

    1982-01-01

    A computerized data bank system was developed for utilization of large amounts of vibration and acoustic data to formulate component random vibration design and test criteria. This system consists of a computer, graphics tablet, and a dry-silver hard copier which are all desk-top type hardware and occupy minimal space. The data bank contains data from the Saturn V and Titan III flight and static test programs. The vibration and acoustic data are stored in the form of power spectral density and one-third octave band plots over the frequency range from 20 to 2000 Hz. The data was stored by digitizing each spectral plot by tracing with the graphics tablet. The digitized data was statistically analyzed and the resulting 97.5% probability levels were stored on tape along with the appropriate structural parameters. Standard extrapolation procedures were programmed for prediction of component random vibration test criteria for new launch vehicle and payload configurations. This automated vibroacoustic data bank system greatly enhances the speed and accuracy of formulating vibration test criteria. In the future, the data bank will be expanded to include all data acquired from the space shuttle flight test program.

  13. Complete blood count reference values of cord blood in Taiwan and the influence of gender and delivery route on them.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Yu-Hsun; Yang, Shang-Hsien; Wang, Tso-Fu; Lin, Teng-Yi; Yang, Kuo-Liang; Chen, Shu-Huey

    2011-06-01

    Cord blood banking has become more popular in recent years. Checking cord blood complete blood count (CBC) and white blood cell (WBC) differential counts (DCs) is essential before cryopreserving the cord blood units. Therefore, establishing the normal reference values of cord blood CBC and WBC DC is important in clinical practice and research. To obtain a large-scale population-based normal CBC and WBC DC reference values of healthy neonates' cord blood from a public cord blood bank and to investigate the influence of the gender and delivery route. From September 2001 to November 2006, the cord blood of healthy Taiwanese neonates with gestational age 36 weeks and more were collected by Tzu Chi Cord Blood Bank with written informed consents. All cord blood samples were analyzed by Sysmex XE2100 automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) to obtain the CBC. The WBC DC was calculated by manual method. We used Student's t test and Mann-Whitney U test for investigating the influences of gender and delivery route on the CBC and WBC DC reference values. The results were presented by mean±standard deviation or 2.5-97.5th percentiles. In the study period, totally 5602 cord blood samples were collected eligibly for analysis. The cord blood CBC and WBC DC normal reference values were calculated. The female neonates had significantly higher mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, and WBC count, but lower red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit, and mean corpuscular Hb concentration values (pTaiwan. Gender and delivery routes were important confounding factors that influenced the cord blood CBC and WBC DC values. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Automated immunoradiometric assay of thyrotrophin (TSH) in dried blood filter paper spots

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John, R.; Woodhead, J.S. (Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff (UK))

    1982-11-10

    An immunoradiometric two-site assay for thyrotrophin (TSH) in dried blood filter paper spots is described. The assay is automated by means of the Kemtek 3000 automated immunoassay system. The technique uses a 6.0 mm disc punched from the dried blood samples collected as part of the screening programme for phenylketonuria. The method is sensitive and precise, and results correlate well with those obtained in TSH assays of serum samples. The procedure is rapid, results being available within 24 h of receipt of samples. Of 25204 specimens so far screened by this assay, 99.9% have TSH levels less than 15 mU/l. One false positive result has been obtained and six confirmed cases of neonatal hypothyroidism detected, giving a prevalence of 1 in 4200.

  15. Risk of Exposure to Zika Virus and Impact on Cord Blood Banking and Adult Unrelated Donors in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: The Canadian Blood Services Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Zachary; Morris, Gail; Campbell, Todd; Mostert, Karen; Dibdin, Nicholas; Fearon, Margaret; Elmoazzen, Heidi; Mercer, Dena; Young, Kimberly; Allan, David

    2018-04-01

    Zika virus has emerged as a potential threat to the Canadian blood supply system. Stem cell donors within Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank (CBB) and OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network (OM) now undergo screening measures designed to reduce the risk of Zika virus transmission. The impact these screening measures have on cord blood and unrelated adult stem cell donations is currently unknown. Among 146 donor workups initiated by OM between July 2016 and May 2017, 102 were completed and 44 workups were canceled. There were 17 potential donors (11.6%) with a risk of Zika virus exposure identified by the donor questionnaire (13 completed, 4 canceled workups). None of the workups involved a donor diagnosed with confirmed Zika virus within the past 6 months. Only 1 of the 44 canceled workups (and only 1 of 4 cases with a risk of Zika transmission) was canceled because of the risk of Zika transmission, and a backup donor was selected. Canadian Blood Services' CBB identified 25 of 875 cord blood units (2.9%) from women who donated their infants' cord blood and underwent screening that otherwise met the initial cell number thresholds for banking and had at least 1 risk factor for exposure to Zika virus. No women were diagnosed with Zika virus at any point of their pregnancy. All 25 units were discarded. Unrelated donors at OM have a higher incidence of a risk of exposure to Zika virus compared with cord blood donors. Only rarely did transplant centers cancel donor workups due to potential Zika virus exposure. The impact of screening for Zika virus exposure risk on cord blood banking was minor. Continued vigilance and surveillance is recommended. Copyright © 2017 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. [Acceptance by blood donors of the public blood bank in Recife, Brazil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Araújo, Fábia Michelle Rodrigues; Feliciano, Katia Virginia de Oliveira; Mendes, Marina Ferreira de Medeiros

    2011-12-01

    This study evaluated the acceptance of blood donors concerning the donation stages (attendance, medical and nursing selection and collection) at the Recife public blood bank with emphasis on the attendance. A sample of 527 donors was obtained: each 19th person sequentially was invited to answer a questionnaire. Chi-square (x2) was used in the analysis. Of those interviewed, 81.4% were men, 81% were repeat donors, 50.3% were dissatisfied regarding the time spent in donation and 36.4% had difficulties in reaching the service. The firm acceptance given to the attendance was due mainly to the communication and the quality of treatment. Of statistical significance were women donors of higher educational level who asked for more information and men who had a more positive perception towards the selection process. The best evaluation was attributed to the collection sector. However, mention was made of impersonal treatment, persistence of doubts and the cursory nature of the medical interview. Attention focused on the donor requires that ongoing education should concentrate on the humanitarian formation of the professionals involved.

  17. Banking: shop and compare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Jennifer A; DeJarnette, Sherry

    2014-01-01

    There are many reasons to take a critical look at the practice's banking relationship(s)--technology advancements, security measures, improvements in available services, recent banking enhancements designed specifically for medical practices, the impact of the financial crisis on bank ratings and stability, changing practice needs, opportunities for operational automation at the practice--and it is just simply smart to periodically evaluate and compare the features, pricing, and potential savings offered by vendors.

  18. Automatic Power Factor Correction Using Capacitive Bank

    OpenAIRE

    Mr.Anant Kumar Tiwari,; Mrs. Durga Sharma

    2014-01-01

    The power factor correction of electrical loads is a problem common to all industrial companies. Earlier the power factor correction was done by adjusting the capacitive bank manually [1]. The automated power factor corrector (APFC) using capacitive load bank is helpful in providing the power factor correction. Proposed automated project involves measuring the power factor value from the load using microcontroller. The design of this auto-adjustable power factor correction is ...

  19. Impact of selection of cord blood units from the United States and swiss registries on the cost of banking operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bart, Thomas; Boo, Michael; Balabanova, Snejana; Fischer, Yvonne; Nicoloso, Grazia; Foeken, Lydia; Oudshoorn, Machteld; Passweg, Jakob; Tichelli, Andre; Kindler, Vincent; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Price, Thomas; Regan, Donna; Shpall, Elizabeth J; Schwabe, Rudolf

    2013-02-01

    Over the last 2 decades, cord blood (CB) has become an important source of blood stem cells. Clinical experience has shown that CB is a viable source for blood stem cells in the field of unrelated hematopoietic blood stem cell transplantation. Studies of CB units (CBUs) stored and ordered from the US (National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and Swiss (Swiss Blood Stem Cells (SBSQ)) CB registries were conducted to assess whether these CBUs met the needs of transplantation patients, as evidenced by units being selected for transplantation. These data were compared to international banking and selection data (Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW), World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA)). Further analysis was conducted on whether current CB banking practices were economically viable given the units being selected from the registries for transplant. It should be mentioned that our analysis focused on usage, deliberately omitting any information about clinical outcomes of CB transplantation. A disproportionate number of units with high total nucleated cell (TNC) counts are selected, compared to the distribution of units by TNC available. Therefore, the decision to use a low threshold for banking purposes cannot be supported by economic analysis and may limit the economic viability of future public CB banking. We suggest significantly raising the TNC level used to determine a bankable unit. A level of 125 × 10(7) TNCs, maybe even 150 × 10(7) TNCs, might be a viable banking threshold. This would improve the return on inventory investments while meeting transplantation needs based on current selection criteria.

  20. Comparison Between Conventional and Automated Techniques for Blood Grouping and Crossmatching: Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhagwat, Swarupa Nikhil; Sharma, Jayashree H; Jose, Julie; Modi, Charusmita J

    2015-01-01

    The routine immunohematological tests can be performed by automated as well as manual techniques. These techniques have advantages and disadvantages inherent to them. The present study aims to compare the results of manual and automated techniques for blood grouping and crossmatching so as to validate the automated system effectively. A total of 1000 samples were subjected to blood grouping by the conventional tube technique (CTT) and the automated microplate LYRA system on Techno TwinStation. A total of 269 samples (multitransfused patients and multigravida females) were compared for 927 crossmatches by the CTT in indirect antiglobulin phase against the column agglutination technique (CAT) performed on Techno TwinStation. For blood grouping, the study showed a concordance in results for 942/1000 samples (94.2%), discordance for 4/1000 (0.4%) samples and uninterpretable result for 54/1000 samples (5.4%). On resolution, the uninterpretable results reduced to 49/1000 samples (4.9%) with 951/1000 samples (95.1%) showing concordant results. For crossmatching, the automated CAT showed concordant results in 887/927 (95.6%) and discordant results in 3/927 (0.32%) crossmatches as compared to the CTT. Total 37/927 (3.9%) crossmatches were not interpretable by the automated technique. The automated system shows a high concordance of results with CTT and hence can be brought into routine use. However, the high proportion of uninterpretable results emphasizes on the fact that proper training and standardization are needed prior to its use.

  1. Prevailing of sensitive blood driving to AIDS/HIV. Provincial Blood Bank of Sancti Spíritus. 2007-2008.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha Quesada Concepción

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Because of blood transfusions are one of the ways of transmitting the immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS/HIV; it constitutes warriness from the epidemiological point of view. A descriptive research was done with the objective of determining the prevailing of sensitive blood driving AIDS/HIV in the Provincial Blood Bank from Sancti Spíritus from January 1 st , 2007 to December 31 st, 2008. The sample was conformed by 312 donants with positive diagnosis to AIDS/HIV. Some variables were used such as prevailing, age, sex, race, home town. The scores of higher prevailing to AIDS/HIV were shown by the male sex (4,42, the 26-33 year old group (1,55; it prevailing volunteer blood driving (81,0 % , and Sancti Spíritus municipality gave more cases (27,5% .Just because sensibility to tests based on antibody, that is why it is important the constant checking of all processes that guarantee blood driving to be sired.

  2. [Guidelines for Chagas disease: Part III. Chagas disease in donors to blood banks].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apt B, Werner; Heitmann G, Ingrid; Jercic L, M Isabel; Jotré M, Leonor; Muñoz C del V, Patricia; Noemí H, Isabel; San Martin V, Ana M; Sapunar P, Jorge; Torres H, Marisa; Zulantay A, Inés

    2008-08-01

    In this chapter it is emphasized the importance to guarantee safety and high quality blood transfusions. Besides, the following topics are analyzed: the importance of Trypanosoma cruzi infection acquired by blood transfusions, the obligatory screening implemented in Chilean blood banks and serological diagnostic techniques used that for, the seroprevalence observed, the importance to confirm results and methods recommended in this purpose and, to notify the donor once the infection is confirmed. In addition a facsímil of a letter used to notify the positive donor is included as guidelines to make advice after, attaching a pro-forma of clinical-epidemiological registration to refer the donor to medical evaluation and treatment.

  3. Usable Security and E-Banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertzum, Morten; Juul, Niels Christian; Jørgensen, Niels Henrik

    2004-01-01

    Electronic banking must be secure and easy to use. An evaluation of six Danish web-based electronic banking systems indicates that the systems have serious weaknesses with respect to ease of use. Analysis of the weaknesses suggests that security requirements are among their causes...... that transcend preconceived instructions. We discuss the pros and cons of automation and understanding as alternative approaches to the design of web-based e-banking systems....

  4. Usable security and e-banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertzum, Morten; Jørgensen, Niels; Nørgaard, Mie

    2004-01-01

    Electronic banking must be secure and easy to use. An evaluation of six Danish web-based electronic banking systems indicates that the systems have serious weaknesses with respect to ease of use. Our analysis of the weaknesses suggests that security requirements are among their causes...... that transcend preconceived instructions. We discuss the pros and cons of automation and understanding as alternative approaches to the design of web-based e-banking systems....

  5. Automated measurement of office, home and ambulatory blood pressure in atrial fibrillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kollias, Anastasios; Stergiou, George S

    2014-01-01

    1. Hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF) often coexist and are strong risk factors for stroke. Current guidelines for blood pressure (BP) measurement in AF recommend repeated measurements using the auscultatory method, whereas the accuracy of the automated devices is regarded as questionable. This review presents the current evidence on the feasibility and accuracy of automated BP measurement in the presence of AF and the potential for automated detection of undiagnosed AF during such measurements. 2. Studies evaluating the use of automated BP monitors in AF are limited and have significant heterogeneity in methodology and protocols. Overall, the oscillometric method is feasible for static (office or home) and ambulatory use and appears to be more accurate for systolic than diastolic BP measurement. 3. Given that systolic hypertension is particularly common and important in the elderly, the automated BP measurement method may be acceptable for self-home and ambulatory monitoring, but not for professional office or clinic measurement. 4. An embedded algorithm for the detection of asymptomatic AF during routine automated BP measurement with high diagnostic accuracy has been developed and appears to be a useful screening tool for elderly hypertensives. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  6. Trust, nostalgia and narrative accounts of blood banking in England in the 21st century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wynne Busby, Helen

    2010-07-01

    Historically, cultural accounts and descriptions of blood banking in Britain have been associated with notions of altruism, national solidarity and imagined community. While these ideals have continued to be influential, the business of procuring and supplying blood has become increasingly complex. Drawing on interview data with donors in one blood centre in England, this article reports that these donors tend not to acknowledge the complex dynamics of production and exchange in modern blood systems. This, it is argued, is congruent with nostalgic narratives in both popular and official accounts of blood services, which tend to bracket these important changes. A shift to a more open institutional narrative about modern blood services is advocated, as blood services face current and future challenges.

  7. An automated immunoradiometric assay of thyrotrophin (TSH) in dried blood filter paper spots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John, R.; Woodhead, J.S.

    1982-01-01

    An immunoradiometric two-site assay for thyrotrophin (TSH) in dried blood filter paper spots is described. The assay is automated by means of the Kemtek 3000 automated immunoassay system. The technique uses a 6.0 mm disc punched from the dried blood samples collected as part of the screening programme for phenylketonuria. The method is sensitive and precise, and results correlate well with those obtained in TSH assays of serum samples. The procedure is rapid, results being available within 24 h of receipt of samples. Of 25204 specimens so far screened by this assay, 99.9% have TSH levels less than 15 mU/l. One false positive result has been obtained and six confirmed cases of neonatal hypothyroidism detected, giving a prevalence of 1 in 4200. (Auth.)

  8. Evaluation of the quality of blood components obtained after automated separation of whole blood by a new multiunit processor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lagerberg, Johan W; Salado-Jimena, Jose A; Löf, Helena

    2013-01-01

    The Reveos system (Terumo BCT) is a fully automated device able to process four whole blood (WB) units simultaneously into a plasma unit, a red blood cell (RBC) unit, and an interim platelet (PLT) unit (IPU). Multiple IPUs can be pooled to form a transfusable PLT product. The aim of our study...... was to evaluate the quality of components made with the Reveos system from either fresh (2-8 hr) or overnight-held WB....

  9. Donating Blood

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... The medical history includes questions that help blood bank staff decide if a person is healthy enough to donate blood. They'll ... Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates U.S. blood banks. All blood ... operating. Sometimes people who donate blood notice a few minor side ...

  10. Cord blood banking activities at a university hospital in northeast Mexico: an 8-year experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaime-Perez, Jose C; Monreal-Robles, Roberto; Colunga-Pedraza, Julia; Mancías-Guerra, Consuelo; Rodríguez-Romo, Laura; Gómez-Almaguer, David

    2012-12-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) represents an alternative source of stem cells for transplantation for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and genetic disorders. There is scarce information detailing cord blood bank (CBB) collection and transplantation activities from developing countries. We documented our experience at a public university hospital in northeast Mexico. We carried out a retrospective and descriptive analysis of our CBB activity during an 8-year period from May 2002 to September 2010. Collection, processing, and cryopreservation of CB were carried out following standard operating procedures. The minimum volume and total nucleated cell (TNC) content for cryopreservation were 80 mL and 8.0 × 10(8) , respectively. A total of 1256 UCB units were collected; 428 (34%) were banked and 828 (66%) were discarded. The main reason for exclusion was biologic: low volume and/or low number of TNC accounted for 84% of the total discarded units. Cryopreserved cord blood units (CBUs) had a median volume of 113.8 mL (range, 80-213.2 mL) and 13.0 × 10(8) (range, 8 × 10(8) -36.6 × 10(8) ) TNCs. Cell viability was 99.3% (88-100%). The median CD34+ cell content was 4.0 × 10(6) (0.46 × 10(6) -19.38 × 10(6) ). Sixteen units have been released for transplantation, leading to a utilization rate of 3.7%. CBB demands considerable human and financial resources; it is then essential for centers at developing countries to share their experience, results, and databases to increase the probability of finding matching units for their patients. Efforts to create and maintain CBBs allow to offer this therapeutic option at an affordable cost. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  11. Automated processing of whole blood samples for the determination of immunosuppressants by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogeser, Michael; Spöhrer, Ute

    2006-01-01

    Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is an efficient technology for routine determination of immunosuppressants in whole blood; however, time-consuming manual sample preparation remains a significant limitation of this technique. Using a commercially available robotic pipetting system (Tecan Freedom EVO), we developed an automated sample-preparation protocol for quantification of tacrolimus in whole blood by LC-MS/MS. Barcode reading, sample resuspension, transfer of whole blood aliquots into a deep-well plate, addition of internal standard solution, mixing, and protein precipitation by addition of an organic solvent is performed by the robotic system. After centrifugation of the plate, the deproteinized supernatants are submitted to on-line solid phase extraction, using column switching prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. The only manual actions within the entire process are decapping of the tubes, and transfer of the deep-well plate from the robotic system to a centrifuge and finally to the HPLC autosampler. Whole blood pools were used to assess the reproducibility of the entire analytical system for measuring tacrolimus concentrations. A total coefficient of variation of 1.7% was found for the entire automated analytical process (n=40; mean tacrolimus concentration, 5.3 microg/L). Close agreement between tacrolimus results obtained after manual and automated sample preparation was observed. The analytical system described here, comprising automated protein precipitation, on-line solid phase extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis, is convenient and precise, and minimizes hands-on time and the risk of mistakes in the quantification of whole blood immunosuppressant concentrations compared to conventional methods.

  12. Technological Innovations and Banking in Ghana: An Evaluation of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In Sub-Saharan Africa, developments in information and communication technology are radically changing the way business is done. These developments in technology have resulted in new delivery channels for banking products and services such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Telephone Banking, PC-Banking, ...

  13. Hemoterapia e febre Dengue Blood banking e Dengue fever

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Estácio F. Ramos

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Dengue is an endemic/epidemic arboviral disease with a variable symptomatic benign course, but potentially fatal. Once in an inhabited area, the disease will exist forever, with the best achievement being to keep vectors suppressed and the disease under control. Tiger mosquitoes (aedes aegypti, aedes albopictus are active breeders and urban hunters, becoming resistant to pesticides. Global warming and population growth are propelling the disease worldwide at tropical and subtropical regions, victimizing new populations. Dengue virus is very infective, and has been transmitted by needlestick, intrapartum, through blood transfusion and mucosal contact with blood. One patient got dengue while undergoing bone marrow transplantation. We address the growing dengue epidemics in Brazil, with more than half a million official cases in 2007, to estimate the risks of transfusion transmitted dengue. Calculations however were surpassed by reality: the major Blood Center in Brazil (FHSP-USP has found dengue virus in one out of each thousand blood units. In 2007, industry sold 2,6 million disposable blood bags in Brazil. Plotting data from FHSP-USP to the whole country, 2600 blood units would have been infective. Through blood components, around 5000 patients must have received dengue virus intravenously. Beatty et al. estimated to be 1:1300 the risk for dengue transmission through blood transfusion in Puerto Rico, close to what has been demonstrated in Sao Paulo. Throughout Brazil, the average risk may be lower, but the epidemics grows towards a worst scenario. Whatever the risk is, it imposes that all blood units in Brazil (and wherever dengue is endemic must be EIA tested for dengue NS1 antigen. This marker appears early after infection, and the EIA testing platform is available at all blood banks. Also, donors must report febrile states up to two weeks after donation. Morbidity from dengue virus injected in hospitalized patients is unknown, but it may lead

  14. Maintaining quality in blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, E; Hewison, C; Nevalainen, D E; Lloyd, H L

    1995-03-01

    Regulation of transfusion or blood banking facilities has followed, rather than preceded the regulation of the pharmaceutical industry and today we find, in Europe and the United States, the basic regulations developed for the pharmaceutical industry being extended to blood transfusion centres (BTC)*. In this article we explore the role of voluntary accreditation or registration to quality systems standards such as ISO 9000 and discuss how these can be used to advantage and how these standards can provide a substantial base for meeting legislative requirements. In the UK there is also a voluntary accreditation procedure available for all clinical laboratories, known as Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA). Comparisons between ISO 9000, CPA and other standards are made. We also discuss how voluntary registration, particularly to ISO 9000 can provide an excellent basis for moving into more extensive and progressive Total Quality Management (TQM) programmes which in turn bring a variety of benefits, not least of which is increased staff involvement in your organisation. Experience of the route to quality through voluntary accreditation suggests that external assessment delivers new insights into the organisation that cannot easily be supplanted by internal audit. In Europe legislation relating to pharmaceuticals has steadily increased in scope and in detailed requirements from those set out in the 1965 Directive 65/65/EEC. The legislative framework has steadily increased, bringing plasma and plasma products as well as others such as radiopharmaceuticals, into the product licensing requirements. The progression of legislation seems unlikely to cease and it is debatable how long the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and its Inspectorate will accept that BTCs can operate at a level which is different from that of the majority of pharmaceutical manufacturers. The change in emphasis in legislation particularly in Europe means that harm that is caused to a patient by a blood

  15. The meanings of consent to the donation of cord blood stem cells: perspectives from an interview-based study of a public cord blood bank in England

    OpenAIRE

    Busby, Helen

    2010-01-01

    This paper explores the perspectives of women who have agreed that their umbilical cord blood may be collected for a public ‘cord blood bank’, for use in transplant medicine or research. Drawing on interview data from 27 mothers who agreed to the collection and use of their umbilical cord blood, these choices and the informed consent process are explored. It is shown that the needs of sick children requiring transplants are prominent in narrative accounts of cord blood banking, together with ...

  16. Establishing a public umbilical cord blood stem cell bank for South Africa: an enquiry into public acceptability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meissner-Roloff, Madelein; Pepper, Michael S

    2013-12-01

    South Africa (SA) faces a large unmet need for bone marrow (BM) transplantation, which could be alleviated in part by establishing a public umbilical cord blood stem cell bank (UCB SCB). Umbilical cord blood is an increasingly utilised source of hematopoietic stem cells for BM transplantation in addition to BM or mobilized peripheral blood stem cells. Establishing a public UCB SCB would therefore be a positive step towards improving the quality of health care in SA by providing for an important unmet need. This study takes the form of an enquiry into the acceptability of establishing a public bank through an interview with and questionnaire completed by mothers-to-be in the antenatal clinic of a large public hospital in SA. Initial results are positive, with 85 % of the participants in favour of establishing a public UCB SCB in SA. This initial probe will serve as a model for a more comprehensive national enquiry into public support and acceptability in different clinics, hospitals and provinces in SA.

  17. Novel genotype of Ehrlichia canis detected in samples of human blood bank donors in Costa Rica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouza-Mora, Laura; Dolz, Gaby; Solórzano-Morales, Antony; Romero-Zuñiga, Juan José; Salazar-Sánchez, Lizbeth; Labruna, Marcelo B; Aguiar, Daniel M

    2017-01-01

    This study focuses on the detection and identification of DNA and antibodies to Ehrlichia spp. in samples of blood bank donors in Costa Rica using molecular and serological techniques. Presence of Ehrlichia canis was determined in 10 (3.6%) out of 280 blood samples using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the ehrlichial dsb conserved gene. Analysis of the ehrlichial trp36 polymorphic gene in these 10 samples revealed substantial polymorphism among the E. canis genotypes, including divergent tandem repeat sequences. Nucleotide sequences of dsb and trp36 amplicons revealed a novel genotype of E. canis in blood bank donors from Costa Rica. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) detected antibodies in 35 (35%) of 100 serum samples evaluated. Thirty samples showed low endpoint titers (64-256) to E. canis, whereas five sera yielded high endpoint titers (1024-8192); these five samples were also E. canis-PCR positive. These findings represent the first report of the presence of E. canis in humans in Central America. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  18. Donating umbilical cord blood to a public bank or storing it in a private bank: knowledge and preference of blood donors and of pregnant women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Screnci, Maria; Murgi, Emilia; Pirrè, Guglielma; Valente, Elisabetta; Gesuiti, Paola; Corona, Francesca; Girelli, Gabriella

    2012-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a source of stem cells for allogeneic haematopoietic transplantation in paediatric and adult patients with haematological malignancies and other indications. Voluntary donation is the basis for the success of unrelated UCB transplantation programmes. In the last few years a growing number of private banks offer their services to expectant parents, to store UCB for future use. The debate concerning UCB donation and private preservation has been ongoing for several years. The aims of this single centre study were to explore knowledge about UCB stem cells and attitudes towards voluntary UCB donation or private UCB preservation among both blood donors and pregnant women. This study was conducted at the "Sapienza" University of Rome. Two types of anonymous questionnaires were prepared: one type was administered to 1,000 blood donors while the other type was distributed to 300 pregnant women. Most blood donors as well as the majority of pregnant women had some general knowledge about UCB (89% and 93%, respectively) and were aware of the possibility of donating it (82% and 95%). However, the level of knowledge regarding current therapeutic use resulted generally low, only 91 (10%) among informed blood donors and 69 (31%) among informed pregnant women gave a correct answer. The survey revealed a preference for voluntary donation both among blood donors (76%) and among pregnant woman (55%). Indeed, a minority of blood donors (6.5%) and of pregnant women (9%) would opt to store UCB for private use. The study raises the following considerations: (i) the large support for UCB donation expressed by blood donors and by pregnant women suggests that UCB preservation does not represent an obstacle to the expansion of UCB donation and to development of unrelated transplantation programmes; (ii) information about UCB donation and preservation should be carefully given by professionals and institutions.

  19. Cord Blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Abroun

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available   Stem cells are naïve or master cells. This means they can transform into special 200 cell types as needed by body, and each of these cells has just one function. Stem cells are found in many parts of the human body, although some sources have richer concentrations than others. Some excellent sources of stem cells, such as bone marrow, peripheral blood, cord blood, other tissue stem cells and human embryos, which last one are controversial and their use can be illegal in some countries. Cord blood is a sample of blood taken from a newborn baby's umbilical cord. It is a rich source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood and tissue are collected from material that normally has no use following a child’s birth. Umbilical cord blood and tissue cells are rich sources of stem cells, which have been used in the treatment of over 80 diseases including leukemia, lymphoma and anemia as bone marrow stem cell potency.  The most common disease category has been leukemia. The next largest group is inherited diseases. Patients with lymphoma, myelodysplasia and severe aplastic anemia have also been successfully transplanted with cord blood. Cord blood is obtained by syringing out the placenta through the umbilical cord at the time of childbirth, after the cord has been detached from the newborn. Collecting stem cells from umbilical blood and tissue is ethical, pain-free, safe and simple. When they are needed to treat your child later in life, there will be no rejection or incompatibility issues, as the procedure will be using their own cells. In contrast, stem cells from donors do have these potential problems. By consider about cord blood potency, cord blood banks (familial or public were established. In IRAN, four cord blood banks has activity, Shariati BMT center cord blood bank, Royan familial cord blood banks, Royan public cord blood banks and Iranian Blood Transfusion Organ cord blood banks. Despite 50,000 sample which storage in these banks, but the

  20. [Guidelines for blood transfusion teaching to medical laboratory technology students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moncharmont, P; Tourlourat, M; Fourcade, C; Julien, E; Peyrard, T; Cabaud, J-J

    2012-02-01

    The new French law about clinical laboratory medicine, the requirements of the ISO/CEI 15189 standard, the numerous abilities expected from the medical laboratory technologists and their involvement in blood bank management has led the working group "Recherche et démarche qualité" of the French Society of Blood Transfusion to initiate an inventory of blood transfusion teaching syllabus for medical laboratory technology students and to propose transfusion medicine teaching guidelines. Seven worksheets have been established for that purpose including red blood cell antigen typing and antibody screening, blood sampling in immunohaematology, automation, clinical practices, blood products, blood delivery and haemovigilance. These guidelines aim at contributing to the harmonization of transfusion medicine teaching and at providing objective elements to the medical laboratory managers regarding the practical and theoretical skills of theirs collaborators. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Automated Test-Form Generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Linden, Wim J.; Diao, Qi

    2011-01-01

    In automated test assembly (ATA), the methodology of mixed-integer programming is used to select test items from an item bank to meet the specifications for a desired test form and optimize its measurement accuracy. The same methodology can be used to automate the formatting of the set of selected items into the actual test form. Three different…

  2. Cord blood collection and banking from a population with highly diverse geographic origins increase HLA diversity in the registry and do not lower the proportion of validated cord blood units: experience of the Marseille Cord Blood Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bordoni, C; Magalon, J; Gilbertas, C; Gamerre, M; Le Coz, P; Berthomieu, M; Chabannon, C; Di Cristofaro, J; Picard, C

    2015-04-01

    Several Cord Blood (CB) Bank studies suggested that ethnicity impaired CB unit (CBU) qualification. The Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide registries present an over-representation of unrelated donors (UD) from Northwestern European descent. This raises the question of equality of access to hematopoietic stem cells transplant, especially in the Mediterranean zone, which has taken in many waves of immigration. The aim of our study is to address whether, in the Marseille CB Bank, CBU qualification rate is impaired by geographic origin. The study compared biological characteristics of 106 CBU disqualified for total nucleated cell (TNC) count (dCBU) and 136 qualified CBU in relation to registry enrichment and haplotype origin. A high proportion (>80%) of both dCBU and CBU had at least one non-European haplotype and enrich CB and UD registries to a higher extent than those with two European haplotypes (Pdiverse Mediterranean origins do not have an impact on the CBU qualification rate. Partnership with Mediterranean birth clinics with highly trained staff is a reasonable option to increase the HLA diversity of CB Bank inventories and to improve the representation of minorities.

  3. Predicting blood transfusion using automated analysis of pulse oximetry signals and laboratory values.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shackelford, Stacy; Yang, Shiming; Hu, Peter; Miller, Catriona; Anazodo, Amechi; Galvagno, Samuel; Wang, Yulei; Hartsky, Lauren; Fang, Raymond; Mackenzie, Colin

    2015-10-01

    Identification of hemorrhaging trauma patients and prediction of blood transfusion needs in near real time will expedite care of the critically injured. We hypothesized that automated analysis of pulse oximetry signals in combination with laboratory values and vital signs obtained at the time of triage would predict the need for blood transfusion with accuracy greater than that of triage vital signs or pulse oximetry analysis alone. Continuous pulse oximetry signals were recorded for directly admitted trauma patients with abnormal prehospital shock index (heart rate [HR] / systolic blood pressure) of 0.62 or greater. Predictions of blood transfusion within 24 hours were compared using Delong's method for area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves to determine the optimal combination of triage vital signs (prehospital HR + systolic blood pressure), pulse oximetry features (40 waveform features, O2 saturation, HR), and laboratory values (hematocrit, electrolytes, bicarbonate, prothrombin time, international normalization ratio, lactate) in multivariate logistic regression models. We enrolled 1,191 patients; 339 were excluded because of incomplete data; 40 received blood within 3 hours; and 14 received massive transfusion. Triage vital signs predicted need for transfusion within 3 hours (AUROC, 0.59) and massive transfusion (AUROC, 0.70). Pulse oximetry for 15 minutes predicted transfusion more accurately than triage vital signs for both time frames (3-hour AUROC, 0.74; p = 0.004) (massive transfusion AUROC, 0.88; p transfusion prediction (3-hour AUROC, 0.84; p transfusion AUROC, 0.91; p blood transfusion during trauma resuscitation more accurately than triage vital signs or pulse oximetry analysis alone. Results suggest automated calculations from a noninvasive vital sign monitor interfaced with a point-of-care laboratory device may support clinical decisions by recognizing patients with hemorrhage sufficient to need transfusion. Epidemiologic

  4. Current Knowledge and Practice of Pediatric Providers in Umbilical Cord Blood Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Amy E; Fonstad, Rachel; Spellman, Stephen; Tullius, Zoe; Chaudhury, Sonali

    2018-02-01

    More than 35 000 umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplants have been performed worldwide, prompting the development of private and public banks to collect and store UCB cells. We hypothesized that pediatricians, who are uniquely poised to discuss UCB banking (UCBB) during prenatal or sibling visits, rarely do so. Through distribution of a 26-question electronic survey to general and subspecialty pediatric providers, we assessed baseline knowledge and conversations about UCBB. A total of 473 providers completed the survey; only 22% of physicians ever discussed UCBB with expectant parents. The majority responded that autologous UCB transplants were indicated in malignant (73%) and nonmalignant (61%) conditions; however, these are rare indications. Providers practicing >10 years were more likely to address UCBB ( P ≤ .001), whereas younger and female general pediatric providers were significantly less likely ( P < .001). Overall, pediatric providers rarely speak to families about UCBB, and we believe that they can be better informed to its current clinical utility.

  5. Umbilical cord blood banking in the worldwide hematopoietic stem cell transplantation system: perspectives for Ukraine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalynychenko, T O

    2017-09-01

    Significant progress in the promotion of procedural technologies associated with the transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells caused a rapid increase in activity. The exchange of hematopoietic stem cells for unrelated donor transplantations is now much easier due to the relevant international professional structures and organizations established to support cooperation and standard setting, as well as rules for the functioning of both national donor registries and cord blood banks. These processes are increasing every year and are contributing to the outpacing rates of development in this area. Products within their country should be regulated by the competent government authorities. This study analyzes the work of international and national levels of support for transplantation activity in the field of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the standardization order of technologies, as well as data that justify the need to create a network of donated umbilical cord blood banks in Ukraine as a factor in the development of allogeneic transplantation. This will promote the accessibility of international standards for the treatment of serious diseases for Ukrainian citizens.

  6. Cord Blood and Transplants

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... donate their baby’s umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank. We have more than 249,000 cord blood ... stored as a cord blood unit at a public cord blood bank for future use. It can then be listed ...

