A. Costescu

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles

The synthesis of nanosized particles of Ag-doped hydroxyapatite with antibacterial properties is of great interest for the development of new biomedical applications. The aim of this study was the evaluation of Ca10−xAgx(PO4)6(OH)2 nanoparticles (Ag:HAp-NPs) for their antibacterial and antifungal activity. Resistance to antimicrobial agents by pathogenic bacteria has emerged in the recent years and became a major health problem. Here, we report a method for synthesizing Ag doped nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite. A silver-doped nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite was synthesized at 100°C in deionised water. Also, in this paper Ag:HAp-NPs are evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungal strains. The specific antimicrobial activity revealed by the qualitative assay is demonstrating that our compounds are interacting differently with the microbial targets, probably due to the differences in the microbial wall structures.

Synthesis, structure, and luminescent properties of europium-doped hydroxyapatite nanocrystalline powders

The luminescent europium-doped hydroxyapatite (Eu:HAp, Ca10-xEux(PO4)6(OH)2) with 0 < x < 0.2 nanocrystalline powders was synthesized by coprecipitation. The structural, morphological, and textural properties were well characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The vibrational studies were performed by Fourier transform infrared, Raman, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that hydroxyapatite is the unique crystalline constituent of all the samples, indicating that Eu has been successfully inserted into the HAp lattice. Eu doping inhibits HAp crystallization, leading to a decrease of the average crystallite size from around 20nm in the undoped sample to around 7 nmin the sample with the highest Eu concentration. Furthermore, the samples show the characteristic 5D0 → 7F0 transition observed at 578nm related to Eu3+ ions distributed on Ca2+ sites of the apatitic structure.

Fabrication, characterization, and antimicrobial activity, evaluation of low silver concentrations in silver-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

The aim of this study was the evaluation of (Ca10-xAgx)(PO4)6(OH)2 nanoparticles (Ag:HAp-NPs) for their antibacterial and antifungal activity. Resistance to antimicrobial agents by pathogenic bacteria has emerged in the recent years as a major public health problem worldwide. In this paper, we report a comparison of the antimicrobial activity of low concentrations silver-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. Thesilver-doped nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite powderwas synthesized at 100°C indeionisedwater. The as-prepared Ag:Hap nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, and FT-Raman spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies demonstrate that powders obtained by coprecipitation at 100°C exhibit the apatite characteristics with good crystal structure, without any new phase or impurities found. FT-IR and FTRaman spectroscopy revealed the presence of the various vibrational modes corresponding to phosphates and hydroxyl groups and the absence of any band characteristic to silver. The specific microbiological assays demonstrated that Ag:HAp-NPs exhibited antimicrobial features, but interacted differently with the Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacterial and fungal tested strains.

Porous methyltrimethoxysilane coated nanoscale-hydroxyapatite for removing lead ions from aqueous solutions

The aim of this study was to synthetize new porous nanoparticles based on methyltrimethoxysilane coated hydroxyapatite (MTHAp) for lead removal form aqueous solutions. The morphological and compositional analysis of MTHAp were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Removal experiments of Pb2+ ions were carried out in aqueous solutions with controlled concentration of Pb2+ at a fixed pH value of 3 and 5 respectively. After the removal experiment of Pb2+ ions from solutions, porous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were transformed into PbMTHAp_3 and PbMTHAp_5 via the adsorption of Pb2+ ions followed by a cation exchange reaction. The X-ray diffraction spectra of PbMTHAp_3 and PbMTHAp_5 revealed that the powders, after removal of the Pb2+ ions, were a mixture of Ca2.5Pb7.5(PO4)6(OH)2, Pb2Ca4(PO4)2(SiO4), and Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. Our results demonstrate that the porous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles can be used as an adsorbent for removing Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions.

