Explore the vast range of titles available.

\"Blood carries life, yet the sight of it makes people faint. It is a waste product and a commodity pricier than oil. It can save lives and transmit deadly infections. Each one of us has roughly nine pints of it, yet many don't even know their own blood type ... Rose George ... takes us from ancient practices of bloodletting to the breakthough of the 'liquid biopsy,' which promises to diagnose cancer and other diseases with a simple blood test\"--Publisher marketing.

Limits on the frequency of whole blood donation exist primarily to safeguard donor health. However, there is substantial variation across blood services in the maximum frequency of donations allowed. We compared standard practice in the UK with shorter inter-donation intervals used in other countries. In this parallel group, pragmatic, randomised trial, we recruited whole blood donors aged 18 years or older from 25 centres across England, UK. By use of a computer-based algorithm, men were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 12-week (standard) versus 10-week versus 8-week inter-donation intervals, and women were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 16-week (standard) versus 14-week versus 12-week intervals. Participants were not masked to their allocated intervention group. The primary outcome was the number of donations over 2 years. Secondary outcomes related to safety were quality of life, symptoms potentially related to donation, physical activity, cognitive function, haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and deferrals because of low haemoglobin. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN24760606, and is ongoing but no longer recruiting participants. 45 263 whole blood donors (22 466 men, 22 797 women) were recruited between June 11, 2012, and June 15, 2014. Data were analysed for 45 042 (99·5%) participants. Men were randomly assigned to the 12-week (n=7452) versus 10-week (n=7449) versus 8-week (n=7456) groups; and women to the 16-week (n=7550) versus 14-week (n=7567) versus 12-week (n=7568) groups. In men, compared with the 12-week group, the mean amount of blood collected per donor over 2 years increased by 1·69 units (95% CI 1·59–1·80; approximately 795 mL) in the 8-week group and by 0·79 units (0·69–0·88; approximately 370 mL) in the 10-week group (p<0·0001 for both). In women, compared with the 16-week group, it increased by 0·84 units (95% CI 0·76–0·91; approximately 395 mL) in the 12-week group and by 0·46 units (0·39–0·53; approximately 215 mL) in the 14-week group (p<0·0001 for both). No significant differences were observed in quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function across randomised groups. However, more frequent donation resulted in more donation-related symptoms (eg, tiredness, breathlessness, feeling faint, dizziness, and restless legs, especially among men [for all listed symptoms]), lower mean haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and more deferrals for low haemoglobin (p<0·0001 for each) than those observed in the standard frequency groups. Over 2 years, more frequent donation than is standard practice in the UK collected substantially more blood without having a major effect on donors' quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function, but resulted in more donation-related symptoms, deferrals, and iron deficiency. NHS Blood and Transplant, National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council, and British Heart Foundation.

\"Hematologies examines how the giving and receiving of blood has shaped social and political life in north India in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries\"-- Provided by publisher.

Background Ageing populations may demand more blood transfusions, but the blood supply could be limited by difficulties in attracting and retaining a decreasing pool of younger donors. One approach to increase blood supply is to collect blood more frequently from existing donors. If more donations could be safely collected in this manner at marginal cost, then it would be of considerable benefit to blood services. National Health Service (NHS) Blood and Transplant in England currently allows men to donate up to every 12 weeks and women to donate up to every 16 weeks. In contrast, some other European countries allow donations as frequently as every 8 weeks for men and every 10 weeks for women. The primary aim of the INTERVAL trial is to determine whether donation intervals can be safely and acceptably decreased to optimise blood supply whilst maintaining the health of donors. Methods/Design INTERVAL is a randomised trial of whole blood donors enrolled from all 25 static centres of NHS Blood and Transplant. Recruitment of about 50,000 male and female donors started in June 2012 and was completed in June 2014. Men have been randomly assigned to standard 12-week versus 10-week versus 8-week inter-donation intervals, while women have been assigned to standard 16-week versus 14-week versus 12-week inter-donation intervals. Sex-specific comparisons will be made by intention-to-treat analysis of outcomes assessed after two years of intervention. The primary outcome is the number of blood donations made. A key secondary outcome is donor quality of life, assessed using the Short Form Health Survey. Additional secondary endpoints include the number of ‘deferrals’ due to low haemoglobin (and other factors), iron status, cognitive function, physical activity, and donor attitudes. A comprehensive health economic analysis will be undertaken. Discussion The INTERVAL trial should yield novel information about the effect of inter-donation intervals on blood supply, acceptability, and donors’ physical and mental well-being. The study will generate scientific evidence to help formulate blood collection policies in England and elsewhere. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN24760606 , 25 January 2012.

