Screening blood donors for diabetes: analysis of use, accuracy, and cost

Health promotion for blood donors: A scoping review

Background

Health promotion aims to prevent chronic diseases and alleviate their impact on individuals' well-being. It involves empowering both individuals and communities to actively uphold optimal health. Although blood banks conventionally centre on blood donation functions, an untapped potential lies in leveraging these institutions for health enhancement through prioritized health promotion initiatives. The objective of this study is to explore how blood banks can contribute to the well-being of blood donors by integrating preventive measures as part of health promotion initiatives within their operations.

Study design

Literature review.

Methods

Literature Search in CINAHL, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science was conducted. Arksey and O'Malley (2015) framework was used with incorporated recommendations stated by Levac, Colquhoun, and O'Brien (2010) following an iterative process of six stages, starting with identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, collating, summarizing, and reporting the results, and consult experts.

Results

The 20 incorporated studies showed a range of health screenings and health promoting activities, that expand the traditional scope of blood bank addressing blood-related conditions, encompassing assessments for conditions related to blood as well as health screenings. These screenings included examinations for cancer and diabetes, with the predominant focus being on cardiovascular risk assessment.

Conclusion

This review highlights the implementation of health initiatives by blood banks, focusing on improving well-being and preventing diseases. These initiatives have the potential to act as gateways for community-based interventions and possibilities for enhancing both the blood supply and individual health. The effectiveness of these interventions is contingent upon the context of each blood bank and its target donor group. Therefore, tailoring interventions to align with specific contexts and facilitating factors is crucial for optimizing health promotion efforts tailored to the diverse needs of different donor groups.

Evaluation of a high throughput method for the detection of mutations associated with thrombosis and hereditary hemochromatosis in Brazilian blood donors

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the OpenArray platform for genetic testing of blood donors and to assess the genotype frequencies of nucleotide-polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with venous thrombosis (G1691A and G20210A), hyperhomocysteinemia (C677T, A1298C), and hereditary hemochromatosis (C282Y, H63D and S65C) in blood donors from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Methods

We examined 400 blood donor samples collected from October to November 2011. The SNPs were detected using OpenArray technology. The blood samples were also examined using a real-time PCR–FRET system to compare the results and determine the accuracy of the OpenArray method.

Results

We observed 100% agreement in all assays tested, except HFE C282Y, which showed 99.75% agreement. The HFE C282Y assay was further confirmed through direct sequencing, and the results showed that OpenArray analysis was accurate. The calculated frequencies of each SNP were FV G1691A 98.8% (G/G), 1.2% (G/A); FII G2021A 99.5% (G/G), 0.5% (G/A); MTHFR C677T 45.5% (C/C), 44.8% (C/T), 9.8% (T/T); MTHFR A1298C 60.3% (A/A), 33.6% (A/C), 6.1% (C/C); HFE C282Y 96%(G/G), 4%(G/A), HFE H63D 78.1%(C/C), 20.3% (C/G), 1.6% (G/G); and HFE S65C 98.1% (A/A), 1.9% (A/T).

Conclusion

Taken together, these results describe the frequencies of SNPs associated with diseases and are important to enhance our current knowledge of the genetic profiles of Brazilian blood donors, although a larger study is needed for a more accurate determination of the frequency of the alleles. Furthermore, the OpenArray platform showed a high concordance rate with standard FRET RT-PCR.