Quality Assessment of the Commercially Available Predator Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a commercially available predatory mite used to control thrips, whiteflies, and broad mites in horticultural production. The inconsistent quality of mass-produced biocontrol agents is a major concern in augmentative biological control and only a few studies have tested the post-shipment quality of commercial phytoseiids. We evaluated the post-shipment quality of A. swirskii purchased from a commercial provider in the United States. Guidelines for quality control of commercially produced natural enemies, established by the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC), were followed. Quantity, survival, fecundity, and establishment in ornamenttal peppers (‘Explosive Ember’) were measured. The estimated quantity of A. swirskii motiles (immatures and adults) was quite variable among bran containers (20,968 ± 7,391 mites) but close to the number claimed in the label. Numbers of living A. swirskii females evaluated (n = 30) declined by less than 40% (26 ± 1.25 females) within two days of arrival and declined more than 50% by day eight (15 ± 1.23 females). No significant differences among days sampled were identified for female fecundity; however, fecundity varied considerably among containers. There was no population increase in the ornamental peppers during the two weeks following inoculation with A. swirskii. Accepted for publication 3 September 2016.

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Quality of Cord-Blood Units and Hematological Recovery After Intra Bone CBT Are Not Influenced by the Bank of Origin and by the Time of Cryopreservation

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v118.21.4400.4400 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 118 (21) ◽

pp. 4400-4400

Author(s):

Naoki Kurita ◽

Francesco Frassoni ◽

Nicoletta Sacchi ◽

Claudia Cossu ◽

Alberto Serio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Quality Control ◽

Cord Blood ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Cord Blood Transplantation ◽

The United States ◽

Small Sample ◽

P Value ◽

Blood Transplantation

Abstract Abstract 4400 BACKGROUND: Cord-blood transplantation (CBT) is an effective option for both malignant and non-malignant hematological diseases and its increasing number in the last years has enlarged the frequency of the use of cord-blood units (CBUs) trough international borders in order to maximize the opportunity of identifying optimal CB unit. Since there is no global standard regarding cord-blood quality control, the quality of CBUs can be affected by the bank of origin. In addition, few information are disposable on the cord blood engraftment capacity after long-term cryopreservation. In this study, we evaluated whether the origin and the age of CBUs may influence the quality of CBUs and post-transplant hematological recovery. METHODS: CBTs with single unit were performed at San Martino Hospital in Genoa for hematological malignancies using an intra-bone cord blood transplant technique. Just before infusion, a small sample of the CBU was obtained and post-thawing number of total nucleated cells (TNCs), CD34 positive cells, and colony-forming cells (CFCs) were characterized. Median pre-freezing number of TNCs and CD34-positive cells were 2.32 (1.15 – 4.52) × 109 and 9.3 (2.4 – 27.24) × 106, respectively. Recovery of neutrophil and platelet were compared according to the origin and the age of each CBU. RESULTS: 95 CBUs were tested. The bank of origin of CBUs was Europe (n = 45), the United States (n = 40), and other regions (n = 10). Median age of CBUs was 4.9 (0.4 – 11.8) years; CBUs originated from European bank were significantly older than CBUs from other regions (5.9 years vs 3.8 years, p value of unpaired t-test < 0.001). Median post-thawing number of TNCs, CD34 positive cells, and CFCs were 2.3 (0.74 – 4.5) × 109 cells, 1.1 (0.23 – 2.7) × 107 cells, and 1.8 (0.0 – 12) × 106 cells, respectively. These values did not differ considering older (> 4.9 years) CBUs or younger CBUs (< 4.9 years) or the bank of origin. Rate and median time of neutrophil and platelet engraftment was as follows: younger CBUs: 24 and 34 days, older CBUs: 25 and 35 days, respectively (Figure 1,3). Hematological recovery was not influenced by the bank origin of CBUs as well, namely, rate and time of neutrophil and platelet engraftment was, 22 and 34.5 days (Europe), 22 and 35 days (the United States), 24 and 42 days (the other region), respectively (Figure 2,4). CONCLUSION: Although in our experience time of cryopreservation of CBUs was significantly dependent from bank of origin, the origin and the age of CBUs have little impact on post-thawing values of TNCs, CD34 positive cells, and CFCs. In addition, hematological recovery after transplant was not influenced by the origin or by the age of CBU. These data suggest that quality control of CBU is working well regardless of the bank origin. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Quality Control of Data in a Large-Scale Cancer Register Program

Methods of Information in Medicine ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1636339 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 05 (02) ◽

pp. 67-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

W. I. Lourie ◽

W. Haenszeland

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Quality Control ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Large Scale ◽

The United States ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Related Data ◽

Cancer Register ◽

Independent Review ◽

End Results

Quality control of data collected in the United States by the Cancer End Results Program utilizing punchcards prepared by participating registries in accordance with a Uniform Punchcard Code is discussed. Existing arrangements decentralize responsibility for editing and related data processing to the local registries with centralization of tabulating and statistical services in the End Results Section, National Cancer Institute. The most recent deck of punchcards represented over 600,000 cancer patients; approximately 50,000 newly diagnosed cases are added annually.Mechanical editing and inspection of punchcards and field audits are the principal tools for quality control. Mechanical editing of the punchcards includes testing for blank entries and detection of in-admissable or inconsistent codes. Highly improbable codes are subjected to special scrutiny. Field audits include the drawing of a 1-10 percent random sample of punchcards submitted by a registry; the charts are .then reabstracted and recoded by a NCI staff member and differences between the punchcard and the results of independent review are noted.

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