Tetraethyl orthosilicate coated hydroxyapatite powders for lead ions removal from aqueous solutions

The goal of this study was to synthetize and characterize a porous material based on tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) coated hydroxyapatite (HApTh) after removal experiments of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions. In order to study the morphology and composition, the samples obtained after removal experiments of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solution with the initial Pb2+ ion concentrations of the aqueous solutions were 0.1 gċL-1 (HApTh-50) and 0.9 gċL-1 (HApTh-450) have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Removal experiments of Pb2+ ions were carried out in aqueous solutions with controlled concentration of Pb2+. After the removal experiment of Pb2+ ions from solutions, porous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were transformed into HApTh-50 and HApTh-450 due to the adsorption of Pb2+ ions followed by a cation exchange reaction. The obtained results show that the porous HApTh nanopowders could be used for Pb2+ ions removal from aqueous solutions.

Rayleigh scattering of x-ray and γ-ray by 1s and 2s electrons in ions and neutral atoms

Using the Coulomb–Green function method and considering the nonrelativistic limit for the two-photon S-matrix element, the right nonrelativistic 2s Rayleigh scattering amplitudes are obtained. Our result takes into account all multipoles, retardation and relativistic kinematics contributions, and the old dipole approximation result of Costescu [1] is retrieved as a limit case. The total photoeffect cross-section which is related to the imaginary part of the Rayleigh forward scattering amplitude through the optical theorem is also obtained. Our Coulombian formulae are used in the more realistic case of elastic scattering of photons by bound 1s and 2s electrons in ions and neutral atoms. Screening effects are considered in the independent particle approximation through the Hartree–Fock method. The effective charge Zeff is obtained by fitting the Hartree–Fock charge distribution by a Coulombian one. Good agreement (within 10%) is found when comparing the numerical predictions given by our nonrelativistic formulae with the full relativistic numerical results of Kissel [2] in the case of elastic scattering of photons by 1s and 2s electrons and Scofield [3] in the case of K-shell and 2s subshell photoionization for neutral atoms with 18 ≤ Z ≤ 92 and photon energies ω ≤ αZm.

The second-order S-matrix element for the elastic scattering of photons by K-shell bound electrons: the nonrelativistic limit

The right expressions of the nonrelativistic K-shell Rayleigh scattering amplitudes and cross-sections are obtained by using the Coulomb Greens function method. Our analytical result does not have the spurious poles that occur in the old nonrelativistic result with retardation (Gavrila and Costescu 1970 Phys. Rev. A 2 1752). Starting from the expression of the second-order S-matrix element for the case of the elastic scattering of photons by K-shell bound electrons, we obtain the correct nonrelativistic Rayleigh angular distribution (valid for photon energies ω up to αZm) by removing the relativistic higher order terms in αZ and ω/m. The imaginary part of the Rayleigh amplitudes is obtained for any scattering angles in a closed form in terms of elementary functions. Thereby a simple formula for the exact nonrelativistic photoeffect total cross-section is obtained via the optical theorem, giving significantly better predictions than Fischers nonrelativistic photoeffect formula. Comparing the predictions given by our formulae with the full relativistic numerical calculations of Kissel et al (Phys. Rev. 1980 A 22 1970), and with experimental results, a fairly good agreement within 10% is found for the angular distribution of Rayleigh scattering for photon energies up to 200 keV and both below and above the first resonance.

Enamel Based Composite Layers Deposited on Titanium Substrate with Antifungal Activity

The goal of this paper was to investigate the antifungal activity of Enamel layers deposited on titanium substrate (Ti-Enamel) and Enamel layers deposited on titanium substrate previously coated with a vinyl polydimethylsiloxane layer (Ti-PDMS-Enamel). The physicochemical properties were also investigated. The Candida albicans biofilm development on the obtained layers was examined after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after ethidium bromide staining. A significant inhibition of the fungal adherence and biofilm development was observed on Ti-Enamel layers. The antifungal results demonstrated that the use of new Ti-Enamel composite layers could represent a promising perspective for the prevention of fungal biofilms associated implant infections.