Use Of Biological Materials Research Articles

The Use of Biological Materials in Urogynecologic Reconstruction

There are numerous randomized controlled trials examining biological materials in urogynecologic surgery. For prolapse surgery, the addition of a biological graft adds no benefit compared with native tissue repairs for rectocele repair. Conflicting data exist regarding cystocele repair. Synthetic mesh repairs provide superior anatomical support for sacral colpopexy and cystocele repair compared with biologic grafts. However, biological and synthetic mesh slings have equivalent success rates for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Contrary to prior assumptions that biologic grafts add tissue strength without graft-related complications, there appears to be no benefit to the use of biological materials for prolapse and incontinence surgery.

H5N1 infects the biosecurity debate

The generation of mutant H5N1 flu virus raised fundamental questions about the assessment and management of the risks of dual‐use biological research. Governments might well increase oversight and regulation to rectify the current shortcomings.

The Bt Brinjal Case: The First Legal Action Against Monsanto and Its Indian Collaborators for Biopiracy

In an unprecedented case, the National Biodiversity Authority of India (NBA), a statutory body set up under the Biological Diversity Act 2002 to regulate access to and use of biological resources, decided to initiate a legal action for biopiracy against the U.S. transna-tional seed company Monsanto and its Indian collaborators. The aim of these proceedings was to denounce the use by these entities of indigenous varieties of brin-jal to develop their genetically modified eggplant species , Bt Brinjal, without prior authorization. ''Biopiracy'' generally refers to illegal appropriation of biological diversity and the traditional knowledge of local communities from developing countries by multinational corporations and research institutions. 1 This definition mainly takes two shapes: (1) access and use of biological material or traditional knowledge without the authorization of the country of origin and indigenous communities that hold and develop these resources; and/or (2) lack of benefit sharing, or unjust and unfair sharing of benefits, with the countries and communities who provided resources. These forms of biopiracy are expressly prohibited by Articles 15 and 8(j) of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992 2 and, more recently, the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD at its tenth meeting on 29 October 2010. 3

Critical urban gardening as a post-environmentalist practice

This paper investigates the emergence of the urban gardening movement as a form of post-environmentalist political practice. Despite the general acknowledgment of the relevance of environmental issues in the contemporary world, according to Post-Environmentalism, environmental thinking is becoming increasingly “de-politicised”. The aim of the paper is to suggest that “re-politicisation” of environmental politics is possible, taking into account the political practices emerging in urban space. The attachment to place materiality can, by means of common practices, make evident forgotten or ignored environmental relations; and it can make them a “public issue”. These kinds of practices relay upon the association of humans and non-humans, as crucial actors in the political constitution of urban space. For instance, critical urban gardening practice may oppose the mainstream of environmental politics; it implies the use of biological material as a form of political expression, and activates material-semiotic networks existing in the urban environment.

Early Result of Ligation of the Intersphincteric Fistula Tract for Fistula-in-Ano

The ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract is a new surgical procedure without any use of biologic material. The purpose of this study is to present our early results with this novel technique. A retrospective review of patients who underwent the procedure for high transsphincteric fistulas was analyzed. The procedure was performed by a single surgeon. Patient and fistula characteristics, complications, and recurrences were reviewed. Twenty-five patients underwent the ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract procedure. All the patients had transsphincteric fistulas that were not suitable for fistulotomy. All patients underwent the procedure on an outpatient basis with a median follow-up of 24 weeks (range, 8-52 wk). Of the 25 patients, 17 (68%) healed completely and did not require any further surgical treatment. Eight of the 25 patients had persistent symptoms: 5 patients had a clear tract with an internal opening, 2 patients had a draining sinus without an identifiable internal opening, and 1 patient presented with an intersphincteric fistula, which was at the site of the intersphincteric groove incision. There were no statistically significant differences in recurrence rates with regard to the presence of a seton at the time of surgery, history of previous operations such as mucosal advancement flap, or seton placement. The ligation of intersphincteric fistula is a promising sphincter-preserving procedure that is simple and safe, and it does not require expensive biologic material. Our early data confirm a low recurrence rate with a primary healing rate of 68%.

