Soft Gel Research Articles

The stiffness of the substrate affects Müller cell survival, morphology and reactivity

AbstractPurpose: Müller cells (MCs), the main glial cell type of the retina, are key to retinal homeostasis, metabolism, neuronal support and signalling. They have been shown to be mechanosensitive and thus respond to mechanical cues such as changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness. These alterations are related with different retinal diseases, where MCs intermediate filaments polymerization is enhanced by the stress forces generated by the environment. In this study, we have analysed how different substrate stiffness affects MCs survival and behaviour in vitro.Methods: Primary cultures of rat MCs were performed on acrylamide gels of 1, 10, 100 and 200 kPa, and on a glass‐slip as control. All culture dishes were treated with poly‐L‐Lysine and laminin. MCs were labelled by immunocytochemistry with antibodies against vimentin for morphology, Ki67 for proliferation, GFAP for reactivity, and with antibodies against pressure receptors Piezo1 and TRPV4. Positive‐labelled cells were counted and cell area was measured with ImageJ.Results: Survival is severely reduced on softer gels (1 kPa 5.19 ± 1.64%), while on stiffer gels, mainly 200 kPa, it more closely resembles control conditions (66.33 ± 27.22%). MCs grown on softer gels exhibit a round shape and reduced cell area compared to control (1 kPa 8.79 ± 0.10%; 10 kPa 17.15 ± 0.89%), while those grown on stiffer gels show a fusiform shape and a more similar area to the control ones (100 kPa 28.59 ± 0.67%; 200 kPa 47.27 ± 4.39%). More MCs grown on softer gels become reactive as shown by the increased expression of GFAP. However, cell proliferation does not seem to be affected by substrate stiffness.Conclusions: MCs do not thrive in softer substrates as shown by their reduced survival, cell area, round morphology and increased reactivity. This suggests that the stiffness of the substrate in vitro, and in consequence the ECM stiffness, is determinant for MCs behaviour.Funding: ELKARTEK (KK‐2019/00086), MINECO‐Retos (PID2019‐111139RB‐I00) and PIBA (2020_1_0026).

The Structure of Liquid and Glassy Carbamazepine.

To enhance the solubility of orally administered pharmaceuticals, liquid capsules or amorphous tablets are often preferred over crystalline drug products. However, little is known regarding the variation in bonding mechanisms between pharmaceutical molecules in their different disordered forms. In this study, liquid and melt-quenched glassy carbamazepine have been studied using high energy X-ray diffraction and modeled using Empirical Potential Structure Refinement. The results show significant structural differences between the liquid and glassy states. The liquid shows a wide range of structures; from isolated molecules, to aromatic ring correlations and NH-O hydrogen bonding. Upon quenching from the liquid to the glass the number of hydrogen bonds per molecule increases by ~50% at the expense of a ~30% decrease in the close contact (non-bonded) carbon-carbon interactions between aromatic rings. During the cooling process, there is an increase in both singly and doubly hydrogen-bonded adjacent molecules. Although hydrogen-bonded dimers found in the crystalline states persist in the glassy state, the absence of a crystalline lattice also allows small, hydrogen-bonded NH-O trimers and tetramers to form. This proposed model for the structure of glassy carbamazepine is consistent with the results from vibrational spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Soft Composite Gels with High Toughness and Low Thermal Resistance through Lengthening Polymer Strands and Controlling Filler

AbstractSoft gels with high toughness have drawn tremendous attention recently due to their potential applications in flexible electronic fields. The miniaturization and high‐power density of electronic devices require soft gels with both high toughness and low thermal resistance; however, it is difficult to achieve these properties simultaneously. Herein, a simple design strategy is reported for constructing soft (high stretchability of 6.91 and low Young's modulus of 340 kPa), tough (4741.48 J m−2) and thermal conductive (low thermal resistance of 0.14 cm2 K W−1, under 10 psi pressure) polydimethylsiloxane/aluminum composite gel. This is realized by precisely lengthening polymer strands between the chemical cross‐linked points and controlling the aluminum content in the composite gels. The symbiosis of this combination involves: lengthening the polymer strands facilitates its unfolding to increase the softness and intrinsic toughness; the thermally conductive spherical aluminum enables low thermal resistance and increases the intrinsic toughness and stress dissipation. By utilizing this gel as a thermal interface material, effective heat dissipation is demonstrated in electronic devices operating under high‐power conditions over numerous cycles. These results demonstrate the application potential of composite gels in meeting the performance maintenance and heat dissipation, which are needed for modern electronic devices.

