In Vivo Biological Behavior of Polymer Scaffolds of Natural Origin in the Bone Repair Process

Autologous bone grafts, used mainly in extensive bone loss, are considered the gold standard treatment in regenerative medicine, but still have limitations mainly in relation to the amount of bone available, donor area, morbidity and creation of additional surgical area. This fact encourages tissue engineering in relation to the need to develop new biomaterials, from sources other than the individual himself. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of an elastin and collagen matrix on the bone repair process in critical size defects in rat calvaria. The animals (Wistar rats, n = 30) were submitted to a surgical procedure to create the bone defect and were divided into three groups: Control Group (CG, n = 10), defects filled with blood clot; E24/37 Group (E24/37, n = 10), defects filled with bovine elastin matrix hydrolyzed for 24 h at 37 °C and C24/25 Group (C24/25, n = 10), defects filled with porcine collagen matrix hydrolyzed for 24 h at 25 °C. Macroscopic and radiographic analyses demonstrated the absence of inflammatory signs and infection. Microtomographical 2D and 3D images showed centripetal bone growth and restricted margins of the bone defect. Histologically, the images confirmed the pattern of bone deposition at the margins of the remaining bone and without complete closure by bone tissue. In the morphometric analysis, the groups E24/37 and C24/25 (13.68 ± 1.44; 53.20 ± 4.47, respectively) showed statistically significant differences in relation to the CG (5.86 ± 2.87). It was concluded that the matrices used as scaffolds are biocompatible and increase the formation of new bone in a critical size defect, with greater formation in the polymer derived from the intestinal serous layer of porcine origin (C24/25).     

Generalized Einstein conditions on holomorphic Riemannian manifolds

Summary At first, a necessary and sufficient condition for a K?hler-Norden manifold to be holomorphic Einstein is found. Next, it is shown that the so-called (real) generalized Einstein conditions for K?hler-Norden manifolds are not essential since the scalarcurvature of such manifolds is constant. In this context, we study generalized holomorphic Einstein conditions. Using the one-to-one correspondence between K?hler-Norden structures and holomorphic Riemannian metrics, we establish necessary and sufficient conditions for K?hler-Norden manifolds to satisfy the generalized holomorphic Einstein conditions. And a class of new examples of such manifolds is presented. Finally, in virtue of the obtained results, we mention that Theorems 1 and 2 of H. Kim and J. Kim [10] are not true in general.     

Wait-and-switch stochastic model of the non-Debye relaxation. Derivation of the Burr survival probability

Stochastic mechanism of relaxation, in which a dipole waits until a favourable condition for reorientation exists, is discussed. Assuming that an imposed direction of a dipole moment may be changed when a migrating defect reaches the dipole, we present a mathematically rigorous scheme relating the local random characteristics of a macroscopic system to its effective relaxation behaviour. We derive a relaxation function (the Burr survival probability) that is characterized by the stretched exponential or the power-law behaviour.     

In situ preparation of protein-"smart" polymer conjugates with retention of bioactivity

Protein-polymer conjugates are widely used in biotechnology and medicine, and new methods to prepare the bioconjugates would be advantageous for these applications. In this report, we demonstrate that bioactive "smart" polymer conjugates can be synthesized by polymerizing from defined initiation sites on proteins, thus preparing the polymer conjugates in situ. In particular, free cysteines, Cys-34 of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Cys-131 of T4 lysozyme V131C, were modified with initiators for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) either through a reversible disulfide linkage or irreversible bond by reaction with pyridyl disulfide- and maleimide-functionalized initiators, respectively. Initiator conjugation was verified by electrospray-ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), and the location of the modification was confirmed by muLC-MSMS (tandem mass spectrometry) analysis of the trypsin-digested protein macroinitiators. Polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) from the protein macroinitiators resulted in thermosensitive BSA-polyNIPAAm and lysozyme-polyNIPAAm in greater than 65% yield. The resultant conjugates were characterized by gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and easily purified by preparative SEC. The identity of polymer isolated from the BSA conjugate was confirmed by (1)H NMR, and the polydispersity index was determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to be as low as 1.34. Lytic activities of the lysozyme conjugates were determined by two standard assays and compared to that of the unmodified enzyme prior to polymerization; no statistical differences in bioactivity were observed.     