  7. Identification and red blood cell automated counting from blood smear images using computer-aided system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acharya, Vasundhara; Kumar, Preetham

    2018-03-01

    Red blood cell count plays a vital role in identifying the overall health of the patient. Hospitals use the hemocytometer to count the blood cells. Conventional method of placing the smear under microscope and counting the cells manually lead to erroneous results, and medical laboratory technicians are put under stress. A computer-aided system will help to attain precise results in less amount of time. This research work proposes an image-processing technique for counting the number of red blood cells. It aims to examine and process the blood smear image, in order to support the counting of red blood cells and identify the number of normal and abnormal cells in the image automatically. K-medoids algorithm which is robust to external noise is used to extract the WBCs from the image. Granulometric analysis is used to separate the red blood cells from the white blood cells. The red blood cells obtained are counted using the labeling algorithm and circular Hough transform. The radius range for the circle-drawing algorithm is estimated by computing the distance of the pixels from the boundary which automates the entire algorithm. A comparison is done between the counts obtained using the labeling algorithm and circular Hough transform. Results of the work showed that circular Hough transform was more accurate in counting the red blood cells than the labeling algorithm as it was successful in identifying even the overlapping cells. The work also intends to compare the results of cell count done using the proposed methodology and manual approach. The work is designed to address all the drawbacks of the previous research work. The research work can be extended to extract various texture and shape features of abnormal cells identified so that diseases like anemia of inflammation and chronic disease can be detected at the earliest.

  8. [SHTLV-I/II seroprevalence in blood donors of Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe Blood Bank during the period 2014-2015].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñoz, Manuela; Carvalho, Santiago; Donado, Jorge Hernando; Barco, Gloria Eugenia; Jaramillo, Sergio

    2018-03-15

    The human-T cell lymphotropic virus is a retrovirus with various types known so far. HTLV-I and HTLV-II are of clinically importance as they cause different diseases such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, tropical spastic paraparesis, and human T-lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy (HAM). To estimate the prevalence of presumptive and confirmatory reactivity to HTLV-I/II in blood donors of Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe Blood Bank between 2014 and 2015. The information was obtained from the Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe Blood Bank database. We analyzed age, sex, place of origin, and place of residence of donors, and the reactivity using the screening test (ELISA) as well as the confirmatory test (immunoblot). The donor population studied included 6,275 men and 8,148 women, for a total of 14,423 donors recruited between March 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015. Of all tested donors, 25 were positive for HTLV-I/II by the screening test (ELISA). After performing the confirmatory test (immunoblot), only nine patients were positive for HTLV-I/II (36%), of whom eight were reactive to HTLV-I (32%) and one to HTLV-II (4%), for a global seroprevalence of 0.06% (CI 95%: 0.10-0.25). Our findings were consistent with those found in similar studies in non-endemic areas of the country and with those from studies at international level reported in the literature.

  9. Cord Blood Banking and Transplantation in China: A Ten Years Experience of a Single Public Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jinhui; He, Ji; Chen, Shu; Qin, Fei; Wang, Fang; Xu, Gang; Zhu, Faming; Lv, Hangjun; Yan, Lixing

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has successfully used for transplantation to treat hematologic malignancies and genetic diseases. Herein, we describe the experience generated in a single public UCB bank at Zhejiang Province in China. METHODS: Good manufacturing practice and standard operating procedures were used to address donor selection as well as UCB collection, processing, and cryopreservation. Total nucleated cells (TNCs), cellular viability, CD34+ cells, and colony-forming units were determined, and infectious diseases screening test, sterility test, and HLA typing for UCB units were done. RESULTS: Only 18.51% of all collected UCB units met storage criteria, and 7,056 UCB units were cryopreserved in 10 years. The volume of UCB units was 95.0 ± 22.0 ml. The number of TNCs before and after processing was 13.32 ± 3.63 × 10(8) and 10.63 ± 2.80 × 10(8), respectively, and the recovery rate was 80.71 ± 11.26%. 0.4344 ± 0.1874% of the TNCs were CD34+ cells. The CFU-GM was 32.1 ± 28.0 colonies per 1 × 10(5) nucleated cells. Based mainly on HLA and nucleated cell content, 26 UCB units were released for transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: A public UCB bank was successfully established in China; collection and processing of UCB units should be optimized in order to gain maximum volume and cell count.

  10. AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN BANKING.

    Science.gov (United States)

    STEINER, CARL L.

    THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO DETERMINE THE PERSONNEL CHANGE DIRECTLY RESULTING FROM THE INSTALLATION OF ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING IN ONE OF THE LARGE COMMERCIAL BANKS IN BALTIMORE, TO DESCRIBE THE PROCESSES AND JOB DUTIES INVOLVED, AND TO INDICATE HOW CHANGES HAVE AFFECTED EMPLOYMENT AND WHAT MAY BE EXPECTED IN THE FUTURE. THE USE OF THE…

  11. 220 AUTOMATED CLEARING SYSTEM AND THE BANKING ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    time services to the banks and easy movement of financial instrument transfers. It would be ..... Akujuobi, L.E. (2006) Corporate Finance, Owerri: Springfield Publishers Ltd. Alade ... (2001) Fundamentals of Applied Quantitative Techniques for.

  12. Transfusion in Haemoglobinopathies: Review and recommendations for local blood banks and transfusion services in Oman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arwa Z. Al-Riyami

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Sickle cell disease and homozygous β-thalassaemia are common haemoglobinopathies in Oman, with many implications for local healthcare services. The transfusions of such patients take place in many hospitals throughout the country. Indications for blood transfusions require local recommendations and guidelines to ensure standardised levels of care. This article summarises existing transfusion guidelines for this group of patients and provides recommendations for blood banks and transfusion services in Oman. This information is especially pertinent to medical professionals and policy-makers developing required services for the standardised transfusion support of these patients.

  13. Is automated platelet counting still a problem in thrombocytopenic blood?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raimundo Antônio Gomes Oliveira

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: Reliable platelet counting is crucial for indicating prophylactic platelet transfusion in thrombocytopenic patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the precision and accuracy of platelet counting for thrombocytopenic patients, using four different automated counters in comparison with the Brecher & Cronkite reference method recommended by the International Committee for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH. TYPE OF STUDY: Automated platelet counting assessment in thrombocytopenic patients. SETTING: Hematology Laboratory, Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo, and the Hematology Division of Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Brecher & Cronkite reference method and four different automated platelet counters. PARTICIPANTS: 43 thrombocytopenic patients with platelet counts of less than 30,000/µl RESULTS: The ADVIA-120 (Bayer, Coulter STKS, H1 System (Technicom-Bayer and Coulter T-890 automatic instruments presented great precision and accuracy in relation to laboratory thrombocytopenic samples obtained by diluting blood from normal donors. However, when thrombocytopenic patients were investigated, all the counters except ADVIA (which is based on volume and refraction index showed low accuracy when compared to the Brecher & Cronkite reference method (ICSH. The ADVIA counter showed high correlation (r = 0.947. However, all counters showed flags in thrombocytopenic samples. CONCLUSION: The Brecher & Cronkite reference method should always be indicated in thrombocytopenic patients for platelet counts below 30,000 plt /µl obtained in one dimensional counters.

  14. Impact of a confirmatory RhD test on the correct serologic typing of blood donors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Cayres Schmidt

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The RHD gene is highly polymorphic, which results in a large number of RhD variant phenotypes. Discrepancies in RhD typing are still a problem in blood banks and increase the risk of alloimmunization. In this study, the RhD typing strategy at a blood bank in Brazil was evaluated.METHODS: One-hundred and fifty-two samples typed as RhD negative and C or E positive by routine tests (automated system and indirect antiglobulin test using the tube technique were reevaluated for RhD status by three methods. The method with the best performance was implemented and evaluated for a period of one year (n = 4897 samples. Samples that were D positive exclusively in the confirmatory test were submitted to molecular analysis.RESULTS: The gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing with anti-D immunoglobulin G (clone ESD1 presented the best results. Seventy samples (1.43% previously typed as RhD negative showed reactivity in the gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing and were reclassified as D positive. D variants that may cause alloimmunization, such as weak D type 2 and partial DVI, were detected.CONCLUSION: The confirmatory RhD test using the gel test for indirect antiglobulin testing represents a breakthrough in transfusion safety in this blood center. Our results emphasize the importance of assessing the blood group typing strategy in blood banks.

  15. Automated segmentation of blood-flow regions in large thoracic arteries using 3D-cine PC-MRI measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Pelt, Roy; Nguyen, Huy; ter Haar Romeny, Bart; Vilanova, Anna

    2012-03-01

    Quantitative analysis of vascular blood flow, acquired by phase-contrast MRI, requires accurate segmentation of the vessel lumen. In clinical practice, 2D-cine velocity-encoded slices are inspected, and the lumen is segmented manually. However, segmentation of time-resolved volumetric blood-flow measurements is a tedious and time-consuming task requiring automation. Automated segmentation of large thoracic arteries, based solely on the 3D-cine phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) blood-flow data, was done. An active surface model, which is fast and topologically stable, was used. The active surface model requires an initial surface, approximating the desired segmentation. A method to generate this surface was developed based on a voxel-wise temporal maximum of blood-flow velocities. The active surface model balances forces, based on the surface structure and image features derived from the blood-flow data. The segmentation results were validated using volunteer studies, including time-resolved 3D and 2D blood-flow data. The segmented surface was intersected with a velocity-encoded PC-MRI slice, resulting in a cross-sectional contour of the lumen. These cross-sections were compared to reference contours that were manually delineated on high-resolution 2D-cine slices. The automated approach closely approximates the manual blood-flow segmentations, with error distances on the order of the voxel size. The initial surface provides a close approximation of the desired luminal geometry. This improves the convergence time of the active surface and facilitates parametrization. An active surface approach for vessel lumen segmentation was developed, suitable for quantitative analysis of 3D-cine PC-MRI blood-flow data. As opposed to prior thresholding and level-set approaches, the active surface model is topologically stable. A method to generate an initial approximate surface was developed, and various features that influence the segmentation model were evaluated. The active surface

  16. 12 CFR 7.4003 - Establishment and operation of a remote service unit by a national bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...(Seventh). An RSU includes an automated teller machine, automated loan machine, and automated device for... a remote service unit by a national bank. A remote service unit (RSU) is an automated facility...

  17. Methodology for Designing Operational Banking Risks Monitoring System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostjunina, T. N.

    2018-05-01

    The research looks at principles of designing an information system for monitoring operational banking risks. A proposed design methodology enables one to automate processes of collecting data on information security incidents in the banking network, serving as the basis for an integrated approach to the creation of an operational risk management system. The system can operate remotely ensuring tracking and forecasting of various operational events in the bank network. A structure of a content management system is described.

  18. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in Imam Reza Hospital blood bank samples, Tehran, Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaddel, M; Mirzaii Dizgah, I; Sharif, F

    2014-10-01

    The prevalence of toxoplasma gondii (T.g) infection in blood donors has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in blood products. A total of 223 blood products (101 fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and 122 packed cells (PC)) in Imam Reza hospital blood bank, Tehran, Iran were tested for specific T.g antibodies (IgG and IgM) by ELISA method. Positive IgG anti-T.g samples were further tested for IgM anti-T.g. A positive IgG test with the negative and positive IgM test was interpreted as a chronic and acute toxoplasmosis respectively. Of 223 samples 38.6% and 0.45% were positive for IgG anti-T.g and IgM anti-T.g levels respectively. Therefore, one and 85 samples were involved acute and chronic toxoplasmosis respectively. Twenty-six of fresh frozen plasma samples were positive for IgG anti-T.g and one of them was positive for IgM anti-T.g. Sixty packed cell samples were positive for IgG anti-T.g. Our study showed that there were chronic and acute toxoplasmosis in blood products and the prevalence of toxoplasmosis especially chronic form was high. Therefore screening of blood for T.g antibodies may be considered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Public banking of umbilical cord blood or storage in a private bank: testing social and ethical policy in northeastern Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parco, Sergio; Vascotto, Fulvia; Visconti, Patrizia

    2013-01-01

    VDRL (75.0%) tests (P public system does not include human T-cell lymphotropic virus testing; this is reserved for the population from endemic zones. In northeastern Italy current legislation prevents the establishment of private fee-based banks for storage of CB-SC. The cryopreservation, for future autologous personal or family use, is possible only by sending to foreign private banks, with a further fee of €300. These regulations confirm that Italian legislation tries to increase the anonymous allogenic donations and the number of CB-CS bags stored in the free-cost public system, that are available to anyone with therapeutic needs. Private banking is used almost exclusively by the wealthier local population. In the public system, many physicians continue to use older Italian laws regarding syphilis diagnosis, and NRBC interference on WBC count may have an impact on cord blood harvesting. Our findings suggest that in the EU there is no consensus policy on donor management. The value of storage for potential use within the family is useful only with collaboration between the public and the private systems.

  20. Evaluation of an automated microplate technique in the Galileo system for ABO and Rh(D) blood grouping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Weiyi; Wan, Feng; Lou, Yufeng; Jin, Jiali; Mao, Weilin

    2014-01-01

    A number of automated devices for pretransfusion testing have recently become available. This study evaluated the Immucor Galileo System, a fully automated device based on the microplate hemagglutination technique for ABO/Rh (D) determinations. Routine ABO/Rh typing tests were performed on 13,045 samples using the Immucor automated instruments. Manual tube method was used to resolve ABO forward and reverse grouping discrepancies. D-negative test results were investigated and confirmed manually by the indirect antiglobulin test (IAT). The system rejected 70 tests for sample inadequacy. 87 samples were read as "No-type-determined" due to forward and reverse grouping discrepancies. 25 tests gave these results because of sample hemolysis. After further tests, we found 34 tests were caused by weakened RBC antibodies, 5 tests were attributable to weak A and/or B antigens, 4 tests were due to mixed-field reactions, and 8 tests had high titer cold agglutinin with blood qualifications which react only at temperatures below 34 degrees C. In the remaining 11 cases, irregular RBC antibodies were identified in 9 samples (seven anti-M and two anti-P) and two subgroups were identified in 2 samples (one A1 and one A2) by a reference laboratory. As for D typing, 2 weak D+ samples missed by automated systems gave negative results, but weak-positive reactions were observed in the IAT. The Immucor Galileo System is reliable and suited for ABO and D blood groups, some reasons may cause a discrepancy in ABO/D typing using a fully automated system. It is suggested that standardization of sample collection may improve the performance of the fully automated system.

  1. Umbilical cord cell banking-implications for the future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunning, Jennifer

    2005-01-01

    The first successful cord cell transplant to a sibling with Fanconi's anaemia took place 15 years ago. This proven utility of cord blood led to the establishment of cord blood banks both private and public and there are now nearly 100 cord blood banks worldwide. It is estimated that over 200,000 cord blood units (CBU) are held by the private sector and over 160,000 CBU are registered with the largest public cord blood registry. There is a tension between private cord blood banks, which store CBU for autologous or family use, and public banks, which store CBU for unrelated use and the ethics of private cord blood storage has been questioned. But more general ethical questions also arise regarding ownership, consent, confidentiality, costs and quality standards and patenting. In looking at these ethical issues one also needs to look at potential future use of cord blood stem cells. Up until now cord cells have principally been used in the treatment of paediatric blood and immune disorders. Improvements in cell expansion technology will make CBU more appropriate also for treating adults with such disorders. However, it has also been demonstrated that cord blood stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into other types of cells, neuronal, bone, epithelial and muscle which would have a future role to play in cell therapy and regenerative medicine

  2. ATM Technology and Banking System in West African Sub-Region ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Automated Teller Machine (ATM) technology has had its significant impact in banking system in Nigeria and some other West African Countries. The most significant impact of ATM technology is the customer's ability to withdraw money outside banking hours. But this feat achieved by ATM technology is not without ...

  3. Public banking of umbilical cord blood or storage in a private bank: testing social and ethical policy in northeastern Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parco S

    2013-04-01

    determination method. We found that the chemiluminescence method was more specific (97.0% than the TPHA (83.0% and nontreponemal rapid plasma reagin VDRL (75.0% tests (P < 0.05, χ2 test. The specificity link between the two automatic methods versus microscopes for WBC dosing and NRBC interference was r2 = 0.08 (ADVIA 120 and r2 = 0.94 (XE-2100. The public system does not include human T-cell lymphotropic virus testing; this is reserved for the population from endemic zones. Conclusion: In northeastern Italy current legislation prevents the establishment of private fee-based banks for storage of CB-SC. The cryopreservation, for future autologous personal or family use, is possible only by sending to foreign private banks, with a further fee of €300. These regulations confirm that Italian legislation tries to increase the anonymous allogenic donations and the number of CB-CS bags stored in the free-cost public system, that are available to anyone with therapeutic needs. Private banking is used almost exclusively by the wealthier local population. In the public system, many physicians continue to use older Italian laws regarding syphilis diagnosis, and NRBC interference on WBC count may have an impact on cord blood harvesting. Our findings suggest that in the EU there is no consensus policy on donor management. The value of storage for potential use within the family is useful only with collaboration between the public and the private systems. Keywords: cord blood collection, public system, private system, pregnant women's choice

  4. Ethnicity, equity and public benefit: a critical evaluation of public umbilical cord blood banking in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuel, G N; Kerridge, I H; Vowels, M; Trickett, A; Chapman, J; Dobbins, T

    2007-10-01

    Over the past decade umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been increasingly used as a source of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for patients who require a HSC transplant but do not have an HLA-matched donor. It was anticipated that using UCB as an alternative source of HSCs would increase the chance of finding a donor, particularly for the otherwise underrepresented ethnic minority groups. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Australian public UCB banks to increase the ethnic diversity of available HSC donations, this paper analyses the ethnic diversity of the Sydney Cord Blood Bank (SCBB), comparing this diversity to that of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). It also examines the ethnic diversity of those patients who, after requesting a haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the 2-year period between 2003 and 2005, managed to find a suitably matched bone marrow or UCB donor. We show that the ethnic mix of donors to the SCBB has remained generally broad in source, is comparative to the Australian population, and is more diverse than the ABMDR. This, however, may still not be sufficient to substantially increase the likelihood of finding a donor for some ethnic minority groups.

  5. Enhancement of automated blood flow estimates (ENABLE) from arterial spin-labeled MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirzadi, Zahra; Stefanovic, Bojana; Chappell, Michael A; Ramirez, Joel; Schwindt, Graeme; Masellis, Mario; Black, Sandra E; MacIntosh, Bradley J

    2018-03-01

    To validate a multiparametric automated algorithm-ENhancement of Automated Blood fLow Estimates (ENABLE)-that identifies useful and poor arterial spin-labeled (ASL) difference images in multiple postlabeling delay (PLD) acquisitions and thereby improve clinical ASL. ENABLE is a sort/check algorithm that uses a linear combination of ASL quality features. ENABLE uses simulations to determine quality weighting factors based on an unconstrained nonlinear optimization. We acquired a set of 6-PLD ASL images with 1.5T or 3.0T systems among 98 healthy elderly and adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. We contrasted signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of cerebral blood flow (CBF) images obtained with ENABLE vs. conventional ASL analysis. In a subgroup, we validated our CBF estimates with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) CBF images. ENABLE produced significantly increased SNR compared to a conventional ASL analysis (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < 0.0001) and this similarity was strongly related to ASL SNR (t = 24, P < 0.0001). These findings suggest that ENABLE improves CBF image quality from multiple PLD ASL in dementia cohorts at either 1.5T or 3.0T, achieved by multiparametric quality features that guided postprocessing of dementia ASL. 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:647-655. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  6. Transfusion transmissible infections among healthy blood donors at blood bank from children's hospital and institute of child health lahore

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zameer, M.; Shahzad, F.; Khan, F.S.; Farooq, M.; Ali, H.; Saeed, U.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To determine the frequency of HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis and malaria in blood donors at Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health (ICH), Lahore and compare with other local and international published data. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: This was conducted at the blood bank of Children's Hospital and ICH, Lahore from October 2015 to February 2016. Patient and Methods: All adult male blood donors who had donated blood during above mentioned period, between 18 to 55 years of age were included in this study. Each and every donor was subjected to a predetermined, prepared questionnaire to find out their eligibility for donation. All blood donors' serum samples were screened for HBsAg, Anti-HCV, syphilis, HIV and malaria by immuno chromatography technique according to manufacturer instruction. Results: Statistical analysis showed that out of 10,048 blood donors, 7.94 percent (n=798) were infected with any one of the above mentioned diseases and 92.05 percent (n=9,250) had no infection. The overall frequency of HBsAg, HCV, HIV, syphilis and malaria were found to be 1.59 percent, 3.75 percent, 0.11 percent, 2.08 percent and 0.39 percent respectively. The co-infections of HCV + Syphilis, HBsAg + HCV, HBsAg + Syphilis, HCV + malarial parasite (M.P) and HBsAg + HIV + syphilis was 0.12 percent, 0.11 percent, 0.01 percent and 0.0099 percent respectively. Conclusion: There is a decreasing trend of HBsAg, HCV infections but increasing trend of HIV and syphilis infections in blood donors that is an alarming situation. (author)

  7. Unusual spontaneous cold auto-hemagglutination phenomenon in blood units stored under blood bank condition: A retrospective analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanmukh R Joshi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Cold agglutinins (CA are benign naturally occurring low titer autoantibodies present in most individuals. Those with moderate strength are found in infections, malignancies or autoimmune conditions with diagnostic importance. Aim: Present report deals with CA that brought spontaneous hemagglutination in blood units stored at 2-6°C. Study design: Over 32 months period between July 1993 and December 1995, blood units were inspected for spontaneous cold auto-hemagglutination (SpCA phenomenon. The plasma from these units was separated and investigated for serological specificity using in house red cell panel and standard serological methods. Results: Among 51,671 blood units, 112 units showed SpCA phenomenon. A rising trend seen in first half of study period significantly fell in remaining half. Specificities of the antibodies detected include anti-I (27, anti-i (53, anti-Pr (21 with remaining few being undetermined specificity. Absorption of serum using enzyme-treated red cells revealed a presence of anti-Pr among the cases, the two of which with new specificities that reacted preferentially with red cells from either new-born or adults and were tentatively named as anti-Pr Fetal and anti-Pr adult , respectively. While 9 cases showed optimum reaction at neutral pH of 7, 68 (62% cases reacted at pH 5.8 through 8.0, 28 (26% cases preferred an acidic pH 5.8 and 4 cases opted an alkaline pH 8. Of 28 cases with antibodies preferentially reacting in acidic medium, 17 (60% cases were anti-i and 7 (25% cases were anti-Pr. Conclusion: Unique SpCA phenomenon observed in blood units stored under blood bank conditions seems to be due to CA developed in response to vector-borne infectious agents. Majority of the cases displayed their specificities, otherwise are rare to be encountered.

  8. Direct blood culturing on solid medium outperforms an automated continuously monitored broth-based blood culture system in terms of time to identification and susceptibility testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.A. Idelevich

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST should be available as soon as possible for patients with bloodstream infections. We investigated whether a lysis-centrifugation (LC blood culture (BC method, combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS identification and Vitek 2 AST, provides a time advantage in comparison with the currently used automated broth-based BC system. Seven bacterial reference strains were added each to 10 mL human blood in final concentrations of 100, 10 and 1 CFU/mL. Inoculated blood was added to the Isolator 10 tube and centrifuged at 3000 g for 30 min, then 1.5 mL sediment was distributed onto five 150-mm agar plates. Growth was observed hourly and microcolonies were subjected to MALDI-TOF MS and Vitek 2 as soon as possible. For comparison, seeded blood was introduced into an aerobic BC bottle and incubated in the BACTEC 9240 automated BC system. For all species/concentration combinations except one, successful identification and Vitek 2 inoculation were achieved even before growth detection by BACTEC. The fastest identification and inoculation for AST were achieved with Escherichia coli in concentrations of 100 CFU/mL and 10 CFU/mL (after 7 h each, while BACTEC flagged respective samples positive after 9.5 h and 10 h. Use of the LC-BC method allows skipping of incubation in automated BC systems and, used in combination with rapid diagnostics from microcolonies, provides a considerable advantage in time to result. This suggests that the usefulness of direct BC on solid medium should be re-evaluated in the era of rapid microbiology.

  9. Confidential unit exclusion at the Regional Blood bank in Montes Claros: Fundação Hemominas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Nogueira Maia

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at analyzing the rate of self-exclusion at the Regional Blood Bank in Montes Claros. METHODS: Data of self-excluding donors from August 2008 to August 2010 were analyzed. The following variables were considered: age, marital status, gender, ethnical background, blood group, Rh factor, number of donations, type of donation and serologic results. RESULTS: During the analyzed period, 34,778 individuals donated blood, 215 (0.62% of which were self-excluded; 12% of donors did not answer, 6.3% ballots were spoilt and 13.6% of the responses were considered non-compliant. The profile of the donors was: male (81.9%, single (50.7%, aged between 19 and 29 years old (52.1%, Mulatto (48.3%, blood group O (32.1% and positive Rh (32.1%. Most individuals were donating for the 2nd to 5th time (43.7% and had negative serology (94.4%. CONCLUSIONS: It was not evident that self-excluding donors had higher rates of seropositivity.

  10. 42 CFR 409.87 - Blood deductible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., from an individual or a blood bank, a replacement offer that meets the criteria specified in paragraph... replacement of blood. A blood replacement offer made by a beneficiary, or an individual or a blood bank on... red cells if the replacement blood meets the applicable criteria specified in Food and Drug...

  11. A SURVEY OF AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE USAGE IN NORTH INDIA

    OpenAIRE

    Shweta Sankhwar*1 & Dhirendra Pandey2

    2017-01-01

    A machine that hand out cash or executes several banking services at a swipe of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card in it. An ATM is a machine is use to withdraw cash using a debit card issued by a bank to the consumer(s). An ATM card is issued by a financial organization that permits user to access an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) such as to deposit amount, cash withdrawals, to check account information, etc. It is now preferred to cash by a large majority of the urban population in many ci...

  12. Automated Interpretation of Blood Culture Gram Stains by Use of a Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Kenneth P; Kang, Anthony D; Kirby, James E

    2018-03-01

    Microscopic interpretation of stained smears is one of the most operator-dependent and time-intensive activities in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Here, we investigated application of an automated image acquisition and convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approach for automated Gram stain classification. Using an automated microscopy platform, uncoverslipped slides were scanned with a 40× dry objective, generating images of sufficient resolution for interpretation. We collected 25,488 images from positive blood culture Gram stains prepared during routine clinical workup. These images were used to generate 100,213 crops containing Gram-positive cocci in clusters, Gram-positive cocci in chains/pairs, Gram-negative rods, or background (no cells). These categories were targeted for proof-of-concept development as they are associated with the majority of bloodstream infections. Our CNN model achieved a classification accuracy of 94.9% on a test set of image crops. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated a robust ability to differentiate between categories with an area under the curve of >0.98 for each. After training and validation, we applied the classification algorithm to new images collected from 189 whole slides without human intervention. Sensitivity and specificity were 98.4% and 75.0% for Gram-positive cocci in chains and pairs, 93.2% and 97.2% for Gram-positive cocci in clusters, and 96.3% and 98.1% for Gram-negative rods. Taken together, our data support a proof of concept for a fully automated classification methodology for blood-culture Gram stains. Importantly, the algorithm was highly adept at identifying image crops with organisms and could be used to present prescreened, classified crops to technologists to accelerate smear review. This concept could potentially be extended to all Gram stain interpretive activities in the clinical laboratory. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  13. Bottlenecks of blood processing in Uganda

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kajja, I.; Kyeyune, D.; Bimenya, G. S.; Sibinga, C. T. S.

    2010-01-01

    Aim: To identify where and why delays occur in Uganda blood banks. Background: The timely provision and supply of safe and efficacious blood components to hospitals depends on sound systems in the processing blood banks. Poorly managed systems lead to apparent blood shortages in hospitals and

  14. A Novel Automated Slide-Based Technology for Visualization, Counting, and Characterization of the Formed Elements of Blood: A Proof of Concept Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkelman, James W; Tanasijevic, Milenko J; Zahniser, David J

    2017-08-01

    - A novel automated slide-based approach to the complete blood count and white blood cell differential count is introduced. - To present proof of concept for an image-based approach to complete blood count, based on a new slide preparation technique. A preliminary data comparison with the current flow-based technology is shown. - A prototype instrument uses a proprietary method and technology to deposit a precise volume of undiluted peripheral whole blood in a monolayer onto a glass microscope slide so that every cell can be distinguished, counted, and imaged. The slide is stained, and then multispectral image analysis is used to measure the complete blood count parameters. Images from a 600-cell white blood cell differential count, as well as 5000 red blood cells and a variable number of platelets, that are present in 600 high-power fields are made available for a technologist to view on a computer screen. An initial comparison of the basic complete blood count parameters was performed, comparing 1857 specimens on both the new instrument and a flow-based hematology analyzer. - Excellent correlations were obtained between the prototype instrument and a flow-based system. The primary parameters of white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts resulted in correlation coefficients (r) of 0.99, 0.99, and 0.98, respectively. Other indices included hemoglobin (r = 0.99), hematocrit (r = 0.99), mean cellular volume (r = 0.90), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (r = 0.97), and mean platelet volume (r = 0.87). For the automated white blood cell differential counts, r values were calculated for neutrophils (r = 0.98), lymphocytes (r = 0.97), monocytes (r = 0.76), eosinophils (r = 0.96), and basophils (r = 0.63). - Quantitative results for components of the complete blood count and automated white blood cell differential count can be developed by image analysis of a monolayer preparation of a known volume of peripheral blood.

  15. Microbial contamination of the Tzu-Chi Cord Blood Bank from 2005 to 2006.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shu-Huey; Zheng, Ya-Jun; Yang, Shang-Hsien; Yang, Kuo-Liang; Shyr, Ming-Hwang; Ho, Yu-Huai

    2008-01-01

    In total, 4502 units of cord blood (CB) were collected during a 2-year period from 2005 to 2006 by the Buddhist Tzu-Chi Stem Cells Center. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of microbial contamination and type of organism present in the cord blood. The clinical impact of microbial contamination on hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) grafts used for HPC transplantation is also discussed. First and second specimens were obtained for microbial assessment. These were collected in laboratory after cord blood collection and after cord blood unit manipulation, respectively. The samples were cultured and the results reviewed. The overall incidence of microbiological contamination was 1.8% (82/4502). Three CB units were contaminated with two different organisms. Infectious organisms comprised 9.4% (8/85) of total isolated microbes. These infectious microorganisms were beta-Streptococci group B, Candida tropicalis and Staphylococcus aureus which were isolated in 6, 1 and 1 of CB units respectively. Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis, Lactobacillus spp., Enterococcus, beta-Streptococcus Group B, Bacteroides valgatus, Corynebacterium spp., Klebsiella pneumonia and Peptococcus spp. were the most frequently encountered microorganisms. A higher contamination rate of the CB units was noted after vaginal delivery (2.16%) compared to caesarian section (0.85%) (p bank, we use a closed system but an in utero method. Similar to other studies, most of microorganisms reported here as contaminants are non-pathogenic.

  16. Fluidic automation of nitrate and nitrite bioassays in whole blood by dissolvable-film based centrifugo-pneumatic actuation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nwankire, Charles E.; Chan, Di-Sien S.; Gaughran, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    This paper demonstrates the full centrifugal microfluidic integration and automation of all liquid handling steps of a 7-step fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) for quantifying nitrate and nitrite levels in whole blood within about 15 min. The assay protocol encompasses the extraction...

  17. Fluorescence Exclusion: A Simple Method to Assess Projected Surface, Volume and Morphology of Red Blood Cells Stored in Blood Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Roussel

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Red blood cells (RBC ability to circulate is closely related to their surface area-to-volume ratio. A decrease in this ratio induces a decrease in RBC deformability that can lead to their retention and elimination in the spleen. We recently showed that a subpopulation of “small RBC” with reduced projected surface area accumulated upon storage in blood bank concentrates, but data on the volume of these altered RBC are lacking. So far, single cell measurement of RBC volume has remained a challenging task achieved by a few sophisticated methods some being subject to potential artifacts. We aimed to develop a reproducible and ergonomic method to assess simultaneously RBC volume and morphology at the single cell level. We adapted the fluorescence exclusion measurement of volume in nucleated cells to the measurement of RBC volume. This method requires no pre-treatment of the cell and can be performed in physiological or experimental buffer. In addition to RBC volume assessment, brightfield images enabling a precise definition of the morphology and the measurement of projected surface area can be generated simultaneously. We first verified that fluorescence exclusion is precise, reproducible and can quantify volume modifications following morphological changes induced by heating or incubation in non-physiological medium. We then used the method to characterize RBC stored for 42 days in SAG-M in blood bank conditions. Simultaneous determination of the volume, projected surface area and morphology allowed to evaluate the surface area-to-volume ratio of individual RBC upon storage. We observed a similar surface area-to-volume ratio in discocytes (D and echinocytes I (EI, which decreased in EII (7% and EIII (24%, sphero-echinocytes (SE; 41% and spherocytes (S; 47%. If RBC dimensions determine indeed the ability of RBC to cross the spleen, these modifications are expected to induce the rapid splenic entrapment of the most morphologically altered RBC

  18. Quality indicators for discarding blood in the National Blood Center, Kuala Lumpur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Morish

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: The implementation of quality system and continuous evaluation of all activities of the Blood Transfusion Services (BTS can help to achieve the maximum quantity and quality of safe blood. Optimizing blood collection and processing would reduce the rate of discard and improve the efficiency of the BTS. The objective of this study is to determine the rate of discard of blood and blood component and identify its reasons at the National Blood Centre (NBC, Kuala Lumpur, during the year of 2007 in order to introduce appropriate intervention. Study Designs and Methods: Data on the number of discarded whole blood units and its components, reasons for discard, and the number of blood components processed as well as the number of collected blood units were obtained from the Blood Bank Information System - NBC database. These were analyzed. Results: The total number of blood units collected in 2007 was 171169 from which 390636 units of components were prepared. The total number of discarded whole blood units and its components was 8968 (2.3%. Platelet concentrate recorded the highest of discard at 6% (3909 followed by whole blood at 3.7% (647, fresh frozen plasma (FFP at 2.5% (2839, and cryoprecipitate at 2% (620. The rate of discarded packed red blood cells RBCs, plasma aphaeresis, and PLT aphaeresis was less than 1% at 0.6% (902, 0.6% (37, and 0.29% (14, respectively. RBC contamination of PLT and plasma were the major cause of discard at 40% (3558. Other causes include leakage (26% - 2306, lipemia (25% - 2208, and underweight (4% - 353. Conclusion: Good donor selection, training and evaluation of the staff, as well as implementation of automation will help to improve processes and output of BTS. This would reduce discard of blood components and wastage caused by non conformance.

  19. Usable Security and E-Banking: ease of use vis-a-vis security

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morten Hertzum

    2004-05-01

    Full Text Available Electronic banking must be secure and easy to use. An evaluation of six Danish web-based electronic banking systems indicates that the systems have serious weaknesses with respect to ease of use. Our analysis of the weaknesses suggests that security requirements are among their causes and that the weaknesses may in turn cause decreased security. We view the conflict between ease of use and security in the context of usable security, a concept that is intended to match security principles and demands against user knowledge and motivation. Automation, instruction, and understanding can be identified as different approaches to usable security. Instruction is the main approach of the systems evaluated; automation relieves the user from involvement in security, as far as possible; and understanding goes beyond step-by-step instructions, to enable users to act competently and safely in situations that transcend preconceived instructions. We discuss the pros and cons of automation and understanding as alternative approaches to the design of web-based e-banking systems.

  20. Cord-Blood Banking

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cord blood mainly because of the promise that stem cell research holds for the future. Most of us would have little use for stem cells now, but research into using them to treat diseases is ongoing — ...

  1. Integrating Test-Form Formatting into Automated Test Assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Qi; van der Linden, Wim J.

    2013-01-01

    Automated test assembly uses the methodology of mixed integer programming to select an optimal set of items from an item bank. Automated test-form generation uses the same methodology to optimally order the items and format the test form. From an optimization point of view, production of fully formatted test forms directly from the item pool using…

  2. Comparison of QIAsymphony Automated and QIAamp Manual DNA Extraction Systems for Measuring Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Load in Whole Blood Using Real-Time PCR

    OpenAIRE

    Laus, Stella; Kingsley, Lawrence A.; Green, Michael; Wadowsky, Robert M.

