Biocompatibility issues such as protein deposition and fibrous capsule formation significantly reduce the sensitivity of implanted glucose sensors. One of the approaches to improve the sensor biocompatibility is to disguise the sensors with coatings that mimic body conditions. We anticipate that a biomimetic coating based on hyaluronic acid (HA) would minimize the problems related to protein deposition and fibrous tissue formation. Diffusion experiments were conducted to assess the transport properties of HA coating on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane using a classic diffusion cell. HA was coated on PVA membranes, as cross-linked HA membranes alone have poor mechanical strength. The effective diffusivities of glucose and oxygen in a HA/PVA membrane (95% confidence interval) are 1 +/- 0.26 x 10(-4) and 1.42 +/- 0.34 x 10(-4) cm(2)/min, respectively. The effective diffusivities of glucose and oxygen in HA/PVA membranes were approximately two-thirds when compared with the diffusivities of glucose and oxygen (7.29 x 10(-5) and 2.34 x 10(-4) cm(2)/min, respectively) in pure PVA membranes. The results indicate that the HA/PVA membranes have transport properties similar to the commonly used pure PVA membranes, and thus may find usefulness as a coating for implantable glucose sensors.
What is generally recognized is that there are disparities in the rates of amputation for type 1 versus type 2 diabetic patients, for different ethnic groups and for patients with multiple co-morbidities. However, with advances in surgical techniques and with modern prosthetics, all categories of patients are benefiting from surgeries in which a longer residual limb can be kept (within surgical constraints related to proper wound healing), and where appropriate biomechanical considerations are taken into account.
Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare disease affecting the cerebral vasculature of the central nervous system (CNS) with a reported incidence of 0.35-0.94 per 100,000 populations. It was first reported from Japan and later from other parts of the world. The pathology is narrowing of blood vessels supplying anterior circulation and rarely posterior circulation. It was believed that the disease is genetic in origin, but environmental factors also play a role. Patients with this rare disease may present with ischemic or hemorrhagic symptoms. Ischemic symptoms account for the disease in most of the pediatric patients, whereas in adults, hemorrhage is more common. Diagnostic imaging like CT angiogram and magnetic resonance angiogram helps in demonstrating the narrowing or the collateral vessels like "a puff of smoke" (moyamoya) formed at the base of the brain. Moyamoya disease is treated medically and/or surgically. Aspirin is the main medication used. Surgical options are direct or indirect revascularization techniques to bypass the stenosis. The disease is progressive in majority of the patients, but if treated early, they can have good prognosis especially children.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an abnormal vascular proliferative disease of retina that affects preterm infants. It is a leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide despite improvement in neonatal care and management. Earlier ROP was found to be associated with oxygen therapy only. Now it was concluded that aetiology of ROP was multifactorial but three factors have shown significant association with ROP: low gestational age (GA), low birth weight (BW), prolonged exposure to supplementary oxygen following delivery. Several investigators reported that lower oxygen saturation targets at young post-gestational ages with increased oxygen saturation targets at older post gestational ages reduced the incidence of ROP. However previous clinical studies are not conclusive.
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