Improvement of Metal-Doped β-TCP Scaffolds for Active Bone Substitutes via Ultra-Short Laser Structuring.

Various efforts have been made to develop antibacterial biomaterials capable of also sustaining bone remodulation to be used as bone substitutes and reduce patient infection rates and related costs. In this work, beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was chosen due to its known biocompatibility and use as a bone substitute. Metal dopants were incorporated into the crystal structure of the β-TCP, and disks were produced from this material.

Selenite as a Lipid Inductor in Marine Microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta: Comparison of One-Stage and Two-Stage Cultivation Strategies.

Microalgae have emerged as one of the most promising alternative sources of biofuels due to their high lipid accumulation ability. High lipid content is of pivotal importance for biodiesel production. In order to obtain high lipid content, modifications of culture conditions and development of an efficient lipid induction method are called for.

Mechanical properties of zirconia ceramics biomimetically coated with calcium deficient hydroxyapatite.

Mechanical properties and stability of porous tetragonal yttria-stabilised zirconia (Y-TZ) ceramics, biomimetically coated with calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CaDHA) to obtain a bioactive material, were investigated. The 5.7 mol% yttria-stabilised tetragonal zirconia was obtained by sol-gel process and sintered at different temperatures to obtain a homogeneous and porous structure whose strength would match that of human bone.

Stability and toxicity of differently coated selenium nanoparticles under model environmental exposure settings.

This study, motivated to fill the knowledge gap on environmental safety of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), provides information on the stability and environmental safety of four differently coated SeNPs rendering both positive and negative surface charges. The stability and dissolution behaviour of SeNPs were determined in an aquatic model media of different ionic strength to provide information regarding the environmental fate of SeNPs in different environmental conditions. The environmental safety of SeNPs was evaluated by acute regulatory toxicity tests using Daphina magna and Vibrio fischeri as model organisms.

Enhanced Protection of Biological Membranes during Lipid Peroxidation: Study of the Interactions between Flavonoid Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles and Model Cell Membranes.

Flavonoids, polyphenols with anti-oxidative activity have high potential as novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative disease, but their applicability is rendered by their poor water solubility and chemical instability under physiological conditions. In this study, this is overcome by delivering flavonoids to model cell membranes (unsaturated DOPC) using prepared and characterized biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MSNs. Quercetin, myricetin and myricitrin have been investigated in order to determine the relationship between flavonoid structure and protective activity towards oxidative stress, i.