BACKGROUND Implant-related osteomyelitis (IRO) is recently controlled with local antibiotic delivery systems to overcome conventional therapy disadvantages. In vivo evaluation of such systems is however too little. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES We asked whether vancomycin (V)-containing poly-l-lactic acid/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLLA/β-TCP) composites control experimental IRO and promote bone healing in...

For photonic crystals (PhCs) and related devices, it is useful to calculate the Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) map of a unit cell, which maps the wave field to its normal derivative on the boundary. The DtN map can be used to avoid further calculations in the interiors of the unit cells and formulate mathematical problems on the cell boundaries. We develop a method to approximate the DtN map for tw...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biodegradation and biocompatibility of poly L-lactic acid (PLLA) implantable mesh under in vitro and in vivo conditions. METHODS PLLA mesh was examined for changes in weight and tensile strength. The histology of the tissue around the PLLA implant was also evaluated. RESULTS The weight and tensile strength of the PLLA prosthesis was stab...

The goal of this work was to study the non isothermal and isothermal crystallization behavior of Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) with melamine (TP) through differential scanning calorimeter and optical depolarizer. The study of the crystallization behavior of PLLA/TP composites indicated that TP could promote the crystallization of PLLA. The half time of overall crystallization of PLLA with 1.5 wt% ...

The effective use of biodegradable polymers relies on the ability to control the onset of and time needed for degradation. Preferably, the material properties should be retained throughout the intended time frame, and the material should degrade in a rapid and controlled manner afterward. The degradation profiles of polyester materials were controlled through their miscibility. Systems composed...

We have measured the interaction forces between a murine melanoma cell and a poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) microsphere coated with/without hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles (i.e., an HAp/PLLA or a bare PLLA microsphere) in a serum-free culture medium, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with colloid probe technique, in order to investigate how the HAp-nanoparticle coating as well as interfacial s...

The aim of this study was to fabricate biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) bone screws containing iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, which are radiopaque and 3D-printable. The PLLA composites were fabricated by loading 20%, 30%, and 40% Fe3O4 nanoparticles into the PLLA. The physical properties, including elastic modulus, thermal properties, and biocompatibility of the composites were tested...

Graphene oxide (GO) was employed for the preparation of GO-zinc oxide (ZnO). The hydroxyl group on the surface was exploited to trigger the l-lactide ring-opening polymerization. A composite material with poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) chains grafted to the GO-ZnO surface, GO-ZnO-PLLA, was prepared. The results demonstrated that the employed method allowed one-step, rapid grafting of PLLA to the GO-ZnO...

Reactive extrusion of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) was carried out in the presence of a small amount of various peroxides with relatively slow decomposition rates. The resulting crosslinked, four-armed randomly branched PLLA (v-PLLA) was characterized by size exclusion chromatography equipped with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC-MALS), and the results were interpreted according to the type of ...

The degradation of high molecular weight as-polymerized poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) is very slow; it takes more than 5.6 yr for total resorption. Moreover, the degradation products of as-polymerized PLLA bone plates, consisting of numerous stable particles of high crystallinity, are related with a subcutaneous swelling in patients 3yr postoperatively. In order to avoid these complications, polymers ...