Gloria Dulce de Almeida Soares

Niobium additions in HP heat-resistant cast stainless steels

Abstract The microstructures of HP-type heat-resistant cast steels, having niobium additions up to 2 wt.%, were examined in the as-cast condition and after artificial aging at 700, 900, and 1100°C. Microstructural studies were conducted using scanning transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Instability of NbC between 700 and 1000°C occurs in these alloys, with partial transformation to a nickel-niobium silicide, G phase. A time-temperature-transformation diagram has been constructed for the 1.97% Nb alloy. Creep tests were made on the as-cast and aged material. Niobium containing alloys aged at 700 and 900°C display superior creep properties to those of the as-cast material or material aged at 1100°C. The results of the creep tests have been related to the microstructural changes taking place upon aging.

Physicochemical characterization of two deproteinized bovine xenografts

Calcium phosphate salts, or more specifically hydroxyapatite, are products of great interest in the fields of medical and dental science due to their biocompatibility and osteoconduction property. Deproteinized xenografts are primarily constituted of natural apatites, sintered or not. Variations in the industrial process may affect physicochemical properties and, therefore, the biological outcome. The purpose of this work was to characterize the physical and chemical properties of deproteinized xenogenic biomaterials, Bio-Oss (Geistlich Biomaterials, Wolhuser, Switzerland) and Gen-Ox (Baumer S.A., Brazil), widely used as bone grafts. Scanning electron microscopy, infrared region spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and degradation analysis were conducted. The results show that both materials presented porous granules, composed of crystalline hydroxyapatite without apparent presence of other phases. Bio-Oss presented greater dissolution in Tris-HCl than Gen-Ox in the degradation test, possibly due to the low crystallinity and the presence of organic residues. In conclusion, both commercial materials are hydroxyapatite compounds, Bio-Oss being less crystalline than Gen-Ox and, therefore, more prone to degradation.

Effects of Si content on the microstructure of modified-HP austenitic steels

Abstract The microstructures of two centrifugally cast modified-HP steels with 1.97 wt.% Nb and two different Si contents, 1.84 and 2.62 wt.%, were investigated using light and electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. As noted in a previous study, the instability of the niobium carbide at elevated temperature is a particular feature of these alloys, exhibiting a partial transformation to a nickel-niobium silicide, G phase. The time-temperature-transformation diagram shows that the time to reach the nose of the transformation curve decreases with increase in silicon content. After aging at 900°C for 1000 h, the alloy with higher silicon content showed extensive secondary precipitation, and at teh same time the niobium carbide particles were almost completely transformed to G phase.

Influence of titanium surface roughness on attachment of Streptococcus sanguis: an in vitro study.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of the decontamination protocol for bacterial removal in titanium surfaces with three different levels of roughness using a high-pressure sodium bicarbonate device for 1 minute under aseptic conditions. Group 1 was composed of 10 as-machined titanium sheets and Groups 2 and 3 of titanium sheets blasted with aluminum oxide (Al2O3, alumina) particles with different diameters: Group 2 was blasted with 65-&mgr;m particles and Group 3 with 250-&mgr;m particles. The titanium specimens were sterilized and incubated in tubes containing a suspension of Streptococcus sanguis. The colony-forming units were counted before and after the application of the decontamination protocol. The arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) per group was: Group 1, 0.17 &mgr;m ± 0.01; Group 2, 1.14&mgr;m ± 0.15; and Group 3, 3.17 &mgr;m ± 0.23. After the contamination period, Group 1 remained with 49 × 103 bacterial cells, and the bacterial concentrations of Groups 2 and 3 were 11 × 104 and 35 × 105, respectively. After the application of the decontamination protocol, no viable bacteria were detected. With the increase of the surface roughness, an exponential increase in bacterial cells was observed. The results showed that the decontamination protocol treatment with a high-pressure sodium bicarbonate device efficiently removed all bacterial cells in all surfaces tested. This indicates that high-pressure sodium bicarbonate spray should be used in the maintenance phase of implant treatment.

Osseointegration of titanium alloy and HA-coated implants in healthy and ovariectomized animals: a histomorphometric study.

OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study is to evaluate the response to dental implants in healthy and osteoporotic bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten ovariectomized (OVX) New Zealand rabbits submitted to a hypocalcic diet and 10 sham-aged rabbits were used. All animals were submitted to bone mineral density (BMD) measurements before ovariectomy, and also 4 months afterwards, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The BMD measurements showed a significant loss of bone mass, between the first and second examinations, only in the experimental group (P<0.05). After the bone mass loss induction period, three different implants were installed in the proximal tibia metaphisis of each animal: a titanium alloy implant (Ti), a plasma-spray hydroxyapatite-coated implant (HA-PS), and another implant coated with hydroxyapatite with the biomimetic process (HA-B). RESULTS After 3 months, histomorphometry showed a bone-to-implant contact (BIC) for Ti implants of 73.09+/-13.74% in healthy and 66.09+/-30.01% in OVX animals. The BIC for the HA-PS was 64.83+/-15.65% and 90.17+/-8.14% for healthy and OVX animals, respectively, and 88.66+/-5.30% and 87.96+/-10.71% for the HA-B implants placed in the same conditions. The differences between the implants in healthy and OVX conditions were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The only significant difference within groups was observed in the healthy animals between HA-B and Ti implants (P<0.06). CONCLUSION Within the parameters used in this animal model it was not possible to observe BIC differences between osteoporotic and healthy animals.

