X-Message-Number: 29939
From: 
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:05:24 EDT
Subject: Re: drying preserves human skin viability 

So drying in salt preserves tissue viability. The  Egyptians were right all 
along! They used Natron to dehydrate their mummies, and  of course got good 

superficial preservation -- but has anyone tried rehydrating  them and seeing if
they'd still go?
 
I know that reading The Book of  the Dead works (anyone else seen the 

original of The Mummy, and the wonderful  scene where the Mummy gets raised? Far
more 
original horror there than in the  average Chain Saw flik. Worth watching.) 
But to think they could have just  watered him...
 
 
On a serious note, it is  thought that vitrification solution used on brains 
without opening the blood  brain barrier simply dehydrates the brain tissue 
and thus prevents ice formation  because it leaves so little water. I'd always 

wondered whether that left the  tissue recoverable, but this paper implies that
this might be more likely than  I'd thought.
 
Alan
 
Natron
 
Natron is a white, crystalline hygroscopic mineral salt,  primarily a mixture 
of sodium bicarbonate (common baking soda) and sodium  carbonate (soda ash) 
with small amounts of sodium chloride (table salt) and  sodium sulfate. Natron 
is somewhat antiseptic and is also an exfoliant and a  desiccant.

In ancient Egypt, natron was mined as a powdery solid from dry  lake beds or 
wadis near the Nile River, and put to a wide variety of uses,  including 
mummification. It absorbed the flesh-eating bacteria that would  decompose the 

body. (The term "natron" and the chemical symbol for sodium, Na,  both derive 
from 
the name of the Wadi Natrum, the ancient Egyptians' primary  source of the 
material). Natron also can be found in Natrona County, Wyoming. It  was also 

added to castor oil to produce a smokeless fuel which allowed Egyptian  artisans
to paint elaborate artworks inside ancient tombs without them becoming  

besmirched with soot. Because it has strong grease-cutting properties, natron  
has 
also been associated with soap production. Natron was commonly used in  
glass-making, by the Romans and others, until trade declined after 640  AD.

The chemical symbol for sodium, Na, is derived from the Roman term  natrium. 
Natron is sometimes referred to as "impure salt".

Natron is used  to make Bavarian pretzels. The dough is dipped into a natron 
solution to give it  its brown color and distinctive flavor when baked.


Message #29934
Date:  Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:19:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: 
Subject:  drying preserves human skin viability

Transplantation. 2006 Jun  15;81(11):1583-8.
Human skin preserved long-term in anhydric pulverized  sodium chloride
retains cell molecular structure and resumes function after  transplantation.
Olszewski WL, Moscicka M, Zolich D. Department  of Surgical Research
and Transplantology, Medical Research Center, Polish  Academy of Sciences,
Warsaw, Poland.
BACKGROUND: Human skin  is needed to cover large areas of the body
lost through burns, trauma, and  extensive maxillofacial
surgery. Contemporary methods of skin storage are  limited by the period
of preservation to a few days. Our previous findings  showed that fixation
and storage of human skin in anhydric sodium chloride at  room temperature
for weeks or months preserves its morphological and  molecular
structure. In this study, we examined whether skin grafts preserved  in
sodium chloride may be successfully transplanted. METHODS: Skin  was
harvested from lower limbs of patients during elective surgery, placed  in
containers with anhydric salt powder, and kept at 22 degrees C for 3  to
12 weeks. Desalination and rehydration took place  before
transplantation. Desalinated fragments were transplanted onto the  dorsum
of scid mice. RESULTS: All grafts were accepted by recipients.  Three
weeks after transplantation, keratinocytes synthesized keratins 10,  16,
and 17 and expressed antigens specific for stem (p63) and  transient
(CD29) cells. Moreover, they proliferated vigorously, their basal  layer
cells incorporated bromdeoxyuridine and expressed proliferative  cell
nuclear antigen. Isolated from transplants and cultured in vitro,  they
remained viable and produced enzymes. Dermis retained its structure  and
expressed fibroblast-specific antigen. All graft cells remained  human
leukocyte antigen I. CONCLUSION: Human skin preserved in anhydric  sodium
chloride at room temperature for months can be successfully  transplanted
to scid mice. We propose the concept of "spore-like"  keratinocyte stem
cells to explain the long-term ex vivo survival of  keratinocytes. The
mechanism of survival of fibroblasts remains to be  determined.
PMID: 16770248

Ann Transplant. 2004;9(4):37-9.
Human  skin preserved in anhydric sodium chloride for months can be
successfully  transplanted.
Olszewski WL, Moscicka M, Zolich D. Department of  Surgical Research
and Transplantology, Medical Research Center, Polish  Academy of Sciences,
Warsaw, Poland.
Human skin can be  preserved in pulverized sodium chloride dehydrated
at 240C for 2 hours at  room temperature for periods of weeks or months

Ahem -- I bet they mean 24C not  240C!
and successfully transplanted to scid mouse, retaining its  normal
morphological structure. Fragment of skin of a size of 10 x 10 x 6  mm
were harvested during elective vascular and orthopaedic surgery of  lower
limbs, dried of blood and placed in anhydric sodium chloride powder  in
tight sealed containers. Prior to transplantation to scid mice,  the
specimens were desalinated and rehydrated. Specimes preserved for 1 to  6
months and harvested 3-4 weeks after transplantation revealed  intensive
incorporation of bromdeoxyuridine (BrdU) into basal keratinocytes.  They
expressed p63 and CD29 (stem cells, and transient cells antigens),  PCNA
(proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and cytokeratin 16 specific  for
proliferating keratinocytes. Dermal fibroblasts and few large HLA II  cells
showed a normal structure. Bacterial flora of skin did not change  after
grafting. We conclude that human skin can survive in a dehydrated  state
in sodium chloride for months and after transplantation the  epidermal
basal layer cells give rise to keratinocyte progenies. Skin  fibroblasts
and some resident immune cells can also survive.
PMID:  15884435

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