Biocompatibility and Calcification of Bovine Pericardium Employed for the Construction of Cardiac Bioprostheses Treated With Different Chemical Crosslink Methods

The use of biological materials in the construction of bioprostheses requires the application of different chemical procedures to improve the durability of the material without producing any undesirable effects. A number of crosslinking methods have been tested in biological tissues composed mainly of collagen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility, the mechanical properties, and in vivo calcification of chemically modified bovine pericardium using glutaraldehyde acetals (GAAs) in comparison with glutaraldehyde (GA) treatment. Homsy's tests showed that the most cytotoxic treatment is GA whereas GAA treatments showed lower cytotoxicity. Regarding the mechanical properties of the modified materials, no significant differences in stress at rupture were detected among the different treatments. Zeta-Potential showed higher negative values for GA treatment (-4.9 +/- 0.6 mV) compared with GAA-0.625% (-2.2 +/- 0.5 mV) and GAA-1% (-2.2 +/- 0.4 mV), which presented values similar to native tissue. Similar results were obtained for calcium permeability coefficients which showed the highest values for GA treatment (0.12 +/- 0.02 mm(2)/min), being significantly lower for GAA treatments or non-crosslinked pericardium. These results confirmed the higher propensity of the GA-treated tissues for attraction of calcium cations and were in good agreement with the calcification degree obtained after 60 days implantation into young rats, which was significantly higher for the GA group (22.70 +/- 20.80 mg/g dry tissue) compared with GAA-0.625% and GAA-1% groups (0.49 +/- 0.28 mg/g dry tissue and 3.51 +/- 3.27 mg/g dry tissue, respectively; P < 0.001). In conclusion, GAA treatments can be considered a promising alternative to GA treatment.

Ethical and legal issues in BTB (Brain/tissue/Bio) Banking

BTB (Brain/Tissue/Bio) Banks form essential repositories for clinical and basic research; The collection, storage, distribution and use of biological materials in research raise many legal and ethical issues which are currently not well regulated on an international level due to differences and conflicting laws and policies.Brain/Tissue/Bio Banks currently aim at the following objectives: Foster research in clinical and basic science and serve as a dynamic system with ongoing consultations on the many various daily issues of banking. Achieve standardization between banks of commonly accepted criteria for the pathological diagnosis and compatibility of protocols (SOP's) for tissue procurement, management and preparation. Facilitate multi‐center concordance studies and studies of risk factors in diseases which have genetic end environmental components. Monitor safety measures and secure storage. Abide by ethical and legal codes of conduct; the laws regulating consent and autopsy procedures and the ethical guidelines are significantly different in the various repositories. To create and develop the adequate infrastructure for these activities, we are in the process of publishing an inventory of the medico‐legal and ethical framework conform local legislation. We have also made an inventory of the ethical aspects applied in daily practice of procurement, management, dissemination, confidentiality, “Financial gain” and genetic testing.These results of the inventarisation are now being incorporated into the 3rd edition of ISBER's “Ethical Issues of Human Subjects and Animals”.

Evaluation of Dye Sorption of Reinforced Zeolite Esparto Fiber

Rising concern about environmental issues has promoted the textile industry to investigate appropriate environmentally friendly treatment technology. Effluent aqueous waste containing dye compounds causes serious problems. Removal of dyes from the dye-containing effluents is currently based on a wide variety of physicochemical processes. The search for alternative and innovative wastewater treatment techniques has focussed on the use of biological materials. Activated carbon, zeolite and diatomite have been used as efficient methods for adsorption. For the first time, this paper reports on the use of reinforced zeolite esparto fiber as a cheaper alternative for the removal and absorbency of reactive dyes from aqueous solution. Reinforced zeolite esparto fibers were synthesized from cellulose esparto fibers pretreated with NaOH and preformed zeolite powders. Deposition of zeolite onto esparto fiber was made at fixed conditions of treatment and drying. Several techniques, such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, were used to characterize these materials. The obtained materials were treated with solution of reactive dyes in different conditions to evaluate their sorption capacities. This uptake from aqueous solution was found to be influenced by pH of the solution, temperature, salt quantity and initial dye concentration. Sorption of reinforced zeolite cellulosic esparto fibers increased as the initial dye concentration increased in the solution. Maximum absorption capacity for reinforced zeolite esparto fiber at equilibrium was evaluated with variation of pH, temperature and salts quantities. Equilibrium data fitted very well to the Langmuir model in the studied concentrations. The sorption data were found to follow the second-order kinetic model with r2 of 0.97.

