COVID-19 impact on blood donor characteristics and seroprevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections in southern Thailand between 2018 and 2022.

Blood safety is a critical aspect of healthcare systems worldwide involving rigorous screening, testing, and processing protocols to minimize the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). The present study offers a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis among blood donors in southern Thailand. It explores the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the blood transfusion service, donor characteristics, and the prevalence of TTIs. A retrospective analysis of 65,511 blood donors between 2018 and 2022 was conducted at Songklanagarind Hospital, Thailand. The socio-demographic characteristics of the donors were examined using the Chi-square test to assess the relationship between TTIs serological positivity and donor characteristics. The donors were divided into pre-COVID-19 (2018-2019) and during COVID-19 (2020-2022) groups to evaluate the impacts of COVID-19. The study found that HBV had the highest overall prevalence at 243 per hundred thousand (pht), followed by syphilis (118 pht), HCV (32 pht), and HIV (31 pht) over a five-year period of study. After COVID-19, the prevalence of HBV decreased by 21.8%; HCV decreased by 2.1%; HIV increased by 36.4%; and syphilis increased by 9.2%. The socio-demographic characteristics and TTIs prevalence were significantly altered over time. This study provides insights into blood donor characteristics and TTIs prevalence in southern Thailand, highlighting the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the spread of TTIs.

A Simple and Applicable Method for Human Platelet Lysate Preparation Using Citrate Blood.

OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the platelet growth factors in human platelet lysate (HPL) prepared from citrated whole blood, with final centrifugations at 4oC and 25oC. METHODS: We collected specimens of citrated whole blood from 27 healthy volunteers. The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was separated to prepare the HPL, which was further divided into 2 portions for the final centrifugation, at 4oC and 25oC, respectively. Platelet growth factors were measured and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: All platelet growth factors were higher than those in PRP prepared from citrated whole blood. Moreover, the final centrifugation at 25oC resulted in noninferiority of platelet-growth-factor level. CONCLUSION: This study provided a simple method for small-volume of HPL preparation using only 10-15 mL of citrated whole blood. Further, the entire process of centrifugation can be performed at room temperature of 25oC, which is more applicable than lower temperatures for other laboratories.