Time-resolved microstructural changes in large amplitude oscillatory shear of model single and double component soft gels

Soft particulate gels can reversibly yield when sufficient deformation is applied, and the characteristics of this transition can be enhanced or limited by designing hybrid hydrogel composites. While the microscopic dynamics and macroscopic rheology of these systems have been studied separately in detail, the development of direct connections between the two has been difficult, particularly with regard to the nonlinear rheology. To bridge this gap, we perform a series of large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) numerical measurements on model soft particulate gels at different volume fractions using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. We first study a particulate network with local bending stiffness and then we combine it with a second component that can provide additional cross-linking to obtain two-component networks. Through the sequence of physical processes (SPP) framework, we define time-resolved dynamic moduli, and by tracking the changes in these moduli through the period, we can distinguish transitions in the material behavior as a function of time. This approach helps us establish the microscopic origin of the nonlinear rheology by connecting the changes in dynamic moduli to the corresponding microstructural changes during the deformation including the nonaffine displacement of particles, and the breakage, formation, and orientation of bonds.

Tunable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based soft polymer gel sensors

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gels have recently been found to exhibit mechanoelectrical transduction under mechanical deformation. These mechanoelectrical properties of PVC gels are largely uncharacterized and the underlying transduction mechanisms are currently unknown. These soft electroactive polymers have tunable properties such as modulus and response voltage based on physical dimensions and the amount of plasticizer content within the material making them ideal candidates for complaint sensors. This study aims to investigate PVC gels comprised of various plasticizers to further investigate underlying mechanisms of mechanoelectrical transduction and broaden possible sensing applications. Plasticizers used in this study include dibutyl adipate, dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, otherwise known as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diisodecyl adipate, and the environmentally friendly biodegradable plasticizer acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). ATBC is often used in cosmetics and food packaging applications and is even used as a food additive which may lead to future biocompatibility for these gel sensors. These plasticizers are used to produce PVC gel sensors that are experimentally tested for mechanoelectrical transduction properties and sensing performance. In this study, a Langmuir adsorptive model is fit to the collected mechanoelectrical transduction data. These results are also nondimensionalized and compared to the characteristic dimensionless Langmuir adsorptive model. This simple model agrees very well with the experimental data. Additionally, a study on the mechanoelectrical transduction of an alternative polymer lattice structure, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), is discussed. This is a novel electroactive polymer investigated for mechanoelectrical transduction properties. This portion of the study aims to further knowledge of underlying mechanisms of mechanoelectrical transduction as well as show feasibility of additional lattices for soft polymer gel sensors. These TPU gel sensors show strikingly similar mechanoelectrical transduction properties to analogous PVC gels, insinuating that the polymer structure has a limited role in the underlying sensing mechanism and PVC itself is not unique to polymer gel sensing. The TPU-based soft polymer gel sensors however do display some level of mechanoelectrical hysteresis which may be attributed to viscoelastic properties and display a small amount of fatigue possibly due to exudation of liquid plasticizer. This study provides further characterization of mechanoelectrical response for varying plasticizers, provides a theoretical framework for underlying mechanisms, and displays the potential for further polymeric gel sensors.

Using high-pressure homogenization as a potential method to pretreat soybean protein isolate: Effect on conformation changes and rheological properties of its acid-induced gel

This study evaluated the conformational changes and rheological properties of acid-induced gels of insoluble soybean protein isolate (SPI) pretreated with high-pressure homogenization (HPH) under different pressure and cycles. Results showed that HPH pretreatment destroyed the spatial structure of the insoluble SPI, significantly decreased the particle size of the SPI dispersion, and increased the SH content. Through the characterization of its acid-induced gelation product, the best ability to withstand small strains (< 3%) of gel was found in a single HPH cycle under 100 MPa. The SPI gels with a relatively compact structure transformed from strain stiffening to strain softening with the strain increased, and it provided satisfactory stability to withstand large-amplitude oscillatory shear in three-time HPH cycles under 100 MPa. Meanwhile, SPI gels exhibited a more chaos spatial topology network after HPH pretreatment through fractal analysis, and the gels eventually exhibited “soft gel” and shear-thinning behavior with HPH pretreatment. This provides an evidence for the beneficial effect of HPH on the structural homogenization and subsequent gel formation stability of protein gels, and explores its potential applications in the food industry.