Health-care workers are thought to be highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in health-care workers and the proportion of seroconverted health-care workers with previous symptoms of COVID-19. In this observational cohort study, screening was offered to health-care workers in the Capital Region of Denmark, including medical, nursing, and other students who were associated with hospitals in the region. Screening included point-of-care tests for IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Test results and participant characteristics were recorded. Results were compared with findings in blood donors in the Capital Region in the study period. Between April 15 and April 23, 2020, we screened 29 295 health-care workers, of whom 28 792 (98·28%) provided their test results. We identified 1163 (4·04% [95% CI 3·82–4·27]) seropositive health-care workers. Seroprevalence was higher in health-care workers than in blood donors (142 [3·04%] of 4672; risk ratio [RR] 1·33 [95% CI 1·12–1·58]; p<0·001). Seroprevalence was higher in male health-care workers (331 [5·45%] of 6077) than in female health-care workers (832 [3·66%] of 22 715; RR 1·49 [1·31–1·68]; p<0·001). Frontline health-care workers working in hospitals had a significantly higher seroprevalence (779 [4·55%] of 16 356) than health-care workers in other settings (384 [3·29%] of 11 657; RR 1·38 [1·22–1·56]; p<0·001). Health-care workers working on dedicated COVID-19 wards (95 [7·19%] of 1321) had a significantly higher seroprevalence than other frontline health-care workers working in hospitals (696 [4·35%] of 15 983; RR 1·65 [1·34–2·03]; p<0·001). 622 [53·5%] of 1163 seropositive participants reported symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2. Loss of taste or smell was the symptom that was most strongly associated with seropositivity (377 [32·39%] of 1164 participants with this symptom were seropositive vs 786 [2·84%] of 27 628 without this symptom; RR 11·38 [10·22–12·68]). The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04346186. The prevalence of health-care workers with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was low but higher than in blood donors. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health-care workers was related to exposure to infected patients. More than half of seropositive health-care workers reported symptoms attributable to COVID-19. Lundbeck Foundation.

