Prevalence of antibodies to a new histo-blood system: the FORS system

In 1987, three unrelated English families were reported with a putative blood subgroup called Apae. Swedish researchers later found evidence leading to abolishment of the Apae subgroup and establishment instead of the FORS blood group system (System 31 - ISBT, 2012). It is important to know the prevalence of antibodies in order to make the best decisions in transfusion medicine. Cells expressing the Forssman saccharide, such as sheep erythrocytes, are needed to detect the anti-Forssman antibody. The aim of this study was to define the prevalence of human anti-Forssman antibody.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved