DLC-Coated Ferroelectric Membranes as Vascular Patches: Physico-Chemical Properties and Biocompatibility

In this paper, the results on the fabrication of ferroelectric membranes as vascular patches with modified surfaces are presented. For the modification of a membrane surface contacting blood, DLC coating was deposited using the pulsed vacuum arc deposition technique. The physico-chemical properties and cytotoxicity of the membranes modified under various conditions were studied. It was found that DLC coatings do not affect membrane microstructure, preserving its crystal structure as well as its high strength and elongation. It was revealed that an increase in the capacitor storage voltage results in the rise in sp2- and sp-hybridized carbon concentration, which makes it possible to control the chemical structure and surface energy of the modified surface. The experiments with 3T3L1 fibroblasts showed no toxic effects of the materials extracts.

The Involvement of Lactosylceramide in Central Nervous System Inflammation Related to Neurodegenerative Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases are a class of slow-progressing terminal illnesses characterized by neuronal lesions, such as multiple sclerosis [MS, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)]. Their incidence increases with age, and the associated burden on families and society will become increasingly more prominent with aging of the general population. In recent years, there is growing studies have shown that lactosylceramide (LacCer) plays a crucial role in the progression of neurodegeneration, although these diseases have different pathogenic mechanisms and etiological characteristics. Based on latest research progress, this study expounds the pathogenic role of LacCer in driving central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, as well as the role of membrane microstructure domain (lipid rafts) and metabolite gangliosides, and discusses in detail their links with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, with a view to providing new strategies and ideas for the study of pathological mechanisms and drug development for neurodegenerative diseases in the future.

Fabrication and characterization of TiO2 nanotube arrays on Ti membrane enlarged by anodic oxidation

TiO2 nanotube arrays have attracted a great deal of attention as photocatalytic and photoelectrode materials due to their large surface area, low cost and easy fabrication. Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays for the photoelectrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells have been fabricated from Ti foil. However, the TiO2 nanotube arrays from Ti foil were not effective for the photocatalytic materials, because it had only one plane for the photocatalytic reaction. We have fabricated the TiO2 nanotube arrays from macroporous Ti metal membrane by anodic oxidation and tried to scale it up. Various factors were controlled to obtain the optimal microstructure of the TiO2 nanotube arrays on the surface of macroporous Ti metallic membrane. Microstructure and phase were studied by SEM and XRD, respectively. Temperature was a very important factor in anodic oxidation of large surface area. 10 μm thick TiO2 nanotube arrays on Ti metallic membrane having a large surface area were fabricated and some factors for scaling-up were discussed.