Whole-blood donors are at increased risk for iron deficiency and anaemia. The current standard of haemoglobin monitoring is insufficient to ensure the maintenance of proper iron reserves and donor health. We aimed to determine the effects of ferritin-guided donation intervals for blood donor health and blood supply in the Netherlands. In this stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial (FIND'EM), the 138 fixed and mobile donation centres in the Netherlands are organised into 29 geographical clusters and the clusters were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, with two groups being further split into two per a protocol amendment. Eligible donors were whole-blood donors who consented for use of their leftover material in the study. Each group was sequentially crossed over from the existing policy (haemoglobin-based screening; control) to a ferritin-guided donation interval policy over a 3-year period. In the intervention groups, in addition to the existing haemoglobin screening, ferritin was measured in all new donors and at every fifth donation in repeat donors. Subsequent donation intervals were extended to 6 months if ferritin concentrations were 15–30 ng/mL and to 12 months if they were less than 15 ng/mL. Outcomes were measured cross-sectionally across all donation centres at four timepoints. Primary outcomes were ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations, iron deficiency, and haemoglobin-based deferrals. We assessed all outcomes by sex and menopausal status and significance for primary outcomes was indicated by a p value of less than 0·0125. This trial is registered in the Dutch trial registry, NTR6738, and is complete. Between Sept 11, 2017, and Nov 27, 2020, 412 888 whole-blood donors visited a donation centre, and we did measurements on samples from 37 621 donations from 36 099 donors. Over 38 months, ferritin-guided donation intervals increased mean ferritin concentrations (by 0·18 log10 ng/mL [95% CI 0·15–0·22; p<0·0001] in male donors, 0·10 log10 ng/mL [0·06–0·15; p<0·0001] in premenopausal female donors, and 0·17 log10 ng/mL [0·12–0·21; p<0·0001] in postmenopausal female donors) and mean haemoglobin concentrations (by 0·30 g/dL [95% CI 0·22–0·38; p<0·0001] in male donors, 0·12 g/dL [0·03–0·20; p<0·0074] in premenopausal female donors, and 0·16 g/dL [0·05–0·27; p<0·0044] in postmenopausal female donors). Iron deficiency decreased by 36–38 months (odds ratio [OR] 0·24 [95% CI 0·18–0·31; p<0·0001] for male donors, 0·49 [0·37–0·64; p<0·0001] for premenopausal female donors, and 0·24 [0·15–0·37; p<0·0001] for postmenopausal female donors). At 36–38 months, haemoglobin-based deferral decreased significantly in male donors (OR at 36–38 months 0·21 [95% CI 0·10–0·40, p<0·0001]) but not significantly in premenopausal or postmenopausal female donors (0·81 [0·54–1·20; p=0·29] and 0·50 [95% CI 0·25–0·98; p=0·051], respectively). Ferritin-guided donation intervals significantly improved haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations and significantly decreased iron deficiency over the study period. Haemoglobin-based deferrals decreased significantly for male donors, but not female donors. Although this intervention is overall beneficial for maintenance of iron and haemoglobin concentrations in donors, increased efforts are needed to recruit and retain donors. The Sanquin Research Programming Committee.

Background Blood transfusion services play a very key role in modern health care service delivery. About 118.5 million blood donations were collected globally in 2022. However, about 1.6 million units of blood are destroyed annually due to transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs). There is a very high risk of TTIs through donated blood to recipients if safe transfusion practices are not observed. This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with TTIs among blood donors in Arua regional blood bank, Uganda. Methods This study was a retrospective cross-sectional design that involved a review of a random sample of 1370 blood donors registered between January 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2019 at Arua regional blood bank, Uganda. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the blood donors. The binary logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with TTIs. Results The majority of the blood donors were male (80.1%), and the median donor age was 23 years (IQR = 8 years). The overall prevalence of TTIs was found to be 13.8% (95%CI: 12.0-15.6%), with specific prevalences of 1.9% for HIV, 4.1% for HBV, 6.6% for HCV and 2.8% for treponema pallidum . Male sex (AOR = 2.10, 95%CI: 1.32–3.36, p-value = 0.002) and lapsed donor type compared to new donor type (AOR = 0.34, 95%CI: 0.13–0.87, p-value = 0.025) were found to be associated with TTIs. Conclusion The prevalence of TTIs among blood donors of West Nile region, Uganda was found to be significantly high, which implies a high burden of TTIs in the general population. Hence, there is need to implement a more stringent donor screening process to ensure selection of risk-free donors, with extra emphasis on male and new blood donors. Additionally, sensitization of blood donors on risky behaviors and self-deferral will reduce the risk of donating infected blood to the recipients.

Background Recruiting of sufficient numbers of donors of blood products is vital worldwide. In this study we assessed the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of telephone calls and SMS reminders for re-recruitment of inactive blood donors. Methods This single-centre, non-blinded, parallel randomised controlled trial in Guangzhou, China included 11,880 inactive blood donors whose last donation was between January 1 and June 30, 2014. The donors were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups (telephone call or short message service [SMS] communications) or to a control group without intervention. SMS messages with altruistic appeal were adopted in the SMS group; in addition to altruistic appeal, reasons for deferral of blood donation were also asked in the telephone group. All participants were followed up for 1 year. The primary outcome was re-donation rate, and rates in different groups were compared by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and estimation of the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT). Secondary outcomes were the self-reported deterrents. Other outcomes included the re-donation interval, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of telephone calls and SMS reminders on re-recruitment. Results ITT analysis revealed no significant differences in the re-donation rate among the three groups. ATT estimations indicated that among compliers, telephone calls significantly increased re-donation compared to both SMS reminders and no intervention. Donor return behaviour was positively associated with receiving reminders successfully, being male, older age, and previous donation history. The SMS reminder prompted donors to return sooner than no reminder within 6 months, and according to ICER calculations, SMS reminders were more cost-effective than telephone calls. Donors reported time constraints as the most main causes of self-deferral in the telephone group, and altruistic appeal had a positive effect on these donors. Conclusions Interventions to reactivate inactive blood donors can be effective, with telephone calls prompting more donors to return but at a greater cost than SMS messages. SMS reminder with altruistic appeal can urge donors to re-donate sooner within 6 months than no reminder. Trial registration NCT03366441 (Reactivation of Inactive Blood Donors). Retrospectively registered 4 December 2017.

