Preservation Methods Research Articles

Cryopreservation of goat spermatozoa in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam: evaluating cryoprotectant effectiveness

Conserving and improving the quality of breeds is crucial for enhancing small ruminant production in Vietnam. To support this purpose, cryopreservation was offered as a promising method for semen preservation and maintaining genetic diversity. Moreover, many small-scale farmers in Mekong Delta rely on goats for both income and nutrition, making them an important part of farming activities. This study aimed to develop a sperm cryopreservation protocol and identify the optimal cryoprotectant for goat sperm in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Semen samples were diluted with TCG-EggYolk freezing medium containing cryoprotectant agent (CPA) in a 1:1 ratio. The samples were then placed in 0.5 mL French straws, cooled to 15 °C and 5 °C, and subjected to nitrogen vapor before being immersed in liquid nitrogen at -196 °C. Experiment 1 utilized Glycerol as the CPA in concentrations of 0 %, 5 %, 8 %, and 11 %. Experiment 2 employed dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the CPA with the same concentrations. Thawed samples were evaluated for sperm quality. Results indicated that in Experiment 1, increasing the Glycerol concentration improved the overall motility, viability, and membrane integrity of sperm. The best outcomes were achieved with 8 % Glycerol, resulting in progressive motility of 57.5 % (P<0.05). In Experiment 2, the extender containing 8 % DMSO demonstrated significantly better performance in terms of overall motility, viability, and membrane integrity compared to 5 % or 11 % DMSO. Progressive motility was 53.5 % (P<0.05). In conclusion, the study determined that using 8 % Glycerol or 8 % DMSO is the optimal choice for freezing goat sperm in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.

Transcriptomic Signatures in Lung Allografts and Their Therapeutic Implications.

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a well-established method of lung preservation in clinical transplantation. Transcriptomic analyses of cells and tissues uncover gene expression patterns which reveal granular molecular pathways and cellular programs under various conditions. Coupling EVLP and transcriptomics may provide insights into lung allograft physiology at a molecular level with the potential to develop targeted therapies to enhance or repair the donor lung. This review examines the current landscape of transcriptional analysis of lung allografts in the context of state-of-the-art therapeutics that have been developed to optimize lung allograft function.

Effectiveness of Selected Preservatives in Protecting Bamboo Against Termite Attack

Bamboo is highly susceptible to insect attacks. To promote its use as an alternative to wood, it is crucial to assess its preservation methods to increase its service life. This study investigated the effectiveness of preservatives in protecting bamboo against termite attack. Three bamboo species were extracted, air-dried, and pressure-treated with different concentrations of crude-lake salt, borax-boric acid, and tanalith. Preserved and unpreserved samples for each treatment were weighed and exposed to Macrotermes bellicosus termites in Kasagala Central Forest Reserve. After 21 days, durability classes and mass loss were determined following European standards. The results showed that termite resistance depends on the type of preservative. All the untreated and crude lake salt-treated bamboo samples were attacked and classified into the not-durable class. Samples treated with Tanalith were classified under the durable class. Borax-boric acid provided moderate resistance to bamboo samples and belonged to the moderately durable class. Crude lake salt did not provide sufficient protection against termites. The difference in species did not influence termite resistance. Untreated B. vulgaris had the highest mass loss and O. alpina the lowest. The findings from the study will contribute to improved utilisation of bamboo by proper preservation

Spicing Up Meat Preservation: Cinnamomum zeylanicum Essential Oil in Meat-Based Functional Foods-A Five-Year Review.

Today, in the modern consumer era, we are facing a significant change in terms of preferences and behaviour. This tendency is not only a basic desire, but rather a significant social and cultural movement that exerts a tremendous influence on the food industry and correlated sectors. In this direction, food authorities and experts have thoroughly evaluated the practicality of employing natural preservation methods to enhance the quality and safety of foodstuffs, while preserving their nutritional and sensory attributes. Given this context, the development of meat products enhanced with Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil (CZEO) poses promising avenues, such as extended shelf-life due to its antimicrobial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. CZEO also has many health benefits, rendering it as a promising ingredient in functional meat product formulations. Conversely, challenges such as higher associated costs, sensory interactions, and variability arise. Hence, the aim of this review is to offer a novel critical perspective on CZEO's potential application as a functional ingredient in meat products formulations and to address the inherent associated challenges, based on the last five years of scholarly publications.

