A unique late-onset intraocular lens opacification 23 years after implantation: a clinical and laboratory case report.

We report an unusual, rare case of opacification of the hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) 23 years after the initial surgery with significant visual deterioration. Opacification of the hydrophilic acrylic IOL was primarily due to the formation of folds on the surface of the lens material, and less so due to calcium phosphate deposits. Calcification opacification can be attributed to recent events, as evidenced by deposits of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (CaHPO2HO) and octacalcium phosphate (CaH(PO)5HO), both of which are transient calcium phosphate phases, converting hydrolytically to the thermodynamically most stable hydroxyapatite (Ca(PO)(OH)).

Explantation of a sutureless scleral fixated Carlevale intraocular lens due to calcification: a clinical and laboratory report.

Background: Hydrophilic intraocular lens opacification is a rare complication due to calcification. With current new surgical techniques, including lamellar endothelial keratoplasty and vitrectomies, this irreversible complication is becoming more common. In this case study, we present clinical and laboratory features of a case of Carlevale hydrophilic acrylic IOL calcification.

Calcium Carbonate Mineralization of Microalgae.

Biological substrates catalyze the nucleation and growth of sparingly soluble salts however, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. In the present study, the growth of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), on Acutodesmus obliquus (AO) microalgae was investigated. The test microalgae favored the growth of CaCO3 from solutions supersaturated with respect to calcite (7.

Printing Ink Wastewater Treatment Using Hydrodynamic Cavitation and Coagulants/Flocculants.

Raw printing ink wastewater (PIW) was treated with various inorganic coagulants and organic flocculants (anionic and cationic polyacrylamides). These processes were also examined as post treatment step following hydrodynamic cavitation. Treatment effectiveness was assessed through color, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal.

Printing ink wastewater treatment using combined hydrodynamic cavitation and pH fixation.

Printing ink wastewater (PIW) carries a heavy load of pollutants, the composition of which makes treatment difficult, especially when trying to minimize the pollution load. According to the latter, the present study aims to investigate PIW treatment with different various methods and to determine the maximum color, COD (chemical oxygen demand) and TSS (total suspended solids) removal. First, hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was tested and the effect of hydrogen peroxide dosage (0-10 g L), and pH (3, 5, 8, 10) was examined concerning the removal of PIW initial COD concentrations 4000 and 8000 mg L.

Treatment of printing ink wastewater using a continuous flow electrocoagulation reactor.

Printing ink wastewater from printing facilities is difficult to treat because of its heavy pollutant load (chemical oxygen demand - COD, color and total suspended solids - TSS). In this study undiluted printing ink wastewater with high COD (i.e.

Pilot-scale hybrid system combining hydrodynamic cavitation and sedimentation for the decolorization of industrial inks and printing ink wastewater.

A pilot-scale hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) system followed by sedimentation (SED) was used for the decolorization of 5 industrial-grade inks, a fluid containing a mixture of the five industrial grade inks (MIX) and printing ink wastewater (PIW). The pilot scale HC reactor combines a Venturi tube with a 31 holes orifice plate accommodated in the vena-contracta of Venturi. The study aimed to define optimal operating conditions, i.

Simultaneous removal of ammonium nitrogen, dissolved chemical oxygen demand and color from sanitary landfill leachate using natural zeolite.

In this study, natural zeolite with maximum adsorption capacity of 3.59 mg g was used for the simultaneous removal of ammonium nitrogen (NH-N), dissolved chemical oxygen demand (d-COD) and color from raw sanitary landfill leachate (SLL). Saturation, desorption and regeneration tests of zeolite were performed.

Decellularized tissue-engineered heart valves calcification: what do animal and clinical studies tell us?

Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death worldwide. Among different heart malfunctions, heart valve failure due to calcification is still a challenging problem. While drug-dependent treatment for the early stage calcification could slow down its progression, heart valve replacement is inevitable in the late stages.

Calcification Assessment of Bioprosthetic Heart Valve Tissues Using an Improved In Vitro Model.

Calcification is a recurrent problem in patients suffering from heart valve disease and it is the main cause of failure in biological heart valve prostheses. The development of reliable calcification tests that consider both the material properties of the prostheses and the fluid composition is of paramount importance for the effective testing and subsequent selection of new cardiovascular implants. In this article, a fast, reliable, and highly reproducible method for the assessment of the calcification potential of biomaterials was developed.

A novel anticalcification treatment strategy for bioprosthetic valves and review of the literature.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Glutaraldehyde (Glut) fixed bioprosthetic valves fail due to progressive dystrophic calcification. Many treatments have been proposed to eliminate calcification but none have been entirely successful. Calcitonin (CT) and sodium bisulfite (BSF) have recently been introduced as independent anticalcification reagents.

Correction to: The effect of heparin hydrogel embedding on glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial tissues: Mechanical behavior and anticalcification potential.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a few errors. The captions of Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were mixed up and they were misreferred in the text.

The effect of heparin hydrogel embedding on glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial tissues: Mechanical behavior and anticalcification potential.

Heart valve diseases remain common in industrialized countries. Bioprosthetic heart valves, introduced as free of anticoagulation therapy alternatives to mechanical substitutes. Still they suffer from long term failure due to calcification.

