Providing enough information about the study, having a topic of i

Providing enough information about the study, having a topic of interest and an explanation of likely benefits of the study were important when inviting people to participate. The neutrality of the survey and origination from a reputable source were both important; as

was an explanation about why information was being collected within the survey itself. Study findings included participants’ impressions when invited to take part, why they participated, the acceptability of follow-up of non-responders and why participants completed the follow-up postal survey. Also discussed were participants’ first impression of the survey, its length, presentation ACP-196 and participants’ views about specific questions within the survey.

Conclusions: Ideas generated in this study provide an

insight into Entinostat manufacturer participants’ decision making and survey behaviour and may enhance the acceptability of future surveys to potential participants. As well as clear communication, participants valued incentives and survey questions that were relevant to them. However, opinions varied as to the preferred format for responses with some advising more opportunity for open-ended feedback. We also found that some standard format questions can raise quandaries for individual participants.”
“Objective: To establish a tissue engineering therapy for the treatment of large tympanic membrane perforation (TMP) without the need for conventional surgical therapy.

Study Design: Randomized control trial.

Setting: General hospital.

Patients and Methods: A total of 63 chronic TMPs were randomly selected from outpatients.

Intervention: Of the total 63 chronic TMPs, 53 were randomly assigned to the basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) group and IACS-10759 price the remaining 10 were randomly assigned to the control group. Materials used for the TM repair were gelatin sponge and fibrin glue with/without b-FGF. After creating a mechanical disruption of the edge of the TMP, a gelatin sponge was immersed in b-FGF or saline (for the control group) and placed

over the perforation. Fibrin glue was dripped over the sponge as a sealant.

Main Outcome Measures: The effectiveness of this therapy was evaluated by closure rates, hearing level, and sequelae 3 weeks after treatment. The treatment was repeated up to 4 times for cases in which complete closure of the TMP was not achieved after 1 round of treatment.

Results: Complete closure of the TMP was achieved in more than 98.1% (52/53) of the patients in the b-FGF group and 10% (1/10) of the patients in the control group. The average hearing level of all patients with successful TM repair was improved. Serious sequelae were not observed in any patient.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a combination of gelatin sponge, b-FGF, and fibrin glue enables the regeneration of the TM without conventional operative procedures.


“In this study, we investigated the applicability of an am


“In this study, we investigated the applicability of an amorphous, high-permittivity (k) dielectric film La1-xTaxOy as an alternative gate insulator in next-generation complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices and metal-insulator-metal capacitors. La1-xTaxOy films not only show a crystallization temperature higher than 1000 AR-13324 supplier degrees C, but also a permittivity as high as 30. La1-xTaxOy films also have a much larger band

gap than Ta2O5 films because of the coupling effect between the 5d orbitals of La and Ta atoms bonding to a common oxygen atom. Therefore, La1-xTaxOy films with appropriate Ta concentration are promising amorphous high-k gate insulators.”
“Whole blood culture (C-wb) is a method to evaluate leukocyte response to stimuli. We used C-wb to evaluate the inflammatory response to pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in cats. Blood was collected from diluted with RPMI and stimulated with various concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), peptidoglycan (PG) or control (PBS). Multiple concentrations of LPS, LTA and PG significantly stimulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-1 beta and CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-8 in feline C-wb. All PAMPs failed to stimulate IL-6 production and PG failed to stimulate OCCL-8 production. Lipopolysaccharide was a more potent inducer of IL-1 beta and CXCL-8 than LTA or PG and LTA is

a more potent inducer of CXCL-8 than PG. Based on these data, PAMPs from gram positive and negative bacteria induce

