Effects of controlled nucleation on freeze-drying lactose and mannitol aqueous solutions

The lyophilization of lactose and mannitol aqueous solutions was investigated with an emphasis on analyzing the effects of controlled nucleation, temperature of nucleation, and pore size distribution on the freeze-drying process. The experimental procedure involved the depressurization technique of controlled nucleation, in-vial temperature measurements as well as measurements of the chamber pressure, which allowed the analysis of the product batch, loaded in the laboratory lyophilizator. The average pore enlargement was 93 and 58% with the incorporation of the controlled nucleation step in the lyophilization of 6 wt% lactose and 6 wt% mannitol solutions, respectively. Consequently, the primary drying times were lowered from 450 to 500 min in both cases. The pore sizes were determined to be as important as the solid material itself in the scope of the sublimation rates. Namely, the average equivalent diameter of the pores was larger in the dried mannitol cake compared to the lactose cake. However, despite the higher porosity of the dried mannitol cake, the end of the sublimation in the primary drying step was observed approximately 500 min earlier during the lyophilization of the lactose solution with the same initial concentration as the mannitol solution in a comparable freeze-drying protocol. In addition, an increase in mannitol concentration from 3 to 12 wt% was found to substantially extend the time required for the sublimation phase of the lyophilization

Alternative reagents to antibodies in imaging applications

Antibodies have been indispensable tools in molecular biology, biochemistry and medical research. However, a number of issues surrounding validation, specificity and batch variation of commercially available antibodies have prompted research groups to develop novel non-antibody binding reagents. The ability to select highly specific monoclonal non-antibody binding proteins without the need for animals, the ease of production and the ability to site-directly label has enabled a wide variety of applications to be tested, including imaging. In this review, we discuss the success of a number of non-antibody reagents in imaging applications, including the recently reported Affimer

Data quality in rare cancers registraton: The report of the RARECARE data quality study

Purpose: Rare cancers represent 22% of all tumors in Europe; however, the quality of the data of rare cancers may not be as good as the quality of data for common cancer. The project surveillance of rare cancers in Europe (RARECARE) had, among others, the objectve of assessing rare cancer data quality in populaton-based cancer registries (CRs). Eight rare cancers were considered: mesothelioma, liver angiosarcoma, sarcomas, tumors of oral cavity, CNS tumors, germ cell tumors, leukemia, and malignant digestve endocrine tumors. Methods: We selected data on 18,000 diagnoses and revised, on the basis of the pathologic and clinical reports (but not on pathologic specimens), unspecified morphology and topography codes originally atributed by CR officers and checked the quality of follow-up of long-term survivors of poor prognosis cancers. Results: A total of 38 CRs contributed from 13 European countries. The majority of unspecified morphology and topography cases were confirmed as unspecified. The few unspecified cases that, after the review, changed to a more specific diagnosis increased the incidence of the common cancer histotypes. For example, 11% of the oral cavity epithelial cancers were reclassified from unspecified to more specific diagnoses: 8% were reclassified as squamous cell carcinoma (commoner) and only 1% as adenocarcinoma (rarer). The revision confirmed the majority of long-term survivors revealing a relatve high proporton of mesothelioma long-term survivors. The majority of appendix carcinoids changed behavior from malignant to borderline lesions. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the problem of poorly specified morphology and topography cases is mainly one of difficulty in reaching a precise diagnosis. The awareness of the importance of data quality for rare cancers should increase among registrars, pathologists, and clinicians

Mechanisms of immunomodulation by mammalian and viral decoy receptors: insights from structures

International audienceImmune responses are regulated by effector cytokines and chemokines that signal through cell surface receptors. Mammalian decoy receptors — which are typically soluble or inactive versions of cell surface receptors or soluble protein modules termed binding proteins — modulate and antagonize signalling by canonical effector–receptor complexes. Viruses have developed a diverse array of molecular decoys to evade host immune responses; these include viral homologues of host cytokines, chemokines and chemokine receptors; variants of host receptors with new functions; and novel decoy receptors that do not have host counterparts. Over the past decade, the number of known mammalian and viral decoy receptors has increased considerably, yet a comprehensive curation of the corresponding structure–mechanism relationships has not been carried out. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive resource on this topic with a view to better understanding the roles and evolutionary relationships of mammalian and viral decoy receptors, and the opportunities for leveraging their therapeutic potential