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Volume 1, December
 
 

Plasma, Volume 1, Issue 1 (September 2018) – 19 articles

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11 pages, 3070 KiB  
Article
Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells with the Canady Cold Plasma Conversion System: Preliminary Results
by Xiaoqian Cheng, Warren Rowe, Lawan Ly, Alexey Shashurin, Taisen Zhuang, Shruti Wigh, Giacomo Basadonna, Barry Trink, Michael Keidar and Jerome Canady
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 218-228; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010019 - 15 Sep 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5257
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer is a phenotype of breast cancer where the expression level of estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptors are low or absent. It is more frequently diagnosed in younger and premenopausal women, among which African and [...] Read more.
Triple-negative breast cancer is a phenotype of breast cancer where the expression level of estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptors are low or absent. It is more frequently diagnosed in younger and premenopausal women, among which African and Hispanic have a higher rate. Cold atmospheric plasma has revealed its promising ant-cancer capacity over the past two decades. In this study, we report the first cold plasma jet delivered by the Canady Cold Plasma Conversion Unit and characterization of its electric and thermal parameters. The unit effectively reduced the viability of triple-negative breast cancer up to 80% without thermal damage, providing a starting point for future clinical trials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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17 pages, 2262 KiB  
Article
Plasma Treatment of Ovarian Cancer Cells Mitigates Their Immuno-Modulatory Products Active on THP-1 Monocytes
by Sander Bekeschus, Can Pascal Wulf, Eric Freund, Dominique Koensgen, Alexander Mustea, Klaus-Dieter Weltmann and Matthias B. Stope
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 201-217; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010018 - 15 Sep 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4234
Abstract
Cancers modulate their microenvironment to favor their growth. In particular, monocytes and macrophages are targeted by immuno-modulatory molecules installed by adjacent tumor cells such as ovarian carcinomas. Cold physical plasma has recently gained attention as innovative tumor therapy. We confirmed this for the [...] Read more.
Cancers modulate their microenvironment to favor their growth. In particular, monocytes and macrophages are targeted by immuno-modulatory molecules installed by adjacent tumor cells such as ovarian carcinomas. Cold physical plasma has recently gained attention as innovative tumor therapy. We confirmed this for the OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell lines in a caspase 3/7 independent and dependent manner, respectively. To elaborate whether plasma exposure interferes with their immunomodulatory properties, supernatants of control and plasma-treated tumor cells were added to human THP-1 monocyte cultures. In the latter, modest effects on intracellular oxidation or short-term metabolic activity were observed. By contrast, supernatants of plasma-treated cancer cells abrogated significant changes in morphological and phenotypic features of THP-1 cells compared to those cultured with supernatants of non-treated tumor cell counterparts. This included cell motility and morphology, and modulated expression patterns of nine cell surface markers known to be involved in monocyte activation. This was particularly pronounced in SKOV-3 cells. Further analysis of tumor cell supernatants indicated roles of small particles and interleukin 8 and 18, with MCP1 presumably driving activation in monocytes. Altogether, our results suggest plasma treatment to alleviate immunomodulatory secretory products of ovarian cancer cells is important for driving a distinct myeloid cell phenotype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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12 pages, 4388 KiB  
Article
A New Cold Plasma Jet: Performance Evaluation of Cold Plasma, Hybrid Plasma and Argon Plasma Coagulation
by Lawan Ly, Sterlyn Jones, Alexey Shashurin, Taisen Zhuang, Warren Rowe, Xiaoqian Cheng, Shruti Wigh, Tammey Naab, Michael Keidar and Jerome Canady
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 189-200; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010017 - 11 Sep 2018
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7615
Abstract
The use of plasma energy has expanded in surgery and medicine. Tumor resection in surgery and endoscopy has incorporated the use of a plasma scalpel or catheter for over four decades. A new plasma energy has expanded the tools in surgery: Cold Atmospheric [...] Read more.
