Imaging blend morphology of unstained styrene-N-phenyl-male- imide-styrene-co-acrylonitrile using electron microscopy

Abstracts are not published in this journal This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effects of clay dispersion on the mechanical,physical, and flame‐retarding properties of wood fiber/polyethylene/clay nanocomposites

In this study, nanosized clay particles were introduced into wood fiber/plastic composites (WPCs) to improve their mechanical properties and flame retardancy, which are especially important in various automotive and construction applications. A high degree of exfoliation for nanoclay in the wood fiber/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites was successfully achieved with the aid of maleated HDPE (PE‐g‐MAn), through a melt blending masterbatch process. The structures and morphologies of the composites were determined using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. This article presents the effects of clay content and degree of clay dispersion on the mechanical and physical properties and flame retardancy of wood fiber/HDPE composites that contained a small amount of clay, in the range of 3–5 wt %. We concluded that achieving a higher degree of dispersion for the nanosized clay particles is critical to enhance the mechanical properties and the flame retardancy of WPCs when small amounts of clay are used. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Suppression of Bone Necrosis around Tooth Extraction Socket in a MRONJ-like Mouse Model by E-rhBMP-2 Containing Artificial Bone Graft Administration

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is related to impaired bone healing conditions in the maxillomandibular bone region as a complication of bisphosphonate intake. Although there are several hypotheses for the onset of MRONJ symptoms, one of the possible causes is the inhibition of bone turnover and blood supply leading to bone necrosis. The optimal treatment strategy for MRONJ has not been established either. BMP-2, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is well known for regulating bone remodeling and homeostasis prenatally and postnatally. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate whether cyclophosphamide/zoledronate (CY/ZA) induces necrosis of the bone surrounding the tooth extraction socket, and to examine the therapeutic potential of BMP-2 in combination with the hard osteoinductive biomaterial, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), in the prevention and treatment of alveolar bone loss around the tooth extraction socket in MRONJ-like mice models. First, CY/ZA was intraperitoneally administered for three weeks, and alveolar bone necrosis was evaluated before and after tooth extraction. Next, the effect of BMP-2/β-TCP was investigated in both MRONJ-like prevention and treatment models. In the prevention model, CY/ZA was continuously administered for four weeks after BMP-2/β-TCP transplantation. In the treatment model, CY/ZA administration was suspended after transplantation of BMP-2/β-TCP. The results showed that CY/ZA induced a significant decrease in the number of empty lacunae, a sign of bone necrosis, in the alveolar bone around the tooth extraction socket after tooth extraction. Histological analysis showed a significant decrease in the necrotic alveolar bone around tooth extraction sockets in the BMP-2/β-TCP transplantation group compared to the non-transplanted control group in both MRONJ-like prevention and treatment models. However, bone mineral density, determined by micro-CT analysis, was significantly higher in the BMP-2/β-TCP transplanted group than in the control group in the prevention model only. These results clarified that alveolar bone necrosis around tooth extraction sockets can be induced after surgical intervention under CY/ZA administration. In addition, transplantation of BMP-2/β-TCP reduced the necrotic alveolar bone around the tooth extraction socket. Therefore, a combination of BMP-2/β-TCP could be an alternative approach for both prevention and treatment of MRONJ-like symptoms.     

Rat maf related genes: specific expression in chondrocytes, lens and spinal cord

Excess parenchymal loss associated with hepatectomy is the leading risk factor/for liver failure especially in patients with impaired hepatic function. Selective portal embolization (PE) before hepatectomy is aimed to induce an atrophy of the embolized lobe to be resected, with a compensatory hypertrophy of the/counterlobe to be preserved. We performed PE followed by hepatectomy in 58 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n. = 44) or metastatic liver tumour (MLT, n. = 14). All the patients well tolerated PE, and hepatic functional data returned to the baseline levels within a week. The left lobe volume increased by about 10% after the right PE. Hepatectomy procedures undertaken comprised right or extended right lobectomy (n. = 39), central bisegmentectomy (n. = 3), extended segmentectomy (n. = 12), and limited resection (n. = 4). The 25 of HCC patients underwent right-sided lobectomy despite a presence of hepatic functional impairment, and the 3 of MLT patients under went right lobectomy with additional resection of the left lobe. As a whole, the operative morbidity and mortality rates were 15.5% and 1.7%, respectively (one patient died of liver failure). The 5-year over all survival rates were 46.8% in HCC patients and 38.0% in MLT patients, respectively. Preoperative PE therefore can be an ancillary procedure for patients, despite with hepatic dysfunction or with bilobar tumours, who may need extensive hepatectomy.     

Measurement of histidinohydroxylysinonorleucine and hydroxyproline in skin collagen by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography after 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate labeling

The management of intra-abdominal desmoid tumors in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is very difficult. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anti-estrogenic agents, and steroids are most commonly used, because surgical removal of these tumors may result in severe morbidity, with local recurrence being common. We report a patient with FAP and intra-abdominal desmoid tumors that regressed markedly after prednisolone therapy. The patient, a 38-year-old woman, had undergone total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis with a diagnosis of FAP with colon cancer. Approximately 17 months after the surgery, she noticed an elastic firm lump in the abdominal wall. She also experienced lower abdominal distension. Computed tomography (CT) of the lower abdomen showed an invasive heterogenous low-density mass occupying the intra-abdominal space. She was treated with sulindac, NSAID, at 300 mg/day, the diagnosis being intra-abdominal desmoid tumors. She exhibited an intestinal obstruction about 9 months after the initiation of sulindac therapy. We changed the treatment and began prednisolone (initial dose, 40 mg/day). This treatment was continued for two years; subsequently, the lesions regressed markedly. She is currently well, more than 3 years after the withdrawal of prednisolone.     

Thermal properties of glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites throughout the direct long‐fiber reinforced thermoplastic process

The direct long‐fiber reinforced thermoplastic (D‐LFT) process offers a streamlined material processing technique and decreases the degradation of the material. To ensure product consistency and process optimization, it is imperative to understand how the process sequence affects degradation and thermal properties of the material during the D‐LFT process. This study investigates variation in molecular weight and thermal properties of the glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) composites throughout the D‐LFT process. Viscosity number (VN) measurements, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed on samples taken from different locations along the D‐LFT process. It was found that VN, which is a measure of molecular weight of the PA6 base resin, decreased throughout the processes. In contrast, TGA results suggested that apparent activation energy for decomposition increased during consecutive process stages. Non‐isothermal DSC results showed that there were no significant changes to the degree of crystallization; however, isothermal DSC results indicated that later stages of the process showed a decrease in crystallization half‐time, and the largest changes were observed in areas after the two extrusion portions of the process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:46–54, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers