Motivations of blood donors and nondonors.

Mailed a questionnaire about motivations for donating blood to 187 female and 152 male undergraduates; 87% returned usable questionnaires. 40% were blood donors (vs 3% nationally) and 60% were nondonors. Motivations for donors were humanitarian reasons, peer pressure, and curiosity experience. Motivations of nondonors were legitimate medical excuses, fear of needles, general apprehension, and fear of aftereffects. Recommendations for blood procurement agencies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vasovagal reactions in blood donors

The donor records of a hospital blood bank, analyzed from a statistical standpoint demonstrated a low incidence of vasovagal reactions: 119 in 10,547 donations (1.13%). Donors of younger age and of lower diastolic blood pressure were more prone to reaction. There was no significant sex difference. Higher reaction rates were also associated with first-time donation, the time of year (spring), and a particular phlebotomist. The low reaction rate and the clearly demonstrated psychologic factors in the present study were attributed to a reflection of the small amount (200 ml) of blood withdrawn. The importance of the phlebotomist-donor relationship was stressed.     

Caffeine attenuates vasovagal reactions in female first-time blood donors.

The experience of vasovagal reactions during blood donation (e.g., faintness, dizziness, lightheadedness) can be a deterrent to repeat donation. Because these reactions are associated with decreases in blood pressure, caffeine was examined as a potential modulator of vasovagal reactions by virtue of its pressor effects. Using a randomized, double-blind design, 62 female undergraduate 1st-time blood donors received either 0, 125, or 250 mg of caffeine prior to blood donation. Participants who received 250 mg of caffeine had lower scores on the Blood Donation Reactions Inventory, required fewer interventions by phlebotomists for negative reactions, and reported a greater likelihood of repeat donation than participants who received placebo. These findings suggest that a moderate dose of caffeine attenuates negative reactions in novice female blood donors and may increase the likelihood of repeat donations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Australia antigen in voluntary blood donors

35.370 blood samples, collected from woluntary blood donors by the Blood Transfusion Services of the Turkish Red Crescent Society in one year, were tested by the systematic screening CEP Method for the "Au" antigen, according to the recommendations of WHO. The number and percentage of positive "Au" antigen cases are shown in Table 1. No significant difference could be detected when the relationship of "Au" antigen to months was considered. This can be seen in Table 2.     

Quantitative bacteriological evaluation of a method for skin disinfection in blood donors

Skin disinfection at the site of venipuncture is a critical point in every blood transfusion collection procedure, as it contributes to ensure the bacterial safety of transfusion. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of bacteria present in the antecubital fossae before and after skin disinfection may be one method of assessing the anti-bacterial efficiency of disinfection. Swab culture systems and contact plates are the two techniques usually employed for this purpose. A washing and swabbing technique was used to quantify bacteria before and skin disinfection of the antecubital fossae in blood donors. This contra-placebo study was carried out on 32 donors, each of whom served as his own control, with a random choice of test arm and opposing control arm. Bacterial counts were determined in the antecubital fossae without skin disinfection (control, n = 32) and after a 3 step skin preparation procedure (cleaning, wiping, disinfection) using placebo (distilled water, n = 16) or an antiseptic product (mixture of chlorexidine, benzalkonium chloride and benzylic alcohol, n = 16). The absence of a statistical difference in bacterial counts between the right and left antecubital fossae without disinfection was controlled in a preliminary study of 20 subjects. Mean bacterial counts were 25,000/cm2 and 27,400/cm2 respectively for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria before disinfection, with a wide variation in results between individuals. When using placebo, preparation of the venipuncture site by the 3 step method (cleaning, wiping, disinfection) resulted in a non significant mean reduction of 0.56 log in aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Using the antiseptic product, the same method resulted in a significant mean reduction of 1.8 and 1.7 log respectively in aerobic (p = 0.015) and anaerobic flora (p = 0.005). On an average, 2,750 aerobic bacteria/cm2 and 2,910 anaerobic bacteria/cm2 remained after disinfection, while qualitative analysis showed that disinfection suppressed the transitory flora in all cases but left part of the resident flora in 12/16 cases. These findings are comparable to those of other studies carried out to evaluate this kind of technique for the disinfection of operation sites. In comparison with other techniques classically employed for this type of evaluation (swab systems or contact plates), the method used in this study was the advantage of allowing the quantification of the reduction in bacteria. Hence this method could be employed for comparative assessment of skin disinfection techniques with the aim of improving their anti-bacterial efficiency and could also make possible the definition of a minimum bacterial count (resident flora) to be obtained in all cases after disinfection.     