    2011-01-01

    Automated and manual extraction systems have been used with real-time PCR for quantification of Epstein-Barr virus [human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4)] DNA in whole blood, but few studies have evaluated relative performances. In the present study, the automated QIAsymphony and manual QIAamp extraction systems (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) were assessed using paired aliquots derived from clinical whole-blood specimens and an in-house, real-time PCR assay. The detection limits using the QIAsymphony and QIAam...

  3. Legal and ethical issues in safe blood transfusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shivaram Chandrashekar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Legal issues play a vital role in providing a framework for the Indian blood transfusion service (BTS, while ethical issues pave the way for quality. Despite licensing of all blood banks, failure to revamp the Drugs and Cosmetic Act (D and C Act is impeding quality. Newer techniques like chemiluminescence or nucleic acid testing (NAT find no mention in the D and C Act. Specialised products like pooled platelet concentrates or modified whole blood, therapeutic procedures like erythropheresis, plasma exchange, stem cell collection and processing technologies like leukoreduction and irradiation are not a part of the D and C Act. A highly fragmented BTS comprising of over 2500 blood banks, coupled with a slow and tedious process of dual licensing (state and centre is a hindrance to smooth functioning of blood banks. Small size of blood banks compromises blood safety. New blood banks are opened in India by hospitals to meet requirements of insurance providers or by medical colleges as this a Medical Council of India (MCI requirement. Hospital based blood banks opt for replacement donation as they are barred by law from holding camps. Demand for fresh blood, lack of components, and lack of guidelines for safe transfusion leads to continued abuse of blood. Differential pricing of blood components is difficult to explain scientifically or ethically. Accreditation of blood banks along with establishment of regional testing centres could pave the way to blood safety. National Aids Control Organisation (NACO and National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC deserve a more proactive role in the licensing process. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA needs to clarify that procedures or tests meant for enhancement of blood safety are not illegal.

  4. Improvement of the system of management of business processes of the bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pereverzev Pavel Petrovich

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim is to develop a scientific - methodological and scientific - methodological issues of the effective technologies for managing business processes of the bank. It is shown that the development and implementation of detailed functional models of management for all business processes of the bank, establishing a structural relationship between the functions of planning, organizing, recording, monitoring, analysis, management and improvement of the business process management object, and development of additional management information systems, will significantly increase the level of automation of the bank, to improve the existing banking information system and improve the competitiveness of the bank.

  5. Home blood pressure measurement in elderly patients with cognitive impairment: comparison of agreement between relative-measured blood pressure and automated blood pressure measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plichart, Matthieu; Seux, Marie-Laure; Caillard, Laure; Chaussade, Edouard; Vidal, Jean-Sébastien; Boully, Clémence; Hanon, Olivier

    2013-08-01

    Home blood pressure measurement (HBPM) is recommended by guidelines for hypertension management. However, this method might be difficult to use in elderly individuals with cognitive disorders. Our aim was to assess the agreement and the feasibility of HBPM by a relative as compared with 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in elderly patients with dementia. Sixty outpatients with dementia aged 75 years and older with office hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) were subjected successively to HBPM by a trained relative and 24-h ABPM. The order of the two methods was randomized. Current guidelines' thresholds for the diagnosis of hypertension were used. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 80.8 (6.1) years (55% women) and the mean (SD) mini-mental state examination score was 20.1 (6.9). The feasibility of relative-HBPM was very high, with a 97% success rate (defined by ≥12/18 measurements reported). The blood pressure measurements were highly correlated between the two methods (r=0.75 and 0.64 for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, respectively; Pmethods for the diagnosis of sustained hypertension and white-coat hypertension was excellent (overall agreement, 92%; κ coefficient, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93). Similar results were found for daytime-ABPM. In cognitively impaired elderly patients, HBPM by a relative using an automated device was a good alternative to 24-h ABPM.

  6. Tissue banking in australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ireland, Lynette; McKelvie, Helen

    2003-01-01

    The legal structure for the regulation of tissue banking has existed for many years. In Australia, the donation of human tissue is regulated by legislation in each of the eight States and Territories. These substantially uniform Acts were passed in the late 1970's and early 1980's, based on model legislation and underpinned by the concept of consensual giving. However, it was not until the early 1990's that tissue banking came under the notice of regulatory authorities. Since then the Australian Government has moved quickly to oversee the tissue banking sector in Australia. Banked human tissue has been deemed to be a therapeutic good under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, and tissue banks are required to be licensed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and are audited for compliance with the Code of Good Manufacturing Practice- Human Blood and Tissues. In addition, tissue banks must comply with a myriad of other standards, guidelines and recommendations.

  7. Electronic commerce, automation and online banking in Nigeria: challenges and benefits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Sc., M. Sc. Stephen A. Ojeka

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Electronic banking has been around for some time in the form of automatic teller machines and telephone transactions. More recently, it has been metamorphosed by the Internet; a new look and delivery channel for banking services that benefits both customers and banks. The objective of this paper is to find out the correlation between the anticipated benefits/challenges and encountered benefits/challenges. This paper therefore empirically, adopted the use of survey research to explore in quantitative terms the various challenges and benefits e-business poses to Nigeria businesses, with particular reference to Banking and Finance Industry. It was found out that there is statistically significant difference between the anticipated and encountered benefits and major challenge is the security breach faced the customers. We therefore recommend that workshops should be organized for customers periodically on how to keep their data secret especially on how to combine numbers to form password and Constant training of employees both local and international on new development in online trading should be encouraged.

  8. Immunosuppressant therapeutic drug monitoring by LC-MS/MS: workflow optimization through automated processing of whole blood samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinova, Mariela; Artusi, Carlo; Brugnolo, Laura; Antonelli, Giorgia; Zaninotto, Martina; Plebani, Mario

    2013-11-01

    Although, due to its high specificity and sensitivity, LC-MS/MS is an efficient technique for the routine determination of immunosuppressants in whole blood, it involves time-consuming manual sample preparation. The aim of the present study was therefore to develop an automated sample-preparation protocol for the quantification of sirolimus, everolimus and tacrolimus by LC-MS/MS using a liquid handling platform. Six-level commercially available blood calibrators were used for assay development, while four quality control materials and three blood samples from patients under immunosuppressant treatment were employed for the evaluation of imprecision. Barcode reading, sample re-suspension, transfer of whole blood samples into 96-well plates, addition of internal standard solution, mixing, and protein precipitation were performed with a liquid handling platform. After plate filtration, the deproteinised supernatants were submitted for SPE on-line. The only manual steps in the entire process were de-capping of the tubes, and transfer of the well plates to the HPLC autosampler. Calibration curves were linear throughout the selected ranges. The imprecision and accuracy data for all analytes were highly satisfactory. The agreement between the results obtained with manual and those obtained with automated sample preparation was optimal (n=390, r=0.96). In daily routine (100 patient samples) the typical overall total turnaround time was less than 6h. Our findings indicate that the proposed analytical system is suitable for routine analysis, since it is straightforward and precise. Furthermore, it incurs less manual workload and less risk of error in the quantification of whole blood immunosuppressant concentrations than conventional methods. © 2013.

  9. 21 CFR 864.9300 - Automated Coombs test systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Blood and Blood Products § 864.9300 Automated Coombs test systems. (a) Identification. An automated Coombs test system is a device used to detect and identify antibodies in patient sera or antibodies bound... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Automated Coombs test systems. 864.9300 Section...

  10. Establishment of an unrelated umbilical cord blood bank qualification program: ensuring quality while meeting Food and Drug Administration vendor qualification requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabe, Fran; Kadidlo, Diane; Van Orsow, Lisa; McKenna, David

    2013-10-01

    Qualification of a cord blood bank (CBB) is a complex process that includes evaluation of multiple aspects of donor screening and testing, processing, accreditation and approval by professional cell therapy groups, and results of received cord blood units. The University of Minnesota Medical Center Cell Therapy Laboratory has established a CBB vendor qualification process to ensure the CBB meets established regulatory and quality requirements. The deployed qualification of CBBs is based on retrospective and prospective review of the CBB. Forty-one CBBs were evaluated retrospectively: seven CBBs were disqualified based on failed quality control (QC) results. Eight CBBs did not meet the criteria for retrospective qualification because fewer than 3 cord blood units were received and the CBB was not accredited. As of March 2012, three US and one non-US CBBs have been qualified prospectively. One CBB withdrew from the qualification process after successful completion of the comprehensive survey and subsequent failure of the provided QC unit to pass the minimum criteria. One CBB failed the prospective qualification process based on processing methods that were revealed during the paper portion of the evaluation. A CBB qualification process is necessary for a transplant center to manage the qualification of the large number of CBBs needed to support a umbilical cord blood transplantation program. A transplant center that has utilized cord blood for a number of years before implementation of a qualification process should use a retrospective qualification process along with a prospective process. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

  11. 31 CFR 210.7 - Federal Reserve Banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Federal Reserve Banks. 210.7 Section 210.7 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) FISCAL SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION IN THE AUTOMATED...

  12. Blood Donation Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Drive Biomedical Services Hospital Partners Blood Products Blood Banking Resources Order Blood Products Invoice Central Case Reports ... Speed up your donation by completing a RapidPass® online or on the Blood Donor app on the ...

  13. Turning a Private Label Bank Card into a Multi-function Campus ID Card.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Thomas G.; Norwood, Bill R.

    1991-01-01

    This article describes the development at Florida State University of the Seminole ACCESS card, which functions simultaneously as a bank automated teller machine card, a student identification card, and a debit card. Explained are the partnership between the university and the bank charge card center, funding system, technologies involved, and…

  14. A Behavioural Model of E-Banking Usage in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guendalina Capece

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available E‐banking is defined as the automated delivery of new and traditional banking products and services directly to customers through electronic, interactive communication channels. “Pure online” banks are characterized by the absence of physical windows and front‐office personnel. Traditional banks are still integrating traditional distribution channels with online ones; the scenario is therefore still evolving over time. Despite the intrinsic potentialities, Italy is far from being a leader in the usage of innovative online instruments in the banking system and will struggle with new innovation waves. In this paper, we measure the potential effective ebanking usage. Furthermore, we investigate the behaviour of users and adopters, identifying the major causes influencing satisfaction and usage and the impact of these different causes on the intensity of utilization. The analysis is based on a panel of 495 real users, thus allowing the profiling of the Italian adopter to discover the causes of usage and outline strategies for the growth of e‐banking services in Italy.

  15. [A confirmatory diagnosis of antibodies anti-Trypanosoma cruzi in donors referred by blood banks in Venezuela].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Bello, Zoraida; Zavala-Jaspe, Reinaldo; Díaz-Villalobos, María; Mauriello, Luciano; Maekelt, Alberto; de Noya, Belkisyolé Alarcón

    2008-06-01

    To establish the confirmatory diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, at least two immunoserological tests (ELISA, Indirect hamaglutination, IH, Complement Fixation Test, CFT) were carried out in 254 donors, from public and private blood banks of Venezuela, during 48 months between 1997-1998 and 2003-2004, referred to the Immunology Section of the Tropical Medicine Institute in Caracas. Antibodies anti-T. cruzi were detected in 129/254 (50,79%) by ELISA-IgG or IH and CFT. The "artificial xenodiagnosis" was positive in 10/118 persons with positive confirmed serology. Of 129 donors found positive by the serological tests, 68 were living in the capital region and 61 in the interior of the country. Likewise 113 were born in the interior of the country, 8 in Caracas and 8 in Colombia. Of them, 12 individuals serologically confirmed declared to have donated blood in a minimum of 4 occasions before diagnosis. The present study emphasizes the importance of detection of antibodies against T. cruzi in the integral evaluation of blood donors, since many of them with antibodies anti-T. cruzi, have donated blood several times previous to diagnosis.

  16. Baseline extracellular potassium level as an indicator of the rate of increase of the same on further storage in CPDA-1 whole blood units: a potential approach to complement FIFO system for prioritisation of blood bags for release from blood-banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baliarsingh, S; Jaiswal, M

    2014-02-01

    Potassium levels in stored blood bags increases as they age. Hyperkalemia in transfused blood has undesirable cardiac effects. Within a 19-month period, baseline and weekly samples from 15 CPDA-1 whole blood bags were collected till 28 days of storage and analysed for potassium, sodium, uric acid, albumin and whole blood haemoglobin. One unit increase in baseline (0 day) potassium in extracellular fluid of blood units was associated with the following increases in potassium levels on later days of storage: around two unit increase at 1 week (r2 = 0·50, P values. For CPDA-1 blood bags (i) low baseline potassium blood bags might be preferred for transfusion in cases demanding a low potassium load and (ii) coordinating the ‘first-in-first-out’ (FIFO) policy with ‘early release of blood-bags with high initial potassium’ might be helpful in improving the release of suitable blood units from blood-banks.

  17. Fundamental Principles of Stem Cell Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Changbin; Yue, Jianhui; He, Na; Liu, Yaqiong; Zhang, Xi; Zhang, Yong

    2016-01-01

    Stem cells are highly promising resources for application in cell therapy, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, toxicology and developmental biology research. Stem cell banks have been increasingly established all over the world in order to preserve their cellular characteristics, prevent contamination and deterioration, and facilitate their effective use in basic and translational research, as well as current and future clinical application. Standardization and quality control during banking procedures are essential to allow researchers from different labs to compare their results and to develop safe and effective new therapies. Furthermore, many stem cells come from once-in-a-life time tissues. Cord blood for example, thrown away in the past, can be used to treat many diseases such as blood cancers nowadays. Meanwhile, these cells stored and often banked for long periods can be immediately available for treatment when needed and early treatment can minimize disease progression. This paper provides an overview of the fundamental principles of stem cell banking, including: (i) a general introduction of the construction and architecture commonly used for stem cell banks; (ii) a detailed section on current quality management practices; (iii) a summary of questions we should consider for long-term storage, such as how long stem cells can be stored stably, how to prevent contamination during long term storage, etc.; (iv) the prospects for stem cell banking.

  18. Blood and Diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Drive Biomedical Services Hospital Partners Blood Products Blood Banking Resources Order Blood Products Invoice Central Case Reports ... app (over 1 million downloads and counting!) and online scheduler make it quick to set up your ...

  19. Attitudes of Swiss mothers toward unrelated umbilical cord blood banking 6 months after donation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danzer, Enrico; Holzgreve, Wolfgang; Troeger, Carolyn; Kostka, Ulrike; Steimann, Sabine; Bitzer, Johanes; Gratwohl, Alois; Tichelli, André; Seelmann, Kurt; Surbek, Daniel V

    2003-05-01

    During the past decade, the use of umbilical cord blood (CB) as a source of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells has been increasing. Little is known about the psychosocial consequences that later affect parents after unrelated CB donation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of mothers toward unrelated donation of umbilical CB for transplantation 6 months after giving birth. A prospective study was performed with a standardized, anonymous questionnaire distributed to 131 women 6 months after CB donation. The questionnaire included topics concerning views about the ethical accuracy of having donated CB, emotional responses after donation, concerns about genetic testing and research with CB samples, attitude toward anonymity between her child and possible unrelated CB recipient, and willingness to repeatedly donate umbilical CB in a next pregnancy. The vast majority (96.1%) stated that they would donate umbilical CB again, and all respondents were certain that their decision to have donated umbilical CB was ethical. With regard to the potential risks of genetic testing and "experimentation" of umbilical CB, a significant correlation (p = 0.01) was found between negative attitudes and the decision not to donate umbilical CB again. Additionally, it was observed that women who had a negative experience concerning the donation of CB would not donate again (p = 0.004). This study shows a high degree of satisfaction of unrelated umbilical CB donation for banking in women 6 months after delivery. Despite a well-performed and detailed informed consent procedure, one of the ongoing issues for the donators in CB banking involves the concern regarding of improper use of the cells, such as genetic testing or experimentation. Accurate and detailed counseling of pregnant women and their partners therefore maximizes the likelihood that they will donate CB for unrelated banking. These data provide a basis for the improvement of donor selection procedures

  20. Validation of a fully automated robotic setup for preparation of whole blood samples for LC-MS toxicology analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, David Wederkinck; Rasmussen, Brian; Linnet, Kristian

    2012-01-01

    A fully automated setup was developed for preparing whole blood samples using a Tecan Evo workstation. By integrating several add-ons to the robotic platform, the flexible setup was able to prepare samples from sample tubes to a 96-well sample plate ready for injection on liquid chromatography...

  1. Jk3 alloantibodies during pregnancy-blood bank management and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawicki, Shaun; Coberly, Emily A; Lee, Laura A; Johnson, Mary; Eichbaum, Quentin

    2018-05-01

    The Kidd-null phenotype, Jk(a-b-), occurs in individuals who do not express the JK glycoprotein. Jk(a-b-) individuals can make an antibody against the Jk3 antigen, a high-incidence antigen present in more than 99.9% of most populations. This presents many challenges to the blood bank including identification of the antibody, masking of other antibodies, and how to provide transfusion support given the rarity of Jk3-negative blood products. Kidd antibodies may cause acute and delayed hemolytic reactions as well as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). In this article, we present a series of four practical cases of pregnant women with the anti-Jk3 alloantibody that demonstrate a range of clinical presentations of Kidd-related HDFN. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and blood bank records for four patients and their newborns encountered at institutions in Tennessee, Missouri, Hawaii, and Guam with an anti-Jk3 identified during pregnancy. Two cases showed no significant evidence for HDFN, while two cases were of mild-to-moderate severity requiring early delivery due to elevated middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow velocities but requiring only phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia. No intrauterine or neonatal transfusions were necessary. Anti-Jk3 alloantibody titers ranged from 2 to 128. Clinical manifestations of anti-Jk3 HDFN are generally mild to moderate. Anti-Jk3 titers were not found to correlate directly with HDFN severity. We suggest a titer of 16 to 32 as a cutoff for implementing enhanced monitoring of fetal MCA flow velocities, as such titers may be indicative of elevated HDFN risk. © 2018 AABB.

  2. Automation of radioimmunoassay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Chisato; Yamada, Hideo; Iio, Masahiro

    1974-01-01

    Automation systems for measuring Australian antigen by radioimmunoassay under development were discussed. Samples were processed as follows: blood serum being dispensed by automated sampler to the test tube, and then incubated under controlled time and temperature; first counting being omitted; labelled antibody being dispensed to the serum after washing; samples being incubated and then centrifuged; radioactivities in the precipitate being counted by auto-well counter; measurements being tabulated by automated typewriter. Not only well-type counter but also position counter was studied. (Kanao, N.)

  3. Dried Blood Spot Proteomics: Surface Extraction of Endogenous Proteins Coupled with Automated Sample Preparation and Mass Spectrometry Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Nicholas J.; Bunch, Josephine; Cooper, Helen J.

    2013-08-01

    Dried blood spots offer many advantages as a sample format including ease and safety of transport and handling. To date, the majority of mass spectrometry analyses of dried blood spots have focused on small molecules or hemoglobin. However, dried blood spots are a potentially rich source of protein biomarkers, an area that has been overlooked. To address this issue, we have applied an untargeted bottom-up proteomics approach to the analysis of dried blood spots. We present an automated and integrated method for extraction of endogenous proteins from the surface of dried blood spots and sample preparation via trypsin digestion by use of the Advion Biosciences Triversa Nanomate robotic platform. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry of the resulting digests enabled identification of 120 proteins from a single dried blood spot. The proteins identified cross a concentration range of four orders of magnitude. The method is evaluated and the results discussed in terms of the proteins identified and their potential use as biomarkers in screening programs.

  4. An Analysis of and Recommendations for the Peruvian Blood Collection and Transfusion System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, Paul E; Vidal, Julio; Garcia, Patricia J

    2016-05-01

    Peru experienced a crisis in its blood collection and supply system in the mid-2000s, as contaminated blood led to several transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI), occurring in the backdrop of extremely low voluntary donation rates and a national blood supply shortage. Thus, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) implemented a national investigation on the safety and quality of the Peruvian blood collection/transfusion network. Every Peruvian blood bank was evaluated by MINSA from 2007-2008. These evaluations consisted of an update of the national registry of blood banks and visits to each blood bank from MINSA oversight teams. Information was collected on the condition of the blood bank personnel, equipment, supplies, and practices. Further, previously-collected blood at each blood bank was randomly selected and screened for TTI-causing pathogens. Uncovered in this investigation was a fragmented, under-equipped, and poorly-staffed blood collection and transfusion network, consisting of 241 independent blood banks and resulting in suboptimal allocation of resources. Further, blood with evidence of TTI-causing pathogens (including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and syphilis) and set for transfusion was discovered at three separate blood banks as part of the random screening process. Using the successful reorganizations of national blood supply systems in other Latin American countries as examples, Peru would be well-served to form large, high-volume, regional blood collection and transfusion centers, responsible for blood collection and screening for the entire country. The small, separate blood banks would then be transformed into a network of blood transfusion centers, not responsible for blood collection. This reorganization would allow Peru to better utilize its resources, standardize the blood collection and transfusion process, and increase voluntary donation, resulting in a safer, more abundant national blood product.

  5. Carotid Catheterization and Automated Blood Sampling Induce Systemic IL-6 Secretion and Local Tissue Damage and Inflammation in the Heart, Kidneys, Liver and Salivary Glands in NMRI Mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teilmann, Anne Charlotte; Rozell, Björn; Kalliokoski, Otto

    2016-01-01

    Automated blood sampling through a vascular catheter is a frequently utilized technique in laboratory mice. The potential immunological and physiological implications associated with this technique have, however, not been investigated in detail. The present study compared plasma levels of the cyt...... and embolized to distant sites. Thus, catheterization and subsequent automated blood sampling may have physiological impact. Possible confounding effects of visceral damage should be assessed and considered, when using catheterized mouse models....

  6. Usefulness of FC-TRIPLEX Chagas/Leish IgG1 as confirmatory assay for non-negative results in blood bank screening of Chagas disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campos, Fernanda Magalhães Freire; Repoles, Laura Cotta; de Araújo, Fernanda Fortes; Peruhype-Magalhães, Vanessa; Xavier, Marcelo Antônio Pascoal; Sabino, Ester Cerdeira; de Freitas Carneiro Proietti, Anna Bárbara; Andrade, Mariléia Chaves; Teixeira-Carvalho, Andréa; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis; Gontijo, Célia Maria Ferreira

    2018-04-01

    A relevant issue in Chagas disease serological diagnosis regards the requirement of using several confirmatory methods to elucidate the status of non-negative results from blood bank screening. The development of a single reliable method may potentially contribute to distinguish true and false positive results. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of the multiplexed flow-cytometry anti-T. cruzi/Leishmania IgG1 serology/(FC-TRIPLEX Chagas/Leish IgG1) with three conventional confirmatory criteria (ELISA-EIA, Immunofluorescence assay-IIF and EIA/IIF consensus criterion) to define the final status of samples with actual/previous non-negative results during anti-T. cruzi ELISA-screening in blood banks. Apart from inconclusive results, the FC-TRIPLEX presented a weak agreement index with EIA, while a strong agreement was observed when either IIF or EIA/IIF consensus criteria were applied. Discriminant analysis and Spearman's correlation further corroborates the agreement scores. ROC curve analysis showed that FC-TRIPLEX performance indexes were higher when IIF and EIA/IIF consensus were used as a confirmatory criterion. Logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that the probability of FC-TRIPLEX to yield positive results was higher for inconclusive results from IIF and EIA/IIF consensus. Machine learning tools illustrated the high level of categorical agreement between FC-TRIPLEX versus IIF or EIA/IIF consensus. Together, these findings demonstrated the usefulness of FC-TRIPLEX as a tool to elucidate the status of non-negative results in blood bank screening of Chagas disease. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Exploring nomological link between automated service quality, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions with CRM performance indexing approach: Empirical evidence from Indian banking industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arup Kumar Baksi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Automation in service delivery has increased the consumers’ expectation with regard to service quality and subsequently the perception of the same. Technology-driven services redefined quality dimensions and their subsequent impact on the behavioural outcomes of the consumers with specific reference to attitudinal loyalty and propensity to switch. Customer Relationship Management (CRM has further reinforced the operational aspects of a service provider by integrating the behavioural perspectives with technology. This paper attempts to explore the nomological link between automated service quality and its behavioural consequences with specific reference to consumers’ attitudinal loyalty and their intention to switch or defect from their present service provider. The study further takes into consideration the moderating effects of the performance of the dimensions and attributes of customer relationship management by introducing a novel approach to CRM performance indexing. The cross-sectional study was carried out with the customers of State Bank of India at Asansol, Durgapur, Bolpur and Santiniketan in West Bengal, India. The study used structural equation modeling (SEM to assess and validate the nomological relationship between the variables.

  8. Manual versus automated streaking system in clinical microbiology laboratory: Performance evaluation of Previ Isola for blood culture and body fluid samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Qute; Kim, Hyun Jin; Kim, Jong Wan; Kwon, Gye Cheol; Koo, Sun Hoe

    2018-01-04

    The process of plate streaking has been automated to improve routine workflow of clinical microbiology laboratories. Although there were many evaluation reports about the inoculation of various body fluid samples, few evaluations have been reported for blood. In this study, we evaluated the performance of automated inoculating system, Previ Isola for various routine clinical samples including blood. Blood culture, body fluid, and urine samples were collected. All samples were inoculated on both sheep blood agar plate (BAP) and MacConkey agar plate (MCK) using Previ Isola and manual method. We compared two methods in aspect of quality and quantity of cultures, and sample processing time. To ensure objective colony counting, an enumeration reading reference was made through a preliminary experiment. A total of 377 nonduplicate samples (102 blood culture, 203 urine, 72 body fluid) were collected and inoculated. The concordance rate of quality was 100%, 97.0%, and 98.6% in blood, urine, and other body fluids, respectively. In quantitative aspect, it was 98.0%, 97.0%, and 95.8%, respectively. The Previ Isola took a little longer to inoculate the specimen than manual method, but the hands-on time decreased dramatically. The shortened hands-on time using Previ Isola was about 6 minutes per 10 samples. We demonstrated that the Previ Isola showed high concordance with the manual method in the inoculation of various body fluids, especially in blood culture sample. The use of Previ Isola in clinical microbiology laboratories is expected to save considerable time and human resources. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Etiology of anemia of blood donor candidates deferred by hematologic screening

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michel Alves da Silva

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia and one of the main factors in the clinical deferral of blood donors. This fact prompted the current study that aimed to determine the prevalence and etiology of anemia in blood donor candidates and to evaluate the hematological screening technique used for the exclusion of these donors. METHODS: This was a prospective study that compared two groups (Anemic and Non-anemic. Initially screening for anemia was performed by manually measuring hemoglobin (Bioclin® Kit; the results were subsequently compared with an automated screening method (Coulter T-890. The etiology was investigated by hemoglobin electrophoresis in alkaline and acid pH, Hb A2 dosage and measurement of the ferritin concentration by immunoagglutination. Differences and associations of interest were analyzed using the Yates and McNemar's Chi-square tests and the Fisher, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: The deferral rate due to anemia was 4.2%; iron deficiency was identified in 37.5% and beta thalassemia in 9.3% of the excluded candidates. There was a significant discrepancy between the two techniques used to measure hemoglobin with 38.1% of initially deferred donors presenting normal hemoglobin levels by the automated method. CONCLUSION: The results show a high rate of blood donors being deferred for anemia and confirm that iron deficiency is the most prevalent cause. The discrepancies found by comparing screening methods suggest that hemoglobin and hematocrit levels should be confirmed before deferring a donor due to anemia; this may increase supplies in blood banks.

  10. 21 CFR 864.9285 - Automated cell-washing centrifuge for immuno-hematology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Automated cell-washing centrifuge for immuno... Establishments That Manufacture Blood and Blood Products § 864.9285 Automated cell-washing centrifuge for immuno-hematology. (a) Identification. An automated cell-washing centrifuge for immuno-hematology is a device used...

  11. Temporal distribution of blood donations in three Brazilian blood centers and its repercussion on the blood supply.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Claudia Di Lorenzo; de Almeida-Neto, Cesar; Liu, Emily Jing; Sabino, Ester Cerdeira; Leão, Silvana Carneiro; Loureiro, Paula; Wright, David; Custer, Brian; Gonçalez, Thelma Therezinha; Capuani, Ligia; Busch, Michael; Proietti, Anna Bárbara de Freitas Carneiro

    2013-01-01

    Seasonal distribution of blood donation hinders efforts to provide a safe and adequate blood supply leading to chronic and persistent shortages. This study examined whether holidays, geographical area and donation type (community versus replacement) has any impact on the fluctuation of donations. The numbers of blood donations from 2007 through 2010 in three Brazilian Retrovirus Epidemiological Donor Study II (REDS-II) participating centers were analyzed according to the week of donation. The weeks were classified as holiday or non-holiday. To compare donations performed during holiday versus non-holiday weeks, tabulations and descriptive statistics for weekly donations by blood center were examined and time series analysis was conducted. The average weekly number of donations varied according to the blood center and type of week. The average number of donations decreased significantly during Carnival and Christmas and increased during the Brazilian National Donor Week. The fluctuation was more pronounced in Recife and Belo Horizonte when compared to São Paulo and higher among community donors. National bank holidays affect the blood supply by reducing available blood donations. Blood banks should take into account these oscillations in order to plan local campaigns, aiming at maintaining the blood supply at acceptable levels.

  12. How safe is the blood supply?

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-06-26

    Many poor people in Indian cities sell their blood to commercial blood banks for up to US$2.50. In fact, so many have done so that there once was a Professional Blood Donors Association. It dissolved though after some members died of AIDS. Health workers believe at least 25% of blood donors in Bombay are HIV positive. Yet a recent study of 70 professional blood donors in Bombay shows only 7 who did not test positive for HIV. Still the government of India does not require blood banks to test for HIV, hepatitis, or other blood borne diseases. In fact, the blood supply is monitored in only 5 cities in India. In India as well as in other Asian countries, physicians advise patients to donate their own blood and have it stored until needed for surgery or to ask for safer blood substitutes, e.g., plasma expanders. In fact, in Singapore, the Autologous Blood Bank charges US$21/year to store units of blood for future use. In Japan, most of the 2008 HIV infected people had received blood plasma from mainly the US before Japan required new sterilization regulations on blood imports. The greatest risk from blood donors comes from those who are paid for their blood because they tend to be poor, to practice unsafe sex, and not to be mindful of their health. Most Asian nations such as Japan and Singapore do screen the blood supply. Further, for almost 20 years, Thailand has checked its blood supply for hepatitis B and syphilis. In 1987, it began testing for AIDS. It does not pay for donated blood. In the Philippines, however, even paying blood donors does not meet the needed blood supply and much of the blood comes from commercial blood banks. Yet the Philippine Red Cross has screened for other diseases since 1960 and for AIDS since 1988.

  13. Organization of eye bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, S.C.

    1999-01-01

    Comeal transplantation is the only method of combating the blindness due to corneal opacity caused by infections, malnutrition, trauma and hereditary diseases. Comeal blindness is more prevalent in the developing countries. The availability of the donor cornea, trained ophthalmic surgeons and microsurgery facilities are the key factors in restoring vision in-patients with comeal blindness. The eye bank organization is somewhat similar to that of blood bank. The eye bank should be located in a hospital or a medical centre in which a laboratory may be established for the evaluation and storage of donor tissue. The medical director (Ophthalmologist), technician, secretary and public relation officer are the persons who play an important role in the successful organization of eye bank. The function of the eye bank are procurement, assessment, processing, distribution of donor eyes/corneas, training of technicians/doctors, and conducting research related to storage of donor tissue and corneal transplantation. The necessary infrastructure required for the organization of an eye bank include separate accommodation area for the personnel and the laboratory, telephone, computer, refrigerator, laminar air flow hood. Slitlamp, specular microscope, storage media and equipment, instrument for enucleation of donor eyes, and a motor vehicle. The details of responsibilities of the staff of eye bank, source of donor eyes, suitability of donor material, procurement of the donor cornea, tissue assessment, storage and preservation, distribution of donor tissue, and limitation of eye bank will be discussed at the time of presentation

  14. Processing and storage of blood components: strategies to improve patient safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pietersz RNI

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Ruby NI Pietersz, Pieter F van der Meer Department of Product and Process Development, Sanquin Blood Bank, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Abstract: This review focuses on safety improvements of blood processing of various blood components and their respective storage. A solid quality system to ensure safe and effective blood components that are traceable from a donor to the patient is the foundation of a safe blood supply. To stimulate and guide this process, National Health Authorities should develop guidelines for blood transfusion, including establishment of a quality system. Blood component therapy enabled treatment of patients with blood constituents that were missing, only thus preventing reactions to unnecessarily transfused elements. Leukoreduction prevents many adverse reactions and also improves the quality of the blood components during storage. The safety of red cells and platelets is improved by replacement of plasma with preservative solutions, which results in the reduction of isoantibodies and plasma proteins. Automation of blood collection, separation of whole blood into components, and consecutive processing steps, such as preparation of platelet concentrate from multiple donations, improves the consistent composition of blood components. Physicians can better prescribe the number of transfusions and therewith reduce donor exposure and/or the risk of pathogen transmission. Pathogen reduction in cellular blood components is the latest development in improving the safety of blood transfusions for patients. Keywords: blood components, red cell concentrates, platelet concentrates, plasma, transfusion, safety 

  15. Detection of HBsAg and Anti HBc on donors of a blood bank by IRMA and ELISA methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freire Martinez, D.Y.

    1985-10-01

    Comparative evaluation of two methods, Immunoradiometric Assay (IRMA) and Enzyme Immunoassay (ELISA), for detecting HBsAg and Anti HBc was made for determining which is the most advantageous and reliable. The study was made on 300 donors of the Hospital San Juan de Dios Blood Bank. In comparison with the reference method (IRMA), ELISA shows 91.67% of sensitivity. The Anti HBc detection by IRMA is more reliable than the HBsAg detection by IRMA and ELISA for determining the carrier state

  16. A feasability study of color flow doppler vectorization for automated blood flow monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schorer, R; Badoual, A; Bastide, B; Vandebrouck, A; Licker, M; Sage, D

    2017-12-01

    An ongoing issue in vascular medicine is the measure of the blood flow. Catheterization remains the gold standard measurement method, although non-invasive techniques are an area of intense research. We hereby present a computational method for real-time measurement of the blood flow from color flow Doppler data, with a focus on simplicity and monitoring instead of diagnostics. We then analyze the performance of a proof-of-principle software implementation. We imagined a geometrical model geared towards blood flow computation from a color flow Doppler signal, and we developed a software implementation requiring only a standard diagnostic ultrasound device. Detection performance was evaluated by computing flow and its determinants (flow speed, vessel area, and ultrasound beam angle of incidence) on purposely designed synthetic and phantom-based arterial flow simulations. Flow was appropriately detected in all cases. Errors on synthetic images ranged from nonexistent to substantial depending on experimental conditions. Mean errors on measurements from our phantom flow simulation ranged from 1.2 to 40.2% for angle estimation, and from 3.2 to 25.3% for real-time flow estimation. This study is a proof of concept showing that accurate measurement can be done from automated color flow Doppler signal extraction, providing the industry the opportunity for further optimization using raw ultrasound data.

  17. [Complete blood count reference values of donated cord blood from Korean neonates].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hye Ryun; Shin, Sue; Yoon, Jong Hyun; Kim, Byoung Jae; Hwang, Kyu Ri; Kim, Jin Ju; Roh, Eun Youn

    2009-06-01

    In the public cord blood (CB) banks, only safe CB units with adequate cell doses are processed and stored. Complete blood count (CBC) of CB is crucial for estimating total nucleated cells (TNC) and screening suitable CB units without hematologic abnormalities. We analyzed CBC parameters of the donated CB from healthy Korean neonates to establish CBC reference values. A total of 2,129 Korean CB units, donated and processed during the period from August 2007 to December 2007, were enrolled. We measured hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC) count, differential count of WBC, platelets and nucleated red blood cell (nRBC) count by XE-2100 automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex, Japan), and estimated reference value of each parameter by using parametric (Mean+/-2SD) and/or non-parametric methods (2.5-97.5 percentile). And also, we compared the result of each parameter in relation to sex of neonates and delivery method. Because the differences of CBC values among different subgroups were not remarkable, we established the reference intervals as follows without subgroup division: Hb, 9.0-14.4 g/dL; WBC count, 5.6-18.5 x 10(3)/microL; differential count of WBC (neutrophils, 40.8-72.4%; lymphocytes, 17.2-46.7%; monocytes, 4.9-12.8%; eosinophils, 0.7-7.0%; basophils, 0.0-1.6%); platelet, 130-287 x 10(3)/microL; nRBCs, 0.0-13.1/100 WBC. We established cord blood CBC reference values of healthy Korean neonates using a large-scale CB units. The established CBC reference values from our study will be useful as basic data for CBC interpretation and assessment of transplant suitability of donated CB.

