Site-Selective Photosynthesis of Ag-AgCl@Au Nanomushrooms for NIR-II Light-Driven O2- and O2•--Evolving Synergistic Photothermal Therapy against Deep Hypoxic Tumors.

Light-driven endogenous water oxidation has been considered as an attractive and desirable way to obtain O2 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. However, the use of a second near-infrared (NIR-II) light to achieve endogenous H2O oxidation to alleviate tumor hypoxia and realize deep hypoxic tumor phototherapy is still a challenge. Herein, novel plasmonic Ag-AgCl@Au core-shell nanomushrooms (NMs) were synthesized by the selective photodeposition of plasmonic Au at the bulge sites of the Ag-AgCl nanocubes (NCs) under visible light irradiation. Upon NIR-II light irradiation, the resulting Ag-AgCl@Au NMs could oxidize endogenous H2O to produce O2 to alleviate tumor hypoxia. Almost synchronously, O2 could react with electrons on the conduction band of the AgCl core to generate superoxide radicals (O2•-)for photodynamic therapy. Moreover, Ag-AgCl@Au NMs with an excellent photothermal performance could further promote the phototherapy effect. In vitro and in vivo experimental results show that the resulting Ag-AgCl@Au NMs could significantly improve tumor hypoxia and enhance phototherapy against a hypoxic tumor. The present study provides a new strategy to design H2O-activatable, O2- and ROS-evolving NIR II light-response nanoagents for the highly efficient and synergistic treatment of deep O2-deprived tumor tissue.

Carbon quantum Dot@Silver nanocomposite-based fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion.

Silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-coated carbon quantum dot (CQD) core-shell-structured nanocomposites (CQD@Ag NCs) were developed for fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion (O2•-). The morphology of CQD@Ag NCs was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the composition was characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. CQDs display blue fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima at 360/440 nm, and the fluorescence was quenched by Ag NPs in CQD@Ag NCs. In the presence of O2•-, Ag NPs were oxide-etched and the fluorescence of CQDs was recovered. A linearity between the relative fluorescence intensity and O2•- solution concentration within the range 0.6 to 1.6 µM was found, with a detection limit of 0.3 µM. Due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, and low cytotoxicity, the as-synthesized CQD@Ag NCs have been successfully applied for imaging of O2•- in MCF-7 cells during the whole process of autophagy induced by serum starvation. In our perception, the developed method provides a cost-effective, sensitive, and selective tool in bioimaging and monitoring of intracellular O2•- changes, and is promising for potential biological applications. Graphical abstract Illustration of the synthesis of carbon quantum Dot@Silver nanocomposites (CQD@Ag NCs), and CQD@Ag NCs as a "turn-on" nanoprobe for fluorescent imaging of intracellular superoxide anion.

NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag nanowire hybrid nanocomposite for multifunctional upconversion emission, optical imaging, MRI and CT imaging applications.

The effect of novel silver nanowire encapsulated NaGdF4:Yb,Er hybrid nanocomposite on the upconversion emission and bioimaging properties has been investigated. The upconvension nanomaterials were synthesised by polyol method in the presence of ethylene glycol, PVP and ethylenediamine. The NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag hybrid was formed with upconverting NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanoparticles of size ~ 80 nm and silver nanowires of thickness ~ 30 nm. The surface plasmon induced by the silver ion in the NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag nanocomposite resulted an intense upconversion green emission at 520 nm and red emission at 660 nm by NIR diode laser excitation at 980 nm wavelength. The UV-Vis-NIR spectral absorption at 440 nm and 980 nm, the intense Raman vibrational modes and the strong upconversion emission results altogether confirm the localised surface plasmon resonance effect of silver ion in the hybrid nanocomposite. MRI study of both NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanoparticle and NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag nanocomposite revealed the T1 relaxivities of 22.13 and 10.39 mM-1 s-1, which are larger than the commercial Gd-DOTA contrast agent of 3.08 mM-1 s-1. CT imaging NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag and NaGdF4:Yb,Er respectively showed the values of 53.29 HU L/g and 39.51 HU L/g, which are higher than 25.78 HU L/g of the CT contrast agent Iobitridol. The NaGdF4:Yb,Er and NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag respectively demonstrated a negative zeta potential of 54 mV and 55 mV, that could be useful for biological application. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the NaGdF4:Yb,Er tested in HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell line by MTT assay demonstrated a cell viability of 90 and 80 %, respectively. But, the cell viability of NaGdF4:Yb,Er-Ag slightly decreased to 80 and 78%. The confocal microscopy imaging showed that the UCNPs are effectively up-taken inside the nucleolus of the cancer cells, and it might be useful for NIR laser-assisted phototherapy for cancer treatment. Graphical abstract.

