As suggested by the National Blood Council, a Hemovigilance Committee was set up in the University Hospital of Liège in 1995. A multidisciplinary discussion takes place on any action aiming at the ...improvement of transfusion safety, and the follow-up of its implementation. The first issue to be discussed was the set up of a detailed documentation of all blood transfusions. The data are now recorded on a single document allowing proper identification of people and products involved, and of the eventual incidents. This document has lead to a better transfusion safety and to an improved administrative management of blood transfusion. The Commission has been coordinating two multi-centric studies analyzing the consumption of fresh blood products and the incidence of transfusion reactions. Among blood-saving policies, autologous transfusion and volume reduction of samples drawn for laboratory purposes have been discussed. Other measures were taken to improve the labeling of samples for cross-mach and to actively follow-up transfusion reactions. By its actions and advises, the Commission aims to direct strategies towards a safe and rational use of blood products.
For over three decades, gas turbine industries have been confronted to the phenomenon of ambient temperature dwell fatigue sensitivity in titanium alloys. This effect consists of a reduction of ...fatigue lives due to the introduction of dwell periods at the peak stress of the cyclic loading. Up to now, no real mechanism can explain such behaviour.
To decrease the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) observed after nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation (NMSCT), we studied the feasibility of CD8-depleted or CD34-selected NMSCT ...followed by CD8-depleted preemptive donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) given in incremental doses on days 40 and 80. Fourteen patients with high-risk malignancies and an HLA-identical sibling (n = 8) or alternative donor (n = 6) but ineligible for a conventional transplant were included. Nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen consisted in 2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) alone, 2 Gy TBI and fludarabine (previously untreated patients) or cyclophosphamide and fludarabine (patients who had previously received > or =12 Gy TBI). Patients 1-4 (controls) received unmanipulated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and DLI and patients 5-14 CD8-depleted or CD34-selected PBSC followed by CD8-depleted DLI. Post-transplant immunosuppression was carried out with cyclosporine A (CsA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Initial engraftment was seen in all patients, but 1 patient (7%) later rejected her graft. The actuarial 180-day incidence of grades II-IV acute GVHD was 75% for patients 1-4 versus 0% for patients 5-14 (p = 0.0019). Five of 14 patients were in complete remission (CR) 180 days after the transplant and 6/14 had partial responses. The 1-year survival rate was 69%, and nonrelapse and relapse mortality rates were 16 and 18%, respectively. We conclude that CD8-depleted or CD34-selected NMSCT followed by CD8-depleted DLI is feasible and considerably decreases the incidence of acute GVHD while preserving engraftment and apparently also the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. Further studies are needed to confirm this encouraging preliminary report.
Aluminum alloys are widely used for constitutive parts of aircrafts and are consequently confronted with a wide range of temperature depending on altitude: from 300K (ambient temperature) on the ...ground down to 223K during a fly. Fatigue properties and particularly fatigue crack growth resistance at low temperature have been poorly studied. The literature provides results in cryogenic condition (77K) showing improved fatigue strength in Al-Li alloys 1,2. This paper deals with a study of the fatigue crack propagation behavior of two high strength 2xxx Aluminum alloys elaborated in naturally-aged and peak-aged conditions.
L'étude des performances de reproduction des chèvres et des brebis burundaises réalisée en station pendant plusieurs années montre que ces deux espèces atteignent une productivité intéressante ...estimée à 25 et 33 kg de poids vif par an respectivement. Mais celle-ci est très réduite en milieu rural et est comprise entre 9 et 27 kg. La grande hétérogénéité des performances individuelles permet d'envisager une action de sélection rapide et efficace qui, selon les résultats enregistrés, devrait porter surtout sur les capacités laitières et la vitesse de croissance dans les deux espèces et sur la prolificité chez la brebis. A research carried out in the research station for several years on the reproduction of Burundese sheep and goats showed that these two species reached an interesting productivity estimated at, respectively, 25 and 33 kg of live weight/year for females. The figures in rural environment are lower, ranging between 9 and 27 kg. The wide heterogeneity of the individual performances suggests the possibility to consider a breeding programme based on selection milk production and growth rate in the two species in addition to prolificity in sheep.
In this Registry study, manipulation of the CBUs
aimed at volume reduction was not shown to infl uence the clinical
outcome, indicating a satisfactory validation of the associated
technologies across ...the banks. Cells viability assessment methodology
varied among banks. Further eff orts to standardize the
quality controls before CBU release are needed.
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