  18. Transfusion Practices Committee of a public blood bank network in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Carvalho, Ricardo Vilas Freire; Brener, Stela; Ferreira, Angela Melgaço; do Valle, Marcele Cunha Ribeiro; Moraes-Souza, Helio

    2012-01-01

    This study aimed to verify the performance of blood transfusion committees in transfusion services linked to the public blood bank network of the state of Minas Gerais. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between 2007 and 2008 using questionnaires and proficiency tests to evaluate the reporting and investigation of transfusion reactions comparing transfusion services with and without transfusion committees in the public transfusion services of the state of Minas Gerais. Nineteen of Hemominas own transfusion services and 207 that contracted the services of the foundation located in 178 municipalities were visited between 2007 and 2008. Established transfusion committees were present in 63.4% of the services visited. Transfusion incidents were reported by 53 (36.8%) transfusion services with transfusion committees and by eight (9.6%) without transfusion committees (p < 0.001) with 543 (97.5%) and 14 (2.5%) notifications, respectively. Of the reported transfusion incidents, 40 (75.5%) transfusion services with transfusion committees and only two (25%) of those without transfusion committees investigated the causes. The incidence of notification and investigation of the causes of transfusion reactions was higher in transfusion services where a transfusion committee was present. Despite these results, the performance of these committees was found to be incipient and a better organization and more effective operation are required.

  19. ATM Technology and Banking System in West African Sub-Region ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    2011-04-19

    Apr 19, 2011 ... At this point in time, it is pertinent to ask, what is ATM? ATM is Automated .... can be installed on ATMs running Microsoft Windows XP operating system that records sensitive ... almost real time bank services. The citizens of ...

  20. Validation of the fully automated A&D TM-2656 blood pressure monitor according to the British Hypertension Society Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Wei-Fang; Liu, Ming; Kang, Yuan-Yuan; Li, Yan; Wang, Ji-Guang

    2013-08-01

    The present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the fully automated oscillometric upper-arm blood pressure monitor TM-2656 according to the British Hypertension Society (BHS) Protocol 1993. We recruited individuals until there were 85 eligible participants and their blood pressure could meet the blood pressure distribution requirements specified by the BHS Protocol. For each individual, we sequentially measured the systolic and diastolic blood pressures using a mercury sphygmomanometer (two observers) and the TM-2656 device (one supervisor). Data analysis was carried out according to the BHS Protocol. The device achieved grade A. The percentage of blood pressure differences within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg was 62, 85, and 96%, respectively, for systolic blood pressure, and 71, 93, and 99%, respectively, for diastolic blood pressure. The average (±SD) of the device-observer differences was -2.1±7.8 mmHg (P<0.0001) and -1.1±5.8 mmHg (P<0.0001) for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively. The A&D upper-arm blood pressure monitor TM-2656 has passed the requirements of the BHS Protocol, and can thus be recommended for blood pressure measurement.

  1. Comparative Analysis of Clinical Samples Showing Weak Serum Reaction on AutoVue System Causing ABO Blood Typing Discrepancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Su Yeon; Lee, Ju Mi; Kim, Hye Lim; Sin, Kyeong Hwa; Lee, Hyeon Ji; Chang, Chulhun Ludgerus; Kim, Hyung Hoi

    2017-03-01

    ABO blood typing in pre-transfusion testing is a major component of the high workload in blood banks that therefore requires automation. We often experienced discrepant results from an automated system, especially weak serum reactions. We evaluated the discrepant results by the reference manual method to confirm ABO blood typing. In total, 13,113 blood samples were tested with the AutoVue system; all samples were run in parallel with the reference manual method according to the laboratory protocol. The AutoVue system confirmed ABO blood typing of 12,816 samples (97.7%), and these results were concordant with those of the manual method. The remaining 297 samples (2.3%) showed discrepant results in the AutoVue system and were confirmed by the manual method. The discrepant results involved weak serum reactions (serum reactions, samples from patients who had received stem cell transplants, ABO subgroups, and specific system error messages. Among the 98 samples showing ≤1+ reaction grade in the AutoVue system, 70 samples (71.4%) showed a normal serum reaction (≥2+ reaction grade) with the manual method, and 28 samples (28.6%) showed weak serum reaction in both methods. ABO blood tying of 97.7% samples could be confirmed by the AutoVue system and a small proportion (2.3%) needed to be re-evaluated by the manual method. Samples with a 2+ reaction grade in serum typing do not need to be evaluated manually, while those with ≤1+ reaction grade do.

  2. Viable Bacteria Associated with Red Blood Cells and Plasma in Freshly Drawn Blood Donations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgaard, Christian; Magnussen, Karin; Enevold, Christian

    2015-01-01

    ) or blue lactose plates. For identification colony PCR was performed using primers targeting 16S rDNA. SETTING: Blood donors attending Capital Region Blood Bank, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Hvidovre, Denmark, October 29th to December 10th 2013. PARTICIPANTS: 60 donors (≥50 years old....... CONCLUSIONS: Viable bacteria are present in blood from donors self-reported as medically healthy, indicating that conventional test systems employed by blood banks insufficiently detect bacteria in plasma. Further investigation is needed to determine whether routine testing for anaerobic bacteria and testing......OBJECTIVES: Infection remains a leading cause of post-transfusion mortality and morbidity. Bacterial contamination is, however, detected in less than 0.1% of blood units tested. The aim of the study was to identify viable bacteria in standard blood-pack units, with particular focus on bacteria from...

  3. Human milk banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Hare, Esther Marie; Wood, Angela; Fiske, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Forms of human milk banking and donation have been present for more than a century worldwide, but, since 1985, the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HM BANA) has established guidelines to make the use of donor's breast milk safe and the second best form of feeding to maternal breast milk for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infant. The Indiana Mother's Human Milk Bank provides an extensive and meticulous process of selecting breast milk donors. The process begins with a phone interview with a potential donor and includes the review of the donor's medical records, blood laboratory screening, medication and dietary intake, as well as consent from the donor's pediatrician. The milk bank follows steps of collecting, storing, and receiving the breast milk in accordance with the guidelines of the HM BANA. Pasteurization is the method used to ensure the proper heating and cooling of breast milk. Despite the rigorous pasteurization method, the donor's breast milk will not lose most of the important beneficial components needed for sick or ill NICU infants. Every batch of pasteurized breast milk will be cultured for any possible contamination and shipped to NICUs after it has been cleared by laboratory testing.

  4. Fully automated drug screening of dried blood spots using online LC-MS/MS analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Gaugler

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A new and fully automated workflow for the cost effective drug screening of large populations based on the dried blood spot (DBS technology was introduced in this study. DBS were prepared by spotting 15 μL of whole blood, previously spiked with alprazolam, amphetamine, cocaine, codeine, diazepam, fentanyl, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphet-amine (MDMA, methadone, methamphetamine, morphine and oxycodone onto filter paper cards. The dried spots were scanned, spiked with deuterated standards and directly extracted. The extract was transferred online to an analytical LC column and then to the electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry system. All drugs were quantified at their cut-off level and good precision and correlation within the calibration range was obtained. The method was finally applied to DBS samples from two patients with back pain and codeine and oxycodone could be identified and quantified accurately below the level of misuse of 89.6 ng/mL and 39.6 ng/mL respectively.

  5. The biotic sample bank of Chernobyl nuclear accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yu; Min Rui; Cai Jianming

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To built a simple and easy biologic sample bank from irradiated people in nuclear accident, for the long time research of biological effect of low dose ionization radiation on people. Methods: The blood sample is fixed on a piece of filter paper rand sealed up in plastic bottle for keeping, blood sample scribble on glass lice, fixed and dyed as routine clinic examination, and still, reserve a slice of hair of the examined people. Results: Having built a biologic sample bank which from 1162 human body. The samples are come from 958 liquidators of Chernobyl nuclear accident, 46 people in other nuclear accident and 158 people as control groups. It is also having much information details. Conclusions: If the biologic sample bank is combined with the modern bimolecular technique, maybe have much meaningful for the theory and practice of radiobiology. (authors)

  6. Can a decentralized blood system ensure self-sufficiency and blood safety? The Lebanese experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haddad, Antoine; Bou Assi, Tarek; Garraud, Olivier

    2017-08-01

    Lebanon has adopted a liberal economic system that also applies to healthcare procurement. There is no national Lebanese blood transfusion service and the blood supply is divided between a large number of licensed (45 per cent) and unlicensed (55 per cent) blood banks, many of them issuing a very limited number of blood components. All blood banks are hospital based and operate the entire transfusion chain, from collection to the release of blood units. Blood donation is voluntary and non-remunerated in 20-25 per cent of donations; it relies principally on replacement donations. Recently, Lebanon has faced political instability and war, and now welcomes an enormous number of refugees from neighboring countries at war. This has had an important impact on heath care and on the transfusion supply. We discuss the impact of the blood donation organization on the transfusion safety and ethics, to set the foundation for a more developed and safer transfusion programs.

  7. Automated registration of tail bleeding in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Peter B; Henriksen, Lars; Andresen, Per R; Lauritzen, Brian; Jensen, Kåre L; Juhl, Trine N; Tranholm, Mikael

    2008-05-01

    An automated system for registration of tail bleeding in rats using a camera and a user-designed PC-based software program has been developed. The live and processed images are displayed on the screen and are exported together with a text file for later statistical processing of the data allowing calculation of e.g. number of bleeding episodes, bleeding times and bleeding areas. Proof-of-principle was achieved when the camera captured the blood stream after infusion of rat whole blood into saline. Suitability was assessed by recording of bleeding profiles in heparin-treated rats, demonstrating that the system was able to capture on/off bleedings and that the data transfer and analysis were conducted successfully. Then, bleeding profiles were visually recorded by two independent observers simultaneously with the automated recordings after tail transection in untreated rats. Linear relationships were found in the number of bleedings, demonstrating, however, a statistically significant difference in the recording of bleeding episodes between observers. Also, the bleeding time was longer for visual compared to automated recording. No correlation was found between blood loss and bleeding time in untreated rats, but in heparinized rats a correlation was suggested. Finally, the blood loss correlated with the automated recording of bleeding area. In conclusion, the automated system has proven suitable for replacing visual recordings of tail bleedings in rats. Inter-observer differences can be eliminated, monotonous repetitive work avoided, and a higher through-put of animals in less time achieved. The automated system will lead to an increased understanding of the nature of bleeding following tail transection in different rodent models.

  8. Plasma selenium levels in healthy blood bank donors in the central-eastern part of Belgium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Cauwenbergh, Rudy; Robberecht, Harry; Van Vlaslaer, Veerle; De Smet, Annie; Emonds, Marie-Paule; Hermans, Nina

    2007-01-01

    Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, with Zeeman background correction and after improved matrix modification, was used to measure the plasma selenium content of healthy blood bank donors in the central part of Belgium. The mean plasma selenium concentration of 80 men and 80 women was 79.7+/-4.4ng/mL with a range of 55.0-117.4ng/mL. There was no gender difference observed. Plasma selenium level was significantly highest for the adult group, aged 45-64 years, compared to the others, except the young adults (18-24 years). The mean plasma selenium concentration measured corresponded well with literature data for Belgium. The obtained values were found to be in the medium range, compared with recent literature values for the European countries.

  9. Utility of the microculture method for Leishmania detection in non-invasive samples obtained from a blood bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Sezen Canim; Bagirova, Malahat; Allahverdiyev, Adil M; Kocazeybek, Bekir; Kosan, Erdogan

    2013-10-01

    In recent years, the role of donor blood has taken an important place in epidemiology of Leishmaniasis. According to the WHO, the numbers of patients considered as symptomatic are only 5-20% of individuals with asymptomatic leishmaniasis. In this study for detection of Leishmania infection in donor blood samples, 343 samples from the Capa Red Crescent Blood Center were obtained and primarily analyzed by microscopic and serological methods. Subsequently, the traditional culture (NNN), Immuno-chromatographic test (ICT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methods were applied to 21 samples which of them were found positive with at least one method. Buffy coat (BC) samples from 343 blood donors were analyzed: 15 (4.3%) were positive by a microculture method (MCM); and 4 (1.1%) by smear. The sera of these 343 samples included 9 (2.6%) determined positive by ELISA and 7 (2%) positive by IFAT. Thus, 21 of (6.1%) the 343 subjects studied by smear, MCM, IFAT and ELISA techniques were identified as positive for leishmaniasis at least one of the techniques and the sensitivity assessed. According to our data, the sensitivity of the methods are identified as MCM (71%), smear (19%), IFAT (33%), ELISA (42%), NNN (4%), PCR (14%) and ICT (4%). Thus, with this study for the first time, the sensitivity of a MCM was examined in blood donors by comparing MCM with the methods used in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. As a result, MCM was found the most sensitive method for detection of Leishmania parasites in samples obtained from a blood bank. In addition, the presence of Leishmania parasites was detected in donor bloods in Istanbul, a non-endemic region of Turkey, and these results is a vital importance for the health of blood recipients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Blood shortage situation: An audit of red blood cells order and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The objective of this work is to audit blood utilization by different specialties in the hospital using the Cross-match ratio as a guide to achieving effective transfusion practices. This was a prospective study. The blood bank of University Teaching Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria was used for the study. We analysed all blood ...

  11. Red blood cell-derived microparticles isolated from blood units initiate and propagate thrombin generation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubin, Olivier; Delobel, Julien; Prudent, Michel; Lion, Niels; Kohl, Kid; Tucker, Erik I; Tissot, Jean-Daniel; Angelillo-Scherrer, Anne

    2013-08-01

    Red blood cell-derived microparticles (RMPs) are small phospholipid vesicles shed from RBCs in blood units, where they accumulate during storage. Because microparticles are bioactive, it could be suggested that RMPs are mediators of posttransfusion complications or, on the contrary, constitute a potential hemostatic agent. This study was performed to establish the impact on coagulation of RMPs isolated from blood units. Using calibrated automated thrombography, we investigated whether RMPs affect thrombin generation (TG) in plasma. We found that RMPs were not only able to increase TG in plasma in the presence of a low exogenous tissue factor (TF) concentration, but also to initiate TG in plasma in absence of exogenous TF. TG induced by RMPs in the absence of exogenous TF was neither affected by the presence of blocking anti-TF nor by the absence of Factor (F)VII. It was significantly reduced in plasma deficient in FVIII or F IX and abolished in FII-, FV-, FX-, or FXI-deficient plasma. TG was also totally abolished when anti-XI 01A6 was added in the sample. Finally, neither Western blotting, flow cytometry, nor immunogold labeling allowed the detection of traces of TF antigen. In addition, RMPs did not comprise polyphosphate, an important modulator of coagulation. Taken together, our data show that RMPs have FXI-dependent procoagulant properties and are able to initiate and propagate TG. The anionic surface of RMPs might be the site of FXI-mediated TG amplification and intrinsic tenase and prothrombinase complex assembly. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  12. Hospital blood bank information systems accurately reflect patient transfusion: results of a validation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McQuilten, Zoe K; Schembri, Nikita; Polizzotto, Mark N; Akers, Christine; Wills, Melissa; Cole-Sinclair, Merrole F; Whitehead, Susan; Wood, Erica M; Phillips, Louise E

    2011-05-01

    Hospital transfusion laboratories collect information regarding blood transfusion and some registries gather clinical outcomes data without transfusion information, providing an opportunity to integrate these two sources to explore effects of transfusion on clinical outcomes. However, the use of laboratory information system (LIS) data for this purpose has not been validated previously. Validation of LIS data against individual patient records was undertaken at two major centers. Data regarding all transfusion episodes were analyzed over seven 24-hour periods. Data regarding 596 units were captured including 399 red blood cell (RBC), 95 platelet (PLT), 72 plasma, and 30 cryoprecipitate units. They were issued to: inpatient 221 (37.1%), intensive care 109 (18.3%), outpatient 95 (15.9%), operating theater 45 (7.6%), emergency department 27 (4.5%), and unrecorded 99 (16.6%). All products recorded by LIS as issued were documented as transfused to intended patients. Median time from issue to transfusion initiation could be calculated for 535 (89.8%) components: RBCs 16 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], 15-18 min; interquartile range [IQR], 7-30 min), PLTs 20 minutes (95% CI, 15-22 min; IQR, 10-37 min), fresh-frozen plasma 33 minutes (95% CI, 14-83 min; IQR, 11-134 min), and cryoprecipitate 3 minutes (95% CI, -10 to 42 min; IQR, -15 to 116 min). Across a range of blood component types and destinations comparison of LIS data with clinical records demonstrated concordance. The difference between LIS timing data and patient clinical records reflects expected time to transport, check, and prepare transfusion but does not affect the validity of linkage for most research purposes. Linkage of clinical registries with LIS data can therefore provide robust information regarding individual patient transfusion. This enables analysis of joint data sets to determine the impact of transfusion on clinical outcomes. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  13. An Approach to the Evaluation and Prediction of the Outflow of Bank Deposits Dynamics Using the Big Data Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergey Vladimirovich Zapechnikov

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The results of implementation of pilot-project to test IBM Big Data platform for automation of processes of collection, processing and analysis of unstructured big data applied to the individual functional unit of the banking supervision of the Central Bank of Russia is presented.

  14. [Innovative technology and blood safety].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Begue, S; Morel, P; Djoudi, R

    2016-11-01

    If technological innovations are not enough alone to improve blood safety, their contributions for several decades in blood transfusion are major. The improvement of blood donation (new apheresis devices, RFID) or blood components (additive solutions, pathogen reduction technology, automated processing of platelets concentrates) or manufacturing process of these products (by automated processing of whole blood), all these steps where technological innovations were implemented, lead us to better traceability, more efficient processes, quality improvement of blood products and therefore increased blood safety for blood donors and patients. If we are on the threshold of a great change with the progress of pathogen reduction technology (for whole blood and red blood cells), we hope to see production of ex vivo red blood cells or platelets who are real and who open new conceptual paths on blood safety. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Relevancy of Serum Calcium in Predicting Blood Product Transfusion in Trauma

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-10

    collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services , Directorate for...to arrive from the blood bank . In the military setting, where fresh whole blood may be available as a “walking blood bank ,” appropriate donors need

  16. Blood platelet inventory management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haijema, R.; van Dijk, N. M.; van der Wal, J.; Boucherie, Richard J.; van Dijk, Nico M.

    2017-01-01

    This paper illustrates how MDP or Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) can be used in practice for blood management at blood banks; both to set regular production quantities for perishable blood products (platelets) and how to do so in irregular periods (as holidays). The state space is too large to

  17. Human leukocyte antigen-A, -B, and -DRB1 haplotypes of cord blood units in the Tzu Chi Taiwan Cord Blood Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Shu-Hui; Lai, Meng-Jiun; Yang, Kuo-Liang

    2008-07-01

    Cord blood (CB) is considered an alternative resource to bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In this study, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, -B, and -DRB1 high-resolution allele types were analyzed from a total of 710 CB units in the Tzu Chi Taiwan Cord Blood Bank. We observed 21 HLA-A alleles, 59 HLA-B alleles, and 28 HLA-DRB1 alleles, whereas 19 unique alleles were present in the CB units of 2,023 individuals selected for confirmatory testing in the Tzu Chi Taiwan Marrow Donor Registry (TCTMDR). The allelic associations between the HLA-A and -B locus were stronger than that of either the HLA-B and -DRB1 loci or the HLA-A and -DRB1 loci. The most common haplotype of CB units in the general Taiwanese population was A*3303-B*5801-DRB1*0301 (6.59%), followed by A*0207-B*4601-DRB1*0901 (3.47%) and then A*1101-B*4001-DRB1*0901 (2.11%). Moreover, two haplotypes, A*2402-B*5201-DRB1*1502 and A*0201-B*1301-DRB1*1202, existed uniquely in the CB units but were not observed in the data of TCTMDR. Although the number of CB units studied for high-resolution of HLA typing in the current study is small, we believe our data should provide useful information to increase the chances of obtaining acceptable HLA-A-, -B-, and -DRB1-matched CB units for patients.

  18. A Study of the Effect of Word of Mouth on Pregnant Women Decision-Making Behavior to Join the Royan Cord Blood Bank in Arak City, 2009-2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojgan Ahmari Nejad

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background: Today, the role of word of mouth (WOM in making decision particularly in service sector became important. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of word of mouth on pregnant woman decision-making behavior to join the Royan Cord Blood Bank. Materials and Methods: The research is operational and has a causal nature. The population of study was 790 pregnant women enrolled in Royan Cord Blood Bank in Arak city that 294 subjects were selected by available non-random sampling method. To collect data, questionnaire instrument was used. Data were analyzed according to Structural Equations Modeling (SEM by LISREL (version 8.54 software. Results: The results of the study revealed that the effect of communication medium on personal information source and word of mouth was significant and positive. In addition, opinion leaders had a significant and positive influence on personal information source and word of mouth and also, the significant and negative effect of opinion leaders on perceived risk was seen. Personal information source had a significant and positive effect on decision-making. However, social structure didn't have any effect on word of mouth. Likewise, word of mouth didn't influence decision-making. Conclusion: According to the findings of the research, it seems that paying attention to the prerequisites and conditions making a suitable bed for creating effective word of mouth and expanding it to making decision for joining the Royan Cord Blood Bank is very necessary.

  19. Clinical Utility of Blood Cell Histogram Interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, E T Arun; Bhagya, S; Majeed, Abdul

    2017-09-01

    An automated haematology analyser provides blood cell histograms by plotting the sizes of different blood cells on X-axis and their relative number on Y-axis. Histogram interpretation needs careful analysis of Red Blood Cell (RBC), White Blood Cell (WBC) and platelet distribution curves. Histogram analysis is often a neglected part of the automated haemogram which if interpreted well, has significant potential to provide diagnostically relevant information even before higher level investigations are ordered.

  20. In the aftermath of SPRINT: further comparison of unattended automated office blood pressure measurement and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seidlerová, Jitka; Gelžinský, Julius; Mateřánková, Markéta; Ceral, Jiří; König, Petr; Filipovský, Jan

    2018-03-22

    Several papers reported that unattended automated office blood pressure (uAutoOBP) is closely related to daytime ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). In the present study, we aim to study uAutoOBP and its relation to 24-hour ABPM and ABPM variability. Stable treated hypertensive subjects were examined in two Czech academic hypertension centres. uAutoOBP was measured with the BP Tru device; attended BP three times with auscultatory method (AuscOBP) by the physician. ABPM was performed within one week from the clinical visit. Data on 98 subjects aged 67.7 ± 9.3 years with 24-hour ABPM 120.3 ± 10.6/72.7 ± 7.9 mm Hg are reported. uAutoOBP was lower than 24-hour (by -5.2 ± 11.3/-0.5 ± 6.9 mm Hg) and daytime (by -6.7 ± 12.82.4 ± 8.0 mm Hg) ABPM and the individual variability of the difference was very large (up to 30 mm Hg). The correlation coefficients between ABPM and uAutoOBP were similar compared to AuscOBP (p ≥ .17). Variability of uAutoOBP, but not AuscOBP, readings during one clinical visit was related to short-term blood pressure variability of ABPM. The difference between AuscOBP and uAutoOBP was larger in patients with white-coat effect compared to other blood pressure control groups (25.1 ± 7.0 vs. 2.2 ± 10.3 mm Hg; p = .0036). Our study shows that uAutoOBP is not good predictor of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, not even of the daytime values. It might, however, indicate short-term blood pressure variability and, when compared with AuscOBP, also detect patients with white-coat effect.

  1. Blood Clotting and Pregnancy

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... to top How are Blood Clots in Pregnant Women Treated? Typically, blood clots are treated with an ... Image Bank Advocacy Action Alerts Policy News Advocacy Leadership Institute Policy Statements Testimony & Correspondence Meetings ASH Annual ...

  2. APPLICATION OF QUEUING THEORY TO AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE (ATM) FACILITIES USING MONTE CARLO SIMULATION

    OpenAIRE

    UDOANYA RAYMOND MANUEL; ANIEKAN OFFIONG

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the importance of applying queuing theory to the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) using Monte Carlo Simulation in order to determine, control and manage the level of queuing congestion found within the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) centre in Nigeria and also it contains the empirical data analysis of the queuing systems obtained at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) located within the Bank premises for a period of three (3) months. Monte Carlo Simulation is applied to th...

  3. Automated red blood cell depletion in ABO incompatible grafts in the pediatric setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Fante, Claudia; Scudeller, Luigia; Recupero, Santina; Viarengo, Gianluca; Boghen, Stella; Gurrado, Antonella; Zecca, Marco; Seghatchian, Jerard; Perotti, Cesare

    2017-12-01

    Bone marrow ABO incompatible transplantations require graft manipulation prior to infusion to avoid potentially lethal side effects. We analyzed the influence of pre-manipulation factors (temperature at arrival, transit time, time of storage at 4°C until processing and total time from collection to red blood cell depletion) on the graft quality of 21 red blood cell depletion procedures in ABO incompatible pediatric transplants. Bone marrow collections were processed using the Spectra Optia ® (Terumo BCT) automated device. Temperature at arrival ranged between 4°C and 6°C, median transit time was 9.75h (range 0.33-28), median time of storage at 4°-6°C until processing was 1.8h (range 0.41-18.41) and median time from collection to RBC depletion was 21h (range1-39.4). Median percentage of red blood cell depletion was 97.7 (range 95.4-98.5), median mononuclear cells recovery was 92.2% (range 40-121.2), median CD34+ cell recovery was 93% (range 69.9-161.2), median cell viability was 97.7% (range 94-99.3) and median volume reduction was 83.9% (range 82-92). Graft quality was not significantly different between BM units median age. Our preliminary data show that when all good manifacturing practices are respected the post-manipulation graft quality is excellent also for those units processed after 24h. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Point-of-Care Test Equipment for Flexible Laboratory Automation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Won Suk; Park, Jae Jun; Jin, Sung Moon; Ryew, Sung Moo; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol

    2014-08-01

    Blood tests are some of the core clinical laboratory tests for diagnosing patients. In hospitals, an automated process called total laboratory automation, which relies on a set of sophisticated equipment, is normally adopted for blood tests. Noting that the total laboratory automation system typically requires a large footprint and significant amount of power, slim and easy-to-move blood test equipment is necessary for specific demands such as emergency departments or small-size local clinics. In this article, we present a point-of-care test system that can provide flexibility and portability with low cost. First, the system components, including a reagent tray, dispensing module, microfluidic disk rotor, and photometry scanner, and their functions are explained. Then, a scheduler algorithm to provide a point-of-care test platform with an efficient test schedule to reduce test time is introduced. Finally, the results of diagnostic tests are presented to evaluate the system. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  5. Digital disruption of the banking industry: Threat or opportunity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krstić Nataša

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available If the previous decade in the banking business was marked by excessive credit expansion, today we are talking about a decade of its digital transformation. Under the influence of digital media and tremendous changes in technology and consumer needs, banks are exposed to digital disruption of their business models both from the inside and outside, which all leads to innovations in products, services, sales and distribution channels, business models and ultimately organizational culture. Sector analyses are showing that future profits will be redirected towards those financial organizations which successfully deploy digital technologies for process automation and as analytical tools, create new services and values for their clients who want their bank to be accessible at all places and all times, and which transform their organizational culture to an agile and innovation-oriented one. Successful banking strategies will be based on understanding how digital business transformation can create new value - on market changes brought by fin-tech innovators, on comprehensive understanding of customer habits and expectations, and setting up investments into digital business as the key priority.

  6. [The 2009 performance report of the German cornea banks].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrage, N; Reinhard, T; Seitz, B; Hermel, M; Böhringer, D; Reinshagen, H

    2011-03-01

    In Germany, human tissue for corneal and amniotic transplantation is supplied by 27 cornea banks. The Section for Tissue Transplantation and Biotechnology of the German Ophthalmological Society records the cornea banks' activities by means of an annual questionnaire. In 2009, a total of 4,818 corneal grafts were processed by 21 responding cornea banks, and 57% were deemed suitable for transplantation. This ratio is slightly higher than the European average. In addition, German cornea banks released 1,257 amniotic grafts in 2009. German cornea banks are currently facing new regulatory issues due to updated legislation regarding tissue transplantation. Recent updates in European law have limited the cutoff time for postmortem blood sampling to 24 h, and this regulation may lead to a significant reduction in potential donors.

  7. Preparation of pre-cut corneas from fresh donated whole globes for Descemet's stripping automated keratoplasty: 3-year results at the Central Eye Bank of Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanavi, Mozhgan Rezaei; Javadi, Mohammad Ali; Javadi, Fatemeh; Chamani, Tahereh

    2014-09-01

    To describe the technique and the results of the preparation of pre-cut corneas for Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) during a 3-year period at the Central Eye Bank of Iran (CEBI). The method of preparation of pre-cut corneas from donated whole globes at the CEBI is described and the frequency and percentage of pre-cut corneas prepared for DSAEK, between April 2009 and March 2012, are specified. Moreover, post-operative reports are reviewed for any complaints about using pre-cut tissues for DSAEK. Out of the 1,518 donated whole globes appropriate for DSAEK, 1,478 (97.4 %) pre-cut corneas were successfully prepared. The method of preparation failed in 40 (2.6 %) cases. Based on the eye bank post-operative reports, thickness of pre-cut tissues for DSAEK was deemed unacceptable in only 6 (0.4 %) cases prior to surgery; five of these were too thick and one was too thin. Preparation of pre-cut corneas, for DSAEK from donated whole globes, in the CEBI is a safe and easy method, with very good preservation of endothelial cells after the preparation of the pre-cut corneas and reduced risks from corneal manipulation.

  8. A case of Hepatitis E in a blood donor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita A Tendulkar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The threat of hepatitis E is being felt in blood banks in recent times. The disease is usually self-limiting, but may progress to a fulminant fatal form. We report a unique case of a hepatitis E virus (HEV-positive asymptomatic blood donor who later developed jaundice and informed the blood bank. A blood donor passed all eligibility criteria tests and donated blood. After 20 days, the blood bank was informed by the donor that he had developed vomiting and jaundice 1 day postdonation. He was investigated by a local laboratory 1 day postdonation for liver profile, which was high. There had been a major outbreak in his community of similar symptoms during the same period. HEV IgM antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was positive. Silent infections may be lurking in apparently healthy donors. Donors need to be encouraged to revert in case of any significant developments after donation and maintain open channels of communication.

  9. Automated typing of red blood cell and platelet antigens: a whole-genome sequencing study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, William J; Westhoff, Connie M; Gleadall, Nicholas S; Aguad, Maria; Smeland-Wagman, Robin; Vege, Sunitha; Simmons, Daimon P; Mah, Helen H; Lebo, Matthew S; Walter, Klaudia; Soranzo, Nicole; Di Angelantonio, Emanuele; Danesh, John; Roberts, David J; Watkins, Nick A; Ouwehand, Willem H; Butterworth, Adam S; Kaufman, Richard M; Rehm, Heidi L; Silberstein, Leslie E; Green, Robert C

    2018-06-01

    There are more than 300 known red blood cell (RBC) antigens and 33 platelet antigens that differ between individuals. Sensitisation to antigens is a serious complication that can occur in prenatal medicine and after blood transfusion, particularly for patients who require multiple transfusions. Although pre-transfusion compatibility testing largely relies on serological methods, reagents are not available for many antigens. Methods based on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have been used, but typing for ABO and Rh-the most important blood groups-cannot be done with SNP typing alone. We aimed to develop a novel method based on whole-genome sequencing to identify RBC and platelet antigens. This whole-genome sequencing study is a subanalysis of data from patients in the whole-genome sequencing arm of the MedSeq Project randomised controlled trial (NCT01736566) with no measured patient outcomes. We created a database of molecular changes in RBC and platelet antigens and developed an automated antigen-typing algorithm based on whole-genome sequencing (bloodTyper). This algorithm was iteratively improved to address cis-trans haplotype ambiguities and homologous gene alignments. Whole-genome sequencing data from 110 MedSeq participants (30 × depth) were used to initially validate bloodTyper through comparison with conventional serology and SNP methods for typing of 38 RBC antigens in 12 blood-group systems and 22 human platelet antigens. bloodTyper was further validated with whole-genome sequencing data from 200 INTERVAL trial participants (15 × depth) with serological comparisons. We iteratively improved bloodTyper by comparing its typing results with conventional serological and SNP typing in three rounds of testing. The initial whole-genome sequencing typing algorithm was 99·5% concordant across the first 20 MedSeq genomes. Addressing discordances led to development of an improved algorithm that was 99·8% concordant for the remaining 90 Med

  10. Red Blood Cell Agglutination for Blood Typing Within Passive Microfluidic Biochips.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huet, Maxime; Cubizolles, Myriam; Buhot, Arnaud

    2018-04-19

    Pre-transfusion bedside compatibility test is mandatory to check that the donor and the recipient present compatible groups before any transfusion is performed. Although blood typing devices are present on the market, they still suffer from various drawbacks, like results that are based on naked-eye observation or difficulties in blood handling and process automation. In this study, we addressed the development of a red blood cells (RBC) agglutination assay for point-of-care blood typing. An injection molded microfluidic chip that is designed to enhance capillary flow contained anti-A or anti-B dried reagents inside its microchannel. The only blood handling step in the assay protocol consisted in the deposit of a blood drop at the tip of the biochip, and imaging was then achieved. The embedded reagents were able to trigger RBC agglutination in situ, allowing for us to monitor in real time the whole process. An image processing algorithm was developed on diluted bloods to compute real-time agglutination indicator and was further validated on undiluted blood. Through this proof of concept, we achieved efficient, automated, real time, and quantitative measurement of agglutination inside a passive biochip for blood typing which could be further generalized to blood biomarker detection and quantification.

  11. (G6PD) in stored blood

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Red blood cell viability in stored blood determines successful transfusion. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity has been shown to maintain red blood cell membrane integrity. This study was, therefore, aimed at estimating the G6PD activity in stored blood bags at the blood bank of the University of Nigeria ...

  12. The interface between blood preparation and use in Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kajja, I; Bimenya, G; Smit Sibinga, C

    2010-04-01

    The interface between preparation and use of blood impacts directly on the outcome of hemotherapy. The present study explores the knowledge and opinions of key players at, practical realities at, and quality improvement strategies of this interface. We surveyed clinicians (n = 81) and blood bank staff (n = 25) to assess their knowledge on key issues in their counterparts' working domains, the turnaround time on effecting a blood order from a hospital transfusion laboratory and strategies to improve communication of blood needs to blood banks. Out of 81 clinicians, 20 knew the four available blood products while only 17 knew the three uses of these products. Twenty-three blood bank staff reported the patient's condition as the main factor on which blood orders are based. Forty-four (54.3%) clinicians reported reception of a blood product within an hour of placing the order. Addressing infrastructure and human resource were some of the strategies suggested to improve this step of the transfusion chain. The knowledge of staff at the extreme ends of the clinical interface in their counterparts' working domain is far from adequate. However, they have well formed opinions on strategies to improve this interface.

  13. Cord stem-cell transplantation in Ontario: do we need a public bank?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gassas, A

    2011-06-01

    It has been 21 years since the first successful use of umbilical cord blood as a source of donor cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Over those years, cord blood transplantation (CBT) has shown marked success as an effective modality in the treatment of children and adults with hematologic malignancies, marrow failure, immunodeficiency, hemoglobinopathy, and inherited metabolic diseases. Furthermore, transplantation without full human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching is possible and, despite a lower incidence of graft-versus-host disease, graft-versus-leukemia effect is preserved. More than 20,000 cbts have been performed worldwide. Ontario is the most populated province in Canada, and its cbt numbers have increased dramatically in recent years, but most of the umbilical cord blood units are purchased from unrelated international registries. There is no public cord bank in Ontario, but there is a private cord banking option, and notably, Ontario has the largest number of live births in Canada [approximately 40% of all Canadian live births per year occur in Ontario (Statistics Canada, 2007)]. In this brief review, the pros and cons of private and public cord banking and the feasibility of starting an Ontario public cord bank are discussed.

