10 research outputs found
Improving the batch-to-batch reproducibility in microbial cultures during recombinant protein production by guiding the process along a predefined total biomass profile
In industry Escherichia coli is the preferred host system for the heterologous biosynthesis of therapeutic proteins that do not need posttranslational modifications. In this report, the development of a robust high-cell-density fed-batch procedure for the efficient production of a therapeutic hormone is described. The strategy is to guide the process along a predefined profile of the total biomass that was derived from a given specific growth rate profile. This profile might have been built upon experience or derived from numerical process optimization. A surprisingly simple adaptive procedure correcting for deviations from the desired path was developed. In this way the batch-to-batch reproducibility can be drastically improved as compared to the process control strategies typically applied in industry. This applies not only to the biomass but, as the results clearly show, to the product titer also
Correlation of sonographic characteristics and pathomorphological findings in cases of early-stage cervical cancer: preliminary results.
Objectives: To correlate the sonographic two-dimensional (2D)
gray-scale features with pathological findings in early-stage invasive
cervical cancer.
Methods: Eighteen patients with biopsy-confirmed invasive cervical
carcinoma (stages IB1 IIA according to FIGO staging) who
underwent surgery were enrolled in the study. Transvaginal 2D
gray-scale sonography was performed in all of them at the Hospital
of Kaunas University of Medicine prior to hysterectomy. The largest
diameters of tumor mass, tumor shape, tumor area, as well as the
deepest cervical stromal invasion and the largest thickness of tumorfree
cervical stroma in sagittal and axial planes were correlated
with their pathomorphological equivalents using Pearson correlation
coefficients. Toshiba NICE and Canvas X Scientific Edition software
packages were employed for the analysis and correlation of
sonographic and pathomorphological images. The interobserver
variability was evaluated by having two blinded sonologists interpret
each examination and calculating kappa statistics. The intraobserver
variability was assayed in nine patients at 24-h intervals.
Results: At 2D gray-scale analysis 15 patients (83%) showed
detectable tumor masses. The largest diameters of the tumor mass
(maximum length, depth and width) measured at sonographic
and pathomorphological examinations correlated well (R = 0.87,
R = 0.89 and R = 0.76, respectively). The largest tumor area
measured in both sagittal and axial planes also showed a strong
correlation (R = 0.78 and R = 0.84, respectively). Poor correlation
was seen in the deepest cervical stromal invasion (R = 0.14). A
discrepancy of more than 10% of the tumor shape in the sagittal
plane seen during sonography and pathomorphological examination
occurred in seven cases (47%).
Conclusions: Two-dimensional gray-scale sonography is accurate in
the assessment of early-stage cervical cancer. This method should be
considered in all patients with early-stage cervical cancer scheduled
for radical treatment