bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Results of HCV screening of volunteer blood donors with a chemiluminescent immunoassay and a second‐ or third‐generation EIA: overlap of false‐positive reactivity and its impact on donor management
Authors: Kiely P. , Wilson D.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: This study reports the results of adopting a strategy of anti‐HCV testing of volunteer blood donors that uses a primary screening assay, two secondary EIAs (Anti‐HCV Version III, Murex; Monolisa Anti‐HCV New Antigens, Sanofi Pasteur), and a confirmatory immunoblot (HCV WB, Murex).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A comparison was made of HCV test results from volunteer donors tested in two periods when different primary HCV screening assays were in use. The same two secondary screening assays and the same confirmatory test were used for the whole study. The two different primary assays were semi‐automated second‐ or third‐generation HCV EIA (Abbott Diagnostics) and an HCV chemiluminescent immunoassay (ChLIA), performed on a fully automated analyzer (PRISM, Abbott).

RESULTS: During the period of use of the EIAs as primary screening assays, there were 60 donors per year who were confirmed as anti‐HCV‐positive, 29 who were classed as having indeterminate HCV serologic results, and 236 who were assessed as having biologically false‐positive anti‐HCV results. These numbers compared with 57, 52, and 320 such donors, respectively, in the first year of routine use of the ChLIA. The significant increase (p<0.05) in the number of anti‐HCV‐indeterminate donors after the introduction of the ChLIA was primarily due to an increase in donors who reacted on Monolisa HCV, but not an HCV Murex (expected 18/year vs. the observed 31/year, p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the second‐ or third‐generation HCV EIA, the HCV ChLIA has a significantly greater overlap of false reactivity with the Monolisa HCV assay. This finding has implications for the selection of primary and secondary assays for anti‐HCV screening of blood donors.
Comparison of plateletpheresis concentrates produced with Spectra LRS version 5.1 and LRS Turbo version 7.0 cell separators
Authors: Perseghin P. , Mascaretti L. , Riva M. , Sciorelli G.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The importance of transfusing WBC‐reduced blood components is widely recognized, as it reduces the risk of alloimmunization and transfusion‐transmitted CMV infections. The latest generation of cell separators allows the collection of WBC‐reduced apheresis platelet concentrates (APCs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive APCs (n = 232) were retrospectively evaluated: 163 collected with the Spectra LRS [leukocyte‐reduction system] Version 5.1 (Group A) and 69 with the LRS Turbo Version 7.0 (Group B) (both: COBE BCT). Donor peripheral blood count, procedure data, platelet yield, collection efficiency (CE), and residual WBC count in APCs were recorded.

RESULTS: The platelet yield was higher in Group B than in Group A: 5.5 ± 1.4 versus 4.4 ± 1.1, p<0.0001; residual WBCs were <5 × 106 in 99.4 percent of Group A APCs and in 97.1 percent of Group B APCs. CE was higher in Group B than in Group A: 51.4 ± 8.7 versus 43.6 ± 6.3, p<0.0001. Moreover, a correlation between predonation platelet count and platelet yield was observed in both groups. A double product (platelet yield >6.0 × 1011) was obtained in 28.9 percent of Group B APCs and in 9.2 percent of Group A APCs.

CONCLUSIONS: The Spectra LRS Turbo version 7.0 release showed a better CE and resulted in a higher platelet harvest than did the LRS version 5.1. High predonation platelet counts allow a higher platelet yield.
Evaluation of automated nucleic acid extraction devices for application in HCV NAT
Authors: Jongerius J.M. , Bovenhorst M. , Van Der Poel C.L. , Van Hilten J.A. , Kroes A.C.M. , Van Der Does J.A. , Van Leeuwen E.F. , Schuurman R.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: To further improve the safety of the blood supply, various national blood transfusion organizations presently use or are in the process of implementing routine HCV NAT in minipools. According to the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) of the European Union, the HCV NAT detection limit of the assay should be 100 IU per mL (270 geq/mL) for testing initial plasma pools. Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) regulations stipulate that 5000 IU per mL (13,500 geq/mL) must be detected to calculate the amount contributed by individual donations composing the minipool. The sensitivity for HCV RNA extraction achieved by three commercially available laboratory kits was compared.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Nucleic acids from 1‐in‐3 serial dilutions of an HCV RNA run control (Pelispy, CLB) were extracted with three kits (Cobas Amplicor, Roche Diagnostic Systems; BioRobot 9604, Qiagen; and NucliSens Extractor, Organon Teknika). HCV PCR of all extracts was performed using a second‐generation Cobas Amplicor HCV test and the Cobas Amplicor analyzer.

RESULTS: The manual Cobas Amplicor, the BioRobot 9604, and the NucliSens Extractor setups allow a 95‐percent HCV RNA detection limit of 129, 82, and 12 geq per mL, respectively. The maximal pool size for the manual Cobas Amplicor, the BioRobot 9604, and the NucliSens Extractor kits that would still meet the PEI criteria for HCV NAT in minipools was calculated at 104, 164, and 1125 donations, respectively.

