Continuation of self-injected versus provider-administered contraception in Senegal: a nonrandomized,prospective cohort study

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to compare the 12-month continuation rate for women who self-injected subcutaneous depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) with that for women receiving intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) from a provider. This research contributes to the broader goal of identifying solutions to support women to use contraception for their full desired duration.

以藻酸钙为载体的可注射性组织工程骨研究

目的：研究藻酸钙／骨髓基质成骨细胞复合物在有免疫动物体内成骨的可行性。方法：从免筋骨中获取骨髓基质成骨细胞，将骨髓基质成骨细胞与25g／L藻酸钠溶胶混合形成藻酸钠／骨髓基质成骨细胞复合物，取其2ml与0．17g硫酸钙粉末混合均匀，注射于新西兰兔背部皮下，观察成骨情况。结果：藻酸钙／骨髓基质成骨细胞复合物植入免皮下四周后有类软骨样组织形成，8周时有骨小梁、骨髓腔等骨组织结构。结论：藻酸钙／骨髓基质成骨细胞复合物通过注射方式在有免疫动物体内可以形成骨组织。     

丁酸氯维地平静脉注射乳剂在大鼠体内的药动学研究

目的研究两种丁酸氯维地平制剂在大鼠体内的药动学特点。方法将24只大鼠随机均分为4组,分别静脉滴注低、中、高剂量的丁酸氯维地平受试制剂及参比制剂,采用HPLC法测定全血中的丁酸氯维地平,计算药动学参数,评价其在大鼠体内的药动学特点。结果丁酸氯维地平低、中、高剂量受试制剂和参比制剂在大鼠血浆中的主要药动学参数为:Cmax分别为46.16±10.65、82.99±9.34、177.80±38.32、80.31±3.04 ng·m L-1;AUC0-t分别为2.309±0.628、4.221±0.988、9.339±1.759、3.968±0.411 min·μg·m L-1;t1/2分别为12.20±4.65、16.74±6.93、15.13±4.81、18.34±4.43 min。结论丁酸氯维地平受试制剂和参比制剂在大鼠体内药动学参数差异无统计学意义,受试制剂在0.36~3.24 mg·kg-1剂量范围内呈非线性动力学特征。     

Design of self-assembling peptide hydrogelators amenable to bacterial expression

Hydrogels formed from self-assembling peptides are finding use in tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Given the notorious difficulties associated with producing self-assembling peptides by recombinant expression, most are typically prepared by chemical synthesis. Herein, we report the design of a family of self-assembling β-hairpin peptides amenable to efficient production using an optimized bacterial expression system. Expressing peptides, EX1, EX2 and EX3 contain identical eight-residue amphiphilic β-strands connected by varying turn sequences that are responsible for ensuring chain reversal and the proper intramolecular folding and consequent self-assembly of the peptide into a hydrogel network under physiological conditions. EX1 was initially used to establish and optimize the bacterial expression system by which all the peptides could be eventually individually expressed. Expression clones were designed to allow exploration of possible fusion partners and investigate both enzymatic and chemical cleavage as means to liberate the target peptide. A systematic analysis of possible expression systems followed by fermentation optimization lead to a system in which all three peptides could be expressed as fusions with BAD-BH3, the BH3 domain of the proapoptotic BAD (Bcl-2 Associated Death) Protein. CNBr cleavage followed by purification afforded 50, 31, and 15 mg/L yields of pure EX1, EX2 and EX3, respectively. CD spectroscopy, TEM, and rheological analysis indicate that these peptides fold and assembled into well-defined fibrils that constitute hydrogels having shear-thin/recovery properties.     

可注射性生物复合材料修复老年膝关节软骨损伤的应用分析

目的探讨可注射性生物复合材料修复老年膝关节软骨损伤的应用。方法采用前瞻性研究方法,选择2015年1月至2016年2月在我院诊治的老年膝关节软骨损伤24例,根据信封随机抽取法分为观察组与对照组,每组12例,两组都给予关节镜下手术治疗,对照组注射骨水泥进行修复,观察组使用纳米晶磷酸钙/胶原基骨材料进行修复,观察手术前后疼痛与膝关节功能情况。结果术后3个月,观察组和对照组的疗效优良率分别为91.7%与66.7%,观察组明显高于对照组(P<0.05);观察组和对照组疼痛评分分别为(2.11±1.54)、(3.61±1.44)分,明显低于术前的(4.94±2.61)、(4.84±2.53)分(P<0.05),且观察组的术后评分明显低于对照组(P<0.05);观察组与对照组术后Lysholm膝关节功能评分均明显高于术前(P<0.05),且观察组的术后评分明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组与对照组术后3个月的血栓栓塞、肺部感染、下肢肿胀等并发症发生率分别为16.7%、58.3%,观察组明显低于对照组(P<0.05)。结论可注射性生物复合材料-纳米晶磷酸钙/胶原基骨材料修复老年膝关节软骨损伤具有很好的疗效,能减少并发症的发生,其作用机制可能与有效缓解及改善膝关节功能有关。     

