Stromal lenticule addition keratoplasty with corneal crosslinking for corneal ectasia secondary to FS-LASIK:a case series

●AIM:To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of stromal lenticule addition keratoplasty(SLAK)with corneal crosslinking(CXL)on patients with corneal ectasia secondary to femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(FS-LASIK).●METHODS:A series of 5 patients undertaking SLAK with CXL for the treatment of corneal ectasia secondary to FS-LASIK were followed for 4-9mo.The lenticules were collected from patients undertaking small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)for the correction of myopia.Adding a stromal lenticule was aimed at improving the corneal thickness for the safe application of crosslinking and compensating for the thin cornea to improve its mechanical strength.●RESULTS:All surgeries were conducted successfully with no significant complications.Their best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)ranged from 0.05 to 0.8-2 before surgery.The pre-operational total corneal thickness ranged from 345-404μm and maximum keratometry(Kmax)ranged from 50.8 to 86.3.After the combination surgery,both the corneal keratometry(range 55.9 to 92.8)and total corneal thickness(range 413-482μm)significantly increased.Four out of 5 patients had improvement of corneal biomechanical parameters(reflected by stiffness parameter A1 in Corvis ST).However,3 patients showed decreased BCVA after surgery due to the development of irregular astigmatism and transient haze.Despite the onset of corneal edema right after SLAK,the corneal topography and thickness generally stabilized after 3mo.●CONCLUSION:SLAK with CXL is a potentially beneficial and safe therapy for advanced corneal ectasia.Future work needs to address the poor predictability of corneal refractometry and compare the outcomes of different surgical modes.

Novel polyimide binder for achieving high-rate capability and long-term cycling stability of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) cathode via constructing polar and micro-branched crosslinking network structure

LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)material,as the promising cathode candidate for next-generation highenergy lithium-ion batteries,has gained considerable attention for extremely high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the intrinsic drawbacks of NCM811 such as unstable structure and inevitable interface side reaction result in severe capacity decay and thermal runaway.Herein,a novel polyimide(denoted as PI-Om DT)constructed with the highly polar and micro-branched crosslinking network is reported as a binder material for NCM811 cathode.The micro-branched crosslinking network is achieved by using 1,3,5-Tris(4-aminophenoxy)benzene(TAPOB)as a crosslinker via condensation reaction,which endows excellent mechanical properties and large free volume.Meanwhile,the massive polar carboxyl(-COOH)groups provide strong adhesion sites to active NCM811 particles.These functions of PIOm DT binder collaboratively benefit to forming the mechanically robust and homogeneous coating layer with rapid Li+diffusion on the surface of NCM811,significantly stabilizing the cathode structure,suppressing the detrimental interface side reaction and guaranteeing the shorter ion-diffusion and electron-transfer paths,consequently enhancing electrochemical performance.As compared to the NCM811 with PVDF binder,the NCM811 using PI-Om DT binder delivers a superior high-rate capacity(121.07 vs.145.38 m Ah g^(-1))at 5 C rate and maintains a higher capacity retention(80.38%vs.91.6%)after100 cycles at 2.5–4.3 V.Particularly,at the high-voltage conditions up to 4.5 and 4.7 V,the NCM811 with PI-Om DT binder still maintains the remarkable capacity retention of 88.86%and 72.5%after 100 cycles,respectively,paving the way for addressing the high-voltage operating stability of the NCM811 cathode.Moreover,the full-charged NCM811 cathode with PI-Om DT binder exhibits a significantly enhanced thermal stability,improving the safety performance of batteries.This work opens a new avenue for developing high-energy NCM811 based lithium-ion batteries with long cycle-life and superior safety performance using a novel and effective binder.

Crosslinking Mechanism of Soy Protein-based Adhesives based on Glyoxal and a Compound of Protein Model

The crosslinking mechanism of glyoxal and asparagine was analyzed,and the relationship between the mechanism and practical performances of soy protein-based adhesives was also discussed.It is shown that when pH=1 and 3,glyoxal reacted with asparagine in the form of major cyclic ether compounds.When pH=5,glyoxal reacted with asparagine in two structural forms of sodium glycollate and cyclic ether compounds.However,amidogens of asparagine were easy to develop protonation under acid conditions.Supplemented by the instability of cyclic ether compounds,the reaction activity and reaction degree between glyoxal and asparagine were relatively small.Under alkaline conditions,glyoxal mainly reacted with asparagine in the form of sodium glycollate.With the increase of pH,the polycondensation was more sufficient and the produced polycondensation products were more stable.The reaction mechanism between glyoxal and asparagine had strong correspondence to the practical performances of the adhesives.Glyoxal solution could develop crosslinking reactions with soy protein under both acid and alkaline conditions.Bonding strength and water resistance of the prepared soy protein-based adhesives were increased significantly.When pH>7,glyoxal had relatively high reaction activity and reaction intensity with soy protein,and the prepared adhesives had high crosslinking density and cohesion strength,showing relatively high bonding strength,water resistance and thermal stability.

