Comparative Evaluation of Normal Saline Gel and Ozone Therapy on Soft and Hard Tissue Health in Dental Implant Surgery.

AIMS: To comparatively evaluate the effect of normal saline gel and ozonated saline-ozonated gel (ozone therapy) on pain, inflammation, soft tissue, and crestal bone loss in dental implant surgery. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Forty adult patients scheduled to undergo implant were randomized into two groups: Twenty patients (n = 20) received ozone therapy and controls (n = 20) received normal saline and gel during implant placement. Inflammation and pain were noted at days 1 and 7 and 3 month intervals by estimating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and assessing visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. At 3 months, soft tissue outcomes were noted in terms of plaque index, gingival index, and pocket depth, while crestal bone loss was noted via a radiograph. RESULTS: Mean CRP levels were significantly higher in the control group as compared to that in the case group on day 1 and day 7 follow-ups (P < 0.05). Mean VAS scores for pain were also lower in the case group as compared to the control group at all follow-ups, but the difference was significant statistically only at day 1 (P = 0.061). The plaque index was significantly lower in the case group as compared to the control group (P = 0.011) at final follow-up. No significant difference between two groups was observed for crestal bone loss. CONCLUSIONS: Ozone therapy during implant placement was effective in reduction of pain, systemic inflammation, and plaque deposition in dental implant patients.

Various factors affecting the gel properties of surimi: A review.

As an important aquatic prepared food, surimi products are favored by consumers due to their unique viscoelastic properties and high nutritional value. Gel properties are the main indicators to measure the quality of surimi products. The gelation of surimi mainly involves intramolecular (conformational change) and intermolecular (chemical force) changes. Factors such as processing treatments, raw fish species and exogenous additives affect surimi protein structure, chemical forces and endogenous enzyme activities, which further affect the gel properties of surimi products. This review focuses on the mechanism of surimi heat-induced gel, mainly including protein chain expansion and aggregation through various chemical forces to form a three-dimensional network structure. In addition, the mechanism and application of different factors on the gel properties of surimi were also discussed, providing a reference for the selection of fish species, the control of heating conditions in the gel process of surimi products, the selection of additives and other measures to improve the gel performance.

An Artificial Neural Network Predicts Gender Differences of Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms of Patients with Advanced Parkinson's Disease under Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel.

Background and Objectives: Currently, no tool exists to predict clinical outcomes in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) under levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a novel deep neural network model to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced PD after two years of LCIG therapy. Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal, 24-month observational study of 59 patients with advanced PD in a multicenter registry under LCIG treatment from September 2019 to September 2021, including 43 movement disorder centers. The data set includes 649 measurements of patients, which make an irregular time series, and they are turned into regular time series during the preprocessing phase. Motor status was assessed with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Parts III (off) and IV. The NMS was assessed by the NMS Questionnaire (NMSQ) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the quality of life by PDQ-39, and severity by Hoehn and Yahr (HY). Multivariate linear regression, ARIMA, SARIMA, and Long Short-Term Memory-Recurrent NeuralNetwork (LSTM-RNN) models were used. Results: LCIG significantly improved dyskinesia duration and quality of life, with men experiencing a 19% and women a 10% greater improvement, respectively. Multivariate linear regression models showed that UPDRS-III decreased by 1.5 and 4.39 units per one-unit increase in the PDQ-39 and UPDRS-IV indexes, respectively. Although the ARIMA-(2,0,2) model is the best one with AIC criterion 101.8 and validation criteria MAE = 0.25, RMSE = 0.59, and RS = 0.49, it failed to predict PD patients' features over a long period of time. Among all the time series models, the LSTM-RNN model predicts these clinical characteristics with the highest accuracy (MAE = 0.057, RMSE = 0.079, RS = 0.0053, mean square error = 0.0069). Conclusions: The LSTM-RNN model predicts, with the highest accuracy, gender-dependent clinical outcomes in patients with advanced PD after two years of LCIG therapy.

An Open-label Study to Investigate the Efficacy and Tolerability of Dapsone Gel, 7.5% in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris in Men and Women With Skin of Color.