CONCLUSION: All three HCV NAT kits evaluated meet the criteria set by CPMP and PEI. The highest sensitivity for HCV NAT screening can be achieved with the high‐volume NucliSens Extractor method in combination with the Cobas Amplicor HCV v2.0 test on the Cobas Amplicor analyzer.
Successful storage of RBCs for 9 weeks in a new additive solution
Authors: Hess J.R. , Rugg N. , Knapp A.D. , Gormas J.F. , Silberstein E.B. , Greenwalt T.J.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: This study explored the effect of storing packed RBCs suspended in 200 mL of an alkaline, hypotonic, experimental additive solution (EAS 61).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Packed RBC units prepared from RBCs collected from healthy donors in CPD were stored for 8 (n = 10) and 9 (n = 10) weeks under blood bank conditions after the addition of 200 mL of EAS 61 (adenine, 2 mM; dextrose, 110 mM; mannitol, 55 mM; NaCl, 26 mM; Na2HPO4, 12 mM). Standard methods were used for in vitro assays. The 24‐hour in vivo autologous recoveries were measured with 51Cr.

RESULTS: Mean ± SD recoveries at 8 and 9 weeks were 81 ± 7 and 77 ± 7 percent. After 9 weeks, the ATP of the RBCs was 81 percent of the initial value, hemolysis was 0.35 percent, supernatant potassium was 46 mEq per L, and the morphologic index was 94.1.

CONCLUSION: Packed RBCs suspended in 200 mL of EAS 61 can be stored satisfactorily for 9 weeks. Longer RBC storage should reduce outdating, increase availability of transfusions in remote locations, and improve the efficiency of autologous donor programs.
Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia as a cause of early relapse of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
Authors: Niv Eva , Segev Amit , Ellis Martin H.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a multisystem disease characterized by the sudden onset of hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fever, renal failure, and neurologic dysfunction, occurring in various combinations. The most effective treatment of TTP is plasma exchange and the administration of corticosteroids, which reduces mortality from the 90 percent seen in untreated patients to 10 percent.

CASE REPORTS: Two patients responded favorably to plasma exchange and corticosteroid therapy, but their TTP relapsed during treatment. In both cases, the early relapse of TTP was associated with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia secondary to central line infection. Treatment of the infection and intensification of the plasma exchange regimen resulted in a sustained remission.

CONCLUSION: Infection should be actively sought and treated in TTP patients who are refractory to treatment or in whom an exacerbation of the disease occurs while they are undergoing plasma exchange.
Elimination of both cell‐free and cell‐associated HIV infectivity in plasma by a filtration/methylene blue photoinactivation system
Authors: Abe Hideki , Yamada‐Ohnishi Yoshiko , Hirayama Junichi , Owada Takashi , Ikeda Hisami , Ikebuchi Kenji
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Methylene blue phototreatment effectively inactivates cell‐free viruses in plasma while maintaining coagulation activities. However, this treatment is considered to be less effective for cell‐associated virus inactivation. This report describes a new virus elimination system designed to eliminate cell‐associated viruses with a cell‐removal filter followed by methylene blue photoinactivation of cell‐free viruses in plasma.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Fresh plasma was inoculated with HIV or HIV‐infected Molt4 cells (Molt4IIIB). The plasma was transferred to a bag containing methylene blue by passing it through a cell‐removal filter and was irradiated with white fluorescent light. HIV infectivity was detected by indirect fluorescence assay. In parallel studies, coagulation activities in identically treated plasma were measured during 1 year of storage at –80°C.

RESULTS: Initial cell‐free HIV titer of 106.2 TCID50 per 0.1 mL dropped to 10–0.3 and <10–0.5 TCID50 per 0.1 mL after 10 or 20 J per cm2 radiation, respectively. Cellular components were not detectable in plasma after filtration. The cell‐free state of the plasma was ascertained from the observation that the DNase‐resistant β‐globin gene, as a marker of intact WBCs, was not detected in the filtrates by PCR. The infectivity of Molt4IIIB was reduced to below the detection limit after filtration and radiation, and proviral HIV DNA was not detected in the filtrates by PCR. Coagulation activities including factor VIII in the treated plasma were maintained at more than 76 percent compared with the percentage in untreated plasma after 1 year of storage.

CONCLUSION: The filtration/methylene blue photoinactivation system eliminated both cell‐free and cell‐associated HIV infectivities from plasma while maintaining coagulation activities for 1 year at –80°C storage.
Human promyelocytic cell line: a convenient tool for studying the molecular basis of WBC filtration
Authors: Barbe Laurent , Boval Bernadette , Wautier Marie‐Paule , Wautier Jean‐Luc
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Blood filtration is a technique widely used to reduce the levels of WBCs in blood components. Several studies have been conducted to define the factors that are involved in WBC reduction, but the various mechanisms are not clearly delineated. This study explored the role of WBC adhesion molecules in WBC reduction during filtration.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A minifilter has been developed that has properties similar to those of the standard filter (Sepacell, Asahi Medical) but that allows a smaller volume of blood to be used (15 mL). WBC reduction was achieved to a similar extent in the standard filter and the minifilter (4.15 log and 4.18 log, respectively). Samples of human promyelocytic cell line (HL60) were filtered before and after differentiation induced by vitamin D3 (D3‐HL60). Flow cytometry was used to characterize the D3‐HL60 filtrates and to count the WBCs after filtration.

RESULTS: HL60 was retained in the filter to the same extent as all other WBCs. A higher level of integrin receptors (CD11b/CD18; CD11c/CD18) was expressed by D3‐HL60 than by HL60. When the blood was incubated with anti‐CD11b, anti‐CD11c, or anti‐CD18, fewer D3‐HL60 cells were trapped by the filter, while only anti‐CD11b alters HL60 retention in the filter.