An Overview: Specificities and Novelties of the Cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the specificities (milk characteristics, production process, ripening biochemistry, composition, and sensory properties) and novelties of the world-famous traditional cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean (EM). The EM area is remarkably heterogeneous (11 countries—Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia) in terms of cheese production, but there are some common features that can be associated with EM which are connected to the difficult geoclimaticconditions (hilly terrain and hot summers). Cheesemakers resort to some preservation methods, such as high salt content (in white-brined cheeses), high total solids content (in hard cheeses), the use of hot water in the treatment of the curd (in pasta filata cheeses), the addition of some local herbs with antimicrobial properties, and the use of animal skin sacks for cheese ripening. Due to the high proportion of whey as a by-product, whey is traditionally used in EM for the production of whey cheeses. Preserving the production of traditional EM cheeses is critical to maintaining their cultural significance and meeting the demand of consumers interested in the provenance, craftsmanship, and nutritional value of these unique products.

An in situ and real-time analytical method for detection of freeze-thew cycles in tuna via IKnife rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry

Freezing is one of the most commonly used preservation methods for Bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis). However, repeated freezing and thawing would inevitably occur due to the temperature fluctuation, leading to the microstructure damage, lipid oxidation and protein integrity decline of tuna muscle without notable visual appearance change. In this study, we used a rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) technique for the real-time determination of the extent of repeated freezing and thawing cycles in tuna fillets. We found significant variance in the relative abundance of fatty acids between bluefin tuna and its fresh counterpart following freeze-thaw cycles. Meanwhile, the difference is statistically significant (p < 0.05). The quality of tuna remains largely unaffected by a single freeze-thaw cycle but significantly deteriorates after freeze-thaw cycles (freeze-thaw count ≥2), and the relative fatty acid content of the ionized aerosol analysis in the REIMS system positively correlated with the number of freeze-thaw cycles. Notably, palmitic acid (C 16:0, m/z 255.23), oleic acid (C 18:1, m/z 281.24), and docosahexaenoic acid (C 22:6, m/z 327.23) displayed the most pronounced changes within the spectrum of fatty acid groups.

A Review on the Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Cold Creams Incorporating Natural Oils

Herbal cold creams, formulated with natural oils, have emerged as a popular choice in the cosmetic industry due to their natural composition, enhanced safety profile, and potential therapeutic benefits. These emulsions provide a cooling sensation upon application and offer advantages such as moisturizing, nourishing, and protecting the skin. The physiology of the skin, the mechanism of action of topical formulations, and the ideal properties of herbal cold creams play a crucial role in their formulation and effectiveness. Natural oils, such as neem, coconut, almond, olive, and sesame oil, enhance the therapeutic potential of cold creams by providing moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-aging properties. Herbal cold creams can be formulated as oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, each with its unique characteristics. The formulation process involves careful consideration of ingredient selection, emulsifier choice, preservation, and manufacturing methods. Evaluation parameters, including pH measurement, irritancy test, spreadability, viscosity, and dilution test, are essential to ensure the quality, stability, and efficacy of the formulated creams. The growing trend towards herbal cosmetics highlights the need for further research and development to create innovative, safe, and effective herbal cold cream formulations that cater to the diverse needs of consumers while adhering to regulatory requirements

Organic acid preservation of cereal grains improves grain quality, growth performance, and intestinal health of post-weaned pigs

