Recently, considerable research efforts have focused on increasing the biocompatibility a nd bactericidal activity of biomedical polymeric devices (e.g., catheters, etc.) through incorporation of nitric oxide (NO) releasing molecules. NO is an important endogenous molecule that is well known for enhancing blood flow via its vasodilatory activity, but it also exhibits potent antithrombotic and a...

Endonasal endoscopic laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy has many advantages over conventional external dacryocystorhinostomy. This technique avoids a cutaneous scar and causes less surgical trauma and bleeding than that seen in conventional lacrimal surgery. A total of 20 endoscopic laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy in 16 patients were performed between 1998 and 1999. The procedure was suc...

There is a dire need for infection prevention strategies that do not require the use of antibiotics, which exacerbate the rise of multiand pan-drug resistant infectious organisms. An important target in this area is the bacterial attachment and subsequent biofilm formation on medical devices (e.g., catheters). Here we describe nonfouling, lubricant-infused slippery polymers as proof-of-concept ...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the surgical outcomes of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy followed by canalicular trephination and silicone stenting in patients with distal or common canalicular obstructions. METHODS The medical records of 29 patients (31 eyes) from January 2001 to December 2009 who underwent endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy followed by canalicular trephination and silicone tube inser...

Plant volatiles (PVs) mediate manifold interactions between plants and their biotic and abiotic environments (Dicke and Baldwin, 2010; Holopainen and Gershenzon, 2010). An understanding of the physiological and ecological functions of PVs must therefore be based on measurements of PV emissions under natural conditions. Yet sampling PVs in natural environments is difficult, limited by the need t...

A novel, simple, and inexpensive approach to sorptive extraction, which we call solvent in silicone tube extraction (SiSTEx), was applied to pesticide residue analysis and its effectiveness and efficiency were evaluated. In SiSTEx, which is a form of open tubular sorptive extraction, a piece of silicone tubing (4 cm long, 1.47 mm ID, 1.96 mm OD in this study) is attached to the cap of a 20 mL g...

Herein we report our experience with a simple technique for reducing the rate of silicone tube extrusion after nasolacrimal duct (NLD) intubation for congenital NLD obstruction. Medical records of children older than 2 years, with or without history of failed probing, who had undergone NLD intubation with a Crawford silicone tube over a period of 4 years were reviewed. In all subjects, one end ...

Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) is a relatively new surgical approach which uses no external incisions, thereby improving cosmetic outcomes, decreasing overall recovery time and reducing the risk of external infection. In standard NOTES, flexible endoscopic tools have been used to carry out a variety of surgical procedures in the abdomen. As an alternative, miniature in ...