Journal Article

A brief historical review of four series of commercially available block polymer surface-active agents—the PLURONICR, TETRONICR, PLURADOTR, and PLURONICR R polyols—is presented. A comparison is made of the physical properties within each series, in the form of trend lines. These parameters encompass solubility, rate of solubility, wetting, foaming, defoaming, emulsification, thickening, cleansing, and toxicity.

Povidone Iodine or polyvinyl pyrrolidone-iodine, commonly abbreviated as PVP-I was discovered by American scientists H. A. Shelanski and M. V. Shelanski. PVP- I was introduced to the pharmaceutical market as an antiseptic agent in the 1950’s and is found to be more effective than other iodine formulations and was less toxic

Bloodstream infections related to use of catheters, particularly central-line catheters, are an important cause of patient morbidity, mortality, and increased health care costs. This study evaluated the efficacy of skin disinfection with chlorhexidine gluconate compared with povidone-iodine solution in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection.

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (povi- done-iodine or PVPI) in water. This solution of SWCNT and PVPI is deposited as a composite film, composed of individual and bundled SWCNTs with a PVPI coating. This material acts as a conductive nanotextured bandage with high flexibility and self contained slow-release antiseptic iodine. Antibacterial properties were tested on Escherichia coli, showing high effi- cacy over 48 h. Four-probe resistance tests showed a sheet resistance of approximately 10 kX/h.

The incidence of postoperative wound infection following the use of an iodophor-incorporated adhesive wound drape with a preliminary one-minute alcohol cleanse was observed in 649 total arthroplasties. The patients were followed for a minimum of one year to detect signs of infection. An infection rate of 0.46% was comparable to the incidence previously observed for conventional methods using an iodine spray as a skin preparation.

This paper reviews biodegradable synthetic polymers fo- cusing on their potential in tissue engineering applications. The major classes of polymers are briefly discussed with regard to synthesis, properties and biodegradability, and known degradation modes and products are indicated based on studies reported in the literature. A vast major- ity of biodegradable polymers studied belongs to the poly- ester family, which includes polyglycolides and polylactides.

Polymer scientists, working closely with those in the device and medical fields, have made tremendous advances over the past 30 years in the use of synthetic materials in the body. In this article we will focus on properties of biodegradable polymers which make them ideally suited for orthopedic applications where a permanent implant is not desired. The materials with the greatest history of use are the poly(lactides) and poly(glycolides), and these will be covered in specific detail.

During the resorbable-polymer-boom of the 1970s and 1980s, polycaprolactone (PCL) was used extensively in the biomaterials field and a number of drug-delivery devices. Its pop- ularity was soon superseded by faster resorbable polymers which had fewer perceived disadvantages associated with long-term degradation (up to 3–4 years) and intracellular resorption pathways; consequently, PCL was almost forgotten for most of two decades. Recently, a resurgence of interest has propelled PCL back into the biomaterials-arena.

Mouth dissolving films is a new drug delivery system for oral route. This delivery system consists of a very thin oral strip, which is simply placed on the patients tongue or any oral mucosal tissue, instantly wet by saliva, film rapidly hydrates and then disintegrates and/or dissolve to release the medication. In the formulation of oral film, the most important ingredient is polymer which helps in film formation. Mainly hydrophilic polymers are used in mouth dissolving films.