This study investigated the effect of preserving wheat and barley grains with an organic acid liquid surfactant mould inhibitor compared to conventional artificial drying and assessed its effects on the health and performance of pigs post-weaning (PW). A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was conducted to investigate the interaction between grain preservation method (dried vs. preserved) and zinc oxide (ZnO) inclusion (yes vs. no) on growth performance, diarrhoea scores and incidence, and total tract nutrient digestibility. One hundred and ninety-two pigs (3 pigs/pen; 16 replicates/treatment) were assigned to one of four experimental diets for 35 days: (1) dried grain diet, (2) preserved grain diet, (3) dried grain diet with ZnO and (4) preserved grain diet with ZnO. Diets were formulated to contain similar levels of net energy and standardised ileal digestible lysine. On day 35 PW, 24 pigs (12 replicates/treatment) from the non-ZnO supplemented groups were euthanised and digesta was collected for coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility (CAID), gut microbial population and volatile fatty acid analysis. Stomach tissue was also collected for gene expression analysis, as well as small intestine samples for gut morphology. Notable improvements in grain quality were observed in the preserved grain, including a reduction in grain pH, mould presence, and contamination by mycotoxins, specifically deoxynivalenol in wheat and barley, and ochratoxin A and HT-2 toxin in barley. The preserved grain diet improved average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.01) and body weight (BW; P < 0.01) compared to the dried grain diet. The incorporation of ZnO increased average daily feed intake (ADFI; P < 0.01) and BW (P < 0.05) in the dried grain diet, however, ZnO did not affect ADFI (P > 0.05), and reduced ADG and BW in the preserved grain diet (P < 0.05). Pigs offered the preserved grain diet had reduced faecal scores and diarrhoea incidence compared to those offered the dried grain diet (P < 0.05). Supplementation of ZnO reduced faecal scores and diarrhoea incidence compared to non-supplemented pigs (P < 0.001). On day 35 PW, the preserved grain diet had improved CAID of nitrogen and gross energy (P < 0.05), lower levels of colonic branched-chain volatile fatty acids (P < 0.05), and beneficial shifts in gut microbial populations. Specifically, there was a reduction in ileal Streptococcus (P < 0.001) and an increased abundance of colonic Faecalibacterium (P < 0.05). In conclusion, organic acid preservation improved grain quality, benefiting post-weaned pigs through improved nutrient digestibility and gut health, thus enhancing overall growth performance PW.

Cardiac Loading using Passive Left Atrial Pressurization and Passive Afterload for Graft Assessment.

Ex vivo machine perfusion or normothermic machine perfusion is a preservation method that has gained great importance in the transplantation field. Despite the immense opportunity for assessment due to the beating state of the heart, current clinical practice depends on limited metabolic trends for graft evaluation. Hemodynamic measurements obtained from left ventricular loading have garnered significant attention within the field due to their potential as objective assessment parameters. In effect, this protocol provides an easy and effective manner of incorporating loading capabilities to established Langendorff perfusion systems through the simple addition of an extra reservoir. Furthermore, it demonstrates the feasibility of employing passive left atrial pressurization for loading, an approach that, to our knowledge, has not been previously demonstrated. This approach is complemented by a passive Windkessel base afterload, which acts as a compliance chamber to maximize myocardial perfusion during diastole. Lastly, it highlights the capability of capturing functional metrics during cardiac loading, including left ventricular pulse pressure, contractility, and relaxation, to uncover deficiencies in cardiac graft function after extended periods of preservation times (˃6 h).

Exploring the Frontiers of Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation: A Review.

Objective: This paper serves as an up-to-date narrative review of the most effective methods and outcomes of ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) with new data comparing this method to oocyte and embryo cryopreservation as well as its utility in restoration of endocrine function. Background: Data on OTC are becoming more available as more patients are achieving cancer remission and choosing to use their cryopreserved tissue to conceive or restore endocrine function. With OTC only recently becoming a non-experimental method of fertility preservation, it is important to evaluate, compare, and optimize current practices to improve live birth outcomes. Methods: A literature search of meta-analyses, systematic reviews, case series, retrospective studies, and randomized control trials was performed using the PubMed database with multiple search terms. Discussion: Current practices and outcomes of OTC remain heterogeneous, though they are becoming more streamlined with the emerging data on successful live births. Multiple aspects of OTC have been studied to optimize protocols, particularly methods of cryopreserving, in vitro maturation, and transplantation. In vitro follicle maturation is a novel application with emerging data on methods and outcomes. OTC is a versatile method not only for fertility preservation but also for hormone restoration as well. With wider usage of OTC, ethical dilemmas will need to be addressed. Conclusions: OTC can be used as fertility preservation for a variety of patients. Recent studies suggest it may be comparable to embryo cryopreservation, but with growing data on live births, comparative studies should continue to be performed. In vitro follicle maturation (IVFM) is a promising application of ovarian tissue harvesting. Data are lacking on cost-effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and morbidity associated with OTC.

