Immobilisation of biorecognition elements on transducer surfaces is a key step in the development of biosensors. The immobilisation needs to be fast, cheap and most importantly should not affect the biorecognition activity of the immobilised receptor. A novel protocol for the covalent immobilisation of biomolecules containing primary amines using an inexpensive and simple polymer is presented. ...

OBJECTIVE To clarify the effects of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1), TGF beta 2, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on cell proliferation and proteoglycan (PG) synthesis in articular chondrocytes obtained from immobilised rabbit knees. METHODS The right knees of rabbits were immobilised in full extension for up to 42 days using fiberglass casts. Specimens for histology w...

BACKGROUND Demineralisation and bone density loss during immobilisation are known phenomena. However information concerning the extent of calcium loss during immobilisation remains inconsistent within literature. This may explain why treatment of bone loss and prevention of further demineralisation is often initiated only when spontaneous bone fracture occurred.Continuous renal replacement ther...

We describe 74 patients with disabling instability of the knee due to isolated anterior cruciate deficiency. None responded to conservative measures or correction of internal derangements. All patients were treated by replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament with the medial third of the patellar tendon as a free graft, supplemented by an extra-articular MacIntosh lateral reconstruction. A ...

The case is presented of a 27 year old woman with lateral ankle pain after an inversion injury sustained while dancing. Although initial radiographs failed to identify the fracture, radiographs of the ankle at six weeks showed an unsuspected fracture of the lateral process of the talus. The fracture was treated with cast immobilisation for six weeks and the patient is currently undergoing aggre...

Ophthalmic Graves' disease and histiocytosis X involving the orbit are occasionally refractory to treatment, so that vision may be threatened. In these situations megavoltage external beam radiotherapy should be employed, and the indications for this treatment are discussed. A highly accurate technique is described, using precise planning with information obtained from high definition CT scans,...

BACKGROUND Up to 30% of patients suffer from long-term functional restrictions following conservative treatment of distal radius fractures. Whether duration of cast immobilisation influences functional outcome remains unclear. METHODS/DESIGN The aim of the study is to evaluate whether the duration of immobilization of non or minimally displaced distal radial fractures can be safely reduced. W...

BACKGROUND Solid-binding peptides (SBPs) bind strongly to a diverse range of solid materials without the need for any chemical reactions. They have been used mainly for the functionalisation of nanomaterials but little is known about their use for the immobilisation of thermostable enzymes and their feasibility in industrial-scale biocatalysis. RESULTS A silica-binding SBP sequence was fused ...

Antibody molecules, and antibody fragments in particular, have enormous potential in the development of biosensors for marine monitoring. Conventional immobilisation approaches used in immunoassays typically yield unstable and mostly incorrectly oriented antibodies, however, resulting in reduced detection sensitivities for already low concentration analytes. The 2H12 anti-domoic acid scFv antib...

We present a case of distal radius fracture. Several sequential unfortunate events resulted in a poor outcome. The patient was poorly selected because the degree of early dementia was not fully appreciated, due to intermittent periods of lucidity. Having elected to treat this distal radius fracture with Kirschner wires, a wire snapped during the procedure and was deemed safe to leave within the...