The use of plasma energy has expanded in surgery and medicine. Tumor resection in surgery and endoscopy has incorporated the use of a plasma scalpel or catheter for over four decades. A new plasma energy has expanded the tools in surgery: Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP). A cold plasma generator and handpiece are required to deliver the CAP energy. The authors evaluated a new Cold Plasma Jet System. The Cold Plasma Jet System consists of a USMI Cold Plasma Conversion Unit, Canady Helios Cold Plasma® Scalpel, and the Canady Plasma® Scalpel in Hybrid and Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) modes. This plasma surgical system is designed to remove the target tumor with minimal blood loss and subsequently spray the local area with cold plasma. In this study, various operational parameters of the Canady Plasma® Scalpels were tested on ex vivo normal porcine liver tissue. These conditions included various gas flow rates (1.0, 3.0, 5.0 L/min), powers (20, 40, 60 P), and treatment durations (30, 60, 90, 120 s) with argon and helium gases. Plasma length, tissue temperature changes, and depth and eschar injury magnitude measurements resulting from treatment were taken into consideration in the comparison of the scalpels. The authors report that a new cold plasma jet technology does not produce any thermal damage to normal tissue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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12 pages, 3310 KiB  
Article
The Canady Helios Cold Plasma Scalpel Significantly Decreases Viability in Malignant Solid Tumor Cells in a Dose-Dependent Manner
by Warren Rowe, Xiaoqian Cheng, Lawan Ly, Taisen Zhuang, Giacomo Basadonna, Barry Trink, Michael Keidar and Jerome Canady
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 177-188; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010016 - 07 Sep 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5921
Abstract
To determine appropriate treatment doses of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), the Canady Helios Cold Plasma Scalpel was tested across numerous cancer cell types including renal adenocarcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, ovarian adenocarcinoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Various CAP doses were tested consisting of both [...] Read more.
To determine appropriate treatment doses of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), the Canady Helios Cold Plasma Scalpel was tested across numerous cancer cell types including renal adenocarcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, ovarian adenocarcinoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Various CAP doses were tested consisting of both high (3 L/min) and low (1 L/min) helium flow rates, several power settings, and a range of treatment times up to 5 min. The impact of cold plasma on the reduction of viability was consistently dose-dependent; however, the anti-cancer capability varied significantly between cell lines. While the lowest effective dose varied from cell line to cell line, in each case an 80–99% reduction in viability was achievable 48 h after CAP treatment. Therefore, it is critical to select the appropriate CAP dose necessary for treating a specific cancer cell type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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21 pages, 5895 KiB  
Article
Structure and Stability of C:H:O Plasma Polymer Films Co-Polymerized Using Dimethyl Carbonate
by Martin Drabik, Dominik Lohmann, Jan Hanus, Artem Shelemin, Patrick Rupper, Hynek Biederman and Dirk Hegemann
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 156-176; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010015 - 23 Aug 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3266
Abstract
C:H:O plasma polymer films (PPFs) were deposited by means of plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition using the non-toxic, biodegradable organic compound dimethyl carbonate (DMC) at various plasma powers and pressures in order to control the degradation properties related to the carbonate ester group. Coating [...] Read more.
