Reduced fibroblast adhesion and proliferation on plasma-modified titanium surfaces

Soft tissue complications are clinically relevant problems after osteosynthesis of fractures. The goal is to develop a method for reduction of fibroblast adhesion and proliferation on titanium implant surfaces by plasma polymerisation of the organo-silicon monomer hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO). HMDSO was deposited under continuous wave conditions in excess oxygen (ppHMDSO surface) and selected samples were further modified with an additional oxygen plasma (ppHMDSO + O₂ surface). Surface characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, water contact angle measurements, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In our experimental setup the mechanical properties, roughness and topography of the titanium were preserved, while surface chemistry was drastically changed. Fibroblast proliferation was assessed by alamarBlue assay, cell morphology by confocal microscopy visualization of eGFP-transducted fibroblasts, and cell viability by Annexine V/propidium iodide assay. Both modified surfaces, non-activated hydrophobic ppHMDSO and activated hydrophilic ppHMDSO + O₂ were able to dramatically reduce fibroblast colonization and proliferation compared to standard titanium. However, this effect was more strongly pronounced on the hydrophobic ppHMDSO surface, which caused reduced cell adhesion and prevented proliferation of fibroblasts. The results demonstrate that plasma modifications of titanium using HMDSO are valuable candidates for future developments in anti-adhesive and anti-proliferative coatings for titanium fracture implants.     

Maastricht essential fatty acid birth cohort

The Maastricht Essential Fatty Acid Birth cohort (MEFAB) was established in 1989 to study the changes in fatty acid concentration during pregnancy and how this related to the fatty acid concentrations of the neonate. The original sample contains data of 1203 subjects. Some participants whom participated in the original MEFAB study also participated in follow‐up studies at age 4, 7 or 12; 41%, 52% and 35% of eligible participants, respectively. Collected data include maternal fatty acid concentrations at multiple points during pregnancy and at birth and at age 7 for the child, but also anthropometric measurements during development, assessments of cognitive development, asthma, atopy and cardiovascular risk factors. Data of MEFAB have been used in 37 articles in peer‐reviewed journals and 4 doctoral theses have been completed. Data of MEFAB is upon request available for new research questions.     

Use of crosslinking agent to produce high-performance PLA/EVA blends via reactive processing

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most currently investigated polymers due to its production from renewable sources and biodegradability. Being a brittle polymer, PLA has low toughness, limiting its use for commercial applications. Therefore, the present work aims to produce PLA blends, using the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), dynamically vulcanized with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a crosslinking agent. A 70/30 mixture of PLA/EVA was produced with 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 phr DCP. The produced blends were characterized by torque rheometry, melt flow index (MFI), gel content, thermogravimetry (TG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Tensile properties, impact strength, heat deflection temperature (HDT), and blends morphologies (SEM) were also studied. The presence of increased dynamically vulcanized systems with added DCP was verified through torque rheometry, MFI, and gel content. Substantial increases in the impact strength and elongation at break were observed in PLA/EVA/DCP, providing super-tough materials at 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 phr of DCP, with impact strengths of 829.5, 860.3, and 890.2 J/m and elongation at break of 138.5, 146.8, and 120.4%, respectively. These results are promising when compared with engineering polymers and blends. This is probably due to in situ compatibilizer PLA-g-EVA, which resulted in a homogeneous morphology as evidenced by SEM images.     

双光路凹型光耦合阵列式液体样本传感系统

介绍一种新型的基于光学传感阵列的双光路凹型光耦合阵列式液体样本传感系统的研制思路和实现方法.并分别给出了利用该系统和光谱分析仪进行溴甲酚绿溶液pH值测量的对比结果,实验结果验证了分析方法的可行性.     

