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For bone preparation, several maceration techniques are available; however, gentle defleshing and soft tissue removal from bones without damaging the bone surface remains a challenge. The study aims to develop a novel, inexpensive, rapid, and resource-saving maceration technique that does not lead to bone surface changes and allows the study of signs of violence on the bone surface. Pig ribs and femurs were covered in aluminum foil and treated in the oven for 5 h at different temperatures with and without detergent. Additionally, femurs were placed in hot non-boiling water containing household bleach and detergents for 1 h. Examinations using macro photography, stereo and fluorescence microscopy, and micro-computed tomography showed no surface changes after treatment at 100 °C, such as flakes or bone cracks, on the ribs. The femurs showed surface changes after incubation in water, such as roughening.

Hypoxia in solid tumors remains a challenge for conventional cancer therapeutics. As a source for resistance, metastasis development and drug bioprocessing, it influences treatment results and disease outcome. Bioreductive platinum(iv) prodrugs might be advantageous over conventional metal-based therapeutics, as biotransformation in a reductive milieu, such as under hypoxia, is required for drug activation. This study deals with a two-step screening of experimental platinum(iv) prodrugs with different rates of reduction and lipophilicity with the aim of identifying the most appropriate compounds for further investigations. In the first step, the cytotoxicity of all compounds was compared in hypoxic multicellular spheroids and monolayer culture using a set of cancer cell lines with different sensitivities to platinum(ii) compounds. Secondly, two selected compounds were tested in hypoxic xenografts in SCID mouse models in comparison to satraplatin, and, additionally, (LA)-ICP-MS-based accumulation and distribution studies were performed for these compounds in hypoxic spheroids and xenografts. Our findings suggest that, while cellular uptake and cytotoxicity strongly correlate with lipophilicity, cytotoxicity under hypoxia compared to non-hypoxic conditions and antitumor activity of platinum(iv) prodrugs are dependent on their rate of reduction.

The coarse PVA-alginate matrix gel beads entrapping the micro-droplets of the ionic liquid tricaprylylmethylammonium 2-(methylthio) benzoate ([A336][MTBA]) as novel solid-phase extractants were prepared for the removal of mercury (II) from aqueous media. The ionic liquid [A336][MTBA] immobilized PVA-alginate beads (PVA/IL) have been characterized by FTIR, SEM and TGA. The influence of the uptake conditions was investigated including aqueous pH, PVA/IL dosage, the content of [A336][MTBA] and initial Hg (II) concentration; maximum Hg (II) ion adsorption capacity obtained was 49.89 (± 0.11)mgg(-1) at pH 5.8 with adsorptive removal of approximately 99.98%. The selectivity of the PVA/IL beads towards Hg (II), Pb (II) and Cu (II) ions tested was Hg>Pb>Cu. The rate kinetic study was found to follow second-order and the applicability of Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin adsorption isotherm model were tested as well. The results of the study showed that PVA/IL beads could be efficiently used as novel extractants for the removal of divalent mercury from aqueous solutions under comparatively easy operation conditions.

Mc 2009. Microscopy Conference, Graz, Austria. 30 August - 4 September 2009. First Joint Meeting Of Dreiländertagung And Multinational Congress On Microscopy.

Changes of cytomorphology and water permeability of inner epidermal cells of Allium cepa L. cvs Spartan and Keep Well were investigated with the light microscope after irradiation with UV-C (254 nm) and UV-B (280 and 310 nm). The sequence of the investigated changes of viscosity, protoplasmic streaming, organelle shape and water permeability was the same with 254 as with 280 nm. although a higher dose of 280 nm was needed to produce the same biologically equivalent effect. However, when calculated as a percentage of the lethal dose, the initial doses that produced the effects were the same for 254 and 280 nm. No changes could he observed at the cellular level after the cells were irradiated with 310 nm. The lethal dose depended upon the time between irradiation and observation. At 254 nm it was 1.1 kJ m−2 up to 1 h after irradiation and dropped to 860 J m−2 when measured 24 and 48 h later. At 280 nm a dose of 2.8 kJ m−2 killed the cells within I h while the dose needed after 24 and 48S h was 1.99 kJ m−2. The minimum doses which caused the different cytomorphological effects did not depend upon the observation time. Normal cell structure and functions that were altered immediately alter irradiation did not recover. Doses that were not immediately effective alter irradiation caused no later damage. Doses which increased water permeability were much higher than doses which influenced cytomorphological parameters of the cell.