Biofunctionalization of surfaces to minimize undesirable effects in cardiovascular assistance devices.

BACKGROUND: The reactivity of blood with non-endothelial surface is a challenge for long-term Ventricular Assist Devices development, usually made with pure titanium, which despite of being inert, low density and high mechanical resistance it does not avoid the thrombogenic responses. Here we tested a modification on the titanium surface with Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures followed by Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating in different thicknesses to customize the wettability profile by changing the surface energy of the titanium. METHODS: Four different surfaces were proposed: (1) Pure Titanium as Reference Material (RM), (2) Textured as Test Sample (TS), (3) Textured with DLC 0.3µm as (TSA) and (4) Textured with 2.4µm DLC as (TSB). A single implant was positioned in the abdominal aorta of Wistar rats and the effects of hemodynamic interaction were evaluated without anticoagulant drugs. RESULTS: After twelve weeks, the implants were extracted and subjected to qualitative analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy under low vacuum and X-ray Energy Dispersion. The regions that remained in contact with the wall of the aorta showed encapsulation of the endothelial tissue. TSB implants, although superhydrophilic, have proven that the DLC coating inhibits the adhesion of biological material, prevents abrasive wear and delamination, as observed in the TS and TSA implants. Pseudo- neointimal layers were heterogeneously identified in higher concentration on Test Surfaces.

Determination of the composition and thickness of chromel and alumel thin films on different substrates by quantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis.

Thin films of two alloys (chromel and alumel), with thickness less than 100 nm, were obtained by plasma deposition technique, namely filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA). The elemental analyses were performed by quantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The applicability of EDS to such thin films as these was established by analysis of films deposited on substrates of different atomic numbers, specifically vitreous carbon, silicon, copper, and tin. We found that a substrate with atomic number similar to the mean atomic number of the film constituents is best for reliable EDS results, when compared to RBS. The compatibility between quantitative EDS measurements and RBS measurements, as well as comparison between the thin film elemental composition and the bulk material composition, was assessed by statistical analysis. Good consistency between EDS and RBS measurements was found for both chromel and alumel thin films when copper was used as substrate material. We observed severely overlapping peaks in the RBS output for the case of alumel films so that EDS analysis was crucial. We also compared thickness measurements determined by EDS and RBS, and we found good agreement for the case of alumel film on copper substrate, and 15% agreement for chromel film on copper substrate.

Self-assembled Au and Pt nanoparticles in Poly(methyl methacrylate).

Nanocomposites formed by metal nanoparticles self-assembled in an insulator matrix are of great technological importance. Applications include surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy based biosensors, optical devices, photovoltaic cells, and more. Self-assembling of nanocomposites using low energy ion implantation offers a fast and low cost process. We report here on our work on nanocomposites formed by very low energy ion implantation of gold and platinum nanoparticles into Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with description of the nanoparticle evolution as a function of implantation dose. The Au-PMMA and Pt-PMMA nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, thus determining the nanoparticle density, their size distribution, and the distance between particles as a function of implantation dose. A comparison between Au-PMMA and Pt-PMMA reveals substantial differences in the formation processes of the nanoparticles. The results provide insight into basic nanoparticle formation processes, as well as crucial information important for design applications. In addition, the tunneling decay length ξ and the electron affinity ε of the implantation-modified PMMA were obtained using a new and simple approach.

Tooth tissue engineering: the influence of hydrophilic surface on nanocrystalline diamond films for human dental stem cells.

New techniques for tissue engineering (TE) are rapidly emerging. The basic concept of autologous TE is to isolate cells from small biopsy specimens, and to expand these cells in culture for subsequent seeding onto biodegradable scaffolds. Nanocrystalline diamond films have attracted the attention of researchers from a variety of different areas in recent years, due to their unique and exceptional properties. In this approach, human dental stem cells (hDSCs) were characterized by flow cytometry and grown on diamond films with hydrogen (H)-terminated and oxygen (O)-terminated surfaces for 28 days, and then removed by lysis and washing with distilled water. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis was performed, showing that the regions with O-terminated surfaces contained much higher levels of deposited calcium, oxygen, and phosphorus. These results suggest that the extracellular matrix was considerably more developed in the O-terminated regions, as compared with the H-terminated regions. In addition, optical microscopy of hDSCs cultured on the diamond substrate with H- and O-terminated surfaces, before washing with distilled water, showed preferential directions of the cells arrangement, where orthogonal lines suggest that the cells appeared to be following the O-terminated regions or hydrophilic surface. These findings suggest that O-terminated diamond surfaces prepared on biodegradable scaffolds can be useful for mineralized dental tissue formation.

Relationship between surface topography and energy density distribution of Er,Cr:YSGG beam on irradiated dentin: an atomic force microscopy study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess by atomic force microscopy (AFM) the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser application on the surface microtopography of radicular dentin. BACKGROUND: Lasers have been used for various purposes in dentistry, where they are clinically effective when used in an appropriate manner. The Er,Cr:YSGG laser can be used for caries prevention when settings are below the ablation threshold. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four specimens of bovine dentin were irradiated using an Er,Cr:YSGG laser (λ = 2.78 µm), at a repetition rate of 20 Hz, with a 750-µm-diameter sapphire tip and energy density of 2.8 J/cm(2) (12.5 mJ/pulse). After irradiation, surface topography was analyzed by AFM using a Si probe in tapping mode. Quantitative and qualitative information concerning the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) and power spectral density analyses were obtained from central, intermediate, and peripheral areas of laser pulses and compared with data from nonirradiated samples. RESULTS: Dentin Ra for different areas were as follows: central, 261.26 (±21.65) nm; intermediate, 83.48 (±6.34) nm; peripheral, 45.8 (±13.47) nm; and nonirradiated, 35.18 (±2.9) nm. The central region of laser pulses presented higher ablation of intertubular dentin, with about 340-760 nm height, while intermediate, peripheral, and nonirradiated regions presented no difference in height of peritubular and interperitubular dentin. CONCLUSION: According to these results, we can assume that even when used at a low-energy density parameter, Er,Cr:YSGG laser can significantly alter the microtopography of radicular dentin, which is an important characteristic to be considered when laser is used for clinical applications.