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The aim of this study was to examine the manner in which varying proportions of serum and red blood cells (RBC) in massive blood transfusion affect the survival rates of patients with severe blood loss. Massive transfusion (MT) was determined as receiving ≥10 units of red blood cells in 24 h. The electronic medical records and blood transfusion information for the period January, 2002 to December, 2011 of patients with MT were examined. Moreover, we calculated the ratio of blood components and examined their correlation with survival. In total, 1,658 patients underwent MT during the period 2002–2011, with an overall of 28,030 units RBC, accounting for 2.8% of the total blood transfusion. In conclusion, fixing blood-component ratios has the potential to help improve survival rate in MT.

To construct PEGylated trichosanthin (TCS) mutein and analyze its bioactivities, immunogenicity, acute toxicity, and pharmacokinetics.The potential antigenic determinant site YFF81-83 in the molecule of TCS was selected to undergo site-directed mutagenesis. Thus, a TCS mutein named TCS(YFF81-83ACS) was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli of the line BL21 (DE3). Wild TCS (wTCS), TCSY(FF81-83ACS), and PEGylated TCS(YFF81-83ACS) (PEG- TCS(YFF81-83ACS)) of different concentrations were incubated with the supercoiled plasmid pUC19 to detect the DNAse activity, mixed with rabbit reticulocyte lysate to detect the ribosome inactivation activity, subcutaneously injected into 6 mice respectively to measure the serum IgG and IgE levels, intravenously injected into mice to observe the toxicity, and intravenously injected into SD rats to observe its -plasma half-life.The DNAse activity of the PEG-TCS(YFF81-83ACS) was similar to that of the wTCS. The ribosome inactivation activity of the PEG-TCS(YFF81-83ACS) was 1/9-1/8 of that of the wTCS (P0.05). The serum IgE and IgG levels of the PEG-TCS(YFF81-83ACS) were both significantly lower than those of the wTCS (both P0.05). The LD50 of the PEG-TCS(YFF81-83ACS) was 1.8 times that of the wTCS (P0.05). The mean residence time and plasma half-life of the PEG-TCS(YFF81-83ACS) were significantly increased and its plasma clearance was significantly decreased (all P0.05).Site-directed mutagenesis and PEGylation of TCS provide a new approach for reconstructing TCS.

AIM: To establish nested-PCR methods for the detection of SENV-D and SENV-H and to investigate the epidemiology of SEN virus in China. METHODS: According to published gene sequences, primers from the conserved region were designed. Then, 135 samples from healthy voluntary blood donors and 242 samples from patients with various forms of liver disease were detected by nested-PCR of SENV-D/H. Some PCR products were cloned and sequenced. RESULTS: By sequencing, the specificity of genotype-specific PCR was confirmed. SENV-D/H DNA was detected in 31% of the blood donors, which was higher than those in America and Italy (2%), and in Japan and Taiwan (15%-20%). The prevalence of SENV-D/H viremia was significantly higher in patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C than in blood donors (59%-85% vs 31%, P < 0.05). The prevalence among patients with non-A-E hepatitis was significantly higher than among blood donors (68% vs 31%, P < 0.01), and equivalent to that among patients with hepatitis B and C. CONCLUSION: Nested-PCR with genotype-specific primers could serve as a useful SENV screening assay. SENV has the same transmission modes as HBV and HCV. The high prevalence in patients with non-A-E hepatitis may attribute to the transmission modes, and SENV may not serve as the causative agents.