Calcitonin as an anticalcification treatment for implantable biological tissues.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Calcification remains the major role of failure of implantable biomedical material and in particular of bioprosthetic valves. Various treatments have been proposed to mitigate calcification of glutaraldehyde-fixed bioprosthetic valves but none have succeeded in inhibiting or mitigating efficiently the calcification process of the implantable biological tissues. Since the discovery of calcitonin (CT) and its therapeutic role in treating hypercalcemic patients, CT has never been tried as an anticalcification treatment for biomaterials.

Physicochemical characterization of sterilized muds for pharmaceutics/cosmetics applications.

Clays and muds have been used for centuries as cosmetics or pharmaceutical products for various therapies. The suitability of muds and clays for health- and beauty-related applications depends on their physicochemical properties, mineralogical composition, particle characteristics and toxicity. In this work, the physicochemical characterization of 12 mud specimens from different natural spa resorts in Greece and one from Israel (Dead Sea) is presented.

Biological properties of mud extracts derived from various spa resorts.

Spa resorts are known for thousands of years for their healing properties and have been empirically used for the treatment of many inflammatory conditions. Mud is one of the most often used natural materials for preventive, healing and cosmetic reasons and although it has been used since the antiquity, little light has been shed on its physical, chemical and biological properties. In this study we examined the effect of mud extracts on the expression of adhesion molecules (CAMs) by endothelial cells as well as their effects on monocyte adhesion to activated endothelial cells.

Calcification of Hydrophilic Acrylic Intraocular Lenses With a Hydrophobic Surface: Laboratory Analysis of 6 Cases.

Purpose: To investigate the nature and characteristic features of deposits causing opacification of intraocular lenses (IOLs) based on the examination of clinical findings using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis.

Design: Retrospective, observational case series.

Methods: This is a multicenter study of 6 hydrophilic acrylic IOLs (Lentis LS-502-1; Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany) with a hydrophobic surface that were explanted from 5 patients because of opacification.

Organized Silica Films Generated by Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly as Hosts for Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

In this work, we prepared oriented mesoporous thin films of silica on various solid substrates using the pluronic block copolymer P123 as a template. We attempted to insert guest iron oxide (FeO) nanoparticles into these films by two different methods: (a) by co-precipitation-where iron precursors are introduced in the synthesis sol before deposition of the silica film-and subsequent oxide production during the film calcination step; (b) by preparing and calcining the silica films first then impregnating them with the iron precursor, obtaining the iron oxide nanoparticles by a second calcination step. We have examined the structural effects of the guest nanoparticles on the silica film structures using grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GISAXS), high-resolution transmission electron spectroscopy (HRTEM), spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman microscopy.

Detachment strength of human osteoblasts cultured on hydroxyapatite with various surface roughness. Contribution of integrin subunits.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been widely used as a bone substitute in dental, maxillofacial and orthopaedic surgery and as osteoconductive bone substitute or precoating of pedicle screws and cages in spine surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the osteoblastic adhesion strength on HA substrata with different surface topography and biochemistry (pre-adsorption of fibronectin) after blocking of specific integrin subunits with monoclonal antibodies. Stoichiometric HA was prepared by precipitation followed by ageing and characterized by SEM, EDX, powder XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, and specific surface area analysis.

Sand consolidation with calcium phosphate-polyelectrolyte composites.

A new method for the consolidation of loose sand formations has been developed. The method involves in situ precipitation of a composite calcium phosphate-polyelectrolyte salt that binds together with loose sand grains, thus resulting to their consolidation. Three different polyelectrolytes (PE) were tested, i.

Experimental investigation on mechanism of hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens calcification.

Purpose: To construct a model simulating intraocular lens (IOL) opacification attributable to the formation of calcium phosphate deposits and to investigate the kinetics of deposit formation.

Design: Prospective laboratory investigation.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School and Department of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Patras, Greece.

In vivo calcification of glutaraldehyde-fixed cardiac valve and pericardium of Phoca groenlandica.

Calcification remains the main reason for failure of bioprosthetic valves. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo calcification response of a new bioprosthetic valve, derived from cardiac tissue of Phoca groenlandica. Aortic and pulmonary leaflets, bovine, and Phoca groenlandica pericardia were fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde solution.

Adsorption of atrazine from aqueous electrolyte solutions on humic acid and silica.

The adsorption of, the still widely used, herbicide atrazine on model soil components, such as humic acid and humic acid-silica gel mixtures, was investigated in a series of batch experiments, under different experimental conditions (ionic strength, temperature, and pH). The investigation aimed at obtaining an estimate of the contribution of each of the soil components on the adsorption of atrazine from aqueous solutions. The kinetics of atrazine adsorption on humic acid showed two steps: a fast step, of a few hours duration, and a second slow step, which continued for weeks.

Aldosterone receptor blockade inhibits degenerative processes in the early stage of calcific aortic stenosis.

Calcific aortic valve disease is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, especially in the elderly. To date, pharmacological therapies have not proven as effective as surgical intervention. Here, we used a hyperlipidemic rabbit model to investigate the potential effects of selective aldosterone inhibition on the early stages of aortic valve calcification, a pharmacological strategy that has not yet been tested.

Novel composites materials from functionalized polymers and silver coated titanium oxide capable for calcium phosphate induction, control of orthopedic biofilm infections: an "in vitro" study.

Three copolymers containing the functional groups P=O, S=O and C=O were prepared, and upon the introduction in calcium phosphate aqueous solutions at physiological conditions, "in vitro" were induced the precipitation of calcium phosphate crystals. The investigation of the crystal growth process was done at constant supersaturation. It is suggested that the negative end of the above functional groups acts as the active site for nucleation of the inorganic phase.