Light-responsive in situ forming injectable implants for effective drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Frequent intravitreal injections are currently the preferred treatment method for diseases affecting the posterior segment of the eye. However, these repeated injections have been associated with pain, risk of infection, hemorrhages, retinal detachment and high treatment costs. To overcome these limitations, light-responsive in situ forming injectable implants (ISFIs) may emerge as novel systems providing site-specific controlled drug delivery to the retinal tissues with great accuracy, safety, minimal invasiveness and high cost efficiency.

Area covered: Complex ocular barriers, routes for drug delivery, types of injectable implants, ocular application of light and benefits of light-responsive systems are discussed with regards to challenges and strategies employed for effective drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. In particular, we have highlighted photoresponsive moieties, photopolymerization mechanisms and different development strategies with their limitations as well as recent advancements in the field.

Expert opinion: Biodegradable light-responsive ISFIs are promising drug delivery systems that have shown a high degree of biocompatibility with sustained drug release in a number of applications. However, their use in intravitreal drug delivery is still in the very early stages. Issues related to the biocompatibility of the photoinitiator and the elimination of photo-degraded by-products from the ocular tissues need careful consideration, not only from a chemistry standpoint, but also from a biological perspective to improve the suitability of these systems for clinical applications.     

Injectable platelet-rich fibrin as treatment for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled clinical trial

The purpose of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes of intraarticular injection of injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) after arthrocentesis in patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA). Patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: those who received intraarticular injection of i-PRF after arthrocentesis procedure – the i-PRF group; and those who underwent the arthrocentesis procedure alone – the control group. The primary outcome variable was pain, the level of which was measured preoperatively and at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The secondary outcome variables included maximum mouth opening (MMO), and lateral and protrusive movements. Of the total of 36 patients, 18 were analyzed in the i-PRF group and 18 in the control group. There were significant differences between the groups in terms of pain levels and measurements of MMO, lateral movement, and protrusive movement over the 12 months of follow-up (p < 0.001). Significant increases in pain levels and decreases in measurements of MMO, lateral movement, and protrusive movement were observed in the control group from the 6th to 12th month postoperatively (p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant differences were found in both pain levels and measurements of MMO, lateral, and protrusive movements for the i-PRF group from the 2nd to the 12th month postoperatively. Within the limitations of the study it seems that intraarticular injection of i-PRF after arthrocentesis should be preferred whenever appropriate because when reducing pain intensity and improving functional jaw movement is the priority.     

Study of the stability of packaging and storage conditions of human mesenchymal stem cell for intra-arterial clinical application in patient with critical limb ischemia

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this study, we developed and characterized an intra-arterial cell suspension containing human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for the treatment of CLI. Equally, the stability of cells was studied in order to evaluate the optimal conditions of storage that guarantee the viability from cell processing to the administration phase. Effects of various factors, including excipients, storage temperature and time were evaluated to analyze the survival of hMSCs in the finished medicinal product. The viability of hMSCs in different packaging media was studied for 60 h at 4 °C. The best medium to maintain hMSCs viability was then selected to test storage conditions (4, 8, 25 and 37 °C; 60 h). The results showed that at 4 °C the viability was maintained above 80% for 48 h, at 8 °C decreased slightly, whereas at room temperature and 37 °C decreased drastically. Its biocompatibility was assessed by cell morphology and cell viability assays. During stability study, the stored cells did not show any change in their phenotypic or genotypic characteristics and physicochemical properties remained constant, the ability to differentiate into adipocytes and osteocytes and sterility requirements were also unaltered. Finally, our paper proposes a packing media composed of albumin 20%, glucose 5% and Ringer’s lactate at a concentration of 1 × 10⁶ cells/mL, which must be stored at 4 °C as the most suitable to maintain cell viability (>80%) and without altering their characteristics for more than 48 h.