Incidental Findings in Head and Brain MRI of Military Pilots and Applicants: Consequences for Medical Flight Fitness.

With improved imaging technology, the number of incidental findings detected in cerebral MRI is increasing. This is a challenge that the German Air Force has to deal with in the context of standardized MRI examinations of young pilot candidates and pilots. The German Air Force Centre of Aerospace Medicine hosted a 2-d conference to develop recommendations and procedures for the handling of some of the most frequently encountered cerebral incidental findings.

Incidental Finding Prevalences in 3-Tesla Brain and Spine MRI of Military Pilot Applicants.

Incidental findings in brain and spine MRI are common. In aerospace medicine, pilot selection may be affected by improved sensitivity of modern MRI devices. We investigated the occurrence of medically unfit rates caused by incidental findings in military pilot applicants using a 3-Tesla scanner as compared to the outcomes of a lower field strength 1-Tesla device based on similar screening protocols.

Diagnostic and Epitope Mapping Potential of Single-Chain Antibody Fragments Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotypes A, SAT1, and SAT3.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) affects cloven-hoofed domestic and wildlife animals and an outbreak can cause severe losses in milk production, reduction in meat production and death amongst young animals. Several parts of Asia, most of Africa, and the Middle East remain endemic, thus emphasis on improved FMD vaccines, diagnostic assays, and control measures are key research areas. FMD virus (FMDV) populations are quasispecies, which pose serious implications in vaccine design and efficacy where an effective vaccine should include multiple independent neutralizing epitopes to elicit an adequate immune response.

Improving the characteristics of a mycobacterial 16 kDa-specific chicken scFv.

Recombinant antibodies can be engineered to improve their binding or other characteristics. A chicken single chain variable fragment (scFv) phage display library was panned against the mycobacterial 16 kDa antigen. Three fusion phages which bound specifically to the antigen were selected, each of which produced low signals in ELISA when secreted as a soluble scFv.

[Choroid melanoma. A retrospective randomized comparative study of ruthenium irradiation vs enucleation].

A randomized retrospective study concerning survival of Ruthenium treatment and enucleation in melanoma patients has been performed. For 112 patients from Hamburg who underwent Ruthenium therapy individual match partners were selected in Copenhagen where during the same period of time enucleation was the standard procedure. Selection took place concerning patient's age and sex at the time of treatment, initial tumor volume and the time of treatment.