TiCT -UHMWPE Nanocomposites-Towards an Enhanced Wear-Resistance of Biomedical Implants.

There is an urgent need to enhance the mechanical and biotribological performance of polymeric materials utilized in biomedical devices such as load-bearing artificial joints, notably ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). While two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene, graphene oxide (GO), reduced GO, or hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) have shown promise as reinforcement phases in polymer matrix composites (PMCs), the potential of MXenes, known for their chemical inertness, mechanical robustness, and wear-resistance, remains largely unexplored in biotribology. This study aims to address this gap by fabricating TiCT -UHMWPE nanocomposites using compression molding.

Patient-tailored silicone plug for HeartMate 3™ left ventricular assist device explantation.

Patient-tailored silicone plug for HeartMate 3™ left ventricular assist device explantation in two successive males proceeded successfully. Given medical therapeutic advancements, FDA-approved plug systems designed by LVAD manufacturers themselves will be necessary for the near future to provide a safe and simple device explantation alternative that fulfills all regulatory standards.

Size matters-in vitro behaviour of human fibroblasts on textured silicone surfaces with different pore sizes.

Capsular contracture remains a challenge in plastic surgery and represents one of the most common postoperative complications following alloplastic breast reconstruction. The impact of the surface structure of silicone implants on the foreign body reaction and the behaviour of connective tissue-producing cells has already been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate different pore sizes of silicone surfaces and their influence on human fibroblasts in an in vitro model.

Stereoselective Metabolism of the Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitor Fungicides Fenpropidin, Fenpropimorph, and Spiroxamine in Grapes, Sugar Beets, and Wheat.

Metabolism of chiral pesticides in crops is typically studied using achiral analytical methods and, consequently, the stereoisomer composition of residues is unknown. In this study, we developed an enantioselective GC-MS/MS method to quantify residues of the fungicides fenpropidin, fenpropimorph, and spiroxamine in plant matrices. In field trials, the fungicides were applied to grapevines, sugar beets, or wheat.

Long-Term Monitoring for Resistance of Botryotinia fuckeliana to Anilinopyrimidine, Phenylpyrrole, and Hydroxyanilide Fungicides in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, the use of phenylpyrrole, anilinopyrimidine, and hydroxyanilide fungicides for control of Botryotinia fuckeliana, causal agent of gray mold in grapes, has been restricted to one treatment per fungicide class per year as part of an anti-resistance strategy. Resistance development in B. fuckeliana was monitored from 1995 to 2001 for the anilinopyrimidine cyprodinil and the phenylpyrrole fludioxonil and from 1997 to 2001 for the hydroxyanilide fenhexamid in experimental vineyards in Richterswil and Stäfa, Switzerland.