Chapitre 4. Legal issues surrounding French research-focused biobanks

The French law does not name them expressly under this word; nevertheless the legislator provided them recently with a relatively interconnected legal framework. On one hand, the technical specific rules related to the activities of biobanks (on which conditions a biobank can be established, on which conditions samples can be given thereto). On the other hand, there is an application to biobanks of the big principles of "French-style" bioethics: 'non property' principle, informed consent and data confidentiality principles. We shall show that in so doing, the French legislator grasped and answered the main part of the questions raised and so paved the way for a sustained acitivity of biobanks in France. In spite of this dense legal framework, the law has not anticipated at present all the questions arising from the practice of biobanks, notably the rights of the donors such as an on-going control on the use of biological material and associated data they gave for research purposes, as well as researchers' right to access biobanks and current issues related to ownership. We shall thus discover the French legal framework for biobanks used for research purposes. Then we shall try to clear issues remaining unresolved.

Immobilization of extractants in biopolymer capsules for the synthesis of new resins: a focus on the encapsulation of tetraalkyl phosphonium ionic liquids

Extractant impregnated resins (EIR) are conventional materials used for combining the potential of extractants (liquid/liquid extraction) and resin (sorption processes) for metal recovery. A new class of EIR has been recently developed based on the use of biological materials (especially biopolymers), renewable resources, for the encapsulation of these extractants. The development of a “new industry“ based on the properties of ionic liquids (ILs) opens the route for substituting conventional extractants with these ionic liquids. Biopolymers (such as alginate) can be used to immobilize extractants, profiting from their excellent encapsulation properties. This Highlight article describes, first, the process developed for immobilizing extractants and ILs using minerals or synthetic polymers, before focusing on IL-immobilization in biopolymer matrices. Special attention is given to the system Cyphos IL-101/alginate with application to the sorption of metals such as Pd(II), Pt(IV), Au(III), Hg(II), Bi(III), pointing out the controlling mechanisms and experimental parameters. The last section briefly identifies the potential applications of these processes for developing new materials.

Fibrin Glue Fixation of Bioactive Extracellular Matrix Mesh Compared With Soft Prolene Mesh for Laparoscopic Hernia Repair

A comparison between soft prolene mesh and bioactive extracellular matrix prosthetic mesh fixed and secured with fibrin glue was studied. A retrospective study of 160 patients operated upon by a single surgeon at the same institution over the past year was reviewed. There were 36 patients who had fibrin glue used as the sole means to fix the mesh in place during laparoscopic hernia repair. The patients were further subdivided into the type of mesh used, age, operative time, and postoperative events, and the results were analyzed. Bioactive extracellular matrix mesh was used in 18 patients and 23 repairs. There were 21 indirect hernias and 2 direct hernias repaired. Age averaged 36 years (17 to 63) and operative time averaged 30 minutes (19 to 45). Three patients experienced mild bladder "burning" and 3 patients had mild groin pain postoperatively. No recurrences have occurred. "Soft" prolene mesh was used in 18 patients and 23 repairs. There were 14 indirect hernias and 9 direct hernias repaired. Age averaged 50 years (35 to 72) and operative time averaged 26 minutes (20 to 40). Three patients had prolonged groin tenderness with or without ecchymosis lasting 3 weeks and 2 patients needed a foley catheter for 1 week for urinary retention. No recurrences have occurred. Fibrin glue has been used as a fixation technique for laparoscopic hernia repair with mesh. The bioactive extracellular matrix mesh patients had a slight increased groin/bladder discomfort that subsided in time. Neither group had a hernia recurrence noted over the study time. The use of biologic materials in the repair of hernia is an intriguing concept. It will be needed for studying long-term efficacy.

