Biocompatibility of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(acrylic acid) interpenetrating network hydrogel by intrastromal implantation in rabbit cornea.

We evaluated the biocompatibility of a poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(acrylic acid) (PEG/PAA) interpenetrating network hydrogel designed for artificial cornea in a rabbit model. PEG/PAA hydrogel measuring 6 mm in diameter was implanted in the corneal stroma of twelve rabbits. Stromal flaps were created with a microkeratome.

Interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel scaffolds for artificial cornea periphery.

Three-dimensional scaffolds based on inverted colloidal crystals (ICCs) were fabricated from sequentially polymerized interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels of poly(ethyleneglycol) and poly(acrylic acid). This high-strength, high-water-content IPN hydrogel may be suitable for use in an artificial cornea application. Development of a highly porous, biointegrable region at the periphery of the artificial cornea device is critical to long-term retention of the implant.

Cost-effectiveness landscape analysis of treatments addressing xerostomia in patients receiving head and neck radiation therapy.

Head and neck (H&N) radiation therapy (RT) can induce irreversible damage to the salivary glands thereby causing long-term xerostomia or dry mouth in 68%-85% of the patients. Not only does xerostomia significantly impair patients' quality-of-life (QOL) but it also has important medical sequelae, incurring high medical and dental costs. In this article, we review various measures to assess xerostomia and evaluate current and emerging solutions to address this condition in H&N cancer patients.

In vivo biocompatibility of two PEG/PAA interpenetrating polymer networks as corneal inlays following deep stromal pocket implantation.

This study compared the effects of implanting two interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) into rabbit corneas. The first (Implant 1) was based on PEG-diacrylate, the second (Implant 2) was based on PEG-diacrylamide. There were inserted into deep stromal pockets created using a manual surgical technique for either 3 or 6 months.

Morphology of Photopolymerized End-linked Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels by Small Angle X-ray Scattering.

Due to the biocompatibility of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), PEG-based hydrogels have attracted considerable interest for use as biomaterials in tissue engineering applications. In this work, we show that PEG-based hydrogels prepared by photopolymerization of PEG macromonomers functionalized with either acrylate or acrylamide end-groups generate networks with crosslink junctions of high functionality. Although the crosslink functionality is not well controlled, the resultant networks are sufficiently well ordered to generate a distinct correlation peak in the small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) related to the distance between crosslink junctions within the PEG network.

Hindered Diffusion of Oligosaccharides in High Strength Poly(ethylene glycol)/Poly(acrylic acid) Interpenetrating Network Hydrogels: Hydrodynamic Versus Obstruction Models.

Diffusion coefficients of small oligosaccharides within high strength poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(acrylic acid) interpenetrating network (PEG/PAA IPN) hydrogels were measured by diffusion through hydrogel slabs. The ability of hindered diffusion models previously presented in the literature to fit the experimental data is examined. A model based solely on effects due to hydrodynamics is compared to a model based solely on solute obstruction.

Progress in the development of interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels.

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) have been the subject of extensive study since their advent in the 1960s. Hydrogel IPN systems have garnered significant attention in the last two decades due to their usefulness in biomedical applications. Of particular interest are the mechanical enhancements observed in "double network" IPN systems which exhibit nonlinear increases in fracture properties despite being composed of otherwise weak polymers.

Glucose-permeable interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels for corneal implant applications: a pilot study.

Epithelialization of a keratoprosthesis requires that the implant material be sufficiently permeable to glucose. We have developed a poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PEG/PAA) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel that can provide adequate passage of glucose from the aqueous humor to the epithelium in vivo. A series of PEG/PAA IPNs with varying PEG macromonomer molecular weights were synthesized and evaluated through swelling studies to determine their water content and diffusion experiments to assess their permeability to glucose.

Orientation of irreversible adhesion of spherical particles on prolate spheroidal collectors.

When one sphere adheres to a second sphere, the location or orientation of the adhesion on the second sphere is seldom considered. However, when a sphere adheres to a prolate spheroid, the orientation of the adhesion is sometimes critical. We have performed Brownian dynamics simulations to predict the orientation of adhesion of a sphere on a prolate spheroid.