TNF, IL-1 beta and check details CXCL-8 production in feline whole blood. Cats appear to be relatively more sensitive learn more to gram negative compared to gram positive bacteria. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The effect of pretreatment bias on the nucleation and growth mechanisms of the ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films on the Si substrate via bias-enhanced nucleation and bias-enhanced growth (BEN-BEG) was investigated using cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, chemical bonding mapping, and Raman spectroscopy. The mirror-polished substrate surface showed the formation of a triangular profile produced by a dominant physical sputtering mechanism induced by ion bombardment of ions from the hydrogen plasma accelerated toward the substrate due to biasing and a potential hydrogen-induced chemical reaction component before synthesizing the UNCD films. The BEN-BEG UNCD films grown on the Si substrate with biased and unbiased pretreatments in the hydrogen plasma were compared. In the case of the bias-pretreated substrate, the SiC phases were formed at the peaks of the Si surface triangular profile due to the active unsaturated Si bond and the enhanced local electrical field. The UNCD grains grew preferentially at the peaks of the triangular substrate surface profile and rapidly covered the amorphous carbon (a-C) and oriented graphite phases formed in the valley of the surface profile.

2-E2 antigen expression drastically decreased in retinoic acid-in

2-E2 antigen expression drastically decreased in retinoic acid-induced differentiated hESCs. However, it gradually increased after initial decrease during embryoid body formation of hESCs. 2-E2

recognized approximately 68 and 27 kDa proteins present on the surface of human pluripotent stem cells. The results suggest that 2-E2-specific surface protein is a novel OSI-906 solubility dmso cell surface protein that plays a role in the early differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells.”
“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by substantial genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, leading to considerable diversity in clinical course including the most common cause of sudden death in young people and a determinant of heart failure symptoms in patients of buy LY2835219 any age. Traditionally, two-dimensional echocardiography

has been the most reliable method for establishing a clinical diagnosis of HCM. However, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), with its high spatial resolution and tomographic imaging capability, has emerged as a technique particularly well suited to characterize the diverse phenotypic expression of this complex disease. For example, CMR is often superior to echocardiography for HCM diagnosis, by identifying areas of segmental hypertrophy (ie., anterolateral wall or apex) not reliably visualized by echocardiography (or underestimated in terms of extent). High-risk HCM patient subgroups identified with CMR include those with thin-walled scarred LV apical aneurysms (which prior to CMR imaging in HCM remained largely undetected), end-stage systolic dysfunction, and massive LV hypertrophy. CMR observations also suggest that the cardiomyopathic

MK-0518 concentration process in HCM is more diffuse than previously regarded, extending beyond the LV myocardium to include thickening of the right ventricular wall as well as substantial morphologic diversity with regard to papillary muscles and mitral valve. These findings have implications for management strategies in patients undergoing invasive septal reduction therapy. Among HCM family members, CMR has identified unique phenotypic markers of affected genetic status in the absence of LV hypertrophy including: myocardial crypts, elongated mitral valve leaflets and late gadolinium enhancement.

The unique capability of contrast-enhanced CMR with late gadolinium enhancement to identify myocardial fibrosis has raised the expectation that this may represent a novel marker, which may enhance risk stratification. At this time, late gadolinium enhancement appears to be an important determinant of adverse LV remodeling associated with systolic dysfunction. However, the predictive significance of LGE for sudden death is incompletely resolved and ultimately future large prospective studies may provide greater insights into this issue.

The conventional strong-suppression of the conductance at the gra

The conventional strong-suppression of the conductance at the graphene Dirac point cannot be clearly demonstrated, but a more robust signature of the Dirac point is found: the inflection in the conductance map caused BMS202 molecular weight by the electrostatic gating of graphene by the tunnel probe. We present numerical simulations of our conductance maps, confirming the measurement results. In addition,

Al causes strong n doping of graphene, Cu causes a moderate p doping, and in high resistance junctions, phonon resonances are observed, as in STM studies. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3554480]“
“In a 21-year-old patient with persistent dense subepithelial haze after photorefractive keratectomy, unresponsive to retreatment, a stromal flap, 9.0 mm in diameter and approximately 60 mu m in thickness, was excised and an unsutured 9.0 mm donor Bowman layer was transplanted onto the stromal bed. The corrected distance visual acuity improved from 20/40 (0.5) before surgery to 20/18(1.2) with a scleral-supported contact lens 2 months after transplantation. With optical coherence tomography, the transplanted Bowman layer was seen as a fine white line bordering

