Preparation of Alginate-Based Biomaterials and Their Applications in Biomedicine.

Alginates are naturally occurring polysaccharides extracted from brown marine algae and bacteria. Being biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic and easy to gel, alginates can be processed into various forms, such as hydrogels, microspheres, fibers and sponges, and have been widely applied in biomedical field. The present review provides an overview of the properties and processing methods of alginates, as well as their applications in wound healing, tissue repair and drug delivery in recent years.

Recent Progress in Polyhydroxyalkanoates-Based Copolymers for Biomedical Applications.

In recent years, naturally biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) monopolymers have become focus of public attentions due to their good biocompatibility. However, due to its poor mechanical properties, high production costs, and limited functionality, its applications in materials, energy, and biomedical applications are greatly limited. In recent years, researchers have found that PHA copolymers have better thermal properties, mechanical processability, and physicochemical properties relative to their homopolymers. This review summarizes the synthesis of PHA copolymers by the latest biosynthetic and chemical modification methods. The modified PHA copolymer could greatly reduce the production cost with elevated mechanical or physicochemical properties, which can further meet the practical needs of various fields. This review further summarizes the broad applications of modified PHA copolymers in biomedical applications, which might shred lights on their commercial applications.

Advanced electronic skin devices for healthcare applications.

Electronic skin, a kind of flexible electronic device and system inspired by human skin, has emerged as a promising candidate for wearable personal healthcare applications. Wearable electronic devices with skin-like properties will provide platforms for continuous and real-time monitoring of human physiological signals such as tissue pressure, body motion, temperature, metabolites, electrolyte balance, and disease-related biomarkers. Transdermal drug delivery devices can also be integrated into electronic skin to enhance its non-invasive, real-time dynamic therapy functions. This review summarizes the recent progress in electronic skin devices for applications in human health monitoring and therapy systems as well as several potential mass production technologies such as inkjet printing and 3D printing. The opportunities and challenges in broadening the applications of electronic skin devices in practical healthcare are also discussed.

Nanostructured biomedical selenium at the biological interface (Review).

This paper critically reviews the current evidence of research in biomedical applications of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and their effects at cellular and tissue levels. In recent years, interest in SeNPs as a natural trace element nanomaterial for nanomedicine has resulted in a number of studies evaluating their bioactivities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Significant data have been generated to demonstrate the effectiveness of SeNPs alone or in combination with other reagents. Their activities are demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo experimentation; yet, the levels of efficacy need to be improved, particularly when compared with those of pharmaceutical drugs (such as antibiotics and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs). However, promising evidence suggests decreased toxicity when using SeNPs, and more importantly their ability to perform as an interfacing biomaterial with cells and tissues. SeNPs have demonstrated unique antibacterial properties: they inhibit bacterial adhesion, growth, and/or quorum sensing and as a result prevent biofilm formation on medical devices, to name a few. Therefore, as with other nanomaterials, SeNPs warrant further study as part of the biomaterial-based therapeutic toolkit as an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical agents. This paper will provide a succinct review of recent studies on SeNPs to critically assess the findings in the light of effectiveness, particularly highlighting the roles of the cellular interface. Finally, an outlook of the potential of SeNPs will be presented to highlight the need for more intensive studies of material stability, mechanistic understanding at subcellular levels, and investigations into their combinational and/or synergistic effects with other bioactive reagents including pharmaceutical drugs.

Minimal Device Encrustation on Vesair Intravesical Balloons in the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: Analysis of Balloons Removed from Women in the SOLECT Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Encrustation of urinary biomaterials is common; however, the incidence of surface deposition on the Vesair® intravesical pressure-attenuation balloon has not been previously reported. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the incidence and potential risk factors for encrustation of the Vesair intravesical balloon. METHODS: The SOLECT trial is a prospective randomized controlled trial conducted at several European centers to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Vesair balloon for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Women included in the study demonstrated SUI symptoms for more than 12 months without complicating factors, such as history of recurrent urinary tract infections or nephrolithiasis. All balloons removed from women enrolled in the SOLECT trial were analyzed for surface characteristics and encrustation. Surface deposition severity was quantified and composition analyzed with infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Incidence of surface deposition was tabulated and risk factors analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred and five balloons removed from 75 women were included in this analysis. Measurable stone deposition of less than 1.5 mm was found on four balloons (3.8%), surface granules were noted on 42 (40.0%), surface film on 11 (10.5%), and both granules and film on two (1.9%). Analysis identified calcium oxalate both in measurable encrustation deposits as well as those with surface granulation. Pooled analysis found that dwell time was a risk factor for calcium deposition. CONCLUSION: The rate of encrustation on the Vesair intravesical balloon is low and does not appear to increase the rate of adverse outcomes or reduce clinical efficacy. FUNDING: Solace Therapeutics, Inc.

Mechanochemically synthesized Ag-based nanohybrids with unprecedented low toxicity in biomedical applications.

