Cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis is an underdiagnosed disorder with significant diagnostic difficulties due to its non-specific clinical manifestations. It is caused by the deposition of protein aggregates with an abnormal tertiary structure in the extracellular matrix. Their accumulation leads to the development of hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy and, at a later stage, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examines the structure and properties of NiMo-C coatings synthesized via reactive magnetron sputtering of a NiMo alloy target in an argon/acetylene atmosphere. The coating structure evolves with carbon content from nanocrystalline, through amorphous to quasi-amorphous with a nanocolumnar structure. The nanostructure consists of metallic columns perpendicular to the substrate surrounded by an amorphous carbon shell.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aims to evaluate the adsorptive, adhesive, and wetting energetic properties of five commercially available cleansers in contact with model dental polymer (PMMA). It was assumed that the selected parameters allow for determining the optimal concentration and place of key component accumulation for antibacterial activity in the bulk liquid phase and prevention of oral plaque formation at the prosthetic material surface. The adsorptive (Gibbs' excesses , critical micellar concentration) and thermal (entropy and enthalpy) surface characteristics originated from surface tension and dependences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe study concerns the evaluation of the physicochemical and thermo-adsorptive surface properties of six commercially available mouthrinses, particularly surface tension, surface activity, partitioning coefficient, critical micellar concentration, Gibbs excesses at interfaces, surface entropy, and enthalpy. The aim was to quantify their effect on the adhesion and wettability of a model poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer. The adsorptive and thermal surface characteristics were derived from surface tension () vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this research was to determine temporal and spatial evolution of biofilm architecture formed at model solid substrata submersed in Baltic sea coastal waters in relation to organic matter transformation along a one-year period. Several materials (metals, glass, plastics) were deployed for a certain time, and the collected biofilm-covered samples were studied with a confocal microscopy technique using the advanced programs of image analysis. The geometric and structural biofilm characteristics: biovolume, coverage fraction, mean thickness, spatial heterogeneity, roughness, aggregation coefficient, etc.
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