A case report of allergic reaction with acute facial swelling: a rare complication of dental acrylic resin

Resin components, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) can cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Allergic reactions to resin are usually delayed. Only a few studies have reported dental resin allergy with acute symptoms. Here, a case of ACD with acute facial swelling after dental treatment using resin material is reported. A 55-year-old woman with a history of periungual inflammation when using gel nail polish had repeated episodes of facial swelling after dental treatment with resin material. The resin temporary crown was removed, and symptoms were alleviated with antihistamines and corticosteroids. With the suspicion of resin allergy, skin tests were performed. Patch testing revealed positive reactions to self-adhesive resin cement (primer and polymerized), self-curing acrylic resin (liquid and polymerized), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), whereas the prick test was negative for all allergens. Complement C4 and C1 inhibitor activity were reference values in the tests for hereditary angioedema. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with ACD to 2-HEMA and EGDMA. Since diagnosis, no similar symptoms have been observed in subsequent dental treatment with non-resin materials. The use of dental resin materials may cause ACD with an acute reaction. This report alerts dentists who routinely use resin materials.

Effects of pH and Crosslinking Agent in the Evaluation of Hydrogels as Potential Nitrate-Controlled Release Systems

Water scarcity and the loss of fertilizer from agricultural soils through runoff, which also leads to contamination of other areas, are increasingly common problems in agriculture. To mitigate nitrate water pollution, the technology of controlled release formulations (CRFs) provides a promising alternative for improving the management of nutrient supply and decreasing environmental pollution while maintaining good quality and high crop yields. This study describes the influence of pH and crosslinking agent, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) or N,N'-methylenebis (acrylamide) (NMBA), on the behavior of polymeric materials in swelling and nitrate release kinetics. The characterization of hydrogels and CRFs was performed by FTIR, SEM, and swelling properties. Kinetic results were adjusted to Fick, Schott, and a novel equation proposed by the authors. Fixed-bed experiments were carried out by using the NMBA systems, coconut fiber, and commercial KNO₃. Results showed that on the one hand, no significant differences were observed in nitrate release kinetics for any system in the selected pH range, this fact allowing to apply these hydrogels to any type of soil. On the other hand, nitrate release from SLC-NMBA was found to be a slower and longer process versus commercial potassium nitrate. These features indicate that the NMBA polymeric system could potentially be applied as a controlled release fertilizer suitable for a wide variety of soil typologies.

Highly selective and antifouling reverse osmosis membrane by crosslinkers induced surface modification

Post treatment is a very competent and scalable approach to develop the higher water-flux and salt-rejection membrane since it does not require any change in existing manufacturing process. The virgin Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis (TFC-RO) membrane was exposed to various concentrations of Poly (ethylene Glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) after activation with sodium hypochlorite for 1 h. Crosslinkers modified membranes were characterized for degree of wettability by contact angle analyses, surface morphology and surface roughness study by Scanning electron micrographs and Atomic force micrographs, chemical structural modifications by Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy. These treatments resulted in improved membrane performance. 3500 mg/l PEGDA-treated membrane permeate flux increased by 48.7% and salt-rejection by 3.43%. 2000 mg/l EGDMA treated membrane demonstrated 46.13% increase in water-flux and 3.08% increase in salt-rejection as compared with virgin membrane. Organic fouling study indicated that fouling in PEGDA-treated membrane was significantly lower than virgin membrane. Heavy metal ion removal performances for Zinc and Chromium were also higher for modified membranes. Thus, the surface modification by crosslinkers led to increase in selectivity for certain metal ions and better antifouling performance as compared to virgin membrane.

Towards improving the biocompatibility of prosthetic eyes

Prosthetic eyes are currently manufactured using Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) which is not an ideal material because it is hydrophobic. While significant research has investigated the benefits of hydrophilic materials for contact lenses, no such research has been carried out on hydrophilic materials for prosthetic eyes until now. In this study, different derivatives of Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) monomer and methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer were grafted to PMMA using copolymerisation. The resulting matrixes were evaluated by water contact angle measurement, 24 h water absorption testing, and colour-difference measurement when exposed to ultraviolet light. The contact angle and water absorption results indicated that ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) grafted PMMA matrix had a better hydrophilic performance than the other matrixes tested. EGDMA is already a minor constituent of the PMMA matrix currently used for manufacturing prosthetic eyes but when the proportion of EGDMA monomer to MMA monomer used in the manufacturing process was increased to 50/50 the hydrophilicity of the matrix was significantly improved. EGDMA-grafted PMMA is inexpensive and comes as a liquid monomer that is easily mixed with the PMMA monomer that ocular prosthetists are familiar with. The mixture requires no special handling beyond the normal safety precautions that apply when using PMMA monomers. In-vitro testing shows that EGDMA-grafted PMMA significantly improves the wettability of PMMA currently used for the manufacture of prosthetic eyes and has the potential to significantly improve wearing comfort and socket health.