Evaluation of different crosslinking methods in altering the properties of extrusion-printed chitosan-basedmulti-material hydrogel composites

Three-dimensional printing technologies exhibit tremendous potential in the advancing fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to the precise spatial control over depositing the biomaterial.Despite their widespread utilization and numerous advantages,the development of suitable novel biomaterials for extrusion-based 3D printing of scaffolds that support cell attachment,proliferation,and vascularization remains a challenge.Multi-material composite hydrogels present incredible potential in this field.Thus,in this work,a multi-material composite hydrogel with a promising formulation of chitosan/gelatin functionalized with egg white was developed,which provides good printability and shape fidelity.In addition,a series of comparative analyses of different crosslinking agents and processes based on tripolyphosphate(TPP),genipin(GP),and glutaraldehyde(GTA)were investigated and compared to select the ideal crosslinking strategy to enhance the physicochemical and biological properties of the fabricated scaffolds.All of the results indicate that the composite hydrogel and the resulting scaffolds utilizing TPP crosslinking have great potential in tissue engineering,especially for supporting neo-vessel growth into the scaffold and promoting angiogenesis within engineered tissues.

Carcinoma-associated fibroblast-derived lysyl oxidase-rich extracellular vesicles mediate collagen crosslinking and promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition via p-FAK/ p-paxillin/YAP signaling

Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts(CAFs)are the main cellular components of the tumor microenvironment and promote cancer progression by modifying the extracellular matrix(ECM).The tumor-associated ECM is characterized by collagen crosslinking catalyzed by lysyl oxidase(LOX).Small extracellular vesicles(sEVs)mediate cell-cell communication.However,the interactions between sEVs and the ECM remain unclear.Here,we demonstrated that sEVs released from oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)-derived CAFs induce collagen crosslinking,thereby promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT).CAF sEVs preferably bound to the ECM rather than being taken up by fibroblasts and induced collagen crosslinking,and a LOX inhibitor or blocking antibody suppressed this effect.Active LOX(αLOX),but not the LOX precursor,was enriched in CAF sEVs and interacted with periostin,fibronectin,and bone morphogenetic protein-1 on the surface of sEVs.CAF sEV-associated integrinα2β1 mediated the binding of CAF sEVs to collagen I,and blocking integrinα2β1 inhibited collagen crosslinking by interfering with CAF sEV binding to collagen I.CAF sEV-induced collagen crosslinking promoted the EMT of OSCC through FAK/paxillin/YAP pathway.Taken together,these findings reveal a novel role of CAF sEVs in tumor ECM remodeling,suggesting a critical mechanism for CAF-induced EMT of cancer cells.

Comparative 2-year outcomes of conventional and accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking in progressive keratoconus

AIM:To compare the safety and efficacy of conventional versus accelerated(9 mW/cm^2)corneal collagen crosslinking(CXL)in progressive keratoconus at the 2-year follow-up.METHODS:In this prospective study,consecutive progressive keratoconus patients were randomized to receive either conventional CXL(CCXL)or accelerated CXL(ACXL;using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-assisted riboflavin imbibition for 10 min at 9 mW/cm^2).Visual,refractive,keratometric,topographic,and aberrometric outcomes and stromal demarcation line depth(DLD)measurements were compared at the end of a 2-year follow-up.RESULTS:Thirty-two eyes from 32 patients in the CCXL and 27 eyes from 27 patients in the ACXL groups completed 2-year follow-up.At 2y post-CXL,both uncorrected and corrected visual acuities improved significantly in both groups.The improvements in keratometric readings,flattening rate(flattening of the maximum keratometry more than 1 D),3 topographic indices,and vertical coma were significantly better in the CCXL group compared to the ACXL group(P<0.05).The DLD as measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography or in vivo confocal microscopy was better detectable and significantly deeper in the CCXL group compared to the ACXL group.The deeper DLD was found to be significantly correlated with improvements in the mean keratometry measurements.Progression was noted in 11.1%of eyes in the ACXL group,whereas progression was not observed in any patient eye in the CCXL group.CONCLUSION:In this prospective randomized study,ACXL is less effective in halting the progression of keratoconus at a 2-year follow-up compared to CCXL.