Motivating blood donors to recruit new donors: Experimental evaluation of an evidence-based behavior change intervention.

Objective: A sustainable, evidence-based intervention to motivate current blood donors to recruit new donors was evaluated using a quasi-experimental, in-service trial at three donation centers. Design: Participating blood donors in three conditions (N = 734), received (1) an evidence-based leaflet designed to enhance recruitment motivation and five postcards facilitating recruitment and donor registration, (2) five postcards alone, or (3) no materials. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported donor recruitment by donors was measured at 1-week and 6-week follow-up. Results: At 1-week and at 6-week follow-up, donors in both intervention conditions reported talking to more people about donation and asking more people to donate than control participants. Intervention participants also reported persuading more people to register as a donor than control participants. Results indicated that postcards plus leaflet was somewhat more effective than the postcards alone. Donors' intentions to recruit at 1-week follow-up mediated the behavioral effects at 6-week follow-up. Conclusion: Motivating and facilitating recruitment of new blood donors through existing donors has the potential to continually replenish the donor population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coercion in participation as a research subject.

Reports an unsuccessful replication of a previous study by J. C. Ascough and C. N. Sipprelle (see pa, vol. 43:2682) of operant verbal cardiac conditioning. It was hypothesized that the ss of the original study were volunteers while the replication ss were coerced into participation as part of the requirements of a course. Replication was significant (p =     

Study of serum alanine-aminotransferase levels in blood donors in Spain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Serum alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) is being used as a surrogate test for preventing post-transfusion viral hepatitis. However, ALT elevation is influenced by many factors. We have studied ALT levels in 1,036 consecutive blood donors to determine their association with gender, obesity, and hepatitis virus infection markers. DESIGN AND METHODS: In each donation aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma GT) activity were also determined and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-nine men and 457 women donated blood; ALT activity was 25.3 +/- 14.5 IU/L (mean +/- SD) for men and 16.3 +/- 7.9 IU/L for women (p < or = 0.0005). The upper normal value for men was 56 IU/L and 34 IU/L for women. On applying this value to the study group 4.8% of the men and 2% of the women had values greater than the cutoff. Among the men with increased ALT levels, 53.5% had a BMI > 27, 7.1% also had an increased level of GGT and 7.1% had increased levels of AST and LDH. None of them were HBsAg nor anti-HCV positive. Among the women with increased ALT, 33.3% had BMI > 27, 33.3% had increased levels of LDH and AST, and 11.1% were anti-HCV positive (only 1 donor). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: It seems clear that different cutoff values should be considered for men and women. Factors such as obesity, may account for more than 50% of the cases with increased ALT values, indicating the low specificity of the test.     

Serum hepatitis B markers in blood donors in Venezuela. What do they mean?

Adenocarcinomas metastatic to brain from lung or colon may pose differentiation difficulties. Ultrastructurally, both may have brush borders with rootlets. This study examines the ultrastructural morphology and immunohistochemical expression of villin (associated with rootlets), cytokeratin 7 (present in lung adenocarcinomas), and cytokeratin 20 (present in colon adenocarcinomas) in 19 formalin-fixed sequential surgical biopsies of lung adenocarcinomas metastatic to brain as compared to 13 colonic adenocarcinoma metastases. Of lung tumor metastases, mucinous differentiation with rootlets was most common [6/19(32%)]. All colon tumor metastases were cytokeratin 7(-), 20(+), and profusely villin(+). Well-formed rootlets were seen. All lung metastases were cytokeratin 7(+) and 20(-). 5/6(83%) lung metastases with rootlets were focally villin(+). 12/13(95%) without rootlets were villin(-). Rootlets are extremely common in lung adenocarcinoma metastatic to brain. Villin immunoreactivity closely correlates with rootlets. Its distribution is a useful adjunct to cytokeratin 7 and 20 in differentiation of lung versus colon adenocarcinomas metastatic to the brain.     