A Comprehensive Review of Donor Corneal Preservation Strategies.

Successful corneal transplantation relies on the viability of the corneal endothelium. Although various preservation systems have been developed in the field of eye banking, long-term storage of the corneal endothelium poses challenges and is costly. Optisol-GS in the past has been the most commonly used solution for intermediate-term corneal storage in the United States. However, disruptions in the availability of Optisol-GS, caused by rising costs and supply shortages, have necessitated alternative methods of corneal preservation. Previously described preservation methods include hypothermia (2-8°C) for short-term storage (7-14 days), organ culture (28-37°C) for intermediate storage (4-7 weeks), and cryopreservation for longer-term storage. In this review, we examine standard practice and alternative methods for corneal storage.

Menstrual Blood Stem Cells-Derived Exosomes as Promising Therapeutic Tools in Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Induced by Gonadotoxic Systemic Anticancer Treatment.

Gonadotoxicity resulting from systemic and locoregional cancer treatments significantly threatens women's reproductive health, often culminating in premature ovarian insufficiency. These therapies, particularly alkylating agents and ionizing radiation, induce DNA damage and apoptosis in ovarian follicles, leading to infertility, amenorrhea, and estrogen deficiency, which exacerbate risks of osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Existing fertility preservation methods do not prevent immediate ovarian damage, underscoring the need for innovative protective strategies. Menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSC) and their extracellular vesicles (EV) present promising regenerative potential due to their therapeutic cargo delivery and pathway modulation capabilities. Preclinical studies demonstrate that MenSC-derived EV ameliorate premature ovarian insufficiency by inhibiting granulosa cell apoptosis, promoting angiogenesis, and activating pivotal pathways such as SMAD3/AKT/MDM2/P53. However, comprehensive research is imperative to ensure the safety, efficacy, and long-term effects of MenSC-derived EV in clinical practice. In this review, we update the current knowledge and research regarding the use of MenSC-derived EV as a novel therapeutic weapon for ovarian regeneration in the context of gonadotoxicity induced by systemic anticancer treatment.

Cold Storage of Human Femoral Arteries for Twelve Months: Impact on Mechanical Properties

This biomechanical pre-clinical study aimed to assess the consequences on mechanical properties of long term cold storage (+2/+8 °C) of arterial allografts. Femoropopliteal arterial segments were collected from multiorgan donors and stored at +2/+8 °C for 12 months in saline solution with added antibiotics. Mechanical characterisation was carried out using two different tests, with the aim of defining the physiological modulus and the maximum stress and strain borne by the sample before rupture. These characterisations were carried out after 0, 6, and 12 months of storage for each sample (T0, T6, and T12, respectively). For comparison, the same tests were performed on cryopreserved popliteal femoral segments after thawing. Twelve refrigerated allografts (RAs), each divided into three segments, and 10 cryopreserved allografts (CAs) were characterised. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) Young's modulus was not statistically significantly different between the storage times for cold stored allografts: RAT0, 164 (150, 188) kPa; RAT6, 178 (141, 185) kPa; RAT12, 177 (149, 185) kPa. The median (IQR) Young's modulus of the CA group (153 [141, 185] kPa) showed no significant differences from the RA groups, irrespective of storage time. Furthermore, median (IQR) maximum stress and strain values were not significantly different between the different groups: for maximum stress: RAT0, 1.58 (1.08, 2.09) MPa; RAT6, 1.74 (1.55, 2.36) MPa; RAT12, 2.25 (1.87, 2.53) MPa; CA, 2.25 (1.77, 2.61) MPa; and for maximum strain: RAT0, 64% (50, 90); RAT6, 79% (63, 84); RAT12, 72% (65, 86); CA, 67% (50, 95). Cold storage for up to 12 months appears to have no impact on the mechanical characteristics of human arterial allografts. Therefore, this preservation method, which would greatly simplify routine care, seems feasible. Other indicators are being studied to verify the safety of this preservation process before considering its use in vivo.