Study on Tribological Properties of Irradiated Crosslinking UHMWPE Nano-Composite

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene(UHMWPE)has been widely used as a bearing material for artificial joint replacementover forty years.It is usually crosslinked by gamma rays irradiation before its implantation into human body.In thisstudy,UHMWPE and UHMWPE/nano-hydroxyapatite(n-HA)composite were prepared by vacuum hot-pressing method.Theprepared materials were irradiated by gamma rays in vacuum and molten heat treated in vacuum just after irradiation.The effectof filling n-HA with gamma irradiation on tribological properties of UHMWPE was investigated by using friction and wearexperimental machine(model MM-200)under deionized water lubrication.Micro-morphology of worn surface was observedby metallographic microscope.Contact angle and hardness of the materials were also measured.The results show that contactangle and hardness are changed by filling n-HA and gamma irradiation.Friction coefficient and wear rate under deionized waterlubrication are reduced by filling n-HA.While friction coefficient is increased and wear rate is reduced significantly by gammairradiation.The worn surface of unfilled material is mainly characterized as adhesive wear and abrasive wear,and that of n-HAfilled material is mainly characterized as abrasive wear.After gamma irradiation,the degrees of adhesive and abrasive wear forunfilled material and abrasive wear of n-HA filled material are significantly reduced.Unfilled and filled materials after irradiationare mainly shown as slight fatigue wear.The results indicate that UHMWPE and UHMWPE/n-HA irradiated at the doseof 150 kGy can be used as bearing materials in artificial joints for its excellent wear resistance compared to original UHMWPE.

Corneal collagen crosslinking for corneal ectasia of post-LASIK: one-year results

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) to prevent the progression of post-laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) corneal ectasia. · METHODS: In a prospective, nonrandomized, single-centre study, CXL was performed in 20 eyes of 11 patients who had LASIK for myopic astigmatism and subsequently developed keratectasia.The procedure included instillation of 0.1% riboflavin-20% dextrane solution 30 minutes before UVA irradiation and every 5 minutes for an additional 30 minutes during irradiation. The eyes were evaluated preoperatively and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals. The complete ophthalmologic examination comprised uncorrected visual acuity, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, endothelial cell count, ultrasound pachymetry, corneal topography, and in vivo confocal microscopy. · RESULTS: CXL appeared to stabilise or partially reverse the progression of post-LASIK corneal ectasia without apparent complication in our cohort. UCVA and BCVA improvements were statistically significant(P <0.05)beyond 12 months after surgery (improvement of 0.07 and 0.13 logMAR at 1 year, respectively). Mean baseline flattest meridian keratometry and mean steepest meridian keratometry reduction (improvement of 2.00 and 1.50 diopters(D), respectively) were statistically significant (P<0.05) at 12 months postoperatively. At 1 year after CXL, mean endothelial cell count did not deteriorate. Mean thinnest cornea pachymetry increased significantly. · CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed a long- term stability of post-LASIK corneal ectasia after crosslinking without relevant side effects. It seems to be a safe and promising procedure to stop the progression of post-LASIK keratectasia, thereby avoiding or delaying keratoplasty.

CHARACTERIZATION OF RADIATION CROSSLINKING DENSITY OF F-40

In this paper, radiation-induced crosslinking mechanism and characterization of the crosslinking density of F-40 and F-4 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been studied. The dose of gelation of F-40 obtained from XPS is 4.1×10~4 Gy. It is found that crosslinking density is the largest in the range of certain dose for F-40 and F-4.

Study on Camellia Oleifera Protein based Wood Adhesive by Epoxy Resin and Its Crosslinking Mechanism

Epoxy resin (EPR) was used to crosslink with Camellia oleifera Abel.protein to prepare wood adhesive,and the bonding performance and curing characteristics of which were mainly investigated,and the synthesis mechanism was also discussed by using model compounds.The experimental results show that EPR can significantly improve the bonding performance of Camellia oleifera Abel.protein-based adhesive,and the maximum of which reaches 0.72 MPa satisfies the strength requirement of Type II plywood in GB/T 17657-2013.After alkali treatment,the protein can more easily crosslink with EPR at low curing temperature,and the adhesive has high degree of crystallinity of curing products,high degree of crosslinking reaction,and high bonding strength.The reaction mechanism of EPR-modified Camellia oleifera Abel.protein adhesive can be divided into resinification phase and curing phase.