Bioenabled Nanophotonics

AbstractBiological molecules such as oligonucleotides, proteins, or peptides can be used for the synthesis, recognition, and assembly of materials with nanoscale dimensions. Of particular interest are the fields of near-field optics and plasmonics. Many potential optical applications depend on the ability to control the relative positioning of organic dyes, plasmon-resonant metal nanoparticles, and semiconductor quantum dots with nanoscale precision. In this article, we describe some recent achievements in biological assembly and nanophotonics, and discuss potential uses of biological materials for assembling optically functional nanostructures. We emphasize the use of biological materials to build well-defined nanostructures for near-field plasmon-enhanced fluorescence.

A proposal for a model of informed consent for the collection, storage and use of biological materials for research purposes

Objective To suggest a model of informed consent for the collection, storage and use of biological materials in local biobanks for health research purposes. Methods Review of the major ethical issues related to collection, storage and use of human biological materials for research purposes. Results An informed consent form for the collection and use of biological materials in a specific research project, and an informed consent form for the collection, storage and use of biological materials in a biobank were separately developed. Two main rules govern the proposed model, as follows: the informed consent for the use of biological materials shall (i) give donors sufficient information to take informed decisions about possible present and future uses of their biological materials and (ii) consider the specific biological and genetic aims of the research being performed. Conclusion Even if informed consent for the collection, storage and use of biological materials is a hard process, donors can actually be provided with sufficient information and choices to give a ‘really informed consent’. Practice implications The proposed model can be a useful guideline for the development of specific informed consent forms to be used by researchers. It can also be a good tool to let the donors know which information and guarantees they can request from researchers.

Development of a biological resource center for cellular therapy and biobanking in a public polyclinic university hospital

A model of a university hospital facility for biobanking and clinical grade cell manipulation is described. The facility is based on the model of the Biological Resource Center described by the Organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development in 1999. This model integrates several critical aspects of collection, characterization, storage and use of biological materials for research purposes and therapeutic applications, thus providing potential advantages of optimizing the use of resources, improving standardization, protecting the rights of both donors and recipients of biological materials, and facilitating international cooperation.

Efficient factor VIII affinity purification using a small synthetic ligand.

Hemophilia A is currently treated by infusions of the coagulation factor (F) VIII, of which production and purification remain a challenging task. Current purification procedures using immunoaffinity chromatography are cumbersome, expensive, and suffer from the instability of the applied antibody ligands, which elute along with the product and contaminate it. Recently, FVIII was purified using octapeptide ligands, but their use is limited due to the low resistance to proteases. Our goal was to develop and evaluate a novel ligand for FVIII purification, overcoming the drawbacks of current procedures. Peptide ligands were screened for binding of (125)I-plasma-derived-FVIII (pdFVIII) in a microbead assay. A selected ligand-coated Toyopearl resin was then used for pdFVIII purification from cell-conditioned Delbucco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing fetal bovine serum. The proteolytic stability of ligand was measured by incubating with human serum and proteinase K, and its cytotoxicity towards human OV-MZ-6 cells was assayed. A high-affinity octapeptidic FVIII ligand was modified into the small, highly stable and non-toxic peptidomimetic ligand L4 by rational and combinatorial design without affecting its affinity for FVIII. Using ligand L4-coated Toyopearl resin, pdFVIII was isolated from cell-conditioned medium with high purity and 89% column retention after elution with a mild buffer containing 0.6 m NaCl at pH 6.8. Ligand L4 offers a valuable alternative to antibody-based procedures for laboratory and industrial production. Its synthesis by established solid-phase procedures is straightforward and considerably cheaper than the biotechnological production of antibodies, and safety concerns associated with the use of biological material are overcome.

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles: technological concepts and future applications

Nanotechnology involves the production, manipulation and use of materials ranging in size from less than a micron to that of individual atoms. Although nanomaterials may be synthesized using chemical approaches, it is now possible to include the use of biological materials. In this review, we critically assess the role of microorganisms and plants in the synthesis of nanoparticles.

