Teresita R. Cuadrado

Polymethylmethacrylate-based bone cement modified with hydroxyapatite.

A commercial acrylic bone cement was modified by the incorporation of different weight fractions of polycrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA), and the modified formulation was investigated. The influence of the filler proportion on the flow characteristics and the mechanical behavior of the resultant composite was evaluated. The residual monomer present in the cured materials was measured by gas chromatography. The comparison of the residual monomer present in the cements with and without reinforcement demonstrated that the degree of polymerization was not affected by the addition of HA. Porosity morphology was analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Image examination revealed that the porosity and the pore size of the hardened cement increased with an increasing amount of particulate filler. Flexural, compressive, and fracture properties of the cement with varying amounts of HA reinforcement were measured. It was found that up to 15 wt% HA could be added for increases in flexural modulus and fracture toughness. HA acts as a rigid filler that enhances fracture resistance and flexural modulus. Our results show that the workability of the modified formulation limited the incorporation of the ceramic filler to a maximum value of 15 wt%.

Structural characterization of electrospun micro/nanofibrous scaffolds by liquid extrusion porosimetry: A comparison with other techniques

Poly(ε-caprolactone) micro/nanofibrous scaffolds obtained by electrospinning technique from polymer solutions were characterized in terms of fiber diameter (as measured by scanning electron microscopy-SEM), pore size and its distribution (as measured by liquid extrusion porosimetry), and porosity (as determined by gravimetric measurement, liquid intrusion method, SEM image analysis and liquid extrusion porosimetry - LEP). Nonwoven micro/nanofibrous scaffolds were formed by uniform bead-free fibers with mean diameters in the range of 0.4 to 7 μm. The results indicate that pore size and pore size distribution are strongly associated to fiber diameter. Porosity results were analyzed taking into account the accuracy and limitations of each method. LEP resulted as the most suitable technique for measuring through-pore diameter and porosity. In order to compare empirical data of pore size from LEP, a theoretical multiplanar model for stochastic fiber networks was applied. The results predicted by the model were in good agreement with the experimental data provided by LEP for mean diameters higher than 1 μm. The present study shows the potential of LEP as a valuable instrumental technique for characterizing the porous structure of electrospun fibrous scaffolds.

Modeling of Segmented Polyurethane Drying Process

Abstract Biomedical segmented polyurethanes (SPU) are frequently processed by solution-casting techniques in order to obtain multilayerfilms. For processing parameters setup empirical criteria is currently applied. However, the selected conditions can strongly affect the physico-chemical properties of the finished articles and they must be accurately established. In order to describe the SPU coating formation, balances of heat, mass and momentum transfer must be considered. To study the drying process, two new medical-grade SPU solutions commercially available, BiospanTM and Chronoflex ARTM, were dried at different temperatures. Desorption curves and drying rate, both as a function of temperature, were obtained from experimental data. The mathematical model to describe this process take into account the heat and mass transfer and film shrinkage along the whole drying step. The diffusion coefficients and the control mechanism were determined from the best experimental data fitting. To obtain the solvent concentration profile, residual solvent and film, thickness at any time, heat and mass transfer balances were numerically solved using an explicit finite-difference method. The formulations showed different behavior. For Biospan drying, performed in the range from 5°C to 8°C, a two-stage process was observed. The first one controlled by mass transfer in the gas phase and the second one with mix control. When 4°C drying temperature was applied, a mix control was found along the whole process. This change could be attributed to the acrylic additive present in the SPU matrix, which has a glass transition temperature value in the range of the process temperature. Chronoflex samples showed a two-stage process in all cases and lower diffusion coefficients than Biospan samples.

Multilayered electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for tailored controlled release of embelin

ABSTRACT Polymeric electrospun meshes are highly attractive as versatile platforms for numerous biomedical applications, tissue engineering, biosensors, and controlled release of bioactive agents. Herein, we describe the preparation and characterization of multilayered nanofibrous poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds with different embelin content by electrospinning technique. In vitro release in physiological and acidic pH and kinetic analysis were performed. The results show that it is possible to modulate the release profile depending on the number and thickness of layers added to drug-loaded scaffold that acts as an embelin reservoir. Electrospun multilayered scaffolds present characteristics, morphology and release profiles that could be very attractive for use as embelin controlled release systems.