CONCLUSION: The receptors CD11b/CD18 and CD11c/CD18 appear to bind to the filter fibers and to be one of the mechanisms responsible for WBC retention.
Laboratory performance in HTLV‐I/II analysis
Authors: Williams Laurina O. , Blumer Sharon O. , Schalla William O. , Robinson Pamela H. , Handsfield James H. , Fehd Ronald J. , Hancock John S. , Lipman Harvey B. , Hearn Thomas L.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Since 1989, the CDC's Model Performance Evaluation Program has shipped samples to voluntary participant laboratories that test for HTLV antibodies. Each laboratory tests the well‐characterized samples, reports the results, and provides information about its testing practices. The data from 15 performance survey periods are reported here.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze all data from 15 survey periods from 1989 through 1996.

RESULTS: The mean analytic sensitivity for EIA was 99.2 percent per survey period (range, 96‐100%), the mean analytic specificity was 97.8 percent (75.6‐100%), and the overall accuracy was 88.8 percent (63.8‐100%). The mean analytic sensitivity for Western blot was 88.8 percent (75.6‐100%); the mean analytic specificity was 95.7 percent (86.7‐100%), and the overall accuracy was 91.1 percent (78.1‐100%).

CONCLUSIONS: Statistical analyses suggested associations between performance and both the retroviral serologic status of the sample and the analytical testing method. Western blot accuracy was associated with weekly testing volume. In early survey periods, performance problems were noted in the analysis of samples from donors with concomitant HTLV and HIV infections and those from donors who were positive for HTLV‐II. Technological developments in test methods, such as the addition of recombinant antigens, appeared to have improved the laboratory performance of specific testing methods.
Spleen enlargement in healthy donors during G–CSF mobilization of PBPCs
Authors: Platzbecker Uwe , Prange‐Krex Gabriele , Bornhäuser Martin , Koch Rainer , Soucek Silke , Aikele Peter , Haack Astrid , Haag Cornelie , Schuler Ulrich , Berndt Anette , Rutt Claudia , Ehninger Gerhard , Hölig Kristina
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Recombinant human G–CSF is widely used to mobilize PBPCs in healthy donors for allogeneic transplantation. There have been concerns about donor safety because of splenic ruptures during G–CSF application. To address this problem, changes in splenic size in 91 healthy donors during G–CSF mobilization of allogeneic PBPCs were investigated.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: For mobilization, G–CSF in a dosage of 7.5 μg per kg per day was administered for 5 days and PBPC collection started Day 5. Splenic size was determined by ultrasound before G–CSF application was started and on the day of the first apheresis.

RESULTS: The mean increase in splenic length was 11 mm (range, 0‐28 mm; p<0.0001), whereas a mean increase of 5 mm in width (range, 0‐14 mm; p<0.0001) was measured. No major side effects could be observed. There was no significant correlation between the increase in splenic size and the hematologic values, or the age and body‐mass index. In a multivariant analysis, no independent risk factor for the development of a spleen enlargement over 19 mm in length and 9 mm in thickness was found in 20 percent of investigated donors.

CONCLUSION: In this prospective trial, a significant spleen enlargement was observed in healthy donors during G–CSF mobilization of allogeneic PBPCs. Further investigations are needed to define the degree of spleen enlargement with higher G–CSF dosages to improve donor safety.
Absence of immunopathology associated with repeated IV administration of bovine Hb‐based oxygen carrier in dogs
Authors: Hamilton Robert G. , Kelly Nancy , Gawryl Maria S. , Rentko Virginia T.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: A Hb‐based oxygen carrier, HBOC‐301, is licensed by the FDA for use as a single‐dose product to treat anemia in canines. The objective of this study was to investigate the immunopathologic consequences of multiple doses of HBOC‐301.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: HBOC‐301 was administered intravenously at 1.3 g per kg (10 mL/kg) nine times over 50 weeks to each of eight splenectomized beagles. During interim weeks, HBOC‐301‐specific IgG antibody was quantified in serum by immunoassay. Immunofluorescence studies were performed on thin sections of control and test dog livers and kidneys to detect any IgG, IgM, IgA, or C3 deposition. Physiology (p50) studies evaluated the capacity of circulating HBOC‐301‐specific IgG antibody to competitively block the binding of oxygen to HBOC‐301.

RESULTS: HBOC‐301‐specific IgG antibody was detected in seven of eight HBOC‐301‐treated dogs by Week 6. Peak antibody levels occurred by Week 10 (after the third dose). Immunofluorescence studies detected comparable IgG, IgA, IgM, or C3 deposition patterns in the kidneys and livers of both control and test dogs, which indicated no selective antibody‐mediated deposition from multiple HBOC‐301 administrations. Moreover, HBOC‐301‐specific IgG antibody in serum was unable to inhibit oxygen binding to the HBOC‐301 in vitro, which indicated that circulating antibody did not diminish the oxygen‐binding capacity of HBOC‐301.

