Osteoblast cell behavior on the new beta-type Ti-25Ta-25Nb alloy.

Among metallic materials used as bone substitutes, β titanium alloys gain an increasing importance because of their low modulus, high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility. In this work, an investigation of the in vitro cytocompatibility of a recently new developed β-type Ti-25Ta-25Nb alloy was carried out by evaluating the behavior of human osteoblasts. The metallic Ti-6Al-4V biomaterial, which is one of representative α+β type titanium alloys for biomedical applications, and Tissue Culture Polystyrene (TCPS), were also investigated as reference Ti-based material and control substrate, respectively.

Comparative effects of boric acid and calcium fructoborate on breast cancer cells.

Recent studies suggested that boron has a chemo-preventive role in prostate cancer. In the present report, we investigated the effects of calcium fructoborate (CF) and boric acid (BA) on activation of the apoptotic pathway in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Exposure to BA and CF inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner.