Background/Aim. Bacterial contamination of blood components, primarily platelet concentrates (PCs), has been identified as one of the most frequent infectious complications in transfusion practice. PC units have a high risk for bacterial growth/multiplication due to their storage at ambient temperature (20 ± 2°C). Consequences of blood contamination could be effectively prevented or reduced by ...

After proper sanitation treatment, organic wastes such as animal by-products, e.g. catering waste, slaughterhouse waste and manure can be used as fertilisers and soil conditioners and thereby contribute to a sustainable society. However, organic waste may contain pathogenic microorganisms and can thus present a health risk to both humans and animals if not properly treated. In the present thesi...

Residual risk of transmitting recognized and emerging blood-borne pathogens via blood transfusion in Japan persists despite advances in blood safety screening. The INTERCEPT Blood System (IBS) for platelets was developed to inactivate a broad spectrum of pathogens to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. In this study we assessed the economic impact of the IBS on platelet trans...

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) for the control of multiple soilborne pathogens is a viable alternative to the application of biocides and soil steaming. ASD implies soil wetting, incorporation of fresh organic matter, and covering with airtight plastic foil for several weeks. To speed up the whole process, Thatchtec has developed a procedure based on defined agricultural products (referred...

Phenothiazine-based photosensitisers have been employed in photoantimicrobial research for nearly 80 years, both as lead and novel compounds. However, the main structural variations have mainly involved the auxochromic side chains and little has been reported concerning either peripheral substitution or structures with chromophores other than those of the phenothiazinium or annelated benzo[a]ph...