the anterior host stroma. No recurrence of Fedratinib order stromal haze was seen throughout the 6-month follow-up. Isolated Bowman layer transplantation may be a new technique for the management of anterior stromal opacities or complicated epithelial wound healing such as persistent corneal haze after

excimer laser surface ablation.”
“The optimal duration of treatment and expected response rate for hepatitis C virus genotype (HCV-6)-infected patients have not been determined. Our aims were to determine the treatment outcome with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin for HCV-6a-infected patients at Southwest Hospital and assess the association of the on-treatment virological response with the sustained virological response (SVR). Medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-two HCV-6a-infected patients were treated for 24 weeks, and 21 (95.5%) achieved an early virological response (EVR), 20 (90.9%) an end-of-treatment response (ETR) and 18 (81.8%) a SVR. However, only 18 of the 22 HCV-6a-infected patients were tested for serum HCV RNA level at week 4 of Immunology & Inflammation inhibitor treatment and 15 (83.3%) achieved a rapid virological response (RVR). The rates of SVR, RVR, EVR and ETR in these patients were all similar to those in HCV-2/3 treated for 24 weeks and higher than those in HCV-1b-infected patients treated for 48 weeks. A lower relapse rate (10.0%) was seen in HCV-6a compared with HCV-2/3 (12.5%) or HCV-1b-infected patients (23.3%). The positive predictive values of RVR and EVR for HCV-6a were comparable with those for HCV-2/3-infected patients (86.7% vs 90.9%, P = 0.683 and 85.7% vs 86.8%, P = 0.904, respectively). Of the 3 HCV-6a-infected patients who did not achieve a RVR, 2 achieved an EVR and went on to achieve a SVR.

An 80-year-old woman who used paroxetine developed a retrobulbar

An 80-year-old woman who used paroxetine developed a retrobulbar hematoma with impaired vision

immediately after surgery for an orbital blowout fracture.

Conclusion. Surgeons should be aware of the increased risk of hemorrhage among patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors who require orbital surgery. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009; 108: click here e1-e2)”
“Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection results in several changes in mitochondrial function including increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and greater sensitivity to oxidant, Ca2+ and cytokine-induced cell death. Prior studies in protein over-expression systems have shown that this effect can be induced by the core protein, but other viral proteins and replication JIB-04 order events may contribute as well. To evaluate the specific role of core protein in the context of viral replication and infection, we compared mitochondrial sensitivity in Huh7-derived HCV replicon bearing cells with or without core protein expression with that of cells infected with the JFH1 virus strain. JFH1 infection increased hydrogen peroxide production and sensitized cells to oxidant-induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cell death. An identical phenomenon occurred in genome-length replicons-bearing

cells but not in cells bearing the subgenomic replicons lacking core protein. Both cell death and mitochondrial depolarization were Ca2+ dependent and could be prevented by Ca2+ chelation. The difference in the mitochondrial response of the two replicon systems could be demonstrated even in isolated mitochondria derived from the two cell lines with the ‘genome-length’ mitochondria displaying greater sensitivity to Ca2+-induced cytochrome c release. In vitro incubation of ‘subgenomic’

mitochondria with core protein increased oxidant sensitivity to a level similar to that of mitochondria derived from cells bearing genome-length replicons. These results indicate that increased mitochondrial ROS production and a reduced threshold for Ca2+ and ROS-induced permeability transition is a characteristic of HCV infection. This phenomenon is a direct consequence of core protein interactions NCT-501 datasheet with mitochondria and is present whenever core is expressed, either in infection, full-length replicon-bearing cells, or in over-expression systems.”
“Background: Anticoagulation in hemodialysis (HD) patients with high risk of bleeding is still an intractable problem. Method: A total of 80 HD sessions with high risk of bleeding were completed with either heparin-free (HF) or low dose of argatroban saline flushes (LASF) anticoagulation. Clinical clot formation in the pipeline and dialyzer was inspected to evaluate the local anticoagulation efficiency; prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and D-dimer were tested to investigate the influence on the whole body coagulation system; urea reduction ratio (URR) and Kt/V were used to evaluate the efficiency of dialysis.