SYNTHESIS, CROSSLINKING MECHANISM AND PROPERTIES OF A POLYACRYLATE/POLYURETHANE COMPOSITE COATING

A polyacrylate/polyurethane (P(A) / P(U)) composite coating has been prepared bycrosslinking an acetoacetylated polyacrylate with a vinylic group terminated polyurethaneat room temperature. A model Michael reaction between ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) andmethyl acrylate (MA) was designed to study the crosslinking mechanism. It was foundthat the two active hydrogen atoms in acetoacetyl group can both add to vinylic groupsand the yield of mono- and bis-adducts are much affected by the molar ratio of acetoacetylto vinylic groups. Higher crosslinking degree and better properties could be obtained withdecreasing the molar ratio of the two active groups from 1/1 to 0.6/1 in the compositecoatings.

Evaluation of the in vitro antimicrobial properties of ultraviolet A/riboflavin mediated crosslinking on Candida albicans and Fusarium solani

AIM:To evaluate the antimicrobial properties of ultraviolet A(UVA)(365 nm)/riboflavin against Candida albicans and Fusarium solani.METHODS:Two fungus isolates were cultured in vitro and prepared with 10-fold serial PBS dilutions of cell concentration.For each dilution of fungus suspension,the concentration(colony-forming units/mL,CFU/mL)and the inactivation ratio of fungal cells were evaluated under 4 conditions:no treatment(control),UVA(365 nm)/riboflavin,riboflavin,and UVA(365 nm).RESULTS:The cell concentration decreased in UVA(365 nm)/riboflavin group for Candida albicans at each dilution and Fusarium solani at dilutions of 104,103,102CFU/mL,when compared with that in control,riboflavin,and UVA(365 nm)groups(P<0.01).No difference of cell concentration was detected amongst the culture of control,riboflavin,and UVA(365 nm)groups for the two fungus.There is a negative correlation between suspension concentration(log-transformed)and the inactivation ratio in UVA(365 nm)/riboflavin group for Candida albicans and Fusarium solani(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:According to the standard protocol of corneal collagen cross-linking,UVA(365 nm)/riboflavin combination treatment is found to moderately inactivate the viability of Candida albicans and Fusarium solani in vitro.The inactivation ratio was found to increase withthe decrease of cell concentration under UVA(365 nm)/riboflavin condition.

EFFECTS OF ORGANIC COLORANTS ON PHOTO-INITIATED CROSSLINKING AND PHOTO-OXIDATION DEGRADATION OF POLYETHYLENE AND RELATED MECHANISM

The effects of three organic colorants on photo-initiated crosslinking and photo-oxidation degradation of polyethylene (PE) samples irradiated by microwave excited (MWE) UV lamp in the melt and the related mechanism have been studied by gel content and thermal extension rate determinations,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),mechanical property tests,UV spectroscopy,and light microscope.The data from the gel content and thermal extension rate determinations of photo-crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) sam...

Therapeutic and inducing effect of corneal crosslinking on infectious keratitis

The corneal crosslinking(CXL) with riboflavin and ultraviolet-A(UVA) is a new therapy method to successfully treat infectious keratitis in clinical practice.However, there are rare reports on the complications of CXL such as the secondary keratitis. The diverse clinical outcomes on keratitis have highlighted the necessity to further evaluate the efficacy and complications of CXL.We reviewed the positive and negative reports on UVA/riboflavin related with keratitis and provided our opinion on the therapeutic and side effect of UVA/riboflavin crosslinking on keratitis.

Storage life prediction under pre-strained thermally-accelerated aging of HTPB coating using the change of crosslinking density

In order to predict the storage life of a certain type of HTPB(hydroyl-terminated polybutadiene)coating at 25℃ and analyze the influence of pre-strain on the storage life,the accelerated aging tests of HTPB coating at 40℃,50℃,60℃,70℃ with the pre-strain of 0%,3%,6%,9%,respectively were carried out.The variation regularity of the change of crosslinking density was analyzed and the aging model of HTPB coating under pre-strained thermally-accelerated aging was proposed.The storage life of HTPB coating at 25℃ was estimated by using the Berthelot equation as the end point of the aging life with a 30% decrease in maximum elongation.The results showed that the change of crosslinking density of HTPB coating increased with the increase of aging temperature and aging time,and decreased with the increase of pre-strain.Under 0% prestrain,the relationship between the change of crosslinking density of HTPB coating and the aging time can be described by the logarithmic model with the confidence probability greater than 99%.The stress relaxation phenomenon existed under 3%,6%and 9%pre-strained aging.The aging model considering chemical aging and pre-strain was established with the confidence probability greater than 90%.The storage life of HTPB coating was 15.2935 years at 25C under 0% prestrain,which was reduced by 13.9007%,75.6949% and 89.7859% under 3%,6% and 9% pre-strain,respectively.The existence of pre-strain has a serious impact on the storage life of HTPB coating,therefore,the pre-strain should be avoided as much as possible during the actual storage.

