Héma-Québec

The authors disclose no conflicts of interest. The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Inadequate compaction of red blood cells (RBC) prior to glycerolization using the ACP® 215 system may lead to the rejection of cryopreserved units, a situation that poses particular challenges when dealing with rare phenotypes. While repeating the centrifugation step could correct this issue, no data currently exist regarding its impact on RBC quality. Pools of 3 ABO-isogroup red cell concentrates (RCC) were divided into three units and subjected to one (standard), two, or three centrifugations before glycerolization using the Valeri method. After storage at -80°C, units were thawed, deglycerolized, and stored for 7 days at 2-6°C in additive solution AS-3. Hemolysis, hematocrit, hemoglobin content, recovery, volume, and sterility were evaluated post-deglycerolization. No significant differences were observed in hemolysis, hematocrit, or hemoglobin content between single, double, or triple centrifugation groups. All values were within quality thresholds. While recovery and final volume showed a downward trend after a third centrifugation, the differences were not statistically significant for recovery, and volume remained operationally acceptable. Repeating the initial centrifugation step up to two times before glycerolization does not adversely affect the quality of cryopreserved RBCs processed with the ACP® 215. These findings support updating standard operating procedures to reduce unnecessary rejection of rare donor units due to initial centrifugation issues.

Background/Objectives: The sanitary measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, although essential for limiting the virus propagation, hindered healthy behaviours and negatively affected mental health and quality of life. In immunosuppressed individuals at higher risk of COVID-19 complications, these measures may have influenced adherence to Canada’s Food Guide 2019 (CFG-2019). This study aims to describe whether changes in eating behaviours and food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic were aligned with CFG-2019 and identify correlates of changes in immunosuppressed individuals and their relatives. Methods: A total of 210 participants completed an online questionnaire between May and September 2021. Changes in eating behaviours and food consumption were categorized as no change, change aligned with CFG-2019, or change not aligned. Multinomial logistic regressions examined the association between sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics and changes in eating behaviours and food consumption. Results: Participants reporting no change in eating behaviours, change aligned, and change not aligned with CFG-2019 were nearly equivalent (29.4%, 33.8%, and 36.8%, respectively). For food consumption, the proportions were 17.0%, 41.2%, and 41.8%, respectively. Reduced physical activity and elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with a change in eating behaviours not aligned with CFG-2019. Perceived weight gain and decreased body image satisfaction were associated with a non-aligned change in food consumption. Conclusions: Dietary changes, aligned or not with CFG-2019, were observed among immunosuppressed individuals and their relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying factors associated with these changes can inform future studies to support healthy eating among vulnerable individuals amidst stressful events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1581058.].

Cryoprecipitated antihemophiliac factor (cryo) is primarily used to replenish fibrinogen in acquired coagulopathy. Little has been reported about its usage patterns within hospitals with respect to patient population, frequency of use, and dosing. Cryo production and usage data were collected over 5 years from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021, from nationally based blood collection centers in the United States (U.S. n = 2) and Canada (n = 2) and from eight large academic hospitals, respectively. Usage data for a similar product, purified fibrinogen concentrate were also collected from four hospitals. Two U.S. blood collectors reported increases in cryo production normalized to total whole blood collections from 17.4% in 2016 to 22.3% in 2021 and from 16.4% in 2016 to 20.2% in 2021. In contrast, in Canada cryo manufacturing increased slightly in one region (11.3%-12.9%) and decreased (8.0%-2.0%) in the other. Cryo utilization, defined as numbers of patients treated normalized to the inpatient census, and dose administered per patient did not consistently increase and differed significantly between hospitals participating in the study (p < .0001). Likewise, the departments that most frequently transfused cryo varied between hospitals. Similarly, variations in practice were observed for fibrinogen concentrate usage. While much of Canada and Europe have moved towards using fibrinogen concentrate, two large U.S. collectors have increased cryo distribution. The lack of standardization and variability in the clinical practice regarding the use of cryo and fibrinogen concentrate reported by study sites may be attributable to practitioner preference, availability, and/or cost rather than adherence to published evidence or guidelines.