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Objective. To evaluate the screening of blood samples for infectious disease markers at laboratories and blood banks in Latin America per the findings of an External Quality Assessment Program (EQAP). Methods. This qualitative analysis used data from the EQAP coordinated by the Fundação Pro Sangue Hemocentro de São Paulo with the support of the Pan American Health Organization to assess the performance of blood screening for infectious diseases from 2014 to 2018 in Latin America. Each participating laboratory or blood bank received an identical blind panel with 24 blood samples with variable reactivity for all the screening parameters. Panels were processed at each participating facility and results were returned to the Fundação Pro Sangue Hemocentro de São Paulo for individual and joint analyses. Two types of discrepant results were potential failures: false positive results (FPRs) and false nonreactive results (FNRRs). Results. A total of 23 136 samples were evaluated. Global rates of FPR, FNRR, and concordant results were 0.3%, 1.0% and 98.7%, respectively. Seven FNRRs were found for HBsAg (1.0%), 12 for syphilis (2.6%), and 21 for Chagas disease (2.9%). No FNRRs were found for the HIV, HCV, and HTLV viruses. The average accuracy of all the laboratories and blood banks participating in the EQAP during the study period was 99.5% (standard deviation, 0.5%). Conclusion. The findings of this qualitative analysis are positive for blood safety in Latin America, with an average accuracy of 99.5% among the participating laboratories and blood banks. This report reflects an important improvement in blood bank serological screening EQAP-PAHO report since the 2003.

Introduction: External quality assessment is a crucial component in ensuring the quality of blood transfusion testing laboratories. Objectives: To develop a procedure for generating external quality assessment items for blood transfusion testing to evaluate participants' performance. Methods: Experimental research was conducted at Quality Control Center for Medical laboratory- University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Three items, including red blood cell, serum, and atypical antibody serum samples, were assessed for homogeneity and stability; 5 assessment areas, including ABO grouping, Rh grouping, compatible cross matches, Coombs test, and screening of atypical antibodies, were utilized to evaluate the performance of 38 participants in the 2020-2021 period. Results: Red blood cell and serum samples maintained quality for a specific period at controlled temperatures, while serum samples with atypical antibodies showed stability at different temperatures. The participants demonstrated high satisfactory performance in ABO grouping, Rh grouping, Coombs test, and screening for atypical antibodies. However, the most unsatisfactory performance was reported in crossmatching, with 15% of participants unsatisfactory results. Conclusion: The procedure of production of proficiency testing items has been successfully developed, and its application at the national level is suggested to improve the quality of blood transfusion laboratories.

This paper aims to verify the effectiveness of the pile integrity test (PIT) for evaluating the presence of anomaly in short caisson foundation elements, more specifically reinforcement exposure due to an execution problem during concreting. The foundation elements tested belong to the expansion of the structure of an electricity substation in the municipality of Itá, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. In general, the PIT is not commonly used for caissons, due to the surface irregularities occurring along the shaft in this type of foundation. The obtained results showed that the PIT can promote assertiveness and safety when assessing the integrity of these foundation elements, as later confirmed at the site by excavating the problematic elements and performing visual inspection. Thus, the results may validate the use of the PIT as a tool for optimizing the executive control of cast-in-place foundations, even though a Brazilian technical standard on the use of the low strain integrity test for this purpose is still lacking.

Atellica Solution (AS) is a platform that incorporates immunoassay and chemistry modules. AS is fitted with a refrigerated storage module (RSM) for internal quality controls (QC). The objective of this study was to assess the maximum permissible storage time in AS for QCs.

ABSTRACT The objective was to verify if the primary root emission can be recommended as a vigor test for soybean seeds. For this, five lots of varieties ANTA 82, NA7337 and BRS1074IPRO were evaluated by first count, germination, emergence, emergence speed index and tetrazolium tests. In the root protrusion test at 20, 25 and 30 ºC, two evaluation criteria were adopted: primary root emission precocity index (PREPI) and percentage of seeds that emitted the primary root (PRE). The seeds counted were those with a primary root equal to or greater than 2 mm, every 12 h from the installation of the test until 120 h. The design was completely randomized and means were compared, within each evaluation time, using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. Pearson’s linear correlation was performed for PREPI and PRE with emergence. PREPI was not considered efficient. For the PRE, at 20 ºC, there was a correlation at 72 h, for the three varieties. At 25 ºC there was a correlation for a period of 36 h for ANTA 82 and NA7337 and 60 h for BRS1074IPRO. At 30 ºC there was a correlation in the time of 36 h for the three cultivars. Considering that speed in obtaining results is important in vigor tests, it is concluded that primary root emission for 36 h after installing the test at 30 ºC is recommended as a vigor test in the quality control of soybean seeds.

Introducción: La Sociedad Latinoamericana de Genética Forense, desde el año 2003 organiza ejercicios colaborativos de comparación interlaboratorios a fin de apoyar el fortalecimiento de los laboratorios de genética forense de Latinoamérica. Objetivo: presentar los resultados del análisis del ejercicio de calidad correspondiente al año 2022. Metodología: se diseñó un ejercicio práctico con cinco muestras: dos hisopados bucales (M1 y M2), una muestra de sangre en FTA (M3), una muestra mezcla de sangre-semen en FTA (M4) y un resto óseo (M5), siendo el ejercicio de calidad de SLAGF el único grupo que incluye en su ejercicio de calidad muestras óseas. Se envió además un ejercicio teórico con seis casos; dos contenían una mutación en un marcador especifico, uno consistió en una exclusión materna, otro de exclusión paterna, una paternidad sencilla trío y un caso de identificación de desaparecido, con muestras de referencia de presunta hija; su madre y abuela y tíos paternos, los ejercicios teóricos están disponibles en: http://slagf.org/resultados-control-slagf-2022/x Resultados: participaron 16 laboratorios y cinco peritos. En el ejercicio práctico, las muestras de mezcla y los restos óseos presentaron los mayores desafíos, el consenso por muestra fue de 100% para M1, de 93,75% para M2, de 87,5% para M3, 0% para M4 y de 75% para M5. El abordaje estadístico en los casos de identificación y la inclusión de mutaciones deben ser fortalecidos. Conclusión: los desafíos que enfrentan los laboratorios de genética forense latinoamericanos, reflejados por este ejercicio son similares a los encontrados por otros grupos que realizan ejercicios de calidad en Genética Forense.