A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Chitosan Hydrogel Paste in Comparison to Commercial Hydroactive Gel as a Wound Bed Preparation.

 This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of chitosan derivative hydrogel paste (CDHP) as a wound bed preparation for wounds with cavities.  This study enrolled 287 patients, with 143 patients randomized into the CDHP group (treatment) and 144 patients randomized into the commercial hydroactive gel (CHG) group (control). The granulation tissue, necrotic tissue, patient comfort, clinical signs, symptoms, and patient convenience during the application and removal of the dressing were assessed.

Effects of processing and gamma radiation on mechanical properties and organic composition of frozen, freeze-dried and demineralised human cortical bone allograft.

Bone processing and radiation were reported to influence mechanical properties of cortical bones due in part to structural changes and denaturation of collagen composition. This comparative study was to determine effects of bone processing on mechanical properties and organic composition, and to what extent the radiation damaging after each processing. Human femur cortical bones were processed by freezing, freeze-drying and demineralisation and then gamma irradiated at 5, 15, 20, 25 and 50 kGy.

Deep-Freezing Temperatures During Irradiation Preserves the Compressive Strength of Human Cortical Bone Allografts: A Cadaver Study.

Background: Gamma irradiation, which minimizes the risk of infectious disease transmission when human bone allograft is used, has been found to negatively affect its biomechanical properties. However, in those studies, the deep-freezing temperature during irradiation was not necessarily maintained during transportation and sterilization, which may have affected the findings. Prior reports have also suggested that controlled deep freezing may mitigate the detrimental effects of irradiation on the mechanical properties of bone allograft.

Does bone marrow aspirate help enhance the integration of gamma irradiated allograft bone?

Bone allografts donated by other individuals offer a viable alternative to autograft. Risks of disease transmission are overcome by sterilizing the bone; unfortunately sterilization methods generally affect bone functional properties including osteogenic potential and biomechanical integrity. This study aimed to determine any enhancement effect when gamma sterilised allografts was impregnated with autologous bone marrow in improving the rate and quality of integration in metaphyseal-tibial defects of rabbits.

Improving knowledge of doctors and paramedics through effective bone procurement workshop: A cognitive approach.

Background: Procurement of bone allograft must be performed by trained personnel. Improper handling and lack of knowledge during bone procurement will lead to contamination hence jeopardizing quality of the procured bones and expose bone recipients to risks of infection in post-operative phase. Bone procurement workshop is the fundamental training programme to enhance skill among personnel who has been or will be involved in bone procurement.

Performance of cooling materials and their composites in maintaining freezing temperature during irradiation and transportation of bone allografts.

Purpose: Bone allografts supplied by University Malaya Medical Centre Bone Bank are sterilized by gamma radiation at 25 kGy in dry ice (DI) to minimize radiation effects. Use of cheaper and easily available cooling materials, gel ice (GI) and ice pack (IP), was explored. Composites of DI and GI were also studied for the use in routine transportations and radiation process.

Advances of radiation sterilisation in tissue banking.

Under the auspices of the IAEA tissue banking programme on "Radiation Sterilisation of Tissue Graft" conducted from 1985 to 2004, many scientists and surgeons were involved in various regional research and development (R&D) projects mainly in dealing with radiation dose selection, radiation effects on human tissues and quality system in radiation sterilisation. New findings on radiation effects, tissue processing and preservation were shared during the regional and interregional meetings and workshops. Many tissue banks started to use radiation (25 kGy) to sterilize tissue grafts for tissue safety and efficacy and still continue to use it.

A retrospective study on annual evaluation of radiation processing for frozen bone allografts complying to quality system requirements.

Bone allografts have been used widely to fill up essential void in orthopaedic surgeries. The benefit of using allografts to replace and reconstruct musculoskeletal injuries, fractures or disease has obtained overwhelming acceptance from orthopaedic surgeons worldwide. However, bacterial infection and disease transmission through bone allograft transplantation have always been a significant issue.

Assessing bone banking activities at University of Malaya medical centre.

The main advantage of establishing in-house bone banks is its ability to readily provide allograft bones for local surgeries. Bone procurement activities of our university bone bank during the 10 years of operation were reviewed. Socio-demographic data of donors, types of bone procured, cases of rejected bones and types of allograft bones transplanted are presented.

Effects of different doses of gamma irradiation on oxygen and water vapour transmission rate of preserved human amniotic membrane.

Preserved human amniotic membrane either air dried or glycerol preserved has been used effectively to treat superficial and partial thickness wounds without leaving any obvious hypertrophic scar. The preserved amnion, sterilised by ionising radiation, is known as an effective barrier for heat, fluid and protein loss while adheres nicely on wound. Air drying slightly reduced the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the amnion and the value significantly dropped after 15 kGy (p < 0.

Scanning electron microscopic assessment on surface morphology of preserved human amniotic membrane after gamma sterilisation.

Human amniotic membrane that has been processed and sterilised by gamma irradiation is widely used as a biological dressing in surgical applications. The morphological structure of human amniotic membrane was studied under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess effects of gamma radiation on human amniotic membrane following different preservation methods. The amniotic membrane was preserved by either air drying or submerged in glycerol before gamma irradiated at 15, 25 and 35 kGy.

Gelam (Melaleuca spp.) Honey-Based Hydrogel as Burn Wound Dressing.

A novel cross-linked honey hydrogel dressing was developed by incorporating Malaysian honey into hydrogel dressing formulation, cross-linked and sterilized using electron beam irradiation (25 kGy). In this study, the physical properties of the prepared honey hydrogel and its wound healing efficacy on deep partial thickness burn wounds in rats were assessed. Skin samples were taken at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after burn for histopathological and molecular evaluations.

Sea cucumber (Stichopus hermanii) based hydrogel to treat burn wounds in rats.

Malaysian sea cucumber was incorporated into hydrogel formulation by using electron beam irradiation technique and was introduced as novel cross-linked Gamat Hydrogel dressing. This study investigated whether Gamat Hydrogel enhanced repair of deep partial skin thickness burn wound in rats and its possible mechanism. Wounds were treated with either Gamat Hydrogel, control hydrogel, OpSite® film dressing or left untreated.

The impact of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) program on radiation and tissue banking in Malaysia.

The IAEA was instrumental in developing the first Malaysian tissue bank at University Hospital of Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kubang Kerian, Kelantan in early 1990s and it was officiated as National Tissue Bank in 1994. Up to date, 38 government and private hospitals have received a supply from the bank. Bone allografts in term of bone chips, morsalised bone and long bones are procured from Malaysian donors.

Comparative evaluations of the processed bovine tunica vaginalis implant in a rat model.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the lyophilized and glycerolized bovine parietal tunica vaginalis for repair of a full-thickness abdominal wall defect and to compare their effectiveness with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) Mycro Mesh (Gore-Tex MYCRO MESH; Gore and Designs, W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ, USA) in a rat model.