Biomatter最新文献

High failure rates of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (Co-Cr-Mo) metal-on-metal hip prosthesis were reported by various authors, probably due to the alloy's limited hardness and tribological properties. This thus caused the popularity of the alloy in metal-on-metal hip replacements to decrease due to its poor wear properties when compared with other systems such as ceramic-on-ceramic. S-phase surface engineering has become an industry standard when citing surface hardening of austenitic stainless steels. This hardening process allows the austenitic stainless steel to retain its corrosion resistance, while at the same time also improving its hardness and wear resistance. By coupling S-phase surface engineering, using the proprietary Kolsterising(®) treatment from Bodycote Hardiff GmbH, that is currently being used mainly on stainless steel, with Co-Cr-Mo alloys, an improvement in hardness and tribological characteristics is predicted. The objective of this paper is to analyze the biocompatibility of a Kolsterised(®) Co-Cr-Mo alloy, and to characterize the material surface in order to show the advantages gained by using the Kolsterised(®) material relative to the original untreated alloy, and other materials. This work has been performed on 3 fronts including; Material characterization, "In-vitro" corrosion testing, and Biological testing conforming to BS EN ISO 10993-18:2009 - Biological evaluation of medical devices. Using these techniques, the Kolsterised(®) cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys were found to have good biocompatibility and an augmented corrosion resistance when compared with the untreated alloy. The Kolsterised(®) samples also showed a 150% increase in surface hardness over the untreated material thus predicting better wear properties.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were successfully entrapped in polyethylene oxide (PEO) core /polycaprolactone (PCL) shell electrospun fibers thus creating a "bioactive fiber." The viability and release of biomolecules from the entrapped cells in the bioactive fibers were characterized. A key modification to the core solution was the inclusion of 50% fetal bovine serum (FBS), which improved cell viability substantially. The fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining revealed that the entrapped cells were intact and viable immediately after the electrospinning process. A long-term cell viability assay using AlamarBlue® showed that cells were viable for over two weeks. Secreted Interleukin-8 (IL-8) was monitored as a candidate released protein, which can also act as an indicator of HUVEC stress. These results demonstrated that HUVECs could be entrapped within the electrospun scaffold with the potential of controllable cell deposition and the creation of a bioactive fibrous scaffold with extended functionality.

The adherence of Platinum thin film on Si/SiO 2 wafer was studies using Chromium, Titanium or Alumina (Cr, Ti, Al 2O 3) as interlayer. The adhesion of Pt is a fundamental property in different areas, for example in MEMS devices, which operate at high temperature conditions, as well as in biomedical applications, where the problem of adhesion of a Pt film to the substrate is known as a major challenge in several industrial applications health and in biomedical devices, such as for example in the stents. (1)(-) (4) We investigated the properties of Chromium, Titanium, and Alumina (Cr, Ti, and Al 2O 3) used as adhesion layers of Platinum (Pt) electrode. Thin films of Chromium, Titanium and Alumina were deposited on Silicon/Silicon dioxide (Si/SiO 2) wafer by electron beam. We introduced Al 2O 3 as a new adhesion layer to test the behavior of the Pt film at higher temperature using a ceramic adhesion thin film. Electric behaviors were measured for different annealing temperatures to know the performance for Cr/Pt, Ti/Pt, and Al 2O 3/Pt metallic film in the gas sensor application. All these metal layers showed a good adhesion onto Si/SiO 2 and also good Au wire bondability at room temperature, but for higher temperature than 400 °C the thin Cr/Pt and Ti/Pt films showed poor adhesion due to the atomic inter-diffusion between Platinum and the metal adhesion layers. (5) The proposed Al 2O 3/Pt ceramic-metal layers confirmed a better adherence for the higher temperatures tested.

We investigated the potential use of 3D hybrid membrane: poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) mesh using rotary jet spinning with subsequent chitosan (CH) coating. The morphological examinations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were proved the efficiency of this technique on obtaining relative homogeneous PCL fiber mats (15,49±4,1µm), with high surface porosity (1,06±0,41µm) and effective CH coating. The feasibility of rotary jet spinning allowed the solvent evaporation during the process; this fact was verified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), indeed also had verified changes in thermal properties on the hybrid membrane, since the present of CH. It was investigated the mechanical properties of the hybrid membrane and CH film, the data were that the samples presents good tensile modulus but low strain at the break. In addition, it was verified the biocompatibility properties in vitro using Vero cells. PCL mesh demonstrated cells more spread vastly in the pore surface, with attachments in between fibers indicating the potential for cell adhesion. The films samples (CH and hybrid membrane) resulted in a cells layer on the surfaces with an intense staining (metachromasy), which is the result of cells more active. The cell counting -5 days of culture- and the MTT assay -21 days of culture- demonstrated that the materials tested proved to be different from the positive control and equal to each other and this fact, in our view, this indicates a satisfactory proliferation. Thus, based on the results here, this novel hybrid membrane provides an attractive material for tissue engineering applications.