Model-free Data-Driven viscoelasticity in the frequency domain

We develop a Data-Driven framework for the simulation of wave propagation in viscoelastic solids directly from dynamic testing material data, including data from Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), nano-indentation, Dynamic Shear Testing (DST) and Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE), without the need for regression or material modeling. The problem is formulated in the frequency domain and the method of solution seeks to minimize a distance between physically admissible histories of stress and strain, in the sense of compatibility and equilibrium, and the material data. We metrize the space of histories by means of the flat-norm of their Fourier transform, which allows consideration of infinite wave trains such as harmonic functions. Another significant advantage of the flat norm is that it allows the response of the system at one frequency to be inferred from data at nearby frequencies. We demonstrate and verify the approach by means of two test cases, a polymeric truss structure characterized by DMA data and a 3D soft gel sample characterized by MRE data. The examples demonstrate the ease of implementation of the Data-Driven scheme within conventional commercial codes and its robust convergence properties, both with respect to the solver and the data.

Experimental and numerical investigation of dynamic cavitation in agarose gel as a soft tissue simulant

In recent years, soft gels, including agarose, have been widely used to mimic soft biological tissues. Hence, such materials’ transient dynamic response has become increasingly relevant. When gels are subjected to an impact, the typical mechanical response is associated with the cavitation of bubbles.This study presents experimental and numerical investigations on the dynamic behavior of impact-induced cavitation in agarose gels. The drop tower test was used for the experiments, and agarose samples with three different concentrations similar to soft brain tissue were tested. The acceleration causing the bubble cavitation and the correlated bubble sizes were determined. Such quantitative measurements can be utilized to evaluate brain tissue injuries.In parallel, we present finite element simulations of the drop tower experiment. We model the complete test setup to validate the measurements and derive the relevant pressure fields with simplified models. The numerical solutions are shown to be in excellent agreement with the experimental results of bubble cavitation, enabling substantial simplifications in further investigations of soft tissue under dynamic loading.Our study gives insight into the mechanisms of bubble cavitation in soft tissue. Combined with the numerical simulation, it estimates how impact and pressure waves act and, for example, which areas of the head may be affected by cavitation that induces brain injuries.

Mucus from human bronchial epithelial cultures: rheology and adhesion across length scales.

Mucus is a viscoelastic aqueous fluid that participates in the protective barrier of many mammals' epithelia. In the airways, together with cilia beating, mucus rheological properties are crucial for lung mucociliary function, and, when impaired, potentially participate in the onset and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Samples of human mucus collected in vivo are inherently contaminated and are thus poorly characterized. Human bronchial epithelium (HBE) cultures, differentiated from primary cells at an air-liquid interface, are highly reliable models to assess non-contaminated mucus. In this paper, the viscoelastic properties of HBE mucus derived from healthy subjects, patients with COPD and from smokers are measured. Hallmarks of shear-thinning and elasticity are obtained at the macroscale, whereas at the microscale mucus appears as a heterogeneous medium showing an almost Newtonian behaviour in some extended regions and an elastic behaviour close to boundaries. In addition, we developed an original method to probe mucus adhesion at the microscopic scale using optical tweezers. The measured adhesion forces and the comparison with mucus-simulants rheology as well as mucus imaging collectively support a structure composed of a network of elastic adhesive filaments with a large mesh size, embedded in a very soft gel.

In Situ Produced Nanoparticles at the Oil-Water Interface for Conformance Control and Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Nanoparticle-assisted enhanced oil recovery (Nano-EOR) has attracted intensive interest in the laboratory as a promising oil recovery technology. However, the nanoparticles' stability and long-distance delivery of nanoparticles (NPs) in large-scale reservoirs are two main challenges. In this work, we developed a novel concept of in situ synthesizing NPs at the oil-water interface inside the reservoir for EOR instead of injecting presynthesized NPs from outside. The pore-scale flooding experiments show that EOR efficiencies for tertiary flooding were 6.3% without reaction (Case 3), 14.6% for slow reaction (Case 1), and 25.4% for relatively quick reaction (Case 4). Examination of the EOR mechanism shows that in situ produced SiO2 NPs in microchannels could alter the substrate wettability toward neutral wetting. Moreover, the produced NPs tended to assemble on the immiscible oil-water interface, forming a barrier toward interface deformation. As the reaction continued, excessive surface-modified NPs could also diffuse into aqueous brine and accumulate as a soft gel in the flowing path swept by brine. Collectively, these processes induced a "shut-off" effect and diverted displacing fluids to unswept areas, which consequently increased the sweep efficiency and improved the oil recovery efficiency. Auxiliary bulk-scale experiments also showed that the reaction-induced nanoparticle synthesis and assembly at an immiscible interface reduced the interfacial tension and generated an elastic oil-water interface.

