1. A sleeve for repairing fluid pipes comprising a rigid or flexible shell acting as a mold to encase at least one defective area of the pipe and in which is injected or infused a liquid-state polymerizable material that is adapted to seal the defective area when it polymerizes,
said sleeve further comprising an insert made up of a plurality of turns of a thread-like element wound in a spiral around said pipeline at the location of said defective area prior to the injection or infusion of said polymerizable material.
2. A sleeve according to claim 1, in which the turns of said thread-like element are separated by a predetermined space so that said polymerizable material covers each of said turns during injection or infusion into said rigid or flexible shell.
3. A sleeve according to claim 2, in which said thread-like element is a flexible element of constant circular section formed of natural, synthetic or prepregged fibers.
4. A sleeve according to claim 3, in which said thread-like element is made up of aramid fibers.
5. A sleeve according to claim 4, in which each of the ends of said thread-like element is fixed to the adjacent turn by a clamp.
6. A process for repairing fluid pipes with a defective area comprising
winding a thread-like element in a spiral around the pipe at the location of said defective area,
surrounding the portion of the pipe where said defective areas is situated by a hermetically closed rigid or flexible shell, said rigid or flexible shell being adapted to completely cover the turns of said thread-like element and
injecting or infusing in said shell a polymerizable liquid material designed to form a resin after polymerization.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of reducing cell damage during the warming or thawing of a cryopreserved composition comprising blood cells, the method comprising the step:
(i) warming or thawing the cryopreserved composition comprising the biological material,
wherein the composition comprises PVA having a weight average molecular weight of from 6-14 kDa, and wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
2. A method of inhibiting ice recrystallisation during the warming or thawing of a cryopreserved composition comprising biological material, the method comprising the step:
(i) warming or thawing the cryopreserved composition comprising the biological material,
wherein the composition comprises PVA, and wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
3. A method of reducing cell damage during the warming or thawing of a cryopreserved composition comprising biological material, the method comprising the step:
(i) warming or thawing the cryopreserved composition comprising the biological material,
wherein the composition comprises PVA, and wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
4. A method of inhibiting ice recrystallisation during the warming or thawing of a cryopreserved composition comprising biological material, the method comprising the steps:
(i) reducing the temperature of a composition comprising biological material to a cryopreserving temperature,
wherein the composition comprises PVA, and
wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents,
(ii) optionally storing the composition at the cryopreserving temperature, and
(iii) warming or thawing the cryopreserved composition comprising the biological material.
5. A method of reducing cell damage during the warming or thawing of a cryopreserved composition comprising biological material the method comprising the steps:
(i) reducing the temperature of a composition comprising biological material to a cryopreserving temperature, wherein the composition comprises PVA, and
wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents,
(ii) optionally storing the composition at the cryopreserving temperature, and
(iii) warming or thawing the cryopreserved composition comprising the biological material.
6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cryopreserved composition comprises ice crystals, preferably small ice crystals, more preferably ice crystals which are less than 20 \u03bcm in length.
7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the temperature of the composition was or is reduced to the cryopreserving temperature at a rate which induced or induces the production of small ice crystals in the composition.
8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the temperature of the composition was or is reduced to the cryopreserving temperature at a fast rate, preferably at least 10\xb0 C.minute.
9. A method of cryopreserving biological material, comprising the step:
(i) storing the biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
10. A method of reducing cell damage in biological material which has been cryopreserved, comprising the step:
(i) storing the biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
11. A method of reducing cell damage in biological material which has been cryopreserved, comprising the steps:
(i) storing the biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents, and
(ii) thawing the biological material.
12. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the biological material comprises one or more cells, a tissue, a whole organ or a part of an organ.
13. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the biological material is or comprises semen, blood cells, stem cells, tissue samples, skin grafts, oocytes, embryos, ovarian tissue or plant seeds or shoots, preferably blood cells.
14. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the PVA is in the range 7-13 kDa.
15. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the concentration of the PVA in the composition is insufficient to prevent ice nucleation in the composition.
16. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the concentration of the PVA in the composition is 0.5 mgmL to 2.5 mgmL.
17. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein vitrification-inducing agents are ethylene glycol, glycerol, DMSO andor trehalose.
18. A process for producing a cryopreserved composition comprising biological material, comprising the step:
(i) freezing a biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
19. A process for producing a biological material, comprising the steps:
(i) freezing a biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents,
(ii) thawing the composition comprising the biological material and PVA, and optionally removing andor isolating the biological material from the composition.
20. A process for producing a biological material, comprising the steps:
(i) freezing a biological material at a cryopreserving temperature in a composition comprising PVA, wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents, and optionally subsequently raising the temperature of the biological material,
(ii) removing andor isolating the biological material or part thereof from the composition, and
(iii) storing the biological material at a temperature of 0-10\xb0 C.
21. A cryopreserved composition comprising
(i) PVA, and
(ii) a biological material,
wherein the composition is substantially free of vitrification-inducing agents.
22. A cryopreserved composition as claimed in claim 21, wherein the cryopreserved composition is frozen at a temperature of less than 0\xb0 C.
23. A kit comprising:
(i) PVA, and
(ii) instructions for use of the PVA in a cryopreservation method of any one of claims 1 to 17, or wherein a biological material is cryopreserved in a composition comprising PVA in the absence of vitrification-inducing agents.