Biodegradable Polydioxanone Microspheres for Transcatheter Arterial Embolization: Proof of Principle

PurposeTo evaluate feasibility, embolization success, biodegradability, reperfusion, and biocompatibility of biodegradable microspheres (MS) made from polydioxanone (PDO) for transcatheter arterial embolization.Materials and MethodsUnilateral selective renal embolization of a segmental artery was performed in 16 New Zealand White rabbits with PDO-MS (100–150 μm and 90–315 μm). Animals were randomly assigned to different observation periods and underwent control digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and MR imaging immediately (n = 3), 1 week (n = 2), 4 weeks (n = 2), 8 weeks (n = 2), 12 weeks (n = 5), and 16 weeks (n = 2) after embolization. Kidneys were harvested for macroscopic and histologic analysis of embolization success, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.ResultsEmbolization was technically successful in 15 of 16 animals. One animal died of anesthesia-related circulatory failure. The 100–150 μm MS were injected easily through 3-F catheters; the 90–315 μm MS tended to clog with intermittent catheter obstruction. DSA and MR imaging showed successful target embolization in 13 of 15 animals. In 2 animals, the entire kidney was affected owing to catheter clogging, including a reflux of MS while flushing. Control DSA and MR imaging showed increasing vascular reperfusion with time. Macroscopic and histologic analysis revealed necrosis/infarction in areas in which embolization was achieved. MS were extensively degraded after 16 weeks, and overall inflammatory reaction was mild.ConclusionsBiodegradable PDO-MS induced effective embolization of target vessels while demonstrating good biocompatibility. MS increasingly dissolved at 16 weeks, partial reperfusion started at week 1, and complete reperfusion started at week 8, thus offering possible advantages as a temporary embolic agent.     

Poly-lactic acid and agarose gelatin play an active role in the recovery of spinal cord injury

Objective To investigate the role of poly-lactic acid and agarose gelatin in promoting the functional recovery of the injured spinal cord. Methods Poly-lactic acid ( PLA) or agarose was embedded in the space between two stumps of the hemisectioned spinal cord. Immunohistochemistry was used to show astroglia proliferation and the infiltration of RhoA-positive cells. Locomotor activity recovery was evaluated by testing the function of hindlimbs. Results Astrogli-as and RhoA labeled non-neuronal cells accumulated in the area adjacent to the implant, while the number of RhoA-positive cells was decreased dramatically in the absence of implant. Animals implanted with agarose gelatin recovered more quickly than those with PLA, concomitant with a higher survival rate of the neurons. Conclusion Both PLA and agarose gelatin benefited the recovery of spinal cord after injury by providing a scaffold for astroglia processes. Modulation of the rigidity, pore size and inner structure of PLA and agarose gelatin might make these biodegradable materials more effective in the regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS).     

奥美定注入小香猪体内后生殖毒性的观察

目的　观察奥美定注入小香猪体内后的生殖毒性。方法　注入奥美定后观察小香猪母代及子代的生长、健康情况 ,抽出奥美定检测丙烯酰胺单体含量以及抽血查染色体及微核试验观察。结果　 6只母代小香猪健康 ,2只与公猪交配 ,4个月及 5个月后生出 9只及 4只子代小猪 ,健康情况亦良好。在半年及 1年后分别抽出奥美定检测丙烯酰胺单体没有增加 ,共检测 9只小香猪的染色体包括母代及子代 ,均未发现数目畸变及结构畸变 ,微核试验有细微的变化 ,并初步反映出与用药量大小呈正相关 ,但超量注射的一只动物 (18.5ml/kg)变化的千分值仍在正常范围内。结论　从目前几项观察与检测指标看 ,实验量奥美定注入小香猪体内尚不具生殖遗传毒性     

Comfort of fenestrated hydrogel lenses

A controlled, double-masked, randomized study was conducted on ten subjects to determine the effect of fenestration size on the initial comfort of hydrogel contact lenses. Four fenestrated lenses were tested, each lens containing four mid-peripheral fenestrations of the same size. The diameter of the fenestrations used in the four lenses ranged from 0.39 to 0.96 mm. An unfenestrated lens was also tested. All lenses were made of HEMA and were ordered with the following specifications: -3.00 D, 14.0 mm diameter, 8.4 mm back central optic radius and 0.06 mm centre thickness. There was a significant negative correlation between comfort and fenestration size, indicating that larger fenestrations are less comfortable. Even the lens with the smallest fenestrations (0.39 mm) was significantly less comfortable than the unfenestrated lens. The implication of this finding is that fenestrations may not be clinically efficacious in view of the poor comfort (and presumably increased mechanical effect of the fenestration edges on the tarsal conjunctiva) of fenestrated lenses.     

