Blood safety is a major issue all over the world in transfusion medicine. For this, donor selection is necessary in addition to the screenings of blood bags for infectious diseases. Deferrals lead to loss of precious blood/ components available for transfusion. For preventing this, we should be having knowledge of causes of deferral and their frequency. In this study, causes of donor deferral were evaluated retrospectively from January 2007 to December 2011 in the blood bank of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), ALIGARH (India). Analysis of the deferrals showed that temporary deferral was more common than permanent deferral. Most common cause in permanent deferral was HBsAg positivity. Causes among temporary deferral were anemia (Hb<12.5 gm%), malaria in last 3 months, jaundice, alcohol intake in last 3days, weight <45 kg, age <18 yrs, patients on antibiotic, previous donation in last 3 month, typhoid in last 1 year, dog bite etc.

Background The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of mucormycosis cases worldwide and in India particularly. This otherwise rare fungal infection has become an endemic among patients who have recovered from recent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among the different types of mucormycosis, rhino-orbital-cerebral involvement has mainly been observed in the recent surge of cases. Very few cases of mucormycosis of mandible have been reported in literature and none in COVID-19 patients. We report a case of isolated mandibular mucormycosis in a COVID- 19 patient, with no other predisposing comorbidities. Case report A 39 year old patient recently recovered from COVID-19 presented with typical symptoms of osteomyelitis which was confirmed using computed tomography of face. He underwent thorough debridement and curettage and tissue was sent for culture, special staining and biopsy. Result Diagnosis of mucormycosis was confirmed based on postoperative biopsy and special staining. He was further managed with complete course of appropriate antifungal therapy. Conclusion Mucormycosis is a fulminant and aggressive infection which requires prompt diagnosis and intervention. Early referral to a maxillofacial surgeon by physicians and general dental practitioners on seeing signs and symptoms of secondary fungal infections involving maxilla or mandible in patients with history of SARS-CoV-19 infection can improve prognosis.

The aim of RBC storage system in a blood bank is to counteract damage to the metabolic machinery and the membrane, to improve post-transfusion viability. In recent years, the need for strict control over the quality of blood has been emphasised. Such quality indicator includes extend of hemolysis and morphological changes of RBC during storage. This study was design to see extend of hemolysis and level of plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and plasma potassium, during processing and storage at different intervals under blood bank condition. Forty-six donors were selected and blood units were collected and stored under blood bank conditions. Mean plasma haemoglobin of stored blood was estimated by tetra methyl benzidine method (TMB) and percentage hemolysis was calculated on day 0, 1, 7, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days. Similarly plasma LDH and plasma potassium level was also assessed during storage. It was noted that free haemoglobin level and percentage hemolysis progressively increased with storage along with the level of LDH and potassium. However, extend of hemolysis did not exceed the permissible limit of 0.8% up to 42 days of storage. 15 blood bags which showed visual hemolysis on day 28 did not exceeded the threshold of 0.8% hemolysis, when interpreted by TMB method. It was concluded that TMB method is better than visual method for determination of hemolysis. The reduced hemolysis at this centre may be accounted for the use of additive solution SAGM (Saline, Adenine, Glucose, Mannitol) and DEHP (di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate) as plasticizer in blood bags for storage.

Background:Cytologic examination of body fluids commonly involves the use of direct or sediment smears, cytocentrifuge preparations, membrane filter preparations, or cell block sections. Cytospin and cell block techniques are extremely useful in improving cell yield of thin serous effusions and urine samples, and ensure high diagnostic efficacy.Materials and Methods:We studied cytospin preparations and cell block sections prepared from 180 samples of body fluids and urine samples to compare the relative efficiency of cell retrieval, preservation of cell morphology, ease of application of special stains, and diagnostic efficacy. Samples were collected and processed to prepare cytospin smears and cell block sections.Results:We observed that overall, cell yield and preservation of individual cell morphology were better in cytospin preparations as compared to cell blocks, while preservation of architectural pattern was better in cell block sections. The number of suspicious cases also decreased on cell block sections, with increased detection of malignancy. It was difficult to prepare cell blocks from urine samples due to low cellularity.Conclusions:Cytospin technology is a quick, efficient, and cost-effective method of increasing cell yield in hypocellular samples, with better preservation of cell morphology. Cell blocks are better prepared from high cellularity fluids; however, tissue architecture is better studied, with improved rate of diagnosis and decrease in ambiguous results. Numerous sections can be prepared from a small amount of material. Special stains and immunochemical stains can be easily applied to cell blocks. It also provides a source of archival material.

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