Provided herein are methods of making degradable, additive-blended polymeric materials using microwave radiation and catalysts. The methods can include incorporation of therapeutic materials into the polymeric materials. There also are provided polymeric materials made by the methods and medical devices comprising the polymeric materials made by the methods.

The present invention relates to a dispersant having a tertiary or quaternary amine anchoring group and a solubilizing polymer selected from C.sub.8-50 fatty acid; a C.sub.8-50 ak(en)yl substituted succinic acid, anhydride or partial ester; a dimer or trimer fatty acid; and/or polymers from repeating units of polyesters, polyethers, polyacrylate, polyamides, polyurethanes or mixtures of said repeating units in a random or blocky copolymer. The dispersants are an improvement in that the alkylene connecting group between the tertiary or quaternized amine and the solubilizing polymer lacks abstractable hydrogen atoms at the geminal carbon atom from the nitrogen of the tertiary or quaternized amine over the prior art. The dispersants are useful as dispersants with improved thermal stability and low amounts yellow color after aging at elevated temperatures.

A biodegradable polymer usable in fishing gear and that biodegrades in aquatic environments. The polymer includes a polymer backbone that has monomeric units that are susceptible to hydrolytic degradation, and a plurality of pH responsive moieties. Each pH responsive moiety is grafted to a respective one of the monomeric units. The pH responsive moieties are relatively hydrophilic when exposed to an aqueous solution of a pro-biodegradation pH range to facilitate hydrolytic degradation of the monomeric units, and are relatively hydrophobic when removed from the aqueous solution of the pro-biodegradation pH range, to protect the monomeric units from hydrolytic degradation.

An amorphous polylactic acid polymer having a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 35,000 to 180,000 is described. The polylactic acid polymer composition can be hammer milled without cryogenics result in the form of particles wherein 90% of the particles have particle size of about 250 μm or less and the material has a glass transition temperature of between about 55° C. to about 58° C. and a relative viscosity of about 1.45 to about 1.95 centipoise. The polymer composition can be used to form an aqueous suspension. The material is ideally suited for use in preparing particleboard. A method is disclosed for preparing such polylactic acid polymers. The method involves obtaining an amorphous polylactic acid polymer having a weight average molecular weight of between about 115,000 to about 180,000. Treating the polylactic acid polymer to reduce the molecular weight to between about 35,000 to 45,000 such that it has a glass transition temperature of between about 55° C. and 58° C. and a relative viscosity of about 1.45 to about 1.95. Material can be formed into particles in a commercial hammer mill with bypass such that 90% of the initial mass results in the particles which can pass thru a sieve having a pore size of about 250 μm. During particle board formation the temperature of around 140-140 C being reached to optimally activate the adhesive; Bond strengths and throughput rates of resulting particle boards can be controlled thereafter, with variable combination of particle sizes, adhesive loading and initial moisture content.

Compositions of high molecular weight poly(hydroxy acid) polymer having good thermal stability and a weight average molecular weight of >100,000 by GPC. The compositions include one or more chain-terminator compounds/impurities which may be incorporated into the polymer and rendered harmless by the presence of appropriate amounts of bi-functional and multi-functional polymerization initiators. A process including first mixing glycolic acid and/or lactic acid (with chain-terminators), and a diol or di-acid initiator, and at least one multifunctional initiator to form a liquid monomer mixture in an agitated polycondensation reactor. Next, polycondensing to form a liquid reaction mixture comprising a pre-polymer having a weight average molecular weight of >10,000 by GPC, and greater than 80% by mole hydroxyl or carboxyl end-group termination, then crystallizing to form a first solid reaction mixture. Then, solid state polycondensing the solid reaction mixture to form a solid reaction mixture having a moisture level less than 50 ppm by weight. Then, mixing the solid reaction mixture with an appropriate reactive coupling agent in a melting and mixing extruder to couple and form the reaction mixture and form the final poly(hydroxy acid) polymer.

The present invention relates to macromolecular transition metal complexes, characterized by having the general formula (I), to the process for their preparation, and to bidentate and monodentate macroligands. The invention also refers to pharmaceutical compositions and medicaments containing said macromolecular transition metal complexes, and to the use of said pharmaceutical compositions, medicaments and macromolecular transition metal complexes for cancer therapy and/or cancer prevention, as antitumor agent in solid tumors, liquid tumors and/or metastases and/or as radiosensitizer agents.

The present invention relates to a cosmetic composition comprising a) one or more polyhydroxyalkanoate (PH A) copolymers which contain, and preferably consist of, at least two different repeating polymer units chosen from the units (A) and (B) below, and also the optical or geometrical isomers thereof, the organic or mineral acid or base salts thereof, and the solvates thereof such as hydrates: -[-0-CH(R.sup.1)—CH.sub.2—C(0)-]- unit (A) -[-0-CH(R.sup.2)—CH.sub.2—C(0)-]- unit (B) in which polymer units (A) and (B): —R.sup.1 represents a hydrocarbon-based chain chosen from i) linear or branched (C.sub.5-C.sub.28)alkyl, ii) linear or branched (C.sub.6-C.sub.28)alkenyl, iii) linear or branched (C.sub.6-C.sub.28)alkynyl; preferably, the hydrocarbon-based group is linear; said hydrocarbon-based chain being optionally substituted and/or interrupted with atoms or groups as described in the description; —R.sup.2 represents a cyclic or non-cyclic, linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based group, comprising from 3 to 30 carbon atoms; b) a fatty medium comprising one or more fatty substances which are preferably liquid at 25° C. and at atmospheric pressure; it being understood that (A) is different from (B).

Embodiments described herein relate generally to compounds comprising allyl lactide residues. One aspect described herein relates generally to a compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, comprising allyl lactide residues and lactide residues, wherein the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is substantially free of valerolactone residues. Another aspect relates to a method of incorporating a drug into a compound, comprising: (i) providing a compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, comprising allyl lactide residues and lactide residues, wherein the compound or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is substantially free of valerolactone residues; (ii) incubating the compound and a drug in the presence of a solvent for an incubation period to form a drug-loaded compound; and (iii) separating the drug-loaded compound from the solvent.

Polylactide resins are branched by reaction with a mixture of a polyene compound and a cyclic peroxide. This branching method produces a product that has a very high polydispersity, a high branching number (B.sub.n) and excellent melt strength, without forming large amounts of gelled material. The branched polylactide resins are useful in many melt processing operations, in particular sheet and film extrusion, extrusion foaming, extrusion coating and fiber processing. They are characterized by easy processing and allow for broadened processing windows.

A macromolecule comprises a ring-opened polymerized product of β-lactone monomers of formula I:

##STR00001## and having a structure of formula IA:

##STR00002## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group having at least 8 carbon atoms. The macromolecule may be hydroxy-terminated, and may be copolymerized with other β-lactone monomers having different substituting groups and/or with higher lactone monomers. The macromolecule may be used as a reactant to form an alkoxysilane-terminated polymer, a polyurethane, or a (co)polyester, or may be used as an elastomeric midblock in a triblock copolymer having hard end blocks, such as polylactic acid. Such triblock systems demonstrate two discreet regions having properties similar to styrene block copolymers and are therefore suitable for use as hot melt or pressure-sensitive adhesives. In some embodiments, such triblock polymers may be entirely bio-sourced and compostable.