Ageing alters the physicochemical properties of silver nanoparticles and consequently compromises their acute toxicity in mammals.

Despite numerous investigations into AgNP-induced toxicity, little has been taken into consideration the potential health impacts of aged AgNPs in comparison to fresh AgNPs. In the current study, we scrutinized the potential effects of aged AgNPs in animals. We first found that AgNPs underwent morphological transformations after natural ageing in aqueous solution upon exposure to air and sunlight for 9 days, as characterized by significant aggregation with increase of particle size approximately by 2 fold. Meanwhile, dissolved Ag ions from aged AgNPs increased by 33% compared to fresh AgNPs. Strikingly, the acute exposure results showed that aged AgNPs induced lower toxicity in mice relative to fresh AgNPs. Aged AgNPs caused milder local inflammation in the peritoneal cavity of mice, as evidenced by 63% reduction of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) than that induced by fresh AgNPs. The deposition mass of aged AgNPs in the liver, spleen, lung and kidney was diminished by 69%, 39%, 83% and 40%, respectively, compared to the distribution profiles in response to fresh AgNPs. Whereby, milder splenic hyperemia was observed, and no significant hepatoxicity was found. Additionally, aged AgNPs provoked milder increase of periphery leukocytes and malondialdehyde (MDA) in mice in comparison to fresh AgNPs. Taken together, this study unraveled that the ageing process elicited remarkable alterations to physicochemical properties and toxic effects as well. This study would provide new insights into the potential health impacts of AgNPs under transformation-determined exposure scenarios.

Study of the intracellular nanoparticle-based radiosensitization mechanisms in F98 glioma cells treated with charged particle therapy through synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy.

The use of nanoparticles (NP) as dose enhancers in radiotherapy (RT) is a growing research field. Recently, the use of NP has been extended to charged particle therapy in order to improve the performance in radioresistant tumors. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the synergistic effects involved in NP-RT approaches are not clearly understood. Here, we used the capabilities of synchrotron-based Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy (SR-FTIRM) as a bio-analytical tool to elucidate the NP-induced cellular damage at the molecular level and at a single-cell scale. F98 glioma cells doped with AuNP and GdNP were irradiated using several types of medical ion beams (proton, helium, carbon and oxygen). Differences in cell composition were analyzed in the nucleic acids, protein and lipid spectral regions using multivariate methods (Principal Component Analysis, PCA). Several NP-induced cellular modifications were detected, such as conformational changes in secondary protein structures, intensity variations in the lipid CHx stretching bands, as well as complex DNA rearrangements following charged particle therapy irradiations. These spectral features seem to be correlated with the already shown enhancement both in the DNA damage response and in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by the NP, which causes cell damage in the form of protein, lipid, and/or DNA oxidations. Vibrational features were NP-dependent due to the NP heterogeneous radiosensitization capability. Our results provided new insights into the molecular changes in response to NP-based RT treatments using ion beams, and highlighted the relevance of SR-FTIRM as a useful and precise technique for assessing cell response to innovative radiotherapy approaches.

In Situ Generated Plasmonic Silver Nanoparticle-Sensitized Amorphous Titanium Dioxide for Ultrasensitive Photoelectrochemical Sensing of Formaldehyde.

Trace concentration of formaldehyde can damage human health and environment. Consequently, it is of great significance to develop an ultrasensitive sensor for its determination. Herein, an ingenious and efficient photoelectrochemical sensor for formaldehyde was constructed by amorphous TiO2 hollow spheres incorporated with Ag+ ions, which were brought about by silica template etching and then the exchange of Ag+/Na+ ions. The amorphous TiO2 acted the dual role of Ag+ ion probe carriers and photoelectric materials. Upon exposure to the increased concentration of formaldehyde, the Ag nanoparticles were produced in situ, and photocurrent amplification was then achieved in a proportional manner. It is attributed to the injection of hot electrons from plasmonic Ag nanoparticles into the conduction band of amorphous titanium dioxide and therefore enhanced the photocurrent. The linear relationship between 1 and 400 pmol L-1 resulted from the enhanced photocurrent and increased concentration of formaldehyde, and the detection limit was 0.4 pmol L-1. Benefiting from an in situ and unique sensitization strategy, this photoelectrochemical sensor exhibited many advantages such as sensitivity, selectivity, cost-effectiveness, convenience of fabrication, low power consumption, and stability.

