To develop a long-term released and implantable biodegradable fiber carrier for hydrophobic drug incorporation, fibers were fabricated by organic phase separation method. The structure of the fiber was observed by scanning electron microscopy and the state of the drug dispersed in the polymer was measured by differential scanning colorimetry (DSC) and Fouvier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The drug loading content and release profiles were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-violet spectrophotometry, respectively. Blank and drug loaded fibers were successfully fabricated and the drug was entirely encapsulated into the fiber. The drug was dispersed in the polymer with minicrystal and noncrystal form. The drug release profile was long-term sustained and could be regulated. The PLLA fibers in micrometer range successfully fabricated by organic phase separation method could be taken as sustained release and implantable drug carrier.
Absorbable Implants ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Carriers ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Drug Implants ; administration & dosage ; chemical synthesis ; Lactic Acid ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Nimodipine ; administration & dosage ; Polyesters ; Polymers ; administration & dosage ; chemistry

This case describes the reversal of early central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with disc swelling after intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) injection. A 44-year-old female presented with sudden-onset intermittent blurred vision in her left eye. Fundus examination revealed multiple retinal hemorrhages without macular edema (ME). Two weeks later, an increased number of retinal hemorrhages with severe disc swelling were noted with still no sign of ME. An intravitreal dexamethasone implant was injected. Five days later, there were improvements in disc swelling and retinal hemorrhage. One month later, her subjective visual symptoms were completely improved, and fundus examination revealed marked improvement along with almost complete resolution of disc swelling. Intravitreal dexamethasone implant injection may potentially change the natural course of CRVO progression and its various subsequent complications.
Adult ; Dexamethasone/*administration & dosage ; Drug Implants ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/*administration & dosage ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Papilledema/*drug therapy ; Retinal Vein/*drug effects ; Retinal Vein Occlusion/*drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Dental implant is an advanced prosthodontic treatment widely accepted by patients with missing tooth. However, peri-implant bone loss is still an important reason which limits wider application of the implants to a certain extent. Bisphosphonates is an osteoclastic bone resorption inhibitor that is widely used in clinical practice with the function of inhibiting bone resorption and increasing bone density. As the defect of systemic BPs treatment, local application of BPs in implant has become a research hotspot recently. Calcium phosphate ceramics, polylactic acid, fibrinogen film and collagen membrane have been reported as BPs carriers. This article summarizes the researches on the mechanism of bone regulation and local delivering system of BPs.
Administration, Topical ; Bone Density Conservation Agents ; administration & dosage ; Bone Remodeling ; drug effects ; physiology ; Dental Implantation, Endosseous ; methods ; Dental Implants ; Diphosphonates ; administration & dosage ; Humans

The gentamicin sulfate carried calcium sulfate (GSCS) implants were fabricated by the coagulating method, and the release rate of the gentamicin tested by UV-spectrometer and the absorbing rate of the calcium sulfate carrier in vitro were studied. The release patterns of two types of GSCS were compared. The trend of daily weight loss of GSCS was found being similar to that of pure calcium sulfate, which suggested that the gentamicin part has little effect on the absorbing pattern of calcium sulfate. The release rate of gentamicin is controlled by the erosion rate of calcium sulfate, so GSCS with different amount of gentamicin has the same release patterns. The DRP value of ED is higher than that of CO during the early stage, while the DRP value of ED is lower than that of CO during the late stage. The GSCS samples were implanted into the defect mold on the radii of the rabbits to investigate the potential for the use of GSCS implants as bone fillers, and the results revealed that new bone had been induced in a great part of the defect at 14 weeks after operation.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Bone Regeneration ; drug effects ; Calcium Sulfate ; administration & dosage ; Gentamicins ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Implants, Experimental ; Rabbits ; Radius Fractures ; therapy

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of low-magnitude, high-frequency (LMHF) loading, and anti-osteoporosis medications such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) and bisphosphonates on peri-implant bone healing in an osteoporosis model, and to assess their combined effects on these processes. Thirteen-week-old ovariectomized rats (n = 44) were divided into three groups: PTH, alendronate, and saline. After 3 weeks of drug administration, titanium implants were inserted into the tibiae. Each group was subdivided into two groups: with or without LMHF loading via whole-body vibration (50 Hz at 0.5 g, 15 min per day, 5 days per week). Rats were killed 4 weeks following implantation. Removal torque test, micro-CT analyses (relative gray (RG) value, water = 0, and implant = 100), and histomorphometric analyses (bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and peri-implant bone formation (bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV))) were performed. Removal torque values and BIC were significantly differed by loading and drug administration (ANOVA). Post hoc analysis showed that PTH-treated groups were significantly higher than the other drug-treated groups. BV/TV was significantly enhanced by PTH administration. In cortical bone, RG values were significantly increased by loading. In trabecular bone, however, RG values were significantly increased by PTH administration. These findings suggest that LMHF loading and PTH can act locally and additively on the bone healing process, improving the condition of implant osseointegration.
Alendronate ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Dental Implantation, Endosseous ; methods ; Dental Implants ; Female ; Implants, Experimental ; Osseointegration ; drug effects ; Ovariectomy ; Parathyroid Hormone ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Tibia ; surgery ; Vibration ; Wound Healing ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo prepare ligustrazine (TMPZ) ocular sustained-release implant, and investigate its in vitro drug release, pharmacokinetics in rabbit vitreum and in vitro correlation.

METHODLigustrazine ocular sustained-release implants were prepared by micro-twin conical screw mixers with hot-melting extrusion method, with polyactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) as the matrix. HPLC was adopted to determine the concentration in vitreum after ligustrazine was implanted in rabbit eyes, in order to examine its in vivo sustained-release behavior, and study the correlation between in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTLigustrazine implants were prepared with a drug-loading rate between 10% and 30%, which was in conformity to the pharmacopoeia in terms of the content uniformity. Its in vitro release was in conformity to the zero-order release model. With PLGA 5050, 2. 5A as a vector, ligustrazine implants with a drug-loading rate of 30% could slowly release drug for more than 3 weeks, indicating a good correlation between in vitro and in vivo release.

