Bioactive Polymeric Systems

by Charles G. Gebelein, Charles E. Carraher

2012 · Springer Science & Business Media

The vast array of libraries in the world bear mute witness to the truth of the 3000-year-old observation of King Solomon who stated " ... of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Yet books are an essential written record of our lives and the progress of science and humanity. Here is another book to add to this huge collection, but, hopefully, not just another collection of pages, but rather a book with a specific purpose to aid in alleviating the "weariness of the flesh" that could arise from much studying of other journals and books in order to obtain the basic information contained herein. This book is about polymeric materials and biological activity, as the title notes. Polymeric materials, in the broad view taken here, would include not only synthetic polymers (e.g., polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polyamides, etc.), but also the natural macromolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides) which compose natural tissues in humans, animals and plants. In the broad sense used here, biological activity is any type of such action whether it be in medication, pest control, plant-growth regu lation, and so on. In short, this book attempts to consider, briefly, the use of any type of polymeric material system with essentially any kind of biological activity.

Biomedical and Dental Applications of Polymers

by Charles Gebelein, F. Koblitz

2013 · Springer Science & Business Media

The development and use of medical and dental materials are highly interdisciplinary endeavors which require expertise in chemistry, materials science, medicine and/or dentistry, mechanics and design engineering. The Symposium upon which this treatise is based was organized to bring members from these communities together to explore problems of mutual interest. The biomaterials which are used in medical or dental prostheses must not only exhibit structural stability and provide the desired function, but they must also perform over extended periods of time in the environment of the body. The latter is a very stringent requirement. The oral and other physiological environments are designed by nature to break down many organic substances. Also of importance is the requirement that materials used in the prosthesis not have a deleterious effect on body tissues. Most foreign (to the body) substances are somewhat toxic to human tissues; in fact, few factors are more limiting in the medical prosthesis field than the biocompatibility problem. Some of these problems and the attempts to solve them are discussed in this volume.