Ag Nanoparticles/α-Ag2WO4 Composite Formed by Electron Beam and Femtosecond Irradiation as Potent Antifungal and Antitumor Agents.

The ability to manipulate the structure and function of promising systems via external stimuli is emerging with the development of reconfigurable and programmable multifunctional materials. Increasing antifungal and antitumor activity requires novel, effective treatments to be diligently sought. In this work, the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro biological screening of pure α-Ag2WO4, irradiated with electrons and with non-focused and focused femtosecond laser beams are reported. We demonstrate, for the first time, that Ag nanoparticles/α-Ag2WO4 composite displays potent antifungal and antitumor activity. This composite had an extreme low inhibition concentration against Candida albicans, cause the modulation of α-Ag2WO4 perform the fungicidal activity more efficient. For tumor activity, it was found that the composite showed a high selectivity against the cancer cells (MB49), thus depleting the populations of cancer cells by necrosis and apoptosis, without the healthy cells (BALB/3T3) being affected.

Turn-on fluorescence detection of cysteine with glutathione protected silver nanoclusters.

In this work, we report a sensitive and selective turn-on fluorescence detection of cysteine with glutathione protected silver nanoclusters (GSH-Ag NCs). The glutathione stabilized silver nanoclusters were synthesized by the boiling water method. When excited at 380 nm, the GSH-Ag NCs exhibited a weak emission at about 680 nm, which could be enhanced by cysteine. The proposed method allows evaluation of cysteine in the range of 2-3000 µM with a detection limit of 0.51 µM. The recoveries were found to be 95.07%-101.38% when detecting cysteine contents in fetal bovine serum samples. In addition, we also discussed the possible mechanism for the fluorescence enhancement of GSH-Ag NCs by addition of cysteine. It might be the formation of cysteine and glutathione co-capped Ag NCs. This work reported a fluorimetric method for the assay of cysteine and provided a strategy for the synthesis of dual ligand-protected Ag nanoclusters.

Nucleus and Mitochondria Targeting Theranostic Plasmonic Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Nanoprobes as a Means for Revealing Molecular Stress Response Differences in Hyperthermia Cell Death between Cancerous and Normal Cells.

Metallic plasmonic nanoparticles have been intensively exploited as theranostic nanoprobes for plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPT) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. But the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with PPT-induced apoptosis between cancerous and normal cells have remained largely unknown or disputed. In this study, we designed an organelle-targeting theranostic plasmonic SERS nanoprobe (CDs-Ag/Au NS) composed of porous Ag/Au nanoshell (p-Ag/Au NSs) and carbon dots (CDs) for nucleus and mitochondria targeted PPT of cells. The differences in molecular stress response in the PPT-induced hyperthermia cell death between cancerous HeLa and normal L929 and H8 cells have been revealed by site-specific single-cell SERS detection. The contents of tryptophan (Trp), phenylalanine (Phe), and tyrosine (Tyr) in HeLa cells were found more evidently increased than L929 and H8 cells during the PPT-induced cell-death process. And from the mitochondria point of view, we found that the PPT-induced cell apoptosis for HeLa cells mainly stems from (or is regulated through) cellular thermal stress-responsive proteins, while for L929 and H8 cells it seems more related to DNA. Understanding molecular stress response difference of the PPT-induced cell apoptosis between cancerous and normal cells is helpful for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and the method will open an avenue for single-cell studies.

Feasibility of silver doped TiO2/glass fiber photocatalyst under visible irradiation as an indoor air germicide.

