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High-dose chemotherapy with stem cells support has largely improved in terms of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells harvest procedures as well as in those, which target or manipulate the cellular composition of autologous graft. Optimal preparative regimens and supportive care had lead to better use of autologous transplantation procedure. For other patients assigned to hematopoietic transplantation, availability of allogeneic donors appears to be an interesting alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells. Since three decades, hematopoietic growth factors development has allowed mobilization optimization and collection of peripheral hematopoietic stem cells leading to reduced days of hospitalization and less blood products requirements, being more cost-effective for patients in autologous transplantation settings and for stem cell collection facilities in allogeneic ones. New perspectives include, besides ex vivo manipulation of graft, development of mobilizing drugs in order to perform transplantation even in poor mobilizers patients. An important goal is achieved with the description of genetic polymorphisms related to optimal mobilization of stem cells. New approach using more promising and selective agents called chemokines, such as plerixafor the main leader among these agents are now available and appear complementary for alternative approach using cytokines alone (G-CSF, GM-CSF, SCF). The aim of this review is to assess the evolution of theses biotechnologies and their role in different steps of autologous transplantation and allogeneic stem cells collection., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The steady increase of the blood demand since 2001 requires to study the clinical characteristics of blood components recipients. The objective was to describe patients transfused in 2006 in Bordeaux University Hospital, and to identify the diseases which justified the transfusion practice, using French hospital claims database., Study Design: Data from haemovigilance system were linked to hospital claims databases in order to describe patients transfused in 2006. To target diseases related to transfusion, a list of diagnoses considered as markers for transfusion was drawn up, and validated by physicians prescribing blood components., Results: Among the 100,004 patients admitted to hospital in 2006, 6275 (6.3%) received blood components; 46,727 blood units were transfused to these patients, including 67% of red blood cell, 13% of platelet concentrates and 20% of fresh-frozen plasma; 69% of blood units were prescribed in medical wards, 30% in surgery wards and 1% in gynaecology and obstetrics. The main diagnoses associated with blood transfusion were circulatory complications after cardiac surgery (80% of patients with this diagnosis were transfused), bone marrow aplasia (76% of patients), anaemia (55%), and gastro-intestinal bleeding (48%). The highest numbers of blood units were transfused to patients with hypovolemic, traumatic or postoperative shock, anaemia, hemopathy, or coagulation disorders., Conclusion: This study provided a clinical profile of the transfused patients. Data collected could be used to plan blood collection and to define objectives and resources of healthcare establishments., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Since 1998, the Aquitaine-Limousin branch of the French Blood Institute has set up a parvovirus B19 (PV B19) systematic screening on each unit of plasma to be treated by solvent-detergent procedure for virus inactivation. Parvovirus B19 nucleic acid systematic testing in plasma pools became mandatory since 2005 (European monograph "Human plasma" - pooled and treated for virus inactivation). The French competent state authority (AFSSAPS) has decided to introduce this test as a part of the external quality control of labile blood products. This process is related to the harmonization of quality control practice realised on blood products in Europe even if the human plasma pooled and treated for virus inactivation by solvent-detergent is considered in France as a blood labile component. Implementation of this test required a validation step and a close cooperation between AFSSAPS and Aquitaine-Limousin blood transfusion centre. Validation consisted in perfecting a semi-quantitative, real-time nucleic acid testing method with automated extraction. This collaborative study leads us to control 1642 plasma pools. All the results were under the threshold of 10,0 IU/microL. AFSSAPS's results were in agreement with those of Aquitaine-Limousin's blood transfusion center who carry out the parvovirus B19 screening both on fresh frozen plasma units composing the pool and on plasma pools., (Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier SAS.)

A new discipline was born and grew up over the last 4 decades of 20th century: Experimental Hematology. In addition to yield the concept of Stemness, a paradigm later applied for the other tissues than hematopoietic one, it provided the results allowing a preclinical development and a therapeutic exploitation. The concept of ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic cells for transplantation is directly issued from this knowledge. It enabled us to realize that a critical quantity of different sub-populations of stem and progenitor cells are necessary to obtain a rapid and sustained hematopoietic reconstitution. These principles, transposed to human cells (originating from: bone marrow, peripheral blood, cord blood) required some important technological innovations (conception of the specific media, recombinant technology of cytokine production...), to achieve, after several attempts, the first efficient clinical trials (at the moment for cells mobilized in peripheral blood). This goal remains to be achieved for cord blood cells too. The developments in this field as well as its actual state are the subjects of this review.

Nucleic acid testing is carried out in several steps: plasma pooling, nucleic acid extraction, amplification and detection. The target values of temperature, volume and incubation time are mentioned in the initial protocol without giving their limit values. The objective of this work was to determine the range of values in which the test remains positives. So we have tested: 1) the temperature and incubation time of plasma in lysis buffer (37 degrees C +/- 3 et 30 min +/- 10); 2) the influence of volume and incubation time of silica (50 mul +/- 10 et 10 min +/- 5); 3) the variation of the eluate volume after nucleic extraction. We have also studied the influence of the internal control volume variation. For each parameter the assays were performed at sensitivity limit of the technique and repeated several times. Our results showed that: 1) for all parameters evaluated the tests remain positive within a wide range of values; 2) It is not necessary to set up a sophisticated measurement process; 3) the technique is robust.