Injectable carboxymethyl chitosan-genipin hydrogels encapsulating tea tree oil for wound healing.

Injectable hydrogel is of interesting for wound healing due to it can be used as carriers of bioactive molecules for the reparation of tissues with minimal invasiveness. However, the integration of lipid-soluble substances into hydrogel network is difficult because of the polarity differences. Here, the tea tree oil (TTO) is encapsulated into the hydrogel network via a previous emulsification process, and a tough and antibacterial injectable hydrogel is synthesized by the Schiff base reaction between carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and genipin (GP). CMCS is served as both an emulsifier and a gel-forming material to construct the heterogeneous hydrogel. The obtained hydrogels present high adhesive strength (∼162.75 kPa), great antibacterial properties (over 90 %) and excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, an anal fistula-like wound healing experiment concluded that the heterogeneous hydrogel has good slow-release properties of TTO for an accelerate healing process, this hydrogel shows great potential for the treatment of complex anal fistula wounds.

Facile Fabrication of Starch-Based Microrods by Shear-Assisted Antisolvent-Induced Nanoprecipitation and Solidification.

Rod-like particles have attracted increasing attention because of their unique shape-dependent properties, which enable their superior performance compared to their isotropic counterparts. Thus, rod-like particles have potential applications in many fields, especially in biomedicine. However, the fabrication of uniform rod-like particles is challenging because of the principle of interfacial energy minimization. Herein, we present a facile, rapid, and cost-effective strategy for preparing starch-based microrods with tunable aspect ratios via shear-assisted antisolvent-induced nanoprecipitation and solidification. The preformed spherical particles swollen by the mixed solvent were elongated by the shear force and solidified in rod-like shape by antisolvent induction. The resulting starch-based microrods can encapsulate hydrophobic active substances and be modified with functional groups, indicating their potential applications as drug carriers and biologically active materials. The formation mechanism of the starch-based microrods discovered in this study provides a new perspective on the fabrication of rod-like polymer particles.

Carbon nanoparticle-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery with left colic artery preservation: a retrospective study.

Introduction: Natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) has been widely regarded as a new technology in minimally invasive surgery. Meanwhile, carbon nanoparticles have been increasingly used for lymph node tracing in colorectal cancer surgery. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of carbon nanoparticle-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery with left colic artery preservation for total laparoscopic colorectal resection. Material and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 83 patients diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer or mid- and upper-rectal cancer from October 2017 to June 2020. These patients were divided into the NOSES group who underwent left colic artery preservation NOSES, being injected with a carbon nanoparticle suspension under colonoscopy the day before surgery, and the LA group, who underwent left colic artery preservation laparoscopic surgery. Surgical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean number of harvested lymph nodes (p < 0.001) in the NOSES group was higher than in the LA group. Conversely, as regards pain score (p < 0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (p = 0.035), the LA group has higher mean values. The incidence of perioperative complications (p = 0.385) was 5.3% for the NOSES group compared to 13.3% for the LA group. Conclusions: Preoperative colonoscopic injection of a carbon nanoparticle suspension is a feasible and practical solution to dissect lymph nodes surrounding the inferior mesenteric artery without affecting the left colic artery in patients with colorectal cancer and about to receive NOSES. Moreover, NOSES combined with this approach leads to less postoperative pain and shorter hospital stays.