CONCLUSION: The immunologic, histologic, and physiologic data support the safety of multidose administration of HBOC‐301 in canines.
Evaluation of a CD61 MoAb method for enumeration of platelets in thrombocytopenic patients and its impact on the transfusion decision‐making process
Authors: Arroyo J.L. , García‐Marcos M.A. , López A , Menéndez P , Tabernero M.D. , Sánchez‐Abarca L.I. , Avila‐Zarza C , San Miguel J.F. , Orfao Alberto
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Almost all automated hematology cell analyzers use methods based on either the impedance (PLTi) or the optical (PLTo) properties of the cells for performing platelet counts. To improve the accuracy of platelet counts in peripheral blood (PB), the use of CD61 (GPIIIa) MoAbs (ImmunoPLT method) has recently been introduced in an automated hematology blood‐analyzer system (Cell‐Dyn 4000, Abbott Diagnostics).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A comparative evaluation was made of the accuracy and precision of the three methods currently available in the Cell‐Dyn 4000 automated hematology cell analyzer for counting the number of platelets per microliter of PB in a total of 47 patients with chemotherapy‐induced thrombocytopenia. A flow cytometric PB platelet count was also performed in parallel and used as an external reference.

RESULTS: PB platelet counts showed a good correlation among the PLTo, CD61‐ImmunoPLT, and flow cytometric methods. In contrast, the PLTi procedure usually provided an overestimation of the number of platelets per microliter. Although a good correlation was observed between the flow cytometric reference method and both the ImmunoPLT and PLTo methods, the highest degree of agreement was found for the ImmunoPLT techniques (94% vs. 67%). A comparative analysis of the PLTo and CD61‐ImmunoPLT methods with regard to their value for predicting platelet transfusion needs on the basis of specific flow cytometric platelet count thresholds showed a good correlation when the cutoff level of 10,000 platelets per μL was used. In contrast, at the threshold of 20,000 platelets per μL, slight differences were observed between the PLTo and CD61‐ImmunoPLT procedures for predicting transfusion needs.

CONCLUSION: Such results indicate that, if the CD61‐ImmunoPLT method is used in the platelet transfusion decision‐making process, unnecessary platelet transfusions could be avoided in up to 17.5 percent of persons with a PLTo count of <20,000 platelets per μL.
A randomized crossover trial of IV fluid replacement versus no fluid replacement in autologous blood donors with cardiovascular disease
Authors: Kasper Stefan‐Mario , Weimbs Gregor , Sabatowski Rainer , Wassmer Gernot
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of arterial hypotension in response to autologous blood donation with and without simultaneous IV fluid replacement in 60 patients with cardiovascular disease.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Each patient donated two 500 mL units of blood at an interval of 7 days. Following random allocation within a two‐stage crossover design, either the first or second unit was collected with a simultaneous IV infusion of 500 mL of HES. Patients receiving IV fluid replacement during their first donation did not receive any fluid replacement during their second donation and vice versa. Starting before phlebotomy, arterial blood pressure was measured oscillometrically every 5 minutes until 30 minutes after donation. Hypotension was defined as at least one decrease of more than 20 percent from baseline in systolic blood pressure.

RESULTS: A decrease of more than 20 percent from baseline in systolic blood pressure occurred in 2 of the 60 patients (3%) during the donations with IV fluid replacement compared with 55 of the 60 patients (92%) during the donations without IV fluid replacement (p < 0.0001, McNemar's test). No severe reaction to blood donation was observed in any patient, regardless of whether IV fluids had been administered.

CONCLUSION: Isovolemic IV fluid replacement was useful in preventing arterial hypotension in autologous blood donors with cardiovascular disease. Its effect on the safety of the autologous blood donation process remains to be established.
Platelet transfusion refractoriness caused by a mismatch in HLA‐C antigens
Authors: Saito Satoshi , Ota Satoshi , Seshimo Hideyuki , Yamazaki Yuichiro , Nomura Setsuo , Ito Toshihiro , Miki Jun , Ota Masao , Fukushima Hirofumi , Maeda Hiroo
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: HLA‐C antigens have been thought to be of little significance in determining the efficacy of platelet transfusions. However, six alloimmunized patients were encountered who were refractory to platelet transfusions because of anti‐HLA‐Cw3, ‐Cw7, or ‐Cw8.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Between 1995 and the present, 88 patients with hematologic malignancies became refractory to random‐donor platelet transfusions due to HLA antibodies. HLA‐A‐ and HLA‐B‐compatible platelet transfusions were successful in boosting platelet levels with 82 of the patients. This study concerns the remaining six HLA‐immunized patients who were refractory to HLA‐A‐ and HLA‐B‐compatible platelet transfusions. The response to the platelet transfusions was assessed by calculating both 1‐ and 24‐hour posttransfusion CCIs for each transfusion.

RESULTS: The average CCI1 hour and CCI24 hours in all patients were 20.0 and 12.8 for HLA‐A‐, HLA‐B‐, and HLA‐C‐compatible transfusions and were 1.4 and 1.2 for HLA‐A‐ and HLA‐B‐compatible but HLA‐C‐incompatible transfusions, respectively (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: These findings clearly indicate that matching of the HLA‐C antigens is also required in some alloimmunized patients to obtain the effectiveness of platelet transfusions.
Four‐year survival of transfusion recipients identified by hepatitis C lookback
Authors: Vamvakas Eleftherios C. , Goldstein Rosalyn
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Information on the probability of survival of transfused patients is needed for policy making, but there is a paucity of empirical research into this question. A Swedish population‐based study reported that the 40‐month posttransfusion probability of survival was 51 percent in all patients and 41 percent in recipients of more than 10 units of blood and blood components. These figures were 20 percent lower than the figures reported previously from Olmsted County, Minnesota.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Information was collected on the 4‐year survival of 695 patients transfused at the New York University Medical Center between 1988 and 1996. These patients had been identified previously by hepatitis C lookback.

