Technical documentation

A new step in the condensation of formaldehyde and esters of 2-cyanoacetic acid to produce 2-cyanoacrylate esters which consists essentially of catalyzing the reaction by means of a mixture of an acid and the salt of a primary or secondary amine with the same stronger acid. To be effective, the catalytic mixture should have a pH value of 5 or less when exact amounts of its components are dissolved in 25 ml. of water. If the catalytic mixture is to include an acid which is not readily soluble in water (e.g. organic acids), then the pH is measured in 25 ml.

Odontoblast-like cells derived from human tooth pulps were maintained in expiant culture and grown either on glass coverslips only (used as control) or on glass coverslips coated with cyanoacrylate films. Ultrastructural and cyto-morphometric evidence showed that cells exposed to cyanoacrylate, in contrast to controls, display a significant decrease of rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. In addition, immunofluorescent staining and radioimmunoassays for type-I collagen suggested disturbances in production for the exposed cells.

A polymerizable monomer adhesive composition includes a 1,1-disubstituted ethylene monomer and at least one slip additive, where the slip additive causes a polymer film formed from the monomer to have a lower coefficient of friction than in an absence of the slip additive. The slip additive can be selected from, inter alia, fluorinated monomers or polymers, fluorinated additives, siloxane-containing monomers or polymers, siloxane-containing additives, fluorinated siloxanes, and long chain fatty acid esters.

Among the wide variety of synthetic polymers with medical applications polymerising medical devices are those non-pharmaceutical medical aids which are based on monomers which can be polymerised after (or during) application to the body. The resultant polymers perform roles in wound management, repair, stabilisation and hemostasis. They can also support tissue re-growth, as well as being used for drug delivery. The synthetic systems most commonly used are based around acrylic ester chemistries, analogous to their non-medical uses as plastics and adhesives.