PURPOSE To determine 1) the differences in maximum torque between 7 biodegradable and 2 titanium screw systems, and 2) the differences of maximum torque between "hand tight" and break of the biodegradable and the titanium osteofixation screw systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four oral and maxillofacial surgeons inserted 8 specimens of all 9 screw systems in polymethylmethacrylate plates. The sur...

BACKGROUND Biodegradable fixation systems could reduce or eliminate problems associated with titanium removal of implants in a second operation. AIM The aim of this study was to compare the long-term (i.e. >5 years postoperatively) clinical performance of a titanium and a biodegradable system in oral and maxillofacial surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present multicenter Randomized Control...

Conductive biodegradable materials are of great interest for various biomedical applications, such as tissue repair and bioelectronics. They generally consist of multiple components, including biodegradable polymer/non-degradable conductive polymer/dopant, biodegradable conductive polymer/dopant or biodegradable polymer/non-degradable inorganic additives. The dopants or additives induce materia...

Biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES) are innovative concepts in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention. We systematically reviewed the latest randomized evidence on the efficacy and safety of biodegradable polymer DES as compared to durable polymer DES. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane database were searched in August 2013 for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comp...

Biodegradable stents are a promising technological development, as they temporarily support the stenotic blood vessel during its healing period, leaving no obstacle for possible future interventions and avoiding long term side effects of conventional drug eluting stents. Moreover, the biodegradable stent material forms an ideal vehicle for local drug delivery [1]. Finite element computer simula...

The use of plastic film in agriculture has the serious drawback of producing vast quantities of waste. In this work, films were prepared from natural fibers and biodegradable polymers as potential substitutes for the conventional non-biodegradable plastic film used as mulching material in agricultural production. The physical properties (e.g., mechanical properties, heat preservation, water per...

Pseudomonas putida CA-3 has been shown to accumulate the biodegradable plastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) when fed styrene or polystyrene pyrolysis oil as the sole carbon and energy source under nitrogen limiting growth conditions (67 mg nitrogen per litre at time 0). Batch fermentation of P. putida CA-3 grown on styrene or polystyrene pyrolysis oil in a stirred tank reactor yields PHA at 30% o...

Fungi native to agricultural soils that colonized commercially available biodegradable mulch (BDM) films were isolated and assessed for potential to degrade plastics. Typically, when formulations of plastics are known and a source of the feedstock is available, powdered plastic can be suspended in agar-based media and degradation determined by visualization of clearing zones. However, this appr...

Fibrous proteins from spiders, proteins with synthetic multiple repeats and mammalian structural proteins such as collagen have been produced in transgenic plants. Recent advances in the production of biodegradable plastic in plants also show the potential of molecular farming for research into and production of materials. Selection of a growing variety of such products, optimization of express...