[Technologies and control of cleanness of the rooms in the blood center].

To prevent bacterial contamination of blood transfusion media, the following three types of rooms in blood service institutions should meet especially high requirements for cleanness: 1. Box and its foreroom (or room equipped with laminar cabinet) for open-air preparation of washed red blood cells or other blood components. 2. Box (laminar cabinet) in bacteriological laboratory. 3. Two areas of gene diagnosis laboratory: a) for RNA detection (HIV and HCV diagnosis) to prevent sample contamination with extraneous RNAases; b) for preparation of in-house test kits. Required cleanness of rooms in blood service institutions can be attained using the following equipment available from Laminarnye Sistemy, Ltd. (Miass, Chelyabinsk Region, Russia): clean chamber equipment; abacterial air environment box for working with agents and microorganisms; box for working with DNA samples.

[NAT screening of viral infections in donors enhances blood safety].

The first experience in introducing the nucleic acid amplification technique (NAT) in an Indian blood service as compared with the established European practice is analyzed. Examination of 12,224 donor blood samples revealed 217 (1.78%) persons with markers of infections, including 8 (0.065%) persons only with markers of viral genome, without serological signs of infections. In India, enzyme immunoassay-negative NAT-positive donations were tens of times more detectable than in the developed countries, which is associated with the epidemiological features and the large (more than 50%) proportion of paid donors. By taking into account the fact that 4.6% of the preserved blood doses are annually rejected as defective in the Russian Federation, as evidenced by the screening of markers of infections, the introduction of NAT may be expected to reveal a large proportion of donors in the period of both a "seronegative window" and chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus with its blood content. Both intralaboratory monitoring using the certified standards and the laboratory work quality system as a whole are a necessary condition for introducing NAT into a blood service.

[The verification of the results of screening antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors].

6,744 persons were examined for the presence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) before blood donation (4,219 persons in Moscow and 2,525 persons in St. Petersburg). The serum samples found to contain antibodies to HCV were additionally studied by the immunoblot techniques. The positive results of antibody screening were registered in 78 persons: 26 persons in Moscow (0.62%) and 52 in St. Petersburg (2.05%). In both cities the positive results of screening were confirmed in 62% of cases. Different occurrence of the profile with the presence of antibodies to all fragments of the virus: 52% in Moscow, 12% in St. Petersburg (chi2 = 12.11; p < 0.001). Considerable differences were also registered in the spread of individual antibodies.

[Power-consumption for storage of donor plasma].

Costs of electric power used for storage of freshly frozen plasma (FFP) were compared for refrigerators most widely used in Russian medical facilities. The minimal costs (2763.43 R) are those obtained for storage of 5000 FFP units in 12 plasma freezers, MDF-U536 (Sanyo, Japan). When 30,000 plasma units are stored the cost efficiency of power consumption is higher for the TELEDOOR freezer (Germany) versus MDF-U536. It can be assumed that, as the electric power cost increases, it will be more attractive to store FFP in liquid nitrogen vapor (MABAG, Germany). The above technology is registered in Russia; however, its application is still problematic due to economic reasons.