BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion service is an important part of our healthcare system whose aim is to provide safe, effective blood components for the patient's requirement. The laboratory technicians and nurses working in the blood bank form the core for the effective functioning of blood bank. The study was to analyze the knowledge, attitude, and practice of nurses and paramedics such as laboratory technicians working in blood banks and whether intervention of a training program had any benefit to the participants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in our department which is a regional training center approved by the National AIDS Control Organization for training medical officers, laboratory technicians, and staff nurses working in blood banks. There were a total number of 48 government run hospital blood banks who participated in the study and we conducted six training programs for 43 nurses and 64 laboratory technicians working in blood banks from the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in India. The training program was for 5 days for technicians and 3 days for nurses with theory sessions followed by hands on practical classes regarding the daily activities in blood bank. They were given a pre-evaluation questionnaire to test their knowledge, attitude, and practice followed by a post evaluation questionnaire after conducting the training program. RESULTS: The mean percentage score in the pre evaluation test before the training program for nurses and technicians was 47% and 53% while after the training program; the mean percentage was 66.8% and 77% which was statistically significant in both the groups. The correct blood bank practices followed by nurses and laboratory technicians overall were 67% and 75%, respectively. The technicians and nurses scored poorly in blood bank practices related to hemovigilance. DISCUSSIONS: Regular and standardized training can lead to improvements in the knowledge, skills, and practice of nurses and paramedics who provide blood transfusion services. The constraints faced by the nurses and paramedical personnel needs to be addressed for the overall betterment of blood transfusion services. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the knowledge subsequently contributed to a better practice in the technicians. The concept of haemovigilance and error reporting has to be stressed on the nurses and paramedics to improve their good practices.

Background: Blood group substances are present in soluble form in a majority of individuals in secretion such as saliva and body fl uids. Secretor status refers to the presence (SeSe and Sese) or absence (sese) of secretor gene which secrete ABH soluble substances. Secretor status can be used to resolve ABO discrepancies of people whose blood group cannot be identified by routine blood grouping and it can also help in identifying patients who may be a high risk group for getting certain diseases. Aims and Objectives:Our aim and objectives of the study is to fi nd out the Prevalence of Secretor Status and Co-expression of Lewis Antigens among the Voluntary Blood Donors.Materials and Methods:This study was conducted in sixty volunteers and the method used to determine the secretor status was hemagglutination inhibition method. Their blood was used to detect the type of Lewis (Le) antigen since the type of Lewis antigen correlated with the secretor status of the individual.Results:Among the sixty subjects tested, forty fi ve of them were found to be secretors and fifteen of them were Non-secretors. The number of Lewis (a+b-) individuals were twelve, Lewis (a-b+) were thirty nine and Lewis (a-b-) were nine.Conclusion:The prevalence of secretors was 75% and non-secretors were 25% respectively. We found 65 % of the volunteers were found to be Le (a-b+) positive, 20% were Le (a+b-) and the remaining 15% were Le (a-b-) which correlated with the ABH antigen secretor status.Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.7(5) 2016 93-96

Dengue virus (DENV), a mosquito-borne pathogen belonging to the Flaviviridae family, continues to be a major global public health concern, causing millions of infections annually across tropical and subtropical regions. The virus encodes both structural and non-structural proteins that play critical roles in its replication, assembly, and immune evasion. Despite substantial research progress, there is still no specific antiviral drug available, and current treatment remains primarily supportive. This review highlights the significance of DENV structural proteins (C, prM/M, and E) and non-structural proteins (NS1–NS5) as potential molecular targets for antiviral interventions. Green-synthesized silver, gold, and iron oxide nanoparticles have demonstrated strong inhibitory activity against DENV by targeting key viral proteins such as the envelope (E), NS3 protease/helicase, and NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. These nanoparticles interfere with viral entry, replication, and protein synthesis while exhibiting high biocompatibility and minimal cytotoxicity. Collectively, the findings discussed in this review underscore the promise of eco-friendly nanotechnology as a sustainable and effective platform for developing next-generation antiviral therapies against dengue virus.

Background: Dengue fever is one of the most common mosquito-borne viral infections, with severe cases characterized by plasma leakage, hemorrhage, and multi-organ involvement. Identification of dengue serotypes and reliable biomarkers is essential for predicting disease progression and guiding timely interventions. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at a super-speciality tertiary care hospital in southern India from July 2024 to July 2025. A total of 69 patients presenting with dengue warning signs were included in the study. Patients were categorized into the severe dengue group (n = 25) and non severe dengue group (n = 44). Clinical data, laboratory findings, dengue serotype, and serial serum samples collected on Days 1, 4, and 8 were analyzed to evaluate the predictive and monitoring efficacy of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8), and followed up till discharge. Results: Out of 69 dengue patients with warning signs, 32 dengue-positive patients were serotyped, which included DEN V-1 (31.3%), DEN V-2 (31.3%), DEN V-3 (15.6%), DEN V-4 (18.8%), and mixed DEN V-(2 + 3) (3.1%). Severe dengue patients exhibited a higher frequency of secondary dengue infection (IgG) than primary dengue infection (88% vs. 12%), with statistically significantly higher packed cell volume, hemoglobin levels, high AST levels, and prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, as well as lower platelet counts and albumin levels. Platelet transfusion was given to 35 dengue patients, which had also resulted in significant length of stay in hospital in comparison to non-transfused patients. IL-6 and IL-8 levels were significantly elevated in severe dengue patients when compared to non-severe dengue patients on Day 1 and Day 4, followed by a decline on Day 8, corresponding with clinical recovery. However, the elevated IL-8 levels were observed to be significantly associated with longer hospital stays, indicating its potential role as an early predictor of disease progression. Conclusions: The observed co-circulation of multiple serotypes reflects the hyper-endemic pattern reported across India. Early measurement of these cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 helps distinguish severe from non-severe dengue among patients presenting with warning signs. IL-6 and IL-8 may have potential as biomarkers for disease severity. However their role in guiding platelet transfusion requires further investigation in non-severe cases and prioritizing timely management for those at higher risk of severe disease.