Microspheres made from poly (lactic/glycolic acid) polymers have been considered as a new delivery system for single-dose tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccines. One of the most critical properties of the ...proposed vaccines is the loading and distribution of TT as this will have a profound effect on immunogenicity. As the concentration of TT in microspheres is very low sensitive assay methods are required. An assay incorporating monoclonal antibody (MAb) recognizing a neutralizing epitope and cross-reacting with TT was developed (MAb capture ELISA) which provided a sensitivity of 0.001 Lf/ml. An extraction procedure was devised which did not destroy the antigenicity and gave a recovery of 90.6 ±3.39% when applied to different preparations. The extracted TT was then quantified by MAb capture ELISA which was estimated to be 250-fold more sensitive than single-site ELISA for toxoid. The loading of 20 microspheres preparations (12 filled and 8 placebo) was determined by both protein micro-BCA assay and the developed assay for TT. The TT content obtained for the 12 FIlled microspheres preparations from different sources varied up to 400-fold (range 0.01–4.0 Lf/mg microspheres). The utility of the MAb capture ELISA for detection of total antigenic content in microspheres was conFIrmed by the observation that the determined TT loading correlated with the theoretical loading predicted from the protein content for the best preparations. Preparations with high loading gave the greatest peak response. There was no relationship between dose and the
in vivoimmunogenic response, suggesting that encapsulated vaccines with differential loading, release properties and presence of excipients will have different response curves
in vivo. Hence, the present assay, when combined with informatation on toxoid release rate and presence and effect of excipients may be of value in predicting
in vivoresponse.
Facial fractures are common in the multiply-traumatized patient, and the results of previous studies that have examined the relationship between facial fractures, cervical spine injuries, and head ...injuries have produced conflicting results. A retrospective review of 1,050 blunt-trauma patients during a 40-month period at a regional trauma unit revealed 168 patients with facial fractures. The average injury severity score (ISS) of these patients with facial fractures was 31 compared with an average ISS of 25.6 for the entire group. There were 266 facial fractures in these 168 patients: mandible (n = 72), maxilla (n = 74), zygoma (n = 52), orbital (n = 46), nasoethmoidal (n = 20), and frontal (n = 2). There were seven (4%) cervical spine injuries, three of which were atlanto-occipital subluxations in patients who ultimately died. Of the four surviving patients, one had a cord injury. In contrast, 145 (85%) showed evidence of head injuries; 64 (38%) of these head injuries were serious and 17 of these patients required craniotomy. The relationship of facial fractures and cervical spine injuries may be over emphasized; head injuries, although frequently minor, are much more commonly associated with facial fractures.
Ecology. North Atlantic right whales in crisis Kraus, Scott D; Brown, Moira W; Caswell, Hal ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
2005-Jul-22, 20050722, Letnik:
309, Številka:
5734
Journal Article
The experience of the first three years' work on a ward for the rehabilitation of patients was reviewed. Adults with physical disabilities or mixed physical and psychological disabilities, including ...unstable or deteriorating conditions, were accepted for intensive rehabilitation. Most patients had neurological disorders. The ward policy was that each patient had considerable time with the therapist, maximum personal independence was encouraged, and multidisciplinary staff meetings were held to agree the goals of treatment. Much effort was spent helping patients and relatives to adapt to conditions of progressive disability, but the response to questionnaires suggested that these patients as well as those who did improve received some benefit from being on the ward. Overall the benefits of the intensive rehabilitation that was offered on this ward outweighed those from short stays on medical wards.
Placement of flow-directed Swan-Ganz catheters without fluoroscopic guidance occasionally results in placement in positions other than the pulmonary artery. In the case presented, the inadvertent ...placement of such a catheter into the left pericardiophrenic vein was probably facilitated by distortion of the right heart and systemic venous anatomy.
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