This study investigated the feasibility of using Ag-TiO2 photocatalyst supported on glass fiber (Ag-TiO2/GF) prepared by a sol-gel method as an indoor air germicide. An experimental model was designed to investigate the bacterial disinfection efficiency of Staphylococcus (Staph), the most popular bacterium in hospitals in Korea, by the Ag-TiO2/GF photocatalyst. The silver content in Ag/TiO2 was altered from 1 to 10% to investigate the optimal ratio of Ag doped on TiO2/glass fiber (TiO2/GF) for photocatalytic disinfection of Staph. This study confirmed that Ag in Ag-TiO2/GF could work as an electron sink or donor to increase photocatalytic activity and promote the charge separation of electron-hole pairs generated from TiO2 after photon absorption. Ag also acts as an intermediate agent for the transfer of photo-generated electrons from the valence band of TiO2 to an acceptor (O2 gas) to promote photo-oxidation processes. The photocatalytic disinfection activity of Ag-TiO2/GF under visible light increased with the increase in silver content up to 7.5% and then slightly decreased with further increasing silver content. The highest disinfection efficiency and disinfection capacity of Staph using 7.5% Ag-TiO2/GF were 75.23% and 20 (CFU∙s-1∙cm-2) respectively. The medium level of humidity of 60% ± 5% showed better photocatalytic disinfection than the lower (40% ± 5%) or higher (80% ± 5%) levels.

Study on detecting spatial distribution of neutrons and gamma rays using a multi-imaging plate system.

In order to measure the spatial distributions of neutrons and gamma rays separately using the imaging plate, the requirement for the converter to enhance specific component was investigated with the PHITS code. Consequently, enhancing fast neutrons using recoil protons from epoxy resin was not effective due to high sensitivity of the imaging plate to gamma rays. However, the converter of epoxy resin doped with (10)B was found to have potential for thermal and epithermal neutrons, and graphite for gamma rays.

Highly dynamic PVP-coated silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments: chemical and morphology change induced by oxidation of Ag(0) and reduction of Ag(+).

The fast growing and abundant use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in commercial products alerts us to be cautious of their unknown health and environmental risks. Because of the inherent redox instability of silver, AgNPs are highly dynamic in the aquatic system, and the cycle of chemical oxidation of AgNPs to release Ag(+) and reconstitution to form AgNPs is expected to occur in aquatic environments. This study investigated how inevitable environmentally relevant factors like sunlight, dissolved organic matter (DOM), pH, Ca(2+)/Mg(2+), Cl(-), and S(2-) individually or in combination affect the chemical transformation of AgNPs. It was demonstrated that simulated sunlight induced the aggregation of AgNPs, causing particle fusion or self-assembly to form larger structures and aggregates. Meanwhile, AgNPs were significantly stabilized by DOM, indicating that AgNPs may exist as single particles and be suspended in natural water for a long time or delivered far distances. Dissolution (ion release) kinetics of AgNPs in sunlit DOM-rich water showed that dissolved Ag concentration increased gradually first and then suddenly decreased with external light irradiation, along with the regeneration of new tiny AgNPs. pH variation and addition of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) within environmental levels did not affect the tendency, showing that this phenomenon was general in real aquatic systems. Given that a great number of studies have proven the toxicity of dissolved Ag (commonly regarded as the source of AgNP toxicity) to many aquatic organisms, our finding that the effect of DOM and sunlight on AgNP dissolution can regulate AgNP toxicity under these conditions is important. The fact that the release of Ag(+) and regeneration of AgNPs could both happen in sunlit DOM-rich water implies that previous results of toxicity studies gained by focusing on the original nature of AgNPs should be reconsidered and highlights the necessity to monitor the fate and toxicity of AgNPs under more environmentally relevant conditions.

Surface-coating-dependent dissolution, aggregation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of silver nanoparticles under different irradiation conditions.

Dissolution, aggregation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation are three major processes that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) undergo in aqueous environments. In this study, the effects of AgNP surface coatings on these three processes were systematically evaluated under three irradiation conditions (UV-365, UV-254, and xenon lamp) to advance knowledge on the environmental fate and photochemical kinetics of AgNPs. The AgNPs used were (a) bare-AgNPs, (b) electrostatically stabilized citrate-AgNPs, and (c) sterically stabilized polyvinylpyrrolidone-AgNPs (PVP-AgNPs), and the light exposures greatly promoted the three processes. Both the 5-h released Ag(+) concentrations and the 2.5-h aggregation rate followed the order UV-365 > xenon lamp > UV-254 for all three types of AgNPs. For all irradiation conditions, the 5-h released Ag(+) concentration was highest for bare-AgNPs, followed by PVP-AgNPs and citrate-AgNPs; the 2.5-h aggregation rate was highest for bare-AgNPs, followed by citrate-AgNPs and PVP-AgNPs, which indicated that surface coating significantly determines the process kinetics of AgNPs. Under UV-365 irradiation, the bare-AgNPs generated superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, but the citrate-AgNPs yielded only superoxide radical, and the PVP-AgNPs did not generate any ROS. This study highlights the different fates and kinetic behaviors of AgNPs during photochemical interactions, providing important insight into the environmental implications of AgNP release.