In the case of the isothermal crystallization of neat PLA and its

In the case of the isothermal crystallization of neat PLA and its blends at the temperature range of 123-142 degrees C, neat PLA and its blends exhibited bell Selleck PD98059 shape curves

for the growth rates, and the maximum crystallization rate of neat PLA and its blends all depended on crystallization temperature and their component. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 3754-3763, 2009″
“A quartz crystal microbalance and dissipation simultaneously measuring the frequency and the dissipation over more than one decade, from fundamental to overtone 15, is used to investigate the evaporation mechanisms of small water sessile droplets onto a gold surface. An unexpected weak increase in frequency is observed during the first stage of evaporation where the contact line is pinned while the dissipation is unchanged. The increase in frequency has a linear dependence with the overtone order so it is related to a very thin amount of water. A droplet deposited inside a circular barrier does not exhibit such a variation suggesting that the observed effect is related to the region in the vicinity of the edge

of the droplet.”
“Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites with pristine sepiolite and heat-treated (HT) sepiolites were prepared by the method of solution dispersion. The measurements of XRD, FTIR, TEM, and AFM Tubastatin A mouse were used for the characterization of the nanocomposites. Furthermore, thermal and optical properties were investigated by TG/DTG/DTA and UV-visible transmission spectra, respectively. Both www.sellecn.cn/products/Staurosporine.html the effects of sepiolite/polymer ratio and the structural changes in sepiolite on heating were examined in terms of changes in the properties of the nanocomposites. The addition of sepiolite/HT sepiolites into the PVA matrix resulted in a decrease in the thermal

decomposition temperatures of the nanocomposites because of the fact that sepiolite and HT sepiolites facilitated the elimination of the water and acetate groups from the PVA in the second step based on the TG/DTG studies. The HT sepiolites-PVA nanocomposites had lower thermal stability and more influenced optical clarity than those of the sepiolite PVA, at the same filler levels. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 3764-3774, 2009″
“Using the mean field approximation approach, the dynamical behaviors including damping factor and frequency of soft mode, and the real and imaginary parts of permittivity of a ferroelectric thin film with surface transition layers have been first investigated. The results show that the existence of a surface transition layer plays a crucial role in explaining the dynamical properties of thin films different from those of bulk materials. Our calculational results are in excellent agreement with experimental data.

Two additional genes (14-3-3 epsilon and CRK) on the telomeric en

Two additional genes (14-3-3 epsilon and CRK) on the telomeric end of chromosome 17p reportedly contribute to the severe phenotype of Miller-Dieker syndrome. We

report 2 patients with deletions of chromosome 17p13.3 involving the genes 14-3-3 epsilon and CRK but not LIS1 with previously unreported, identical phenotypes of macrocephaly, small stature, dysmorphic features, generalized epilepsy, developmental delay, and nonspecific white matter changes. The findings in this report suggest that patients who have deletions of 14-3-3 epsilon and/or CRK should be monitored closely for the development of seizures.”
“Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performances of three T1-weighted 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) sequences at carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) imaging, with histologic Selleckchem CB-5083 analysis as the reference standard.

Materials and Methods: Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant study. Twenty patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy underwent 3.0-T carotid MR imaging, including two-dimensional fast spin-echo, three-dimensional time-of-flight (TOF), and three-dimensional magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (RAGE) sequences. Two reviewers blinded to the histologic findings

assessed the presence, area, and signal intensity of IPH with each sequence. Detection statistics (sensitivity, specificity, and Cohen kappa values) and agreement between area measurements (Pearson correlation coefficient [r] values) were calculated for each sequence.

Results: When all 231 available https://www.selleckchem.com/products/oicr-9429.html MR sections were included for analysis, the magnetization-prepared RAGE (kappa = 0.53) and fast spin-echo (kappa = 0.42) sequences yielded moderate agreement between MR and histologic measurements, while the TOF sequence yielded fair agreement (kappa = 0.33). However, when 47 sections with either small IPHs or heavily calcified IPHs were excluded, sensitivity, specificity, and k values, respectively, were 80%, 97%, and 0.80 for magnetization-prepared RAGE imaging; 70%, 92%, and Cl-amidine research buy 0.63

for fast spinecho imaging; and 56%, 96%, and 0.57 for TOF imaging. MR imaging-histologic analysis correlation for IPH area was highest with magnetization-prepared RAGE imaging (r = 0.813), followed by TOF (r = 0.745) and fast spin-echo (r = 0.497) imaging. The capability of these three sequences for IPH detection appeared to be in good agreement with the quantitative contrast of IPH versus background plaque tissue.

