RESUMO
Technological advances in glaucoma have challenged the traditional treatment paradigm. Historically incisional surgery has been used in cases of advanced disease and/or uncontrolled intraocular pressures resistant to medical or laser interventions. More recently, perhaps due to advancements in imaging, surgery has been suggested to be beneficial earlier in the treatment paradigm. Despite these trends, surgical manipulation of the tissues and unpredictability of wound healing continue to result in surgical failure. Magnesium is an essential element for human body and plays a critically important role in maintaining the functional and structural integrity of several tissues, including the eye. Due to several of its advantageous properties such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, and high biological compatibility, magnesium alloy has attracted great attention as a novel biomaterial. Biodegradable cardiovascular stents made of magnesium alloy have already been introduced into clinical practice. The purpose of this review is to determine if bioabsorbable magnesium alloys can be utilized as a promising candidate for the development of a new generation of glaucoma surgical assistive devices.
RESUMO
The discovery of buckminsterfullerene C(60) opened up a new scientific area and stimulated the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology directly. Fullerene science has since emerged to include fullerenes, endohedral fullerenes (mainly metallofullerenes), exofullerenes, and carbon nanotubes as well. Herein, we look back at the development of fullerene science from the perspective of epistemology by highlighting the proposed main rules or criteria for understanding and predicting the structures and stability of fullerene-based compounds. We also point out that a rule or criterion may contribute significantly to the corresponding discipline and suggest that two unsolved issues in fullerene science are the addition patterns of fullerene derivatives and the structures and stability of nonclassical fullerenes.