Crosslinking as an Efficient Tool for Decreasing Moisture Sensitivity of Biobased Nanocomposite Films

Chitosan-nanoclay bio-hybrid films were successfully crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, genipin and glyoxal. Moisture sensitivity of films decreased as a result of crosslinking which led to improved barrier properties against water vapor and oxygen. Films containing chitosan (6.6 g/m2) with genipin (3.3 g/m2) and nanoclay (6.6 g/m2) had water vapor transmission rate of 72 g × 100 μm/(m2 × 24 h) which was 34% lower as compared to pure chitosan and 30% lower as compared to chitosan/nanoclay without crosslinkers. Glyoxal induced crosslinking resulted in 92% reduction in oxygen transmission rate at 80% relative humidity as compared to pure chitosan films. Oxygen transmission through glyoxal (3.3 g/m2) treated chitosan/nanoclay film was 2.8 cm3 × 100 μm/(m2 × 24 h) which was 53% lower as compared to chitosan/nanoclay without crosslinkers. In addition, nanoclay and especially glyoxal crosslinking prevented the water vapor sorption of chitosan considerably. Crosslinking may be used as an efficient tool for enhancing the exploitability of naturally hydrophilic biopolymers towards new high-value applications, such as food packaging.

CALCULATION OF MOLECULAR INTERNAL ROTATING STERIC FACTOR OF FLUOROPOLYMERS BY RADIATION CROSSLINKING METHOD

In this paper, the relationship between radiation crosslinking parameter β and the molecular internal rotating steric factor (σ) for fluoropolymers were studied. An expression calculating the molecular internal rotating steric factor of fluoropolymers, σ=1.44+(β-0.206)/1.946, was established. σ value obtained by this method is in agreement with that given in the literature.

THE RADIATION CROSSLINKING OF EPR/SBR BLEND

The radiation crosslinking of EPR/SBR blend has been studied. A relationship between sol fraction and radiation dose for the different weight ratio polymer blends and the method to calculate βb value of EPR/SBR blend system have been established.

CROSSLINKING AND COMPATIBILIZATION IN BLENDS OF POLYSTYRENE AND POLYETHYLENE

This paper investigated the influences of butadiene rubber (BR) and dicumylperoxide (DCP) on thermal and rheological behaviour, morphology and mechanical proper-ties of PS/LLDPE/SBS blend. Addition of DCP alone was found to decrease the mechanicalproperties of PS/LLDPE/SBS blend due to the decomposition of PS. When BR was addedtogether with DCP, it is found that the co-crosslinking of BR, SBS and PE takes place,and the decomposition of PS is reduced simultaneously because of the consumption of thefree radicals in the crosslinking process. Synergism was thus realised which resulted in theimprovement of the ductility of blend.

A histological study of rabbit corneas after transepithelial corneal crosslinking using partial epithelial photoablation or ethanol treatment

AIM: To evaluate the histological changes after transepithelial corneal crosslinking(CXL) using partial thickness excimer laser ablation or epithelial ethanol application in an experimental rabbit study.METHODS: Right eyes of twenty-four rabbits were studied. Four eyes received total epithelial debridement(group I). Four eyes received partial thickness epithelial ablation with excimer laser(group II). Twelve eyes were treated with different durations(30s and 60s) and concentrations(18% to 48%) of ethanol(group III).Riboflavin was applied for 30 min intervals along with topical proparacaine drops with benzalkonium chloride,and 370 nm irradiation was performed for 30 min, while riboflavin was instilled every 3min. Four eyes(group IV)received 48% ethanol for 30 s without riboflavin and irradiation. Eyes were collected after 24 h and examined histologically.RESULTS: All eyes in group I showed keratocyte loss in the superficial 300 μ of corneal storma. In group II, 1-4layers of epithelium were preserved and no keratocyte loss occurred. In group III, CXL after treatment with ethanol up to 24% concentration and up to 60 s revealed no keratocyte loss. CXL after treatment with 48% and higher ethanol concentrations yielded keratocyte loss in the superficial 200 μ to 300 μ of cornea.CONCLUSION: Incomplete excimer laser ablation of the epithelium or treatment with ethanol up to 24%concentration and up to 60 s duration yielded no stromal keratocyte loss. To get the same histological appearance seen in epithelial debridement group, partial thicknessexcimer laser epithelial ablation or ethanol application is not adequate for transepithelial CXL.