The effects of applied tension on symptoms in french-speaking blood donors: A randomized trial.

Blood-donation-related symptoms such as dizziness and weakness discourage people from participating in this important health-related activity. Four hundred sixty-seven young adult, French-speaking blood donors were randomly assigned to (a) a condition in which they learned a possible preventive technique called applied tension and were asked to practice it from the time they got on the donation chair until they were just about to get up, (b) a placebo condition in which they learned applied tension and were asked to practice it from the time they got on the chair until the insertion of the donation needle, or (c) a no-treatment control condition. Donors assigned to the treatment condition reported significantly fewer blood-donation-related symptoms than did donors assigned to the other conditions and rated their likelihood of returning to give blood again as greater than did those in the no treatment condition. Among donors whose chairs were not reclined, participants in the treatment condition had significantly smaller heart rate reactions to blood donation than did those in the other conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological distress in blood donors notified of HTLV-I/II infection. Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

BACKGROUND: Blood donations in the United States have been screened for antibody to human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II) since November 1988. Although clinically diagnosed illness associated with HTLV-I/II remains relatively uncommon, blood donors notified of HTLV infection frequently report negative psychological and social effects following notification. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To assess psychological outcomes, the General Well-Being Scale, a standardized 18-item questionnaire, was administered to 464 HTLV-I/II-positive donors and 91 sex partners at five blood centers in the United States following notification of HTLV-I/II infection. The questionnaire was also given to 735 HTLV-I/II-negative donors. RESULTS: Scores for donors seropositive for HTLV-I and HTLV-II showed significantly more psychological distress than did scores for seronegative donors (p < 0.0005) or a large national sample (p < 0.05). Both HTLV-I (p = 0.02) and HTLV-II (p = 0.01) seropositivity remained significant predictors of lower overall well-being scores after analysis controlling for race, age, gender, education, income, donation type, time since notification, self-reported health status, and intravenous drug use. Variables that predicted higher overall scores were negative HTLV status, older age, higher income, better health, fewer sick days, and fewer work limitations due to health problems. CONCLUSION: Increased psychological distress may be related to notification of HTLV infection among blood donors in the United States.     

Lower homologous blood requirement in autologous blood donors after treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin

The risk of blood-borne diseases has substantially increased the use of autologous blood transfusion. Many autologous donors, however, still need homologous transfusions. To find out whether recombinant erythropoietin (rhEPO) reduces requirements for homologous blood transfusion, we carried out a randomised, controlled trial, in which patients were stratified according to blood volume. We studied 95 autologous blood donors undergoing elective hip surgery. 50 patients were randomly assigned 500 U/kg rhEPO subcutaneously twice a week for 3 weeks, and 45 patients received no treatment (control group). The patients each donated two units of blood before surgery. Only 5 (10%) rhEPO-treated patients received homologous transfusions compared with 16 (36%) controls (p < 0.01). rhEPO was most useful in patients with a blood volume below 4 L and an estimated blood loss below 2 L or with a blood volume of 4-5 L and blood loss of 1-2 L. Continued administration of rhEPO caused no further increase in reticulocyte counts after the fourth injection, which was accompanied by a pronounced depletion of storage iron. rhEPO treatment had no effect on renal function, platelet count, or blood pressure. Subcutaneous rhEPO is an effective and safe way to reduce exposure to homologous blood in autologous donors. Its use can be restricted to a subpopulation of autologous blood donors, which improves the cost-effectiveness of this expensive approach.