The trends of transfusion-transmitted infection prevalence in Iranian blood donations suggest that most of the safety measures employed in recent years in Iran have been effective.

Assessment of the quality of donor selection and safety of the blood supply can be estimated by monitoring the prevalence of the serologic markers of infectious disease in screening tests. In the present study, changes in rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are studied in the period 1998-2007 in Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO). Prevalence of serological marker of HBV infection [hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)] was evaluated in blood donations in Iran as well as for Fars province representing a low prevalence, and Sistan-Baluchestan (S&B) province as a high prevalence region throughout 1998-2007. For assessing frequency of infection, the prevalence of HBsAg per 100 000 donations and 95% confidential intervals (95% CIs) is calculated. P value is estimated by chi(2) test. A total of 14 599 783 donations were collected during 10 years. The overall HBsAg prevalence rates declined from a 1.79% (1789/100 000 donations) in 1998 to 0.41% (409/100 000 donations) in 2007 in Iran. In Fars province, HBsAg prevalence decreased from 0.89% in 92 999 donations in 1998 to 0.34% in 148 014 donations in 2007 and in S&B province, the rate of HBsAg has gone down from 3.74% in 44 036 donations in 1998 to 1.15% in 56 057 donations in 2007. The frequency of HBV infection entering the blood supply has decreased over this period as a result of improvement in donor recruitment and selection, usage of software in transfusion services and possibly decreasing HBV infection prevalence in general population.

Lack of adherence to Hygiene protocols by dentists and those who conduct cosmetic invasive procedures are major causes of HBV infection in Kermanshah and should be more closely supervised. We recommend to read this article by health policy makers, gastroenterologists, hepatologists, infectious especialists and Internists. Background: hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem that affects billions of people worldwide. The lack of information on HBV prevalence among the general population is an obstacle to formulate effective policies to reduce the burden of viral hepatitis. Objectives: This population based serological survey was conducted in Kermanshah province to determine the local prevalence and risk factors of HBV infection. Patients and Methods: 1979 healthy subjects were selected from all districts of Kermanshah province (in the west of Iran) using random cluster sampling. Subjects between 6 and 65 years of age were included with mean age of 35 ± 13. Serum samples were tested for HBcAb, HBsAg and anti-HDV antibody. To carry out lab tests the third generation of ELISA was used. Various risk factors were recorded and multivariate analysis was performed. Results: The prevalence of HBsAg and HBcAb in Kermanshah was 0.75% (95% CI 0.44; 1.21) and 8.28% (95% CI 7.13; 9.56), respectively. One case of HDV-Ab was found. Predictors of HBsAg or HBcAb in multivariate analysis were: old age, being male, history of tattooing and history of dental procedure. Conclusions: approximately 8% and less than 1% of general population in Kermanshah are HBcAb seropositive and active carriers of HBV infection, respectively. Age, sex and history of tattoo and dental procedures are major risk factors of HBV seropositivity in this province.

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Microvesicles are released by different cell types and shuttle mRNAs and microRNAs which have the possibility to transfer genetic information to a target cell and alter its function. Acute myeloid leukemia is a malignant disorder, and leukemic cells occupy all the bone marrow microenvironment. In this study, we investigate the effect of leukemia microvesicles on healthy umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells to find evidence of cell information transferring. Leukemia microvesicles were isolated from acute myeloid leukemia patients and were co-incubated with healthy hematopoietic stem cells. After 7 days, cell count, hematopoietic stem cell-specific cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, colony-forming unit assay, and some microRNA gene expressions were assessed. Data showed a higher number of hematopoietic stem cells after being treated with leukemia microvesicles compared with control (treated with no microvesicles) and normal (treated with normal microvesicles) groups. Also, increased levels of microRNA-21 and microRNA-29a genes were observed in this group, while colony-forming ability was still maintained and high ranges of CD34 + , CD34 + CD38 − , CD90 + , and CD117 + phenotypes were observed as stemness signs. Our results suggest that leukemia microvesicles are able to induce some effects on healthy hematopoietic stem cells such as promoting cell survival and some microRNAs deregulation, while stemness is maintained.