BACKGROUND/AIM Isolated stenosis of the lacrimal punctum is a frequent cause of epiphora. Treatment relies on surgical opening or dilatation with bi- or monocanalicular prosthesis. Recently, silicone perforated punctum plugs (PPP) were proposed. The drawback with these silicone PPP was that secretions accumulate in the central orifice blocking the spontaneous flow of tears. A modification of th...

Metastatic spinal tumors are usually quite difficult to treat. In patients with metastatic spinal tumors, conventional radiotherapy fails to relieve pain in 20-30% of cases and open surgery often causes considerable trauma and complications, which delays treatment of the primary disease. Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is considered to be useful in achieving rapid pain control and preventing ...

Polysaccharides, secondary metabolites and poly-phenolics are known to co-isolate with nucleic acids from plant tissues resulting in inhibition of molecular manipulations. RNA isolated from the polyphenolic-rich resurrection plant, Myrothamnus flabellifolius, was demonstrated to inhibit a standard polymerase chain reaction used as an assay despite the inclusion of the polyphenolic-binding compo...

We describe a new route, in which the polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used both as a solvent and reducing reagent and the polymer polyvinglpyrrolidone (PVP) is used as capping agent, for the synthesis of monodisperse silver nanoparticles. Uniform nanospheres with an average diameter of 54 nm can be routinely synthesized in high yield through this approach by using a PVP/AgNO3 molar ratio of 8 at 2...

High-yielded Bi2Te3 hexagonal nanoplates were fabricated via a facile solvothermal method with the assistance of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). Effects of PVP molecular weight and concentration on the morphology and size distribution of the products were illustrated in this study. Molecular weight of PVP is significant for determining the morphology of Bi2Te3. The hexagonal nanoplates with hig...

Engineered amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), due to simple and low cost production, are increasingly used in commercial products and produced on an industrial scale. Despite the potential benefits, there is a concern that exposure to certain types of SiO2 NPs may lead to adverse health effects. As some NPs can cross the blood--brain barrier and may, in addition, reach the central nervo...

PURPOSE This study was conducted to analyze the efficacy of photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) with the use of a 980 nm diode laser for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) according to postoperative period. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were collected from 96 patients who were diagnosed with BPH and who underwent PVP with the 980 nm K2 diode laser. Postoperative parameters, includi...

Nano-sized tetragonal BaTiO₃ (BT) particles that are well dispersed in solution are essential for the dielectric layer in multilayer ceramic capacitor technology. A hydrothermal process using TiCl₄ and BaCl₂, as source of Ti and Ba, respectively, or the precursor TiO₂ as seed for the formation of BT, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as a surfactant, was employed in this study to enhance both th...

BACKGROUND Peripheral venous pressure (PVP) has been shown to correlate with central venous pressure (CVP) in a number of reports. Few studies, however, have explored the relationship between tissue pressure (TP) and PVP/CVP correlation. METHODS PVP and CVP were simultaneously recorded in a bench-top model of the venous circulation of the upper limb and in a single human volunteer after under...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to provide accurate understanding of clinical presentations and surgical outcomes as well as to identify the unique characteristics of lower lumbar osteoporotic compression fracture (OCF). METHODS Clinical data were collected from 120 patients who had L3, L4 or L5 percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) performed from 2008 to 2012 at the single institute. L4 o...