Conclusion: The magnetization-prepared RAGE sequence, as compared with the fast spin-echo and TOF sequences, demonstrated higher diagnostic capability for the detection and quantification of IPH. Potential limitations of 3.0-T IPH MR imaging are related to hemorrhage size and coexisting calcification.

In the present article we summarise the present knowledge on PSC

In the present article we summarise the present knowledge on PSC genetics with a particular emphasis on the major histocompatibility complex

(MHC). We discuss the clinical relevance of the risk loci and elaborate on the insight that may be obtained from associated inflammatory conditions and existing murine knock-out models. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The supranuclear paresis of the abducens system, also known as posterior internuclear ophthalmoplegia of abduction, is Apoptosis Compound Library clinical trial a very rare disorder clinically characterized by unilateral or bilateral abduction paresis sometimes associated with nystagmus of the contralateral adducting eye, slowing of abduction saccades, and intact horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex. Here, we report a 35-year-old woman who presented transient left side abduction deficit in conjunction, as the only symptom of self-limited viral encephalitis of the brainstem. Brain MRI including DWI and ADC maps showed an area of abnormal signal intensity in the mid-right ponto-mesencephalic

junction. PCR analysis of cerebrospinal fluid showed an enterovirus infection. AZD0156 Spontaneous clinical recovery rapidly occurred 2 days after onset. The brainstem lesion was undetectable at 5-week brain MRI follow-up.”
“Background: Substance dependence treatment is often episodic GNS-1480 cost and not well coordinated with healthcare for common comorbidities. Chronic disease/care management (CDM), longitudinal, patient-centered care delivered by multidisciplinary health professionals, may be well suited to treat substance dependence (SD).

Objective: To examine initiation and engagement with CDM care for SD located in a primary medical setting.

Methods: We prospectively studied substance dependent participants enrolled in a trial of CDM addiction care. Primary study outcomes, based upon Washington

Circle performance measures, were 14-day initiation of CDM care and 30-day engagement with CDM care. Factors associated with these outcomes were determined using multivariable logistic regression models. We also estimated the proportion of participants who eventually attended at least two visits and four visits by the end of the study (Kaplan-Meier method).

Results: Of 282 participants, approximately half of the cohort (45%, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 39-51%) met criteria for 14-day initiation and 23% (95% CI 18-28%) for 30-day engagement with CDM care. Most participants attended two or more (81%, 95% Cl 76-85%) and four or more CDM visits (62%, 95% Cl 56-68%). Major depressive episode (AOR 2.60, 95% CI 1.39, 4.87) was associated with higher odds of 14-day initiation; younger age, female sex, and higher alcohol addiction severity were associated with lower odds of 30-day engagement with CDM care.

The tensile behavior of PP/PEO was little affected by the content

The tensile behavior of PP/PEO was little affected by the content (until 10 wt %) or molecular weight of PEO. The results suggested that Selleckchem Nocodazole the PEO phase was able to be deformed in a slit-like shape and had no interaction with the PP matrix. Effects of PEO on the morphology and tensile and fracture behavior of the PP/FC composite with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer critically depended on the preparation method. In the case of the addition of PEO to PP/FC/MAPP, increases in the strain and fracture energy were observed in comparison with PP/FC. In the case of the addition of FC/PEO to PP/MAPP, although the obtained composite showed a lower Young’s modulus

and tensile strength in comparison with PP/FC, the strain and fracture energy were considerably increased by the existence of the PEO layer coating the FC. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 33623370, 2009″
“Objective: The present study was aimed at determining the serodiagnostic potential of 38-kDa (Rv0934, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex-specific antigen) and CFP-10 (Rv3874, RD1 antigen) antigens among HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with pulmonary TB.

