Active Antibacterial and Antifouling Surface Coating via a Facile One-Step Enzymatic Cross-Linking.

Prevention of microbial contamination of surfaces is one of the biggest challenges for biomedical applications. Establishing a stable, easily produced, highly antibacterial surface coating offers an efficient solution but remains a technical difficulty. Here, we report on a new approach to create an in situ hydrogel film-coating on glass surfaces made by enzymatic cross-linking under physiological conditions. The cross-linking is catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/glucose oxidase (GOD)-coupled cascade reactions in the presence of glucose and results in 3D dendritic polyglycerol (dPG) scaffolds bound to the surface of glass. These scaffolds continuously release H2O2 as long as glucose is present in the system. The resultant polymeric coating is highly stable, bacterial-repellent, and functions under physiological conditions. Challenged with high loads of bacteria (OD540 = 1.0), this novel hydrogel and glucose-amended coating reduced the cell viability of Pseudomonas putida (Gram-negative) by 100% and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) by ≥40%, respectively. Moreover, glucose-stimulated production of H2O2 by the coating system was sufficient to kill both test bacteria (at low titers) with >99.99% efficiency within 24 h. In the presence of glucose, this platform produces a coating with high effectiveness against bacterial adhesion and survival that can be envisioned for the applications in the glucose-associated medical/oral devices.

Evaluation of patient satisfaction after therapy of unilateral clefts of lip, alveolus and palate.

INTRODUCTION: Cleft lip, alveolus and palate (CLAP) is a craniofacial abnormality and is one of the most frequent human developmental anomalies. Therapy of clefts does not only comprise surgical closure of the cleft, but rather aims at an aesthetically and functionally optimal result at adult age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-three cleft patients with total clefts of lip, alveolus and palate were enrolled in this study. Osseous bridging of the alveolar cleft (osteoplasty) was performed in all patients followed by different types of subsequent treatment. All patients answered a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with the treatment result and their facial appearance. Patient satisfaction was correlated to the type of alveolar cleft repair. RESULTS: The returned questionnaires revealed varying patient satisfaction with their appearance, occlusal conditions, and dental aesthetics depending on the type of dental treatment in the alveolar cleft area. Questionnaire analysis by gender revealed clear gender-dependent differences in self-rated satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Aesthetics gain increasing importance for self-perception. Therefore, patient satisfaction with her facial appearance should move even more into focus of therapy of clefts.