Sustained release of antibiotic complexed by multivalent ion: in vitro and in vivo study for the treatment of peritonitis.

The main aims of this study are (i) the development of an antibiotic complexed with multivalent ion, which can allow sustained release of the antibiotic without any additional matrix or difficult process and (ii) the feasibility study of the ion-complexed antibiotic as a therapeutic technique for peritonitis treatment. An ion-complexed antibiotic is prepared by simple mixing of two aqueous solutions containing an ionized (water-soluble) drug (tetracycline) and a multivalent counter ionic compound. The ion-complexed antibiotic shows a continuous release of the antibiotic up to 21 days, and thus prolonged anti-bacterial effect by gradual ionic exchange between the multivalent ions in the complex and same-charged monovalent ions in surrounding medium.

Hyaluronic acid/mildly crosslinked alginate hydrogel as an injectable tissue adhesion barrier.

Although hyaluronic acid (HA) has been conventionally utilized as a tissue adhesion barrier material, its rapid clearance in the body still remains as a big challenge in the clinical practice. In this study, we prepared a hydrogel of HA embedded in mildly crosslinked alginate (HA/mcALG hydrogel), which is injectable, easily covers injured tissues, and remains stably at the applied site during wound healing (by muco-adhesive HA embedded in the network structure of the mcALG hydrogel). The HA/mcALG hydrogel was highly effective for the prevention of peritoneal tissue adhesion compared to HA and mcALG hydrogels, and did not lead to any abnormal tissue responses during wound healing.

The use of gabexate mesylate and ulinastatin for the prevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis.

Background/aims: Acute pancreatitis is a common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Only a few pharmacologic agents have been shown to have potential efficacy for the prophylactic treatment of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). The aim of this study was to determine whether prophylactic gabexate and ulinastatin can decrease the incidence of PEP.

Effect of biological/physical stimulation on guided bone regeneration through asymmetrically porous membrane.

Asymmetrically porous polycaprolactone (PCL)/Pluronic F127 guided bone regeneration (GBR) membranes were fabricated. The top surface of the membrane had nanosize pores (∼10 nm) which can effectively prevent invasion by fibrous connective tissue but permeate nutrients, whereas the bottom surface had microsize pores (∼200 μm) which can enhance the adhesiveness with bone tissue. Ultrasound was applied to a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2)-immobilized PCL/F127 GBR membrane to investigate the feasibility of using dual biological (BMP-2) and physical (ultrasound) stimulation for enhancing bone regeneration through the membrane.

Acupuncture for hot flashes in postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women: two case reports.

Objective: This study aimed to observe the effects of acupuncture for hot flashes in postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women.

Methods: Two postmenopausal hemodialysis-dependent women were treated with individualized manual acupuncture for 1 and 3 months to reduce the occurrence of hot flashes and were observed through 7 and 11 months, respectively, from baseline.

Results: Hot flashes were significantly improved after acupuncture treatment in both of the patients, and the effects persisted through the final observation period (hot flash scores decreased from 57 to 33 and 22 at 1 and 11 months from baseline in patient 1, and from 14 to 6 and zero at 1 and 7 months from baseline in patient 2).