Liquidus tracking: controlled rate vitrification for the cryopreservation of larger volumes and tissues.

BACKGROUND: Vitrification of cells or tissue at controlled cooling rates suitable for larger volumes, and with reduced cryoprotectant toxicity. OBJECTIVE: To set out the current understanding of the LiquidusTracking (LT) vitrification technique, and to discuss the challenges and benefits of translating the method into laboratory protocols more generally applicable to meet requirements of large volume and 3-D cryo-banking in the era of regenerative medicine. METHODS: By adding small amounts of cryoprotectants at each step and subsequently cooling the sample just above its freezing point before further increasing CPA concentration, cryoprotectant toxicity is minimized. RESULT: CPA toxicity can be reduced by lowering the temperature. Different manual approaches to LT were evaluated and further improved. CONCLUSIONS: Manual liquidus tracking is complicated and exhibits potential high variability. Nevertheless, this approach offers the possibility of testing several conditions simultaneously and could be used to pre-test conditions prior to automatic LT development.

[Femoral nerve lesion in heparin therapy]. / Nervus femoralis-Läsion unter Heparintherapie.

Two case reports on femoral nerve lesion due to hematoma in the iliopsoas muscle or as the case may be in the iliacus muscles on both sides are presented with review of the literature. Synopsis of the reported cases--certainly a minority of anticoagulant therapy complications nevertheless increasingly mentioned in the literature--suggests that there might be a higher risk of bleeding for women within the first week of so-called high-dose heparin therapy. Coagulation studies do not contribute essentially in preventing retroperitoneal haematoma since they are within therapeutic limits in many cases. So clinical observation is crucial in the diagnosis of this complication of heparin therapy, which might occur more frequently under concomitant administration of acetacylic acid. Early surgical decompression of the femoral nerve seems to provide better results seen on follow-up than conservative treatment, especially in patients with rapid onset of severe limb weakness.