Oxidation products of stigmasterol interfere with the action of the female sex hormone 17beta-estradiol in cultured human breast and endometrium cell lines

Phytosterols are constituents of plant membranes and are thus contained in low concentrations in vegetable products as well as at high concentrations in functional food designed to reduce serum cholesterol levels. Similar to ChOL, phytosterols are oxidized chemically in food and by biotransformation in vivo. Although oxyphytosterols have been detected in the serum of healthy human subjects, little is known of their biological activity. Therefore, the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities of a mixture of six oxidation products of stigmasterol (oxy-StOL) were determined at the following endpoints: (i) the affinity to isolated human estrogen receptors (ER), (ii) the basal and 17beta-estradiol (E2)-induced expression of the alkaline phosphatase (AlP) in human endometrial adenocarcinoma (Ishikawa) cells, and (iii) the basal and E2-induced proliferation of human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells. Oxy-StOL was able to replace E2 from human ERalpha and ERbeta and induced a weak estrogenic response in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, the E2-induced activity of the AlP in Ishikawa cells as well as the E2-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells were decreased at noncytotoxic concentrations (up to 10 microM), indicating that at least one component of oxy-StOL represents an estrogen-active compound which might interfere with endogenous estrogens.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers vs alternate brominated flame retardants and Dechloranes from East Asia to the Arctic

Marine boundary layer air and seawater samples taken during a polar expedition cruise from East China Sea to the Arctic were analyzed in order to compare the occurrence, distribution, and fate of the banned polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with their brominated alternatives as well as the chlorinated Dechloranes. The sum of PBDEs (∑(10)PBDEs) in the atmosphere ranged from 0.07 to 8.1 pg m(-3) with BDE-209 being the dominating congener and from not detected (n.d.) to 0.6 pg L(-1) in seawater. Alternate brominated flame retardants (BFRs), especially hexabromobenzene (HBB), (2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE), pentabromotoluene (PBT), 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB), bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), were detected in higher concentrations than PBDEs, even in the high Arctic (0.6 to 15.4 pg m(-3) for sum of alternate BFRs), indicating the change of PBDEs toward alternate BFRs in the environmental predominance. In addition, Dechlorane Plus (DP) as well as Dechlorane 602, 603, and 604 were detected both in the atmosphere and in seawater. The highest concentrations as well as the highest compound variability were observed in East Asian samples suggesting the Asian continent as source of these compounds in the marine environment. The air-seawater exchange indicates strong deposition, especially of alternate BFRs, as well as dry particle-bound deposition of BDE-209 into the ocean.     

STM investigation of the growth structure of Cu-phthalocyanine films with submolecular resolution

In this study Cu-phthalocyanine (CuPc) films have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy to get quantitative insight into the morphology of the films from the micrometer range down to nanometer resolution to see the arrangement of the molecules. The molecules on the surface have been found to be arranged in a slipped stacking order rather than in the expected zig-zag orientation normally found for CuPc crystals. The cystal structure could be identified to be an α-polymorph. The STM image of the individual molecules on the surface is in good agreement with calculations of the charge density of the LUMO for an isolated molecule. A model for the growth of the crystals was derived from this study.     

Nanoscale properties of polymer fuel cell materials—A selected review

The properties of the components of a membrane electrode assembly in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) determine its efficiency and performance. This paper aims at demonstrating the importance of nanoscale properties of PEFC membranes and electrodes and discussing the information obtained by various experimental techniques. The nanostructure and conductivity of freshly prepared as well as artificially degraded Nafion membranes and Pt/C electrodes are investigated by contact atomic force microscopy (AFM), conductive AFM, pulsed force mode (PFM)‐AFM, in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), and scanning electron microscopy. The different techniques can provide complementary information on structure and conductivity. With in situ STM on Pt catalyst covered graphite, a layer of very small Pt particles between the catalyst particles is imaged, which is probably not visible with TEM and can explain a systematic discrepancy between TEM and XRD in particle size distribution. Conductive AFM is used to investigate the conductivity of Nafion. The images show a quite inhomogeneous distribution of current at the surface. The percentage of conductive surface increases with humidity, but regions without any current still present up to 80% of relative humidity (RH). Comparison with PFM‐AFM images, where differences in adhesion forces are measured, indicates that hydrophobic regions are present at the surface with comparable dimensions, which are attributed to non‐conductive PTFE‐like polymer backbone. The changes in hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts after artificial degradation by plasma etching in air plasma can be imaged by PFM. High‐resolution current images of the membrane were used to directly compare the measured nanostructure of the single conductive channels with model predictions from the literature. Recent models in the literature propose the formation of water‐filled inverted micelles, with a mean diameter of 2.4 nm, and their agglomeration into clusters agrees well with the current images. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.