INTRODUCTION: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease prevalent in skin of color patients. Studies have demonstrated that dapsone gel, 7.5% (Aczone) used once daily is effective, safe, and well-tolerated for the treatment of acne in both men and women. However, minimal data are available in skin of color populations. This single-center, open-label clinical study investigated the efficacy and safety of dapsone gel, 7.5% in the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI. METHODS: Twenty (20) adult subjects with moderate to severe acne and Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI were enrolled in this study and treated with dapsone gel, 7.5% once daily for 24 weeks. RESULTS: Dapsone gel, 7.5% applied daily for 24 weeks reduced acne severity, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and decreased new inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions in skin of color patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris. Treatment resulted in improved acne health-related quality of life and patient symptoms related to acne, including patient-reported post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially with a treatment duration of 18 weeks or longer.  Limitations: The sample size was small and underpowered to detect statistically significant changes in some endpoints. CONCLUSION: Dapsone gel 7.5% was safe, well-tolerated, and efficacious in treating acne vulgaris and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in skin-of-color patients. Larger studies involving skin-of-color populations with acne vulgaris are warranted. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(6):410-417. doi:10.36849/JDD.7897.

A flexible, stretchable and wearable strain sensor based on physical eutectogels for deep learning-assisted motion identification.

Physical eutectogels as a newly emerging type of conductive gel have gained extensive interest for the next generation multifunctional electronic devices. Nevertheless, some obstacles, including weak mechanical performance, low self-adhesive strength, lack of self-healing capacity, and low conductivity, hinder their practical use in wearable strain sensors. Herein, lignin as a green filler and a multifunctional hydrogen bond donor was directly dissolved in a deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of acrylic acid (AA) and choline chloride, and lignin-reinforced physical eutectogels (DESL) were obtained by the polymerization of AA. Due to the unique features of lignin and DES, the prepared DESL eutectogels exhibit good transparency, UV shielding capacity, excellent mechanical performance, outstanding self-adhesiveness, superior self-healing properties, and high conductivity. Based on the aforementioned integrated functions, a wearable strain sensor displaying a wide working range (0-1500%), high sensitivity (GF = 18.15), rapid responsiveness, and excellent stability and durability (1000 cycles) and capable of detecting diverse human motions was fabricated. Additionally, by combining DESL sensors with a deep learning technique, a gesture recognition system with accuracy as high as 98.8% was achieved. Overall, this work provides an innovative idea for constructing multifunction-integrated physical eutectogels for application in wearable electronics.

Lipid-based microemulsion gel for the topical delivery of methotrexate: an optimized, rheologically acceptable formulation with conducive dermatokinetics.

In the present study, we have formulated a methotrexate (MTX)-loaded microemulsion topical gel employing quality-by-design optimization. The optimized lipid-based microemulsion was incorporated into a 2% carbopol gel. The prepared formulation was characterized for micromeritics, surface charge, surface morphology, conductivity studies, rheology studies, texture analysis/spreadability, drug entrapment, and drug loading studies. The formulation was further evaluated for drug release and release kinetics, cytotoxicity assays, drug permeation and drug retention studies, and dermatokinetics. The developed nanosystem was not only rheologically acceptable but also offered substantial drug entrapment and loading. From drug release studies, it was observed that the nanogel showed higher drug release at pH 5.0 compared to plain MTX, plain gel, and plain microemulsion. The developed system with improved dermatokinetics, nanometric size, higher drug loading, and enhanced efficacy towards A314 squamous epithelial cells offers a huge promise in the topical delivery of methotrexate.

Comparison of stromal vascular fraction cell composition between Coleman fat and extracellular matrix/stromal vascular fraction gel.

