Microstructure, Mechanical, and Anticorrosive Properties of a New Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta Alloy Based on Nontoxic and Nonallergenic Elements

Monica Popa,Ecaterina Vasilescu,Paula Drob,Doina Raducanu,Jose Maria Calderon Moreno,Steliana Ivanescu,Cora Vasilescu,Silviu Iulian Drob 대한금속·재료학회 2012 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.18 No.4

For an alloy to be suitable for use as an implant material, it must have a low specific weight and Young’s modulus, good mechanical properties that are similar to those of bone, and very good corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. In this study, we have developed a novel Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy that is composed of nontoxic, nonallergenic, corrosion-resistant elements. This alloy has low specific weight and Young’s modulus and good mechanical properties. It has a fine microstructure with a matrix that is mainly composed of the β phase and some α phase due to recrystallization during cooling. It shows elastoplastic behavior with a fairly linear elastic behavior and low Young’s modulus (59 GPa). In addition, its ultimate tensile strength, 0.2% yield strength, and hardness are higher than those of CP Ti, commercial Ti-6Al-4V,and similar β-type alloys. It exhibited a very stable passive state and its electrochemical parameters and corrosion and ion release rates were better than those of CP Ti in Ringer’s solutions of different pH values that simulate the severe functional conditions of an implant; this is attributable to the beneficial influence of the alloying elements and to the better protective properties of the coated passive film.

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Resistance of Ti-20Zr Alloy in Undoped and NaF Doped Artificial Saliva

Jose M. Calderon Moreno,Monica Popa,Steliana Ivanescu,Cora Vasilescu,Silviu Iulian Drob,Elena Ionela Neacsu,Mihai V. Popa 대한금속·재료학회 2014 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.20 No.1

The corrosion behavior of a new, advanced Ti-20Zr alloy with α+β microstructure (determined by opticalmicroscopy, XRD, and SEM) and very good mechanical properties (obtained from the stress-strain curve)is studied in this paper. The composition of the alloy native passive film was determined from a XPS analy-sis and the long-term corrosion resistance in undoped and doped states with 0.05M NaF artificial Carter-Brugi-rard saliva of different pH values, simulating the severe functional conditions of a dental implant, was analyzed byelectrochemical methods. This alloy possesses an advantageous balance between good mechanical resis-tance and plasticity and Young’s modulus and exhibits more favorable electrochemical parameters and cor-rosion resistance than CP Ti due to its more resistant passive layer containing Ti2O3, TiO2, and ZrO2 protectiveoxides. After 1000 h of immersion in saliva, the protective properties of the alloy were enhanced due tothe deposited surface layer that incorporated protective phosphates (shown by SEM and XPS).

Knowledge Regarding Early Detection of Cancer among Romanian Women having Relatives with Cancer

Lotrean, Lucia Maria,Ailoaiei, Roxana,Popa, Monica,de Vries, Hein Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.3

Cancers can be detected in early stages through awareness of suspicious symptoms or by specific actions undertaken by individuals or participation in medical checks or screening programmes. The present research had three objectives: to assess the knowledge of Romanian women who have relatives with cancer with regard to cancer symptoms and detection methods; to identify socio-demographics factors influencing their level of knowledge; provide information regarding the attitudes of women from the study regarding medical help-seeking in case of any symptom which might be associated with cancer. This cross-sectional study was performed in an oncological hospital from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It involved 160 women aged 18-70 years, who had relatives with cancer. An anonymous questionnaire was filled in by the participants. The results showed that around 10% of the study sample recognized all the 8 listed symptoms associated with cancer and all the 7 listed methods for cancer detection. The results of the linear regression analyses show that the level of knowledge regarding both symptoms and methods for detection was higher among younger women (B=-0.390, p<0.01, respectively B=-0.260; p<0.01), among those living in urban areas (B=0.872, p<0.01, respectively B=0.676; p<0.01) and those having higher educational level (B=0.883, p<0.001, respectively B=0.536; p<0.001). The majority of the participants agreed with the importance of looking for medical help within weeks up to one month in case that a symptom which might be associated with cancer was observed. The study underlines the necessity that much more information should be given to women who have relatives with cancer about what they can do to detect cancer in an early stage. This is especially needed for older women, women living in rural areas and women having a lower educational level.

Process Evaluation of the First Computer Tailored Program for Smoking Cessation among Romanian Smokers

Lotrean, Lucia Maria,Ailoaiei, Roxana,Popa, Monica,De Vries, Hein Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

The objective of this paper is to present the implementation and process evaluation of the first computer tailored program for smoking cessation among Romanian smokers. The program targeted adult smokers who declared the intention to quit smoking in the next six months. The intervention consisted of a letter tailored to several respondent characteristics: gender, cognitive variables (attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy), intention to quit smoking, goal and relapse prevention strategies (action and coping plans), and smoking behaviour. The first 80 participants entered into the program filled in a process evaluation questionnaire one month after the intervention. The results of our study confirmed that the participants had read and remembered the letter. Moreover, new for Romania, this approach was positively appreciated by the participant and the score received for the tailored letter was high. The opinions of the participants confirmed that the tailored letter provided information that was useful, trustworthy and relevant for the individual. At the same time, the participants appreciated the polite, easy to understand content of the letter. These data underlined the premises for continuing the program and for using the information and communication technologies for healthy lifestyle promotion among Romanian population.

Smoking Prevention for Adolescents in Romanian Schools

Lotrean, Lucia Maria,Loghin, Cornel Radu,Popa, Monica,Vries, Hein De Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.11

This study had two objectives. The first was to assess the frequency and content of school-based anti-smoking education received by Romanian adolescents aged 14-15. Secondly, the study aimed to evaluate to what extent the implementation of a specific 5 lessons smoking prevention program influences the quality of anti-smoking school education among Romanian adolescents. The investigation was performed in twenty schools from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, which were randomly assigned to the control and experimental conditions, resulting in 55 participating classes from the seventh grade (28 in the control group and 27 in the experimental group). The experimental group participated in a school-based smoking prevention program consisting of 5 lessons. The control group beneficiated only in the standard anti-smoking education offered by their schools. Six months after the program implementation, students from both experimental and control groups filled in a questionnaire, assessing several issues regarding their exposure to anti-smoking school education in the last year. The results showed a low exposure to anti-smoking school education among the Romanian adolescents. The implementation of the specific school-based smoking prevention program increased the exposure of Romanian adolescents to a higher number of lessons of smoking prevention and influenced positively the quality of these lessons. The study identified several gaps with respect to anti-smoking education in Romanian schools. It underlines the benefits of the implementation of a school based smoking prevention program with a clear structure, which contains appropriate educational messages and it is easy to implement.