Even though blood transfusion is a life saving measure, it is nonetheless associated with a number of risks and hazards. The adverse reactions that can be potentially expected range anywhere in severity from mild to life threatening. The hemovigilance program deals with the systematic surveillance of these reactions as and when they occur in a hospital setting with an explicit aim of improving the quality and safety standards of the entire transfusion process. The current study was undertaken in the blood bank of a tertiary care centre in Bangalore to ascertain frequency of the blood transfusion related adverse reactions and to make a systematic profile assessment. Data was collected over a period of 4 years and 3 months. All adverse reactions caused by transfusion of blood and its products during the study period were included in the study. A total of 6910 units of blood and its components were issued to patients during the study period. Transfusion reactions accounted for 0.5% of transfusions. Febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions were the most common reactions (51.4%) followed by allergic reactions (40%), fluid overload (5.7%) and anaphylactic reactions (2.9%). Majority of these reactions were seen with PRBC transfusions (74.3%) followed by platelet transfusions (25.7%). The use of leukoreduced PRBCs will help in reducing the frequency of these reactions. selleck chemicals The hemovigilance program of our institution helps in assessing the diversity of adverse reactions associated with transfusion of blood and its various components. It is also an efficient scheme for minimizing their occurrence by ensuring safety standards.Hemoglobin High-performance liquid chromatography (Hb HPLC) is a standard first-line technique for diagnosis of thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies. We compared two HPLC systems for detection and quantification of normal and abnormal Hb fractions. EDTA samples from 100 normal healthy subjects and 107 subjects affected with hemoglobinopathies or carriers were analysed using HPLC systems Tosoh HLC-723G11 and Bio-Rad Variant-II. Retention time (RT) and area of peaks for HbA2, HbF and other structural variants were compared. In discrepant cases samples were run on Sebia Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for confirmation of results (39 out of 107 cases with HbE, HbD Iran, Hb Lepore and HbQ). Measurement of HbA2 and HbF in normal samples and HbF in those with variant Hbs showed good correlation by both analyzers (R2 = 0.83, 0.9 and 0.99 respectively). HbE co-elutes with HbA2 in Bio-Rad. Correlation done using the apparent HbA2 concentration from Bio-Rad with (HbE + HbA2) from Tosoh G11 showed good correlation (R2cond method like CZE may be required.A large majority of microcytic hypochromic anemia have defects in cellular hemoglobin synthesis due to either iron deficiency or thalassemia trait; both differing in management and prognosis. HPLC and serum iron profile as confirmatory tests are unavailable at health care centers. Blanket therapy of iron supplements is therefore given in all such cases which may cause iron overload in thalassemia cases. Easy to use and cost effective screening methods are desirable. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of twelve indices to effectively screen cases of thalassemia trait and differentiate them from iron deficiency anemia. Routine samples from the hematology lab with Hb  3.5 on HPLC) and 1102 cases of iron deficiency anemia (serum ferritin  less then  12 g/ml) were evaluated using discrimination indices. Diagnostic accuracy for each index was calculated. While few indices showed a sensitivity of 100%, their specificity was low which meant more number of false positive cases. Based on Youden’s Index, which measures the diagnostic tests ability to balance sensitivity and specificity, the best three indices in the decreasing order of their efficacy in our study were Ricerca Index (RI), Green and King Index (GKI) and Mentzer Index (MI). MI is considered a reliable index by many clinicians since a long time, however RI and GKI were found to have a better diagnostic accuracy based on our study.The present study was designed to study the splenectomy induced modulation of erythrocyte turnover in mice. We have also studied the modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and basigin (CD147) expression level on erythrocytes in splenectomized condition. The erythrocyte turnover was studied by a newly developed double in vivo biotinylation (DIB) technique. This technique enables to discriminate three different age (young, intermediate and old) groups of erythrocytes. The expression level of ROS and CD147 was studied by staining with CM-H2DCFDA stain and anti-mouse CD147 monocloclonal antibody followed by flow cytometry. We observed that intermediate and old age groups of erythrocytes were randomly eliminated in splenectomized condition. A marked surge in the blood reticulocyte count was observed in splenectomized mice. Splenectomy induced the level of ROS and CD147 expression on erythrocytes. The expression level of ROS was induced up to 35 days, but it reversed to basal level by 42 days indicating the emergence of refractoriness to splenectomy. The CD147 expression was significantly higher on day 7, 21 and 28 but it also normalizes on later time points. We conclude that erythrocyte turnover is significantly modulated in splenectomized mice. The enhanced level of ROS and CD147 expression may be a possible cause to increase erythrocyte removal in splenectomized mice.Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) is one of the most common monogenic disorders worldwide. Molecular modifiers of clinical symptoms play an essential role in the amelioration of the effects of the disease. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BCL11A gene and within the HBS1L-MYB intergenic region, which are located outside the β-globin locus on chromosome 11, are considered to be genetic modifiers that are associated with elevated levels of foetal haemoglobin HbF, and thus they reduce the clinical impact of sickle haemoglobin, HbS. The work reported here aimed to detect the most common SNPs of BCL11A and HBS1L-MYB related to HbF in SCA patients and to estimate the frequency of occurrence of these genotypes. A total of 132 SCA patients whose condition was stable were recruited from Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. SNPs at site locus rs4671393 on BCL11A, and at loci rs28384513 and rs9399137 on HBS1L-MYB were identified using TaqMan genotyping assay. Haematological parameters were analysed based on complete blood count and haemoglobin separation using the capillary electrophoresis technique.