The production of hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite coatings has continuously been experimented for bone tissue applications during the last decades due to its significant bioactivity and osteoconductivity. This report unravels the...

Polyacrylamide-based hydrogels are widely used as potential candidates for cartilage replacement. However, their bioapplicability is sternly hampered due to their limited mechanical strength and puncture resistance. In the present work, the strength of polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels was increased using titanium oxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) separately and a combination of TiO2 with CNTs in a PAM matrix, which was interlinked by the bonding between nanoparticles and polymers with the deployment of density functional theory (DFT) approach. The synergistic effect and strong interfacial bonding of TiO2 and CNT nanoparticles with PAM are attributed to high compressive strength, elastic modulus (>0.43 and 2.340 MPa, respectively), and puncture resistance (estimated using the needle insertion test) for the PAM–TiO2–CNT hydrogel. The PAM–TiO2–CNT composite hydrogel revealed a significant self-healing phenomenon along with a sign toward the bioactivity and cytocompatibility by forming the apatite crystals in simulated body fluid as well as showing a cell viability of ∼99%, respectively. Furthermore, for new insights on interfacial bonding and structural and electronic features involved in the hydrogels, DFT was used. The PAM–TiO2–CNT composite model, constructed by two interfaces (PAM–TiO2 and PAM–CNT), was stabilized by H-bonding and van der Waals-type interactions. Employing the NCI plot, HOMO–LUMO gap, and natural population analysis tools, the PAM–TiO2–CNT composite has been found to be most stable. Therefore, the prepared polyacrylamide hydrogels in combination with the TiO2 and CNT can be a remarkable nanocomposite hydrogel for cartilage repair applications.

Type 2 diabetes drug tablets containing voglibose having dose strengths of 0.2 and 0.3 mg of various brands have been examined, using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. The statistical methods such as the principal component analysis (PCA) and the partial least square regression analysis (PLSR) have been employed on LIBS spectral data for classifying and developing the calibration models of drug samples. We have developed the ratio-based calibration model applying PLSR in which relative spectral intensity ratios H/C, H/N and O/N are used. Further, the developed model has been employed to predict the relative concentration of element in unknown drug samples. The experiment has been performed in air and argon atmosphere, respectively, and the obtained results have been compared. The present model provides rapid spectroscopic method for drug analysis with high statistical significance for online control and measurement process in a wide variety of pharmaceutical industrial applications.

No abstract

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been an excellent replacement for the natural bone in orthopedic applications, owing to its close resemblance; however, it is brittle and has low strength. Surface modification techniques...