Background The role of convalescent plasma therapy for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is unclear. Methods We retrospectively compared outcomes in a cohort of critical COVID‐19 patients who received standard care (SC Group) and those who, in addition, received convalescent plasma (CP Group). Results In total, 40 patients were included in each group. The median patient age was 53.5 years (interquartile range [IQR] 42–60.5), and the majority of patients required invasive ventilation (69, 86.2%). Plasma was harvested from donors after a median of 37 days (IQR 31–46) from the first positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result and 26 days (IQR 21–32) after documented viral clearance; it was administered after a median of 10 days (IQR 9–10) from the onset of symptoms and 2.5 days (IQR 2–4) from admission to intensive care unit. The primary endpoint of improvement in respiratory support status within 28 days was achieved in 26 patients (65%) in the SC Group and 31 patients (77.5%) in the CP Group ( p = .32). The 28‐day all‐cause mortality (12.5% vs. 2.5%; p = .22) and viral clearance (65% vs. 55%; p = .49) were not significantly different between the two groups. Convalescent plasma was not significantly associated with the primary endpoint (adjusted hazard ratio 0.87; 95% confidence interval 0.51–1.49; p = .62). Adverse events were balanced between the two study groups. Conclusion In severe COVID‐19, convalescent plasma therapy was not associated with clinical benefits. Randomized trials are required to confirm our findings.

Background: Millions of lives around the world are being saved annually through blood transfusion. However, blood transfusion is among the essential vehicles for transmitting infections. The overall prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors differs around the world, reflecting the variation in the prevalence of these infections. This study aims to assess the prevalence and trends of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors in Qatar. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study utilizing donation records of 5 years from January 2013 to December 2017. We included in the study results for all screening and confirmatory tests for Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Syphilis and Malaria. Results: Among the 190,509 donations received at the donation centre during the study period, about 91% of donations were received from males and 9% from females. The overall positivity rate for all tests was 1.87, 2.23, 1.78, 2.31, 2.67% for the years 2013 through 2017, with an increasing yearly trend by 6% each year.

Background: Millions of lives around the world are being saved annually through blood transfusion. However, blood transfusion is among the important vehicles for transmitting infections. The overall prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) among blood donors differs around the world, reflecting the variation in the prevalence of these infections. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and trends of TTIs among blood donors in Qatar. Methods: This is a cross sectional study utilizing donation records of a five-year period from January 2013 to December 2017. Results for all screening and confirmatory tests for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Human T-Lymphotropic Virus-I/II (HTLV-I/II), Syphilis and Malaria were included in the study. Results: Among the 190,509 donations received at the donation center during the study period, about 91% donations were received from males and 9% from females. The overall positivity rate for all tests were 1.95, 2.18, 1.62, 1.81 and 1.85 for the years 2013 through 2017. The overall positivity rates for HBV, Syphilis and Malaria were 0.30, 0.43 and 0.20, respectively. Throughout the years, the positivity rates decreased for HBV, Syphilis and Malaria and increased for HCV and HTLV. Conclusion: The overall positivity rate of all tests combined for the TTIs demonstrated a gradual increasing trend from 2013 to 2017. The rates for HCV and HTLV showed increasing trends too. To support developing effective prevention and control strategies, further investigations are needed to improve the estimations of the prevalence of these infections.

Introduction: The majority of physicians' medical judgments are based on clinical information supported by laboratory reports . The availability of a reference interval for different lab values facilitates the process of interpretation . Complete blood count (CBC), testing is one of the most frequently performed hematology test in any clinical setting. Analysis of CBC by hematology analyzers is an indispensable means in the evaluation of many acute and chronic disorders including traumatic, infectious, immunological, and hematological diseases. Establishment of a normal reference interval is essential for accurate clarification of the disease diagnosis as well as for follow up. CBC techniques have improved significantly, and the accurate automated methods have now substituted manual methods. In addition, various novel blood cell parameters have been developed alongside to aid in diagnosis and management of several blood disorders . However significant differences exist in the reference intervals based on age, gender, ethnicity, genetic differences, environmental factors, and geographical location.. Dietary habits and occupational exposures are factors that have been shown to affect reference interval . Therefore, there is a requirement for each country to establish its own reference intervals. Country-specific reference intervals for CBC of adult peripheral blood have been established in many countries around the world; however, there have been no specific comprehensive studies in Arab population in Qatar based on age, gender, geographic location and ABO blood groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Qatar that investigated CBC reference intervals in relation to age, gender, and blood grouping which can now be used as a reference when evaluating patient samples in Qatar. Methods: Venous blood specimens were collected from 720 healthy randomly selected individuals aged 18 to 69 years from 2018 to 2019 and analyzed by Sysmex NX-10 and NX -20 automated hematology analyzers. Results were statistically analyzed and compared by gender, age, and ABO blood group. Arab adults were divided into African Arabs (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco) and Asian Arabs (Syria, Lebanon, Jordon, Palestine, Qatar). The lower and upper reference limits of the hematology reference intervals were established at the -2 SD and +2SD respectively. Results: Reference intervals were calculated for all the hematology parameters which included red blood cell, white blood cell and differential count, and platelet parameters. Arab males had significantly higher Hb, Hct, RDW, ANC, lymphocytes and monocyte counts compared to adult females. Asian-Arab males had significantly higher Hb concentration and higher WBC, lymphocytes and eosinophil counts compared to African- Arab males. Asian Arab young males had significantly higher Hb level and lymphocyte count and lower monocytes counts compared old males. African Arab young males had significantly higher lymphocyte and lower monocytes counts compared to old males. Asian- Arab young females had higher WBC, ANC counts compared to old Asian Arab females. No statistical difference in the studied hematological parameters was detected among the three groups with different ABO subgroups Conclusions: Data from this study established specific reference intervals which could be considered for general use in the Arab world. The differences in hematology reference intervals in respect to age, sex and geographical location highlights the necessity to establish reference intervals for venous blood parameters among the healthy population in each country or at least in each region. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Hematologic reference intervals vary with gender, age, ethnicity, and geographic area. Therefore, local or national laboratory reference ranges are essential to enhance the accuracy when diagnosing health conditions. Still, no comprehensive list of reference ranges tailored to the Arab population living in Qatar. Accordingly, this study aims at establishing a hematology reference guide for Arabs in Qatar.This is a retrospective study where 750 healthy volunteers (18–69 years) from 2015 to 2019 were included, analyzed by an automated hematology analyzer. Arab adults were divided into African (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco) and Asian (Syria, Lebanon, Jordon, Palestine, Qatar). The Cell-Dyn and Sysmex were used for measuring hematological parameters.The mean +/- 2SD were established for all the study groups. Arab males had significantly higher Hb, Hct, red cell distribution width, absolute neutrophil count, lymphocytes, and monocyte counts than females. Asian-Arab males had significantly higher Hb concentration and higher WBC, lymphocytes, and eosinophils than African Arabs. Asian-Arab young (>18: < 40 years) males had significantly higher Hb and lymphocytes and lower monocytes than older males (>40 years). African-Arab young males had significantly higher lymphocytes and lower monocytes than older males. Asian-Arab young females had higher WBC and absolute neutrophil count than older Asian Arabs.The findings of this study will help in establishing specific reference intervals in the Arab world. The differences in hematology reference intervals considering age, gender, and geographical location highlight the importance of establishing blood reference intervals in each country considering the ethnic diversity of each country.