In Vivo Degradation Behavior of Magnesium Alloy for Bone Implants with Improving Biological Activity, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Resistance.

This study aimed to establish a surface modification technology for ZK60 magnesium alloy implants that can degrade uniformly over time and promote bone healing. It proposes a special micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treatment on ZK60 alloy that enables the composite electrolytes to create a coating with better corrosion resistance and solve the problems of uneven and excessive degradation. A magnesium alloy bone screw made in this way was able to promote the bone healing reaction after implantation in rabbits. Additionally, it was found that the MAO-treated samples could be sustained in simulated body-fluid solution, exhibiting excellent corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability. The Ca ions deposited in the MAO coating were not cytotoxic and were beneficial in enhancing bone healing after implantation.

Nasal Airway Evaluation After Le Fort I Osteotomy Combined With Septoplasty in Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate.

Septal deviation constitutes an important component of both esthetic deformity and airway compromise in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). The posterior parts of the nasal septum presented greater deviation than the anterior parts in patients with complete unilateral CLP. Le Fort I down-fracture provides better access to the nasal septum than intranasal incision during rhinoplasty, especially to the posterior part. This study objectively and subjectively evaluated the nasal function after Le Fort I osteotomy combined with septoplasty in patients with complete unilateral CLP. Twenty-three patients with complete unilateral CLP presenting with nasal obstruction and septum deviation were included (12-combined surgery group; 11-control group). Types of septum deviation in the patients were analyzed. Presurgical and 6-month-postsurgical acoustic rhinometry (AR) was performed for objective assessment; and the nasal obstruction symptom evaluation (NOSE) scale was used for subjective assessment. The authors used SPSS to compare the baseline and follow-up results. Acoustic rhinometry assessment showed improvements in the nasal minimal cross-sectional area (MCA), nasal resistance, and nasal volumes in 12 patients who received combined surgery. For the 2 groups, significant improvements in nasal breathing were documented (by NOSE scores) at 6 months after surgery. Simultaneous management of the maxillary dysplasia (Le Fort I osteotomy) and intranasal pathology (septoplasty) were effective for relief of nasal airway obstruction in patients with complete unilateral CLP. The combination of objective (AR) and subjective (NOSE scale) assessments allowed better evaluation of the nasal function.

Enhancement effect of 2, 3-dimethyl maleic acid on luminol chemiluminescence reactions and its application in detection of sequence-specific DNA related to hepatitis B virus.

2, 3-dimethyl maleic acid (DMMA) was found to enhance luminol-H2O2 chemiluminescent (CL) reactions, among which the strongest enhancement effect was observed by using polyethyleneimine-templated gold nanoclusters (PEI-Au NCs) as the catalyst. With the addition of DMMA, the CL signal of the PEI-Au NCs-catalyzed luminol-H2O2 reaction enhanced about 630-fold, and a flash-type CL profile was obtained. Mechanism studies showed that the luminophore was still 3-aminophthalate anions in the excited state (3-APA*), and superoxide radical (O2·-) played an important role during the CL process. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the lowest concentration of PEI-Au NCs can be detected was 0.168 nM which was 82-fold lower than that without an enhancer. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of biotinylated PEI-Au NCs in the DMMA-enhanced luminol system was similar to PEI-Au NCs, providing a good opportunity for the development of CL bioanalysis platforms using PEI-Au NCs as the label. Thus, the DMMA-enhanced luminol-H2O2 system was applied to the CL detection of sequence-specific DNA related to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) using PEI-Au NCs as the label. The CL platform exhibited linearly enhanced CL response with the increasing amount of target DNA ranging from 0.0025 to 0.5 pmol. As low as 0.002 pmol of HBV DNA could be sensitively detected, which was superior to the previously reported methods.

The clinical outcomes of new hyaluronan nasal dressing: a prospective, randomized, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Poor postoperative wound healing after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) remains a significant problem. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of a new absorbable hyaluronan hydrogel. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted. Fifty-five patients with bilateral ESS were recruited and randomized to receive absorbable hyaluronan hydrogel in one side as treated and the opposite side without absorbable hyaluronan hydrogel as control. Clinical outcome measures were assessed at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients completed the study. Overall, absorbable hyaluronan hydrogel significantly promotes the reepithelization process and reduces the presence of obstructing synechia, nonobstructing synechia, edema, crust, and mild mucopurulent drainage (all p ≤ 0.0002). At all postoperative follow-up visits, the promotion in reepithelization is statistically significant at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and the reductions in the presence of nonobstructing synechia, edema, crust, and mild mucopurulent drainage are all statistically significant except for the presence of crust at 12 weeks and mild mucopurulent drainage at 1 and 12 weeks. Although the presence of obstructing synechia at each follow-up visit between groups does not reach statistical significance, the incidence ranges from 5.56 to 12.96% in the control group and from 0 to 3.70% in the treated group. No adverse event related to treatment was observed. CONCLUSION: In this clinical study, data analyses suggest that this new absorbable hyaluronan hydrogel, as nasal dressing/packing after ESS is safe and promotes the postoperative reepithelization process and reduces the presence of synechia, edema, crust, and mild mucopurulent drainage.

[Nasal airway changes after maxillary advancement following Le Fort I osteotomy].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nasal airway changes after maxillary advancement following Le Fort I osteotomy. METHODS: 13 cases with class III malocclusion, aged 18-35 years old, were studied prospectively. All the patients underwent Le Fort I osteotomy and maxillary advancement. Rhinological inspectrum, acoustic rhinometry (AR) were performed before operation, 3 and 6 months after operation. The Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale was also completed by 13 patients before and after operation. SPSS was used for statistical assay. RESULTS: AR assessment showed that NAR was (1.189 +/- 0.38) cm H2O/L/mi, (1.081 +/- 0.43) cm H2O/L/mi and (1.111 +/- 0.40) cm H2O/L/mi before operation, 3 and 6 months after operation; NV was (14.920 +/- 1.95) ml, (16.380 +/- 4.32) ml and (15.660 +/- 4.25) ml; and MCA was (0.500 +/- 0.09) cm2, (0.570 +/- 0.15) cm2 and (0.560 +/- 0.14) cm2, respectively. However, no significant improvement was showed. For the whole cohort, significant improvement in nasal breathing was documented (by NOSE scores) at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Le Fort I osteotomy with maxillary advancement doesn't cause bad effect on nasal airways in patients with maxillary dysplasia. And the combination of objective (AR) and subjective (NOSE scale) assessment can better evaluate of the structure and function of the nose.