聚丙烯酰胺水凝胶取出同期假体隆乳术分析

目的:介绍一种聚丙烯酰胺水凝胶注射隆乳后取出同时置入假体隆乳的新方法。方法:18例聚丙烯酰胺水凝胶注射隆乳术患者在取出注射物后同期于胸大肌下置入硅凝胶假体。结果:18例患者均取得了良好的效果,外观形态好,无1例出现血肿和感染。结论:聚丙烯酰胺水凝胶注射隆乳后取出注射物同期胸大肌下置入硅凝胶假体是一种可行且效果良好的隆乳矫治方法。     

异种骨基质明胶(BMG)诱导成骨活性的实验研究

本文按着 Urist 方法制备了人、兔、猪和羊四种骨基质明胶(BMG),分别将其植入25只成年 SD 大鼠的胸部和股部肌肉,在手术的第2、4、6和8周后,通过光学显微镜观察各种 BMG 在肌肉内的免疫排斥反应和诱导成骨活性。结果表明:异种 BMG 具有一定的诱导成骨能力。但在 BMG 周围亦出现程度不同的排斥反应。本文认为,进一步降低 BMG 的抗原性,提高其诱导成骨活性,对于异种 BMG的临床应用将具有重要意义。     

Alloplastic injectable biomaterials for soft tissue augmentation: a report on two cases with complications associated with a new material (DermaLive) and a review of the literature

A wide variety of biological and alloplastic injectable biomaterials are available for soft tissue augmentation, but the ideal material has not yet been discovered. Biological materials such as collagen and hyaluronan yield temporary results, while injectable alloplasts are apt to cause varying degrees of foreign body reactions that may result in lumps and chronic inflammation.We present two cases (one is the first filed case in the world) of migratory subcutaneous inflammatory masses secondary to injection of acrylic hydrogel (DermaLive), which is an alloplastic biomaterial recently introduced into the market in Europe. Histology revealed foreign body reaction to acrylic hydrogel with granuloma formation containing multinucleated giant cells. Following this, further reports on complications have been reported elsewhere in Europe. The use and development of injectable materials, as well as alternative methods and future directions are reviewed.     

Engineering angiogenesis following spinal cord injury: a coculture of neural progenitor and endothelial cells in a degradable polymer implant leads to an increase in vessel density and formation of the blood–spinal cord barrier

Angiogenesis precedes recovery following spinal cord injury and its extent correlates with neural regeneration, suggesting that angiogenesis may play a role in repair. An important precondition for studying the role of angiogenesis is the ability to induce it in a controlled manner. Previously, we showed that a coculture of endothelial cells (ECs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) promoted the formation of stable tubes in vitro and stable, functional vascular networks in vivo in a subcutaneous model. We sought to test whether a similar coculture would lead to the formation of stable functional vessels in the spinal cord following injury. We created microvascular networks in a biodegradable two-component implant system and tested the ability of the coculture or controls (lesion control, implant alone, implant + ECs or implant + NPCs) to promote angiogenesis in a rat hemisection model of spinal cord injury. The coculture implant led to a fourfold increase in functional vessels compared with the lesion control, implant alone or implant + NPCs groups and a twofold increase in functional vessels over the implant + ECs group. Furthermore, half of the vessels in the coculture implant exhibited positive staining for the endothelial barrier antigen, a marker for the formation of the blood–spinal cord barrier. No other groups have shown positive staining for the blood–spinal cord barrier in the injury epicenter. This work provides a novel method to induce angiogenesis following spinal cord injury and a foundation for studying its role in repair.     

Improvement in Wound Healing by Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Ointment. I. Effect of Nafamostat,Gabexate, or Gelatin on Stabilization and Efficacy of EGF

The healing effect of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) on open wounds was studied in rats. No improvement in wound healing was found by topical application of EGF alone to open wound sites. We found an ointment containing EGF and a protease inhibitor, nafamostat mesilate or gabexate mesilate, or gelatin accelerated the healing rate of open wounds. Significant increases in the dry weight of the wound site granulation tissue, uronic acid (as an index of acid mucopolysaccharide) and hydroxyproline (as an index of collagen) were observed by treatment with EGF ointment containing nafamostat compared with the controls. The effects of the protease inhibitor on wound healing were dose dependent. Nafamostat was more efficient than gabexate or gelatin on wound healing. The degradation of ¹²⁵I-EGF in wound tissue homogenate was significantly decreased in the presence of a protease inhibitor, such as nafamostat or gabexate, or gelatin. These findings indicate that the stabilization of EGF at the wound site is an important factor in permitting the expression of its healing effects and suggest that the ointment containing EGF and a stabilizing agent would be a suitable dosage form for acceleration of wound repair.     

阿霉素磁性明胶微球的研究

报告了阿霉素磁性明胶微球（Ａｄｒ－ＭＧ－ｍｓ）的制备与性质，研究了超细氧化铁粒子的合成和磁性明胶微球（ＭＧ－ｍｓ）在狗体内的栓塞效果。阿霉素磁性明胶微球由２％阿霉素（Ａｄｒ）、６８％明胶和３０％的磁铁粒子组成，微球的平均粒径为２２μｍ。在体外实验中，药物释放速度证明微球有缓释的性质。磁铁粒子的平均粒径约为１０ｎｍ，磁性明胶微球与￣（９９ｍ）Ｔｃ标记磁性明胶微球通过导管分别输入狗的肝动脉内进行栓塞，照相和血管造影显示在未加外磁场时磁性明胶微球在左右肝叶分布几乎相等，而在１２００高斯的外磁场作用下，靶部位肝左叶的微球分布是肝右叶的２．２５倍，而甲状腺、脑、心脏的微球很微量，结果表明磁性明胶微球在外磁场作用下是一个很好的治疗肝癌的栓塞剂。