Current advances concerning the most cited metal ions doped bioceramics and silicate-based bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering

Studies related to biomaterials that stimulate the repair of living tissue have increased considerably, improving the quality of many people's lives that require surgery due to traumatic accidents, bone diseases, bone defects, and reconstructions. Among these biomaterials, bioceramics and bioactive glasses (BGs) have proved to be suitable for coating materials, cement, scaffolds, and nanoparticles, once they present good biocompatibility and degradability, able to generate osteoconduction on the surrounding tissue. However, the role of biomaterials in hard tissue engineering is not restricted to a structural replacement or for guiding tissue regeneration. Nowadays, it is expected that biomaterials develop a multifunctional role when implanted, orchestrating the process of tissue regeneration and providing to the body the capacity to heal itself. In this way, the incorporation of specific metal ions in bioceramics and BGs structure, including magnesium, silver, strontium, lithium, copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are currently receiving enhanced interest as biomaterials for biomedical applications. When an ion is incorporated into the bioceramic structure, a new category of material is created, which has several unique properties that overcome the disadvantages of primitive material and favors its use in different biomedical applications. The doping can enhance handling properties, angiogenic and osteogenic performance, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the effect of selected metal ion dopants into bioceramics and silicate-based BGs in bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, new applications for doped bioceramics and BGs are highlighted, including cancer treatment and drug delivery.     

Analyzing the Conditions for the Electrolytic Formation of Ensembles from Metal Nanowires in the Pores of Track Membranes

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - The effect of the electrolyte composition, mass-transfer conditions, pore diameter, interpore distance, and electric parameters on the formation of...     

Influence of SiC microstructure on its corrosion behavior in molten FLiNaK salt

The influence of the microstructure on the corrosion rate of three monolithic SiC samples in FLiNaK salt at 900 °C for 250 h was studied. The SiC samples, labeled as SiC-1, SiC-2, and SiC-3, had corrosion rates of 0.137, 0.020, and 0.043 mg/cm²h, respectively. Compared with grain size and the presence of special grain boundaries (i.e., Σ3), the content of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) appeared to have the strongest influence on the corrosion rate of SiC in FLiNaK salt, since the corrosion rate increased six times as the concentration of high-angle grain boundaries increased from 19 to 32% for SiC-2 and SiC-1, respectively. These results stress the importance of controlling the content of HAGBs during the production process of SiC.     

Phase formation,structure and properties of light-weight aluminosilicate proppants based on clay-diabase and clay-granite binary mixes

One of the drawbacks of fusible clays is the narrow sintering interval due to a sharp increase in the amount of iron-silicate melt at a temperature of 1000–1100 °C, which hardens in the form of a glass phase upon cooling. This leads to a relatively low mechanical strength of the calcined samples and causes the danger of melting the granular material surface from such clays during the firing process. To increase the strength of samples of fusible clays, the influence of diabase and granitoid rocks was considered. It was found that the strengthening effect of diabase and granitoid rock additives in an amount of 20–50% in a mixture with fusible clay is due to an increase of total content of the crystalline phase (mullite, cristobalite and residual quartz) from 18–20% in clays without additives to 22–28 % - in mixtures with diabase and to 28–34% - with granitoid additives) at a temperature of 1050–1100 °C. This increase is due to the activation of synthesis processes of secondary mullite and crystallization from alkali-rich feldspar melt of amorphous silica, released from the structure of clay minerals. The established influence of the igneous rocks used made it possible to develop compositions and propose process flow sheet for producing aluminosilicate proppants based on fusible clays. The use of granitoid and diabase rocks in an amount of 20–70% with fusible clays produces lightweight aluminosilicate proppants with bulk density of 1.40–1.46 g/cm³ at temperature range of 1050–1100 °C, which can endure destructive pressures up to 34.5–52 MPa.     