  14. Development of the automated circulating tumor cell recovery system with microcavity array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negishi, Ryo; Hosokawa, Masahito; Nakamura, Seita; Kanbara, Hisashige; Kanetomo, Masafumi; Kikuhara, Yoshihito; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Yoshino, Tomoko

    2015-05-15

    Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are well recognized as useful biomarker for cancer diagnosis and potential target of drug discovery for metastatic cancer. Efficient and precise recovery of extremely low concentrations of CTCs from blood has been required to increase the detection sensitivity. Here, an automated system equipped with a microcavity array (MCA) was demonstrated for highly efficient and reproducible CTC recovery. The use of MCA allows selective recovery of cancer cells from whole blood on the basis of differences in size between tumor and blood cells. Intra- and inter-assays revealed that the automated system achieved high efficiency and reproducibility equal to the assay manually performed by well-trained operator. Under optimized assay workflow, the automated system allows efficient and precise cell recovery for non-small cell lung cancer cells spiked in whole blood. The automated CTC recovery system will contribute to high-throughput analysis in the further clinical studies on large cohort of cancer patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Latest developments in on- and off-line inspection of bank notes during production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Stephen C.

    2004-06-01

    The inspection of bank notes is a highly labour intensive process where traditionally every note on every sheet is inspected manually. However with the advent of more and more sophisticated security features, both visible and invisible, and the requirement of cost reduction in the printing process, it is clear that automation is required. Machines for the automatic inspection of bank notes have been on the market for the past 10 to 12 years, but recent developments in technology have enabled a new generation of detectors and machines to be developed. This paper focuses on the latest developments in both the off-line and on-line inspection of bank notes covering not only the visible spectrum but also a new range of detectors for inspection some of the more common invisible features used as covert features in today's bank notes.

  16. Enantioselective determination of methylphenidate and ritalinic acid in whole blood from forensic cases using automated solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Ragnar; B. Rasmussen, Henrik; Linnet, Kristian

    2012-01-01

    A chiral liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) method was developed and validated for quantifying methylphenidate and its major metabolite ritalinic acid in blood from forensic cases. Blood samples were prepared in a fully automated system by protein precipitation followed...... methylphenidate was not determined to be related to the cause of death, the femoral blood concentration of d-methylphenidate ranged from 5 to 58 ng/g, and from undetected to 48 ng/g for l-methylphenidate (median d/l-ratio 5.9). Ritalinic acid was present at concentrations 10–20 times higher with roughly equal...

  17. PRACTICAL METHODS OF BANKING MANAGEMENT – APPLICATION IN PRACTICE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bodretskiy M.

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The article presents the latest trends in the development of banking management in Ukraine. Purpose. The research is aimed at the study of practical methods of banking institutions management in Ukraine. Results. The results of the research, which prove the determination by most banks of such management methods based on the principles of minimizing operating costs of a banking institution, are proved. The main areas of such a minimization, most banks identified: the involvement of inexperienced staff, increase the level of automation of banking processes, increasing attention to non-price methods of attracting customers. A classification of non-price methods of attracting customers is made. The use of mathematical tools for determining the quality of management by a banking institution is proposed. The article states that in order to prevent the manifestations of crisis phenomena in a banking institution (predictors of which may be: the emergence of a negative spread, loss-making activity of the bank, etc. it is necessary to have an optimal, economically sound portfolio of practical management methods that can be practically useful for execution on operational and tactical level of managerial decisions of banking management. The article contains the results of the survey of specialists and scientists who took part in the scientific and practical conference “Anti-crisis management of economy and finances”, held in 2017. The main areas of work of the mentioned conference were: search of ways of overcoming of crisis phenomena in economy and finances of Ukraine; definition of strategic aspects of the development of the financial system of the state in the context of the growth of the negative consequences of the growth of tension in international and economic relations; definition of fiscal policy of Ukraine and the impact of its quality on the quality of the banking system in the conditions of stagnation of financial markets, etc

  18. Umbilical cord blood donation: public or private?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballen, K K; Verter, F; Kurtzberg, J

    2015-10-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a graft source for patients with malignant or genetic diseases who can be cured by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), but who do not have an appropriately HLA-matched family or volunteer unrelated adult donor. Starting in the 1990s, unrelated UCB banks were established, accepting donations from term deliveries and storing UCB units for public use. An estimated 730 000 UCB units have been donated and stored to date and ~35 000 UCB transplants have been performed worldwide. Over the past 20 years, private and family banks have grown rapidly, storing ~4 million UCB units for a particular patient or family, usually charging an up-front and yearly storage fee; therefore, these banks are able to be financially sustainable without releasing UCB units. Private banks are not obligated to fulfill the same regulatory requirements of the public banks. The public banks have released ~30 times more UCB units for therapy. Some countries have transitioned to an integrated banking model, a hybrid of public and family banking. Today, pregnant women, their families, obstetrical providers and pediatricians are faced with multiple choices about the disposition of their newborn's cord blood. In this commentary, we review the progress of UCB banking technology; we also analyze the current data on pediatric and adult unrelated UCB, including the recent expansion of interest in transplantation for hemoglobinopathies, and discuss emerging studies on the use of autologous UCB for neurologic diseases and regenerative medicine. We will review worldwide approaches to UCB banking, ethical considerations, criteria for public and family banking, integrated banking ideas and future strategies for UCB banking.

  19. Recycled incomplete identification procedures for blood screening

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bar-Lev, S.K.; Boxma, O.J.; Kleiner, I.; Perry, D.; Stadje, W.

    2017-01-01

    The operation of blood banks aims at the cost-efficient supply of uncontaminated human blood. Each unit of donated blood goes through multiple testing for the presence of various pathogens which are able to cause transfusion-transmitted diseases. The blood screening process is comprised of two

  20. Retinal blood vessel segmentation in high resolution fundus photographs using automated feature parameter estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orlando, José Ignacio; Fracchia, Marcos; del Río, Valeria; del Fresno, Mariana

    2017-11-01

    Several ophthalmological and systemic diseases are manifested through pathological changes in the properties and the distribution of the retinal blood vessels. The characterization of such alterations requires the segmentation of the vasculature, which is a tedious and time-consuming task that is infeasible to be performed manually. Numerous attempts have been made to propose automated methods for segmenting the retinal vasculature from fundus photographs, although their application in real clinical scenarios is usually limited by their ability to deal with images taken at different resolutions. This is likely due to the large number of parameters that have to be properly calibrated according to each image scale. In this paper we propose to apply a novel strategy for automated feature parameter estimation, combined with a vessel segmentation method based on fully connected conditional random fields. The estimation model is learned by linear regression from structural properties of the images and known optimal configurations, that were previously obtained for low resolution data sets. Our experiments in high resolution images show that this approach is able to estimate appropriate configurations that are suitable for performing the segmentation task without requiring to re-engineer parameters. Furthermore, our combined approach reported state of the art performance on the benchmark data set HRF, as measured in terms of the F1-score and the Matthews correlation coefficient.

  1. Automated Cell Enrichment of Cytomegalovirus-specific T cells for Clinical Applications using the Cytokine-capture System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumaresan, Pappanaicken; Figliola, Mathew; Moyes, Judy S; Huls, M Helen; Tewari, Priti; Shpall, Elizabeth J; Champlin, Richard; Cooper, Laurence J N

    2015-10-05

    in blood banking facilities where staff can supervise automated protocols to produce multiple products.

  2. Enhanced way of securing automated teller machine to track the misusers using secure monitor tracking analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadhasivam, Jayakumar; Alamelu, M.; Radhika, R.; Ramya, S.; Dharani, K.; Jayavel, Senthil

    2017-11-01

    Now a days the people's attraction towards Automated Teller Machine(ATM) has been increasing even in rural areas. As of now the security provided by all the bank is ATM pin number. Hackers know the way to easily identify the pin number and withdraw money if they haven stolen the ATM card. Also, the Automated Teller Machine is broken and the money is stolen. To overcome these disadvantages, we propose an approach “Automated Secure Tracking System” to secure and tracking the changes in ATM. In this approach, while creating the bank account, the bank should scan the iris known (a part or movement of our eye) and fingerprint of the customer. The scanning can be done with the position of the eye movements and fingerprints identified with the shortest measurements. When the card is swiped then ATM should request the pin, scan the iris and recognize the fingerprint and then allow the customer to withdraw money. If somebody tries to break the ATM an alert message is given to the nearby police station and the ATM shutter is automatically closed. This helps in avoiding the hackers who withdraw money by stealing the ATM card and also helps the government in identifying the criminals easily.

  3. [Blood derivatives in Puerto Rico: History of the transfusion services and estimate of the consumption of blood units].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales-Borges, Raúl H

    2014-01-01

    Puerto Rico has eight hospital blood banks and three community blood banks for a population around four million. The Red Cross has been in existence in Puerto Rico since 1893 under the Spanish Governance but it was not until 1907 which became the American Red Cross (ARC). Since then it has been serving Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. About 171.222 blood components, which 45% are of the ARC, are used. There are a number of variations in utilization and a number of factors that are influencing us at the national and local level and that is why collaboration is required in the management plan of blood components at each hospital and implementation of maximum units required for each case of surgery.

  4. Project portfolio selection of banking services using COPRAS and Fuzzy-TOPSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.O. Anyaeche

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Portfolio selection is a business process which has helped organisations identify an area of com-petitive advantage and it is a major concern to industrial players in the banking sectors. In order to enhance bank portfolio selection, cost, profitability, time and location are important parameters that decision-makers often consider. This study implements a fuzzy-TOPSIS (Technique for Or-der Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution framework to evaluate three potential portfolios (automated teller machine gallery, quick service point and branch for a bank using the infor-mation from three decision-makers. An illustrative example of real bank information is used to demonstrate the proposed framework applicability. The complex proportional assessment of al-ternatives (COPRAS method is also used as an evaluation technique and the results are com-pared, which yields that the results from the ranking order of fuzzy-TOPSIS and COPRAS were different. However, there is a consistency between the aggregation of intuition-based, fuzzy-TOPSIS and COPRAS ranks and fuzzy-TOPSIS ranking results. The presented framework is an easy-to-apply tool that improves portfolio selection decision in the banking system.

  5. Methods of Payment to Banks: e-Banking. Comparative Study on Three Banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miranda Petronella VLAD

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available E-banking website, majority offers the banks. At first it was electronic-banking, Internet-banking followed, followed by mobile-banking service. These services offer the same facilities, Customer Bank just that varies the channel used for communication with the Bank. The services offered by banks through E-banking, approves: compilation of orders; scheduled payments; orders for payment of wages; internal transfers; pay rates on internal or external; currency exchanges; view balances of accounts at any time; information about foreign exchange rates; view and print account statements; the definition of beneficiaries of direct payments by the client.

  6. The Royan Public Umbilical Cord Blood Bank: Does It Cover All Ethnic Groups in Iran Based on HLA Diversity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahimkhani, Saeideh; Farjadian, Shirin; Ebrahimi, Marzieh

    2014-04-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells allow the transplantation of partially human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched grafts and are a valuable resource for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and heritable hematologic, immunologic and metabolic diseases, especially when a compatible bone marrow donor is unavailable. The aim of this study was to determine how many ethnic groups in Iran are covered by the available UCB units based on HLA diversity. From 2009 until mid-2013, 4,981 (30.3%) of the 16,437 UCB samples collected met the storage criteria and were cryopreserved at a public cord blood bank (CBB) in Tehran, Iran. HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 were typed in 1,793 samples. The mean volume of the cryopreserved samples was 81.25 ± 20.3 ml. The range of total nucleated cells per unit was 51 × 10(7)-107 × 10(7). The most common HLA alleles were HLA-A*2 (17%) and HLA-A*24 (15.6%), HLA-B*35 (16.8%) and HLA-B*51 (13.9%), and HLA-DRB1*11 (20%) and HLA-DRB1*15 (14%). The predominant haplotypes were HLA-A*24-B*35-DRB1*11 (2%), HLA-A*02-B*50-DR*07 (1.8%), and HLA-A*02-B*51-DRB1*11 (1.5%). Based on the HLA-DRB1 profiles, the UCB units available at the Royan public UCB bank are a potentially adequate resource for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Iranian recipients belonging to particular ethnic groups. Regular educational programs to improve the public knowledge of UCB for transplantation can enhance the public CBB stocks for all Iranian ethnic groups in the future.

  7. ONLINE BANKING IN THE ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    OpenAIRE

    IMOLA DRIGĂ

    2014-01-01

    In the world of banking, the development of IT has a huge effect on development of more flexible payments methods and more user-friendly banking services. Recently, modern electronic banking services, internet and mobile banking, have rejuvenated banking transactions. Electronic banking over the Internet is one of the newest e-banking services with several benefits both for banks and for customers. The paper aims to provide an overview of online banking services highlighting various aspect...

  8. 12 CFR 619.9140 - Farm Credit bank(s).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit bank(s). 619.9140 Section 619.9140 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9140 Farm Credit bank(s). Except as otherwise defined, the term Farm Credit bank(s) includes Farm Credit Banks...

  9. Measuring the relative efficiencies of automated telling machines and point of sales

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Farajzadeh

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, many people have been interested in purchasing goods and services via point of sales (POS. They have also wished to pay their bills, withdraw cash or transfer funds using automated telling machines (ATMs. These two facilities help banks’ customers carry less amount of cash and do their daily banking activities any time even when the banks are closed. This paper presents an empirical investigation to measure the relative efficiency of nearly 600 POS and ATM units associated with Bank Melli Iran located in city of Tehran, Iran. Using data envelopment analysis, the study has disclosed that only small portions of POS and ATM are working efficiently.

  10. ONLINE BANKING IN THE ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    IMOLA DRIGĂ

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the world of banking, the development of IT has a huge effect on development of more flexible payments methods and more user-friendly banking services. Recently, modern electronic banking services, internet and mobile banking, have rejuvenated banking transactions. Electronic banking over the Internet is one of the newest e-banking services with several benefits both for banks and for customers. The paper aims to provide an overview of online banking services highlighting various aspects globally as well as in the Romanian banking system. Even if there already are several studies on web banking, this topic still remains a resourceful area for academic research in the next decade.

  11. Maps of Shallow-water Banks in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Derived from Moderate Resolution Landsat Satellite Imagery

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Shallow-water (generally, less than 30 meters) bank areas in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were identified using semi-automated image analysis of Landsat 7 ETM+...

  12. Events at blood collection area due to nonconforming blood bags and plateletpheresis kits: need for timely corrective and preventive actions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Anupam; Sachan, Deepti; Elhence, Priti; Pandey, Hem; Dubey, Anju

    2012-07-01

    Good blood banking practice requires that every effort should be made to detect any deviation or defect in blood bank products and to identify any potential risk to blood donor or recipient(s). We report the findings of an exercise that provide an insight into why feedback from the user side is crucial. Various events involving blood bags and plateletpheresis kits and the corresponding appropriate actions instituted for remedial measures were recorded. These scattered events were recorded for 6 months following the use of a new batch of improved blood bags with add-on features. Several events related to plateletpheresis kits from three different manufacturers were also recorded for 1 year. The affected blood bags were utilized with no untoward incident. The complaint was closed following satisfactory response from the blood bag manufacturing company that acted in a timely manner in addressing the root causes of the problems. However, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) could not be implemented for plateletpheresis kits. The rate of undesirable events was higher with plateletpheresis kits as compared with whole blood bags (1.75% vs. 0.06%). As defects or deviations that trigger the need for CAPA can stem from numerous sources, it is important to clearly identify and document the problems and level of risk so that appropriate investigations can be instituted and remedial actions can be taken in a timely manner. This study demonstrates the usefulness of a quality initiative to collate and analyze blood product faults in conjunction with blood product manufacturers. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  13. The eastern province blood transfusion service: A case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Geldenhuys

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available An analysis was made of the location of the nine blood banks in the Eastern Province Blood Transfusion Service. The banks were considered as the vertices of an undirected graph. The cost of collecting and distributing blood was assumed to be proportional to the distances between vertices, and to the population of each district. The 9-median of the graph was calculated and the corresponding cost compared with the cost of the actual configuration, which turned out to be about 3% higher.

  14. Banking system trust, bank trust, and bank loyalty

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Esterik-Plasmeijer, P.; van Raaij, W.F.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test a model of banking system trust as an antecedent of bank trust and bank loyalty. Six determinants of trust and loyalty are included: competence, stability, integrity, customer orientation, transparency, and value congruence. The study provides insights

  15. Relationship Banking in Labor Bank

    OpenAIRE

    三村, 聡

    2012-01-01

    As Labor bank is seemed as business partner of labor union, it contributes each community activities. For example, Labor bank helps retired employee, laborer and inhabitants. In addition, after the amendment of Money Lending Business Act of 2010, labor bank became clearly community based bank by consulting for heavily-indebted people and their education. This paper analyzes the new role of labor bank such as community contribution and enhancing financing service by collecting of the opinion o...

  16. Bank, Banking System, Macroprudential Supervision, Stability of Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetiana Vasilyeva

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Intensification of financial development during last decade causes transformation of banking sector functioning. In particular, among the most significant changes over this period should be noted the next ones: convergence of financial market segments and appearance of cross-sector financial products, an increase of prevailing of financial sector in comparison with real economy and level of their interdependent, an intensification of crisis processes in financial and especially banking sector and a significant increase of the scale of the crisis consequences etc. thus, in such vulnerable conditions it is become very urgent to identify the relevant factors that can influence on the stability of banking sector, because its maintenance seems to be one of the most important preconditions of the stability of the national economy as a whole. Purpose of the article is to analyze key performance indicators of the Ukrainian banking system, clarify its main problems, identify relevant factors of the stability of the Ukrainian banking system and the character of their influence on the dependent variable. Realization of the mentioned above tasks was ensured by regression analysis (OLS regression. Analysis of key indicators that characterize current situation in the Ukrainian banking system found out the existence of numerous endogenous and exogenous problems, which, in turn, cause worsening most of analyzed indicators during 2013-2015. Unfavorable situation in Ukrainian banking system determined the necessity of identification of relevant factors of banking system stability to avoid transmission of financial shocks. According to the results of regression analysis on the stability of banking sector positively influence such factors as increase of interest margin to gross income ratio, reserves to assets ratio, number of branches, ratio of non-performing loans to total loans. Meanwhile, negative impact on stability of banking system has an increase of liquid

  17. The Response of Performance to Merger Strategy in Indonesian Banking Industry: Analyses on Bank Mandiri, Bank Danamon, and Bank Permata

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murti Lestari

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzes the responses of performances of BankMandiri, Bank Danamon, and Bank Permata to merger strategy.This paper harnesses the quantitative approach with structuralbreak analysis method and impulse response function. Theplausible findings indicate that the merger of Bank Permataproduces a better performance response in comparison to theconsolidation of Bank Mandiri and the merger of Bank Danamon.The merger of Bank Permata does not result in performanceshocks, and the structural break does not prevail either. On theother hand, the consolidation of Bank Mandiri and the mergerof Bank Danamon result in structural breaks, particularly in thespread performance. In order to return to the stable position, themergers of Bank Mandiri and Bank Danamon require a longertime than does the merger of Bank Permata. This researchindicates that for large banks, the mergers and acquisitions(retaining one existing bank will deliver a better performanceresponse than will the consolidations (no existing bank. Keywords: impulse response function; merger; structural break

  18. Technology Trust and E-Banking Adoption: The Mediating Effect of Customer Relationship Management Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samsudin Wahab

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The electronic revolution in the Malaysian banking sector has started in the 1970's. The first visible form of electronic innovation in the Malaysian banking industry was the introduction of Automated Teller Machines in 1981. Finally, on June 1, 2000, the Malaysian Central Bank gave the green light for locally owned commercial banks to offer Internet banking services. Due to the drastic changes in the business environment, it leads financial institutions to revise their marketing strategies to stress long-lasting relationships with customers. Relationships is important criteria in the selection of private bank. In many conditions, customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between antecedent’s factors and marketing performance. Hence, CRM performance is about maintaining good relationship and repurchases behavior, word-of-mouth and customer retention. Trust has been studied in traditional physical commercial environments. In the marketing and management literatures, trust is strongly associated with attitudes toward products, services, and purchasing behaviors. So that, the main objective of this research paper is to investigate the role of CRM performance as the mediator in the relationship between trust and E-Banking adoption. Hence, this empirical paper confirmed the role of customer relationship management performance as the mediators in the relationship between trust and electronic banking adoption.Key words: Trust, Customer Relationship Management Performance, E-Banking Adoption

  19. Automated image processing method for the diagnosis and classification of malaria on thin blood smears.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Nicholas E; Pritchard, Charles J; Rubin, David M; Dusé, Adriano G

    2006-05-01

    Malaria is a serious global health problem, and rapid, accurate diagnosis is required to control the disease. An image processing algorithm to automate the diagnosis of malaria on thin blood smears is developed. The image classification system is designed to positively identify malaria parasites present in thin blood smears, and differentiate the species of malaria. Images are acquired using a charge-coupled device camera connected to a light microscope. Morphological and novel threshold selection techniques are used to identify erythrocytes (red blood cells) and possible parasites present on microscopic slides. Image features based on colour, texture and the geometry of the cells and parasites are generated, as well as features that make use of a priori knowledge of the classification problem and mimic features used by human technicians. A two-stage tree classifier using backpropogation feedforward neural networks distinguishes between true and false positives, and then diagnoses the species (Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale or P. malariae) of the infection. Malaria samples obtained from the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School are used for training and testing of the system. Infected erythrocytes are positively identified with a sensitivity of 85% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 81%, which makes the method highly sensitive at diagnosing a complete sample provided many views are analysed. Species were correctly determined for 11 out of 15 samples.

  20. Automated quantification of Epstein-Barr Virus in whole blood of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients using the Abbott m2000 system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salmona, Maud; Fourati, Slim; Feghoul, Linda; Scieux, Catherine; Thiriez, Aline; Simon, François; Resche-Rigon, Matthieu; LeGoff, Jérôme

    2016-08-01

    Accurate quantification of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) load in blood is essential for the management of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. The automation of DNA extraction and amplification may improve accuracy and reproducibility. We evaluated the EBV PCR Kit V1 with fully automated DNA extraction and amplification on the m2000 system (Abbott assay). Conversion factor between copies and international units (IU), lower limit of quantification, imprecision and linearity were determined in a whole blood (WB) matrix. Results from 339 clinical WB specimens were compared with a home-brew real-time PCR assay used in our laboratory (in-house assay). The conversion factor between copies and IU was 3.22 copies/IU. The lower limit of quantification (LLQ) was 1000 copies/mL. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 3.1% and 7.9% respectively for samples with EBV load higher than the LLQ. The comparison between Abbott assay and in-house assay showed a good concordance (kappa = 0.77). Loads were higher with the Abbott assay (mean difference = 0.62 log10 copies/mL). The EBV PCR Kit V1 assay on the m2000 system provides a reliable and easy-to-use method for quantification of EBV DNA in WB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. BANKING BUSINESS MODELS IN UKRAINIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuliya Onyshchenko

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to work out and characterize bank business models that are formed in Ukraine. Methodology. Our research we will spend among banks that are functioning on the Ukrainian financial market and are not on the stage of liquidation, so the sample under study in our work is comprised of 131 banks which are different in their ownership structure and size. The core of the methodology is a statistical clustering algorithm that allows identifying the groups of banks (clusters with similar business models as banks with similar business model strategies have made similar choices regarding the composition of their assets and liabilities. The cluster analyses were taken on the base of seven chosen indicators: bank loans, bank liabilities, enterprise loans, enterprise liabilities, household loans, household liabilities and trading assets. Results. The traditional business model of bank is worked out. The bank business models that are functioning in Ukraine are identified on the base of cluster analyses using balance sheet characteristics of 131 Ukrainian banks. We find that in Ukraine were formed three types of bank business models: “Focused retail”, “Diversified retail” and “Corporative retail”. The description of each model is given. Practical implications. More detailed research of distinguished models allows not only to find out the main advantages and disadvantages of each bank model, but also the main problems that follow the development of Ukrainian banking sector. Identifying of bank models and their studying simplifies searching and elaboration of regulatory instruments as there is a two-way causation between regulation and bank business models. This implies a symbiotic relationship between regulation and bank business models: business models respond to regulation which in turn responds to the evolution of new business models. Value/originality. Such survey is conducted at the first time among Ukrainian banks. The

  2. Adverse reactions to blood donation: A descriptive study of 3520 blood donors in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

    OpenAIRE

    C Aneke John; U Ezeh Theodora; A Nwosu Gloria; E Anumba Chika

    2017-01-01

    Background: The occurrence of adverse reactions to blood donation significantly hampers donor retention and negatively impacts on the universal availability of adequate numbers of blood donor units. Objective: To analyze the spectrum and prevalence of adverse reactions in blood donors in a tertiary hospital-based blood bank in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: The details of 3520 blood donors who presented for donation over a 12 months period were retrieved from the departmental archives for ana...

  3. An elapsed time-temperature monitor for blood storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, G E; Cloud, S; Myhre, B A

    1977-01-01

    Blood should not be allowed to exceed 10 C while being stored or transported. However, one cannot test the internal temperature of a unit of blood without contaminating it. Most blood banks have established an arbitrary time limit beyond which a blood unit cannot be kept out of the refrigerator. This method is ineffective if blood is stored in a satellite refrigerator, since the blood may be moved in and out of the refrigerator and the blood bank personnel will be unaware of it. An elapsed time indicator is described which employs a small condenser (E-Cell-Plessey Electronics) charged with a known amount of electricity. If the device is removed from the refrigerator, it begins to discharge at a known rate. The amount of time subsequently can be determined by the loss of charge. The prototype of this instrument has been found to be quite accurate and small (2 inches X 2 inches X 1 inch). It would be rather inexpensive if made in considerable numbers.

  4. Development of blood transfusion service in Sultanate of Oman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshi Sanmukh

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Sultanate of Oman is geographically situated in south-west of Asia, having common borders on western side by the land with United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen and with the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the east and the north respectively. The country enjoys one of the best health care facilities including blood transfusion services in the region. Study design: Information was collected through informal personal interviews, digging out the past records, and the report presentations at various forums. Results: A modest start by providing blood units through import, the country is now self-reliant on procuring blood units from voluntary non-remunerate blood donors within the sultanate. A steady growth of blood banks is witnessed in every aspect of blood banking including blood collection, blood processing and supply. Various modalities are adapted in promoting voluntary blood donation programme. Conclusion: Sultanate of Oman has created one of the best blood transfusion services in the region in providing safe blood for transfusion through voluntary donation, a use of blood components and irradiating blood products.

  5. RELATION BETWEEN ISLAMIC BANK AND CENTRAL BANK

    OpenAIRE

    PAKSOY, H. Mustafa; ABAROSS, Nour

    2015-01-01

    This study deals with the nature of Islamic banks and their features, and requirements of these features in terms of control tools and methods appropriate with the particularity of their business and their relation with the traditional central bank. At the same time aims to view the relationship between Islamic bank and central bank. To explain this relation the researcher started to explain what is the central bank, objectives of central bank, and characteristics, what is Islamic bank and ob...

  6. PREDICTING CUSTOMER CHURN IN BANKING INDUSTRY USING NEURAL NETWORKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alisa Bilal Zorić

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to present a case study of usage of one of the data mining methods, neural network, in knowledge discovery from databases in the banking industry. Data mining is automated process of analysing, organization or grouping a large set of data from different perspectives and summarizing it into useful information using special algorithms. Data mining can help to resolve banking problems by finding some regularity, causality and correlation to business information which are not visible at first sight because they are hidden in large amounts of data. In this paper, we used one of the data mining methods, neural network, within the software package Alyuda NeuroInteligence to predict customer churn in bank. The focus on customer churn is to determinate the customers who are at risk of leaving and analysing whether those customers are worth retaining. Neural network is statistical learning model inspired by biological neural and it is used to estimate or approximate functions that can depend on a large number of inputs which are generally unknown. Although the method itself is complicated, there are tools that enable the use of neural networks without much prior knowledge of how they operate. The results show that clients who use more bank services (products are more loyal, so bank should focus on those clients who use less than three products, and offer them products according to their needs. Similar results are obtained for different network topologies.

  7. transfusion transmissible viral infections among potential blood

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    boaz

    Blood sample was spun on a bench centrifuge at 3,000rpm for 10 minutes to obtain serum. Serum or plasma was separated immediately. Data Collection and Laboratory Methods. A survey of the blood sample of the prospective donors at the Blood Bank, University College. Hospital (UCH) Ibadan was conducted between.

  8. Evaluation of the concomitant use of two different EIA tests for HIV screening in blood banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otani Marcia M.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: In 1998, the Brazilian Ministry of Health made it mandatory for all blood banks in the country to screen donated blood for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV concomitantly using two different enzyme immunoassay (EIA tests. Concerned with the best use of available resources, our objective with this study was to evaluate the usefulness of conducting two EIA screening tests instead of just one. METHODS: We analyzed data from 1999 through 2001 obtained by testing 698 191 units of donated blood using two EIA HIV screening tests concomitantly at the Pro-Blood Foundation/Blood Center of São Paulo (Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, which is a major blood center in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. All samples reactive in at least one of the two EIA tests were submitted for confirmation by a Western blot (WB test, and the persons who had donated those samples were also asked to return and provide a follow-up sample. RESULTS: Out of the 698 191 blood units that were donated, 2 718 of them (0.4% had to be discarded because they were reactive to at least one of the EIA tests. There were two WB-positive donation samples that were reactive in only one HIV EIA screening test. On their follow-up samples, both donors tested WB-negative. These cases were considered false positive results at screening. Of the 2 718 donors who were asked to return and provide a follow-up sample, 1 576 of them (58% did so. From these 1 576 persons, we found that there were two individuals who had been reactive to only one of the two EIA screening tests and who had also been negative on the WB at screening but who were fully seroconverted on the follow-up sample. We thus estimated that, in comparison to the use of a single EIA screening test, the use of two EIA screening tests would detect only one extra sample out of 410 700 units of blood. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not support the use of two different, concomitant EIA screening tests for HIV. The great

  9. Uncertainties in the Item Parameter Estimates and Robust Automated Test Assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldkamp, Bernard P.; Matteucci, Mariagiulia; de Jong, Martijn G.

    2013-01-01

    Item response theory parameters have to be estimated, and because of the estimation process, they do have uncertainty in them. In most large-scale testing programs, the parameters are stored in item banks, and automated test assembly algorithms are applied to assemble operational test forms. These algorithms treat item parameters as fixed values,…

  10. Prevalencia de infeccion humana por Trypanosoma cruzi en bancos de sangre en Venezuela Prevalence of human infections by Trypanosoma cruzi in Venezuelan blood banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Aché

    1993-10-01

    Full Text Available Las primeras investigaciones realizadas a nivel de bancos de sangre, durante la década 50, indican que la seroprevalencia por infecciones a T. cruzi entre hemodadores fue de 12%. Un estudio posterior, entre 1963-64, efectuado en varios bancos de sangre, así como otros centros, registró una seroprevalencia global de 6.0% (1.1-10.1%. La donación de sangre en Venezuela es gratuita. El control de los bancos de sangre recae en el Departamento de Transfusiones y Bancos de Sangre del Ministerio de Sanidad y Asistencia Social. A partir de 1988, se emplea uniformemente la técnica de ELISA para el diagnóstico de infecciones a T. cruzi en los Bancos de Sangre. La seropositividad promedio interanual, entre 1984-1992, fue de 1.20% (1.09-1.94%. Existen variaciones geográficas entre las localidades de varias entidades federales. Los estados con mayor prevalencia se ubican en las regiones del occidente y centro del país, a saber: Portuguesa, Barinas, Lara, Trujillo, Cojedes y Carabobo. Por las dificultades en obtener tasas de incidencia para el Mal de Chagas, resulta adecuado emplear tasas de prevalencia para uso en salud pública, en función de su mayor estabilidad; y en el caso de Venezuela, dada la severidad menor y una sobrevivencia mayor por esta patologia hoy día. La especificidad, como parámetro de las pruebas serológicas, debería considerarse en función de la baja seroprevalencia detectada a nivel nacional. Convendría emplear varias pruebas diagnósticas en paralelo para buscar un equilibrio entre sensibilidad y especificidad.Primary investigations carried out in blood banks in Venezuela during the 1950s, indicated that overall seroprevalence for Trypanosoma cruzi infection was 12% amongst blood donors. In Venezuela, blood donation is free. All public and private blood banks are controlled by the Ministry of Health. As from 1988 the ELISA technique was uniformly used in blood banks for the detection of T. cruzi infections. Annual median

  11. Is shadow banking really banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Bryan J. Noeth; Rajdeep Sengupta

    2011-01-01

    To those who don't know, the term "shadow banking" probably has a negative connotation. This primer draws parallels between what has been termed the shadow banking sector and the traditional banking sector—showing that they are similar in many ways.

  12. Umbilical cord blood banking ethico-legal issues: review article ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The recent discovery that umbilical cord blood has a high concentration of haematopoeitic stem cells has led to cord blood being used to treat a variety of disorders. Collection of cord blood is easy, non-invasive and generally does not interfere with the delivery process. However, there are various ethical and logistical ...

  13. Blood banking and regulation: procedures, problems, and alternatives

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Forum on Blood Safety and Blood Availability; Dauer, Edward A

    ... on Blood Safety and Blood Availability Division of Health Sciences Policy INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE Edward A. Dauer, Editor NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. 1996 i Copyrightoriginal retained, the be not from cannot book, paper original however, for version formatting, authoritative the typesetting-specific created from the as publication files other X...

  14. BANK RUN AND STABILITY OF ISLAMIC BANKING IN INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahmatina A. Kasri

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Bank run is an important economic phenomenon which increasingly occurred in in modern banking system and potentially threatened banking stability as it could trigger a banking crisis. However, most studies related to bank run focus on the occurrence of bank run in conventional banking system. Very few of them discuss the bank run phenomenon under Islamic banking system or dual banking system where Islamic banks jointly operating with conventional banks. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the determinants of bank run in the Indonesian Islamic banking industry by employing primary data from 256 customers of Indonesia Islamic banks in 2015 and by utilizing factor analysis and descriptive statistics. In theory, Islamic banks tend to be more resilient towards any macroeconomic or financial shocks as compared to conventional banks due to the nature of its asset-based and risk-sharing arrangement. However, the result exhibits that both psychological and fundamental factors (i.e. macroeconomics and bank fundamentals strongly influence the behaviors of Islamic banking depositors to withdraw their funds, which might trigger the occurrence of bank runs in the country. Insider information, macroeconomic condition and bank fundamental factors are also shown to have the highest impacts among all variables. Hence, in the context of banking stability, the finding implies that Islamic banks are not completely immune to the impacts of macroeconomic shocks or financial crisis. As a country with a dual banking system, Indonesia had experienced several bank runs since 1990s. Therefore, the findings of the study should provide the policy makers important insight into research based-policy in order to attain financial stability as one of the main economic goals of the country. Keywords: Bank run, Islamic bank, Factor analysis, Indonesia JEL Classification: C83, G21, G28

  15. Implementation of Business Intelligence on Banking, Retail, and Educational Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Sundjaja, Arta Moro

    2013-01-01

    Information technology is useful to automate business process involving considerable data transaction in the daily basis. Currently, companies have to tackle large data transaction which is difficult to be handled manually. It is very difficult for a person to manually extract useful information from a large data set despite of the fact that the information may be useful in decision-making process. This article studied and explored the implementation of business intelligence in banking, retai...