As a mechanically condensed product of Coleman fat, extracellular matrix/stromal vascular fraction gel (ECM/SVF-gel) eliminates adipocytes, concentrates SVF cells, and improves fat graft retention. This study aims to compare SVF cell composition between Coleman fat and ECM/SVF-gel. Matched Coleman fat and ECM/SVF-gel of 28 healthy women were subjected to RNA-seq, followed by functional enrichment and cell-type-specific enrichment analyses, and deconvolution of SVF cell subsets, reconstructing SVF cell composition in the transcriptome level. ECM/SVF-gels had 9 upregulated and 73 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Downregulated DEGs were mainly associated with inflammatory and immune responses, and enriched in fat macrophages. M2 macrophages, resting CD4+ memory T cells, M1 macrophages, resting mast cells, and M0 macrophages ranked in the top five most prevalent immune cells in the two groups. The proportions of the principal non-immune cells (e.g., adipose-derived stem cells, pericytes, preadipocytes, microvascular endothelial cells) had no statistical differences between the two groups. Our findings reveal ECM/SVF-gels share the same dominant immune cells beneficial to fat graft survival with Coleman fat, but exhibiting obvious losses of immune cells (especially macrophages), while non-immune cells necessary for adipose regeneration might have no significant loss in ECM/SVF-gels and their biological effects could be markedly enhanced by the ECM/SVF-gel's condensed nature.

Triple-Combination Clindamycin Phosphate 1.2%/Adapalene 0.15%/Benzoyl Peroxide 3.1% Gel for Acne in Adult and Pediatric Participants.

BACKGROUND: Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel (CAB) is the first fixed-dose triple-combination approved for the treatment of acne. This post hoc analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of CAB in pediatric (<18 years) and adult (greater than or equal to 18 years) participants. METHODS: In two multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 studies (NCT04214639 and NCT04214652), participants greater than or equal to 9 years of age with moderate-to-severe acne were randomized (2:1) to 12 weeks of once-daily treatment with CAB or vehicle gel. Pooled data were analyzed for pediatric and adult subpopulations. Assessments included treatment success (greater than or equal to 2-grade reduction from baseline in Evaluator's Global Severity Score and a score of 0 [clear] or 1 [almost clear], inflammatory/noninflammatory lesion counts, Acne-Specific Quality of Life (Acne-QoL) questionnaire, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), and cutaneous safety/tolerability. RESULTS: At week 12, treatment success rates for both pediatric and adult participants were significantly greater with CAB (52.7%; 45.9%) than with vehicle (24.0%; 23.5%; P<0.01, both). CAB-treated participants in both subgroups experienced greater reductions from baseline versus vehicle in inflammatory (pediatric: 78.6% vs 50.4%; adult: 76.6% vs 62.8%; P<0.001, both) and noninflammatory lesions (pediatric: 73.8% vs 41.1%; adult: 70.7% vs 52.2%; P<0.001, both). Acne-QoL improvements from baseline to week 12 were significantly greater with CAB than with a vehicle. Most TEAEs were of mild-to-moderate severity; no age-related trends for safety/tolerability were observed.  Conclusions: CAB gel demonstrated comparable efficacy, quality of life improvements, and safety in pediatric and adult participants with moderate-to-severe acne. As the first fixed-dose, triple-combination topical formulation, CAB represents an important new treatment option for patients with acne. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(6):394-402.     doi:10.36849/JDD.8357.

Amphiphilic NLC-Gel formulation loaded with Sebacoyl dinalbuphine ester and Nalbuphine for localized postoperative pain management.

Opioids are powerful analgesics; however, their significant systemic adverse effects and the need for frequent administration restrict their use. Nalbuphine (NA) is a κ-agonist narcotic with limited adverse effects, but needs to be frequently administrated due to its short elimination half-life. Whereas sebacoyl dinalbuphine ester (SDE) is a NA prodrug, which can effectively prolong the analgesic effect, but lacks immediate pain relief. Therefore, in this study, a rapid and sustained local delivery formulation to introduce NA and SDE directly into surgical sites was developed. An amphiphilic nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) poloxamer 407 (P407) gel (NLC-Gel) was developed to permit concurrent delivery of hydrophobic SDE from the NLC core and hydrophilic NA from P407, offering a dual rapid and prolonged analgesic effect. Benefiting from the thermal-sensitive characteristic of P407, the formulation can be injected in liquid phase and instantly transit into gel at wound site. NLC-Gel properties, including particle size, drug release, rheology, and stability, were assessed. In vivo evaluation using a rat spinal surgery model highlighted the effect of the formulation through pain behavior test and hematology analysis. NLC-Gels demonstrated an analgesic effect comparable with that of commercial intramuscular injected SDE formulation (IM SDE), with only 15 % of the drug dosage. The inclusion of supplemental NA in the exterior gel (PA12-Gel + NA) provided rapid drug onset owing to swift NA dispersion, addressing acute pain within hours along with prolonged analgesic effects. Our findings suggest that this amphiphilic formulation significantly enhanced postoperative pain management in terms of safety and efficacy.