RESULTS: Seventy‐five percent of patients survived at 1 month after transfusion, 66 percent at 3 months, 60 percent at 6 months, 54 percent at 1 year, 50 percent at 2 years, 45 percent at 3 years, and 41 percent at 4 years. Seventy‐eight percent of patients included in the study had received more than 10 units of blood and blood components. The 4‐year survival of patients receiving 1 to 3, 4 to 10, or more than 10 units was 62 percent, 48 percent, and 38 percent, respectively (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: When transfusion dose is taken into account, the probability of survival of patients transfused at the New York University Medical Center in 1988 to 1996 and identified by lookback is similar to that reported for Swedish county residents transfused in 1993. Based on both the Swedish data and the information presented here and in the absence of any recent results from population‐based studies, the survival of U.S. patients transfused in the 1990s appears to be 20 percent lower than that of Olmsted County residents transfused in 1981.
Alkaline CPD and the preservation of RBC 2,3‐DPG
Authors: Hess John R. , Hill Heather R. , Oliver Cynthia K. , Lippert Lloyd E. , Greenwalt Tibor J.
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Concentrations of 2,3‐DPG decline rapidly in the first week of RBC storage because of the low pH of conventional storage solutions. Alkaline additive solutions, which can preserve RBCs for up to 11 weeks, still do not preserve 2,3‐DPG because the starting pH is below 7.2.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
: Alkaline CPD (pH = 8.7) was made with trisodium citrate, dextrose, and disodium phosphate. Twelve units of whole blood were collected into heparin and pooled in groups of four units. Each pool was then aliquoted into four units; 63 mL of CPD with pH 5.7, 6.5, 7.5, or 8.7 was added to one unit of each pool, and 300 mL of the alkaline experimental additive solution‐76 was added. In Study 2, 12 units were collected into alkaline CPD, pooled in groups of four, aliquoted as described, and stored in four variants of experimental additive solution‐76 containing 0, 9, 18, and 27 m
M of disodium phosphate. RBC ATP and 2,3‐DPG concentrations, intracellular and extracellular pH and phosphate concentrations, hemolysis, and other measures of RBC metabolism and function were measured weekly.

RESULTS : RBCs stored in more alkaline conditions made 2,3‐DPG, but at the expense of ATP. Concentrations of 2,3‐DPG decreased after 2 weeks storage, but ATP concentrations never fully recovered. Providing more phosphate both increased the duration of 2,3‐DPG persistence and raised ATP concentrations in the later stages of storage.

CONCLUSIONS : Maintaining both 2,3‐DPG and ATP requires both high pH and high concentrations of phosphate.
Nonobese diabetic‐severe combined immunodeficient mice transplantation of volume‐reduced and thawed umbilical cord blood transplants following closed‐system immunomagnetic cell selection
Authors: Eichler Hermann , Beck Christian , Schröder Bernd , Nguyen Xuan Duc , Klüter Harald
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Protocols for the expansion of human umbilical cord blood (UCB) progenitors begin with the selection of CD34+ cells from stored frozen and thawed units. Use of an immunomagnetic selection procedure within a closed blood bag system for volume‐reduced UCB transplants was evaluated, and the influence of CD34 cell selection on in vivo engraftment potential was studied.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
: Eleven thawed buffy coat‐processed UCB units were processed within a standard blood bag with a washing solution. In six independent experiments, the same dosage of 2 × 10
4 CD34+ cells from paired selected and nonselected samples was transplanted into NOD‐SCID mice. In two experiments, cells from the negative fraction were also transplanted.

RESULTS : The purity of CD34+ cells after selection was correlated with the removal of supernatant after the first washing step and therefore with adequate removal of damaged or dead cells (r = 0.86, p < 0.01). Mice transplanted with unselected UCB cells had more human cells within their marrow than animals transplanted with selected cells (8.6 ± 5.9% selected group vs. 19.8 ± 14.2% unselected group; p = 0.04), whereas no engraftment could be observed transplanting cells from the two negative fractions. A higher percentage of human CD45+ cells in the unselected group were found to be positive for CD38, CD14, CD33, and CD19, indicating a higher potential for these unselected progenitors to differentiate into myeloid cells and B cells.

CONCLUSIONS : Processing of volume‐reduced and thawed UCB transplants within a closed‐bag system before immunomagnetic CD34+ cell selection allows for the preparation of CD34+ cells of significant purity at technically useful cell recoveries. However, these experiments indicate a potential impairment of engraftment capacity for the CD34+ cell‐enriched fraction.
Long‐term hematologic reconstitution after autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation: a comparison between controlled‐rate freezing and uncontrolled‐rate freezing at 80°C
Authors: Montanari Mauro , Capelli Debora , Poloni Antonella , Massidda Danilo , Brunori Marino , Spitaleri Luca , Offidani Massimo , Lucesole Moira , Masia Maria C. , Balducci Florinda , Refe Cristina , Piani Mario , Leoni Pietro , Olivieri Attilio
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : The most widely used system for peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) cryopreservation is controlled‐rate freezing (CRF). Uncontrolled‐rate freezing (URF) at –80°C has also been used, but its clinical impact has not been studied sufficiently yet.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : Two groups of patients were compared: Group A consisted of 69 patients autotransplanted with PBPCs cryopreserved with CRF; Group B consisted of 192 patients autotransplanted with PBPCs cryopreserved with URF at –80°C. The same cryoprotectant solution and storage system were used.

