Skin Friction: Mechanical and Tribological Characterization of Different Papers Used in Everyday Life.

The coefficient of friction for different contacting materials against skin is mainly influenced by the nature of the materials (synthetic and natural fabrics), mechanical contact parameters (interfacial pressure and sliding velocities), and physiological skin conditions (ambient humidity and skin moisture content). In the present research work, seven different types of papers used in everyday life were analyzed. The physical properties of these materials were determined through tensile tests and friction tests. By comparing mechanical properties with coefficient of friction, it was possible to conclude that the coefficient of friction is strongly correlated with the mechanical properties.

Wear of Titanium Implant Platforms with Different Abutment Connections and Abutment Materials: A Pilot Study.

The most commonly used material in dental implants and their abutments is titanium. Zirconia is a more aesthetic alternative to titanium abutments; however, it is much harder. There are concerns that zirconia could damage the surface of the implant over time, especially in less stable connections. The aim was to evaluate the wear of implants with different platforms connected to titanium and zirconia abutments. A total of six implants were evaluated, two of each connection type: external hexagon, tri-channel, and conical connections (n = 2). Half of the implants were connected to zirconia abutments, and the other half to titanium abutments (n = 3). The implants were then cyclically loaded. The implant platforms were evaluated by digital superimposing micro CT files and calculating the area of the loss surface (wear). In all the implants, a statistically significant loss of the surface area (p = 0.028) was observed when comparing the area before and after cyclic loading. The average lost surface area was 0.38 mm2 with titanium abutments and 0.41 mm2 with zirconia abutments. The average lost surface area was 0.41 mm2 with the external hexagon, 0.38 mm2 with the tri-channel, and 0.40 mm2 with the conical connection. In conclusion, the cyclic loads induced implant wear. However, neither the type of abutment (p = 0.700) nor the connection (p = 0.718) influenced the amount of surface area lost.

Effect of Different Cavity Disinfectants on Adhesion to Dentin of Permanent Teeth.

After the elimination of dental caries lesions, some microorganisms may remain viable in the tooth structure. Thus, cavity disinfection is an important procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cavity disinfectants on the adhesion to dentin of permanent teeth. Sixty molars were ground flat and randomly assigned to six groups: control; chlorhexidine; Aloe vera; glutaraldehyde; EDTA; ethanol. Cavity disinfectants were applied, rinsed, and air-dried. The restorations were performed with the aid of polyethylene tubes. Shear bond strength, work to detachment, and shear modulus were evaluated. All data were statistically analyzed and the level of significance was set at 5%. The control group showed the lowest shear bond strength (8.34 ± 2.68 MPa). Aloe vera showed the lowest work to debonding (2284 J/m2) while chlorhexidine showed the highest (9347 J/m2). Regarding the shear modulus, ethanol, chlorhexidine, and EDTA presented similar values to the control group (216.11 kPa), and glutaraldehyde and Aloe vera presented values twice as high. The use of chlorhexidine, ethanol, EDTA, glutaraldehyde, and Aloe vera did not impair the adhesion established between the dentin of permanent teeth and composite resin. Even though there is a need for clinical studies to support these findings, all disinfectants seem to be good choices as pretreatment agents.

Mechanical and Tribological Characterization of WC-Co and WC-AISI 304 Composites by a Newly Developed Equipment.

Tungsten carbide-based composites are, in many cases, the materials of choice in applications requiring high wear resistance. In the present research work, the mechanical characterization of the WC-Co and WC-AISI 304 composites was carried out, with evaluation of the hardness and fracture toughness and tribological characterization of the composites that included the study of friction and wear rate coefficient through unlubricated sliding tests according to the Pin-on-Disc test method. It was possible to correlate the effect of the different binding phases on the mechanical and tribological properties of WC-based composites, and it can be concluded that the system composed by the tribological pair WC-AISI304/100Cr6 was the one that showed the lowest coefficient of friction while the tribological pair WC-Co/Al2O3 was the one that showed the lowest wear rate coefficient.

A study on the influence of prosthetic interface material in transtibial amputees' gait.

BACKGROUND: Interfaces of transtibial prosthesis have an important role in the transmission of ground reaction forces, damping gait loads and tissue protection. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to study the influence of prosthesis interfaces on amputees' gait and perception on pain, comfort and the overall interface/prosthesis system. METHODS: Commercial samples of three different interface materials were selected: block copolymer (Material I), silicone gel (Material II) and silicone elastomer (Material III). Using standardized prosthesis, four amputee subjects performed gait tests at three imposed cadences in a barometric platform. The subjects also filled in a questionnaire about their perception. RESULTS: Material II presented the highest asymmetries of vertical ground reaction forces and was perceived as the most painful and uncomfortable. Material III led to the most symmetric load distribution between legs and was perceived as the most comfortable. Material I showed better overall biomechanical behavior and better subject's perception. CONCLUSIONS: Material III showed appropriate characteristics for lower levels of activity for which it is recommended. Prescription of Material II should be rethought, as it is only adequate for specific and occasional situations. Material I should be considered adequate for both active and less active amputees. When correlating the subjects' perception with the interface properties, we concluded that the mechanical properties are the most influential.

Interfacial biomechanical properties of a dual acid-etched versus a chemically modified hydrophilic dual acid-etched implant surface: an experimental study in Beagles.