Estudo do comportamento higroscópico do pericárdio bovino liofilizado

O comportamento higroscópico de produtos desidratados pode ser visualizado a partir da construção de curvas denominadas Isotermas de Sorção de Umidade (ISU). Esse tipo de curva relaciona a quantidade máxima de água absorvida por uma substância, com a pressão de vapor de equilíbrio ou a atividade de água, numa dada temperatura mantida constante. Com o objetivo de estudar posteriormente a reconstituição, material de embalagem e utilização de implantes feitos a partir de pericárdio bovino liofilizado, foram traçadas curvas de adsorção e dessorção de umidade em um analisador de sorção de vapor de água, HydrosorbTM 1000, nas temperaturas de 15, 25 e 35°C. Os resultados obtidos mostraram ISU tendendo ao tipo II, segundo a classificação de BET, reação típica de superfícies hidrofílicas com formação de monocamada e multicamadas. O fenômeno da histerese foi observado durante todo o intervalo da ISU. Os modelos matemáticos de Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) e Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) ajustaram bem os dados experimentais permitindo o cálculo do valor monomolecular, importante para a estimativa do nível crítico de umidade residual que confere maior estabilidade de armazenamento ao produto.

Automated liquid dispensing pin for DNA microarray applications

This paper describes a new liquid dispensing/aspirating system that is capable of producing micron-size spots/droplets for molecular biology research and analysis. In particular, the application is focused on deoxyribonucleic-acid microarray fabrication with the goals of uniform spot morphology, smaller spot size, higher yield, more efficient use of biological materials, and the capacity to handle high viscosity liquids. The new system is based on active sensing and control and it is part of a fully integrated robotic microarray system for genomic and proteomic applications. The prototype system handles thick liquids such as 100% glycerol as well as aqueous solutions and generates uniform spots in a contactless manner with controllable spot size ranging from 80 microns to 200 microns. Note to Practitioners-Microarraying is a powerful tool that enables the expression profiling of a vast quantity genetic/proteomic materials in parallel. Current printing technology includes photolithography, impact pins, inkjet, etc. Although these designs have been successful in printing spot size down to 100 microns, a new approach is needed to handle the order of magnitude increase in density while reducing cost. The SmartPin described in this paper is a sensor-based motion-controlled print head created for printing the next-generation microarrays. It is capable of depositing any aqueous samples (e.g., deoxyribonucleic acid, protein, etc.) and has the flexibility and cost advantage of the printing approach and yet possesses high performance and telepresence accessibility. The system utilizes an optical-fiber-based sensor probe for both sensing and sample delivery. Sensing is then integrated with computer control so that it can generate the microarray with fully controllable spot density and size. By maintaining a uniform gap distance between the pin tip and the target slide, performance and reliability are enhanced. The current work is at the prototype development state and will need further refinement for commercialization.

Biosorption of cadmium by green coconut shell powder

The effective removal of heavy metals from aqueous wastes is among the most important issues for many industrialized countries. The traditional treatment methods used to remove heavy metals from wastewaters have certain disadvantages such as incomplete metal removal, high reagent and energy requirements, generation of toxic sludge or other waste products that require disposal. The search for alternative and innovate treatment techniques has focused attention on the use of biological materials for metal removal and recovery technologies. Biosorption has gained important credibility during recent years because of its good performance and low cost. In the present study, the biosorption capacity of powder from coconut shell was studied for cadmium. The adsorption capacity of biomass was investigated by batch experiments. The influence of metal ion concentration and pH were evaluated and the results were fitted using adsorption isotherm models. The kinetic of cadmium biosorption was also investigated.

Response Surface Designs for Experiments in Bioprocessing

Many processes in the biological industries are studied using response surface methodology. The use of biological materials, however, means that run-to-run variation is typically much greater than that in many experiments in mechanical or chemical engineering and so the designs used require greater replication. The data analysis which is performed may involve some variable selection, as well as fitting polynomial response surface models. This implies that designs should allow the parameters of the model to be estimated nearly orthogonally. A class of three-level response surface designs is introduced which allows all except the quadratic parameters to be estimated orthogonally, as well as having a number of other useful properties. These subset designs are obtained by using two-level factorial designs in subsets of the factors, with the other factors being held at their middle level. This allows their properties to be easily explored. Replacing some of the two-level designs with fractional replicates broadens the class of useful designs, especially with five or more factors, and sometimes incomplete subsets can be used. It is very simple to include a few two- and four-level factors in these designs by excluding subsets with these factors at the middle level. Subset designs can be easily modified to include factors with five or more levels by allowing a different pair of levels to be used in different subsets.