RESULTS
: A significant delay of hematologic reconstitution (HR) in the URF group was observed for neutrophils greater than 0.5 × 10
9
per L and for platelets greater than 20 × 10
9
per L and greater than 50 × 10
9 per L; we did not observe any differences in the clinical course. The long‐term HR was comparable in the two groups, all patients showed stable engraftment, and no late graft failures were observed.

CONCLUSION : Our study confirms that URF is safe and allows sustained long‐term engraftment without increasing the risks of transplantation, even though the early engraftment after URF is slower.
Phase III randomized study comparing 5 or 10 μg per kg per day of filgrastim for mobilization of peripheral blood progenitor cells with chemotherapy, followed by intensification and autologous transplantation in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies
Authors: André Marc , Baudoux Etienne , Bron Dominique , Canon Jean‐Luc , D'Hondt Véronique , Fassotte Marie‐France , D'Hondt Lionel , Fillet Georges , Humblet Yves , Jerusalem Guy , Vermeulen Philippe , Symann Michel , Beguin Yves
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : It is not known whether increasing the dose of filgrastim after mobilizing chemotherapy improves collection of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) and leads to faster hematopoietic engraftment after autologous transplantation.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : A randomized, open‐label, multicenter trial was carried out in patients with breast cancer, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma, in which patients were randomized to receive 5 or 10 μg per kg per day of filgrastim after standard chemotherapy to mobilize PBPCs. After high‐dose chemotherapy, the components from the first two leukapheresis procedures were returned, and all patients received 5 μg per kg day of filgrastim after transplantation.

RESULTS
: A total of 131 patients were randomized, of whom 128 were mobilized (Group A, 5 μg/kg, n = 66; Group B, 10 μg/kg, n = 62) and 112 were transplanted. Only six patients were not transplanted because of insufficient CD34+ cell numbers. The median number of CD34+ cells collected in the first two leukapheresis procedures tended to be higher in Group B than in Group A (12.0 vs. 7.2 × 10
6 /kg, NS), but after transplantation there was no significant difference in median times to platelet (9 days in both groups) or neutrophil (8 days in both groups) engraftment or the number of platelet transfusions (three in both groups). A subsequent subgroup analysis separating patients transplanted after first‐ or second‐line chemotherapy also showed no measurable impact of filgrastim dose on the median CD34+ cell yield or on platelet engraftment in either subgroup.

CONCLUSION : PBPC mobilization with chemotherapy and 5 μg per kg of filgrastim is very efficient, and 10 μg per kg of filgrastim does not provide additional clinical benefit.
Validation of R Wave Voltage Endomyocardial Mapping to Assess Myocardial Fibrosis: Comparison with Thallium and Dobutamine Echocardiography in a Swine Model
Authors: THAMBAR SUKUMARAN T. , SCHOFIELD LORRAINE , POPPAS ATHENA , BOUCHARD MARK , WILLIAMS DAVID O. , JOHNSON LYNNE L.
Published: March 2003

The first aim of this study was to validate R wave voltage values measured with a catheter‐based three‐dimensional mapping system (NOGA, Biosense) against myocardial fibrosis in a swine model of ameroid placement. The second aim was to correlate the UPV maps with thallium uptake and low‐dose dobutamine echocardiography. The electromechanical catheter mapping system can be used to guide endomyocardial laser therapy and direct gene delivery to the myocardium. The accuracy of R wave voltage in identifying myocardial fibrosis and its comparison with other imaging technologies against histopathology has not been fully investigated in an animal model. Ameroid constrictors were placed on 24 vessels in 14 swine. Wall motion abnormalities by echocardiography were detected in distribution of the constrictors at 22 ± 10 days. Animals underwent rest and delayed thallium imaging, low‐dose dobutamine echocardiography, and R wave voltage mapping. Animals were sacrificed, hearts were removed, 4‐μm slices were stained, and fibrosis was quantified. Five control animals were studied to obtain segment normalization. There was significant agreement between each imaging modality and fibrosis by chi‐square analysis. The correlation for segment normalized thallium uptake and segment normalized UPV score versus fibrosis were both significant

(P < 0.001)

with an r2 value of 0.362 vs. thallium, and

r2= 0.445

vs. UPV. The correlation was improved using log of UPV vs. fibrosis

(r = 0.532)

. These results help validate R wave voltage mapping as an imaging technique to identify myocardial fibrosis. (J Interven Cardiol 2003;16:23–31)
Mind and Method in the History of Ideas
Authors: Bevir Mark
Published: March 2003

J. G. A. Pocock and Quentin Skinner have led a recent onslaught on the alleged ”myth of coherence“ in the history of ideas. But their criticisms depend on mistaken views of the nature of mind: respectively, a form of social constructionism, and a focus on illocutionary intentions at the expense of beliefs. An investigation of the coherence constraints that do operate on our ascriptions of belief shows historians should adopt a presumption of coherence, concern themselves with coherence, and proceed to reconstruct sets of beliefs as coherent wholes. The history of ideas merges history with aspects of philosophy, where philosophy is understood as the study of the grammar of our concepts.
A New Philosophy of History? Reflections on Postmodern Historicizing
Authors: Toews John E.
Published: March 2003

A New Philosophy of History. Edited by Frank Ankersmit and Hans Kellner.
Bernard Groethuysen and the Human Conversation
Authors: Gordon Daniel
Published: March 2003

