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Research team produces nanosheets that prevent intestinal adhesion during surgery
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Research team produces nanosheets that prevent intestinal adhesion during surgery

Thu, Mar 10, 2016
Research team produces nanosheets that prevent intestinal adhesion during surgery
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A collaborative research group between the National Defense Medical College, Waseda University, and the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine has become the first in the world to use thin nanosheets to prevent intestinal adhesion in a mouse. Their research was published online in the British Journal of Surgery on March 3 and will appear in the Journal’s May issue. The produced nanosheets, made from polylactic acid, do not exacerbate infections, allowing them to be used even when a patient suffers from an infection. Many expect the nanosheets to help prevent intestinal adhesion during perforation peritonitis and in the future, intestinal adhesion in young children.

Research summary

Intestinal adhesion can occur after surgery and cause issues when consuming food. For these patients, even if their surgery is a success, their overall quality-of-life drops. During perforation peritonitis, it is especially easy for intestinal adhesion to occur and there are currently no effective treatments. Following surgery in a young child, intestinal adhesion can make it difficult to consume food, drastically hindering the child’s development. By utilizing the polylactic acid nanosheets, we can effectively prevent this from happening.

ナノ絆創膏をしょう膜が欠損した小腸に貼るところ

The “nanosheet,” or adhesive plaster (the transparent square) attached to a mouse’s damaged small intestine

The research group from the National Defense Medical College, in collaboration with Waseda University, produced nanosheets approximately 80 nm thick that are capable of sealing holes in a collapsed lung as well as tears in large veins that lead to heavy bleeding. We can apply the thin sheets precisely to all types of internal organs without adhesive glue, hence the term “nanosheet.” In collaboration with Nagoya University’s Department of Pediatric Surgery, we were the first in the world to prevent intestinal adhesion in a mouse. The nanosheets, produced from polylactic acid, do not exacerbate infections, allowing us to use them even when a patient suffers from an infection. Many expect the nanosheets to help prevent intestinal adhesion during perforation peritonitis and in the future, intestinal adhesion in young children.

This research was published in the online British Journal of Surgery.
Polylactic acid nanosheets in prevention of postoperative intestinal adhesion and their effects on bacterial propagation in an experimental model


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