Character recognition system for pegon typed manuscript

The Pegon script is an Arabic-based writing system used for Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, and Indonesian languages. Due to various reasons, this script is now mainly found among collectors and private Islamic boarding schools (pesantren), creating a need for its preservation. One preservation method is digitization through transcription into machine-encoded text, known as OCR (Optical Character Recognition). No published literature exists on OCR systems for this specific script. This research explores the OCR of Pegon typed manuscripts, introducing novel synthesized and real annotated datasets for this task. These datasets evaluate proposed OCR methods, especially those adapted from existing Arabic OCR systems. Results show that deep learning techniques outperform conventional ones, which fail to detect Pegon text. The proposed system uses YOLOv5 for line segmentation and a CTC-CRNN architecture for line text recognition, achieving an F1-score of 0.94 for segmentation and a CER of 0.03 for recognition.

Mature oocyte found during ovarian tissue cryopreservation in an early adolescent female.

A 15-year-old female with Hodgkin's lymphoma underwent ovarian tissue cryopreservation for preserving fertility in Reproductive Department of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medical after receiving one course of chemotherapy. During the ovarian tissue cryopreservation, one MⅡmature oocyte and three germinal vesicle oocytes were found. The three immature oocytes underwent in vitro maturation but failed. Ultimately, one mature oocyte and 12 ovarian cortex slices were cryopreserved using vitrification. This case indicates that for patients with established gonadal axis feedback, ovarian tissue cryopreservation may not be the only method for fertility preservation. It is advisable to consider ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval for oocyte cryopreservation. Alternatively, for individuals in the ovulation phase of their menstrual cycle, attempting oocyte retrieval before ovarian tissue cryopreservation to obtain mature oocytes from the natural cycle, followed by oocyte cryopreservation, may enhance the likelihood of successful fertility preservation.

Pathways to motherhood: A single-center retrospective study on fertility preservation and reproductive outcomes in patients with breast cancer

BackgroundBreast cancer treatments often have negative effects on fertility, which pose challenges among patients who want to be parents in the future. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation, embryo cryopreservation, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation in patients with breast cancer. MethodsThis retrospective review evaluated 42 patients with breast cancer who underwent fertility preservation at our center from January 2012 to December 2022. This review encompassed the demographic characteristics of the patients, cancer stages, treatment details, and types of fertility preservation procedures and their outcomes. ResultsThe average age at disease diagnosis was 33.4 years. Approximately 90.4% of patients presented with early-stage cancer (≤2). Of 42 patients, 26 underwent oocyte cryopreservation; 17, embryo cryopreservation; and 2, ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Further, three patients received mixed treatment. The overall live birth rate was 63.2%. There are more live births in embryo cryopreservation group. The successful pregnancy group was significantly younger and had a remarkably higher quantity of preserved oocytes/embryos than the nonsuccessful pregnancy group. The oocyte and embryo utilization rates in cryopreservation were 7.69% and 52.94%, respectively. These findings underscored the importance of prompt, informed discussions about fertility preservation options. ConclusionFertility preservation in patients with breast cancer have promising reproductive outcomes, with embryo cryopreservation being particularly effective. Prompt counseling and individualized fertility preservation strategies are important for improving the likelihood of posttreatment pregnancy. Nevertheless, future research on the long-term psychological and emotional effects of different fertility preservation methods must be performed.