BACKGROUND: The high survival clinical success rates of osseointegration are requisites for establishing a long-term biomechanical fixation and load-bearing potential of endosseous oral implants. The objective of this preclinical animal study was to evaluate the effect of surface microtopography and chemistry on the early stages of biomechanical rigidity with a sandblasted, dual acid-etched surface, with or without an additional chemical modification (SAE-HD and SAE, respectively), in the tibia of Beagle dogs. METHODS: Two pairs of implants, with the same macrogeometry but different surface technology ((a) dual acid-etched surface treatment with hydrochloric and sulfuric acid followed by microwave treatment and insertion in isotonic saline solution to increase hydrophilicity (SAE-HD) (test, n = 12) and (b) dual acid-etched surface (SAE) (control, n = 12)), were installed bilaterally in the proximal tibia of six Beagle dogs. In order to determine the effect of surface modification on biomechanical fixation, a test protocol was established to assess the torque and a complete set of intrinsic properties. Maximum removal torque (in N cm) was the primary outcome measure, while connection stiffness (N cm/rad) and removal energy (× 10-2J) were the secondary outcome measures and were assessed after 2 and 4 weeks in vivo. A general linear statistical model was used and performed for significant differences with the one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: The removal torque values did not reveal significant statistical differences between SAE-HD and SAE implants at any observation times (P = 0.06). Although a slight increase over time could be observed in both test and control groups. SAE-HD showed higher removal energy at 4 weeks (999.35 ± 924.94 × 10- 2 J) compared to that at 2 weeks (421.94 ± 450.58 × 10- 2 J), while SAE displayed lower values at the respective healing periods (P = 0.16). Regarding connection stiffness, there were no significant statistical differences neither within the groups nor over time. There was a strong, positive monotonic correlation between removal torque and removal energy (=0.722, n = 19, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, no significant differences were observed between the specific hydrophilic (SAE-HD) and hydrophobic (SAE) surfaces evaluated, in terms of biomechanical properties during the early osseointegration period.

Sphere-plane methodology to evaluate the wear of titanium of dental implants: a research proposal.

OBJECTIVE: Titanium is the most commonly used material to manufacture dental implants and abutments. Recently, zirconia abutments have been manufactured with better aesthetic properties. However, zirconia abutments are harder than titanium implants; therefore, they could wear the implant surface. Therefore, this article aims to describe a sphere-plane system that can be used to assess the wear that different abutment materials cause in the titanium of dental implants when submitted to cyclic loading. This method can be used to simulate the oral cavity, where the abutment (sphere) applies loads onto the implant (titanium plane). The spheres were made of different materials (titanium and zirconia), and the specimens were loaded for 4,000,000 cycles. The scar size and area on titanium planes were measured with stereoscopic images and analysed through profilometry. RESULTS: The wear of titanium planes was similar when tested against zirconia or titanium spheres. The sphere-plane system is a method that can be used to evaluate and quantify the wear of the titanium of dental implants, and compared with methods that use real implants, this system is simpler and less expensive. This method could facilitate further research to evaluate the wear of titanium against different materials and under different testing conditions.

Roughness and microhardness of composites after different bleaching techniques.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the roughness and microhardness of SonicFill™ (Kerr), and compare it with Filtek™ Supreme XTE (3M ESPE) after 2 bleaching regimens. METHODS: Sixty cylindrical specimens (10 × 2 mm) of each of the 2 composites were prepared and divided into 6 groups (n = 20): groups 1, 2: no treatment; groups 3, 4: 10% carbamide peroxide (CP); and groups 5, 6: 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP) plus LED. After treatments, specimens were thermocycled (500 cycles, 5 °C/55 °C, dwell time 30 minutes). A mechanical roughness tester was employed to measure the surface roughness parameters and the Vickers test to measure microhardness. One-way ANOVA, Tukey and Bonferroni methods with a significance level of 5% were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: For SonicFill™, there was no statistically significant difference in microhardness between the control group (no. 1) and the bleached groups (nos. 3, 5), but there was difference between CP and HP treatments; for Filtek™ Supreme XTE, there was no significant difference in microhardness among all groups. There was no significant difference in average roughness (Ra) and the root mean square of the roughness (Rq) among all groups. The mean roughness depth (Rz) parameter showed no statistically significant differences among all groups for SonicFill™, but in Filtek™ Supreme XTE, there was a significant increase between control and bleaching treatments; roughness skewness (Rsk) showed no statistically significant differences among all groups for SonicFill™ and Filtek™ Supreme XTE, except for nos. 2 and 4, where the Rsk increased with CP. CONCLUSIONS: The microhardness of Filtek™ Supreme XTE is less affected by bleaching than that of SonicFill™. Both bleaching treatments affect Rz in Filtek™ Supreme XTE in contrast to SonicFill™, but only the CP treatment affects the Rsk of Filtek™ Supreme XTE, with no significant effect of SonicFill™.

Mixed protein carriers for modulating DNA release.

Aqueous mixtures of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes undergo associative phase separation, resulting in coacervation, gelation, or precipitation. This phenomenon has been exploited in forming DNA gel particles by interfacial diffusion. We report here the formation of DNA gel particles by mixing solutions of double-stranded DNA with aqueous solutions containing two cationic proteins, lysozyme and protamine sulfate. The effect of the lysozyme/protamine ratio on the degree of DNA entrapment, surface morphology, swelling-deswelling behavior, and kinetics of DNA release has been investigated. By mixing the two proteins, we obtain particles that display higher loading efficiency and loading capacity values, in comparison to those obtained in single-protein systems. Examination of the release profiles has shown that in mixed protein particles, complex, dual-stage release kinetics is obtained. The overall release profile is dependent on the lysozyme/protamine ratio. The obtained profiles, or segments of them, are accuratelly fitted using the zero-order and first-order models, and the Weibull function. Fluorescence microscopy studies have suggested that the formation of these particles is associated with the conservation of the secondary structure of DNA. This study presents a new platform for controlled release of DNA from DNA gel particles formed by interfacial diffusion.