CONCLUSIONLigustrazine ocular implants prepared with hot-melting extrusion method is practicable. Ligustrazine ocular implants release drug smoothly in rabbit vitreous vitreums, suggesting good sustained-release effect.

Animals ; Biological Availability ; Drug Implants ; Eye ; Female ; Male ; Polyglycolic Acid ; chemistry ; Pyrazines ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Rabbits ; Vitreous Body

OBJECTIVETo compare the therapeutic effect of catgut implantation and Deanxit for treatment of depression.

METHODSNinety-four cases of depression were randomly divided into a catgut implantation group (50 cases) and a medication group (44 cases). Catgut implantation group was applied with catgut implantation at Hanyan (GB 4), Baihui (GV 20), Shenmen (HT 7), Fenglong (ST 40), Taichong (LR 3), once two weeks, and 4 times in total. Medication group was treated with oral administration of Deanxit, for eight weeks in total. The the-rapeutic effects of both groups were compared with Hamilton Depression-17 Items Scale (HAMD-17) before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe scores of HAMD-17 were decreased after treatment in both groups (both P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between two groups after treatment (P>0.05). The total effective rate was 87.8% (43/49) in catgut implantation group and 90.7% (39/43) in medication group, with no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONCatgut implantation can effectively improve the symptoms of depression patients, with a similar therapeutic effect with Deanxit, and it has a better clinical compliance without any adverse effects.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Anthracenes ; administration & dosage ; Catgut ; Depression ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Drug Combinations ; Female ; Flupenthixol ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostheses and Implants ; Young Adult

Synchronization of estrus and ovulation are of paramount importance in modern livestock improvement programs. These methods are critical for assisted reproduction technologies, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, that can increase productivity. In the current study, subcutaneous implants containing norgestomet were placed for long (14 days), medium (9 days), and short (5 days) periods of time in 70 crossbred ewes undergoing fixed-time artificial insemination. The resulting effects on estrus synchronization and conception rates were subsequently evaluated. Among the synchronized ewes, 85.7% (60/70) underwent estrus over a period of 72 h after progestagen treatment ceased. The shortest mean interval between withdrawal of the device and onset of estrus (34.2 +/- 8.9 h) was observed in the G14 days of P4 group (p < 0.05). The conception rate of the G14 days of P4 group was statistically higher than that of the other groups (83.3% vs. 60.9% vs. 47.8%; p < 0.05). In conclusion, 14 days of norgestomet treatment produced higher conception rates and a greater number of pregnancies at the beginning of the breeding season.
Animals ; Drug Implants/therapeutic use ; Estrus Synchronization/drug effects/*methods ; Female ; Fertilization/drug effects ; Insemination, Artificial/methods/*veterinary ; Pregnenediones/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Sheep

This study was aimed to establish rat bladder tumor animal models to investigate the in viva antitumor effect of polyanhydride-pirarubicin (PAD-THP), a long-lasting anti-cancer implant, in the bladder tumor of animal models. The model of bladder cancer was set up with N-butly-N-(4 hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) feeding into rats. The PAD-THP long-acting anti-cancer implants containing the drugs and the same dose of the THP naked drug were placed under the bladder mucosa of bladder tumor model in vivo. The pirarubicin plasma concentration was measured with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection in vivo. The effective drug concentration and lasting period were observed and compared in the animal bodies. The tumor sizes were measured before and after the treatment. The in viva antitumor effects were analyzed and compared. The results showed that more significant antitumor effect of PAD-THP implants on the local drug release characteristics were presented compared with that of the same dose of THP bare drug group and there were significant differences (P<0. 05) between the two methods. All the results indicated that the PAD-THP anti-cancer implants in the postoperative local treatment of bladder tumors would show prosperous in the future for clinical application.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Butylhydroxybutylnitrosamine ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; administration & dosage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Female ; Implants, Experimental ; Polyanhydrides ; administration & dosage ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology

AIMTo explore the causes of the difference in spermatogenic suppression between responders and non-responders in Chinese men treated with levonorgestrel (LNG) implants plus testosterone undecanoate (TU) injectable.

METHODSThe 16 Chinese volunteers treated were divided into two groups in regard to the sperm count during the treatment period, 7 men in the responder group (Group R), including 6 azoospermia and one severe oligozoospermia, and the remaining 9 in the non-responder group (Group N), including 4 oligozoospermia and 5 with sperm counts greater than 20 x 10(6)/mL. The differences in serum profiles of FSH, LH, T, LNG and T/LH ratio were compared between the two groups and the correlation between the seminal fluid parameters and serum reproductive hormones was analyzed.

RESULTSThe serum FSH level was lower in Group R than that in Group N (P<0.05), while the serum LH and LNG levels were higher in Group R than those in Group N (P<0.05). The sperm density (P<0.01, r=0.235), motility(P<0.01, r=0.326) and vitality (P<0.01, r=0.219) showed significantly positive correlation with the serum FSH level.

CONCLUSIONThe blood LNG and T levels, the degree of FSH inhibition and/or the sensitivity of the pituitary-testis axis to exogenous steroids, as well as the individual spermatogenetic potential and the functional status of the Leydig cells may be factors bringing about individual differences in spermatogenic suppression in Chinese men treated with LNG and TU.

Adult ; Contraceptive Agents, Male ; administration & dosage ; Drug Implants ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Injections ; Levonorgestrel ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Leydig Cells ; physiology ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Sperm Count ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Testosterone ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; blood