Effects of external ventricular drainage decompression of intracranial hypertension on rebleeding of brain aneurysms: A fluid structure interaction study

Objectives: The treatment of hydrocephalus using external ventricular drainage (EVD) seems to favour rebleeding of an untreated ruptured aneurysm. FSI studies are valuable to study this environment. Patients and methods: From December 2014 to December 2017, 61 patients with SAH required EVD due to hydrocephalus, 6 patients had aneurysm rebleeding after the procedure. Two controls for each case was included. DSA studies were used for fluid–structure interaction simulations using two scenarios high ICP (5332 Pa) and low ICP (133 Pa). Results: Maximum displacement of the wall in HICP was 0.34 mm and 0.26 mm in rebleeding and no rebleeding cases respectively, after EVD (LICP), it was 0.36 mm and 0.27 mm. The difference after implantation of EVD (HICP-LICP) had an average of 0.01567 mm and 0.00683 mm in rebleeding and no rebleeding cases (p = 0.05). This measure in low shear areas of the aneurysm was 0.026 and 0.0065 mm in rebleeding and no rebleeding cases (p = 0.01). Effective stress in the HICP was 4.77 MPa and 3.26 MPa in rebleeding and no rebleeding cases (p = 0.25). In LICP condition, this measure was 2.28 MPa and 1.42 MPa respectively (p = 0.33). TAWSS had no significant differences in the conditions of HICP and LICP. Conclusion: Changes after EVD placement includes an increase in the wall displacement with greater differences over low shear areas, this had a strong association with rebleeding.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. POS-A/2013/161Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2016/047-0Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D 2017/01

Characterization of Co-Cr-W dental alloys with veneering materials manufactured via subtractive milling and additive manufacturing LDED methods

Laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology which can be an alternative to the traditional subtractive milling process for the obtention of porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) prosthesis. Still, the adhesion performance of the veneering ceramics for this material has been not studied yet. The main objective of this study is to perform a systematic comparison of the adhesion performance of Co-Cr-W metal frameworks obtained through LDED and conventional milling techniques. Comparison includes microstructural, superficial, and adhesion analysis. Co-Cr manufactured via LDED technique presents similar behavior (p < 0.05) in comparison to the material obtained via milling techniques, and its performance was validated with the veneering ceramics and veneering composites currently employed in the dental industry.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. EQC2019-005892-PXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2019/23Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. PID2020-117900RB-I0

Influence of laser texturing on the wettability of PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer showing excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties and a low coefficient of friction. Due to its large stability, and hydrophobic nature, the wettability of PTFE surfaces can be reduced to transform them into superhydrophobic. In this regard, laser texturing is a fast, simple and versatile method to produce superhydrophobic PTFE surfaces in one-step, and over large areas. In this work, we used a CO2 laser to modify the surface of PTFE samples. We studied the effect of the processing parameters (laser power or irradiance, scanning speed, and spacing -overlapping- between scan lines) on the wettability of textured surfaces using water, mineral oil and ethanol/water solutions as test fluids. Laser-treated surfaces showed a hierarchical micro- and nanotopography with a cotton-like appearance. The higher roughness and large quantity of air pockets make these laser-treated surfaces superhydrophobic, and highly oleophobic. Furthermore, they remain unaltered after being in contact with strong alkali and acid solutions or after slight friction. The self-cleaning performance of these surfaces was also demonstrated. The present findings suggest that CO2 laser texturing of PTFE is suitable for the large-scale preparation of surfaces with low-wettability to different liquids.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-095490-J-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2019/23Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D 2017/010Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2016/047-0Xunta de Galicia | Ref. POS-A/2013/16

