Novel Mg-Zr-Sr alloys have recently been developed for use as biodegradable implant materials. The Mg-Zr-Sr alloys were prepared by diluting Mg-Zr and Mg-Sr master alloys with pure Mg. The impact of Zr and Sr on the mechanical and biological properties has been thoroughly examined. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the alloys were characterized using optical microscopy, X-ray dif...

Absorbable plates are used widely for fixation of facial bone fractures. Compared to conventional titanium plating systems, absorbable plates have many favorable traits. They are not palpable after plate absorption, which obviates the need for plate removal. Absorbable plate-related infections are relatively uncommon at less than 5% of patients undergoing fixation of facial bone fractures. The ...

Comprehensive studies comparing tensile properties of sutures are over 25 years old and do not include recent advances in suture materials. Accordingly, the objective of this article is to investigate the tensile properties of commonly used sutures in cutaneous surgery. Thirteen 3-0 sized modern sutures (four nonabsorbable and nine absorbable) were tensile tested in both straight and knotted co...

Heart disease is a common medical condition that affects hundreds of thousands of people each year in the United States alone. In response, scientists have spent decades researching technologies to treat this disease. Coronary stents are a technology developed to keep collapsing heart vessels open to promote proper blood flow and prevent further cardiovascular complications. Since the 1970s, th...

Craniofacial implants have been shown to provide excellent stability and retention for auricular prosthodontic rehabilitation. The locations of implant placement are critical to achieve optimal prosthetic results. This article describes a procedure for fabricating a surgical template from a diagnostic wax-up of an ear without destroying the wax pattern. A full-contour template can assist in pro...

Designing the new microstructure is an effective way to accelerate the biomedical application of magnesium (Mg) alloys. In this study, a novel Mg-8Er-1Zn alloy with profuse nano-spaced basal plane stacking faults (SFs) was prepared by combined processes of direct-chill semi-continuous casting, heat-treatment and hot-extrusion. The formation of SFs made the alloy possess outstanding comprehensiv...

Succinate is an interesting chemical for industries producing food and pharmaceutical products, surfactants, detergents and biodegradable plastics. Succinate is produced mainly by a mixed-acid fermentation process using anaerobically growing bacteria. However, succinate excretion is also widespread among fungi. In this article we report results on the intracellular concentration and the excreti...

Naturally occurring polymers have been utilized for a long time as materials, however, their application as plastics has been restricted because of their limited thermoplastic processability. Recently, the microbial synthesis of polyesters directly from carbohydrate sources has attracted considerable attention. The industrial-scale production of poly(lactic acid) from lactic acid generated by f...

Background: Laparoscopic repair is the standard of care for patients with paraesophageal hernia (PEH). Different prosthetic materials have been proposed to bolster hiatus thus theoretically minimizing probability recurrence. The use non-absorbable mesh has reported however, their safety profile questioned because noteworthy mesh-related complication rate. Opposite, absorbable (synthetic and bio...