Preparation, characterization and biological test of 3D-scaffolds based on chitosan, fibroin and hydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering.

This work describes the preparation and characterization of porous 3D-scaffolds based on chitosan (CHI), chitosan/silk fibroin (CHI/SF) and chitosan/silk fibroin/hydroxyapatite (CHI/SF/HA) by freeze drying. The biomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. In addition, studies of porosity, pore size, contact angle and biological response of SaOs-2osteoblastic cells were performed. The CHI scaffolds have a porosity of 94.2±0.9%, which is statistically higher than the one presented by CHI/SF/HA scaffolds, 89.7±2.6%. Although all scaffolds were able to promote adhesion, growth and maintenance of osteogenic differentiation of SaOs-2 cells, the new 3D-scaffold based on CHI/SF/HA showed a significantly higher cell growth at 7 days and 21 days and the level of alkaline phosphatase at 14 and 21 days was statistically superior compared to other tested materials.

Mechanical properties and in vitro characterization of polyvinyl alcohol- nano-silver hydrogel wound dressings

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels are materials for potential use in burn healing. Silver nanoparticles can be synthesized within PVA hydrogels giving antimicrobial hydrogels. Hydrogels have to be swollen prior to their application, and the common medium available for that in hospitals is saline solution, but the hydrogel could also take up some of the wounds fluid. This work developed gamma-irradiated PVA/nano-Ag hydrogels for potential use in burn dressing applications. Silver nitrate (AgNO3) was used as nano-Ag precursor agent. Saline solution, phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) pH 7.4 and solution pH 4.0 were used as swelling media. Microstructural evaluation revealed an effect of the nanoparticles on PVA crystallization. The swelling of the PVA-Ag samples in solution pH 4.0 was low, as was their silver delivery, compared with the equivalent samples swollen in the other media. The highest swelling and silver delivery were related to samples prepared with 0.50% AgNO3, and they also presented lower strength in PBS pH 7.4 and solution pH 4.0. Both PVA-Ag samples were also non-toxic and presented antimicrobial activity, confirming that 0.25% AgNO3 concentration is sufficient to establish an antimicrobial effect. Both PVA-Ag samples presented suitable mechanical and swelling properties in all media, representative of potential burn site conditions.

Hydroxyapatite crystallinity does not affect the repair of critical size bone defects

Objective The physicochemical properties of hydroxyapatite (HA) granules were observed to affect the biological behavior of graft materials. The aim of this work was to analyze the tissue response of two HA granules with different crystallinity and Ca/P ratio in vivo. Material and Methods The HA granules were produced in the Biomaterials Laboratory (COPPE/UFRJ). The testing materials were HA granules presenting a Ca/P molar ratio of 1.60 and 28% crystallinity (HA-1), and a Ca/P molar ratio of 1.67 and 70% crystallinity (HA-2). Both HAs were implanted into a critical-size calvaria rat defects. Results To note, in the control group, the bone defects were filled with blood clot only. Descriptive and histomorphometric analyses after 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively showed mild inflammatory infiltrate, mainly comprising macrophage-like and multinucleated giant cells, and an increase in the volume density of the fibrous tissues (p<0.05), which was in contrast to the similar volume density of the newly formed bone and biomaterials in relation to the control group. Conclusion Thus, we concluded that HA-1 and HA-2 are biocompatible and non-degradable, and that crystallinity does not affect bone repair of critical size defects.

Response of osteoblastic cells to titanium submitted to three different surface treatments

In the complex process of bone formation at the implant-tissue interface, surface properties are relevant factors modulating osteoblastic function. In this study, commercially pure titanium (cp Ti) samples were prepared with different surface characteristics using chemical attack with a sulfuric acid/hydrochloric acid based solution (treatment A); chemical attack plus anodic oxidation using phosphoric acid (treatment B); and chemical attack plus thermal oxidation followed by immersion in a sodium fluoride solution (treatment C). The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact profilometry and contact angle. The biological performance of the prepared surfaces was evaluated using mice osteoblastic cell cultures for up to 21 days. Cells seeded on the different titanium samples showed similar behavior during cell attachment and spreading. However, cellular proliferation and differentiation were higher for samples submitted to treatments A and C (p < or = 0.05; n = 3), which were less rough and showed surface free energy with smaller polar components.

Synthesis of magnesium- and manganese-doped hydroxyapatite structures assisted by the simultaneous incorporation of strontium

Samples of crystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) with and without the addition of individual Mg(2+), Mn(2+) and Sr(2+) ions and samples with the addition of all three ions simultaneously were prepared using the precipitation method in an aqueous medium. Chemical, structural, spectroscopic and thermophysical analyses of the synthesized samples were conducted. The obtained results indicate that Sr(2+) ions were easily incorporated into the HA crystal structure, whereas it was difficult to incorporate Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) ions into the HA lattice when these ions were individually introduced into the samples. The synthesis of HA with Mg(2+) or Mn(2+) ions is characterized by the formation of HA with a low concentration of doping elements that is outweighed by the amount of these atoms present in less biocompatible phases that formed simultaneously. However, the incorporation of Sr(2+) along with Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) ions into the samples allowed for the synthesis of HA with considerably higher concentrations of Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) in the crystal lattice.