  16. Simulating Retail Banking for Banking Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supramaniam, Mahadevan; Shanmugam, Bala

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation flow and development of retail bank management simulation based training system which could provide a comprehensive knowledge about the operations and management of banks for the banking students. The prototype of a Retail banking simulation based training system was developed based on…

  17. Evaluation of surrogate markers for human immunodeficiency virus infection among blood donors at the blood bank of "Hospital Universitário Regional Norte do Paraná", Londrina, PR, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reiche Edna Maria Vissoci

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluated the usefulness of the anti-HBc, hepatitis C virus antibodies (anti-HCV, human T cell lymphotropic virus I and II antibodies (anti-HTLV I/II, serologic tests for syphilis, and surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg as surrogate markers for the risk for HIV infection in 80,284 serum samples from blood donors from the Blood Bank of "Hospital Universitário Regional Norte do Paraná", Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil, analyzed from July 1994 to April 2001. Among 39 blood donors with positive serology for HIV, 12 (30.8% were anti-HBc positive, 10 (25.6% for anti-HCV, 1 (2.6% for anti-HTLV I/I, 1 (2.6% was positive for syphilis, and 1 (2.6% for HBsAg. Among the donors with negative serology for HIV, these markers were detected in 8,407 (10.5%, 441 (0.5%, 189 (0.2%, 464 (0.6%, and 473 (0.6% samples, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001 for anti-HBc and anti-HCV. Although the predictive positive value for these surrogate markers were low for HIV infection, the results confirmed the anti-HBc and anti-HCV as useful surrogate markers for HIV infection thus reinforcing the maintenance of them in the screening for blood donors contributing to the prevention of the small number of cases in which HIV is still transmitted by transfusion.

  18. Analisis Tingkat Kepentingan Dan Kinerja Layanan Automated Teller Machine (Atm) Bank Mandiri

    OpenAIRE

    Setiawati, Lenny; Sugiharto, Toto

    2008-01-01

    Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk menganalisis tingkat kepentingan dan kinerja layananATM Bank Mandiri. Analisis Servqual yang terdiri atas dimensi tangible, realibility,responsiveness, assurance,dan empathy digunakan untuk menganalisis kinerjalayanan ATM. Sementara itu, Customer Satisfaction Index dan ImportancePerformance Analysis yang terdiri atas analisis kuadran dan analisis kesenjangandigunakan untuk menginvestigasi kepuasan pelanggan dan untuk mengidentifikasikandimensi layanan yang kiner...

  19. Bank Diversification Effects on Bank Performance and Risk Profile of Bank in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Lukmawijaya

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the relationship of Indonesian bank diversification towards its long term performance and risk profile with Indonesian bank data from 2009 to 2013. Non-interest income to total operating income of the bank measures its bank diversification level. Bank value is measured by the adjusted Tobin's Q and risk profile which is broken down into total risk, idiosyncratic risk, and systematic risk. The result shows that bank non-interest income diversification has a positive influence on its franchise value. There is, however, no strong evidence that diversification can lower a bank's risk profile.

  20. Denying Foreign Bank Entry: Implications For Bank Interest Margins

    OpenAIRE

    Ross Levine

    2003-01-01

    This paper examines the impact of restricting foreign bank entry on bank net interest margins while controlling for (a) impediments to domestic bank entry, (b) the degree of foreign bank ownership of the domestic banking industry, (c) an array of bank-specific characteristics, (c) banking sectorconcentration, and (d) various country traits. Using data on almost 1200 banks across 47 countries, the results suggest that restricting foreign bank entry boosts bank net interest margins. Also, restr...

  1. LS-SNP/PDB: annotated non-synonymous SNPs mapped to Protein Data Bank structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Michael; Diekhans, Mark; Lien, Stephanie; Liu, Yun; Karchin, Rachel

    2009-06-01

    LS-SNP/PDB is a new WWW resource for genome-wide annotation of human non-synonymous (amino acid changing) SNPs. It serves high-quality protein graphics rendered with UCSF Chimera molecular visualization software. The system is kept up-to-date by an automated, high-throughput build pipeline that systematically maps human nsSNPs onto Protein Data Bank structures and annotates several biologically relevant features. LS-SNP/PDB is available at (http://ls-snp.icm.jhu.edu/ls-snp-pdb) and via links from protein data bank (PDB) biology and chemistry tabs, UCSC Genome Browser Gene Details and SNP Details pages and PharmGKB Gene Variants Downloads/Cross-References pages.

  2. E-BANKING- MODERN BANKING SERVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MIRANDA PETRONELLA VLAD

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available E-banking is the first of those banking services that really economize time, because it allows to the user to accomplish from behind the computer many operations in the bank account, represents the computational solution that allows to the holder to have

  3. Assessment of the DIXTAL DX-2710 Automated Oscillometric Device for Blood Pressure Measurement with the Validation Protocols of the British Hypertension Society (BHS and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gisele M. P. Mano

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess the Dixtal DX2710 automated oscillometric device used for blood pressure measurement according to the protocols of the BHS and the AAMI. METHODS: Three blood pressure measurements were taken in 94 patients (53 females 15 to 80 years. The measurements were taken randomly by 2 observers trained to measure blood pressure with a mercury column device connected with an automated device. The device was classified according to the protocols of the BHS and AAMI. RESULT: The mean of blood pressure levels obtained by the observers was 148±38/93±25 mmHg and that obtained with the device was 148±37/89±26 mmHg. Considering the differences between the measurements obtained by the observer and those obtained with the automated device according to the criteria of the BHS, the following classification was adopted: "A" for systolic pressure (69% of the differences < 5; 90% < 10; and 97% < 15 mmHg; and "B" for diastolic pressure (63% of the differences < 5; 83% < 10; and 93% < 15 mmHg. The mean and standard deviation of the differences were 0±6.27 mmHg for systolic pressure and 3.82±6.21 mmHg for diastolic pressure. CONCLUSION: The Dixtal DX2710 device was approved according to the international recommendations.

  4. Prevalence of discordant microscopic changes with automated CBC analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiano de Jesus Santos

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction:The most common cause of diagnostic error is related to errors in laboratory tests as well as errors of results interpretation. In order to reduce them, the laboratory currently has modern equipment which provides accurate and reliable results. The development of automation has revolutionized the laboratory procedures in Brazil and worldwide.Objective:To determine the prevalence of microscopic changes present in blood slides concordant and discordant with results obtained using fully automated procedures.Materials and method:From January to July 2013, 1,000 hematological parameters slides were analyzed. Automated analysis was performed on last generation equipment, which methodology is based on electrical impedance, and is able to quantify all the figurative elements of the blood in a universe of 22 parameters. The microscopy was performed by two experts in microscopy simultaneously.Results:The data showed that only 42.70% were concordant, comparing with 57.30% discordant. The main findings among discordant were: Changes in red blood cells 43.70% (n = 250, white blood cells 38.46% (n = 220, and number of platelet 17.80% (n = 102.Discussion:The data show that some results are not consistent with clinical or physiological state of an individual, and cannot be explained because they have not been investigated, which may compromise the final diagnosis.Conclusion:It was observed that it is of fundamental importance that the microscopy qualitative analysis must be performed in parallel with automated analysis in order to obtain reliable results, causing a positive impact on the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic follow-up.

  5. Internet Banking integration within the banking system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constantin Marian MATEI

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Internet Banking developed due to increasing demand of online banking transactions. The biggest advantages of Internet Banking consist of complex banking solutions, 24 hours availability, quick and secure access to the back-end application through Internet. These advantages are due to the use of SOA (service-oriented architecture. SOA appeared as a necessity of companies to integrate big and independent portions of applications, in order to obtain an homogeneous functionality of the system. For the Internet Banking applications, SOA proved to be the optimal architectural solution, for a smoth integration between banking services from the front-end to the back-end.This paper intend to offer an insite analyse of the Internet Banking applications architecture integrated with other banking systems. A SOA oriented analyse will establish the scope of the integration architecture.

  6. Interest Free Banking in Nigeria - Welcome Islamic Banking ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Interest Free Banking in Nigeria - Welcome Islamic Banking; Welcome Christian Banking. ... banks pay interest on deposits, and charge interest on loans and advances, ... However, the literature on interest rates, in relation to Commercial Bank ...

  7. Pharmacokinetic Studies of Chinese Medicinal Herbs Using an Automated Blood Sampling System and Liquid Chromatography-mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Tse Wu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The safety of herbal products is one of the major concerns for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, and pharmacokinetic data of medicinal herbs guide us to design the rational use of the herbal formula. This article reviews the advantages of the automated blood sampling (ABS systems for pharmacokinetic studies. In addition, three commonly used sample preparative methods, protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction, are introduced. Furthermore, the definition, causes and evaluation of matrix effects in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS analysis are demonstrated. Finally, we present our previous works as practical examples of the application of ABS systems and LC/MS for the pharmacokinetic studies of Chinese medicinal herbs.

  8. A novel approach to optimal blood platelets logistics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smit Sibinga, C.; Dijk, van N.M.; Haijema, R.; Wal, van der J.

    2006-01-01

    The production and inventory management of blood platelets at blood establishments and hospital blood banks is a service problem of general human interest. Shortages or inadequate supplies may pur lives at risk and thus have to be managed and kept to a minimum. However, platelets have a limited

  9. Feasibility of trialling cord blood stem cell treatments for cerebral palsy in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crompton, Kylie E; Elwood, Ngaire; Kirkland, Mark; Clark, Pamela; Novak, Iona; Reddihough, Dinah

    2014-07-01

    Umbilical cord blood may have therapeutic benefit in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but further studies are required. On first appearance it seems that Australia is well placed for such a trial because we have excellence in CP research backed by extensive CP registers, and both public and private cord blood banks. We aimed to examine the possibilities of conducting a trial of autologous umbilical cord blood cells (UCBCs) as a treatment for children with CP in Australia. Data linkages between CP registers and cord blood banks were used to estimate potential participant numbers for a trial of autologous UCBCs for children with CP. As of early 2013, one Victorian child with CP had cord blood stored in the public bank, and between 1 and 3 children had their cord blood stored at Cell Care Australia (private cord blood bank). In New South Wales, we counted two children on the CP register who had their stored cord blood available in early 2013. We estimate that there are between 10 and 24 children with CP of any type who have autologous cord blood available across Australia. In nations with small populations like Australia, combined with Australia's relatively low per capita cord blood storage to date, it is not currently feasible to conduct trials of autologous UCBCs for children with CP. Other options must be explored, such as allogeneic UCBCs or prospective trials for neonates at risk of CP. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2014 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  10. Impact of Self Service Technology Quality on Customer Satisfaction: A Case of Retail Banks in Western Province in Sri Lanka

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunawardana H.M.R.S.S.

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Rapid technological advancement in the banking environment drives Sri Lankan banks to adopt self-service technologies to deliver services via SMS banking, Internet banking and telephone banking facilities, Automated Teller Machines (ATM etc. This study explored the perceived quality of the self-service technology of these services and its effect on customer satisfaction. The literature survey and in depth interviews helped to formulate quality dimensions: security, efficiency, eases of use, reliability and convenience and those dimensions were assessed through a questionnaire. This study surveyed 215 customers from branches of six dominating commercial banks located in Western Province of Sri Lanka. Data were subjected to Principal Component Analysis and retained factors were regressed using multiple regressions to assess the impact of quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. The results revealed that reliability and convenience have positive impacts on customer satisfaction but efficiency has a negative effect.

  11. Impact of E-Banking on Traditional Banking Services

    OpenAIRE

    Vyas, Shilpan Dineshkumar

    2012-01-01

    Internet banking is changing the banking industry, having the major effects on banking relationships. Banking is now no longer confined to the branches were one has to approach the branch in person, to withdraw cash or deposit a cheque or request a statement of accounts. In true Internet banking, any inquiry or transaction is processed online without any reference to the branch (anywhere banking) at any time. Providing Internet banking is increasingly becoming a "need to have" than a "nice to...

  12. Pengaruh Kualitas Layanan Mobile Banking (M-Banking Terhadap Kepuasan Nasabah di Indonesia [Effect of Mobile Banking (M-Banking Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aditya Wardhana

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The research aim was to assess the influence of the service quality of mobile banking (m-banking against customer satisfaction at the greatest banks in Indonesia. Elements of the quality of mobile banking services (m-banking were speed, security, accuracy, and trust. The population of this study was bank customers from eight of the greatest bank in Indonesia -- Bank Mandiri, Bank BRI, Bank BCA, Bank BNI, Bank CIMB Niaga, Bank Danamon, Bank Permata, and Bank Panin -- who used mobile banking which totaled 19.9 million customers with the size of the sample being 400 respondents. The sampling method used nonprobability sampling by incidental sampling. The results by using a structural equation modeling (SEM found significant influences between service quality of mobile banking (m-banking partially and simultaneously to customer satisfaction.

  13. Understanding Modern Banking Ledgers through Blockchain Technologies: Future of Transaction Processing and Smart Contracts on the Internet of Money

    OpenAIRE

    Peters, Gareth William; Panayi, Efstathios

    2015-01-01

    In this chapter we provide an overview of the concept of blockchain technology and its potential to disrupt the world of banking through facilitating global money remittance, smart contracts, automated banking ledgers and digital assets. In this regard, we first provide a brief overview of the core aspects of this technology, as well as the second-generation contract-based developments. From there we discuss key issues that must be considered in developing such ledger based technologies in a ...

  14. [Ethical aspects of human embryonic stem cell use and commercial umbilical cord blood stem cell banking. Ethical reflections on the occasion of the regulation of the European Council and Parliament on advanced therapy medicinal products].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Virt, G

    2010-01-01

    The regulation of the European Council and Parliament on advanced therapy medicinal products also includes therapies with human embryonic stem cells. The use of these stem cells is controversially and heavily discussed. Contrary to the use of adult stem cells, medical and ethical problems concerning the use of human embryonic stem cells persists, because this use is based on the destruction of human life at the very beginning. The regulation foresees, therefore, subsidiarity within the European Member States. Although there are no ethical problems in principle with the use of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood, there are social ethical doubts with the banking of these stem cells for autologous use without any currently foreseeable medical advantage by commercial blood banks. Also in this case subsidiarity is valid.

  15. Blood Clotting and Pregnancy

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... educational meetings and webinars ASH Image Bank Educational Web-based library of hematologic imagery In This Section: ... Blood Publishing Office . Patient Groups A list of Web links to patient groups and other organizations that ...

  16. A Comparison of Mindray BC-6800, Sysmex XN-2000, and Beckman Coulter LH750 Automated Hematology Analyzers: A Pediatric Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciepiela, Olga; Kotuła, Iwona; Kierat, Szymon; Sieczkowska, Sandra; Podsiadłowska, Anna; Jenczelewska, Anna; Księżarczyk, Karolina; Demkow, Urszula

    2016-11-01

    Modern automated laboratory hematology analyzers allow the measurement of over 30 different hematological parameters useful in the diagnostic and clinical interpretation of patient symptoms. They use different methods to measure the same parameters. Thus, a comparison of complete blood count made by Mindray BC-6800, Sysmex XN-2000 and Beckman Coulter LH750 was performed. A comparison of results obtained by automated analysis of 807 anticoagulated blood samples from children and 125 manual microscopic differentiations were performed. This comparative study included white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and erythrocyte indices, as well as platelet count. The present study showed a poor level of agreement between white blood cell enumeration and differentiation of the three automated hematology analyzers under comparison. A very good agreement was found when comparing manual blood smear and automated granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes differentiation. Red blood cell evaluation showed better agreement than white blood cells between the studied analyzers. To conclude, studied instruments did not ensure satisfactory interchangeability and did not facilitate a substitution of one analyzer by another. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Use of information-retrieval languages in automated retrieval of experimental data from long-term storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khovanskiy, Y. D.; Kremneva, N. I.

    1975-01-01

    Problems and methods are discussed of automating information retrieval operations in a data bank used for long term storage and retrieval of data from scientific experiments. Existing information retrieval languages are analyzed along with those being developed. The results of studies discussing the application of the descriptive 'Kristall' language used in the 'ASIOR' automated information retrieval system are presented. The development and use of a specialized language of the classification-descriptive type, using universal decimal classification indices as the main descriptors, is described.

  18. Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies amongst blood ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most common transfusion transmissible infections hence the introduction of routine screening for its antibodies in blood donors in most blood banks. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which the blood donor screening register for all intending donors were reviewed ...

  19. Role of Foreign Banks in Integration of Banking Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roman Šubić

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic development of financial industry in some last ten years that, considering the kind of financial agents, remained bank-oriented represents a suficient reason to investigate the causes that brought to the present structure of banking system. After having presented theoretical bases of the integration forms and banks connection, the paper analyzes the influence of foreign banks on the development of Croatian bank system. Thus, beside the knowledge of quantitative changes in the banking system, the paper researched the motivations of the banks regarding integration that, among other things, brought to creating the effects of scale and scope economies. However, the concentrations among banks can lead to creation of negative externalities that later become potential dangers for the banking. Pre-cognitions on development of banking system are used to create projection of future banking development while the data basis of the countries from the region enabled the comparative analysis of banks integration in these countries. The conclusion is that the foreign banks have been the largest promoters of bank integration in the Republic of Croatia contributing also to qualitative development of banking market and to deepening of financial market spectrum.

  20. Analisis Perbandingan Bank Umum Konvensional Dan Bank Umum Syariah

    OpenAIRE

    Nuryati; Gendis Gumilar, Amethysa

    2011-01-01

    This study analyzes and compares the financial risk of the two types of commercial banks, namely conventional commercial bank and Islamic commercial bank. Analysis tools used in this study is to use financial ratios and dicriminant values (Z values). Analysis showed that the ratio of liquidity and solvability ratios higher islamic commercial bank than conventional commercial bank. Z values higher islamic commercial bank than conventional commercial bank. The commercial banks are in a state of...

  1. Attended and Unattended Automated Office Blood Pressure Measurements Have Better Agreement With Ambulatory Monitoring Than Conventional Office Readings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreadis, Emmanuel A; Geladari, Charalampia V; Angelopoulos, Epameinondas T; Savva, Florentia S; Georgantoni, Anna I; Papademetriou, Vasilios

    2018-04-07

    Automated office blood pressure (AOBP) measurement is superior to conventional office blood pressure (OBP) because it eliminates the "white coat effect" and shows a strong association with ambulatory blood pressure. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 146 participants with office hypertension, and we compared AOBP readings, taken with or without the presence of study personnel, before and after the conventional office readings to determine whether their variation in blood pressure showed a difference in blood pressure values. We also compared AOBP measurements with daytime ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and conventional office readings. The mean age of the studied population was 56±12 years, and 53.4% of participants were male. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a bias (ie, mean of the differences) of 0.6±6 mm Hg systolic for attended AOBP compared with unattended and 1.4±6 and 0.1±6 mm Hg bias for attended compared with unattended systolic AOBP when measurements were performed before and after conventional readings, respectively. A small bias was observed when unattended and attended systolic AOBP measurements were compared with daytime ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (1.3±13 and 0.6±13 mm Hg, respectively). Biases were higher for conventional OBP readings compared with unattended AOBP (-5.6±15 mm Hg for unattended AOBP and oscillometric OBP measured by a physician, -6.8±14 mm Hg for unattended AOBP and oscillometric OBP measured by a nurse, and -2.1±12 mm Hg for unattended AOBP and auscultatory OBP measured by a second physician). Our findings showed that independent of the presence or absence of medical staff, AOBP readings revealed similar values that were closer to daytime ambulatory blood pressure monitoring than conventional office readings, further supporting the use of AOBP in the clinical setting. © 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  2. Data bank usage in reload design and licensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goudey, J.L.; Hansen, E.C.; Scigliano, S.M.; Williams, R.D.

    1986-01-01

    In 1977 the Nuclear Energy Business Operations of General Electric Company (GE) began a major project to automate sequential execution of the data transfer between the various computer programs used in performing calculations to support design, release, licensing, and core management of fuel used in boiling water reactors (BWRs). A centralized and controlled data bank was designed and implemented to complement the data management system and to achieve the following objectives: (1) enhance the quality and reliability of engineering data used for design and licensing of BWR fuel; (2) provide for traceability and long-term retrievability of engineering data as required by 10CFR50, Appendix B; (3) standardize the location and minimize the redundancy of engineering data; and (4) make engineering data readily available to all individuals and computer programs with a need for it. The structure of this data bank, which has become known as the BWR Engineering Data Bank or BWR/EDB, was purposefully left flexible and expandable with the ability to accommodate numerical, logical, and textual data. The BWR/EDB has been used by GE during fuel release, fuel and core design, reload licensing, and core management activities for 30 to 40 commercial power reactors over the past several years

  3. Is banking supervision central to central banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Joe Peek; Eric S. Rosengren; Geoffrey M. B. Tootell

    1997-01-01

    Whether central banks should play an active role in bank supervision and regulation is being debated both in the United States and abroad. While the Bank of England has recently been stripped of its supervisory responsibilities and several proposals in the United States have advocated removing bank supervision from the Federal Reserve System, other countries are considering enhancing central bank involvement in this area. Many of the arguments for and against these proposals hinge on the effe...

  4. Comparison of QIAsymphony automated and QIAamp manual DNA extraction systems for measuring Epstein-Barr virus DNA load in whole blood using real-time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laus, Stella; Kingsley, Lawrence A; Green, Michael; Wadowsky, Robert M

    2011-11-01

    Automated and manual extraction systems have been used with real-time PCR for quantification of Epstein-Barr virus [human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4)] DNA in whole blood, but few studies have evaluated relative performances. In the present study, the automated QIAsymphony and manual QIAamp extraction systems (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) were assessed using paired aliquots derived from clinical whole-blood specimens and an in-house, real-time PCR assay. The detection limits using the QIAsymphony and QIAamp systems were similar (270 and 560 copies/mL, respectively). For samples estimated as having ≥10,000 copies/mL, the intrarun and interrun variations were significantly lower using QIAsymphony (10.0% and 6.8%, respectively), compared with QIAamp (18.6% and 15.2%, respectively); for samples having ≤1000 copies/mL, the two variations ranged from 27.9% to 43.9% and were not significantly different between the two systems. Among 68 paired clinical samples, 48 pairs yielded viral loads ≥1000 copies/mL under both extraction systems. Although the logarithmic linear correlation from these positive samples was high (r(2) = 0.957), the values obtained using QIAsymphony were on average 0.2 log copies/mL higher than those obtained using QIAamp. Thus, the QIAsymphony and QIAamp systems provide similar EBV DNA load values in whole blood. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Automated Versus Manual Blood Pressure Measurement: A Randomized Crossover Trial in the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: Are Third World Countries Ready for the Change?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansoor, Kanaan; Shahnawaz, Saba; Rasool, Mariam; Chaudhry, Huwad; Ahuja, Gul; Shahnawaz, Sara

    2016-09-15

    Hypertension has proven to be a strong liability with 13.5% of all mortality worldwide being attributed to elevated blood pressures in 2001. An accurate blood pressure measurement lies at the crux of an appropriate diagnosis. Despite the mercury sphygmomanometer being the gold standard, the ongoing deliberation as to whether mercury sphygmomanometers should be replaced with the automated oscillometric devices stems from the risk mercury poses to the environment. This study was performed to check the validity of automated oscillometric blood pressure measurements as compared to the manual blood pressure measurements in Karachi, Pakistan. Blood pressure was recorded in 200 individuals aged 15 and above using both, an automated oscillometric blood pressure device (Dinamap Procare 100) and a manual mercury sphygmomanometer concomitantly. Two nurses were assigned to each patient and the device, arm for taking the reading and nurses were randomly determined. SPSS version 20 was used for analysis. Mean and standard deviation of the systolic and diastolic measurements from each modality were compared to each other and P values of 0.05 or less were considered to be significant. Validation criteria of British Hypertension Society (BHS) and the US Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) were used. Two hundred patients were included. The mean of the difference of systolic was 8.54 ± 9.38 while the mean of the difference of diastolic was 4.21 ± 7.88. Patients were further divided into three groups of different systolic blood pressure 120 to = 150 and > 150, their means were 6.27 ± 8.39 (p-value 0.175), 8.91 ± 8.96 (p-value 0.004) and 10.98 ± 10.49 (p-value 0.001) respectively. In our study 89 patients were previously diagnosed with hypertension; their difference of mean systolic was 9.43 ± 9.89 (p-value 0.000) and difference of mean diastolic was 4.26 ± 7.35 (p-value 0.000). Systolic readings from a previously validated device are not reliable

  6. Seasonal blood shortages can be eliminated.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilcher, Ronald O; McCombs, Suzanne

    2005-11-01

    This review is designed to help readers understand seasonal blood shortages and provide solutions through the use of technology that can increase the number of red blood cell units collected and the use of recruitment and marketing initiatives that appeal to the increasingly diverse donor base. Seasonal shortages are, in reality, mostly shortages of group O red blood cells and occur most commonly during midsummer and early winter. The shortages occur primarily from increased use of group O red blood cells at times of decreased donor availability. While reducing the disproportionate use of red cells will help, blood centers can more quickly reduce the seasonal deficits by using automated red cell technology to collect double red blood cell units; targeted marketing programs to provide effective messages; seasonal advertising campaigns; and recognition, benefits, and incentives to enhance the donor motivation donation threshold. A multi-level approach to increasing blood donations at difficult times of the year can ensure that donations are increased at a time when regular donor availability is decreased. Seasonal blood shortages can be eliminated by understanding the nature of the shortages, why and when they occur, and using more sophisticated recruitment and marketing strategies as well as automated collection technologies to enhance the blood supply.

  7. Regional Banks in the Russian Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikhail Vitalyevich Leonov

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Despite the lack of a uniform definition of «a regional bank», problems of their activities are widely discussed in the context of increasing regulation of the banking sector and creation of conditions for accelerated development of certain regions. The author analyses the Russian-language scientific literature in order to define «a regional bank» and systematize its key differences from other commercial banks. The researcher shows that the allocation of regional banks in a separate group should be related to specific features of the environment and not by endogenous factors associated with the selection of activities and balance sheet structure. The low level of financial market development and concentration of specific undiversified risks are the principal qualifiers differentiating between regional banks and other credit institutions in Russia. As classification criteria the author uses following: spatial representation (the bank does not have structural subdivisions in Moscow and the ownership structure (among the bank’s owners there are no national and international financial groups that have a direct impact on the operations of the bank

  8. [Survey of blood donors on the topic of "reimbursement for blood donors"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeiler, T; Kretschmer, V

    1995-02-01

    Remuneration for blood donors, in the way as presently handled by governmental and communal blood transfusion services in Germany, is not generally accepted. It is feared that donors are recruited with increased risk to transmit infectious diseases, especially AIDS. Alternative incentives are discussed. After the so-called AIDS scandal in Germany, a change in the donor motivation was to be expected, associated with an increased willingness to renounce remuneration. Therefore, we performed the present survey, in which we evaluated the donor's willingness to renounce remuneration, possibilities of cashless remuneration and other alternative incentives. During March and April 1994, a total of 1,157 blood donors of the University Blood Bank Marburg were questioned anonymously by a questionnaire in the framework of whole-blood donations. Beside the above-mentioned aspects demoscopic data were included (age, sex, profession, journey). Cutting of remuneration without any other compensation was refused by 86.1% of the donors, 77% would not want to further donate blood in this case. Transfer of money to a bank account instead of cash payment was accepted by 78.6%, the use of non-negotiable cheques by 68.7%. Alternative compensation by tickets for theater, concert, cinema or coupons for restaurants met with the approval of only 27.3%; under these circumstances, 36.9% would be willing to continue blood donation. With increasing age and number of donations, but largely independent of social status, donors attached greater importance to retention of remuneration. Cutting of remuneration would result in a considerable reduction of the willingness to donate blood within the population of donors of the governmental and communal blood transfusion services. However, an increase of virus safety of the blood products would not be reached in this way, since especially the long-term donors would be driven away. Considerable bottlenecks, particularly in the specific blood supply of

  9. AUSERA: Large-Scale Automated Security Risk Assessment of Global Mobile Banking Apps

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Sen; Meng, Guozhu; Su, Ting; Fan, Lingling; Xue, Yinxing; Liu, Yang; Xu, Lihua; Xue, Minhui; Li, Bo; Hao, Shuang

    2018-01-01

    Contemporary financial technology (FinTech) that enables cashless mobile payment has been widely adopted by financial institutions, such as banks, due to its convenience and efficiency. However, FinTech has also made massive and dynamic transactions susceptible to security risks. Given large financial losses caused by such vulnerabilities, regulatory technology (RegTech) has been developed, but more comprehensive security risk assessment is specifically desired to develop robust, scalable, an...

  10. Mobile banking: New trend in the contemporary banking sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanader Dušica

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the late 1990s and early 2000s, banking has undergone and is still undergoing some considerable changes, adjusting itself to the new circumstances and challenges in its environment. Modern information technologies have granted an opportunity to banks to expand their operations and adjust their offer of products and services, placing them through the new communication channels. The increasing reliance on mobile devices, especially the so-called smart phones, has facilitated the development of a new form of banking, known as mobile banking. Mobile banking is a specific channel of electronic banking, enabling clients to communicate with the bank via mobile devices. The bank's products and services are, thus, available to the clients at any time and at any place, and the banking sector is expected to perfectly understand the needs of today's clients, before implementing mobile banking. The research in this paper focuses on mobile banking, as a segment of electronic banking, which has developed under the influence of modern information technologies. The paper elaborates on the main characteristics of mobile banking, its advantages, but also its drawbacks that the banks and their clients are facing in the process of its utilization (or its implementation in practice. Moreover, the paper presents the trends of using mobile banking in the world and in Serbia, along with the tendencies for developing new services.

  11. Clinical validation of fully automated computation of ejection fraction from gated equilibrium blood-pool scintigrams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiber, J.H.C.; Lie, S.P.; Simoons, M.L.; Hoek, C.; Gerbrands, J.J.; Wijns, W.; Bakker, W.H.; Kooij, P.P.M.

    1983-01-01

    A fully automated procedure for the computation of left-ventricular ejection fraction (EF) from cardiac-gated Tc-99m blood-pool (GBP) scintigrams with fixed, dual, and variable ROI methods is described. By comparison with EF data from contrast ventriculography in 68 patients, the dual-ROI method (separate end-diastolic and end-systolic contours) was found to be the method of choice; processing time was 2 min. Success score of dual-ROI procedure was 92% as assessed from 100 GBP studies. Overall reproducibility of data acquisition and analysis was determined in 12 patients. Mean value and standard deviation of differences between repeat studies (average time interval 27 min) were 0.8% and 4.3% EF units, respectively, (r=0.98). The authors conclude that left-ventricular EF can be computed automatically from GBP scintigrams with minimal operator-interaction and good reproducibility; EFs are similar to those from contrast ventriculography

  12. FRACTIONAL BANKING

    OpenAIRE

    Maria Klimikova

    2010-01-01

    Understanding the reasons of the present financial problems lies In understanding the substance of fractional reserve banking. The substance of fractional banking is in lending more money than the bankers have. Banking of partial reserves is an alternative form which links deposit banking and credit banking. Fractional banking is causing many unfavorable economic impacts in the worldwide system, specifically an inflation.

  13. Interpretation of erythrocyte histograms obtained from automated hematology analyzers in hematologic diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Maleki

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Presently, the graphical data of blood cells (histograms and cytograms or/ scattergrams that they are usually available in all modern automated hematology analyzers are an integral a part of automated complete blood count (CBC. To find incorrect results from automated hematology analyzer and establish the samples that require additional analysis, Laboratory employees will use those data for quality control of obtaining results, to assist identification of complex and troublesome cases. Methods: During this descriptive analytic study, in addition to erythrocyte graphs from variety of patients, referring from March 2013 to Feb 2014 to our clinical laboratory, Zagros Hospital, Kermanshah, Iran, are given, the papers published in relevant literature as well as available published manuals of automatic blood cell counters were used. articles related to the key words of erythrocyte graphs and relevant literature as well as available published manuals of automatic blood cell counters were searched from valid databases such as Springer Link, google scholar, Pubmed and Sciencedirect. Then, the articles related to erythrogram, erythrocyte histogram and hematology analyzer graphs are involved in diagnosis of hematological disorder were searched and selected for this study. Results: Histograms and different automated CBC parameter become abnormal in various pathologic conditions, and can present important clues for diagnosis and treatment of hematologic and non-hematologic disorders. In several instances, these histograms have characteristic appearances in an exceedingly wide range of pathological conditions. In some hematologic disorders like iron deficiency or megaloblastic anemia, a sequential histogram can clearly show the progressive treatment and management. Conclusion: These graphical data are often accompanied by other automated CBC parameter and microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears (PBS, and can help in monitoring and

  14. Collection and Transfusion of Blood in Jos University Teaching ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: This study was embarked on to investigate the pattern of blood collection and transfusion in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos between 2000 and 2005 in the face of the present human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic. Methodology: Blood bank records of blood donors and transfusions were ...

  15. Seroprevalence of Treponema Pallidum in Donor Blood at the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives: To determine the Seroprevalence of Treponema pallidum in Donor blood at University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin City. Materials and Method: This is a descriptive hospital based study. Donor blood supplied to the hospital blood bank was screened for syphilis. The study was conducted between February ...

  16. Scientific innovation's two Valleys of Death: how blood and tissue banks can help to bridge the gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Sean D A

    2014-12-01

    Most biomedical basic research in the United States takes place at universities and research institutes and is funded by federal grants. Basic research is awarded billions of federal dollars every year, enabling new discoveries and greater understanding of the fundamental science that makes new innovations and therapies possible. However, when basic research yields an invention of practical use and the research evolves from basic to applied, the playing field changes. Pre-technology licensing federal dollars all but disappear, and innovations rely predominantly on private funding to support the full path from bench to bedside. It is along this path that the scientific advance faces two Valleys of Death. These sometimes insurmountable development stages are the product of the innovation's inherent financial, business and investment risks. Well-planned and executed in vivo studies using quality biological materials demonstrating proof-of-concept is often the key to bridging these gaps, and blood and tissue banks offer unique services and resources to enable this process.

  17. Determination of Rate and Causes of Wastage of Blood and Blood Products in Iranian Hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafat Mohebbi Far

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the rate and causes of wastage of blood and blood products (packed red cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate in Qazvin hospitals. METHODS: The study was conducted in all hospitals in Qazvin, including 5 teaching hospitals, 2 social welfare hospitals, 3 private hospitals, 1 charity hospital, and 1 military hospital. This descriptive study was based on available data from hospital blood banks in the province of Qazvin. The research instrument was a 2-part questionnaire. The first part was related to demographic characteristics of hospitals and the second part elicited information about blood and blood component wastage. The collected data were then analyzed using descriptive statistic methods and SPSS 11.5. RESULTS: Blood wastage may occur for a number of reasons, including time expiry, wasted imports, blood medically or surgically ordered but not used, stock time expired, hemolysis, or miscellaneous reasons. Data indicated that approximately 77.9% of wasted pack cell units were wasted for the reason of time expiry. Pack cell wastage in hospitals is reported to range from 1.93% to 30.7%. Wastage at all hospitals averaged 9.8% among 30.913 issued blood products. Overall blood and blood product (packed red cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate wastage was 3048 units and average total wastage per participant hospital for all blood groups was 254 units per year. CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion is an essential part of patient care. The blood transfusion system has made significant advancements in areas such as donor management, storage of blood, cross-matching, rational use of blood, and distribution. In order to improve the standards of blood banks and the blood transfusion services in Iran, comprehensive standards have been formulated to ensure better quality control in collection, storage, testing, and distribution of blood and its components for the identified major factors

  18. Biomarker Analysis of Stored Blood Products: Emphasis on Pre-Analytical Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delobel, Julien; Rubin, Olivier; Prudent, Michel; Crettaz, David; Tissot, Jean-Daniel; Lion, Niels

    2010-01-01

    Millions of blood products are transfused every year; many lives are thus directly concerned by transfusion. The three main labile blood products used in transfusion are erythrocyte concentrates, platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma. Each of these products has to be stored according to its particular components. However, during storage, modifications or degradation of those components may occur, and are known as storage lesions. Thus, biomarker discovery of in vivo blood aging as well as in vitro labile blood products storage lesions is of high interest for the transfusion medicine community. Pre-analytical issues are of major importance in analyzing the various blood products during storage conditions as well as according to various protocols that are currently used in blood banks for their preparations. This paper will review key elements that have to be taken into account in the context of proteomic-based biomarker discovery applied to blood banking. PMID:21151459

  19. HIV-Sero- prevalence trend among blood donors in North East ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Although blood transfusion is one of the known therapeutic interventions that cuts across a number of clinical disciplines. It is necessary to test all intending blood donors for HIV infection before donation. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV among blood donors at Dessie Blood Bank, ...

