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Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed operations in Africa. Prosthetic repair with commercially available mesh is generally considered too expensive in low-income countries. Elective groin hernia surgery with mosquito net mesh has recently been described. However, can mesh sterility in resource-poor countries be guaranteed to ensure both effectiveness and safety? Methods: Copolymer and polyester mosquito net mesh were steam-sterilized at varying temperatures. PubMed and EMBASE were searched using key words, MeSH, and subject headings (mosquito net mesh, mesh sterilization, inguinal hernia repair). Results: Copolymer mosquito net mesh manufactured in India can be safely sterilized at lower (less 'strict') temperatures (121°C) than those usually demanded by advanced health care systems (134°C). The literature search revealed a number of case series but all with limited follow-up. Available data, however, support the use of this type mosquito net mesh in the elective repair of hernias. Conclusions: Hernia repair with mosquito net mesh is a plausible, safe, cost-effective alternative in low-income countries. Sterilization in steam autoclaves that have accurate temperature control is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Several microorganisms produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). They are accumulated intracellularly as energy storage compounds. The PHAs are of interest because of their potential in biomedical applications. Halophilic bacteria and archaea are known to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). This paper describes production of a biodegradable copolymer, PHB-co-PHV by a moderately haloalkalitolerant Halomonas campisalis, isolated from Lonar Lake, India. The production of PHA was in the range of 45–81% on dry cell weight basis when the organism was grown in a production medium containing 1% (w/v) maltose and 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract, at pH ranging from 6 to 9 with an inoculum density of 105–107 cells/ml of medium, for incubation period of 15–30h and at 37°C. The polymer produced by the organism is a hydroxyester with molecular weight of 1.3014×106. Its melting temperature was 171°C. The 1H NMR analysis revealed that the polymer was a copolymer of PHB-co-PHV. This could be achieved by providing simple carbon source viz. maltose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the process for the preparation of polyurethane-polyvinyl multiblock copolymers using living radical mechanism developed by researchers from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in New Delhi, India. The process involves the heating of vinyl monomer dissolved in a polar aprotic solvent with tetraphenylethane based polyurethane macroiniferter.