Methods: The diagnostic potential of native 38-kDa (n38-kDa) and recombinant CFP-10 (rCFP-10) antigens was ascertained in terms of sensitivity and specificity using

an indirect ELISA. The study included 508 HIV-seronegative TB patients (TB), 54 HIV-seropositive TB patients (HIV-TB), 30 HIV-positive patients without TB (HIV), and 256 controls.

Results: In HIV-TB, the sensitivities Pictilisib clinical trial for individual antigens ranged from 14.8% to 31.5% and the specificity was >98% for IgG. When IgA results were added to IgG, the sensitivity increased to 25.9% for 38-kDa and 57.4% for CFP-10; specificity changed to 97.5% for 38-kDa and 98.1% for CFP-10. The combined results of both the antigens gave 59.3% sensitivity and 95.6% specificity. In TB, the sensitivity was 82.8% when the antigen results were combined. None of the HIV-infected controls showed positivity for IgG to either of the two antigens.

Conclusion: Use of CFP-10 enhances

the sensitivity of 38-kDa, and therefore the 38-kDa and CFP-10 antigen combination can be a diagnostic marker in HIV-TB. AZD1775 (C) 2008 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Ali rights reserved.”
“Background: Existing guidelines recommend emergency surgical debridement of open fractures within six hours after injury. The aim of this study was to systematically review the association between time to operative debridement of open fractures and infection.

Methods: Searches of the MEDLINE; EMBASE, and Cochrane computerized literature databases and manual searches of bibliographies were performed. Randomized controlled trials and cohort studies (retrospective and prospective) evaluating the association between time to operative debridement and infection after open fractures were included.

Surveys were sent to all American Society of Transplant Surgery a

Surveys were sent to all American Society of Transplant Surgery approved fellowship PDs and this website all RFs in practice < 5 years. For operative procedures, the RFs considered the overall training to be less adequate than the PDs (p = 0.0117), while both groups considered the procedures listed to be relevant to practice (p = 0.8281). Regarding nonoperative patient care items, although RFs tended

to rank many individual items lower, both groups generally agreed that the training was both adequate and relevant. For nonpatient care related items (i.e. transplant-related ethics, economics, research, etc.), both groups scored them low regarding their adequacy of training although RFs scored them significantly lower than PDs DNA Damage inhibitor (p = 0.0006). Regarding their relevance to practice, while both groups considered these items relevant, RFs generally considered them more relevant than PDs. Therefore, although there is consensus on many items, significant differences exist between PDs and RFs regarding their perceptions of the adequacy of training and the relevance to practice of specific curriculum items in transplant surgery fellowship training.”
“Study Design. Biochemical studies aimed at optimization of protein crosslinking formulations for the treatment of degenerative disc disease

and subsequent biomechanical testing of tissues treated with these formulations.

Objective. To optimize protein crosslinking formulations for treatment of degenerating spinal discs.

Summary of Background Data. Nonsurgical exogenous crosslinking

therapy is a potential new, noninvasive technology for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. The technology is based on the injection of protein crosslinking reagents into the pathologic disc to restore its mechanical properties and also PCI-34051 purchase to potentially increase the permeability of the tissue and so facilitate the ex change of waste products and nutrients.

Methods. Diffusion of genipin (GP) was monitored following injection into spinal discs and the effects of surfactants on diffusion studied. Formulations for GP and methylglyoxal (MG) were biochemically optimized and used to treat bovine spinal discs. Their effects on bovine anulus tissue were evaluated using a circumferential tensile test, while the GP formulation was also tested with respect to its ability to reduce disc bulge under load.

Results. GP exhibited a distinct time-dependent diffusion and sodium-dodecyl-sulfate, but not Tween-20, enhanced diffusion by 30%. Two crosslinkers, GP and MG, were inhibited by amines but enhanced by phosphate ions. Both formulations could enhance a number of physical parameters of bovine anulus tissue, while the GP formulation could reduce disc bulge following injections into spinal discs.

Conclusion.