Emilda Belortaja is a graduate in General Medicine from the Medical University of Tirana, Albania. She is a 4th year resident in clinical- biochemical laboratory\r\nin the University Hospital Centre” Mother Theresa” in Tirana. Emilda is thrilled to continue working with the supportive group of laboratory specialists, who play a\r\ncrucial role in her development as a resident with a keen interest in research. She enjoys medicine, but also has a love for research.

BACKGROUND: Mature B cell neoplasms consist of entities arising from mature B lymphocytes which involve\r\nprimarily the blood, bone marrow and lymphoid organs. The value of these investigations is discussed to\r\nemphasize the importance of morphology as frontline diagnostic test and the correlation with flow cytometric\r\nimmunophenotyping (FCI).\r\nOBJECTIVE: To emphasize the importance of conventional morphology as frontline test supported by (FCI) in\r\ndiagnosis and separation of mature B cell neoplasms.\r\nMETHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the marrow smear and FCI of 195 patients with mature B cell neoplasms\r\nin a two-year period 2017-2018.\r\nRESULTS: 170 out of 195 patients showed morphological features of cells typical for chronic lymphocytic leukemia\r\n(CLL), (small lymphocytes, clumped chromatin, scanty cytoplasm) in all cases, compatible with FCI. 7 out of 195\r\npatients have morphological features of circulating cells of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) (small-to-medium lymphocytes,\r\neccentric round-to-oval nucleus, scanty cytoplasm with hair-like projections), compatible with FCI. 18 out of 195\r\npatients the morphological features of circulating cells are lymphoma cells (large cells with a high N:C ratio, a noncleaved\r\nnucleus and prominent nucleoli, or smaller cells with more basophilic cytoplasm and a cleaved nucleus). 16\r\nout of 18 cases have the FCI compatible with non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 2 cases are unspecified by FCI.\r\nCONCLUSION: In this study, conventional morphology and FCI are 100 % compatible in cases of CLL and HCL\r\nand 88,9 % compatible in cases with NHL.

M D Ermira Biu completed her Graduation as Physician at Faculty of Medicine of Tirana, Albania in 2011. In 2012, she became a Full Time Lecturer of the Para\r\nclinical Department of the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences of Tirana. She has also developed her skills as an Assistant of Esthetic Surgery. She is a PhD\r\ncandidate and her research is based on blood and its transfusion products, data collected mostly on ICU care, which most of her publications consists.

Background: Elevated lactate is a good predictor parameter of tissue hypoperfusion and is well known as a universal\r\nrisk factor for mortality.\r\nAim: Evaluation of 24 h variation of lactates values as prognostic indicator of patients admitted to ICU care.\r\nMethods: In this prospective observational study 105 patients were enrolled at ICU care unit of UHC “Mother\r\nTheresa”, Tirana during January–December 2015. All patients underwent one or more units of packed red blood\r\ncell transfusions in 24 hours based on monitored lactates level at admission time before transfusion, 2 hours and 24\r\nhours after blood transfusions. Inclusion criteria: >18 years old, Hb <9g/dL, lactates >2.5 mmol/L. Exclusion criteria:\r\nAPACHE score II over 20, cardiac disease and trauma patients. No protocols were used for hemo transfusion trigger;\r\nit was based on the clinical judgement.\r\nResults: In the study, 60% were males and 40% females with mean age 49.83 (±17.4), transfused with 1.97 (±0.78)\r\nunits of packed red blood cells. On admission time (before transfusion) 2 hours and 24 hours after transfusion,\r\nthe obtained results showed these lactate values: pre-transfusion: 2.6±1.17, 2h post-transfusion:1.95±1.06 (p=0.001)\r\nand 24 h post transfusion: 1.35±0.08 (p=0.001). So, lactate levels were significantly decreased at first 2 hours after\r\ntransfusion, Meanwhile, this decrease remained significant (at p< 0.005) after 2 and till 24 hours after packed red\r\nblood cell transfusion.\r\nConclusions: Lactates are a good prognostic indicator of tissue hypoxia, so that the evaluation and screening of them\r\nis very important also for transfusion decision making after 24 hours admission time.

M D Ermira Biu completed her Graduation as Physician at Faculty of Medicine of Tirana, Albania in 2011. In 2012, she became a Full Time Lecturer of the Para\r\nclinical Department of the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences of Tirana. She has also developed her skills as an Assistant of Esthetic Surgery. She is a PhD\r\ncandidate and her research is based on blood and its transfusion products, data collected mostly on ICU care, which most of her publications consists.

Background: RBC transfusion is commonly used in patients admitted in ICU care in order to correct anemia,\r\nalthough it is accompanied with complications and adverse events which put the clinicists in doubt to take a decision\r\nwhen and whether to transfuse or not.\r\nAim: To determine the incidence and types of various adverse transfusion reactions occurring in patients of an ICU\r\ncare service.\r\nMethods: This study was conducted at ICU care unit of UHC “Mother Theresa”, Tirana during January – December\r\n2015. In this prospective observational study 105 patients were enrolled, and all acute transfusion reactions were\r\nmonitored and analyzed based on their clinical features and lab tests.\r\nResults: A total of 207 units of packed blood cells were transfused of which only seven cases were reported as\r\ncomplications after blood transfusion. The highest incidence reported were the febrile non-hemolytic transfusion\r\nreactions (FNHTR) four from seven cases in total (57%), then allergic reactions (AR) 2(29%) and only 1 patient\r\n(14%) developed acute non-immunologic hemolytic transfusion reaction (ANIHTR) as presented on Figure 1. These\r\nreactions were accompanied by these signs and symptoms: chills 5 from 7(71%), fever 4(57%), cutan rash 6(85.7%),\r\nurticaria 5(71%) and 3 from 7(42.8%) developed other symptoms such as tachycardia, myalgia, hematuria, anxiety,\r\npruritis and sweating.\r\nConclusions: Although blood transfusion is a frequent therapy in ICU care, it’s very important to monitor carefully\r\nall the process of transfusion in order to minimize such complications.