Evaluation of the efficacy of transdermal drug delivery of calcipotriol plus betamethasone versus tacrolimus in the treatment of vitiligo.

Background: Vitiligo is a common pigmentary disorder affecting about 1% of the general population. There are numerous medical and surgical treatments. Microneedling is an evolving treatment technique for an expanding number of dermatologic conditions.

Rapid-prototyped PLGA/β-TCP/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite scaffolds in a rabbit femoral defect model.

Bone tissue engineering scaffolds composed of poly(d,l-lactide:glycolide) (DL-PLGA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nanocomposites were prepared and characterized. Scaffolds with two specific architectures were produced via fused deposition modeling (FDM), a type of extrusion freeform fabrication. Microfilaments deposited at angles of 0° and 90° were designated as the 'simple' scaffold architecture, while those deposited at angles alternating between 0°, 90°, 45° and -45° were designated as the 'complex' scaffold architecture.

Design of tenofovir-UC781 combination microbicide vaginal gels.

Tenofovir (TFV) is a proven microbicide when administered topically as a vaginal gel. To improve its efficacy, TFV was combined with the nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor UC781 in a vaginal gel. Mixture design of experiments theory was used to define a range of gel compositions with varying rheological properties and to assess in vitro drug release and tissue retention.

A hot-melt extruded intravaginal ring for the sustained delivery of the antiretroviral microbicide UC781.

Microbicide intravaginal rings (IVRs) are a promising woman-controlled strategy for preventing sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An IVR was prepared and developed from polyether urethane (PU) elastomers for the sustained delivery of UC781, a highly potent nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor of HIV-1. PU IVRs containing UC781 were fabricated using a hot-melt extrusion process.

Co-extrusion of biocompatible polymers for scaffolds with co-continuous morphology.

A methodology for the preparation of porous scaffolds for tissue engineering using co-extrusion is presented. Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) is blended with poly(ethylene oxide) in a twinscrew extruder to form a two-phase material with micron-sized domains. Selective dissolution of the poly(ethylene oxide) with water results in a porous material.