Non-Conventional Time Domain (TD)-NMR Approaches for Food Quality: Case of Gelatin-Based Candies as a Model Food.

The TD-NMR technique mostly involves the use of T1 (spin-lattice) and T2 (spin-spin) relaxation times to explain the changes occurring in food systems. However, these relaxation times are affected by many factors and might not always be the best indicators to work with in food-related TD-NMR studies. In this study, the non-conventional TD-NMR approaches of Solid Echo (SE)/Magic Sandwich Echo (MSE) and Spin Diffusion in food systems were used for the first time. Soft confectionary gelatin gels were formulated and conventional (T1) and non-conventional (SE, MSE and Spin Diffusion) TD-NMR experiments were performed. Corn syrups with different glucose/fructose compositions were used to prepare the soft candies. Hardness, °Brix (°Bx), and water activity (aw) measurements were also conducted complementary to NMR experiments. Relaxation times changed (p < 0.05) with respect to syrup type with no obvious trend. SE/MSE experiments were performed to calculate the crystallinity of the samples. Samples prepared with fructose had the lowest crystallinity values (p < 0.05). Spin Diffusion experiments were performed by using Goldman–Shen pulse sequence and the interface thickness (d) was calculated. Interface thickness values showed a wide range of variation (p < 0.05). Results showed that non-conventional NMR approaches had high potential to be utilized in food systems for quality control purposes.

Effects of gellan gum and calcium fortification on the rheological properties of mung bean protein and gellan gum mixtures.

In this study, the effects of gellan gum types and CaCl2 addition on the rheological characteristics of mung bean protein (MBP)-gellan gum mixtures at varying protein contents (1-7 wt%) were investigated. Two types of gellan gum, high acyl gellan (HAG) and low acyl gellan (LAG), at 0.5 wt% were used. MBP-HAG system showed soft and elastic gels at below 3 wt% MBP content, but gel became weaker due to protein network disruption at higher MBP content. In contrast, MBP-LAG system exhibited a liquid-like behavior and a synergistic interaction between LAG and MBP. High calcium concentration can cause proteins to aggregate leading to protein precipitation. However, such phenomenon could be retarded by both types of gellan gum in the MBP-gellan gum mixtures studied herein. The calcium addition of up to 50 mM did not significantly alter the overall viscoelastic property of MBP-HAG system. In contrast, MBP-LAG system fortified with calcium formed solid gel at low protein content (1 wt%), but excessive calcium ions were required to maintain the strong gel characteristic at higher protein concentration (≥ 3 wt%) due to the competitive binding of calcium between the protein and gellan gum. These results were also supported by their microstructure observed through CLSM and SEM experiments. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The application of hydrocolloids as rheology modifiers is useful to improve the stability and textural properties of plant-based protein drinks. Results from this study are helpful for the industry to understand the textural properties of mung bean protein at varying concentrations in the presence of gellan gum and calcium. Especially, at high calcium fortification which is desirable in plant-based protein drinks, protein aggregation could be retarded by gellan gum. Overall, the finding demonstrated that a range of rheological characteristics of mung bean protein and gellan gum mixtures could be manipulated as desired to meet both nutritional quality and product stability.

Liquid capsules for gastrointestinal drug delivery

Recently, Margossian et al. reported pH-responsive complex coacervates formed by a polyzwitterion and a polyelectrolyte in <i>Nature Communications</i>, which remain intact under acidic conditions (<mml:math><mml:mrow>pH<mml:mo>≤</mml:mo><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math>) yet dissolve with increasing pH, suggesting the potential for oral delivery to the gastrointestinal tract.

