The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of plasma treatment on adhesion between fiber-reinforced posts and a composite core material. Two types of posts, methacrylate-based (FRC Postec) and epoxy resin-based (DT Light-Post), were treated with oxygen plasma (O2), argon plasma (Ar), nitrogen plasma (N2), or helium mixed with nitrogen plasma (He+N2) using a radio-frequency generator before bonding to a methacrylate-based composite. Pull-out tests were performed using a universal testing machine. Surface roughness of each group was evaluated using a profilometer. On tensile-shear bond strength, statistical analysis revealed that the type of post, type of plasma treatment, and their interaction significantly influenced the results (p<0.05). Tukey's test revealed significant differences in tensile-shear bond strength between the control and other plasma treatment groups (p<0.05). On surface roughness, Tukey's test revealed significant differences between the control group and the Ar group (p<0.05) with DT Light Post. Plasma treatment appeared to increase the tensile-shear bond strength between post and composite.
Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) are important alternative source of pluripotent cells for several therapeutic purposes. Understanding of adhesion properties of such cells is necessary to regulate the attachment, growth and proliferation on targeted culture surfaces. BCP-K1, a line of WJMSCs, and polystyrene (PS) culture dishes were used as membrane samples. A 13.56 MHz inductively coupled discharge plasma reactor with a mixture of N-containing gas and noble gas was used. This was expected to introduce the more hydrophilic groups on PS surface and enhance the cell adhesion. The plasma-treated PS dishes with the mixed gas of N(2) + He at 50 W and NH(3) + He at 100 W were reactive towards BCP-K1. Cellular adhesion and proliferation was significantly twice as efficient on the treated surfaces than on PS dishes. BCP-K1 also secreted more focal adhesion kinase to adhere and proliferate when cultured on N(2)-treated PS dishes than on the NH(3)-treated PS dishes. Stable stemness markers were detected, including CD105, CD9 and SSEA-4, expressed on BCP-K1 growing on the modified PS dish surfaces, during 7 days of culturing. The presence of -NH(2) groups on the PS dish surface were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A large amount of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, up to 9.0 %, were introduced by NH(3) plasma and N(2) plasma. The functional groups introduced on to the PS surfaces were clearly the key factors which enhanced WJMSCs attachment and stemness stability.
Starch based packaging materials are made from cassava starch with increased antimicrobial activity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the quantities of cassava starch, vinegar, glycerin, and water used for 10×10 cm2 sheet film molding, and to investigate the antimicrobial activity of starch-nanoparticles based films. TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles were added into an aqueous starch solution at 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 %w/w. The antimicrobial activity testing indicated that no inhibition zone against microorganisms was observable for film without the incorporation of nanoparticles. Inhibition areas were yielded by films coated with all concentrations of TiO2 and ZnO (10 mm for 1×1 cm2 and 20 mm for 2×2 cm2 dimensions of films). The results showed that starch films mixed with 0.01 %w/w of TiO2 were able to extend the shelf life of bananas from 5 - 7 days to 14 days, and tomatoes from 7 - 10 days to 21 days. The biodegradation test of starch film was carried out under the real condition of landfills. The result showed that all starch based films appeared to decompose in the soil within 14 days. The UV-vis spectrum of soil from landfill area containing nanoparticle-starch composites showed no TiO2 or ZnO absorbance spectra; there was no nanoparticle residue in soil. Starch based nanocomposite films could be used for active packaging applications for post-harvest produce.
According to the low efficiency of cell attachment and proliferation on commercial polystyrene (PS) dish, scaffold with porous structure on the polystyrene dish is required to improve the cell attachment and proliferation efficiency on the dish. The scaffold with porous structure was fabricated from a solution of powdered silk fibroin by plasma grafting polymerization technique. Argon plasma was utilized by a 13.56 MHz capacitively coupled discharge (CCP) reactor at working pressure of 100 mTorr. Rf power, plasma treatment time, and the cycle of grafting on the dish were varied. The proper treatment time and rf power set to 10 minutes and 100 W, respectively. The experimental results showed the uniformly and highly distributed of porosity of fibroin scaffold on the PS dish surface. The Ar-treated dish had lower UV-Vis absorbance than the untreated dish indicating the efficiency of grafting between fibroin structure and treated PS surface is better than the untreated surface. The absorbance spectra of phanyalanine at 280 nm affirmed the success of the fibroin amino acid grafting to PS aromatic structure.
A novel wound dressing surface modification was developed by applying plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The cotton wound gauze dressings were treated by the mixed composition of 10 %NH3+He and 10 %NH3+C2H2 plasmas followed by immersion in silver sulfadiazine (AgSD) solution. A high functionality and a high surface area can thus be obtained by plasma deposition of C2H2 + NH3. We reported the effect of a strong interaction between AgSD and cotton gauze yarn by observing the reactive amorphous carbon layer. It had an ability to slow down the release rate of AgSD compounds into the solution, reported as the UV-visible absorbance of the solution released from the plasma-treated gauze. The results showed that the release rate of AgSD molecules was lower, compared to the untreated gauze. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed the interaction between AgSD and the cotton fibers of the plasma-treated gauze. In the untreated gauze, no such interaction was found. According to the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data, %weight of the Ag compound on the treated gauze was higher than the untreated gauze. A test on the antibacterial effect, using Fluid Thioglycollate Medium (FTM) as the culture media, clearly demonstrated that the plasma treated gauze which was immersed with AgSD, had ability to inhibit bacterial growth.
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