Two-level structured self-adaptive surfaces with reversibly tunable properties

We report a route to fabricate two-level structured self-adaptive surfaces (SAS) of polymer materials. The first level of structure is built by a rough polymer film that consists of needlelike structures of micrometer size. The second level of structure is formed by the nanoscopic self-assembled domains of a demixed polymer brush irreversibly grafted onto the needles. By exposing the surface to solvents that are selective to one of the components of the brush, we reversibly tune the surface properties. The large-scale surface structure amplifies the response and enables us to control wettability, adhesion, and chemical composition of the surface over a wide range.     

A study of [Co2(alkyne)(binap)(CO)4] complexes (BINAP=(1,1'-binaphthalene)-2,2'-diylbis(diphenylphosphine))

Understanding the interaction of chiral ligands, alkynes, and alkenes with cobaltcarbonyl sources is critical to learning more about the mechanism of the catalytic, asymmetric Pauson-Khand reaction. We have successfully characterized complexes of the type [Co2(alkyne)(binap)(CO)4] (BINAP=(1,1'-binaphthalene)-2,2'-diylbis(diphenylphosphine)) and shown that diastereomer interconversion occurs under Pauson-Khand reaction conditions when alkyne=HC[triple bond]CCO2Me. Attempts to isolate [Co2(alkyne)(binap)(CO)x] complexes with coordinated alkenes led to the formation of cobaltacyclopentadiene species.     

Measurement of Tumor Vascular Damage in Mice with 99m Tc-MIBI Following Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract— The clinical perfusion agent ^99mTc-MIBI was used to monitor changes in tumor vascular perfusion (TVP) induced by Photofrin® (Pll)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT). BALB/c mice bearing an EMT-6 tumor on each hind thigh were given an intravenous injection of 1, 2 or 5 mg kg⁻¹ PII. Twenty-four hours later, one tumor was illuminated (600–650 run, 200 mW cm⁻² 400 J cm⁻²) while the other served as a control. At various time intervals after PDT (0, 2 and 24 h) mice received an intravenous injection of ^99mTc-hexakismethoxy(sobutyusonitri-le (MIBI) (0.18 MBq g⁻¹) and were sacrificed 2 min later. The light-treated and the untreated tumors were then dissected, the radioactivity was counted and the percentage of the injected dose per gram of tumor (%ID g⁻¹) was calculated as a measure of TVP. We observed that TVP is drug dose dependent, develops progressively with time post-PDT and is inversely related to PDT efficacy. Our data show that early tumor retention of ^99mMIBI is a simple method to assess TVP and vascular damage induced by PDT.     

Gas-phase interaction of H2S with O2: A kinetic and quantum chemistry study of the potential energy surface

Quantum chemical calculations were carried out to study the interaction of hydrogen sulfide with molecular oxygen in the gas phase. The basic mechanism, the rates of reaction, and the potential energy surface were calculated. Isomers and transition states that connect the reactants with intermediates and products of reaction were identified using the G2 method and B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) functional. Hydrogen abstraction to form HO2 + SH is the dominant product channel and proceeds through a loose transition state well-described at the level of calculation employed. The temperature dependence of the rate coefficient in the range 300-3000 K has been determined on the basis of the ab initio potential energy surface and with variational transition-state theory. The reaction is 169.5 kJ mol(-1) endothermic at 0 K with a rate constant given by 2.77 x 10(5) T(2.76) exp(-19 222/T) cm3 mol(-1) s(-1) and should proceed slowly under atmospheric thermal conditions, but it offers a route to the initiation of H2S combustion at relatively low temperatures.     

Optimized Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Factorial Design with Application for the Determination of Melamine in Milk

A colorimetric method based on silver nanoparticles was developed for the determination of melamine in milk. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized without any stabilizer, using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. Optimization of the variables for the formation of the nanoparticles was performed by factorial design, resulting in stable colloidal silver nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 14.0?±?2.7?nm. Spectrophotometric measurements performed at 475?nm showed a linear range from 0.033 to 1.50?mg?L^?1 of melamine with limits of detection and quantification of 0.009 and 0.031?mg?L^?1, respectively. The method provided highly sensitive determination of melamine in milk.