Background and ObjectivesWe wanted to establish a permanent national database system, which can be utilized to study transfusion recipients and blood use in Finland. Materials and MethodsA regularly updated register for permanent use was developed. To study the usability of the database, years 2002 and 2003 were further analysed. Database included all transfused patients in major blood-transfusing hospitals from four university and five central hospital districts managing altogether 63% of Finnish inpatient hospital episodes.Results Audit of gathered data reveal 96·8% match in adult blood components with Finnish Red Cross, Blood Service sales figures. Model data set includes 59 535 transfused patients (44·3% men and 55·7% women) having received 529 104 blood components. Half of all blood units were transfused in connection with surgical operations. Most of the blood recipients were elderly (51·6% are over 64 years of age). Blood-component use and transfusion-related costs varied widely between hospitals.Conclusion Hospital data managing systems can be useful for creating a populationbased database system to monitor and compare transfusion practices. This record provides information about transfusion epidemiology for transfusion professionals, hospital management, and hospital administration.

The use of MCPB was associated statistically insignificantly with less retinal microemboli compared to CCPB. MCPB was complicated by excess bleeding and need for transfusion. The feasibility of MCPB techniques in valve surgery requires further studies.

Inactivation of the Ink4 gene locus locus on 9p comprising the tumour suppressor gene p16ink4a and its neighbours p14ARF and p15ink4b is common in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), but the prognostic significance is controversial. DNA from 230 patients was retrospectively analysed by Southern blotting, single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing techniques. The results were correlated with clinical characteristics and outcome. One hundred and ninetyfour fully analysed patients, similarly treated using the Nordic NOPHO-86 or the current NOPHO-92 protocols, were included in the outcome analysis. Deletions approached a minimally deleted region between the p16ink4a and p15ink4b genes, making the p14ARF gene the most commonly deleted coding sequence. Bi-allelic deletion was associated with high white blood cell count (WBC) (P Ͻ 0.001), T cell phenotype (P Ͻ 0.001) and mediastinal mass (P Ͻ 0.001). Patients with Ink4 locus bi-allelic deletions had an inferior pEFS (P Ͻ 0.01) and multivariate analysis indicated that bi-allelic deletion of the p16ink4a and the p14ARF genes was an independent prognostic risk factor (P Ͻ 0.05). Sub-group analysis revealed a pronounced impact of deletion status for high-risk patients, ie with high WBC. Deletion-status and clinical risk criteria (WBC) could thus be combined to further differentiate risk within the highrisk group. The analysis of the Ink4 locus adds independent prognostic information in childhood ALL treated by Nordic protocols and may help in selection of patients for alternative treatment.

Neutrophil CD64 as well as neutrophil and monocyte CD11b expressions were highest in severe sepsis compared with non-infectious conditions, and thus analyses of their expression may be promising approach for sepsis diagnosis in ICU population.