Self-sterilizing products

Tea flowers are globular, about 3 to 5 cm in diameter, white, and delicately fragrant. They are borne in the axils of scale leaves (small leaves that do not develop further) and may occur singly or in small clusters. There are five to seven petals and an equal number of sepals. The flowers are mostly self-sterile and are produced in cycles corresponding to leaf growth, and require 9 to 12 months to form mature, round seed pods 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter. The tea plant is not generally allowed to flower during production cycles, with only a small number of the plants allowed to go to seed production to maintain seed stock. 

Recent studies by Aaron Reisfield (Reisfield 1993) demonstrate that Salvia divinorum is not completely self-sterile, as had been assumed the plant can produce viable seeds, though very infrequently. Nor did Reisfield find any significant difference in the production of viable seeds from flowers pollinated from the same clone and those pollinated by plants collected from different localities. It is of course possible that there is little genetic difference between any specimens of S. divinorum, even those that today grow in widely separated areas in Oaxaca. 

Abstract In this review, the general principles of antimicrobial surfaces will be discussed in detail. Because many common products that keep microbes off surfaces have been banned in the past decade, the search for alternatives is in full run. In recent research, numerous new ways to produce so-called self-sterilizing surfaces have been introduced. These technologies are discussed with respect to their mechanism, particularly focusing on the distinction between biocide-releasing and non-releasing contact-active systems. New developments in the catalytic formation of biocides and their advantages and limitations are also covered. The combination of several mechanisms in one surface modification has considerable benefits, and will be discussed. 

The administration of these sterile products and ease of use have become a much more important criterion in recent times. This trend is expected to continue, as will the move towards drug delivery devices intended for easier application, with an increasing focus on self-application. These containers/drug delivery devices will inevitably use an increasing number of plastic components so that any complexity is involved in the assembly of the system rather than in the use of the delivery device. Rubber components have a significant role to play in the successful development of such devices, since there is no real substitute for rubber. 

The organogels processability relatively easy and malleability into the desired shape as according to the need. They are capable of being produced into a sterile product. Spontaneity of organogels formation by virtue of self-assembled supermolecular arrangement of surfactant molecule makes the process very simple and easy to handle. ... 

UV) illumination [33). Since then there have been several reports and patents appearing on this topic [5, 34-44). Blake and coworkers have published a comprehensive review of this, including a list of patents on photocatalytic disinfection and killing of cancer cells using Ti02 [5). Many of the commercial products available in the market at present are based on self-sterilizing photocatalytic surfaces and disinfection of indoor air. 

The USP describes two general methods for conducting the test the direct transfer, or direct inoculation, method and the membrane filtration method. As the name indicates, the direct inoculation method involves the aseptic transfer of a sample of test product solution into the sterility test growth medium. To use this method, it must first be demonstrated that the product solution itself does not inhibit the growth of typical indicator microorganisms specified in the USP method. It should be self-evident why it is important to perform testing to negate the chance of product inhibition of possible microbial contaminants, as this is the purpose of the sterility test. The direct inoculation method, while not theoretically complex, requires the utmost technical precision and aseptic manipulation techniques for proper execution. As a consequence of the repetitive motions involved, it is prone to human error. 

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