Various local drug delivery devices and coatings are being developed as slow, sustained release mechanism for drugs, yet the polymers are typically not evaluated after commercial sterilization techniques. We examine the effect that commercial sterilization techniques have on the physical, mechanical, and drug delivery properties of polyurethane polymers. Specifically we tested cyclodextrin-hexa...

PURPOSE This pilot study sought to determine the rate and degree to which gram-negative Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus occurred on the inside of utility gloves used at University of Maine at Augusta, Dental Health Programs' dental hygiene clinic. METHODS Five steam autoclave utility gloves were randomly selected to se...

Objective: Oral rehabilitation success is enhanced by an accurate and reproducible final impression. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dimensional changes of a polyether and addition silicone subjected to disinfection and/or sterilization after a long storage period. Material and methods: Ninety samples were obtained from polyether ImpregumTM PentaTM (3M ESPETM, Seefeld, Germany) and...

Anisotropic conductive films (ACFs) received a great deal of attention in recent years for interconnection applications in electronic packaging. This paper reports the behaviour of ACF joints under various mechanical loading, i.e., die shear and cyclic fatigue in shear. The mechanical behaviour of ACF joints that have been exposed to environmental effects, i.e., high moisture and elevated tempe...

Background A novel technique of sterilization of endodontic files is introduced in this article. Aims Newly introduced sterilization unit, named "SteriFast" is compared with autoclave and glass bead sterilizer using biological indicator. Materials and Methods Spore strips of Bacillus pumilus were cultured in nutrient broth. This cultured media was used to contaminate the experimental sample...

by Raymond G. Lewis, PE In addition to potential business liabilities, there can be significant costs associated with an autoclave validation process. The practical experience that this article is based on may provide assistance in ensuring an effective, efficient validation process for steam sterilization. Introduction This article is based on practical experiences gained by the author while c...

The investigation involved twelve different synthetic aggregates produced in the TTl rotary kiln, one commercially produced synthetic lightweight aggregate, and one regular weight aggregate. Each aggregate was used in concrete which was subjected to a variety of physical durability investigations including autoclave expansion, long-time reactivity, freeze-thaw, and shrinkage. From the results o...

BACKGROUND Autoclave sterilization and microwave sterilization has been suggested as the effective methods for the disinfection of elastomeric impressions, but subjecting elastomeric impressions to extreme temperature may have adverse effects on critical properties of the elastomers. AIM To evaluate the effect of chemical disinfection as well as autoclave and microwave sterilization on the su...