ß-Lactoglobulin-based aerogels: Facile preparation and sustainable removal of organic contaminants from water.

Economically and efficiently removing organic pollutants from water is still a challenge in wastewater treatment. Utilizing environmentally friendly and readily available protein-based natural polymers to develop aerogels with effective removal performance and sustainable regeneration capability is a promising strategy for adsorbent design. Here, a robust and cost-effective method using inexpensive ß-lactoglobulin (BLG) as raw material was proposed to fabricate BLG-based aerogels. Firstly, photocurable BLG-based polymers were synthesized by grafting glycidyl methacrylate. Then, a cross-linking reaction, including photo-crosslinking and salting-out treatment, was applied to prepared BLG-based hydrogels. Finally, the BLG-based aerogels with high porosity and ultralight weight were obtained after freeze-drying. The outcomes revealed that the biocompatible BLG-based aerogels exhibited effective removal performance for a variety of organic pollutants under perfectly quiescent conditions, and could be regenerated and reused many times via a simple and rapid process of acid washing and centrifugation. Overall, this work not only demonstrates that BLG-based aerogels are promising adsorbents for water purification but also provides a potential way for the sustainable utilization of BLG.

Effects of Premna microphylla turcz polysaccharide on rheological, gelling, and structural properties of mung bean starch and their interactions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Premna microphylla turcz polysaccharide (PMP) on the rheological, gelling, and structural properties of mung bean starch (MBS) and their potential interaction mechanism. Results showed that the addition of PMP significantly improved the pasting properties, rheological properties, water holding capacity, and thermostability of MBS. The texture tests showed a decrease in hardness, gumminess and chewiness, indicating the retrogradation of MBS was inhibited. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggested the MBS-PMP composite gels expressed a denser microstructure with obvious folds and tears. Moreover, the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and interaction force tests revealed the main forces between MBS and PMP were hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions to form composite gels with great gelling properties. These results facilitate the practical application of MBS and PMP, and provide some references for understanding the interaction mechanism between starch and polysaccharide.

Salt ions improve soybean protein isolate/curdlan complex fat substitutes: Effect of molecular interactions on freeze-thaw stability.

Although emulsion gels show significant potential as fat substitutes, they are vulnerable to degreasing, delamination, and other undesirable processes during freezing, storage, and thawing, leading to commercial value loss in terms of juiciness, flavor, and texture. This study investigated the gel strength and freeze-thaw stability of soybean protein isolate (SPI)/curdlan (CL) composite emulsion gels after adding sodium chloride (NaCl). Analysis revealed that adding low salt ion concentrations promoted the hardness and water-holding capacity (WHC) of fat substitutes, while high levels displayed an inhibitory effect. With 40 mM NaCl as the optimum concentration, the hardness increased from 259.33 g (0 mM) to 418.67 g, the WHC increased from 90.59 % to 93.18 %, exhibiting good freeze-thaw stability. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and particle size distribution were used to examine the impact of salt ion concentrations on protein particle aggregation and the damaging effect of freezing and thawing on the proteoglycan complex network structure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and protein solubility evaluation indicated that the composite gel network structure consisted of covalent contacts between the proteoglycan molecules and hydrogen bonds, playing a predominant role in non-covalent interaction. This study showed that the salt ion concentration in the emulsion gel affected its molecular interactions.

Production of Agarose-Hydroxyapatite Composites via Supercritical Gel Drying, for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is the most promising strategy to repair bones injuries and defects. It relies on the utilization of a temporary support to host the cells and promote nutrient exchange (i.e., the scaffold). Supercritical CO2 assisted drying can preserve scaffold nanostructure, crucial for cell attachment and proliferation. In this work, agarose aerogels, loaded with hydroxyapatite were produced in view of BTE applications. Different combinations of agarose concentration and hydroxyapatite loadings were tested. FESEM and EDX analyses showed that scaffold structure suffered from partial closure when increasing filler concentration; hydroxyapatite distribution was homogenous, and Young's modulus improved. Looking at BTE applications, the optimal combination of agarose and hydroxyapatite resulted to be 1% w/w and 10% w/v, respectively. Mechanical properties showed that the produced composites could be eligible as starting scaffold for BTE, with a Young's Modulus larger than 100 kPa for every blend.

