A Review on Polymers for Biomedical Applications on Hard and Soft Tissues and Prosthetic Limbs.

In the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of polymers for biomedical applications. The global medical polymer market size was valued at USD 19.92 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2023 to 2030 despite some limitations, such as cost (financial limitation), strength compared to metal plates for bone fracture, design optimization and incorporation of reinforcement. Recently, this increase has been more pronounced due to important advances in synthesis and modification techniques for the design of novel biomaterials and their behavior in vitro and in vivo. Also, modern medicine allows the use of less invasive surgeries and faster surgical sutures. Besides their use in the human body, polymer biomedical materials must have desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties. This review summarizes the use of polymers for biomedical applications, mainly focusing on hard and soft tissues, prosthetic limbs, dental applications, and bone fracture repair. The main properties, gaps, and trends are discussed.

Polyurethane as a strategy for annulus fibrosus repair and regeneration: a systematic review.

AIM: Disc herniation is a spine disease that leads to suffering and disability. Discectomy is a Janus-faced approach that relieves pain symptoms but leave the intervertebral discs predisposed to herniation. This systematic review discussed the mechanical and biological requirements for a polyurethane-based biomaterial to be used in annular repair. METHODS: Search strategy was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases to define the main mechanical properties, biological findings and follow-up aspects of these biomaterials. The range was limited to articles published from January 2000 to December 2017 in English language. RESULTS: The search identified 82 articles. From these, a total of 18 articles underwent a full-text analysis, and 16 studies were included in the review. CONCLUSION: The polyurethane presents suitable properties to be used as an engineered solution to re-establish the microenvironment and biomechanical features of the intervertebral disc.

Correlation between rheological properties and capillary fixation for modelling creams

The Brazilian male beauty market occupies the second place in world consumption of cosmetics. Among the numerous products consumed by such audience is the capillary fixation mask, which is mainly composed by fixatives. These additives act on stabilizing the cosmetic emulsion, protecting the hair against moisture and also increasing the intensity of hair fixation. In this work, three formulations for modelling creams were prepared by different concentrations of the fixatives StylezeTM W20 and PVP K90 and their properties characterized by physicochemical, rheological and sensory analysis. The capillary masks produced were stable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with uniform droplets of 2.05-2.82 µm sizes and pseudoplastic thixotropic behavior (0.19 < n < 0.26). It was possible to correlate the increased concentration of PVP K90 to a greater thixotropy and an improved yarn fixation, despite the worsening in the spreadability of the formulations. These results suggest properly conducted rheological measurements can contribute to the prediction of the emulsion's sensory properties, which can save time and funds on the development of new cosmetics