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Minimal Damage (minimal + damage)
Selected AbstractsEndoscopic investigation of the internal organs of a 15th-century child mummy from Yangju, KoreaJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2006Seok Bae Kim Abstract Our previous reports on medieval mummies in Korea have provided information on their preservation status. Because invasive techniques cannot easily be applied when investigating such mummies, the need for non-invasive techniques incurring minimal damage has increased among researchers. Therefore, we wished to confirm whether endoscopy, which has been used in non-invasive and minimally invasive studies of mummies around the world, is an effective tool for study of Korean mummies as well. In conducting an endoscopic investigation on a 15th-century child mummy, we found that well-preserved internal organs remained within the thoracic, abdominal and cranial cavities. The internal organs , including the brain, spinal cord, lung, muscles, liver, heart, intestine, diaphragm and mesentery , were easily investigated by endoscopy. Even the stool of the mummy, which accidentally leaked into the abdominal cavity during an endoscopic biopsy, was clearly observed. In addition, unusual nodules were found on the surface of the intestines and liver. Our current study therefore showed that endoscopic observation could provide an invaluable tool for the palaeo-pathological study of Korean mummies. This technique will continue to be used in the study of medieval mummy cases in the future. [source] Site-specific opening of the blood-brain barrierJOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS, Issue 5-6 2010Steen J. Madsen Abstract The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant impediment for the delivery of therapeutic drugs into the brain. This is particularly problematic for the treatment of malignant gliomas which are characterized by diffuse infiltration of tumor cells into normal brain where they are protected by a patent BBB. Selective disruption of the BBB, followed by administration of anti-cancer agents, represents a promising approach for the elimination of infiltrating glioma cells. A summary of the techniques (focused ultrasound, photodynamic therapy and photochemical internalization) for site-specific opening of the BBB will be discussed in this review. Each approach is capable of causing localized and transient opening of the BBB with minimal damage to surrounding normal brain as evidenced from magnetic resonance images and histology. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Therapeutic management of recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantationLIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2007Rosāngela Teixeira Abstract Recurrent hepatitis C ranges from minimal damage to cirrhosis developing in a few months or years in a substantial proportion of transplant recipients. Different virus, host and donor factors are involved in the pathogenesis of recurrence, but many are poorly understood. Therapeutic strategies can be utilized in the pre-, peri- or posttransplantation setting. Antiviral therapy using interferon and ribavirin and modifying immunosuppression are the main strategies to prevent progression disease. The efficacy of interferon and ribavirin is limited and side effects, reduction/withdrawal are frequent. Current sustained virological response rates are approximately 28%. An optimal immunosupppression regimen has not been established. The choice of calcineurin inhibitors has not clearly been shown to affect histological hepatitis C virus (HCV) but higher cumulative exposure to corticosteroids to treat acute rejection is associated with more severe recurrence. The manner in which the doses of immunosuppression are modified has more influence on HCV recurrence than the use of a specific drug per se. Debate about the influence of immunosuppressive regimens on HCV recurrence is ongoing. Potential antifibrotic therapy and new agents targeting HCV infection and replication are emerging and are anticipated to be added to our armentarium in battling recurrent HCV post-LT. [source] Searching for DNA in museum specimens: a comparison of sources in a mammal speciesMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2010M. CASAS-MARCE Abstract The number of genetic studies that use preserved specimens as sources of DNA has been steadily increasing during the last few years. Therefore, selecting the sources that are more likely to provide a suitable amount of DNA of enough quality to be amplified and at the minimum cost to the original specimen is an important step for future research. We have compared different types of tissue (hides vs. bones) from museum specimens of Iberian lynx and multiple alternative sources within each type (skin, footpad, footpad powder, claw, diaphysis, maxilloturbinal bone, mastoid process and canine) for DNA yield and probability of amplification of both mitochondrial and nuclear targets. Our results show that bone samples yield more and better DNA than hides, particularly from sources from skull, such as mastoid process and canines. However, claws offer an amplification success as high as bone sources, which makes them the preferred DNA source when no skeletal pieces have been preserved. Most importantly, these recommended sources can be sampled incurring minimal damage to the specimens while amplifying at a high success rate for both mitochondrial and microsatellite markers. [source] Life cycle inventory and analysis of re-usable plastic containers and display-ready corrugated containers used for packaging fresh fruits and vegetablesPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 5 2006S. Paul Singh Abstract Today's demanding distribution challenges require engineers to choose from various types of materials, design and construction methods, to develop containers that can deliver goods with minimal damage. The challenge is even greater when packing and shipping goods which are perishable and sensitive to both physical and climatic changes in environment. In recent years the type of packaging material used to design and construct containers has undergone more scrutiny than ever, due to environmental challenges. This study focuses on two types of containers that have been designed and are being used to pack and ship fresh fruits and vegetables. The study compares the re-usable plastic containers to single-use display-ready paper corrugated trays. Results show that, based on the scope of this study and comparing 10 different produce items, such as apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, onions, tomatoes, strawberries, etc., the re-usable plastic containers require 39% less total energy, produce 95% less total solid waste and generate 29% less total greenhouse gas emissions. This study focused on the North American market. Major European nations have been using a large number of re-usable plastic containers for these types of fresh produce for the past three decades. This study was initiated by the Franklin Associates, an independent consulting firm for allowing an in-depth review of all data and results from a two year study titled: Life Cycle Inventory of Reusable Plastic Containers and Display-Ready Corrugated Containers Used for Fresh Produce Applications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The effect of low intensity ultraviolet-C light on monoclonal antibodiesBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2009Christopher M. Lorenz Abstract As part of an investigation to identify potential new viral reduction strategies, ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light was examined. Although this technology has been known for decades to possess excellent virus inactivation capabilities, UV-C light can also introduce significant unwanted damage to proteins. To study the effect on monoclonal antibodies, three different antibodies were subjected to varying levels of UV-C light using a novel dosing device from Bayer Technology Services GmbH. The range of fluencies (or doses) covered was between 0 and 300 J/m2 at a wavelength of 254 nm. Product quality data generated from the processed pools showed only minimal damage done to the antibodies. Aggregate formation was low for two of the three antibodies tested. Acidic and basic variants increased for all three antibodies, with the basic species increasing more than the acidic species. Peptide maps made for the three sets of pools showed no damage to two of the three antibody backbones, whereas the third antibody had very low levels of methionine oxidation evident. Samples held at 2,8°C for 33 days showed no increase in aggregates or charge variants, indicating that the proteins did not degrade and were not damaged further by reactive or catalytic species that may have been created on exposure to UV-C light. Overall, UV-C light was shown to induce very little damage to monoclonal antibodies at lower fluencies and appears to be a viable option for viral inactivation in biotechnology applications. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009 [source] | |||||||||||||