0000000000305262

AUTHOR

Rosalia Agliastro

Buffy coat-derived platelets cryopreserved using a new method: Results from in vitro studies

Abstract Cryopreservation for the long-term storage of platelets (PLTs) is a useful method to overcome the limits of platelet shortage. This is an in vitro prospective study to evaluate the count, viability, and function of buffy coat-derived pooled platelet concentrates (BC-PLTs), treated with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and cryopreserved (CRY BC-PLTs) at −80 °C with a modified Valeri method. PLTs were stored in 6% DMSO with a patented kit. Overall, 49 BC-PLTs from 245 healthy volunteer donors were prepared, cryopreserved, and analysed before and after 3, 6, and 9 months of storage. In flow cytometry, a statistically significant reduction in CD 42b (92.7 ± 4.29% at T0 vs. 23.6 ± 27.5% at T3…

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Cryopreserved platelets: from in vitro thrombin generation potential to in vivo safety

Abstract Background: Cryopreservation of platelets (PLTs) at -80°C with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) can extend their shelf life up to 2 years. Cryopreserved PLTs (CRY-PLTs) are reported to have a greater in vivo hemostatic effect than liquid-stored PLTs. Aims of this study were: i. to evaluate the thrombin generation potential of buffy coat derived cryopreserved PLTs (CRY- BC PLT) in comparison with fresh buffy coat derived platelets concentrates; ii. to determine the efficacy and safety of CRY-PLTs transfusion in hematological patients with severe thrombocytopenia. Materials and methods: BC PLTs were obtained from 5 buffy coats and pooled. The final PLTs concentrates were leukoreduced by fil…

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Buffy coat-derived platelets cryopreserved using a new method: Results from a pivotal clinical trial on thrombocytopenic patients with acute leukaemia

Abstract The administration of cryopreserved platelets (PLTs) may overcome the limits of platelet shortage and availability, especially during some seasons or in specific contexts like rural areas. After in vitro validation studies, ad hoc prepared buffy coat-derived pooled platelet concentrates (BC-PLTs), treated with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) and cryopreserved (CRY BC-PLTs) at -80 °C with a modified Valeri method, were transfused in patients with severe thrombocytopenia secondary to chemotherapy for acute leukaemia (AL). Five inpatients were enrolled in the pivotal clinical trial NCT02032134: 4 males and 1 female with a mean age of 71 years (range: 65–80). Four patients were diagnosed wi…

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The association of variants in PNPLA3 and GRP78 and the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in an Italian population

// Daniele Balasus 1, * , Michael Way 2, * , Caterina Fusilli 3 , Tommaso Mazza 3 , Marsha Y. Morgan 2 , Melchiorre Cervello 4 , Lydia Giannitrapani 1 , Maurizio Soresi 1 , Rosalia Agliastro 5 , Manlio Vinciguerra 2, 6 , Giuseppe Montalto 1, 4 1 Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy 2 Institute for Liver & Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, University College London, London, UK 3 IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Bioinformatics Unit, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy 4 Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, National Research Council (C.N.R.), Palermo, Italy 5 Immunohematology and Trans…

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Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the MICA gene and sMICA plasma levels are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma development in an Italian population of HCV related liver cirrhosis

Background & Aims: We investigated the relationships between MICA polymorphisms, sMICA levels and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in HCC patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods.154 HCV-related HCC cases, 93 HCV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) cases and 244 healthy controls were genotyped using KASPTM SNP method. Levels of plasma soluble MICA (sMICA) were measured in 132 HCC, 90 LC patients and in 78 controls. Results. Genotyping of MICA rs2596542 showed that G/G genotype was significantly more frequent in HCC than in controls and in HCC than in LC patients. As for MICA rs2596538 allele C and C/C genotype were significantly more frequent in HCC than in controls …

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Association between MICA Gene Variants and the Risk of Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Hepatocellular Cancer in a Sicilian Population Sample

There are currently no biomarkers that predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. We investigated the relationships among major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A (MICA) polymorphisms, plasma levels of soluble MICA (sMICA), and HCC risk in patients with HCV-related HCC. One hundred fifty-four HCV-related HCC patients, 93 HCV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) cases, and 244 healthy controls, all sampled from the native Sicilian population, were genotyped using the KASP™ single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping method. The MICA rs2596542 polymorphism showed that the G/G genotype was significantly more frequent…

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Functional In Vitro Studies Of Buffy Coat Pooled Platelets Cryopreserved In Dimethyl-Sulphoxide With a New System

Abstract Introduction Cryopreservation for long term storage of platelets (PLTs) represents a clinical useful method for avoiding platelet shortage. Many studies have tried to define, in vitro and in vivo, the entity and weight of storage-related PLTs lesions with discordant results related to different methods. We have performed an in vitro prospective study to evaluate PLTs count, viability and function of buffy coat derived pooled platelet concentrates (BC-PLTs) treated with dimethyl-sulphoxide (DMSO) and cryopreserved at -80°C with an innovative patented system not requiring laminal flow hoods and external manipulations. Materials and methods Each BC-PLTs was obtained from 5 buffy coats…

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Screening for Autoantibodies to Tissue Transglutaminase Reveals a Low Prevalence of Celiac Disease in Blood Donors with Cryptogenic Hypertransaminasemia

Patients with chronic cryptogenic hypertransaminasemia are at high risk of developing celiac disease (CD). In fact, among the various serological disorders, CD patients at onset frequently present hypertransaminasemia. In this study, we evaluated usefulness and reliability of the new test for antitissue transglutaminase (tTG) in screening for CD as well as in estimating the prevalence of CD in a population of blood donors presenting unexplained hypertransaminasemia at donation. Controls were 180 consecutive healthy donors without hypertransaminasemia and 20 CD patients with known antiendomysial antibody (EmA) positivity. Out of 22,204 blood donors over a period of 2 years, we found 258 subj…

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