  20. Automated service quality and its behavioural consequences in CRM Environment: A structural equation modeling and causal loop diagramming approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arup Kumar Baksi

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Information technology induced communications (ICTs have revolutionized the operational aspects of service sector and have triggered a perceptual shift in service quality as rapid dis-intermediation has changed the access-mode of services on part of the consumers. ICT-enabled services further stimulated the perception of automated service quality with renewed dimensions and there subsequent significance to influence the behavioural outcomes of the consumers. Customer Relationship Management (CRM has emerged as an offshoot to technological breakthrough as it ensured service-encapsulation by integrating people, process and technology. This paper attempts to explore the relationship between automated service quality and its behavioural consequences in a relatively novel business-philosophy – CRM. The study has been conducted on the largest public sector bank of India - State bank of India (SBI at Kolkata which has successfully completed its decade-long operational automation in the year 2008. The study used structural equation modeling (SEM to justify the proposed model construct and causal loop diagramming (CLD to depict the negative and positive linkages between the variables.

  1. Analisis Perbandingan Kinerja Pada Bank Nasional, Bank Campuran, Dan Bank Asing Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Angel, Christania Graciella

    2014-01-01

    Bank performance appraisal is based on bank financial report itself. The financial report can be form balance report which give information about the financial position to the outside of bank that can be used of eksternal to assess the level of risk exist in a bank. Based on ownership consist of national bank, mixture bank and foreign bank. These banks has tight compete to show a good performance to the public. This research aimed to analyze the financial performance difference of national ba...

  2. Seroprevalence, cost per donation and reduction in blood supply due to positive and indeterminate results for infectious markers in a blood bank in Lima, Peru

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeel Moya-Salazar

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Safety in Transfusion Medicine is subject to regulations and government legislation within a total quality framework. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of seroprevalence and indeterminate results on lost units and cost per donation. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in the Blood Bank and Transfusion Therapy Department of the Hospital Central de la Policia Nacional del Perú in Lima, Peru. All completed donations (replacement/voluntary without complications were included in this study. Every donation met the institutional requirements and quality criteria of Programa Nacional de Hemoterapia y Bancos de Sangre (PRONAHEBAS. Data analysis was achieved using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: A total of 7723 donations were evaluated during 2014 and 2015 with 493 being seropositive (overall prevalence 5.25% and 502 having indeterminate results (overall prevalence 5.35%. Thus total loss was 995 units, 437.8 L of blood and 49,750 US dollars. The most common seropositive infectious markers were the core antibody of hepatitis B virus (2.82% and syphilis (1.02%, and the most common indeterminate results were Chagas disease (1.27% and the core antibody of hepatitis B virus (1.26%. There was no significant change in the prevalence of seropositivity (p-value = 0.243 or indeterminate results (p-value = 0.227 over the two-year period of the study. A statistical correlation was found between the cost per lost donation and the most prevalent markers (rho = 0.848; p-value = <0.001. Conclusion: Seroprevalence was lower than the regional mean, but the prevalence of indeterminate results was elevated causing a great impact on blood supply and economic losses to this institution.

  3. Seroprevalence, cost per donation and reduction in blood supply due to positive and indeterminate results for infectious markers in a blood bank in Lima, Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moya-Salazar, Jeel; Ubidia-Incio, Roberto; Incio-Grande, Maritza; Blejer, Jorgelina L; Gonzalez, Carlos A

    Safety in Transfusion Medicine is subject to regulations and government legislation within a total quality framework. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of seroprevalence and indeterminate results on lost units and cost per donation. A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in the Blood Bank and Transfusion Therapy Department of the Hospital Central de la Policia Nacional del Perú in Lima, Peru. All completed donations (replacement/voluntary) without complications were included in this study. Every donation met the institutional requirements and quality criteria of Programa Nacional de Hemoterapia y Bancos de Sangre (PRONAHEBAS). Data analysis was achieved using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. A total of 7723 donations were evaluated during 2014 and 2015 with 493 being seropositive (overall prevalence 5.25%) and 502 having indeterminate results (overall prevalence 5.35%). Thus total loss was 995units, 437.8L of blood and 49,750 US dollars. The most common seropositive infectious markers were the core antibody of hepatitis B virus (2.82%) and syphilis (1.02%), and the most common indeterminate results were Chagas disease (1.27%) and the core antibody of hepatitis B virus (1.26%). There was no significant change in the prevalence of seropositivity (p-value=0.243) or indeterminate results (p-value=0.227) over the two-year period of the study. A statistical correlation was found between the cost per lost donation and the most prevalent markers (rho=0.848; p-value=<0.001). Seroprevalence was lower than the regional mean, but the prevalence of indeterminate results was elevated causing a great impact on blood supply and economic losses to this institution. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  4. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH INTERNET BANKING IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BANK

    OpenAIRE

    Inder Pal Singh S/o Roop singh*, Dr. Payal Bassi

    2017-01-01

    E- Banking is about using the infrastructure for digital age to create opportunities, both local & global. IT enables the dramatic lowering of transaction cost and the creation of new types of banking opportunities that address the barriers of time and distance. Banking opportunities are local, global and immediate in e-banking. Internet banking has many advantages over other traditional banking delivery methods. Internet banking provides banks with an increased customer base, cost savings, m...

  5. Electronic Banking And Bank Performance In Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-03-01

    Mar 1, 2013 ... deploying information Technology in banks therefore can ... profitability indices and other control of financial ..... impact of e-banking on bank profitability ..... [13] Nikolai L. and Bazlay J.D (1997) Intermediate Accounting, South-.

  6. Discrepancy in abo blood grouping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, M.N.; Ahmed, Z.; Khan, T.A.

    2013-01-01

    Discrepancies in blood typing is one of the major reasons in eliciting a transfusion reaction. These discrepancies can be avoided through detailed analysis for the blood typing. Here, we report a subgroup of blood group type-B in the ABO system. Donor's blood was analyzed by employing commercial antisera for blood grouping. The results of forward (known antisera) and reverse (known antigen) reaction were not complimentary. A detailed analysis using the standard protocols by American Association of Blood Banking revealed the blood type as a variant of blood group-B instead of blood group-O. This is suggestive of the fact that blood group typing should be performed with extreme care and any divergence, if identified, should be properly resolved to avoid transfusion reactions. Moreover, a major study to determine the blood group variants in Pakistani population is needed. (author)

  7. Seroepidemiology of infection with Toxoplasma gondii in healthy blood donors of Durango, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Estrada-Martínez Sergio

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii infection in blood donors could represent a risk for transmission in blood recipients. There is scarce information about the epidemiology of T. gondii infection in blood donors in Mexico. Therefore, we sought to determine the prevalence of T. gondii infection and associated socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics in a population of healthy blood donors of Durango City, Mexico. Methods Four hundred and thirty two blood donors in two public blood banks of Durango City, Mexico were examined for T. gondii infection between August to September 2006. Blood donors were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by using enzyme-linked immunoassays (Diagnostic Automation Inc., Calabasas, CA, USA. Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics from each participant were also obtained. Results Thirty two (7.4% of 432 blood donors had IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies. Eight (1.9% of them had also IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies. Multivariate analysis using logic regression showed that T. gondii infection was associated with the presence of cats at home (adjusted OR = 3.81; 95% CI: 1.45–10.01. The age group of 45–60 years showed a significantly higher frequency of T. gondii infection than the group of 25–34 years (p = 0.02. Blood donors without education had a significantly higher frequency of infection (15.8% than those with 13–19 years of education (4.5% (p = 0.04. Other characteristics of blood donors including male gender, consumption of undercooked meat or blood transfusion did not show an association with infection. Conclusion The prevalence of T. gondii infection in healthy blood donors of Durango City, Mexico is lower than those reported in blood donors of south and central Mexico, and is one of the lowest reported in blood donors worldwide. T. gondii infection in our blood donors was most likely acquired by contact with cats. Prevalence of infection increased with age and decreased

  8. Viable bacteria associated with red blood cells and plasma in freshly drawn blood donations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damgaard, Christian; Magnussen, Karin; Enevold, Christian; Nilsson, Martin; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Holmstrup, Palle; Nielsen, Claus Henrik

    2015-01-01

    Infection remains a leading cause of post-transfusion mortality and morbidity. Bacterial contamination is, however, detected in less than 0.1% of blood units tested. The aim of the study was to identify viable bacteria in standard blood-pack units, with particular focus on bacteria from the oral cavity, and to determine the distribution of bacteria revealed in plasma and in the red blood cell (RBC)-fraction. Cross-sectional study. Blood were separated into plasma and RBC-suspensions, which were incubated anaerobically or aerobically for 7 days on trypticase soy blood agar (TSA) or blue lactose plates. For identification colony PCR was performed using primers targeting 16S rDNA. Blood donors attending Capital Region Blood Bank, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Hvidovre, Denmark, October 29th to December 10th 2013. 60 donors (≥50 years old), self-reported medically healthy. Bacterial growth was observed on plates inoculated with plasma or RBCs from 62% of the blood donations. Growth was evident in 21 (35%) of 60 RBC-fractions and in 32 (53%) of 60 plasma-fractions versus 8 of 60 negative controls (p = 0.005 and p = 2.6x10-6, respectively). Propionibacterium acnes was found in 23% of the donations, and Staphylococcus epidermidis in 38%. The majority of bacteria identified in the present study were either facultative anaerobic (59.5%) or anaerobic (27.8%) species, which are not likely to be detected during current routine screening. Viable bacteria are present in blood from donors self-reported as medically healthy, indicating that conventional test systems employed by blood banks insufficiently detect bacteria in plasma. Further investigation is needed to determine whether routine testing for anaerobic bacteria and testing of RBC-fractions for adherent bacteria should be recommended.

  9. Frozen blood products: clinically effective and potentially ideal for remote Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holley, A; Marks, D C; Johnson, L; Reade, M C; Badloe, J F; Noorman, F

    2013-01-01

    The development of effective cryopreservation techniques for both red blood cells and platelets, which maintain ex vivo biological activity, in combination with frozen plasma, provides for a unique blood banking strategy. This technology greatly enhances the storage life of these products. The rationale and potential advantages of using cryopreservation techniques for the provision of blood products to remote and military environments have been effectively demonstrated in several conflicts over the last decade. Current haemostatic resuscitation doctrine for the exsanguinating patient supports the use of red blood cells, platelets and frozen plasma early in the resuscitation. We believe an integrated fresh-frozen blood bank inventory could facilitate provision of blood products, not only in the military setting but also in regional Australia, by overcoming many logistic and geographical challenges. The processes involved in production and point of care thawing are sufficiently well developed and achievable to make this technology a viable option. The potential limitations of cryopreservation and subsequent product thawing need to be considered if such a strategy is to be developed. A substantial body of international experience using cryopreserved products in remote settings has already been accrued. This experience provides a template for the possible creation of an Australian integrated fresh-frozen blood bank inventory that could conceivably enhance the care of patients in both regional Australia and in the military setting.

  10. 75 FR 20848 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-21

    ... Carolina, Seneca National Bank, Seneca, South Carolina, and The Peoples National Bank, Easley, South... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  11. Electronic Banking And Bank Performance In Nigeria | Abaenewe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated the profitability performance of Nigerian banks following the full adoption of electronic banking system. The study became necessary as a result of increased penetration of electronic banking which has redefined the banking operations in Nigeria and around the world. Judgmental sampling method ...

  12. 12 CFR 211.22 - Interstate banking operations of foreign banking organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interstate banking operations of foreign banking organizations. 211.22 Section 211.22 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM INTERNATIONAL BANKING OPERATIONS (REGULATION K) Foreign Banking...

  13. 75 FR 49493 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-13

    ... Peoples Bank and Trust Company, both of North Carrollton, Mississippi. B. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  14. Implementation of a new blood cooler insert and tracking technology with educational initiatives and its effect on reducing red blood cell wastage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fadeyi, Emmanuel A; Emery, Wanda; Simmons, Julie H; Jones, Mary Rose; Pomper, Gregory J

    2017-10-01

    The objective was to report a successful implementation of a blood cooler insert and tracking technology with educational initiatives and its effect on reducing red blood cell (RBC) wastage. The blood bank database was used to quantify and categorize total RBC units issued in blood coolers from January 2010 to December 2015 with and without the new inserts throughout the hospital. Radiofrequency identification tags were used with special software to monitor blood cooler tracking. An educational policy on how to handle the coolers was initiated. Data were gathered from the software that provided a real-time location monitoring of the blood coolers with inserts throughout the institution. The implementation of the blood cooler with inserts and tracking device reduced mean yearly RBC wastage by fourfold from 0.64% to 0.17% between 2010 and 2015. The conserved RBCs corresponded to a total cost savings of $167,844 during the 3-year postimplementation period. The implementation of new blood cooler inserts, tracking system, and educational initiatives substantially reduced the mean annual total RBC wastage. The cost to implement this initiative may be small if there is an existing institutional infrastructure to monitor and track hospital equipment into which the blood bank intervention can be adapted when compared to the cost of blood wastage. © 2017 AABB.

  15. PRIVATE BANKING AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES OFFERED BY BANKS

    OpenAIRE

    IMOLA DRIGĂ; DORINA NIŢĂ; IOAN CUCU

    2009-01-01

    The paper examines the features of private banking business focusing on the substantial growth in private banking over the last decade as commercial banks have targeted upmarket high net worth individuals. The accumulation of wealth has prompted the development of private banking services for high net worth individuals, offering special relationships and investment services. Private banking is about much more than traditional banking services of deposits and loans. It's about providing a one-...

  16. High plasma corticosterone levels persist during frequent automatic blood sampling in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abelson, Klas S P; Adem, Bashir; Royo, Felix

    2005-01-01

    Corticosterone levels in blood may be used as a marker of stress in rodents, provided that the blood sampling procedure itself is non-stressful. Automated blood sampling equipment (Accusampler) allows blood sampling without any interference with the animal and might be useful as a tool for an on......-line measurement of stress markers in blood. However, the impact of the blood sampling itself on the corticosterone levels in blood is unknown. The present study was designed to evaluate whether the frequency of blood sampling influences the plasma corticosterone levels in male and female rats. During anaesthesia...... the importance of considering the frequency of blood withdrawal during automated blood sampling. This parameter may have an impact on the experimental results when using blood corticosterone levels as a stress marker, but also during any in vivo study where blood is collected, since high corticosterone levels...

  17. Banking contracts

    OpenAIRE

    Durčáková, Klára

    2010-01-01

    Resumé - Bank Contracts Bank Contracts are an integral part of our everyday lives. Citizen and bussines entities used bank contracts very often. Despite this fact we can't find legal definition in the Czech law. Banking contracts understand contracts that are signed by banks in their business activities and obligations under these contracts arise. While the banking contracts have been widely used, in Czech law there is not too much literature and judgements abou this issue. Lack of legislatio...

  18. Stabilitas Bank, Tingkat Persaingan Antar Bank dan Diversifikasi Sumber Pendapatan: Analisis Per Kelompok Bank di Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buddi Wibowo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The"Competition-fragility" view and The "Competition-stability" view has a contrary logical flow in predicting the relationship between bank stability and competition among banks. According to Berger et al (2009, these two views differ on credit risk aspect of loan portfolio, but on the risks faced by the bank as a whole, these two views have the same prediction. In the credit market which is dominated by few banks with substantial market power, the risk of bank credit portfolio increases as predicted by the view "competition-fragility", but the bank's overall risk does not always go up with the jump in credit portfolio risk. The paper shows that empirical test of the Indonesian banking system support this hypothesis, except in foreign bank group that has its own business model. The relationship of competition and the credit risk of banks in Indonesia also have a U -shape pattern that increasing competition in the early stages can reduce credit risk, which is due to increasing income diversification and diversification of bank credit type, but at a certain point the increasing competition has worsened the quality of bank credit portfolio. Key word: banking competition, risk, stability, fragility, diversification

  19. Serum neopterin: a potential marker for screening blood donors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashfaq, A.; Ejaz, A.; Abbas, G.

    2017-01-01

    To determine serum neopterin levels in blood donors of local population and its association with transfusion ransmitted infections. Study Design: A cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of Study:Department of Physiology, Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College (LNHMC) in collaboration with Basic Medical Sciences Institute (BMSI) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Blood Bank, Karachi, Pakistan, from January to June 2015. Methodology: During this period, a total of 174 blood donors were selected through random sampling technique. All participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria involving apparently healthy blood donors of either gender within the age bracket of 18 - 60 years and consenting to participate were selected. The participants were screened for transfusion transmitted infections as per WHO recommendations through the standard procedures used for screening at the JPMC blood bank. The demographic profile, anthropometric measurements and vitals were recorded for every participant. Serum neopterin was measured using ELISA kits. Data was analysed on SPSS version 21. ANOVA and chi-square tests were applied as tests of significance at a p-value of <0.05. Results: The neopterin content in the sera of disease negative blood donors was 6.23 +-2.19 nmol/l as compared to disease positive blood donors, in whom the neopterin level was increased to 15.10 +-4.93 nmol/l (p =0.001). Conclusion: The neopterin assay has the potential to detect a number of transfusion transmissible viral diseases; which may, or may not be revealed by the usually employed battery of routine tests. We conclude that the risk of transfusion transmitted pathogens in our population can be reduced significantly, using neopterin assay as a routine in blood banks. (author)

  20. Impact of donor- and collection-related variables on product quality in ex utero cord blood banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Askari, Sabeen; Miller, John; Chrysler, Gayl; McCullough, Jeffrey

    2005-02-01

    Optimizing product quality is a current focus in cord blood banking. This study evaluates the role of selected donor- and collection-related variables. Retrospective review was performed of cord blood units (CBUs) collected ex utero between February 1, 2000, and February 28, 2002. Preprocessing volume and total nucleated cell (TNC) counts and postprocessing CD34 cell counts were used as product quality indicators. Of 2084 CBUs, volume determinations and TNC counts were performed on 1628 and CD34+ counts on 1124 CBUs. Mean volume and TNC and CD34+ counts were 85.2 mL, 118.9 x 10(7), and 5.2 x 10(6), respectively. In univariate analysis, placental weight of greater than 500 g and meconium in amniotic fluid correlated with better volume and TNC and CD34+ counts. Greater than 40 weeks' gestation predicted enhanced volume and TNC count. Cesarean section, two- versus one-person collection, and not greater than 5 minutes between placental delivery and collection produced superior volume. Increased TNC count was also seen in Caucasian women, primigravidae, female newborns, and collection duration of more than 5 minutes. A time between delivery of newborn and placenta of not greater than 10 minutes predicted better volume and CD34+ count. By regression analysis, collection within not greater than 5 minutes of placental delivery produced superior volume and TNC count. Donor selection and collection technique modifications may improve product quality. TNC count appears to be more affected by different variables than CD34+ count.

  1. Internet Banking integration within the banking system

    OpenAIRE

    Constantin Marian MATEI; Catalin Ionut SILVESTRU; Dragos Stefan SILVESTRU

    2008-01-01

    Internet Banking developed due to increasing demand of online banking transactions. The biggest advantages of Internet Banking consist of complex banking solutions, 24 hours availability, quick and secure access to the back-end application through Internet. These advantages are due to the use of SOA (service-oriented architecture). SOA appeared as a necessity of companies to integrate big and independent portions of applications, in order to obtain an homogeneous functionality of the system....

  2. Improving health profile of blood donors as a consequence of transfusion safety efforts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edgren, Gustaf; Tran, Trung Nam; Hjalgrim, Henrik

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Transfusion safety rests heavily on the health of blood donors. Although they are perceived as being healthier than average, little is known about their long-term disease patterns and to which extent the blood banks' continuous efforts to optimize donor selection has resulted...... in improvements. Mortality and cancer incidence among blood donors in Sweden and Denmark was investigated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All computerized blood bank databases were compiled into one database, which was linked to national population and health data registers. With a retrospective cohort study design, 1......,110,329 blood donors were followed for up to 35 years from first computer-registered blood donation to death, emigration, or December 31, 2002. Standardized mortality and incidence ratios expressed relative risk of death and cancer comparing blood donors to the general population. RESULTS: Blood donors had...

  3. The establishment of a national tissue bank for inflammatory bowel disease research in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Stephen M; McHugh, Kevin; Croitoru, Ken; Howorth, Michael

    2003-02-01

    The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) has established a national bank for tissue, serum and blood from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Investigators from across the country submit material to the bank together with clinical data. Investigators may access their own patient information from the bank for their own study purposes, but the distribution of tissue is restricted to specific CCFC-funded projects. Currently, tissues are being collected from newly diagnosed, untreated IBD patients to support a recent initiative aimed at characterizing microbes in colonic and ileal biopsies from such patients. In the future, criteria for the submission of tissue will be tailored to specific research questions. This bank is believed to be the first national bank of its kind dedicated to research in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

  4. A novel approach to office blood pressure measurement: 30-minute office blood pressure vs daytime ambulatory blood pressure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wel, M.C. van der; Buunk, I.E.; Weel, C. van; Thien, Th.; Bakx, J.C.

    2011-01-01

    PURPOSE: Current office blood pressure measurement (OBPM) is often not executed according to guidelines and cannot prevent the white-coat effect. Serial, automated, oscillometric OBPM has the potential to overcome both these problems. We therefore developed a 30-minute OBPM method that we compared

  5. 75 FR 5322 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  6. 75 FR 3904 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-25

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  7. 75 FR 9414 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  8. Central bank capital, financial strength, and the Bank of Japan

    OpenAIRE

    Thomas F. Cargill

    2006-01-01

    This Economic Letter addresses central bank capital and financial strength in the context of Bank of Japan policy (Cargill 2005). Specifically, it reviews general considerations about central bank capital and financial strength, discusses recent Bank of Japan policy in the context of capital structure, evaluates the Bank of Japan's concern in the context of the broader issue of central bank independence, and draws some lessons from recent Bank of Japan policy.

  9. The miRNA Profile of Platelets Stored in a Blood Bank and Its Relation to Cellular Damage from Storage.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thaís Brilhante Pontes

    Full Text Available Millions of blood products are transfused each year, and many lives are directly affected by transfusion. Platelet concentrate (PC is one of the main products derived from blood. Even under good storage conditions, PC is likely to suffer cell damage. The shape of platelets changes after 5 to 7 days of storage at 22°C. Taking into consideration that some platelet proteins undergo changes in their shape and functionality during PC storage. Sixteen PC bags were collected and each PC bag tube was cut into six equal pieces to perform experiments with platelets from six different days of storage. Thus, on the first day of storage, 1/6 of the tube was used for miRNA extraction, and the remaining 5/6 was stored under the same conditions until extraction of miRNAs on each the following five days. Samples were sequenced on an Illumina Platform to demonstrate the most highly expressed miRNAs. Three miRNAs, mir127, mir191 and mir320a were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR in 100 PC bags tubes. Our method suggests, the use of the miRNAs mir127 and mir320a as biomarkers to assess the "validity period" of PC bags stored in blood banks for long periods. Thus, bags can be tested on the 5th day of storage for the relative expression levels of mir127 and mir320a. Thus, we highlight candidate miRNAs as biomarkers of storage damage that can be used as tools to evaluate the quality of stored PC. The use of miRNAs as biomarkers of damage is unprecedented and will contribute to improved quality of blood products for transfusions.

  10. Automated high resolution full-field spatial coherence tomography for quantitative phase imaging of human red blood cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singla, Neeru; Dubey, Kavita; Srivastava, Vishal; Ahmad, Azeem; Mehta, D. S.

    2018-02-01

    We developed an automated high-resolution full-field spatial coherence tomography (FF-SCT) microscope for quantitative phase imaging that is based on the spatial, rather than the temporal, coherence gating. The Red and Green color laser light was used for finding the quantitative phase images of unstained human red blood cells (RBCs). This study uses morphological parameters of unstained RBCs phase images to distinguish between normal and infected cells. We recorded the single interferogram by a FF-SCT microscope for red and green color wavelength and average the two phase images to further reduced the noise artifacts. In order to characterize anemia infected from normal cells different morphological features were extracted and these features were used to train machine learning ensemble model to classify RBCs with high accuracy.

  11. Stem Cell Banking for Regenerative and Personalized Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David T. Harris

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and gene therapy offer the opportunity to treat and cure many of today’s intractable afflictions. These approaches to personalized medicine often utilize stem cells to accomplish these goals. However, stem cells can be negatively affected by donor variables such as age and health status at the time of collection, compromising their efficacy. Stem cell banking offers the opportunity to cryogenically preserve stem cells at their most potent state for later use in these applications. Practical stem cell sources include bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and tissue, and adipose tissue. Each of these sources contains stem cells that can be obtained from most individuals, without too much difficulty and in an economical fashion. This review will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each stem cell source, factors to be considered when contemplating banking each stem cell source, the methodology required to bank each stem cell source, and finally, current and future clinical uses of each stem cell source.

  12. Stem Cell Banking for Regenerative and Personalized Medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, David T.

    2014-01-01

    Regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and gene therapy offer the opportunity to treat and cure many of today’s intractable afflictions. These approaches to personalized medicine often utilize stem cells to accomplish these goals. However, stem cells can be negatively affected by donor variables such as age and health status at the time of collection, compromising their efficacy. Stem cell banking offers the opportunity to cryogenically preserve stem cells at their most potent state for later use in these applications. Practical stem cell sources include bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and tissue, and adipose tissue. Each of these sources contains stem cells that can be obtained from most individuals, without too much difficulty and in an economical fashion. This review will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each stem cell source, factors to be considered when contemplating banking each stem cell source, the methodology required to bank each stem cell source, and finally, current and future clinical uses of each stem cell source. PMID:28548060

  13. Assessing ABO/Rh Blood Group Frequency and Association with Asymptomatic Malaria among Blood Donors Attending Arba Minch Blood Bank, South Ethiopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Getaneh Alemu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Determination of the various ABO/Rh blood group distributions and their association with malaria infection has paramount importance in the context of transfusion medicine and malaria control. Methods. Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to June, 2015, to assess ABO/Rh blood groups distribution and their association with asymptomatic malaria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Blood grouping was done using monoclonal antibodies. Thin and thick blood films were examined for Plasmodium parasites. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results. A total of 416 blood donors participated with median age of 22±0.29 (median ± standard error of the mean. Distribution of ABO phenotypes, in decreasing order, was O (175, 42.1%, A (136, 32.7%, B (87, 20.9%, and AB (18, 4.3%. Most of them were Rh+ (386, 92.8%. The overall malaria prevalence was 4.1% (17/416. ABO blood group is significantly associated with malaria infection (P=0.022. High rate of parasitemia was seen in blood group O donors (6.899, P=0.003 compared to those with other ABO blood groups. Conclusion. Blood groups O and AB phenotypes are the most and the least ABO blood groups, respectively. There is significant association between ABO blood group and asymptomatic malaria parasitemia.

  14. Islamic banking

    OpenAIRE

    Pak, Viktoriya

    2010-01-01

    The thesis is focused on introduction of Islamic banking system. Morover part of the work is devoted to a detailed description of the history of Islamic banking, on explanation of the principles on which the banking system is based. Also are analyzed in detail the basic Islamic banking products. And at the end are presented the advantages and disadvantages of the Islamic banking system.

  15. 21 CFR 864.5950 - Blood volume measuring device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Blood volume measuring device. 864.5950 Section 864.5950 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES HEMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY DEVICES Automated and Semi-Automated Hematology Devices...

  16. Managing the bank service encounter: A conceptual model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. K. Govender

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available In financial services marketing, especially among banks, there are a limited number of chances to impress the customer, since the services are becoming more automated. Since personal interactions with customers are becoming less numerous, customers are expecting higher quality contacts and more individual treatment. This paper proposes a service encounter management model which may impact on the customers service experience. By matching service employees with customers, the effects of certain human resources strategies may be ascertained through the customers perception of the employee service quality and the overall service quality. Opsomming Daar is 'n beperkte geleenthede om die finansiele dienste klient, veral die in banke, te beindruk, aangesien dienste al meer ge-outomatiseer raak. Seinde persoonlike kontak met kliente al minder word, verwag kliente hoer gehalte kontak en meer individuele behandeling. Hierdie artikel stel 'n bestuursmodel vir diensontmoetings voor wat 'n impak op kliente se dienservarings mag he. Deur dienswerknemers met kliente te verbind kan bepaalde menslike hulpbronstrategie-effekte vasgestel word, deur middel van kliente se persepsie van werknemer-diensgehalte en algemene diensgehalte.

  17. Automated image quality assessment for chest CT scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, Anthony P; Xie, Yiting; Liu, Shuang

    2018-02-01

    Medical image quality needs to be maintained at standards sufficient for effective clinical reading. Automated computer analytic methods may be applied to medical images for quality assessment. For chest CT scans in a lung cancer screening context, an automated quality assessment method is presented that characterizes image noise and image intensity calibration. This is achieved by image measurements in three automatically segmented homogeneous regions of the scan: external air, trachea lumen air, and descending aorta blood. Profiles of CT scanner behavior are also computed. The method has been evaluated on both phantom and real low-dose chest CT scans and results show that repeatable noise and calibration measures may be realized by automated computer algorithms. Noise and calibration profiles show relevant differences between different scanners and protocols. Automated image quality assessment may be useful for quality control for lung cancer screening and may enable performance improvements to automated computer analysis methods. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  18. Optimal method for collection of umbilical cord blood: an Egyptian trial for a public cord blood bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassiouny, M R; El-Chennawi, F; Mansour, A K; Yahia, S; Darwish, A

    2015-06-01

    Umbilical cord blood (UCB) contains stem cells and can be used as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation. Engraftment is dependent on the total nucleated cell (TNC) and CD34+ cell counts of the cord blood units. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of the method of collection of the UCB on the yield of the cord blood units. Informed consent was obtained from 100 eligible mothers for donation of cord blood. Both in utero and ex utero methods were used for collection. The cord blood volume was measured. The TNC and the CD34+ cell counts were enumerated. We have found that in utero collection gave significantly larger volumes of cord blood and higher TNC counts than ex utero collection. There was no significant difference between both methods regarding the CD34+ cell counts. This study revealed a significant correlation between the volume of the collected cord blood and both TNC and CD34+ cell counts. It is better to collect cord blood in utero before placental delivery to optimize the quality of the cord blood unit. © 2015 AABB.

  19. 76 FR 59396 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-26

    ... control of Bank of Odessa, both in Odessa, Missouri, Commercial Bank of Oak Grove, Oak Grove, Missouri... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  20. Measuring the Competitiveness of Islamic Banking in Indonesian Dual Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ir Ascarya

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Islamic banks in many countries have emerged as important component of financial system that contributes to the growth and development of the country’s economy. They have proven to be a viable and competitive component of the overall financial system. In the dual banking system, Islamic banks have to be competitive to survive. One of the key to competitiveness is efficiency. This study will measure and compare the efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA methodology. DEA is a non-parametric, deterministic methodology for determining the relative efficiency and managerial performance, based on the empirical data on chosen inputs and outputs of a number of decision making units. DEA allows us to compare the relative efficiency of banks by determining the efficient banks as benchmarks and by measuring the inefficiencies in input combinations (slack variables in other banks relative to the benchmark. Intermediation approach will be applied. This study will identify the sources and level of inefficiency for each of the inputs and outputs of Islamic banks and conventional banks in Indonesia. The result shows that in overall, Islamic banking is relatively more efficient than conventional banking. This means that Islamic banks are competitive enough to compete with conventional banks. Islamic banking is technically more efficient, but less scale efficient than conventional banking. Internal inefficiency is the main source of disintermediation of conventional banking in Indonesia. Furthermore, accelerated expansion, organically and inorganically, is needed to improve scale and overall efficiencies of Islamic banking in Indonesia.Keywords: Banking, Islamic Banking, Efficiency, Data Envelopment Analysis

  1. ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN KINERJA KEUANGAN BANK SYARIAH DAN BANK KONVENSIONAL DI INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwi Umardani

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study aims to compare the financial performance of Islamic banks with conventional banks in Indonesia using financial ratios: CAR, NPL / NPF, ROA, ROE, LDR / FDR, REO / BOPO. The data used are the financial statements published by Bank Indonesia (BI, the annual reports released by banking companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX, the annual reports issued by companies of Islamic banking that are not listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX, and the Indonesian banking supervision reports contained in Bank Indonesia (BI for the years 2005-2012. The analytical method used to compare the financial performance of Islamic banks with conventional banks is statistical test independent t-test. The fact shows that for each financial ratio of Islamic banks and conventional banks in Indonesia: CAR, ROA, ROE, LDR / FDR, and BOPO there are significant differences, while NPL / NPF there is not significant difference. Keywords: Financial performance, Islamic banks, conventional banks

  2. 75 FR 31788 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-04

    ... voting shares of Chino Commercial Bank, N.A., both of Chino, California. Board of Governors of the... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  3. Good practices in collecting umbilical cord and placental blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren Auer Lopes

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: to identify the factors related to the quality of umbilical cord and placental blood specimens, and define best practices for their collection in a government bank of umbilical cord and placental blood. Method: this was a descriptive study, quantitative approach, performed at a government umbilical cord and placental blood bank, in two steps: 1 verification of the obstetric, neonatal and operational factors, using a specific tool for gathering data as non-participant observers; 2 definition of best practices by grouping non-conformities observed before, during and after blood collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the following statistical software: Statistica(r and R(r. Results: while there was a correlation with obstetrical and neonatal factors, there was a larger correlation with operational factors, resulting in the need to adjust the professional practices of the nursing staff and obstetrical team involved in collecting this type of blood. Based on these non-conformities we defined best practices for nurses before, during and after blood collection. Conclusion: the best practices defined in this study are an important management tool for the work of nurses in obtaining blood specimens of high cell quality.

  4. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Rapp, Barbara A.; Wheeler, David L.

    2002-01-01

    The GenBank sequence database incorporates publicly available DNA sequences of more than 105 000 different organisms, primarily through direct submission of sequence data from individual laboratories and large-scale sequencing projects. Most submissions are made using the BankIt (web) or Sequin programs and accession numbers are assigned by GenBank staff upon receipt. Data exchange with the EMBL Data Library and the DNA Data Bank of Japan helps ensure comprehensive worldwide coverage. GenBank...

  5. The Establishment of a National Tissue Bank for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research in Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen M Collins

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC has established a national bank for tissue, serum and blood from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD. Investigators from across the country submit material to the bank together with clinical data. Investigators may access their own patient information from the bank for their own study purposes, but the distribution of tissue is restricted to specific CCFC-funded projects. Currently, tissues are being collected from newly diagnosed, untreated IBD patients to support a recent initiative aimed at characterizing microbes in colonic and ileal biopsies from such patients. In the future, criteria for the submission of tissue will be tailored to specific research questions. This bank is believed to be the first national bank of its kind dedicated to research in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

  6. 77 FR 3475 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-24

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or bank...

  7. 12 CFR 614.4070 - Loans and chartered territory-Farm Credit Banks, agricultural credit banks, Federal land bank...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Loans and chartered territory-Farm Credit Banks..., provided such loans are authorized by the policies of the bank and/or association involved, do not constitute a significant shift in loan volume away from the bank or association's assigned territory, and are...