Triglyceride-coated nanoparticles: skin toxicity and effect of UV/IR irradiation on them.

Triglyceride (TG) is an important compound on the skin, produced by sebaceous glands, and may change cytotoxicity of different nanoparticles. To date, there is no report about toxicity of nanoparticles coated with TG. On the other hand, the use of ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) with nanoparticles changes nanoparticle cytotoxicity. The combination of nanoparticles with UV or IR is applicable, because it may be used for treatment or detection of local cancers, surface microbial infections and other skin diseases. In this study, different nanoparticles including titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, silver, gold, and TG-coated form of these nanoparticles, were added to suspensions of Balb/c skin cells, and then incubated for 24h at 37°C. Additionally, TG-coated nanoparticles were treated with UV and IR irradiation for 1h. Different methods were applied for evaluation of cytotoxicity, including 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, cell metabolic assay, ATP assay, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation assay. This research showed that TG-coated nanoparticles had less LDH release and ROS generation with higher cell viability, cell metabolic activity, and ATP level, compared with pristine nanoparticles. In contrast, the combination of UV and IR with TG-coated nanoparticles led to higher LDH release and ROS generation with less cell viability, cell metabolic activity, and ATP level, in comparison with pristine nanoparticles. Overall, pristine metal nanoparticles without irradiation had higher cytotoxicity than metal oxide nanoparticles.

Liquid radiation detectors based on nanosilver surface plasmon resonance phenomena.

The rapid development of micro- and nanostructures containing silver nanoparticles is based on their unique physical properties. Despite the new applications of silver nanoparticles in nanomedicine are under heavy discussions, silver nanoparticles could be used in liquid radiation detectors thanks to the irradiation-induced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomena observed in the colloidal solutions. Silver nitrate (1 mM AgNO(3)) and sodium citrate (1 wt% and 5 wt% C(6)H(5)O(7)Na(3)) were used as precursors for the fabrication of colloidal solutions. Prepared solutions were exposed to gamma-rays from a (60)Co gamma therapy unit 'Rokus-M' to varying absorbed doses, from 2 to 250 Gy. A UV/VIS/NIR spectrometer (Avantes-2048) was used for the measurement of the optical properties (absorbance) of the silver solutions. It was found that an initial absorbed dose of 2 Gy induced the formation of spherical silver nanoparticles as it was indicated in the absorbance spectrum of the solution, which had a well-pronounced absorption maximum at the wavelength of 410 nm. There is a potential to measure absorbed doses down to around 20 mGy. The SPR peaks at the wavelengths of 500-700 nm were found at the highest investigated doses >100 Gy, indicating the presence of silver nanorods. The colour of colloidal solutions ranged from pale yellow to green and was dependent on the absorbed dose. The investigation has shown that density, size and shape of synthesised silver nanoparticles are dependent on the absorbed dose and that shape transformations of the particles due to irradiation are possible. Application of colloidal solutions containing silver nanoparticles for dosimetric purposes is discussed on the basis of the obtained results.

Radiation formation of colloidal silver particles in aqueous systems.

This paper reports on the formation of silver nanoparticles initiated by gamma and UV radiation in various aqueous solutions. Inorganic precursors were used for radiation and/or photochemical reduction of Ag(+) ions to a metallic form. The influence of various parameters on the nucleation and formation of colloid particles was studied. Attention was also focused on the composition of the irradiated solution. Aliphatic alcohols were used as scavengers of OH radicals and other oxidizing species. The influence of the stabilizers on the formation and stability of the nanoparticles was studied.

A new photothermal therapeutic agent: core-free nanostructured Au x Ag1-x dendrites.

