Search results for "Biomedical"

A fractional-order model of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for biomedical implantation

2014

Exploration of muscle–tendon biomechanics one year after Achilles tendon rupture and the compensatory role of flexor hallucis longus

2023

Achilles tendon (AT) rupture leads to long-term structural and functional impairments. Currently, the predictors of good recovery after rupture are poorly known. Thus, we aimed to explore the interconnections between structural, mechanical, and neuromuscular parameters and their associations with factors that could explain good recovery in patients with non-surgically treated AT rupture. A total of 35 patients with unilateral rupture (6 females) participated in this study. Muscle-tendon structural, mechanical, and neuromuscular parameters were measured 1-year after rupture. Interconnections between the inter-limb differences (Δ) were explored using partial correlations, followed by multivar…

Radiation engineered nanogels as platforms for medical diagnostics and therapeutic nanodevices

2015

A scalable, single step, synthetic approach for the manufacture of biocompatible, functionalized microgels and nanogels has been developed. Pulsed EB irradiation of PVP aqueous solutions, at relatively low energies per pulse and doses within the sterilization dose range, has led to a variety of ‘as-born’ sterile, functional nanostructures that exhibit a combination of favourable properties which make them suitable as biomedical nanocarriers. Reactive functional groups have been generated by graft copolymerization of functional acrylic monomers. These groups can be used to attach fluorescent probes to the NPs, to bioconjugate ligands of specific cell receptors and to incorporate therapeutics…

Medicine of the future: How and who is going to treat us?

2023

Medicine’s ability to quickly respond to challenges raises questions from researchers, practitioners, and society as a whole. Our task in this study was to identify key and atypical current factors influencing the development of medicine and to predict the development of medicine in the short, medium, and long term. To implement our study, we selected 22 medical experts and applied the three-level Delphi method. The current trends caused by COVID-19 have a short-term impact, but they will launch other drivers that will transform the healthcare industry. Well-being technologies, data-informed personalization, and climate change will become key drivers for the development of medicine over the…

Oligonucleotides-decorated-poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) nanogels for gene delivery

2013

Pulsed electron-beam irradiation of a semi-dilute poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) aqueous solution in the presence of acrylic acid has led to a carboxyl functionalized nanogel system. Nanoparticles hydrodynamic size and surface charge density, in water and as a function of pH, were investigated by dynamic light scattering and laser doppler velocimetry, respectively. Nanogels (NGs) were proved not to be cytotoxic at the cellular level. Indeed, they rapidly bypass the cellular membrane to accumulate in specific cell portions of the cytoplasm, in the perinuclear area. The availability of pendant carboxyl groups on the crosslinked PVP NGs core prompted us to attempt their decoration with a sing…

Physicochemical Surface Properties of Various Intraocular Lenses

2001

<i>Purpose:</i> It is of major interest to understand how intraocular lens (IOL) surfaces interact with aqueous humor or tissues after implantation. Important parameters to describe the physicochemical surface properties are the contact angle and critical surface tension. Therefore, we performed measurements of the contact angle and critical surface tension of several commercially available IOLs. <i>Setting:</i> Department of Ophthalmology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, University Eye Hospital, Tübingen, and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany. <i>Methods:</i> A total of 17 commercially available standard quality IOL types (6…

The interplay between cooperativity and diversity in model threshold ensembles

2014

The interplay between cooperativity and diversity is crucial for biological ensembles because single molecule experiments show a significant degree of heterogeneity and also for artificial nanostructures because of the high individual variability characteristic of nanoscale units. We study the cross-effects between cooperativity and diversity in model threshold ensembles composed of individually different units that show a cooperative behaviour. The units are modelled as statistical distributions of parameters (the individual threshold potentials here) characterized by central and width distribution values. The simulations show that the interplay between cooperativity and diversity results …

VisuMax®femtosecond laser for corneal refractive surgery

2008

Femtosecond lasers are increasingly present in ophthalmologic surgical theaters for a variety of reasons. These include faster and better visual outcomes, increased accuracy and predictability for corneal flap thickness in laser in situ keratomileusis procedures. Recent applications of modern femtosecond lasers have broadened the range of uses: keratoplasty, intrastromal segment insertion and even glaucoma and presbyopia surgery. This device profile provides an overview of the advantages of femtosecond lasers in ophthalmic surgery, paying special attention to the new VisuMax® femtosecond laser from Zeiss/Meditec.

Gold nanoprobe-based detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) Gene Expression

2015

Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) gene is expressed in all types of cancers, and it is considered as unique biomarker for early detection, monitoring and prognosis of different cancers. Routinely, the main techniques for detection of hTERT gene expression are based on enzymatic amplifications which need specified equipments, expert personnel and high cost and time. With regarding to the clinical importance of analysis of hTERT gene expression, we have developed a rapid, simple and low cost method which detects hTERT RNA target in 5 $\mu {\rm l}$ reaction scale using gold nanoprobes. The method is based on the inhibition of nanoparticle aggregation in the presence of ${\rm MgCl}…

A synergic nanoantioxidant based on covalently modified halloysite–trolox nanotubes with intra-lumen loaded quercetin

2016

We describe the preparation and properties of the first example of a synergic nanoantioxidant, obtained by different functionalizations of the external surface and the inner lumen of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Trolox, a mimic of natural α-tocopherol, was selectively grafted on the HNT external surface; while quercetin, a natural polyphenolic antioxidant, was loaded into the inner lumen to afford a bi-functional nanoantioxidant, HNT–Trolox/Que, which was investigated for its reactivity with transient peroxyl radicals and a persistent 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) radical in comparison with the corresponding mono-functional analogues HNT–Trolox and HNT/Que. Both HNT–Trolox and HNT/Q…