Social media platforms have shown considerable potential in shaping behaviors and have become a central component of public health and organizational outreach efforts. Blood collection agencies increasingly rely on social media not only for donor recruitment and retention but also for promoting donation-related behaviors. Regular, day-to-day status updates form a significant part of the communication strategies implemented by blood banks. Despite social media's promise as a tool for behavior change, evidence supporting the persuasive effects of routine day-to-day status updates remains limited-not only within the context of blood donation but also across broader health domains. To address this gap, we examine long-term attitudinal and behavioral outcomes to understand better the impact of an organization's social media efforts on health-related behaviors. We conducted a randomized controlled field trial to investigate the effects of a blood bank's Facebook page on donation attitudes and behavior. All newly registered blood donors were invited to participate, and a total of 1891 participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Participants were randomly assigned to either follow a blood bank's Facebook page or not. The study used a 2 (new Facebook followers vs non-Facebook followers) × 2 (premeasure vs postmeasure) mixed design, with an additional observational arm consisting of current Facebook followers (n=415). Outcomes were measured at 2 and 12 months following participation, incorporating both between- and within-participant comparisons. After 1 year, no significant interaction effects (group × time) were found for any of the attitudinal variables, including attitudes toward blood donation, intention to donate, attitudes toward the blood bank, perceived warmth and competence, contemplation of donorship, or contemplation of the blood bank. The experimental group was 32% more likely to have made a first donation (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% CI 1.01-1.73) compared with the control group. Additionally, the experimental group made 12% more whole blood donations (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.24) and 17% more total donations (IRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06-1.28) after 1 year than the control. No significant effects were observed for the observational group compared with the control group in terms of either whole blood donations or the total number of donations. Women were significantly more likely to donate more frequently (IRR 1.97, 95% CI 1.80-2.16) and less likely to discontinue their donor career (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.37-0.72). Furthermore, older participants were slightly more likely to donate (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02). Our study provides initial evidence that regular engagement with a Facebook page can positively influence behavior in ways that offer meaningful benefits to organizations, including blood banks. While attitudinal effects appear limited, our findings demonstrate that social media efforts can nonetheless drive significant behavioral outcomes. Finally, we offer practical insights and actionable recommendations that blood banks and similar organizations can adopt to replicate these results and encourage prosocial behavior. OSF Registries 10.17605/OSF.IO/2QGSU; https://osf.io/2qgsu.

Donating blood, “the gift of life,” is among the noblest activities and it is performed worldwide nearly 100 million times annually. The economic perspective presented here shows how the gift of life, albeit noble and often motivated by altruism, is heavily influenced by standard economic forces including supply and demand, economies of scale, and moral hazard. These forces, shaped by technological advances, have driven the evolution of blood donation markets from thin one-to-one “marriage markets,” in which each recipient needed a personal blood donor, to thick, impersonalized, diffuse markets. Today, imbalances between aggregate supply and demand are a major challenge in blood markets, including excess supply after disasters and insufficient supply at other times. These imbalances are not unexpected given that the blood market operates without market prices and with limited storage length (about six weeks) for whole blood. Yet shifting to a system of paying blood donors seems a practical impossibility given attitudes toward paying blood donors and concerns that a paid system could compromise blood safety. Nonetheless, we believe that an economic perspective offers promising directions to increase supply and improve the supply and demand balance even in the presence of volunteer supply and with the absence of market prices.