A new class of Au(x)Ag(1-x) nanostructures with dendrite morphology and a hollow interior were synthesized by using a replacement reaction between Ag dendrites and an aqueous solution of HAuCl(4). The Ag nanostructured dendrites were generated by the reaction of AgNO(3) with ascorbic acid in a methanol/water system. The dendrites resemble a coral shape and are built up of many stems with an asymmetric arrangement. Each stem is approximately 400 nm in length and 65 nm in diameter. The bimetallic composition of Au(x)Ag(1-x) can be tuned by the addition of different amounts of HAuCl(4) to the Ag dendritic solution. The hollowing process resulted in tubular structures with a wall thickness of 10.5 nm in Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) dendrites. The UV/Vis spectra indicate that the strongest NIR absorption among the resulting hollow Au(x)Ag(1-x) dendrites was in Au(0.3)Ag(0.7). The MTT assay was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Ag dendrites, hollow Au(0.06)Ag(0.94) and Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) dendrites, and Au nanorods. It was found that hollow Au(0.06)Ag(0.94) and Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) dendrites exhibited good biocompatibility, while both Ag dendrites and Au nanorods showed dose-dependent toxicity. Because of absorption in the NIR region, hollow Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) dendrites were used as photothermal absorbers for destroying A549 lung cancer cells. Their photothermal performance was compared to that of Au nanorod photothermal therapeutic agents. As a result, the particle concentration and laser power required for efficient cancer cell damage were significantly reduced for hollow Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) dendrites relative to those used for Au nanorods. The hollow Au(0.3)Ag(0.7) nanostructured dendrites show potential in photothermolysis for killing cancer cells.

Experimental study of interaction of laser radiation with silver nanoparticles in SiO2 matrix.

Thin films of silica containing silver nanoparticles were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering followed by thermal annealing in air or Ar+2% H2. Laser fragmentation of the particles was carried out at two different wavelengths. The films were characterized by UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy and plasmon resonance numerical modeling based on the Mie theory, together with Rutherford backscattering elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy chemical characterization, combined with statistical analysis of the transmission electron microscopy micrographs, and surface topography study by atomic force microscopy. It is demonstrated that the fragmentation is a result of a thermal process and its mechanism does not depend on the laser wavelength as long as the laser light is absorbed by the silver particles. Laser treatment with moderate fluences does not alter the precipitated metal content while fragmenting the particles. TEM study indicates that laser assisted silver particle modification can serve as a method for narrowing the particle size distribution.

Comparison of small photon beams measured using radiochromic and silver-halide films in solid water phantoms.

In this study, we compared the dosimetric properties of four of the most commonly used films for megavoltage photon-beam dosimetry when irradiated under identical conditions by small multileaf-collimator (MLC) defined beamlets. Two silver-halide films (SHFs), Kodak XV2 and EDR2, and two radiochromic films (RCFs), Gafchromic HS and MD55-2, were irradiated by MLC-defined 1 x 1 cm2 beamlets from a Varian 2100 C/D linac equipped with a 120-leaf MLC. The beamlets were delivered with the accelerator gantry set laterally (90 degrees rotation) upon a solid-water compression film phantom at 100 cm source-to-surface distance which was positioned with the films parallel to the beam axis. Beamlets were delivered at central axis, 5.0 cm, and 10.5 cm off-axis for both leaf-end and leaf-side defined beamlets. The film dosimetry was performed using a quantitative optical density (OD) imaging system that was validated in a previous study. No significant differences between SHF and RCF measurements were observed in percentage depth doses, horizontal depth profiles, or two-dimension spatial isodose distributions in both the central axis and off-axis measurements. We found that regardless of the type of film used, RCF or SHF, a consistent data set for small beam dose modeling was generated. Previous validation studies based on the use of RCF and OD imaging system would indicate that all film produce an accurate result for small beam characterization.

Surface implantation treatments to prevent infection complications in short term devices.

Surface treatments of short term devices are actually evaluated to reduce the risk of infections, which in particular are one of the main causes of complications following catheter insertion. We have investigated the efficacy of ion beam techniques to reduce bacterial adhesion-or to induce bactericidal activity of different polymer materials: PVC, silicone rubber, poly(urethane) and poly(ethylene). Two routes have been evaluated, based on the production of non fouling surfaces, through the production of diamond-like surfaces upon irradiation with rare gases, or the implantation of silver, known for its bactericidal action. In this contribution we discuss more specifically the treatment of poly(ethylene), where a broad range of surface characterisation techniques could show that the biological activity resulted from the formation of metallic colloidal silver near the surface of the polymer, associated to the formation of a dense surface acting as a diffusion barrier. Reduction of the implantation energy to 10 keV, led to activity enhancement resulting from the easier accessibility of surface colloids evidenced by AFM microscopy. This study emphasises the specific processes induced by the formation of silver nano-particles at low energy implantation, which differs basically from Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD technique) leading to the formation of a continuous silver coating (Artif. Organs 18 (1994) 266; International Patent (PCT) WO 95/18637 (1995)).