Philosophie et Histoire. By Bernard Groethuysen. Edited with an Introduction by Bernard Dandois.
Ankersmit's Postmodernist Historiography: The Hyperbole of “Opacity”
Authors: Zammito John H.
Published: March 2003

Ankersmit's articulation of a postmodern theory of history takes seriously both the strengths of traditional historicism and the right of historians to decide what makes sense for disciplinary practice. That makes him an exemplary interlocutor. Ankersmit proposes a theory of historical “representation” which radicalizes the narrative approach to historiography along the lines of poststructuralist textualism. Against this postmodernism but invoking some of his own arguments, I defend the traditional historicist position. I formulate criticisms of the theory of reference entailed in his notion of “narrative substance,” of his master analogy of historiography with modern painting, and finally of his characterization of historical hermeneutics. In each case I find him guilty of the hyperbole which he himself cautions against. While it is true that historical narratives cannot be taken to be transparent, in taking them to be opaque Ankersmit puts himself in an untenable position. Finally, Ankersmit seeks to buttress his theoretical case by an interpretation of the new cultural historical texts of authors like Davis and Ginzburg. While this is a concreteness heartily to be welcomed in philosophers of history, I cannot find his construction of this new school's work plausible.
Big Questions? Big History?
Authors: Mazlish Bruce
Published: March 2003

Books reviewed in this article:

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today by Fred Spier
Causality, Chaos Theory, and the End of the Weimar Republic: A Commentary On Henry Turner’s Hitler’s Thirty Days to Power
Authors: Lindenfeld David F.
Published: March 2003

This article seeks to integrate the roles of structure and human agency in a theory of historical causation, using the fall of the Weimar Republic and in particular Henry Turner's book Hitler's Thirty Days to Power as a case study. Drawing on analogies from chaos theory, it argues that crisis situations in history exhibit sensitive dependence on local conditions, which are always changing. This undermines the distinction between causes and conditions (including counterfactual conditions). It urges instead a distinction between empowering and constraining causes of specific human actions as a more fruitful model. The paper also discusses more briefly two other analogies to chaos theory: 1) similarity across differences in scale as applicable to different levels of individual (psychological) and collective events, which are seen as homologous; 2) a model of branching as applicable to the totality of causes of a given event.
A Brief History of Evolution
Authors: Naccache Albert F. H.
Published: March 2003

I present in this paper a non‐reductionist framework of eight nested modes of evolution that have successively emerged to organize the reproduction of all organisms, from the blue‐green algae to our societies. The processes of biological, “Darwinian” evolution are those of drift during reproduction, and of selection. The key unit of evolutionary time is the generation, and its locus is the organisms' life‐cycle setup. Different life‐cycle setups support different mechanisms of reproduction, and therefore different modes of evolution. By tracing the different life‐cycle setups attested throughout life's history, we can characterize the successive modes of evolution with which they are associated as follows: basic; reptilian; archaic mammalian; progressive mammalian; sociocultural; extrasomatically enhanced sociocultural; tinkering; and finally parabiological. These successively emerging modes govern a progressively reduced number of life‐forms. The first four modes are “Darwinian” in the strict sense. The fifth, or sociocultural mode, which governs whales and elephants' societies in addition to hominoids, is already not “Darwinian” in the traditional sense. The last three modes have emerged with the genus homo, through the progressive extension of its life‐cycle setups. The present framework is to be used heuristically, as a prism with which to separate the evolutionary spectrum of the constituent elements of human behavior. An example of such a behavioral evolutionary spectrum is presented in conclusion, and used to compare the present framework with those recently proposed by Maynard Smith and Szathmáry and by Foley.
Human Nature and History
Authors: Brown Donald E.
Published: March 2003

What motivated British colonialism? What motivated renaissance Florentines to finance their state? Why did Brazilian men find mixed‐race women so attractive? What promotes falsity in reports of human affairs? Why did historical‐mindedness develop in ancient Greece and China but not India? When homosexual communities developed, why did gay men pursue sexual strategies so different from those of lesbians? Why does a Heian‐period Japanese description of fear of snakes sound so familiar to a Westerner? Why have rebels tended to be youngest rather than eldest siblings?

To each of these (and many other) questions part of the answer lies in specific, identifiable features of human nature. Thus human nature is and should be a substantial concern to anyone trying to understand the past. But human nature is also an object of scientific study. This paper explores a portion of this convergence of humanistic and scientific concerns by outlining and illustrating interrelations between human nature and history.

Exploration of the interrelations between history and human nature requires a detailed understanding of what human nature is. And whatever human nature may be, it is a product of human evolution. Accordingly, key concepts in evolutionary psychology are presented to provide theoretical tools for understanding the centerpiece of human nature, the human mind.

As much as the study of history may benefit from an understanding of human nature, the study of history and the use of historical materials may also promote the scientific study of human nature. Examples are given and several suggestions are presented to forward this task.

