Different methods of preparing lipases for use in organic media are critically reviewed. Solid lipase preparations can be made by typical immobilisation methods such as adsorption, entrapment, covalent coupling or cross-linking. Immobilisation is especially attractive for lipases because, in addition to the normal benefits of enzyme immobilisation, it can also lead to a considerable increase in...

Despite widespread use of radiofrequency (RF) shrinkage, there have been no animal studies on the effects of post-operative immobilisation on the histological properties of the shrunken tissue. We have therefore examined the role of post-operative immobilisation after RF shrinkage with special emphasis on the histological properties of collagenous tissue. One patellar tendon of 66 New Zealand W...

The high sensitivity and specificity of DNA hybridisation techniques makes them powerful tools for environmental or clinical analysis. This work describes the development of a DNA piezoelectric biosensor for the detection of the hybridisation reaction. Attention was focused on the choice of the coating chemistry that could be used for the immobilisation of oligonucleotides onto the gold surface...

Patellar dislocations are a common injury in the emergency department. The conservative management consists of immobilisation with a cylinder cast, posterior splint or removable knee brace. No consensus seems to exist on the most appropriate means of conservative treatment or the duration of immobilisation. Therefore the aims of this review were first to examine whether immobilisation with a cy...

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic devices have become promising platforms for a wide range of applications. Here we report a simple method for immobilising histidine-tagged enzymes suitable for PMMA microfluidic devices. The 1-step-immobilisation described is based on the affinity of the His-tag/Ni-NTA interaction and does not require prior amination of the PMMA surface, unlike many...

This thesis describes immobilisation techniques for biomolecules on solid surfaces via an intermediate self-assembled or Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film. Such films are advantageous, because the biological activity can be optimised by tailoring the layer composition. Factors like charge density, density of the linking group and composition of the monolayer matrix have particularly large effects on ...

OBJECTIVES For pre-hospital spinal immobilisation the spinal board is the established gold standard. There are concerns that its subsequent use in hospital may adversely affect patient outcome. This review examines the effect of prolonged patient immobilisation on the spinal board. METHODS A database search of the literature and review of relevant trauma texts. RESULTS Complications associa...

The immobilisation of biological recognition elements onto a sensor chip surface is a crucial step for the construction of biosensors. While some of the optical biosensors utilise silicon dioxide as the sensor surface, most of the biosensor surfaces are coated with metals for transduction of the signal. Biological recognition elements such as proteins can be adsorbed spontaneously on metal or s...

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a carbon storage polymer produced by certain bacteria in unbalanced nutrient conditions. The PHA forms spherical inclusions surrounded by granule associate proteins including the PHA synthase (PhaC). Recently, the intracellular formation of PHA granules with covalently attached synthase from Ralstonia eutropha has been exploited as a novel strategy for oriented enz...

INTRODUCTION Patient immobilisation is critically important for both highly conformal conventionally fractionated radiotherapy and for stereotactic body radiotherapy. Different immobilisation devices are available to maintain patient position for radiotherapy but the most suitable one remains unknown. METHODS Forty-five patients were randomly allocated to one of three immobilisation devices; ...