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ABSTRACT Bone diseases and injuries pose a significant global health challenge. Traditional bone regeneration methods face limitations, such as tissue availability and immune rejection. This study presents plasma technology's potential in scaffold engineering for bone regeneration through bibliometric analysis and experimental findings. Plasmas modify surfaces and enhance scaffold properties. These modifications are crucial for effective bone healing. Our bibliometric analysis identifies key trends and collaborations in plasma technology research. The analysis reveals a strong correlation between surface modification, plasma treatment, and applications in tissue engineering and biomaterials, underscoring the need for detailed investigations into plasma applications. By linking bibliometric trends with experimental research, this article emphasizes the novel role of plasma technology in current and future bone regeneration strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioplastics offer biodegradability and reduced environmental impact but often use nondegradable synthetic dyes. This study introduces a novel application of glow discharge plasma (GDP) technology to modify cassava starch‐based bioplastic sheets, specifically optimizing conditions to enhance their hydrophilicity and adhesion for natural dyes. This research systematically tailors plasma treatment parameters to maximize the interaction between bioplastics and eco‐friendly natural dyes. Optimal conditions, identified as 30 W for 3 min using oxygen, air, and nitrogen plasma treatments, demonstrate significant advancement in sustainable material development. Analyses (ATR‐FTIR, EDX, XPS) showed increased concentration of polar functional groups and oxygen content, with FE‐SEM and water contact angle measurements revealing improved surface roughness and wettability, respectively. Oxygen plasma treatment yielded the highest hydrophilicity and crystallinity of the polymer. Tensile tests indicated increased strength and decreased elongation. UV‐Vis spectroscopy confirmed enhanced dye retention and reduced leaching. This study demonstrates GDP's potential to incorporate eco‐friendly natural dyes into bioplastics, thereby contributing to the development of more sustainable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been the most frequently reported and commercially used polymer for surface coatings to convey nonfouling properties. PEGylated surfaces are known to exhibit limited chemical stability, particularly due to oxidative degradation, which limits long-term applications. In view of excellent anti-adhesive properties in the brush conformation and resistance to oxidative degradation, poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOXA) has been proposed recently as an alternative to PEG. In this study, the authors systematically compare the (bio)chemical stability of PEG- and PMOXA-based polymer brush monolayer thin films when exposed to cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs). To this end, the authors used cell-adhesive protein micropatterns in a background of the nonfouling PEG and PMOXA brushes, respectively, and monitored the outgrowth of HUVECs and HFFs for up to 21 days and 1.5 months. Our results demonstrate that cellular micropatterns spaced by PMOXA brushes are significantly more stable under serum containing cell culture conditions in terms of confinement of cells to the adhesive patterns, when compared to corresponding micropatterns generated by PEG brushes. Moreover, homogeneous PEG and PMOXA-based brush monolayers on Nb2O5 surfaces were investigated after immersion in endothelial cell medium using ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of the interfacial chemistry of ultrathin polymeric adlayers is fundamentally important in the context of establishing quantitative design rules for the fabrication of nonfouling surfaces in various applications such as biomaterials and medical devices. In this study, seven poly( l-lysine)- graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PLL-PMOXA) copolymers with grafting density (number of PMOXA chains per lysine residue) 0.09, 0.14, 0.19, 0.33, 0.43, 0.56, and 0.77, respectively, were synthesized and characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The copolymers were then adsorbed on NbO surfaces. Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy method was used to monitor the surface adsorption in situ of these copolymers and provide information on adlayer masses that were then converted into PLL and PMOXA surface densities. To investigate the relationship between copolymer bulk architecture (as shown by NMR data) and surface coverage as well as surface architecture, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis was performed. Furthermore, ToF-SIMS method combined with principal component analysis (PCA) was used to verify the protein resistant properties of PLL-PMOXA adlayers, by thorough characterization before and after adlayer exposure to human serum. ToF-SIMS analysis revealed that the chemical composition as well as the architecture of the different PLL-PMOXA adlayers indeed reflects the copolymer bulk composition. ToF-SIMS results also indicated a heterogeneous surface coverage of PLL-PMOXA adlayers with high grafting densities higher than 0.33. In the case of protein resistant surface, PCA results showed clear differences between protein resistant and nonprotein-resistant surfaces. Therefore, ToF-SIMS results combined with PCA confirmed that the PLL-PMOXA adlayer with brush architecture resists protein adsorption. However, low increases of some amino acid signals in ToF-SIMS spectra were detected after the adlayer has been exposed to human serum. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The material for exposed pulp treatment is calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), although there are still some disadvantages. Composites with components of gelatin, chitosan, carbonated hydroxyapatite, and Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used to develop the material to obtain optimal quality. Nestin is a marker for differentiation of odontoblast and expressed in irritated odontoblasts. This study evaluated Nestin expression in the dental pulp after applying gelatin-chitosan-TEOS-Ca(OH)2 composite material. Materials and methods: There were 30 Wistar rats divided into two groups, namely the treatment and control groups, with 15 rats in each group. The maxillary first molar tooth was opened using diamond bur No. 010 to the depth of the pulp. The gelatin-chitosan-TEOS-Ca(OH)2 composite was applied in the treatment group, while the control group used Ca(OH)2, followed by temporary fillings. The expression of Nestin was evaluated after 1,3,5,7, and 14 days of application using immunohistochemistry method under light microscopy with 64x and 160x magnifications. Three replication was taken for each evaluation time. Results: A positive expression seen in both the treatment and control groups. The pulp area beneath the irritated tissue showed positive expression of Nestin, especially in the odontoblasts and their processes, pulp cells near positive of the odontoblasts, and flat cells attached to the dentin. The treated group showed weaker Nestin expression than the control group. Conclusion: The gelatin-chitosan-TEOS-Ca(OH)2 composite material has potential as an exposed pulp medicament. After applying the gelatin-chitosan-TEOS-Ca(OH)2 composite to the exposed pulp, the positive Nestin expression indicates a pulp tissue regeneration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]