In Vitro Efficacy of Bacterial Cellulose Dressings Chemisorbed with Antiseptics against Biofilm Formed by Pathogens Isolated from Chronic Wounds

Local administration of antiseptics is required to prevent and fight against biofilm-based infections of chronic wounds. One of the methods used for delivering antiseptics to infected wounds is the application of dressings chemisorbed with antimicrobials. Dressings made of bacterial cellulose (BC) display several features, making them suitable for such a purpose. This work aimed to compare the activity of commonly used antiseptic molecules: octenidine, polyhexanide, povidone-iodine, chlorhexidine, ethacridine lactate, and hypochlorous solutions and to evaluate their usefulness as active substances of BC dressings against 48 bacterial strains (8 species) and 6 yeast strains (1 species). A silver dressing was applied as a control material of proven antimicrobial activity. The methodology applied included the assessment of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimal biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC), the modified disc-diffusion method, and the modified antibiofilm dressing activity measurement (A.D.A.M.) method. While in 96-well plate-based methods (MIC and MBEC assessment), the highest antimicrobial activity was recorded for chlorhexidine, in the modified disc-diffusion method and in the modified A.D.A.M test, povidone-iodine performed the best. In an in vitro setting simulating chronic wound conditions, BC dressings chemisorbed with polyhexanide, octenidine, or povidone-iodine displayed a similar or even higher antibiofilm activity than the control dressing containing silver molecules. If translated into clinical conditions, the obtained results suggest high applicability of BC dressings chemisorbed with antiseptics to eradicate biofilm from chronic wounds.     

Antidepressants Differentially Regulate Intracellular Signaling from α1-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes In Vitro

Currently utilized antidepressants have limited effectiveness and frequently incur undesired effects. Most antidepressants are thought to act via the inhibition of monoamine reuptake; however, direct binding to monoaminergic receptors has been proposed to contribute to both their clinical effectiveness and their side effects, or lack thereof. Among the target receptors of antidepressants, α1‑adrenergic receptors (ARs) have been implicated in depression etiology, antidepressant action, and side effects. However, differences in the direct effects of antidepressants on signaling from the three subtypes of α1-ARs, namely, α1A-, α1B- and α1D‑ARs, have been little explored. We utilized cell lines overexpressing α1A-, α1B- or α1D-ARs to investigate the effects of the antidepressants imipramine (IMI), desipramine (DMI), mianserin (MIA), reboxetine (REB), citalopram (CIT) and fluoxetine (FLU) on noradrenaline-induced second messenger generation by those receptors. We found similar orders of inhibition at α1A-AR (IMI < DMI < CIT < MIA < REB) and α1D‑AR (IMI = DMI < CIT < MIA), while the α1B-AR subtype was the least engaged subtype and was inhibited with low potency by three drugs (MIA < IMI = DMI). In contrast to their direct antagonistic effects, prolonged incubation with IMI and DMI increased the maximal response of the α1B-AR subtype, and the CIT of both the α1A- and the α1B-ARs. Our data demonstrate a complex, subtype-specific modulation of α1-ARs by antidepressants of different groups.     

Analysis of acoustic emission signals at austempering of steels using neural networks

Bearing steel 100CrMnSi6-4 and tool steel C105U were used to carry out this research with the steels being austempered to obtain a martensitic-bainitic structure. During the process quite a large number of acoustic emissions (AE) were observed. These signals were then analysed using neural networks resulting in the identification of three groups of events of: high, medium and low energy and in addition their spectral characteristics were plotted. The results were presented in the form of diagrams of AE incidence as a function of time. It was demonstrated that complex transformations of austenite into martensite and bainite occurred when austempering bearing steel at 160 °C and tool steel at 130 °C respectively. The selected temperatures of isothermal quenching of the tested steels were within the area near to MS temperature, which affected the complex course of phase transition. The high activity of AE is a typical occurrence for martensitic transformation and this is the transformation mechanism that induces the generation of AE signals of higher energy in the first stage of transition. In the second stage of transformation, the initially nucleated martensite accelerates the occurrence of the next bainitic transformation.     

The impact of different volume fractions of crystalline structures on the electrochemical behaviour of Mg67Zn29Ca4 alloys for biomedical applications

ABSTRACT

In this work, the influence of various volume fractions of the crystalline phase in an amorphous matrix of Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloys was investigated for its corrosion resistance for biodegradable applications. An amorphous Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy was successfully fabricated using melt casting into a copper mould. Then, to obtain different ratios of the crystalline phase in an amorphous matrix, the obtained amorphous rods with 3?mm diameters were annealed at 190, 230, 250, and 400°C. The volume fraction of the crystalline phase was measured by X-ray diffraction, and the microstructures of the obtained alloys were determined based on scanning electron microscopy images. Electrochemical testing was conducted in simulated body fluid at 37°C. This report shows that the ratio of the volume fractions of amorphous and crystalline phases in alloy microstructures strongly influences their corrosion behaviours. The alloy with a fully amorphous structure was the most resistive in the analysed media.     

Surface Condition of New γ–γ′ Co-Al-Mo-Nb and Co-Al-W Cobalt-Based Superalloys After Oxidation at 800 °C

A new type γ–γ′ Co-Al-Mo-Nb Co-based superalloys were developed due to limitations of basic Co-Al-W superalloys, related to tungsten alloying. The present study aims to characterization of new γ–γ′ Co-10Al-5Mo-2Nb (at.%) cobalt-based superalloy performance in terms of the high-temperature exposure under cyclic conditions, with particular regard to surface condition. Specimens were tested in cycles of high-temperature exposition (25, 50, 75, 100 and 150 h) in air environment at 800 °C. Detailed analysis of oxidized surfaces by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction was made at various intervals during testing. The cyclic oxidation behavior of new alloy was compared to the basic Co-9Al-9W (at.%) Co-based superalloy.     

Optimization-based method for calculating water networks with user specified characteristics

This paper addresses problem of designing water usage network that consists of fixed flow rate water using processes. A design method is founded on the solution of mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model of network superstructure. The application of optimization to solve basic formulation of network synthesis has been reported in some works. However, this approach applies certain extensions of the standard formulation that allow accounting for several industrial scenarios. In particular, it is possible to apply various performance indices and imposing conditions on continuous variables as well as on network topology. Multiple contaminant case is easily accounted for. At least but not at last, the method is able to generate several solutions of identical values of major performance indices but of different structure and other features. All these possibilities are available within single optimization framework. Several examples are given to illustrate advantages of the approach.     

Heat and mass transfer during microwave‐convective drying

The article presents a mathematical model of drying that describes the kinetics of combined microwave‐convective drying for the process as a whole. Based on this model, the drying curves and the temperature evolutions of the drying body were constructed by a number of computer‐simulated drying programs, which were chosen to follow the respective experimental processes carried out on a cylindrical sample made of kaolin. The experimental data allowed both the estimate of material coefficients arising in the model and the validation of the theory. A very satisfactory correlation of the theoretical predictions with the experimental data is found. The main novelty of this article is the mathematically complete drying model that describes all periods of the microwave‐convective drying process. Application of such a complete model is necessary if we want to optimize drying processes with respect to drying time and consumption of energy via computer simulations. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009