On-Demand Release of Drug from Magnetic Nanoparticle-Loaded Alginate Beads.

Targeted delivery and controlled release of drugs has been considered to be an important therapeutic approach since it could allow a better treatment efficiency and less side effects. In this research, magnetite FeO nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via the coprecipitation method and then loaded in alginate beads with berberine as a drug model for drug release application. Various factors such as pH values of the suspended environment and surface modifications of the drug carrier could be exploited to adjust the amount of drug release.

End-to-side neurorrhaphies in a rodent model of peripheral nerve injury: a preliminary report of a novel technique.

Object: The standard techniques for repair of peripheral nerve injuries with neuroma formation are typically suboptimal. To begin to explore alternative techniques, the authors used an established model in rodents by using end-to-side "terminolateral" neurorrhaphies (TLNs) to study alternative grafting techniques. The TLN "jump grafts" bypass a neuromain-continuity, hypothetically maintaining functional units within the neuroma to facilitate functional regeneration.