Structural Basis for the Function of the C-Terminal Proton Release Pathway in the Calcium Pump

The calcium pump (sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase, SERCA) plays a major role in calcium homeostasis in muscle cells by clearing cytosolic Ca²⁺ during muscle relaxation. Active Ca²⁺ transport by SERCA involves the structural transition from a low-Ca²⁺ affinity E2 state toward a high-Ca²⁺ affinity E1 state of the pump. This structural transition is accompanied by the countertransport of protons to stabilize the negative charge and maintain the structural integrity of the transport sites and partially compensate for the positive charges of the two Ca²⁺ ions passing through the membrane. X-ray crystallography studies have suggested that a hydrated pore located at the C-terminal domain of SERCA serves as a conduit for proton countertransport, but the existence and function of this pathway have not yet been fully characterized. We used atomistic simulations to demonstrate that in the protonated E2 state and the absence of initially bound water molecules, the C-terminal pore becomes hydrated in the nanosecond timescale. Hydration of the C-terminal pore is accompanied by the formation of water wires that connect the transport sites with the cytosol. Water wires are known as ubiquitous proton-transport devices in biological systems, thus supporting the notion that the C-terminal domain serves as a conduit for proton release. Additional simulations showed that the release of a single proton from the transport sites induces bending of transmembrane helix M5 and the interaction between residues Arg762 and Ser915. These structural changes create a physical barrier against full hydration of the pore and prevent the formation of hydrogen-bonded water wires once proton transport has occurred through this pore. Together, these findings support the notion that the C-terminal proton release pathway is a functional element of SERCA and also provide a mechanistic model for its operation in the catalytic cycle of the pump.     

Corrosion behavior of T24, T92, VM12, and AISI 304 steels exposed to KCl–NaCl–K2SO4–Na2SO4 salt mixtures

The corrosion mechanisms of T24, T92, VM12, and AISI 304 steels are studied under the influence of NaCl–KCl, NaCl–Na₂SO₄, and KCl–K₂SO₄ salt mixtures in a dry air atmosphere at 650°C for 15 days. NaCl–KCl was the most aggressive deposit and AISI 304 stainless steel exhibited the highest corrosion resistance. There was no relation between the Cr content of the ferritic steels and their corrosion resistance in NaCl–KCl. In contrast, the resistance of high-Cr steels was better when exposed to NaCl–Na₂SO₄ and KCl–K₂SO₄. The high-Cr and the low-Cr steels were more susceptible to NaCl–Na₂SO₄ and to KCl–K₂SO₄, respectively.     

Current Status of Angiogenic Cell Therapy and Related Strategies Applied in Critical Limb Ischemia

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) constitutes the most severe form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), it is characterized by progressive blockade of arterial vessels, commonly correlated to atherosclerosis. Currently, revascularization strategies (bypass grafting, angioplasty) remain the first option for CLI patients, although less than 45% of them are eligible for surgical intervention mainly due to associated comorbidities. Moreover, patients usually require amputation in the short-term. Angiogenic cell therapy has arisen as a promising alternative for these “no-option” patients, with many studies demonstrating the potential of stem cells to enhance revascularization by promoting vessel formation and blood flow recovery in ischemic tissues. Herein, we provide an overview of studies focused on the use of angiogenic cell therapies in CLI in the last years, from approaches testing different cell types in animal/pre-clinical models of CLI, to the clinical trials currently under evaluation. Furthermore, recent alternatives related to stem cell therapies such as the use of secretomes, exosomes, or even microRNA, will be also described.     

Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

An index structure supporting rule activation in pervasive applications

World Wide Web - Rule mechanism has been widely used in many areas, such as databases, artificial intelligent and pervasive computing. In a rule mechanism, rule activation decides which rules are...     

Linear correlation between pH value of stimulated beef and electrical current intensity

The aim of the present study was to determine mathematical relationships between pH changes in beef 24 h post-slaughter and changes in the intensity of electrical current flowing through bull and heifer carcasses during high-voltage electrical stimulation. The electrical stimulation was applied 40 min postmortem for 120 s. The pH values of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum were analyzed in the function of electrical current intensity changes and its change during electrical stimulation. Mathematical linear correlations of the y = ax ± b type were demonstrated between pH values at 2, 6, and 24 h postmortem and the initial (I_i) and ultimate (I_u) electrical current intensity values, the difference between them and the initial pH values determined before electrical stimulation. High multiple correlation coefficients (R² = 0.416, α ≤ 0.001) between I_u and pH values 24 h post-slaughter enabled concluding that there is a possibility to predict a pH value of stimulated carcass with high accuracy, and thus also beef quality, based merely on the ultimate electrical current intensity values.