Biomaterials capable of delivering controlled quantities of bioactive agents, while maintaining mechanical integrity, are needed for a variety of cell contacting applications. We describe here a nanotemplating strategy toward porous, polyelectrolyte-based thin films capable of controlled biomolecular loading and release. Films are formed via the layer-by-layer assembly of charged polymers and nanoparticles (NP), then chemically cross-linked to increase mechanical rigidity and stability, and finally exposed to tetrahydrofuran to dissolve the NP and create an intra-film porous network. We report here on the loading and release of the growth factor bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), and the influence of BMP-2 loaded films on contacting murine C2C12 myoblasts. We observe nanotemplating to enable stable BMP-2 loading throughout the thickness of the film, and find the nanotemplated film to exhibit comparable cell adhesion, and enhanced cell differentiation, compared with a non-porous cross-linked film (where BMP-2 loading is mainly confined to the film surface).

Thermoplastic biodegradable polymers displaying elastomeric behavior and mechanical consistency are greatly appreciated for the regeneration of soft tissues and for various medical devices. However, while the selection of a suitable base material is determined by mechanical and biodegradation considerations, it is the surface properties of the biomaterial that are responsible for the biological response. In order to improve the interaction with cells and modulate their behavior, biologically active molecules can be incorporated onto the surface of the material. With this aim, the surface of a lactide and caprolactone based biodegradable elastomeric terpolymer was modified in two stages. First, the biodegradable polymer surface was aminated by atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and second a crosslinker was grafted in order to covalently bind the biomolecule. In this study, albumin was used as a model protein. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), albumin was efficiently immobilized on the surface of the terpolymer, the degree of albumin surface coverage (ΓBSA) reached ~35%. Moreover, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) studies showed that the hydrolytic degradation kinetic of the synthesized polymer was slightly delayed when albumin was grafted. However, the degradation process in the bulk of the material was unaffected, as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. Furthermore, XPS analyses showed that the protein was still present on the surface after 28 days of degradation, meaning that the surface modification was stable, and that there had been enough time for the biological environment to interact with the modified material.

The swelling of air-dried single trabeculae from human femur heads was obtained by complete immersion in water and the dimensional changes of the samples were measured over time. The experimental results were analyzed under the viewpoint of the diffusion through a porous material. The dimensional changes of the single trabeculae were 0.26 ± 0.15 percent (length), 0.45 ± 0.25 percent (width) and 1.86 ± 0.97 percent (thickness). The diffusion coefficients were then calculated from the swelling recorded over time and a value of (4.12 ± 0.8) x 10(-10)(m (2)s(-1)) (mean ± standard deviation) was found.   Since the dimensional variations of the specimens is due to the swelling of the collagen bone matrix, this technique could offer new insights for (1) a selective characterization of bone microstructure at the collagen matrix level and (2) the dynamics of diffusion through bone tissue.

To investigate and assess bone regeneration in sheep in combination with new implant materials classical histological staining methods as well as immunohistochemistry may provide additional information to standard radiographs or computer tomography. Available published data of bone defect regenerations in sheep often present none or sparely labeled histological images. Repeatedly, the exact location of the sample remains unclear, detail enlargements are missing and the labeling of different tissues or cells is absent. The aim of this article is to present an overview of sample preparation, staining methods and their benefits as well as a detailed histological description of bone regeneration in the sheep tibia. General histological staining methods like hematoxylin and eosin, Masson-Goldner trichrome, Movat's pentachrome and alcian blue were used to define new bone formation within a sheep tibia critical size defect containing a polycaprolactone-co-lactide (PCL) scaffold implanted for 3 months (n = 4). Special attention was drawn to describe the bone healing patterns down to cell level. Additionally one histological quantification method and immunohistochemical staining methods are described.

The morphology of thin films has been extensively studied in the last years. The properties of a thin film are closely related to its microstructure, especially to its morphology and surface roughness. Optical reflectivity, conductivity, and porosity are characteristics that depend on the film structure. The knowledge of atomistic details of the thin film growth process is useful for the development of new techniques and the control of thin films and new materials. Models of growth process are very powerful tools that can help researchers to predict and control physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. In this work we briefly summarize the theoretical models that have been used in the studies of thin films growth. By describing the deposition process of atoms/molecules on the surface of the substrate, one can study the evolution of the bulk and the surface roughness of a thin film. If an experimental growth process is appropriately described by a theoretical model (or even a combination of one or more different models), it can also provide indications to control the surface roughness and porosity of the film. Controlling the growth process one can obtain materials with a set of desired properties, namely tribological, porosity, and electrical ones. These characteristics are necessary for example, for hosting a solid lubricant on the surface of the material. We believe that the models presented in this work can be very useful in understanding the mechanisms of control and adherence of electrodeposited films which are commonly used in medical applications such as stent devices. We also believe that the models can be helpful to the understanding surface problems related to the superficial defects in stents.