High-velocity oxyfuel thermal spray coatings for biomedical applications

Plasma spraying is used to produce most commercially available bioceramic coatings for dental implants; however, these coatings still contain some inadequacies. Two types of coatings produced by the high- velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) combustion spray process using commercially available hydroxyapatite (HA) and fluorapatite (FA) powders sprayed onto titanium were characterized to determine whether this relatively new coating process can be applied to bioceramic coatings. Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x- ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the composition, microstructure, and morphology of the coatings. The XRD and FTIR techniques revealed an apatitic structure for both HA and FA coatings. However, XRD patterns indicated some loss in crystallinity of the coatings due to the spraying process. Results from FTIR showed a loss in the intensity of the OH^∼ and F^∼ groups due to HVOF spraying; the phosphate groups, however, were still present. Analysis by SEM showed a coating morphology similar to that obtained with plasma spraying, with complete coverage of the titanium substrate. Interfacial SEM studies revealed an excellent coating-to-substrate apposition. These results indicate that with further optimization the HVOF thermal spray process may offer another method for producing bioceramic coatings.     

Electrochemical behaviour of commercially pure titanium and Co—Cr alloy in Ringer‘s solution

The electrochemical behaviors of commercially pure titanium(CP Ti) and Co-Cr alloy in Ringer‘s solution have been investigated.The results indicate that the electric potential of passive region for CP Ti is up to 3000mV,and its passive current density is 3.078 μA/cm^2,The excellent corrosion resistance of CP Ti can be attributed to the formation of TiO2 oxide film.The passive region of Co-Cr alloy is 770mV,which is narrower than that of CP Ti.However,no hystersis loops are found in the reverse scanning curves of Cu-Cr alloy.A complex oxide film of Co3O4,Co2O3,and Cr2O3 formed on the surface provides Co-Cr alloy with a stable electrochemistry property.The corrosion rates of the crevice samples increase with the pH value of medium decreasing.The electron probe microanalyzer(EPMA) analysis indicates that Ti in CP Ti and Co,Cr in Co-Cr alloy dissolve in crevice area due to the Sealed-Cell effect.     

生物医学工程专业融合式课程体系建设探索

生物医学工程专业的一大特点是多学科的交叉和融合,这一特点在给这一领域带来蓬勃生机的同时,也为本科生培养课程体系建设提出了很大挑战。如何在有限的学时内,实现在知识体系上的良好融合,一直以来都是生物医学工程专业学生培养面临的难题;南方科技大学生物医学工程系基于本身专业发展特色,在融合式课程体系建设上进行了一些尝试,经过近两年的实践,效果良好     

生物医用多孔钛及钛合金激光快速成形研究进展

多孔钛及钛合金具有良好的生物相容性和与人骨更匹配的力学性能,是人体理想的替代材料,因此其制备技术及相关性能研究引起了广泛关注。激光快速成形是一项先进的制造技术,在制备生物多孔金属材料时具有独特的优势。介绍了激光快速成形的工作原理和技术特征,根据成形工艺特点简要回顾了4种代表性激光快速成形技术(选择性激光烧结、选择性激光熔化、激光近净成形和激光立体成形)的国内外发展现状,并重点论述了这几种技术在制备生物医用多孔钛及钛合金方面的最新研究进展,最后指出了今后在该领域的主要研究工作。     

GraftFast Surface Engineering to Improve MOF Nanoparticles Furtiveness

Controlling the outer surface of nanometric metal–organic frameworks (nanoMOFs) and further understanding the in vivo effect of the coated material are crucial for the convenient biomedical applications of MOFs. However, in most studies, the surface modification protocol is often associated with significant toxicity and/or lack of selectivity. As an alternative, how the highly selective and general grafting GraftFast method leads, through a green and simple process, to the successful attachment of multifunctional biopolymers (polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hyaluronic acid) on the external surface of nanoMOFs is reported. In particular, effectively PEGylated iron trimesate MIL‐100(Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit suitable grafting stability and superior chemical and colloidal stability in different biofluids, while conserving full porosity and allowing the adsorption of bioactive molecules (cosmetic and antitumor agents). Furthermore, the nature of the MOF–PEG interaction is deeply investigated using high‐resolution soft X‐ray spectroscopy. Finally, a cell penetration study using the radio‐labeled antitumor agent gemcitabine monophosphate (³H‐GMP)‐loaded MIL‐100(Fe)@PEG NPs shows reduced macrophage phagocytosis, confirming a significant in vitro PEG furtiveness.     

Modification of Iron with Degradable Silver Phases Processed via Laser Beam Melting for Implants with Adapted Degradation Rate

In medical technology, implants are used to improve the quality of patients’ lives. The development of materials with adapted properties can further increase the benefit of implants. If implants are only needed temporarily, biodegradable materials are beneficial. In this context, iron-based materials are promising due to their biocompatibility and mechanical properties, but the degradation rate needs to be accelerated. Apart from alloying, the creation of noble phases to cause anodic dissolution of the iron-based matrix is promising. Due to its high electrochemical potential, immiscibility with iron, biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties, silver is suited for the creation of such phases. A suitable technology for processing immiscible material combinations is powder-bed-based procedure like laser beam melting. This procedure offers short exposure times to high temperatures and therefore a limited time for diffusion of alloying elements. As the silver phases remain after the dissolution of the iron matrix, a modification is needed to ensure their degradability. Following this strategy, pure iron with 5 wt% of a degradable silver–calcium–lanthanum alloy is processed via laser beam melting. Investigation of the microstructure yields achievement of the intended microstructure and long-term degradation tests indicates an impact on the degradation, but no increased degradation rate.     

PROTOTYPICAL CASES FOR RETRIEVAL, REUSE, AND KNOWLEDGE MAINTENANCE IN BIOMEDICAL CASE-BASED REASONING

Representing biomedical knowledge is an essential task in biomedical informatics intelligent systems. Case-based reasoning (CBR) holds the promise to represent contextual knowledge in a way that was not possible before with traditional knowledge-based methods. One main issue in biomedical CBR is dealing with the rate of generation of new knowledge in biomedical fields, which often makes the content of a case base partially obsolete. This article proposes to make use of the concept of prototypical case to ensure that a CBR system would keep update with current research advances in the biomedical field. Prototypical cases have served various purposes in biomedical CBR systems, among which to organize and structure the memory, to guide the retrieval as well as the reuse of cases, and to serve as bootstrapping a CBR system memory when real cases are not available in sufficient quantity and/or quality. This paper emphasizes the different roles prototypical cases can play in CBR systems, and presents knowledge maintenance as a very important novel role for these prototypical cases.     

量子点荧光标记技术在生物医学领域的应用

量子点作为一种新型的纳米荧光材料在生物学领域的应用已引起国际上的普遍关注,量子点独特的荧光性能使其在这一领域的应用有着无可比拟的优越性.该文主要就量子点的荧光性能,基于量子点标记的生物荧光探针的制备及其在生物医学领域中的应用研究进展作一概述.