CO 54 (IET 24313) : An early maturing high yielding rice variety with marketable grain quality suitable for Tamil Nadu

The rice culture, CB 12588 evolved by crossing CB 04110 x CB 05501 was released as CO 54 during the year 2021 as an alternate variety to CO 51 and ADT 43 with 105-110 days duration. CO 54 is a medium tall variety with a profuse tillering habit, long erect leaves and droopy compact panicles possessing more number of filled grains per panicle. CB 12588&nbsp; recorded an overall mean grain yield of 6354 kg/ha in various yield trials which was 10.83 per cent improvement over CO 51 and 10.35 per cent over ADT 53.&nbsp; CO 54 has got high yielding potential due to its high agronomic and physiological efficiency and the maximum yield of 9259 was recorded in Bhavanisagar, Erode district under multi location trial. A High yield of more than 7000 kg/ha was realized in 16 locations in an adaptive research trial.&nbsp; Besides yield, the culture CB 12588 has got marketable grain type i.e. medium slender grains with high milling outturn and head rice recovery percentage. Desirable cooking quality parameters like good linear elongation ratio, high volume expansion, intermediate amylose, soft gel consistency and moderate gelatinization temperature along with highly productive plant traits make CO 54 a suitable alternate variety to CO 51 and ADT 53. The culture CB 12588 is moderately resistant to blast, sheath rot, sheath blight and BPH under artificial conditions. The rice culture CB 12588 was released as CO 54 with a higher yield, better pest and disease resistance and good cooking quality in comparison to the checks CO 51 and ADT 53. It is suitable for cultivation during Kar/ Kuruvai/Sornavari/Navarai and the seasons/tracts wherever early maturing rice varieties are cultivated throughout Tamil Nadu. &nbsp;Keywords: CO 54, Short duration, high yield, medium slender, cooking quality

Protective Effects of PollenAid Plus Soft Gel Capsules' Hydroalcoholic Extract in Isolated Prostates and Ovaries Exposed to Lipopolysaccharide.

Pollen extract represents an innovative approach for the management of the clinical symptoms related to prostatitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In this context, the aims of the present work were to analyze the phenolic composition of a hydroalcoholic extract of PollenAid Plus soft gel capsules, and to evaluate the extract’s cytotoxic effects, in human prostate cancer PC3 cells and human ovary cancer OVCAR-3 cells. Additionally, protective effects were investigated in isolated prostate and ovary specimens exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The phytochemical investigation identified catechin, chlorogenic acid, gentisic acid, and 3-hydroxytyrosol as the prominent phenolics. The extract did not exert a relevant cytotoxic effect on PC3 and OVCAR-3 cells. However, the extract showed a dose-dependent inhibition of pro-inflammatory IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression in prostate and ovary specimens, and the extract was effective in preventing the LPS-induced upregulation of CAT and SOD gene expression, which are deeply involved in tissue antioxidant defense systems. Finally, a docking approach suggested the capability of catechin and chlorogenic acid to interact with the TRPV1 receptor, playing a master role in prostate inflammation. Overall, the present findings demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of this formulation; thus, suggesting its capability in the management of the clinical symptoms related to prostatitis and PID.

Effect of Single and Dual Modifications on Properties of Lotus Rhizome Starch Modified by Microwave and γ-Irradiation: A Comparative Study.

A comparative study between two novel starch modification technologies, i.e., microwave (MI) and γ-irradiation (IR), is of important significance for their applications. The objective of this work is to compare the changes in lotus rhizome starch (LRS) subjected to single modifications by MI (thermal treatment) and IR (non-thermal treatment), and dual modification by changing the treatment sequence, i.e., microwave followed by irradiation (MI-IR) and irradiation followed by microwave (IR-MI). The amylose content of native and modified LRS varied from 14.68 to 18.94%, the highest and lowest values found for native and MI-LRS, respectively. IR-treated LRS showed the lowest swelling power (4.13 g/g) but highest solubility (86.9%) among native and modified LRS. An increase in light transmittance value suggested a lower retrogradation rate for dual-modified starches, making them more suitable for food application at refrigeration and frozen temperatures. Dual-modified LRS showed the development of fissures and dents on the surface of granules as well as the reduction in peak intensities of OH and CH2 groups in FTIR spectra. Combined modifications (MI and IR) reduced values of pasting parameters and gelatinization properties compared to native and microwaved LRS and showed improved stability to shear thinning during cooking and thermal processing. The sequence of modification also affected the rheological properties; the G′ and G″ of MI-IR LRS were lower (357.41 Pa and 50.16 Pa, respectively) than the IR-MI sample (511.96 Pa and 70.09 Pa, respectively), giving it a soft gel texture. Nevertheless, dual modification of LRS by combining MI and IR made more significant changes in starch characteristics than single modifications.