  8. The influence of bank employees on bank customer relationship management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Rootman

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Despite extensive research in services marketing, much is still unknown to specific service providers on the influence of their employees on their services. This paper attempts to address this limitation and investigates the influence of employees on the customer relationship management (CRM of banks. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of selected independent variables, namely attitude and knowledgeability, on the CRM of banks. Design/Methodology/Approach: An empirical investigation was conducted with a structured questionnaire with items that related to banks' CRM in terms of attitude and knowledgeability. The sample consisted of 290 banking clients in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area and the response rate was 91.03%. Findings: Significant positive relationships exist between both the knowledgeability, and attitude of bank employees and a bank's CRM. These relationships imply that more extensive knowledgeability and more positive attitudes of bank employees lead to improved, maintained relationships between a bank and its clients. Employees play an important role in banks’ client relationships. Implications: Banks should focus on increasing their employees' knowledgeability and improving their attitude to ensure higher levels of CRM. This paper provides strategies for banks and could create greater awareness among South African banks of the advantages of CRM, how their employees influence their CRM, and ways to adapt to these influences. Originality/Value: No study has focused exclusively on CRM within banks in South Africa. Prior research focused on customer service and service quality; both possible results of superior CRM. However, this research differs, as it identifies the variables influencing CRM in banks in South Africa. It is proposed that this paper will be beneficial for South African banks, as the recommendations may be used to ensure higher levels of CRM in banks.

  9. BANKING SYSTEM STABILITY: COMMERCIAL AND CO-OPERATIVE BANKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dumitru-Cristian OANEA

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Commercial banks and co-operative banks are credit institutions, but there are some differences between the main operations proceeded by each of them. Based on these specific characteristics, we want to identify the manner in which financial crisis affected their activity. As we all know, the financial crisis had a major impact in the United States, the “natal” country of the crisis, because great banks such as Lehman Brothers or Merrill Lynch have bankrupted. Even if the Romanian banking system was not affected by such catastrophic situations, surely the financial crisis had a significant impact on it. This topic is worth to be analysed, because we would be able to identify the risk differences between these two types of business: commercial banks versus co-operative banks.

  10. Out for blood. The newly overhauled American Red Cross is thirsty for a bigger share of the $2 billion business of supplying blood to hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hensley, S

    1998-06-22

    The newly overhauled American Red Cross, led by President Elizabeth Dole (left), has launched an ambitious campaign to increase its piece of the more than $2 billion business of supplying blood to hospitals. Its quest for market share has sparked what some call a "blood war" with its main competitors: independent, community-governed blood banks affiliated with America's Blood Centers.

  11. Automated measurement and classification of pulmonary blood-flow velocity patterns using phase-contrast MRI and correlation analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Amerom, Joshua F P; Kellenberger, Christian J; Yoo, Shi-Joon; Macgowan, Christopher K

    2009-01-01

    An automated method was evaluated to detect blood flow in small pulmonary arteries and classify each as artery or vein, based on a temporal correlation analysis of their blood-flow velocity patterns. The method was evaluated using velocity-sensitive phase-contrast magnetic resonance data collected in vitro with a pulsatile flow phantom and in vivo in 11 human volunteers. The accuracy of the method was validated in vitro, which showed relative velocity errors of 12% at low spatial resolution (four voxels per diameter), but was reduced to 5% at increased spatial resolution (16 voxels per diameter). The performance of the method was evaluated in vivo according to its reproducibility and agreement with manual velocity measurements by an experienced radiologist. In all volunteers, the correlation analysis was able to detect and segment peripheral pulmonary vessels and distinguish arterial from venous velocity patterns. The intrasubject variability of repeated measurements was approximately 10% of peak velocity, or 2.8 cm/s root-mean-variance, demonstrating the high reproducibility of the method. Excellent agreement was obtained between the correlation analysis and radiologist measurements of pulmonary velocities, with a correlation of R2=0.98 (P<.001) and a slope of 0.99+/-0.01.

  12. Blood platelet production with breaks : optimization by SDP and simulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haijema, R.; Dijk, van N.M.; Wal, van der J.; Smit Sibinga, C.

    2009-01-01

    The production and inventory management of blood products at blood banks and hospitals is a problem of general human interest. As a shortage may put lives at risk, shortages are to be kept to a minimum. As the supply is voluntary and costly, any spill of unused blood (products) is also to be

  13. Blood platelet production with breaks : optimization by SDP and simulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haijema, Rene; van Dijk, Nico; van der Wal, Jan; Smit Sibinga, Cees

    2009-01-01

    The production and inventory management of blood products at blood banks and hospitals is it problem of general human interest. As a shortage may put lives at risk, shortages are to be kept to a minimum. As the supply is voluntary and costly, any spill of unused blood (products) is also to be

  14. Blood platelet production with breaks: optimization by SDP and simulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haijema, R.; van Dijk, N.; van der Wal, J.; Smit Sibinga, C.

    2009-01-01

    The production and inventory management of blood products at blood banks and hospitals is a problem of general human interest. As a shortage may put lives at risk, shortages are to be kept to a minimum. As the supply is voluntary and costly, any spill of unused blood (products) is also to be

  15. Blood Platelet Production with Breaks: Optimization by SDP and Simulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haijema, R.; Dijk, van N.M.; Wal, van der J.; Smit Sibinga, C.

    2009-01-01

    The production and inventory management of blood products at blood banks and hospitals is a problem of general human interest. As a shortage may put lives at risk, shortages are to be kept to a minimum. As the supply is voluntary and costly, any spill of unused blood (products) is also to be

  16. Frequencies of HBV, HCV, HIV, and Syphilis Markers Among Blood ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: This study aimed to determine the frequency rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis among blood donors. Methods: Physically fit persons aged 18 – 48 years who came for blood donation at the blood bank unit of the military hospital in Hodeidah, ...

  17. About Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieslak, Raymond F.

    The student manual for high school level special needs students was prepared to provide deaf students with the basic fundamentals of banking. Five units are presented covering the topics of banks and banking services, checking accounts, other services of banks, savings accounts, and other investments. Each lesson was carefully written for easy…

  18. A Rational Framework for Production Decision Making in Blood Establishments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramoa Augusto

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available SAD_BaSe is a blood bank data analysis software, created to assist in the management of blood donations and the blood production chain in blood establishments. In particular, the system keeps track of several collection and production indicators, enables the definition of collection and production strategies, and the measurement of quality indicators required by the Quality Management System regulating the general operation of blood establishments.

  19. Bank Resolution in the European Banking Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gordon, Jeffrey N.; Ringe, Georg

    2015-01-01

    The project of creating a Banking Union is designed to overcome the fatal link between sovereigns and their banks in the Eurozone. As part of this project, political agreement for a common supervision framework and a common resolution scheme has been reached with difficulty. However, the resolution...... mechanism deployable at the discretion of the resolution authority must be available to supply liquidity to a reorganizing bank. On these conditions, a viable and realistic Banking Union would be within reach--and the resolution of global financial institutions would be greatly facilitated, not least...... framework is weak, underfunded and exhibits some serious flaws. Further, Member States' disagreements appear to rule out a federalized deposit insurance scheme, commonly regarded as the necessary third pillar of a successful Banking Union. This paper argues for an organizational and capital structure...

  20. Bank Insolvency Procedures and Market Discipline in European Banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angkinand, Apanard; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    for pre-determined bank insolvency procedures that could enable banks to expand cross-border in branches. In the empirical part we show that credibility of non-insurance is maximized with a partial deposit insurance scheme, and that the coverage can be decreased if effective rule-based distress resolution......Predetermined, operational procedures for dealing with banks in distress are conspicuously absent across the world with very few exceptions. Instead governments and regulatory authorities intervene when banks approach failure. Bail-outs of important creditors, sometimes including shareholders......, and blanket guarantees for creditors become the norm. We argue that efficient incentives of banks' creditors, as well as of shareholders and managers, require predetermined rules for dealing with banks in distress, and a group of creditors that are credibly non-insured. Cross-border banking increases the need...

  1. RASIONALITAS KONVERSI BANK KONVENSIONAL KE BANK SYARI’AH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aji Damanuri

    2016-02-01

    Aji Damanuri   Abstract: Shari>’ah banking, for the last ten years, has increased in prosperity not only at the quantity of conventional banks but also at the count of assets and customers. This economical opportunity drives amount of conventional banks both to convert their institutions to be shari>’ah banks and to open officially shari>’ah platform units with their own assets. This system takes a significant question, is the conversion effected by both banker ideological factor and capitalists or pure economical rational calculation? Is a religious consideration linked to economical rationality? This paper is to elaborate the conversion using not only ‘choice theory’ (teori pilihan but also ‘rational action’ (tindakan rasional to seek religious action possibility in a reasonable way of shari>’ah banking.   Keywords: shari>’ah bank, conversion, rational action, religiosity.

  2. Islamic banks and profitability: an empirical analysis of Indonesian banking

    OpenAIRE

    Jordan, Sarah

    2013-01-01

    This paper provides an empirical analysis of the factors that determine the profitability of Indonesian banks between the years 2006-2012. In particular, it investigates whether there are any significant differences in terms of profitability between Islamic banks and commercial banks. The results, obtained by applying the system-GMM estimator to the panel of 54 banks, indicate that the high bank profitability during these years were determined mainly by the size of the banks, the market share...

  3. Improving blood transfusion practice by regular education in the United Arab Emirates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajwani, F H

    2012-07-01

    A cross-match to transfused unit ratio of less than 2.0 is frequently used to assess performance in many hospital blood banks. This brief report was initiated to evaluate the practice at a local hospital and to emphasize the importance of regular educational sessions to improve blood transfusion practice. Retrospective data on cross-match : transfused (C : T) ratio of all departments was collected and educational sessions were given to improve practice. Thereafter, a new set of data was collected and change in practice was assessed. Initial data showed total (C : T) ratio of 1.95. After medical staff education, analysis showed clinically significant improvement in blood utilization practice with a (C : T) ratio of 1.60. This brief report indicates the importance of regular physician education, the potential role of blood transfusion committee, and the need to implement clear guidelines for blood transfusion. © 2012 American Association of Blood Banks.

  4. [Setting up a donor milk bank within a neonatal unit].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Román, S Vázquez; Díaz, C Alonso; López, C Medina; Lozano, G Bustos; Hidalgo, M V Martínez; Alonso, C R Pallás

    2009-10-01

    Breast milk is the best choice to feed premature and ill babies, but when there is not enough mother milk available donor breast milk is the best alternative. Nowadays, Milk Banks are present worldwide. In December 2007 the second Spanish Milk Bank opened within the Department of Neonatology of the Hospital 12 Octubre, Madrid (BLHDO). There are no international recommendations for processing breast milk, therefore other Milk Banks guidelines are the only standards to follow. BLHDO uses the Brazilian model as they focus on milk quality, in addition to safety issues. Lack of legislation for human milk processing in Spain has led to BLHDO complying with Spanish Law on blood and tissues donation with its strict regulations on safety issues and record keeping. This article summarises the first year of operating the BLHDO and its future projects and developments.

  5. 78 FR 37541 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-21

    ..., North Dakota, as trustees/administrators, to retain voting shares of the Commercial Bank of Mott Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and thereby indirectly retain voting shares of Commercial Bank of Mott, both... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank...

  6. Bank Resolution in the European Banking Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gordon, Jeffrey N.; Ringe, Wolf-Georg

    The project of creating a Banking Union is designed to overcome the fatal link between sovereigns and their banks in the Eurozone. As part of this project, political agreement for a common supervision framework and a common resolution scheme has been reached with difficulty. However, the resolution...... at the discretion of the resolution authority must be available to supply liquidity to a reorganizing bank. On these conditions, a viable and realistic Banking Union would be within reach — and the resolution of global financial institutions would be greatly facilitated, not least in a transatlantic perspective....... framework is weak, underfunded and exhibits some serious flaws. Further, Member States’ disagreements appear to rule out a federalized deposit insurance scheme, commonly regarded as the necessary third pillar of a successful Banking Union. This paper argues for an organizational and capital structure...

  7. Does taxation on banks mean taxation on bank-dependent borrowers?

    OpenAIRE

    Masami Imai; Peter Hull

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the economic impacts of bank levies on bank-dependent borrowers, exploiting the surprise announcement of a bank tax by the Tokyo metropolitan government on February 7th, 2000. We find that the tax announcement had negative effects on the abnormal return of firms which depended on soon-to-be taxed banks for external funds. Moreover, the adverse economic effects of the bank tax were larger for smaller and more financially distressed firms, suggesting that bank levies are likely t...

  8. The main directions of banking products promotion in the banking marketing system in Russian commercial banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markova O.M.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available the article is devoted to the research of directions of client-oriented approach application during bank products promotion in Russian banks. Attention is paid to the development of electronic banking, social networks through which consumers receive the necessary information about beneficial offers and special conditions for providing banking services.

  9. 78 FR 300 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-03

    ... Bancshares, Inc., and thereby acquire control of First Commercial Bank, both of Edmond, Oklahoma. Board of... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  10. 77 FR 60996 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-05

    ... shares of Anchor Commercial Bank, Juno Beach, Florida. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  11. [The bioethics law revision: comparative analysis of contributions from different public and professional offices. Assisted Reproductive Technology, embryo and stem cells research, umbilical cord blood bank].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merviel, P; Cabry, R; Lourdel, E; Brasseur, F; Devaux, A; Copin, H

    2009-09-01

    The revision of the bioethics law of 2004 must occur in a five year's time. For this revision, the authorities decided to organize general states of bioethics and requested the production of contributions by the companies, institutions or associations. These texts tackle various subjects, like the Assisted Reproductive Technologies, research on the embryo and the stem cells and the banks of umbilical cord blood. Certain opinions converge, others differ, but all take part in the great debate which will take place at the time of the general conference.

  12. Constructing Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for Searching the Marine Realms Information Bank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linck, Guthrie A.; Allwardt, Alan O.; Lightsom, Frances L.

    2009-01-01

    The Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) is a digital library that provides access to free online scientific information about the oceans and coastal regions. To search its collection, MRIB uses a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program, which allows automated search requests using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). This document provides an overview of how to construct URLs to execute MRIB queries. The parameters listed allow detailed control of which records are retrieved, how they are returned, and how their display is formatted.

  13. Seropositivity for hepatitis B and C in voluntary blood donors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shah, S.M.A.; Ali, A.

    2010-01-01

    After the introduction of blood banks and better storage techniques blood is more widely used in patients for various indications. In Pakistan more than 1.5 million pints of blood are collected each year. Hepatitis B and C virus infections are known to occur in the general population and due to their mode of transmission through blood and blood products, it has made safe blood transfusion difficult and screening of blood absolutely necessary. Objectives of this study were to estimate frequency of Hepatitis B and C in blood donors of local area and recommend measures for safe blood transfusion. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conduced at the Blood Bank, Department of Pathology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar from January 01, 2007 to December 31, 2008. It was carried out on 32,042 voluntary, non-remunerated healthy blood donors. They were screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV antibodies) by ELISA. The patients' age ranged from 18-52 years. They were all males. Results: Out of 32,042 donors, 632 (1.97%) patients were positive for HBsAg, and 502 (1.57%).were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Conclusion: Incidence of Hepatitis B and C is varying in different areas. It is recommended that properly screened blood only, using a reliable method like ELISA, be transfused to the patients. (author)

  14. 77 FR 50689 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  15. 78 FR 43883 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  16. 78 FR 38978 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-28

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  17. 77 FR 54917 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  18. 78 FR 35271 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-12

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  19. 78 FR 49268 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-13

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  20. 77 FR 68121 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  1. 78 FR 13877 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  2. 77 FR 58141 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-19

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  3. 78 FR 61352 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-03

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  4. 77 FR 4323 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-27

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  5. 77 FR 66463 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-05

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  6. 78 FR 41929 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-12

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  7. 77 FR 37406 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-21

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  8. 78 FR 51726 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-21

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  9. 77 FR 31612 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  10. 77 FR 9250 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  11. 78 FR 62301 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  12. 78 FR 25084 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  13. 78 FR 76834 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-19

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  14. 77 FR 60702 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-04

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  15. 77 FR 16839 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  16. 78 FR 53457 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  17. 78 FR 45535 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  18. 77 FR 73031 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-07

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  19. 77 FR 2293 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  20. 77 FR 64801 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-23

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  1. 77 FR 34385 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-11

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  2. 77 FR 58379 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-20

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  3. 77 FR 33459 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  4. 77 FR 43824 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-26

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  5. 78 FR 39729 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  6. 78 FR 24747 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-26

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  7. 77 FR 72864 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  8. 78 FR 97 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  9. 78 FR 27389 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-10

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  10. 77 FR 63314 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  11. 77 FR 19665 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  12. 78 FR 76305 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  13. 78 FR 49753 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  14. 78 FR 3425 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  15. 77 FR 27458 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-10

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank [[Page...

  16. 77 FR 39244 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  17. 78 FR 3897 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  18. Cross-Border Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Jonathan Eaton

    1994-01-01

    The banking systems of some countries export intermediation services to the rest of the world, while many other countries are net exporters of deposits to banks abroad and net importers of loans from banks abroad. Banking center countries typically have lower inflation, deeper financial systems, earn less government revenue from seigniorage, and have lower reserve money relative to bank assets than nonbanking-center countries. This paper develops a stylized model of regulated bank intermediat...

  19. BAGI HASIL DAN BANK SYARI’AH (Solusi terhadap Bunga Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rudy Haryanto Rudy Haryanto

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: To save money in terms of investation is one of bank’s functions. Interest and production sharing are kinds of investation in banking system. Interest is a marketable entry in conventional banking, however production sharing is known in syari’ah banking system. Some people argue that interest cannot be seperated from the banking activity, in fact Islam recommends the followers to avoid it; hence it could be substituted with term of production sharing. It matches the priciple of musyarakah and mudharabah as being taught by Rasûlullâh SAW. Bank interest is considered ribâ (excessive interest and it is forbidden in Islam. Moreover, production sharing is more useful and beneficial for people. Unfortunately, the value of production sharing (syarî’ah banking product is lower than the value of banking interest (conventional banking product due to the fact that the ralationship established by syari’ah banking and its customer is based on the principle of gotong royong (mutual coorporation and production sharing partnership. Key Words: ribâ, musyarakah, mudharabah, dan bagi-hasil  

  20. Quantification of 31 illicit and medicinal drugs and metabolites in whole blood by fully automated solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bjørk, Marie Kjærgaard; Simonsen, Kirsten Wiese; Andersen, David Wederkinck; Dalsgaard, Petur Weihe; Sigurðardóttir, Stella Rögn; Linnet, Kristian; Rasmussen, Brian Schou

    2013-03-01

    An efficient method for analyzing illegal and medicinal drugs in whole blood using fully automated sample preparation and short ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) run time is presented. A selection of 31 drugs, including amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, and benzodiazepines, was used. In order to increase the efficiency of routine analysis, a robotic system based on automated liquid handling and capable of handling all unit operation for sample preparation was built on a Freedom Evo 200 platform with several add-ons from Tecan and third-party vendors. Solid-phase extraction was performed using Strata X-C plates. Extraction time for 96 samples was less than 3 h. Chromatography was performed using an ACQUITY UPLC system (Waters Corporation, Milford, USA). Analytes were separated on a 100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm Acquity UPLC CSH C(18) column using a 6.5 min 0.1 % ammonia (25 %) in water/0.1 % ammonia (25 %) in methanol gradient and quantified by MS/MS (Waters Quattro Premier XE) in multiple-reaction monitoring mode. Full validation, including linearity, precision and trueness, matrix effect, ion suppression/enhancement of co-eluting analytes, recovery, and specificity, was performed. The method was employed successfully in the laboratory and used for routine analysis of forensic material. In combination with tetrahydrocannabinol analysis, the method covered 96 % of cases involving driving under the influence of drugs. The manual labor involved in preparing blood samples, solvents, etc., was reduced to a half an hour per batch. The automated sample preparation setup also minimized human exposure to hazardous materials, provided highly improved ergonomics, and eliminated manual pipetting.

  1. Blood transfusion practices in obstetric anaesthesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok Jadon

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Blood transfusion is an essential component of emergency obstetric care and appropriate blood transfusion significantly reduces maternal mortality. Obstetric haemorrhage, especially postpartum haemorrhage, remains one of the major causes of massive haemorrhage and a prime cause of maternal mortality. Blood loss and assessment of its correct requirement are difficult in pregnancy due to physiological changes and comorbid conditions. Many guidelines have been used to assess the requirement and transfusion of blood and its components. Infrastructural, economic, social and religious constraints in blood banking and donation are key issues to formulate practice guidelines. Available current guidelines for transfusion are mostly from the developed world; however, they can be used by developing countries keeping available resources in perspective.

  2. Outsourcing central banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khoury, Sarkis Joseph; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    The literature on Currency Boards (CB) stops at the water edge in terms of dealing with the totality of the functions of a central bank. Monetary policy, and banking supervisioncan be "outsourced" in an open economy with substantial foreign direct investment (FDI)in the banking sector if political...... nationalism does not trump economic rationality. An orthodox CB renders the central banking function redundant in terms of interest rate and exchange rate determination. FDI in banking could perform the same role for the supervisory function of central banks. We use the case of Estonia to illustrate...... the feasibility of, and constraints on, outsourcing of central bank functions. A brief discussion of the Argentinian experience is used for contrast.Key words: Currency Board, Foreign Banks, Supervision, Regional Integration,outsourcing....

  3. The security concern on internet banking adoption among Malaysian banking customers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudha, Raju; Thiagarajan, A S; Seetharaman, A

    2007-01-01

    The existing literatures highlights that the security is the primary factor which determines the adoption of Internet banking technology. The secondary information on Internet banking development in Malaysia shows a very slow growth rate. Hence, this study aims to study the banking customers perception towards security concern and Internet banking adoption through the information collected from 150 sample respondents. The data analysis reveals that the customers have much concern about security and privacy issue in adoption of Internet banking, whether the customers are adopted Internet banking or not. Hence, it infers that to popularize Internet banking system there is a need for improvement in security and privacy issue among the banking customers.

  4. An Automated Sample Preparation Instrument to Accelerate Positive Blood Cultures Microbial Identification by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry (Vitek®MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick Broyer

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Sepsis is the leading cause of death among patients in intensive care units (ICUs requiring an early diagnosis to introduce efficient therapeutic intervention. Rapid identification (ID of a causative pathogen is key to guide directed antimicrobial selection and was recently shown to reduce hospitalization length in ICUs. Direct processing of positive blood cultures by MALDI-TOF MS technology is one of the several currently available tools used to generate rapid microbial ID. However, all recently published protocols are still manual and time consuming, requiring dedicated technician availability and specific strategies for batch processing. We present here a new prototype instrument for automated preparation of Vitek®MS slides directly from positive blood culture broth based on an “all-in-one” extraction strip. This bench top instrument was evaluated on 111 and 22 organisms processed using artificially inoculated blood culture bottles in the BacT/ALERT® 3D (SA/SN blood culture bottles or the BacT/ALERT VirtuoTM system (FA/FN Plus bottles, respectively. Overall, this new preparation station provided reliable and accurate Vitek MS species-level identification of 87% (Gram-negative bacteria = 85%, Gram-positive bacteria = 88%, and yeast = 100% when used with BacT/ALERT® 3D and of 84% (Gram-negative bacteria = 86%, Gram-positive bacteria = 86%, and yeast = 75% with Virtuo® instruments, respectively. The prototype was then evaluated in a clinical microbiology laboratory on 102 clinical blood culture bottles and compared to routine laboratory ID procedures. Overall, the correlation of ID on monomicrobial bottles was 83% (Gram-negative bacteria = 89%, Gram-positive bacteria = 79%, and yeast = 78%, demonstrating roughly equivalent performance between manual and automatized extraction methods. This prototype instrument exhibited a high level of performance regardless of bottle type or BacT/ALERT system. Furthermore, blood culture workflow could

  5. Blood Donation and Citizenship Education. An approach from service learning and the Theory of Don

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josep M. PUIG ROVIRA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The altruistic donation of blood recommended by the World Health Organisation and carried out through blood banks not only contributes to providing the health system with an indispensable therapeutic element, it is also a means of fostering social integration and educating for citizenship. Within this general context, the article begins by arguing why altruistic donation is better than buying and selling blood and why the gift theory – developed by sociology on the basis of the work by Marcel Mauss – more than justifies the possibility of meeting the demand for blood in this way. On the basis of these considerations it can be said that blood banks are social institutions that perform three basic functions: technical, civic and educational. The article continues by examining the educational project undertaken by the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia, which consists in a programme based on the methodology of service learning and which invites young people to cultivate and develop a communicative approach to promoting the altruistic donation of blood in their neighbourhood. The article concludes by evaluating the consolidation, effectiveness and degree of satisfaction of the project, and suggesting that this model can be used to form the basis of ideas for educational proposals of other social institutions.

  6. The effects of shadow banking on the traditional banking system in Zimbabwe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virimai Mugobo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The growth of shadow banks changed the face of banking in Zimbabwe. Their inconsistent product nature and complexity of form has been a cause for concern to regulatory authorities. The interrelationship between their financial intermediary role and that of formal banks has made them good substitutes to formal banking. This study conducts a statistical analysis of the country’s monetary aggregates and the total formal bank loan-to-deposits balances. The findings of this analysis show that the shadow banking system has always been a critical element of the formal banking sector which resulted from market needs and it completes the banking system. The shadow banking system does not pose direct threat to the formal banking system but it was a result of failure to attract savers who found shadow banks as a good alternative.

  7. Collection, processing and testing of bone, corneas, umbilical cord blood and haematopoietic stem cells by European Blood Alliance members.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Närhi, M; Natri, O; Desbois, I; Kinggaard Holm, D; Galea, G; Aranko, K; Korhonen, M; Nordstrom, K

    2013-11-01

    A questionnaire study was carried out in collaboration with the European Blood Alliance (EBA) Tissues and Cells (T&C) working group. The aim was to assess the level of involvement and commonality of processes on the procurement, testing and storage of bone, corneas, umbilical cord blood (UCB) and haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in order to identify different practices and to explore whether recommendations can be made for harmonization. An online questionnaire was used for data collection in 2011, and 43 replies were received covering 71 product answers from 13 countries. Estimated percentages of tissue and cell banking covered by EBA member blood banks as a proportion of all collections of each individual country varied markedly. There were also major differences in the amounts of products collected and discarded and in proportions tissues provided for grafting. However, discarding of certain collections also reflects the practice of increasing the likelihood of the very best units being used for transplantation. Harmonization of possible practices should focus on matching supply with demand and on identifying the most efficient operators. This could allow for the development of practices for minimizing unnecessary collections. © 2013 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

  8. Contribution of Internet Banking toward Profitability of Banking in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Karimzadeh

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The adoption of the Internet in the banking industry on the one hand is closely related to a change in the structure of the organization and nature of operations in banking industry itself, and on the other hand, to the emergence of computer as a significant organizational tool. Banks have always been starving to introduce new technologies to reduce operational costs and expand their businesses. This study is an attempt to investigate the contribution of Internet banking on the performance of the banking system in India. Return on Assets (ROA and Return on Equity (ROE ratios are used to test this effect. The regression analysis showed that there is a significant effect of Internet banking services on the profitability of banks in terms of ROA and ROE in India.

  9. Bank Insolvency Procedures and Market Discipline in European Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Angkinand, Apanard; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    Market discipline in banking requires that explicit and implicit insurance schemes for financial sector firms are limited, and that the lack of insurance of important stakeholders is credible. This credibility cannot be achieved without transparent, predictable procedures for distress resolution for banks, including explicit rules for the liquidation of insolvent banks. We find that very few European countries have explicit procedures for dealing with problem banks. The propositions tested in...

  10. Return behavior of occasional and multigallon blood donors: the role of theory of planned behavior, self-identity, and organizational variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wevers, Anne; Wigboldus, Daniël H J; van Baaren, Rick; Veldhuizen, Ingrid J T

    2014-03-01

    For blood establishments it is important that blood donors return for a donation. Past research has stressed the importance of theory of planned behavior (TPB) on return behavior, but self-identity (SI) and organizational variables (OVs) might play a role as well. This study added SI and OVs to the TPB to identify the determinants for return behavior. Whole blood donors (n = 2005) completed a questionnaire assessing TPB, SI, and OVs. OVs contained "perceived satisfaction with the blood bank" and "feeling pressure from the blood bank to donate blood." Return behavior over the past 2 years was dichotomized as low return (0%-50%) versus high return (51%-100%). Logistic regression analyses assessed the effects of TPB, SI, and OVs on high return, separately for occasional donors (two to 10 lifetime donations) and multigallon donors (>10 lifetime donations). Results showed that, for all donors, affective attitude was positively associated with return behavior, whereas pressure to donate blood was negatively associated with return behavior. The point estimates of self-efficacy, SI, and perceived satisfaction are high for multigallon donors, but do not reach significance. For all donors, positive feelings about donating blood stimulate return behavior, while experiencing a pressure to donate blood emanating from the blood bank was not beneficial. Results suggest that multigallon donors are more stimulated to return when they score higher on self-efficacy, SI, and perceived satisfaction. Interventions aiming at donor retention need to be carefully formulated to avoid negative effects of feeling pressure to donate blood. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

  11. Islamic Banking and Green Banking for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Nazim Uddin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Green banking is an integral part of Islamic banking that makes a basis of environmental protection. This study attempts to examine the relationship between Islamic banking and green banking that contribute to sustainable development. The study has used the primary data through a structural questionnaire that includes various dimensions on green banking of Islamic banking in Bangladesh. The investigation revealed that Islamic banks had made a significant contribution to green banking that improves the environment as means of cost and energy savings, preservation of natural resources and the need to respect all living things. The study seems to carry an enormous academic value since a few studies have undertaken in this areaDOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i1.4563

  12. ASSESING THE DETERMINANTS OF BANK LIQUIDITY. CASE STUDY ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florin Alexandru LUCA

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The financial crisis has highlighted the importance of liquidity risk for the banking system. Therefore, this study focuses on identifing the determinants of liquidity of Romanian banks. The data cover the period from 2006 to 2013 and take into account only bank-specific factors. The empirical study was applied on 16 Romanian banks and based on previous studies and uses different liquidity ratios, encompassing different points of view on liquidity. Regarding the explanatory variables considered in this analysis, they include various items of internal character concerning: capital adequacy, asset quality, profitability, efficiency of financial intermediation and the size of the banks. The results of our regression analysis indicate that bank liquidity is positively related to capital adequacy of banks and bank profitability and negatively related to the rate of non-performing loans, net interest margin and the size of the bank.

  13. ANALISIS KOMPARASI KINERJA KEUANGAN; BANK DEVISA DAN BANK NON DEVISA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nani Hartati

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This research is intended to assess and analyze the financial health of Foreign Exchange Bank and Non-Foreign Exchange Bank. Assessment is done by looking at the financial ratios from 2011 to 2015, the results of each financial ratios performed comparison and analysis. The financial statements were obtained from the Indonesian Stock Exchange website. The conclusions of the analysis were compared with the indicators of Bank Indonesia's financial performance assessment released by Indonesia Bank. There is a significant difference between foreign exchange bank and non-foreign exchange bank. The ratio of financial ratios in the analysis includes NPL, CAR, ROA, LDR, and BOPO.

  14. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Wheeler, David L.

    2006-01-01

    GenBank (R) is a comprehensive database that contains publicly available nucleotide sequences for more than 240 000 named organisms, obtained primarily through submissions from individual laboratories and batch submissions from large-scale sequencing projects. Most submissions are made using the web-based BankIt or standalone Sequin programs and accession numbers are assigned by GenBank staff upon receipt. Daily data exchange with the EMBL Data Library in Europe and the DNA Data Bank of Japan...

  15. Strategic positioning in banking industry: Evidence from banking industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hedieh Mashoof

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Strategic positioning has always been a key tool for managers to analyze the position of the firm in different attributes in comparison with competitors. With regard to fierce competition in banking industry, the aim of this study is to analyze the position of Bank Melli Iran with 5 public and private rivals in 6 attributes. The sample of this study was 387 Bank Melli Iran customers. The results of this study were in 14 perceptual maps in which the positions of Bank Melli Iran attributes have been shown compared with bank’s key competitors. The results showed that Bank Melli Iran had strong position and came to the first place in attributes like price, physical equipment and location and security. Moreover, Bank Melli Iran has to improve its position in attributes with no better position.

  16. CONSUMER SWITCHING BEHAVIOR FROM ONLINE BANKING TO MOBILE BANKING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chian-Son Yu

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Through investigating factors that influence consumers to make a transition from online to mobile banking, this empirical study shows that relative attitude and relative subjective norm positively motivated respondents to switch from Internet to mobile banking while relative perceived behavior control deterred respondents from transitioning. Empirical results also demonstrated that Internet banking is superior to mobile banking in terms of consumer relative compatibility, self-efficacy, resource facilitating conditions, and technology facilitating conditions. Meanwhile, mobile banking emerged as superior to Internet banking for other constructs. By adding a comparative concept into an extended decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB model, this study may expand the applicable domain of current social psychology theories from the adoption of single products or services to the choice between competing products or services that achieve similar purposes and functions.

  17. Electronic remote blood issue: a combination of remote blood issue with a system for end-to-end electronic control of transfusion to provide a "total solution" for a safe and timely hospital blood transfusion service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staves, Julie; Davies, Amanda; Kay, Jonathan; Pearson, Oliver; Johnson, Tony; Murphy, Michael F

    2008-03-01

    The rapid provision of red cell (RBC) units to patients needing blood urgently is an issue of major importance in transfusion medicine. The development of electronic issue (sometimes termed "electronic crossmatch") has facilitated rapid provision of RBC units by avoidance of the serologic crossmatch in eligible patients. A further development is the issue of blood under electronic control at blood refrigerator remote from the blood bank. This study evaluated a system for electronic remote blood issue (ERBI) developed as an enhancement of a system for end-to-end electronic control of hospital transfusion. Practice was evaluated before and after its introduction in cardiac surgery. Before the implementation of ERBI, the median time to deliver urgently required RBC units to the patient was 24 minutes. After its implementation, RBC units were obtained from the nearby blood refrigerator in a median time of 59 seconds (range, 30 sec to 2 min). The study also found that unused requests were reduced significantly from 42 to 20 percent, the number of RBC units issued reduced by 52 percent, the number of issued units that were transfused increased from 40 to 62 percent, and there was a significant reduction in the workload of both blood bank and clinical staff. This study evaluated a combination of remote blood issue with an end-to-end electronically controlled hospital transfusion process, ERBI. ERBI reduced the time to make blood available for surgical patients and improved the efficiency of hospital transfusion.

  18. 12 CFR 209.2 - Banks desiring to become member banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1821(n)) should not apply until in the process of issuing stock pursuant... ISSUE AND CANCELLATION OF FEDERAL RESERVE BANK CAPITAL STOCK (REGULATION I) § 209.2 Banks desiring to become member banks. (a) Application for stock or deposit. Each national bank in process of organization...

  19. USERS' PREFERENCE TOWARDS TRADITIONAL BANKING VERSUS E-BANKING – AN ANALYSIS

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. S. Anthony Rahul Golden

    2016-01-01

    Banking transactions that takes place in a virtual ambience on the website of a banking company or a financial institution is termed as ‘Internet Banking’. The essence of Internet banking lies in on-line access by customers of banking and financial services. This is the right time to discuss about the customer prefer whether traditional banking or online banking. What are reasons are beyond that for their preference has been analysed here. Finally, it is concluded that as people are very clos...

  20. THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF FRACTIONAL RESERVE BANKING AND FULL RESERVE BANKING: WHERE ISLAMIC BANKING SHOULD STAND?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaser Taufik Syamlan

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives – this research is aimed to compare those epistemological bases to the mindset of Islamic Bank and try to drive the philosophy in practical operation whether based on the Fractional Reserve Banking Sytem (RBS or 100% RBS and analyze the challenges in deploying the 100%RBS. Methods - This research will be conducted based on an extensive literature review.Results - Based on the epistemological analysis of money and the business cycle as well as the views of Islamic scholars, 100%RBS should be the best for Islamic Bank. There are four types of 100% RBS namely Pure Commodity Money, Sovereign Money, Narrow Banking, and Limited Purpose Banking. To deploy it into the economic system, another philosophical work should be done to choose one of the types and strengthen it so that the theory of 100%RBS can be implemented for the goodness of Islamic Bank.  Conclusion - In Conclusions, Based on the epistemology defined by Islamic Scholars, FractRBS has more mafsadah if we compare to the maslahah. Therefore, 100% RBS should be better for the Islamic Bank.