Finally, an argument is made for a sort of back engineering in which historical events and conditions are traced to the specific features of human nature that motivated, facilitated, or shaped them. Insofar as this task is achieved, it closes the gap between recorded history and evolutionary history, between the humanities and the sciences.
Whose Autopoiesis?
Authors: Anchor Robert
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Die Lineatur Der Geschichte, by Kurt Röttgers
The Fictions of Biblical History
Authors: Zwelling Jeremy
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

The Mythic Past: Biblical Archaeology and the Myth ofIsrael, by Thomas L. Thompson
The Language of Historical Education
Authors: Kramer Lloyd
Published: March 2003

James F. Voss and Mario Carretero, (eds.) Learning and Reasoning in History. International Review of History Education
Proof and Transnational Rhetorics: Opening Up the Conversation
Authors: Jed Stephanie
Published: March 2003

Carlo Ginzburg, History, Rhetoric, and Proof: The Menahem Stern Jerusalem Lectures
History, Differential Inclusions, and Narrative
Authors: Bonneuil Noël
Published: March 2003

Recent advances in the theory of dynamical systems, set‐valued analysis, and viability theory offer new and interesting perspectives on the shaping of social and historical time. Specific aspects of these theories are presented in several different areas to show their concrete applications in history and historical demo‐economy, and a parallel is established with novelist Tanizaki’s fictional technique. In connection with this, McCloskey’s 1991 comparison of storytelling with deterministic chaos is discussed and a critique of other models concerned with unpredictability in human affairs provided. Finally, the shapings of social and historical time are described in terms of the viable strategies at the heart of evolutionary processes involving human agents interacting with a variety of constraints.

Sachiko could foresee great difficulties if her sister were to marry him, but at least for the time being they would not have to worry about what people thought. If on the other hand she married Itakura, she would be held up to public ridicule. Okubata seen by himself was not a happy choice, but he was certainly better than Itakura, and he could be their weapon to turn away the latter.
Clio Raped
Authors: Martin Raymond
Published: March 2003

Books reviewed in this article:

Raymond Martin, Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?
Psychoanalysis and the Unfulfilled Social Theorist
Authors: Wurgaft Lewis
Published: March 2003

Books reviewed in this article:

Fred Weinstein, Freud, Psychoanalysis, Social Theory: The Unfulfilled Promise
The Unimaginable
Authors: Steinbrenner Jakob
Published: March 2003

Arthur Danto advocates the thesis that we cannot imagine the art or artwork of the future. This thesis is motivated primarily by his Hegelian conception of history and secondarily by his holistic conception of art, which is informed by Wittgenstein. At first glance the thesis seems to conflict with Danto's second thesis that anything (any object) can be a work of art. Danto's solution to this problem is not very convincing. A more promising approach can be found in Kant's aesthetics and especially in his concept of genius.
Queer History
Authors: Dean Carolyn
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Queer Fictions of the Past: History, Culture, and Difference. By Scott Bravmann
Ranking the Factors that Affect Occupational Outcomes
Authors: Fain* James R.
Published: March 2003

By using Theil's entropy measure, which is an additively decomposable measure of inequality, one may rank the various factors that affect occupational outcomes. Using the 5 percent sample of the 1990 U.S. Census, I find that sex and education have the greatest impact on occupational outcomes, followed by full‐time work status. Age, race, and ever‐married status have little impact on occupational outcomes.
Racial Test Score Differences as Evidence of Reverse Discrimination: Less than Meets the Eye
Authors: Dickens William T. , Kane Thomas J.
Published: March 2003

Herrnstein and Murray assume that test score gaps between blacks and whites attending the same schools or in the same jobs must result from the application of different selection criteria to blacks and whites. To the contrary, we show that race‐blind screening processes normally will produce large gaps between the test scores of blacks and whites.
Gender and Job Search in Developing Country Labor Markets
Authors: Mills Bradford F.
Published: March 2003

Gender discrimination in developing country labor markets raises the concern that women may be unable to find alternative employment following public‐sector job loss. Theoretical and empirical results in this article suggest that, in segmented labor markets, observed unemployment spells may actually be shorter for women than for men. This is a result of the relatively strong incentive wage‐sector discrimination creates for women to accept more readily available, but less‐remunerative, nonwage‐sector positions.
Review Essay
Authors: Numrich Aul D. , Numrich Robert W. , Carlson Jerry W.
Published: March 2003

Belief in God in an Age of Science, by John Polkinghorne

Genes, Genesis and God: Values and their Origins in Natural and Human History, by Holmes Rolston, III

The Genetic Gods: Evolution and Belief in Human Affairs, by John C. Avise
Italian Protestants: Religion, Ethnicity, and Assimilation
Authors: Form William
Published: March 2003

Early in the twentieth century, Italian Protestants in the United States comprised a religious minority in the Italian Catholic community and an ethnic minority in the American one. Because the assimilation of Protestants from heavily Catholic countries is little studied, I examine the life cycle of three Italian Protestant churches in three denominations in Rochester, New York in order to explain why they disappeared earlier than did their Catholic counterparts. When the second generation Italian Protestants attained adolescence, religious identity with American Protestants overrode ethnic identity, accelerating their assimilation. The Italian Protestant churches had become middle‐class American organizations save for the use of Italian, a fatal contradiction. By 1960,all three churches had died, but all of the ethnic Catholic and national Orthodox parishes had survived.
The Commitment Process in a Religious Commune: The Shakers
Authors: Cosgel Metin M.
Published: March 2003

Focusing on the Shakers and using census data, this paper quantitatively examines influences on religious commitment and the way these influences differed between new and veteran members. Whereas personal characteristics (age, sex, nativity, and occupation) were the primary sources of influence on the commitment of veteran members, new recruits were also influenced by interpersonal and organizational factors (kinship ties, social bonds, and membership in leading groups). The differential effect of influences on commitment illustrates the nature of the commitment process in a religious commune.