Background The use of surface coatings to enhance the properties lacking in titanium has attracted significant focus in recent times. Hafnium nitride (HfN) coatings could be explored as promising in the osteoinductive properties of titanium implants. HfN exhibits excellent mechanical attributes, such as hardness and wear resistance, and is often used as a coating on high-end equipment for protection. The findings from this research may carve a new path for the production and optimization of HfN coatings to enhance the longevity and augment properties of implant materials. Thus, the present study was orchestrated to elucidate the surface morphology of HfN coating, ultimately contributing to the advancement of dental implant biomaterials. Materials and methods A total of twenty samples of medical grade commercially pure titanium screws (2 mm diameter and 7 mm length) were procured from G. R. Bioure Surgical System Pvt. Ltd., Ravali, Uttar Pradesh, India, and ten samples were reacted with HfN (0.1 M) (Nano Research Elements, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India) in 100% ethanol and stirred continuously for about 48 hours. Then these screw samples were immersed in the prepared colloidal suspension and sintered for two hours at 400 degrees centigrade. The implant screws were affixed onto metal supports. The magnifications for photomicrographs at ×30, ×200, ×1,500, ×3,000, and ×5,000 were standardized. Elementary semi-quantitative analysis of both dental implants was conducted using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) coupled with the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipment (JEOL Ltd., Akishima, Tokyo, Japan). The software used for the analysis of the obtained images is SEM Center. Results The surface analysis using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed the coating of HfN over titanium screws. The difference in surface morphology of both the group of implant screws can be visualized under 40.0 and 10.0 mm working distance (WD) for both groups. The surface analysis using the EDX of uncoated titanium screws shows five elements in the spectrum: titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), aluminum (Al), carbon (C), and vanadium (V). The EDX of the HfN-coated screws has two additional metals dispersed in the spectrum, hafnium (Hf). The element characteristics are tabulated with their apparent concentration, k ratio, line type, weight percentage, standard label, and factory label for uncoated titanium screws and HfN-coated titanium screws. Conclusion The study evaluated HfN coating over medical grade commercially pure titanium. The surface topography of coated versus uncoated was visualized. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed a homogenous coating over the titanium surfaces, and the EDX showed elemental dispersion of the coated implant. The study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the coating\'s surface morphology, which will aid in the development of more durable and biocompatible implants. This thereby provides a promising scope for further research of this novel metal coating for use in the biomedical sectors, specifically for dental implants.

Background Chitosan is a biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic natural polymer that can be fabricated by different methods for use in dental and biomedical fields. Electrospinning can produce polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds and membranes with desirable properties for use in tissue engineering. The objectives of this study were to investigate several morphological, physical, and biological characteristics of these nanofibrous scaffolds and evaluate their potential use in tissue engineering. Methodology Chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous scaffolds (CS/PVA NFS) in a ratio of 70/30 were fabricated by conventional electrospinning. The scaffolds were evaluated chemically by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and morphologically by the atomic force microscope (AFM) and the field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). These scaffolds were also evaluated mechanically by a tensile strength test and several investigations, including water contact angle, swelling ratio, and degradation ratio. Biological evaluations included protein adsorption, cell culture, and cell viability assay. Results The morphological evaluation revealed a homogenous, bead-free mat with an average fiber diameter of 172.7 ± 56.8 nm, an average pore size of 0.54 ± 0.17 µm, and porosity of 74.8% ± 3.3%; the scaffolds showed a tensile strength of 6.67 ± 0.7 Mpa. Scaffolds showed a desired hydrophilic property, as shown by the water contact angle test with a mean angle of 29.5°, while the swelling ratio was 229%, and degradability in phosphate buffer solution after 30 days was 26.9 ± 2.9%. In-vitro cell culture study with adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells and cell viability and cytotoxicity tests by MTT assay demonstrated well-attached cells with increasing proliferation rate with no signs of cytotoxicity. Conclusions Assessment of the CS/PVA NFS revealed randomly oriented bead-free and porous mats. The scaffolds were stable at aqueous solutions following thermal treatment. They were hydrophilic, biodegradable, and biocompatible, as shown by the cell culture and MTT assay, which suggest that the fabricated scaffolds have the potential to be used in tissue engineering applications either as scaffolds, bio-grafts, or barrier membranes.

Each plant cell has hundreds of copies of the chloroplast genome and chloroplast transgenes do not undergo silencing. Therefore, chloroplast transformation has many powerful potential agricultural and industrial applications. We previously succeeded in integrating exogenous genes into the chloroplast genome using peptide-DNA complexes composed of plasmid DNA and a fusion peptide consisting of a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) and a chloroplast transit peptide (cpPD complex). However, how cpPD complexes are transported into the chloroplast from outside the cell remains unclear. Here, to characterize the route by which these cpPD complexes move into chloroplasts, we tracked their movement from the extracellular space to the chloroplast stroma using a fluorescent label and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Upon infiltration of cpPD complexes into the extracellular space of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, the complexes reached the chloroplast surface within 6h. The cpPD complexes reached were engulfed by the chloroplast outer envelope membrane and gradually integrated into the chloroplast. We detected several cpPD complexes localized around chloroplast nucleoids and observed the release of DNA from the cpPD. Our results thus define the route taken by the cpPD complexes for gene delivery from the extracellular space to the chloroplast stroma.