Search

The primary goal of reconstructive and revision surgery is to restore, repair, rebuild, and support damaged, weakened, or absent tissue. There are numerous approaches for soft tissue support and repair, including the use of autologous tissue, human- or animal-derived acellular dermal matrices, absorbable or permanent synthetic mesh, and, now, a new class of bioresorbable protein scaffold. Although many factors influence the choice of surgical approach and the specific product used for soft tissue support and repair, the goal is to improve long-term outcomes while minimizing complications and recurrences requiring further revisional surgery. In this review, the basic science, clinical characteristics, and clinical applications of SERI" Surgical Scaffold, a novel, engineered, highly purified silk product for soft tissue support and repair will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state 33S MAS NMR spectra of a variety of inorganic sulfates have been obtained at magnetic field strengths of 4.7, 14.1, 17.6, and 18.8T. Some of the difficulties associated with obtaining natural abundance 33S NMR spectra have been overcome by using a high magnetic field strength and magic angle spinning (MAS). Multiple factors were considered when analyzing the spectral linewidths, including magnetic field inhomogeneity, dipolar coupling, chemical shift anisotropy, chemical shift dispersion, and quadrupolar coupling. In most of these sulfate samples, quadrupolar coupling was the dominant line broadening mechanism. Nuclear electric quadrupolar coupling constants (Cq) as large as 2.05MHz were calculated using spectral simulation software. Spectral information from these new data are compared with X-ray measurements and GAUSSIAN 98W calculations. A general correlation was observed between the magnitude of the Cq and the increasing difference between S–O bond distances within the sulfate groups. Solid-state 33S spin–lattice (T1) relaxation times were measured and show a significant reduction in T1 for the hydrated sulfates. This is most likely the result of the modulation of the time-dependent electric field gradient at the nuclear site by motion of water molecules. This information will be useful in future efforts to use 33S NMR in the compositional and structural analysis of sulfur containing materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Solid state 33S NMR spectra of a variety of inorganic sulfides have been obtained at magnetic field strengths of 4.7 and 17.6 T. Spectra acquired with magic angle spinning show considerable improvements in sensitivity and resolution when compared with static spectra. Multiple factors are considered when analyzing the spectral line widths, including; magnetic field inhomogeneity, dipolar coupling, chemical shift anisotropy, chemical shift dispersion (CSD), T2 relaxation, and quadrupolar coupling. Quadrupolar coupling was expected to be the dominant line broadening mechanism. However, for most of the samples CSD was the prevailing line broadening mechanism. Thus, for many of the metal sulfides studied at a high magnetic field strength, the line widths were actually larger than those observed in the spectra at low field. This is atypical in solid state 33S NMR. Solid state 33S spin–lattice (T1) and spin–spin (T2) relaxation rates were measured for the first time and are discussed. This information will be useful in future efforts to use 33S NMR in the compositional and structural analysis of sulfur containing materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]