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Biomedical subjects

V Compañ

Publications and source records attributed to V Compañ.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Biological oxygen apparent transmissibility of hydrogel contact lenses with and without organosilicon moieties.

The instrument oxygen transmissibility (IOT) of organosilicon hydrogels, measured by electrochemical procedures, is 5-10 times larger than that of conventional hydrogels. A method is described that allows the estimation of the oxygen tension at the lens-cornea interface for closed- and open-eyelids situations by combining the IOT of the hydrogels and corneal parameters such as corneal thickness, corneal permeability and oxygen flux across the cornea. From these results the biological oxygen apparent transmissibility (BOAT) is obtained, an important parameter which an multiplication with the pressure of oxygen on the external part of the lens gives the oxygen flux onto the cornea. Contact lenses with oxygen transmissibility higher than 100 Dk/t units [1 Dk/t unit=10(-9) [cm(3) O(2) (STp) cm(-2)s(-1)(mmHg)(-1)] posses a large oxygen tension at the lens-cornea interface that substantially reduces the oxygen flux onto the cornea. Lenses whose oxygen transmissibility is lower than 50 Dk/t units allow a rather small oxygen flux onto the cornea under closed eyelids condition that prevent their use for extended wear.

Contact Lenses↗

Oxygen permeability of hydrogel contact lenses with organosilicon moieties.

Oxygen transport through two extended wear (day and night) hydrogel contact lenses that contain organosilicon moieties (balafilcon A and lotrafilcon A) was studied in the hydrate (hydrogel) and dry (xerogel) states. The water uptake increased the oxygen permeability [(Dk)app] and transmissibility [Dk/L(av)] coefficients of the dry materials by about 70%. The (Dk)app for the hydrated lenses was determined following the so-called stack procedure. The values obtained were 107 +/- 4 barrer for balafilcon A and 141 +/- 5 barrer for lotrafilcon A, about 5-10 times larger than those previously reported for conventional (without organosilicon moieties) extended wear hydrogels contact lenses. The Dk/L(av) for -3.00 diopter lenses (harmonic average thickness, L(av) = 75 +/- 2 microm for lotrafilcon, and 85 +/- 2 microm for balafilcon) was 123 +/- 6 barrer/cm for balafilcon A and 183 +/- 8 barrer/cm for lotralicon A. The minimum oxygen transmissibility 87 barrer/cm stipulated by Holden and Mertz to avoid corneal edema with extended wear contact can be easily achieved with lotrafilcon and balafilcon lenses of diverse dioptric powers if the central and peripheral thickness of the lenses are kept below the critical level of oxygen transmissibility.

Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic↗

Central role of the observable electric potential in transport equations.

Nonequilibrium systems are usually studied in the framework of transport equations that involve the true electric potential (TEP), a nonobservable variable. Nevertheless another electric potential, the observable electric potential (OEP), may be defined to construct a useful set of transport equations. In this paper several basic characteristics of the OEP are deduced and emphasized: (i) the OEP distribution depends on thermodynamic state of the solution, (ii) the observable equations have a reference value for all other transport equations, (iii) the bridge that connects the OEP with a certain TEP is usually defined by the ion activity coefficient, (iv) the electric charge density is a nonobservable variable, and (v) the OEP formulation constitutes a natural model for studying the fluxes in membrane systems.

Journal Article↗

A potentiostatic study of oxygen transmissibility and permeability through hydrogel membranes.

The permeability characteristics of membranes prepared from hydrogels of poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PHNDA) are described. True values of the permeability and transmissibility coefficients of oxygen in the membranes are determined by using electrochemical procedures involving the measurement of the steady state current either in membranes with different thickness or in a single membrane in which its thickness is varied with layers of moistened paper. Comparison of the results obtained for the transport properties in these hydrogels with others obtained in other hydrogels permit to conclude that the degree of swelling rather than the chemical nature of the hydrogels affects the permeation properties. The chemical structure presumably only affects in high degree the chemical stability and flexibility of the hydrogel membranes.

Acrylamides↗

Oxygen transport through methacrylate-based hydrogels with potential biological capability.

The permeability to oxygen of hydrogels prepared from copolymers of 2-hydroxymethyl methacrylate and p-methacryloxyl-oxyacetanilide have been studied by using an oxygen electrode in combination with a permeometer. The transmissibility Dk/L and the permeability Dk (where D, k and L are, respectively, the diffusion coefficient, the Henry constant and the thickness of the hydrogel) are measured by a combination of steady state and transitory state measurements. Both transport coefficients increase with the water content, which in turn depends on the copolymer composition. The values of these quantities tend toward a limiting value for water-saturated hydrogels. The ratio of the characteristic volume for diffusion of the oxygen molecule to the free volume of water per mole water is found to be in the vicinity of 0.10, and this value increases slightly as the fraction of the hydrophilic comonomer in the hydrogel increases. A detailed comparison of the biogels studied with six commercial contact lenses has also been performed.

Acetanilides↗

True and apparent oxygen permeabilities of contact lenses.

We studied the passage of oxygen through some commercially available contact lenses. Oxygen diffusion coefficients were determined by the time-lag method and a 201T Redher permeometer was used to measure the oxygen permeability and transmissibility by the polarographic method. The measurements were carried out at room temperature with 0.09% sodium chloride physiologic solution. The following types of lenses were tested: (1) 12 lenses of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) of a mean thickness of 0.194 mm (observed Dk approximately 6.3 barrers) (1 barrier is equivalent to 10(-11) cm3 of O2 (STP).cm2/cm3.s.mm Hg). (2) 13 lenses of a cross-linked polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA), manufactured by Lenticon and Bausch & Lomb, with 40 and 38.6% water content, respectively. The mean thicknesses were 0.160 and 0.148 mm, respectively (observed Dk approximately 12 to 13.5 barrers). (3) Finally 10 lenses of a copolymer of 2 HEMA with N-2-vinylpyrrolidone (2-HEMA/VP), manufactured by Bausch & Lomb under the name Hydrocurve II, with 55% water content and a mean thickness of 0.138 mm (observed Dk approximately 24.5 barrers). For a given lens thickness, the transmissibility and permeability of lenses whose main material is 2-HEMA are found to be equivalent. This fact suggests the use of such material as a standard in the study of diffusion processes in contact lenses of low oxygen permeability (Dk approximately 12 to 13.5 barrers). We studied the boundary layer effects and found significant discrepancies between true and apparent oxygen permeabilities. The apparent transmissibility decreased with increasing lens thickness, this effect being more apparent for lenses with low water content. Oxygen permeability is found to be exponentially dependent on water content rather than on the chemical composition of the hydrogel.

Contact Lenses↗