Five hundred thrombocytaphereses by discontinuous centrifugation were retrospectively analyzed to elucidate platelet mobilization during thrombocytapheresis.
Platelet mobilization per apheresis was 1.937±1.521×10¹¹ (mean and SD) and was positive in 85% and almost zero in 10%. Five per cent showed negative mobilization due to redistribution from body circulation into the pool.
The time of apheresis was positively correlated to the size of mobilization (p≈0.002), which was considered to be the main cause of better platelet yield in the slower apheresis. Statistical analyses demonstrated increase in blood voulme or decrease in hematocrit to be an important factor to promote positive mobilization (p<0.001).
In five of thirty six donors received apheresis twice, the platelet mobilization was negative in one apheresis and then positive in the other, suggesting the presence of certain conditions which cause negative mobilization.
In comparison with the group of positive mobilization, the negative group was significantly higher in preapheresis platelet counts and smaller in increase in blood volume or in decrease in hematocrit during the apheresis (p<0.001).

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Twelve female donors received four plasmapheresis at 7 day-interval. Apheresis was done using Haemonetics V50 machine. Blood samples were obtained just before each run, immediately after the last apheresis and then 1, 2 and 4 weeks after the 4th apheresis.
Complete blood cell counts revealed significant decrease in RBC and hematocrit values. White blood cells and platelets were unchanged. Fibrinogen increased significantly two weeks after the 4th apheresis, however, decrease in antithrombin III was observed even after the 2nd plasmapheresis. Second procedure resulted decrease in total serum protein, IgG, IgA and IgM concentrations, which remained lower for several weeks. Serum albumin and total cholesterol levels were unchanged.
Most donors represented moderate fall in blood pressure, and a few complained chills and/or mild paresthesias (citrate toxicity) during apheresis. After apheresis, eighteen procedures (in nine donors) of 48 plasmapheresis resulted general fatigue, and these symptoms continued for two to 24 hours. These symptoms were similar to those of generalized disequilibrium syndrome found in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Further study on serum oncotic pressure is needed and removal of less plasma volume should be considered.

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Optimum centrifugation conditions for the preparation of platelet concentrate have been investigated from the aspects of quality and function of platelets including recovery, leukocyte contamination, pH, size distribution, aggregability, hypotonic shock response, shape change, adhesiveness and ATP release.
It was found that optimum results were obtained by centrifugation at the speed of 2, 000 rpm (1136×g) for five minutes in the preparation of platelet rich plasma, and at the speed of 3, 200rpm (1908×g) for five minutes in the preparation of platelet concentrate. The preparative protocols indicated greater effect on the quality of product in the first centrifugation of whole blood than in the second process.

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The detection of anti-granulocyte allo-antibodies by two methods of flowcytometric immunofluorescence (FCM-method) and ATP-bioluminescence (ATP-method) is described. Granulocyte allo-antibodies were detected with high sensitivity in the sera of transfused patients by these two methods. The patients with high titer of granulocyte allo-antibodies had been showing post-transfusion reactions with fever at every transfusion. These methods were proved to be a rapid, reliable technique, which may be applied in routine screening of granulocyte allo-antibodies for a large number of clinical samples. FCM- and ATP-method are different in its principle of detecting reaction and the results were not always coincident. The detecting rate of antibody was higher in the FCM-method than in the ATP-method, however, a few antibodies were detected not by FCM-method but by ATP-method. For the improvement of detecting efficiency, combined screening with FCM- and ATP-method is desirable.

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