Introducing an lsoprenaline Eluting Guidewire: Report on its Design and the Results of the Dose-Determining Pilot Study.

Introduction: Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is associated with complications, many of which are related to the intrarenal pressure (IRP). We aim to describe the design of a novel isoprenaline-eluting guidewire ("IsoWire") and present the results from the first in vitro release studies and the first animal studies showing its effect on IRP. Materials and Methods: The IsoWire comprises a Nitinol core surrounded by a stainless-steel wire wound into a tight coil. The grooves created by this coil provided a reservoir for adding a hydrogel coating into which isoprenaline, a beta-agonist, was loaded. Animal studies were performed using a porcine model. For the control, IRP, heart rate (HR), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured continuously for 6 minutes with a standard guidewire in place. For the experiment, the standard hydrophilic guidewire was removed, the IsoWire was inserted into the renal pelvis, and the same parameters were measured. Results: In vitro analysis of the isoprenaline release profile showed that most (63.9 ± 5.9%) of the loaded drug mass was released in the 1st minute, and almost all of the drug was released in the first 4 minutes exponentially. Porcine studies showed a 25.1% reduction in IRP in the IsoWire that released 10 µg in the 1st minute; however, there was a marked increase in HR. The average percentage reduction in IRP was 8.95% and 21.3% in the IsoWire that released 5 and 7.5 µg of isoprenaline, respectively, with no changes in HR or MAP. Conclusions: The IsoWire, which releases 5 and 7.5 µg of isoprenaline in the 1st minute, appears to be safe and effective in reducing the IRP. Further studies are needed to establish whether the isoprenaline-induced ureteral relaxation will render easier insertion of a ureteral access sheath, reduce IRP during sheathless RIRS, or even promote the practice of sheathless RIRS.

Ultrasound-Assisted Green Synthesis of Dialkyl Peroxides under Phase-Transfer Catalysis Conditions.

The dialkyl peroxides, which contain a thermally unstable oxygen-oxygen bond, are an important source of radical initiators and cross-linking agents. New efficient and green methods for their synthesis are still being sought. Herein, ultrasound-assisted synthesis of dialkyl peroxides from alkyl hydroperoxides and alkyl bromides in the presence of an aqueous solution of an inorganic base was systematically studied under phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) conditions. The process run in a tri-liquid system in which polyethylene glycol as a phase-transfer catalyst formed a third liquid phase between the organic and inorganic phases. The use of ultrasound provided high yields of organic peroxides (70-99%) in significantly shorter reaction times (1.5 h) in comparison to reaction with magnetic stirring (5.0 h). In turn, conducting the reaction in the tri-liquid PTC system allowed easy separation of the catalyst and its multiple use without significant loss of activity.