ABSTRACT
Hydrogels are three-dimensional crosslinked functional materials with water-absorbing and swelling properties. Many hydrogels can store a variety of small functional molecules to structurally and functionally mimic the natural extracellular matrix; hence, they have been extensively studied for biomedical applications. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers have an ethylenediamine core and a large number of peripheral amino groups, which can be used to engineer various polymer hydrogels. In this review, an update on the progress of using PAMAM dendrimers for multifunctional hydrogel design was given. The synthesis of these hydrogels, which includes click chemistry reactions, aza-Michael addition, Schiff base reactions, amidation reactions, enzymatic reactions, and radical polymerization, together with research progress in terms of their application in the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering, drug-free tumor therapy, and other related fields, was discussed in detail. Furthermore, the biomedical applications of PAMAM-engineered nano-hydrogels, which combine the advantages of dendrimers, hydrogels, and nanoparticles, were also summarized. This review will help researchers to design and develop more functional hydrogel materials based on PAMAM dendrimers.
Subject(s)
Dendrimers , Hydrogels , Polyamines , Tissue Engineering , Hydrogels/chemistry , Hydrogels/chemical synthesis , Dendrimers/chemistry , Humans , Tissue Engineering/methods , Polyamines/chemistry , Drug Delivery Systems , Animals , Click Chemistry/methods , Biocompatible Materials/chemistrySubject(s)
Acupuncture Therapy , Dupuytren Contracture/therapy , Acupuncture Points , Humans , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Acupuncture Therapy , Myasthenia Gravis/therapy , Acupuncture Points , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
This is a case of vocal cord aspergillosis in a 36-year-old woman whose chief complaint was progressive hoarseness and vocal fatigue of one month duration. These symptoms followed the use of systemic administration of penicillin, cefotaxime natrium and dexamethasone to treat her rhinitis and asthma. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy revealed whitish plaques involving both vocal cords. Microscopic examination of KOH preparations and histopathology studies of tissue revealed dichotomously branching, hyaline, septate hyphae. Morphological and molecular biological identification of the fungal growth in cultures inoculated with clinical specimens from the patient indicated that the etiologic agent was Aspergillus fumigatus. The patient was cured with oral itraconazole without any side effects.