Synthesis and Modification by Carbonization of Styrene-Ethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate-Lignin Sorbents and their Sorption of Acetylsalicylic Acid

This paper deals with the synthesis and studies of new polymer microspheres properties based on ethylene glycol dimethylacrylate (EGDMA), styrene (St), and various quantities of commercial kraft lignin (L). In the first stage of the investigations, the conditions of the synthesis process were optimized by selecting a proper amount of poly (vinyl alcohol), which was a suspension stabilizer. Next, based on EGDMA + St + L, new polymers were synthesized by the suspension polymerization method. The chemical structure of the materials was confirmed by means of the Attenuated Total Reflectance—Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) analysis. The evaluation of the synthesized materials includes susceptibility to swelling in solvents of different character (polar and nonpolar), porous structure of microspheres, and their thermal resistance. Morphology has been specified by the scanning electron microscope and automated particle size, as well as shape analyzer. The obtained pictures confirmed the spherical shape of the materials. The microspheres porosity was characterized using the low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. To increase the porosity (partially blocked by the large lignin molecule), the microspheres (EGDMA + St + 4L copolymer) were impregnated with the aqueous solution of the activating substance (sulphuric acid, nitric acid, phosphorous acid, and silver nitrate) and then carbonized at 400 °C. After the carbonization process, the increase in the specific surface area was observed. The microspheres were porous with a specific surface area up to 300 m²/g. The materials had a desirable feature for their potential use in chromatography, which was confirmed by the results of GC analysis with the acetylsalicylic acid. These materials are an interesting alternative in the field of more environmentally friendly, ecological, and biodegradable polymeric sorbents in comparison to the commonly applied styrene-divinylbenzene (St-DVB) copolymers.

Design and development of guar gum based novel, superabsorbent and moisture retaining hydrogels for agricultural applications

The novel hydrogels were synthesized by grafting guar gum with acrylic acid and cross-linking with ethylene glycol di methacrylic acid (EGDMA). The synthesis of hydrogel was confirmed by characterization through ¹³C NMR, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM micrography, thermo-gravimetric analysis and water absorption studies under different solutions. Synthesized hydrogel (GG-AA-EGDMA) was confirmed to be biodegradable with half-life period of 77 days through soil burial biodegradation studies. The effects of hydrogel treatment on soil were evaluated by studying various physico-chemical properties of soil like bulk density, porosity, water absorption and retention capacity etc. The hydrogel which could absorb up to 800 ml water per gram, after addition to soil, improved its porosity, moisture absorption and retention capacity significantly. Water holding capacity of water increased up to 54% of its original and porosity also increased up to 9% of its original. The synthesized hydrogel revealed tremendous potential as soil conditioning material for agricultural applications.

Vapor-phase-synthesized fluoroacrylate polymer thin films: thermal stability and structural properties

In this study, the thermal, chemical and structural stability of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate polymers (p-PFDA) synthetized by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) were investigated. PFDA polymers are known for their interesting crystalline aggregation into a lamellar structure that induces super-hydrophobicity and oleophobicity. Nevertheless, when considering applications which involve chemical, mechanical and thermal stresses, it is important to know the limits under which the crystalline aggregation and the resulting polymer properties are stable. For this, chemical, morphological and structural properties upon multiple heating/cooling cycles were investigated both for linear PFDA polymers and for differently strong cross-linked alterations thereof. Heat treatment leaves the chemical composition of the linear PFDA polymers largely unchanged, while a more ordered crystalline structure with smoother morphology is observed. At the same time, the hydrophobicity and the integrity of the polymer deteriorate upon heating. The integrity and hydrophobicity of cross-linked p-PFDA films was preserved likely because of the lack of internal strain due to the coexistence of both crystalline and amorphous phases. The possibility to finely tune the degree of cross-linking can therefore expand the application portfolio in which PFDA polymers can be utilized.

Preparation, loading, and cytotoxicity analysis of polymer nanotubes from an ethylene glycol dimethacrylate homopolymer in comparison to multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Despite concerns over toxicity, carbon nanotubes have been extensively investigated for potential applications in nanomedicine because of their small size, unique properties, and ability to carry cargo such as small molecules and nucleic acids. Herein, we show that polymer nanotubes can be synthesized quickly and easily from a homopolymer of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The nanotubes formed via photo‐initiated polymerization of the highly functional prepolymer, inside an anodized aluminium oxide template, have a regular structure and large internal pore and can be loaded with a fluorescent dye within minutes representing a simple alternative to multi‐walled carbon nanotubes for biomedical applications.