ABSTRACT
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to an alteration in hygienic conditions. In this situation, improving standard operating procedures (SOPs) in blood donation centers is critical. The purpose of this study was the assessment of SOPs in the blood donation centers during the outbreak of COVID-19 by regular blood donors as external audits. Materials and Methods: Regular donors were selected as external inspectors in 31 provinces of Iran. The questionnaire containing 10 closed questions was provided to assess the hygienic SOPs of blood transfusion centers in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Comparison and evaluation of questionnaires were conducted by assigning an importance coefficient (IC) score to each question. Results: Assessment of SOPs in blood donation departments by regular donors in 31 provinces of Iran showed that 18 centers (58.1%) received IC scores >10(Strong performance), seven centers (22.6%) received the range of IC scores between7-10(acceptable performance), and six centers (19.4%) received IC scores <7(poor performance). The difference in IC scores between provinces was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study confirms that the assessment of blood donation centers through regular blood donor inspection is a reliable method to identify the strengths and weaknesses of blood transfusion center services and ultimately leads to corrective intervention and improvement of hygienic SOPs to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
ABSTRACT
The oncogenic role of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been recently shown in different cancers like colorectal cancer (CRC). According to the recent immunotherapy approach to target the CMV-expressing tumor cells, we investigated the CMV peptide-stimulated CD8+T cells functions in CRC patients compared to healthy individuals. All sixteen patients and seven controls were CMV seropositive. Blood samples were obtained from patients without chemotherapy and radiotherapy before surgery. Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells were generated using 14-day culture of PBMCs in the presences of CMV peptide epitopes and rhIL-2. In addition to the supernatant evaluations for TNF-α and IFN-γ, the functionality of CD8+ T cells was examined by detecting CD107a and intracellular IFN-γ using flow cytometry. CMV DNA was detected in tissues by Real Time PCR. CMV DNA was found in 31% of tumor tissues, while it was not seen in the adjacent non-tumor tissues. There was a close association between CMV in tumor tissue and tumor grade. Surface expression of CD107a and intracellular IFN-γ in CMV-stimulated CD8+T cells and the level of IFN-γ production in patient and control groups increased significantly after culture. The number of functions increased in patients (p<0.05) and healthy individuals after culture. Followingstimulation, expressions of CD107a and intracellular IFN-γ were elevated in tumor CMV positive patients while the TNF-α secretion was decreased. In vitro stimulation of PBMC in the presence of CMV peptide epitopes and IL-2 can be an applicable method to generate cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in CRC patients for future T cell therapy.
Subject(s)
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Colorectal Neoplasms/etiology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/immunology , Cytomegalovirus/immunology , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology , T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Antigens, Viral/chemistry , Antigens, Viral/immunology , Biomarkers , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Cells, Cultured , Cytokines/biosynthesis , Cytomegalovirus/genetics , Cytomegalovirus Infections/complications , Cytomegalovirus Infections/virology , DNA, Viral , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/immunology , Immunophenotyping , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection is common among blood donors, and healthy blood donors can transmit virus via transfusion. Due to resistance of B19 to viral inactivation methods, there is a potential concern regarding transfusion safety in blood products. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence, molecular epidemiology, and quantitation of B19 DNA levels in blood donors in Tehran, Iran. A total of 500 blood donors from Blood Transfusion Research Center were studied. ELISA was used for detection of B19 IgG and IgM and nested PCR was carried out for detection of B19 DNA. PCR products were subjected to direct sequencing. B19 viral load was determined by real time PCR. B19 IgG, IgM, and DNA were detected in 27.6, 2.6, and 1.2% of donors respectively. Ten samples (2%) were positive for both antibodies while in four cases (0.8%), B19 IgG and DNA detected simultaneously. One case had B19 IgM, IgG, and viremia concurrently. The titers of B19 DNA in four of six donors were more than 106 IU/mL (high level viremia) and all four cases had IgG simultaneously. All B19 isolates categorized in genotype 1A. Our findings indicated that prevalence of B19 DNA in Iranian blood donors was comparable with previous studies throughout the world. High level B19 viremia found in 0.8% of our donors and all viremic donors revealed neutralizing B19 antibody. Therefore implementation of a B19 screening test for each volunteer blood donor does not appear to be necessary but B19 testing for plasma-derived products seems important in Iranian donors.
