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Biomedical subjects

R Jerome

Publications and source records attributed to R Jerome.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Preparation, characterization and in vitro release properties of ibuprofen-loaded microspheres based on polylactide, poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and their copolymers.

In this paper, ibuprofen was encapsulated into microspheres by oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method. Biodegradable polymers with certain compositions and characteristics such as polylactide (PLA), poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and their block copolymer were used to prepare the microspheres. The results indicate that, under the same processing conditions, the drug entrapment efficiency was similar (approximately 80%) for microspheres prepared with PLA and P(LA-b-CL) (78.7/21.3 by mole), but it was only 25.4% for PCL microspheres. The in vitro drug release rate decreased in the order of PCL, P(LA-b-CL) (78.7/21.3 by mole) and PLA microspheres. PCL microspheres showed more serious burst release during the first day (almost 80%) than P(LA-b-CL) (50%) and PLA microspheres (18%). The complete ibuprofen release duration from the last two kinds of microspheres exceeded 1 month. Characterization of the microspheres by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarized optical microscope (POM) revealed that ibuprofen was amorphous in PCL microspheres and partially crystalline in P(LA-b-CL) and PLA microspheres. The different release behaviour of ibuprofen from the three kinds of microspheres could be attributed to the different crystallinity of the studied polymers and drug dispersion state in polymer matrices. All the above results suggest that the copolymer with a certain ratio of lactide to -caprolactone could have potential applications for long-term ibuprofen release.

Absorption↗

Electrochemical synthesis of conjugated polymer wires and nanotubules

Two electrochemical methods designed for the synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) wires and nanotubules are the topic of this paper. The concept that allows the morphology of PPy to be controlled is discussed for each method, and the performances of the two complementary techniques are compared in terms of dimension, shape and conductivity of PPy.

Journal Article↗

Polylactide macroporous biodegradable implants for cell transplantation. II. Preparation of polylactide foams by liquid-liquid phase separation.

Potential of thermally induced phase separation as a porogen technique has been studied in an effort to produce a surgical implant suitable for cell transplantation. Emphasis has been placed on the liquid-liquid phase separation of solutions of amorphous poly DL-lactide and semicrystalline poly L-lactide in an 87/13 dioxane/water mixture. The related temperature/composition phase diagrams have been set up by turbidimetry, and the possible occurrence of a gel has been discussed. Freeze-drying of some phase-separated polylactide solutions can produce flexible and tough foams with an isotropic morphology. Interconnected pores of 1-10 microns in diameter are expected to result from the spinodal decomposition of the polylactide solutions with formation of co-continuous phases. Thermodynamics of the polymer/solvent pair has a decisive effect on the final macroporous foams, as shown by the dependence of their porosity, density, porous morphology, and mechanical behavior on molecular weight and crystallinity of polylactide and concentration of the original solutions. On the basis of the foam characteristics, potential of the liquid-liquid phase separation (spinodal decomposition) has been compared with the solid/liquid phase separation (solvent crystallization) as a porogen technique.

Cell Transplantation↗

Preparation of a macroporous biodegradable polylactide implant for neuronal transplantation.

This article reports the production of a surgical implant meeting several specific requirements such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, macroporosity, and flexibility. Porosity was controlled by an original method consisting of the aggregation of calibrated poly-D,L-lactide microparticles. The size of the interstices between the aggregated microspheres was in a direct relationship to the microsphere diameter. A first approach was based on coating the microspheres with poly(vinyl alcohol) followed by chemically crosslinking the coating layers that were in mutual contact. This method was disregarded because of the acute cytotoxicity of glutaraldehyde used as the crosslinking agent, the absence of macroporosity, and the complete lack of flexibility. A physical technique of aggregation was then tested, which relied on the plasticization of poly-D,L-lactide microspheres with triethylcitrate to the point where microspheres strongly adhered to each other when they were in contact. This method has proved to be straightforward and definitely superior to the chemical approach, particularly with respect to cytotoxicity, control of macroporosity, and flexibility. A polymer support was thus successfully which was biodegradable, macroporous( interconnected pores of 10-100 microns in diameter), and flexible. This potential medical device is presently being used for neuronal transplantation in the central nervous system.

Animals↗

(D, L) polylactide microspheres as embolic agent. A preliminary study.

Owing to their shape, accurately calibrated microspheres appear to be very suitable material for distal embolization. Moreover, the biocompatible (D, L) polyactide (PLA) microspheres possess two other valuable advantages: easy adjustment of their biodegradation rate, and incorporation of chemotherapeutic agents during their production. The authors describe the preparation of these (D, L) PLA microspheres and their clinical applications as a preliminary step to arterial chemoembolization.

Aged↗