Antibody technologies are being increasingly applied in the field of toxinology. Fuelled by the many advances in immunology, synthetic biology, and antibody research, different approaches and antibody formats are being investigated for the ability to neutralize animal toxins. These different molecular formats each have their own therapeutic characteristics. In this review, we provide an overview of the advances made in the development of toxin-targeting antibodies, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of different antibody formats in relation to their ability to neutralize toxins, pharmacokinetic features, propensity to cause adverse reactions, formulation, and expression for research and development (R&D) purposes and large-scale manufacturing. A research trend seems to be emerging towards the use of human antibody formats as well as camelid heavy-domain antibody fragments due to their compatibility with the human immune system, beneficial therapeutic properties, and the ability to manufacture these molecules cost-effectively.

Differences in the ability for barley and rye grass varieties to absorb caesium through the roots. Received Febr. 4, 1991. Acta Agric. Scand. 41: 321-328, 1991. In areas with intensive farming, as in Denmark it is of great interest to identify possible countermeasures to be taken in order to reduce the long-term effects of radioactive contamination of arable land. Different crop species and varieties have been tested for their sensitivity to an indirect radiocaesium contamination, i.e. absorption through the root system of radiocaesium that have entered the soil. Significant differences have been revealed. Siln barley and Italian rye gnrs were identifed among the species tested as plants with a relative high uptake of caesium. Radiocaesium was the most important isotope at long distances from the Chernobyl accident. Changes of agricultural practices toimrds the use of plant species and varieties with low sensitivity might contribute to a significant reduction of the contamination levels perhaps even below a critical level.

This study describes the new design and function of a modified version of a traditional slow sand filter. The Submerged Pond Sand Filter is built inside a pond and has a vertical as well as a horizontal flow of water through a sloped filter opening. The filter provides treated drinking water to a rural Indian village. The filter has functioned with minimal maintenance for five years without being subject to the typical scraping off and changing of sand as needed in traditional slow sand filters every few months. This five-year study showed bacterial removal efficiency of 97% on average with a level of faecal coliforms of 2˘2 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL measured in the treated water. Turbidity was visibly removed during treatment. When water was retrieved from the filter through a manual pump for long consistent time intervals (60 min), faecal coliform counts increased from four to 10 CFU/100 mL on average compared to shorter pumping intervals (5 min). Though the treated water did not comply with the World Health Organization standards of 0 CFU/100 mL, the filter significantly improved water quality and provided one of the best sources of drinkable water in a water-depleted area, where only surface water was available. Furthermore, it is a sustainable treatment method due to low maintenance requirements.

A number of winter and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L) varieties were tested for sensitivity to direct cesium contamination in Denmark arising from the Chernobyl accident. Significant differences among varieties were revealed which were independent of crop growing conditions. Results indicate that different sensitivities among varieties result from genetic or morphological differences.

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