A simple and innovative mechanochemical approach was employed to synthesize Ag-polysaccharide nanohybrid materials that were proved to exhibit remarkable surface properties and structures for biomedical applications. The synthesized Ag nanomaterials possessed an unprecedented low cytotoxicity against human cell lines A549 and SH-SY5Y as compared to similarly reported Ag nanomaterials due to the stability and low release of Ag+ and high biocompatibility of the nanohybrids.

Prototipagem rápida aplicada a implantodontia: obtenção e uso

A prototipagem, representada em forma de dados em um computador, é capz de reproduzir fisicamente, em vários tipos de materiais, um modelo virtual. As técnicas de prototipagem mais utilizadas são: estereolitografia, sinterização seletiva a laser, impressão tridimensional, modelagem por deposição fundida...

Perfurações de origem endodôntica: revisão de literatura

As perfurações endodônticas são comunicaões artificiais que ligam o endodonto com os tecidos de suporte dentários, sendo responsáveis pela falha de uma porcentagem considerável dos tratamentos endodônticos. A confirmação de uma perfuração de origem endodôntica, deve ser feita com base nos exames clínico, radiográfico e, quando necessário, tomografia cone beam...

Clinical evaluation of a 3% potassium oxalate gel and a GaAlAs laser for the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the immediate and 3 month clinical effects of a low-level gallium-aluminum-arsenide (GaAlAs) laser and a 3% potassium oxalate gel for the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 164 teeth from 30 patients with clinical diagnoses of dentinal hypersensitivity were selected for this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study. The teeth were randomized to three groups: GaAlAs laser, oxalate gel, and placebo gel. The treatment sessions were performed at 7 d intervals for four consecutive weeks. The degree of sensitivity in response to an air blast and tactile stimuli was assessed according to a visual analogue scale at baseline, immediately after the fourth application, and then 3 months after the fourth application. The reductions in dentinal hypersensitivity from baseline at the two follow-up assessments were evaluated as the main outcome. RESULTS: In both the active and control groups, there were statistically significant reductions in dentinal hypersensitivity immediately after and 3 months after the treatments, when compared with the hypersensitivity at baseline. No significant differences among the three groups could be detected in their efficacy at either the immediate or 3 month evaluations irrespective of the stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: The treatments under study were effective for reducing dentinal hypersensitivity, and longer observational periods could enhance the ability of studies to detect differences between active and placebo groups.

Estudio y comparación de discos para terminación y pulido de superficies / No disponible

Es muy necesario para tener una buena terminación, pulir los materiales odontológicos. El pulido se puede realizar con discos. Nosotros estudiamos y comparamos tres marcas de discos (AU)

Is very necessary for obtain a good completion to polish the dental materials. The polish we can make with disk. We study and comparison tree disk mark (AU)

Nanotechnology in cardiovascular medicine.

Nanotechnology is a new field of science and technology that has already had significant impact in the development of novel products in industry. In medicine, application of nanotechnology has the potential to develop new imaging agents, pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices with unique physical and chemical properties. This article reviews the potential for various nanoparticles in cardiovascular imaging and therapeutics, nanoporous structures for sensing and implant based drug delivery, and self-assembled monolayers for surface modification and implant based drug delivery.

Effect of a calcium carbonate-based dentifrice on in situ enamel remineralization.

This crossover study evaluated the effect of calcium carbonate (CaCO(3))-based monofluorophosphate dentifrice on enamel remineralization. Ten volunteers wore palatal appliances containing four enamel blocks with caries-like lesions, two of them covered by a test plaque of mutans streptococci. The following treatments were evaluated: a negative control, a silica-based or a CaCO(3)-based dentifrice, and the percentage of enamel surface microhardness recovery was determined. The CaCO(3)-based dentifrice was more effective than the negative control on the enhancement of enamel remineralization, either in the presence or absence of test plaque. This efficacy was also shown by the silica-based dentifrice but only in the presence of test plaque.

[Evolution of tissue structures in the mandible after implantation of plate from polymethylmethacrylate and its compositions with hydroxyapatite]. / Evoliutsiia tkanevykh struktur nizhnei cheliusti pri implantatsii plastin iz polimetilmetakrilata i ego kompozitsii s gidroksiapatitom.

Tissue reactions to active modified composite material were studied in experiments on Chinchilla rabbits. In the first series of experiments plates from composite material were implanted: polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates were used in group 1, PMMA composition with hydroxyapatite (HAP) in group 2, and PMMA composition with HAP modified by polyacrylic acid in group 3. The content of HAP in each group was 30% by weight. Implantation of plates from pure PMMA induced atrophic processes with formation of connective tissue capsule at the site of implantation. In the second series of experiments the manifestations of inflammatory reactions in the bone and adjacent tissues, caused by HAP release into tissue, were observed, which were paralleled by activation of bone formation, which sometimes acquired the pattern of a hyperproductive reaction. PMMA/HAP composite modified by chemical bond proved to be the most effective: its implantation caused no manifest pathological reactions and inflammatory infiltration; no intraosseous deposition of crystals were detected. Intensive osteogenesis round the implanted plate was observed.