Effect of relative humidity on the desorption of odour-active volatile organic compounds from paper and board: sensory evaluation and migration to Tenax®.

Paper and board are used for packaging of moist as well as dry food. According to Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, food contact materials (FCM) must not bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics of foodstuffs. For testing the transfer of off-flavour (taint) from packaging to food via the gas phase (DIN EN 1230-2), relative humidity (rH) has to be adjusted. In contrast, rH is neither taken into account when testing the odour (DIN EN 1230-1), nor in chemical migration of volatile organic substances (VOC) onto the adsorbent Tenax® (DIN EN 14338). In this work, effect of different rHs on the desorption of VOC from paper and board was investigated by GC-MS analysis as well as by human sensory tests. Raising humidity led to an increase in VOC transfer, which was observed by increasing peak areas as well as the detection of more substances in GC-MS. Analytical results were in line with human sensory tests. The odour profile of the paper at 33 and 58% rH was described as cardboard-like, sweet and smoky. Impact substances for these olfactory impressions were (E)-2-nonenal, vanillin and 2-methoxyphenol as identified by GC with an olfactory detection port (GC-ODP). The increase to 75 and 100% rH resulted in the additional perception of cheesy/sweaty and fatty/rancid impressions, which were primarily caused by short-chain fatty acids and di-unsaturated aldehydes.

A serious gaming/immersion environment to teach clinical cancer genetics.

We are creating an interactive, simulated "Cancer Genetics Tower" for the self-paced learning of Clinical Cancer Genetics by medical students (go to: http://casemed.case.edu/cancergenetics). The environment uses gaming theory to engage the students into achieving specific learning objectives. The first few levels contain virtual laboratories where students achieve the basic underpinnings of Cancer Genetics. The next levels apply these principles to clinical practice. A virtual attending physician and four virtual patients, available for questioning through virtual video conferencing, enrich each floor. The pinnacle clinical simulation challenges the learner to integrate all information and demonstrate mastery, thus "winning" the game. A pilot test of the program by 17 medical students yielded very favorable feedback; the students found the Tower a "great way to teach", it held their attention, and it made learning fun. A majority of the students preferred the Tower over other resources to learn Cancer Genetics.

Analysis of microsatellite instability and X-inactivation in ovarian borderline tumors lacking numerical abnormalities by comparative genomic hybridization.

The genetic events underlying development of ovarian borderline tumors (tumors of low malignant potential) are not well understood. In our previous studies of microdissected samples from serous borderline tumors, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses showed that 3 of 13 tumors had detectable numerical abnormalities; the remaining 10 had none. In the present study, we examined microsatellite instability (MSI) and clonality in this same set of tumors. Although absence of chromosomal imbalances has been associated with the presence of MSI in some types of solid tumors, the extent of MSI in borderline tumors, and its role in their pathogenesis, is unclear. In our set of 13 tumors, no MSI was detected despite analysis with microsatellite markers recommended by the National Cancer Institute for assessment of MSI. Quantitative X-inactivation studies were informative at the androgen receptor gene AR in 9 of the 13 tumors and revealed that each of the 9 tumors was clonal. In two patients, bilateral tumors showed identical patterns of skewed X-inactivation. These studies confirm the clonality of borderline tumors and suggest that some borderline tumors may develop through mechanisms other than chromosomal imbalances or microsatellite instability.