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In some circumstances, the mechanical and optical properties of multiphase brittle materials strongly depend on the level of residual micromechanical stresses that arise upon cooling due to thermal and elastic mismatch between the constituent phases. Here we study the residual internal stress in a partially crystallized oxyfluoride glass, best known as photothermorefractive (PTR) glass. This material is composed of a glass matrix with embedded nanosize sodium fluoride (NaF) crystals. Using both the Selsing model and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance in combination with first principles calculations we found that the crystals are under a tensile stress field of approximately 610–800 MPa. For this stress level the estimated critical crystal diameter for spontaneous cracking is about 2300–1900 nm, which greatly exceeds the observed diameters of 7–35 nm. Hence no spontaneous cracking is expected for the PTR glasses. First principles calculations indicate that the stress induced change of the refractive index of the NaF crystals is about -0.08%, which agrees with the observed refractive index changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria are the most common causative agents of ocular infections. Treatment with topical broad-spectrum antibiotics is recommended in severe cases. However, antibiotic resistance has become a major concern in recent years, although antibiotics are generally effective in treating ocular infections. Antibacterial compound screening is performed to identify alternative therapeutic options to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity of an ophthalmic solution containing ozonated oil. Strains of bacterial species with a multidrug resistance profile, which are responsible for a large proportion of ocular infections, were isolated and selected from different biological samples. The bacterial isolates were cultured, and ozonated oil was used to evaluate the inhibition zones at different time points. The treatment exhibited antibacterial activity against all the tested species. The effect was lower against the strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and more evident against Staphylococcus and Streptococcus spp. Our results suggest that the administration of ozonated oil may be a candidate agent to treat some infections of the ocular surface with a potential role in antimicrobial prophylaxis.

The glass transition onset temperature (Tg), the glass transition end temperature (Te), and the glass transition width (ΔTg) of alkali borate glasses were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (using the definition ΔTg≡Te-Tg). An anomaly was found in ΔTg trends of the lighter alkali modifiers, with that of lithium being the most prominent. From R=0·03 to 0·10, where R is the molar ratio of alkali oxide to boron oxide, ΔTg values of the lithium family experience a large increase, maximizing at R=0·05. Those of the sodium family experience a smaller increase. After R=0·10, the trends of all alkali borates follow a similar monotonic decline. An explanation based on thermodynamic modelling of the borate species, as well as viscosity, is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to characterize different BS/PLGA composites for their physicochemical and morphological characteristics and evaluate the in vitro and in vivo biological performance. The physicochemical and morphological modifications were analyzed by pH, mass loss, XRD, setting time, and SEM. For in vitro analysis, the osteoblast and fibroblast viability was evaluated. For in vivo evaluations, histopathology and immunohistochemistry were performed in a tibial defect in rats. After incubation, all composites presented lower values in pH and mass loss over time. Moreover, XRD and SEM analysis confirmed that the composites degraded over time. Additionally, pore formation was observed by SEM analysis after incubation mainly in BS/PLGA groups. BS/PLGA showed significantly increased in osteoblast viability 24 h. Moreover, BS/PLGA composites demonstrated an increase in fibroblast viability in all periods analyzed when compared to BS. In the in vivo study, after 2 and 6 weeks of implantation of biomaterials, histopathological findings revealed that the BS/PLGA composites degrades over time, mainly at periphery. Moreover, can be observed the presence of granulation tissue, bone formation, Runx-2, and RANKL immunoexpression in all groups. In conclusion, BS/PLGA composites present appropriate physicochemical characteristics, stimulate the cellular viability, and enhance the bone repair in vivo. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1063-1074, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) have been widely used as an alternative to biological grafts due to their excellent osteoconductive properties. Although degradation has been improved by using poly( D,L-lactic- co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres as porogens, the biological performance of CPC/PLGA composites is insufficient to stimulate bone healing in large bone defects. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of incorporating osteopromotive bioactive glass (BG; up to 50 wt %) on setting properties, in vitro degradation behavior and morphological characteristics of CPC/BG and CPC/PLGA/BG. The results revealed that the initial and final setting time of the composites increased with increasing amounts of incorporated BG. The degradation test showed a BG-dependent increasing effect on pH of CPC/BG and CPC/PLGA/BG pre-set scaffolds immersed in PBS compared to CPC and CPC/PLGA equivalents. Whereas no effects on mass loss were observed for CPC and CPC/BG pre-set scaffolds, CPC/PLGA/BG pre-set scaffolds showed an accelerated mass loss compared with CPC/PLGA equivalents. Morphologically, no changes were observed for CPC and CPC/BG pre-set scaffolds. In contrast, CPC/PLGA and CPC/PLGA/BG showed apparent degradation of PLGA microspheres and faster loss of integrity for CPC/PLGA/BG pre-set scaffolds compared with CPC/PLGA equivalents. Based on the present in vitro results, it can be concluded that BG can be successfully introduced into CPC and CPC/PLGA without exceeding the setting time beyond clinically acceptable values. All injectable composites containing BG had suitable handling properties and specifically CPC/PLGA/BG showed an increased rate of mass loss. Future investigations should focus on translating these findings to in vivo applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photo-thermo-refractive ( PTR) glass is a Na2O-K2O-ZnO-Al2O3-SiO2 silicate optical glass which also contains fluorine, a small amount of bromine, and dopants that yield photo-sensitivity in the UV range. PTR glass undergoes crystallization of NaF nanocrystals after UV-exposure followed by thermal treatment, resulting in permanent refractive index change. In this study, where we explore only the thermally activated transformations in the UV-unexposed glass, we show that bromine decreases the solubility of NaF, i.e., increases the super-saturation of NaF thus increasing the thermodynamic driving force for crystallization. This feature causes a decrease in the maximum volume fraction of crystallized NaF with decreasing bromine content in the parent glass. The evolution of the glass transition temperature, Tg, with increasing isothermal treatment time revealed a minimum resulted from interplay between two concurring processes, liquid-liquid phase separation that led to decrease in Tg, and Br-controlled NaF crystallization that acted in the opposite direction. In glasses with lower bromine content, fewer and larger crystals appeared and a surface-initiated crystallization was dominant. A surface layer of F-depleted glass imprinted residual macro-stresses, which were not alleviated by annealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]