Research Progress of Limb Preservation Methods: A Review

Research Progress of Limb Preservation Methods: A Review

Emergence of Internet of Things technology in food and agricultural sector: A review

AbstractFood processing is an indispensable sector crucial for controlling the food losses. Discrete measures were introduced and implemented to enhance the food shelf life and preservation techniques. However, poor handling and preservation methods usher to the food deprivation. In such milieu, amalgamation of futuristic technologies like sophisticated sensors tether with Internet of Things (IoT) could shoot up the food safety and minimize the deprivation. Research across the globe have proved that integration of IoT‐smart sensors in scrutinizing ecological factors such as temperature, radiation, gaseous composition, relative humidity, and moisture content that are critical for food processing and preservation. IoT has the prospects to ameliorate nationwide explicable execution, slash energy depletion, slash manufacturing expenses, inflate worker health and safety during food processing unit. Smart agricultural techniques also enable measurement of temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, and nitrogen contents in smart farming and helps the user to determine the status of crops and commodity. This article aims to focus a few aspects and budding areas of IoT in the food and agricultural sectors. With this outlook, advancement and smartness in agriculture and food processing can be created by collaborating with IoT technology.

Counseling and cryopreservation: evaluation of patient-reported counseling and choice on method of cancer-related fertility preservation.

Prior to cancer treatment, patients make decisions on whether to undergo fertility preservation (FP) and the method of FP. We sought to learn more about counseling and decision-making on the method of cancer-related FP. A cross-sectional 26-item online survey was administered to patients with ovaries who underwent cancer-related FP. Associations between demographics and the FP method were made through estimates of risk difference, with a 95% confidence interval. Open-ended responses were analyzed using the constant comparative method. A total of 240 respondents completed the survey: 52% underwent oocyte cryopreservation (OC), 29% underwent embryo cryopreservation (EC), and 19% underwent both oocyte and embryo cryopreservation (OC/EC). Most respondents agreed that if they were to go through the process again, they would make the same decision about FP (80% EC, 72% OC, 59% OC/EC). Women ≥ 35years reported being counseled more that embryos were superior compared to younger women (risk difference 46%, CI 32.8, 59.1), however were not more likely to freeze embryos (risk difference 6.2%, CI - 9.8, 22.2). Women in long-term relationships reported they were counseled more that embryos were superior compared to those single/dating (risk difference 27%, CI 18.1, 35.9). All women in long-term relationships reported undergoing EC, while the majority of single/dating women reported undergoing OC (74.6%). Most women who have undergone cancer-related FP reported they would choose the same FP method again. Women in long-term relationships or ≥ 35years reported they were more likely to be counseled that EC is superior; however, only women in long-term relationships were more likely to freeze embryos.

A robust defect detection method with a generalization enhancer and cross-modality aggregator for cylinder bores

High-quality cylinder bores in automobile engines enable drivers to respond quickly to emergencies. Automated detection methods are gradually being adopted across various industries. However, uncontrollable factors and improper preservation methods lead to various types of defects on cylinder bores, thereby causing existing high-performance detectors to exhibit not only undesirable generalizability for unseen defect types but also a certain degree of missed detection for defects of seen types, thereby allowing defective cylinder bores to flow into the market. To address these issues, we propose a foundation-model-based robust defect detection method with high generalizability for cylinder bores (RHG-Detector). Specifically, to address unseen defect categories, we propose a generalization enhancer comprising a box filter, a region extractor and a defect discriminator (DeDi) based on a foundation model to extend defect detection from a closed set to an open set. To reduce missed detections, we adopt a cross-modality aggregator to aggregate the detection results from different modalities. Additionally, we collected and annotated challenging defect classification and detection datasets for cylinder bores, named HIT-EngDC (Harbin Institute of Technology Engine defect classification dataset) and HIT-EngDD2 (Engine defect detection dataset-version 2), which cover nearly all types of cylinder bore defects. Extensive experiments on HIT-EngDC and HIT-EngDD2 demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of RHG-Detector, with a classification accuracy of 92.0 and a mAP@50 (mean average precision under intersection over union = 0.5) score of 45.2, where the latter is increased by ∼6 and ∼3 compared to the corresponding FasterRCNN (faster region-based convolutional neural networks) and YOLOv7 (you only look once) scores, respectively.