An Optical Reusable 2D Radiochromic Gel-Based System for Ionising Radiation Measurements in Radiotherapy.

This work describes the development of a reusable 2D detector based on radiochromic reaction for radiotherapy dosimetric measurements. It consists of a radiochromic gel dosimeter in a cuboidal plastic container, scanning with a flatbed scanner, and data processing using a dedicated software package. This tool is assessed using the example of the application of the coincidence test of radiation and mechanical isocenters for a medical accelerator. The following were examined: scanning repeatability and image homogeneity, the impact of image processing on data processing in coincidence tests, and irradiation conditions-monitor units per radiation beam and irradiation field are selected. Optimal conditions for carrying out the test are chosen: (i) the multi-leaf collimator gap should preferably be 5 mm for 2D star shot irradiation, (ii) it is recommended to apply ≥2500-≤5000 MU per beam to obtain a strong signal enabling easy data processing, (iii) Mean filter can be applied to the images to improve calculations. An approach to dosimeter reuse with the goal of reducing costs is presented; the number of reuses is related to the MUs per beam, which, in this study, is about 5-57 for 30,000-2500 MU per beam (four fields). The proposed reusable system was successfully applied to the coincidence tests, confirming its suitability as a new potential quality assurance tool in radiotherapy.

A comprehensive review on recent progress in chitosan composite gels for biomedical uses.

Chitosan (CS) composite gels have emerged as promising materials with diverse applications in biomedicine. This review provides a concise overview of recent advancements and key aspects in the development of CS composite gels. The unique properties of CS, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and antimicrobial activity, make it an attractive candidate for gel-based composites. Incorporating various additives, such as nanoparticles, polymers, and bioactive compounds, enhances the mechanical, thermal, and biological and other functional properties of CS gels. This review discusses the fabrication methods employed for CS composite gels, including blending and crosslinking, highlighting their influence on the final properties of the gels. Furthermore, the uses of CS composite gels in tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, and 3D printing highlight their potential to overcome a number of the present issues with drug delivery. The biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, electroactive, thermosensitive and pH responsive behavior and controlled release capabilities of these gels make them particularly suitable for biomedical applications. In conclusion, CS composite gels represent a versatile class of materials with significant potential for a wide range of applications. Further research and development efforts are necessary to optimize their properties and expand their utility in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate Combined with Ultra-Purified Alginate Bioresorbable Gel Enhances Intervertebral Disc Repair in a Canine Model: A Preclinical Proof-of-Concept Study.

Although discectomy is commonly performed for lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation, the capacity for tissue repair after surgery is limited, resulting in residual lower back pain, recurrence of IVD herniation, and progression of IVD degeneration. Cell-based therapies, as one-step procedures, are desirable for enhancing IVD repair. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of a combination of newly developed ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) implantation for IVD repair after discectomy. Prior to an in vivo study, the cell concentration abilities of three commercially available preparation kits for creating the BMAC were compared by measuring the number of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells harvested from the bone marrow of rabbits. Subsequently, canine-derived BMAC was tested in a canine model using a kit which had the highest concentration rate. At 24 weeks after implantation, we evaluated the changes in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals as well as histological degeneration grade and immunohistochemical analysis results for type II and type I collagen-positive cells in the treated IVDs. In all quantitative evaluations, such as MRI and histological and immunohistochemical analyses of IVD degeneration, BMAC-UPAL implantation significantly suppressed the progression of IVD degeneration compared to discectomy and UPAL alone. This preclinical proof-of-concept study demonstrated the potential efficacy of BMAC-UPAL gel as a therapeutic strategy for implementation after discectomy, which was superior to UPAL and discectomy alone in terms of tissue repair and regenerative potential.