Optogenetic control of apical constriction induces synthetic morphogenesis in mammalian tissues

The emerging field of synthetic developmental biology proposes bottom-up approaches to examine the contribution of each cellular process to complex morphogenesis. However, the shortage of tools to manipulate three-dimensional (3D) shapes of mammalian tissues hinders the progress of the field. Here we report the development of OptoShroom3, an optogenetic tool that achieves fast spatiotemporal control of apical constriction in mammalian epithelia. Activation of OptoShroom3 through illumination in an epithelial Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell sheet reduces the apical surface of the stimulated cells and causes displacements in the adjacent regions. Light-induced apical constriction provokes the folding of epithelial cell colonies on soft gels. Its application to murine and human neural organoids leads to thickening of neuroepithelia, apical lumen reduction in optic vesicles, and flattening in neuroectodermal tissues. These results show that spatiotemporal control of apical constriction can trigger several types of 3D deformation depending on the initial tissue context.

Mechanical Characterization of Synthetic Gels for Creation of Surrogate Hands Subjected to Low-Velocity Impacts.

The development of human body simulators that can be used as surrogates for testing protective devices and measures requires selecting synthetic materials with mechanical properties closely representative of the human tissues under consideration. For impact tests, gelatinous materials are often used to represent the soft tissues as a whole without distinguishing layers such as skin, fat, or muscles. This research focuses on the mechanical characterization of medical-grade synthetic gels that can be implemented to represent the soft tissues of the hand. Six grades of commercially available gels are selected for quasi-static hardness and firmness tests as well as for controlled low-velocity impact tests, which are not routinely conducted by gel manufacturers and require additional considerations such as energy level and specimen sizes relevant to the specific application. Specimens subject to impacts represent the hand thicknesses at the fingers, knuckles, and mid-metacarpal regions. Two impact test configurations are considered: one with the gel specimens including a solid insert representing a bone and one without this insert. The impact behavior of the candidate gels is evaluated by the coefficient of restitution, the energy loss percentage, and the peak reaction force at the time of impact. The resulting values are compared with similar indicators reported for experiments with cadaveric hands. Relatively softer gels, characterized by Shore OOO hardness in the range of 32.6 ± 0.9 to 34.4 ± 2.0, closely matched the impact behavior of cadaveric specimens. These results show that softer gels would be the most suitable gels to represent soft tissues in the creation of surrogate hands that can be used for extensive impact testing, thus, minimizing the need for cadaveric specimens.

A temperature-compensated force sensor based on a cascaded FPI for needle force sensing

In order to solve problems of puncture force sensing error and delay caused by the change of temperature, a cascaded Fabry–Perot interference (FPI) sensing structure consisting of an air cavity and a silica cavity was proposed, and force–temperature dual-parameter sensing and decoupling models were established. The puncture experiments of hard silica gel and soft silica gel at room temperature show that the cascaded FPI has high force resolution and can effectively perceive the small changes of cutting force during the puncture process. The puncture experiment of hard silica gel after increasing the temperature shows that the cascaded FPI can simultaneously measure the cutting force and temperature at the tip of a flexible needle, and effectively eliminate the pseudo-force caused by temperature during the puncture process.

Hypofractionated Postoperative Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer with Ialuril Soft Gels®: Toxicity and Efficacy Analysis on a Retrospective Series of 305 Patients.

AimTo evaluate the impact of Ialuril soft Gels® (HA) in reducing acute genito-urinary (GU) toxicity in patients treated with adjuvant or salvage radiotherapy for a prostate cancer relapse.Material and MethodsThe data of 305 patients were retrospectively collected. One hundred and five patients underwent adjuvant radiotherapy (aRT), while 200 a salvage treatment (sRT). GU toxicity was evaluated according to CTCAE v5.0. Every patient received RT combined with HA.ResultsGrade 1–2 GU toxicity during RT was represented by: urgency (36%), dysuria (23%), increased urinary frequency (12.1%), and urinary retention (11.8%). Nevertheless, the majority of symptoms were present at the baseline. Grade 3 severe toxicity was represented by 10 (3.2%) cases of incontinence and 3 (1%) cases of urgency. The incidence of any-grade RT-related GU toxicity was significantly higher in the aRT group than the salvage group (esRT + sRT) (83.8% versus 64.5%). When comparing the incidence of any-grade RT-related GU toxicity in the aRT, esRT, and sRT groups we observed a significant correlation favoring sRT, over esRT, and aRT.ConclusionPostoperative hypofractionated radiotherapy is safe and not correlated with increase of unexpected toxicity when administered with oral hyaluronic acid. A prospective study is necessary to confirm these results.