Laser texturing to control the wettability of materials

Many applications of different materials are related to the properties of their surface. Wettability is a key property affecting applications in all fields: adhesives, lubricants, detergents, all types of coatings, implant integration, heat transmission, corrosion, etc. Laser texturing has been demonstrated to be an excellent technique to modify surface wettability of many different materials: polymers, metals, ceramics, or even natural stones. The relative simplicity and robustness of the results, together with the widespread availability of affordable industrial laser sources made laser texturing a very promising tool for modifying the surface of parts in manufacturing plants. In this paper we introduce the basics of the technique and show some examples of applications. On one hand, treating the surface of different polymers for biomedical applications. And on the other hand, the production of surfaces with extreme wettability properties is shown: superhydrophilic, superhydrophobic and omniphobic surfaces were obtained by laser texturing

Hyaluronic acid hydrogels reinforced with laser spun bioactive glass micro- and nanofibres doped with lithium

The repair of articular cartilage lesions in weight-bearing joints remains as a significant challenge due to the low regenerative capacity of this tissue. Hydrogels are candidates to repair lesions as they have similar properties to cartilage extracellular matrix but they are unable to meet the mechanical and biological requirements for a successful outcome. Here, we reinforce hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels with 13-93-lithium bioactive glass micro- and nanofibres produced by laser spinning. The glass fibres are a reinforcement filler and a platform for the delivery of therapeutic lithium-ions. The elastic modulus of the composites is more than three times higher than in HA hydrogels. Modelling of the reinforcement corroborates the experimental results. ATDC5 chondrogenic cells seeded on the composites are viable and more proliferation occurs on the hydrogels containing fibres than in HA hydrogels alone. Furthermore, the chondrogenic behavior on HA constructs with fibres containing lithium is more marked than in hydrogels with no-lithium fibres.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2016/042Xunta de Galicia | Ref. POS-A/2013/161Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D 2017/010Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2016/047-

An experimental analysis of the high-cycle fatigue fracture of H13 hot forging tool steels

In this study, the axial fatigue behaviour of hot forging tool steels at room temperature was investigated. Fatigue tests were performed on two steels within the same H13 specification. The fatigue tests were carried out in the high-cycle fatigue domain under normal conditions. These tests were also performed on specimens in contact with a corrosive medium, applying stress values that led to the high-cycle fatigue domain under normal conditions for the sake of comparison. Both materials showed similar fatigue strengths when they were tested under normal conditions. In contrast, corrosion fatigue lives were much lower than in normal tests and differed significantly between the two steels. Crack initiation was triggered by microstructural and surface defects in the normal tests, whereas the formation of corrosion pits caused crack initiation in the corrosion fatigue tests. Moreover, a fracture surface analysis revealed dissimilar crack propagation areas between both steels, which suggested that both steels had different fracture toughness. These results were in line with the differences observed between the carbide and grain sizes of both of the material microstructures.Ministerio de Universidades | Ref. CAS21/00454Centro Español para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial- CDTI | Ref. INCRESTA IDI-2019118

Laser surface modification of structural glass for anti-slip applications

The use of soda-lime silicate glass as a structural element has become frequent in modern buildings. The load-bearing applications of glass in floors, footbridges, terraces, or stairs require an optimal combination of non-slippery properties of the surface, element weight, and strength, and structural glazing can be compromised by the incorporation of laser surface patterned ornamental motifs. Laser surface modification has significant advantages for selective surface area modification; nevertheless, the mechanical performance of the processed glass remains unknown, which precludes reliable structural calculations and employment in construction. In this study, we investigated the surface modification of annealed and heat-strengthened glass via CO2 laser scanning for the production of rough anti-slip surfaces. The surface roughness and the reduction of the bearing load strength were quantified. Slip resistance-enhanced surfaces with roughness values (Rz) above 20 μm and characteristic bending strength preservation up to 74% were obtained. The results pave the way for the use of laser surface-modified plates in laminated glass elements with optimized strength calculation and weight reduction.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2016/042Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D 2017/010Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2016/047-0European Comission | Ref. EAPA_151/2016 Interreg Atlantic AreaAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-095490-J-I0