Biomedical

Disclosed are mixed alkyl cyanoacrylate compositions which are specifically formulated for topical application onto intact or broken human skin, preferably without the addition of a plasticizing agent to the composition.

The incidence of postoperative wound infection following the use of an iodophor-incorporated adhesive wound drape with a preliminary one-minute alcohol cleanse was observed in 649 total arthroplasties. The patients were followed for a minimum of one year to detect signs of infection. An infection rate of 0.46% was comparable to the incidence previously observed for conventional methods using an iodine spray as a skin preparation.

This paper reviews biodegradable synthetic polymers fo- cusing on their potential in tissue engineering applications. The major classes of polymers are briefly discussed with regard to synthesis, properties and biodegradability, and known degradation modes and products are indicated based on studies reported in the literature. A vast major- ity of biodegradable polymers studied belongs to the poly- ester family, which includes polyglycolides and polylactides.

Polymer scientists, working closely with those in the device and medical fields, have made tremendous advances over the past 30 years in the use of synthetic materials in the body. In this article we will focus on properties of biodegradable polymers which make them ideally suited for orthopedic applications where a permanent implant is not desired. The materials with the greatest history of use are the poly(lactides) and poly(glycolides), and these will be covered in specific detail.

PolyActive is a biodegradable polymeric drug delivery system. Its biodegradability, extensive safety record and linear release properties make PolyActive an excellent technology for the controlled release of proteins and lipophilic small molecules.
Products based on PolyActive can be used for both local and systemic administration, and have applications in pharmaceutics and medical technology.

During the resorbable-polymer-boom of the 1970s and 1980s, polycaprolactone (PCL) was used extensively in the biomaterials field and a number of drug-delivery devices. Its pop- ularity was soon superseded by faster resorbable polymers which had fewer perceived disadvantages associated with long-term degradation (up to 3–4 years) and intracellular resorption pathways; consequently, PCL was almost forgotten for most of two decades. Recently, a resurgence of interest has propelled PCL back into the biomaterials-arena.

Mouth dissolving films is a new drug delivery system for oral route. This delivery system consists of a very thin oral strip, which is simply placed on the patients tongue or any oral mucosal tissue, instantly wet by saliva, film rapidly hydrates and then disintegrates and/or dissolve to release the medication. In the formulation of oral film, the most important ingredient is polymer which helps in film formation. Mainly hydrophilic polymers are used in mouth dissolving films.

Chlorine dioxide is generated from aqueous liquids container alkali metal or alkaline earth metal chlorites, and compounds which liberate chlorine in water. Dry, stable, solid compositions, in one or two parts, can be made from these and other ingredients.

The compound chlorine dioxide (ClO2), now commercially important, is not in fact a recent discovery. The gas was first produced by Humphrey Davy in 1811 when reacting hydrochloric acid with potassium chlorate. This yielded "euchlorine", as it was then termed. Watt and Burgess, who invented alkaline pulp bleaching in 1834, mentioned euchlorine as a bleaching agent in their first patent. Chlorine dioxide then became well known as a bleach and later a disinfectant.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) Technology Testing and Evaluation Program (TTEP) helps to protect human health and the environment from adverse impacts of terrorist acts by carrying out performance tests on homeland security technologies. TTEP recently evaluated the performance of liquid and foam decontamination technologies under vendor-specified application conditions to decontaminate test coupons prepared from the materials listed below.