C:H:O plasma polymer films (PPFs) were deposited by means of plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition using the non-toxic, biodegradable organic compound dimethyl carbonate (DMC) at various plasma powers and pressures in order to control the degradation properties related to the carbonate ester group. Coating properties using pure DMC monomer vapours were compared to co-polymerized films from gaseous mixtures of DMC with either ethylene (C2H4) or carbon dioxide (CO2) affecting deposition rate and chemical composition. C:H:O film properties were found to depend primarily on the amount of oxygen in the plasma. To investigate the PPF stability during aging, changes in the composition and properties were studied during their storage both in air and in distilled water over extended periods up to 5 months. It was shown that aging of the films is mostly due to oxidation of the plasma polymer matrix yielding slow degradation and decomposition. The aging processes and their rate are dependent on the intrinsic amount of oxygen in the as-prepared C:H:O films which in turn depends on the experimental conditions and the working gas mixture. Adjustable film properties were mainly attained using a pure DMC plasma considering both gas phase and surface processes. It is thus possible to prepare C:H:O PPFs with controllable degradability both in air and in water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers)
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6 pages, 391 KiB  
Review
New Hopes for Plasma-Based Cancer Treatment
by Hiromasa Tanaka, Masaaki Mizuno, Kenji Ishikawa, Shinya Toyokuni, Hiroaki Kajiyama, Fumitaka Kikkawa and Masaru Hori
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 150-155; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010014 - 18 Aug 2018
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5732
Abstract
Non-thermal plasma represents a novel approach in cancer treatment. Both direct and indirect plasma treatments are available, with clinical trials of direct plasma treatment in progress. Indirect treatments involve chemotherapy (i.e., plasma-activated medium) and immunotherapy. Recent studies suggest that integrated plasma treatments could [...] Read more.
Non-thermal plasma represents a novel approach in cancer treatment. Both direct and indirect plasma treatments are available, with clinical trials of direct plasma treatment in progress. Indirect treatments involve chemotherapy (i.e., plasma-activated medium) and immunotherapy. Recent studies suggest that integrated plasma treatments could be an extremely effective approach to cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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6 pages, 1180 KiB  
Communication
Polymerization of D-Ribose in Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma
by Yingying Li, Rida Atif, Ketao Chen, Jiushan Cheng, Qiang Chen, Zhen Qiao, Gregory Fridman, Alex Fridman and Hai-Feng Ji
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 144-149; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010013 - 26 Jul 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4016
Abstract
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has been found to uniquely polymerize ribose that is not usually subject to polymerization since molecules that tend to polymerize almost always possess at least a π-bond. The polymer was analyzed via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, matrix-assisted [...] Read more.
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has been found to uniquely polymerize ribose that is not usually subject to polymerization since molecules that tend to polymerize almost always possess at least a π-bond. The polymer was analyzed via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectroscopy and Fourier-Transform inferred spectroscopy (FTIR), and it was found that dehydration occurs during polymerization. Full article
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18 pages, 748 KiB  
Article
Investigation of a Multiple-Timescale Turbulence-Transport Coupling Method in the Presence of Random Fluctuations
by Jeffrey B. Parker, Lynda L. LoDestro and Alejandro Campos
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 126-143; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010012 - 12 Jul 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3325
Abstract
One route to improved predictive modeling of magnetically confined fusion reactors is to couple transport solvers with direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulence, rather than with surrogate models. An additional challenge presented by coupling directly with DNS is the inherent fluctuations in the [...] Read more.
One route to improved predictive modeling of magnetically confined fusion reactors is to couple transport solvers with direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulence, rather than with surrogate models. An additional challenge presented by coupling directly with DNS is the inherent fluctuations in the turbulence, which limit the convergence achievable in the transport solver. In this article, we investigate the performance of one numerical coupling method in the presence of turbulent fluctuations. To test a particular numerical coupling method for the transport solver, we use an autoregressive-moving-average model to generate stochastic fluctuations efficiently with statistical properties resembling those of a gyrokinetic simulation. These fluctuations are then added to a simple, solvable problem, and we examine the behavior of the coupling method. We find that monitoring the residual as a proxy for the error can be misleading. From a pragmatic point of view, this study aids us in the full problem of transport coupled to DNS by predicting the amount of averaging required to reduce the fluctuation error and obtain a specific level of accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Methods in Plasma Physics)
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7 pages, 1426 KiB  
Article
Possible Mechanism of Glucose Uptake Enhanced by Cold Atmospheric Plasma: Atomic Scale Simulations
by Jamoliddin Razzokov, Maksudbek Yusupov and Annemie Bogaerts
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 119-125; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010011 - 08 Jun 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3726
Abstract
Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown its potential in biomedical applications, such as wound healing, cancer treatment and bacterial disinfection. Recent experiments have provided evidence that CAP can also enhance the intracellular uptake of glucose molecules which is important in diabetes therapy. In [...] Read more.
Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown its potential in biomedical applications, such as wound healing, cancer treatment and bacterial disinfection. Recent experiments have provided evidence that CAP can also enhance the intracellular uptake of glucose molecules which is important in diabetes therapy. In this respect, it is essential to understand the underlying mechanisms of intracellular glucose uptake induced by CAP, which is still unclear. Hence, in this study we try to elucidate the possible mechanism of glucose uptake by cells by performing computer simulations. Specifically, we study the transport of glucose molecules through native and oxidized membranes. Our simulation results show that the free energy barrier for the permeation of glucose molecules across the membrane decreases upon increasing the degree of oxidized lipids in the membrane. This indicates that the glucose permeation rate into cells increases when the CAP oxidation level in the cell membrane is increased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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14 pages, 3392 KiB  
Article
Fully Kinetic Simulation of Ion-Temperature-Gradient Instabilities in Tokamaks
by Youjun Hu, Matthew T. Miecnikowski, Yang Chen and Scott E. Parker
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 105-118; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010010 - 31 May 2018
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5230
Abstract
The feasibility of using full ion kinetics, instead of gyrokinetics, in simulating low-frequency Ion-Temperature-Gradient (ITG) instabilities in tokamaks has recently been demonstrated. The present work extends the full ion kinetics to the nonlinear regime and investigates the nonlinear saturation of a single-n [...] Read more.
The feasibility of using full ion kinetics, instead of gyrokinetics, in simulating low-frequency Ion-Temperature-Gradient (ITG) instabilities in tokamaks has recently been demonstrated. The present work extends the full ion kinetics to the nonlinear regime and investigates the nonlinear saturation of a single-n ITG instability due to the E × B trapping mechanism (n is the toroidal mode number). The saturation amplitude predicted by the E × B trapping theory is found to agree with the saturation level observed in the simulation. In extending to the nonlinear regime, we developed a toroidal Boris full orbit integrator, which proved to be accurate in capturing both the short-time scale cyclotron motion and long time scale drift motion, with good kinetic energy conservation and toroidal angular momentum conservation in tokamak equilibrium magnetic fields. This work also extends the previous work from analytic circular magnetic equilibria to general numerical magnetic equilibria, enabling simulation of realistic equilibria reconstructed from tokamak experiments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Methods in Plasma Physics)
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15 pages, 6274 KiB  
Article
Improvement of the Multi-Hierarchy Simulation Model Based on the Real-Space Decomposition Method
by Shunsuke Usami, Ritoku Horiuchi, Hiroaki Ohtani and Mitsue Den
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 90-104; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010009 - 27 Apr 2018
Viewed by 2899
Abstract
Multi-hierarchy simulation models aimed at analysis of magnetic reconnection were developed. Based on the real-space decomposition method, the simulation domain consists of three parts: a magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) domain, a particle-in-cell (PIC) domain, and an interface domain to communicate MHD and PIC data. In [...] Read more.
Multi-hierarchy simulation models aimed at analysis of magnetic reconnection were developed. Based on the real-space decomposition method, the simulation domain consists of three parts: a magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) domain, a particle-in-cell (PIC) domain, and an interface domain to communicate MHD and PIC data. In this paper, the previous model (the 1D interlocking with the upstream condition) by the authors is improved to three types of new models, i.e., two types of the 1D interlocking with the downstream condition and one type of the 2D interlocking with the upstream condition. For their verification, simulations of plasma propagation across the multiple domains were performed in the multi-hierarchy models, and it was confirmed that the new interlocking methods are physically correct. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Methods in Plasma Physics)
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12 pages, 3052 KiB  
Article
An Inexpensive, Pulsed, and Multiple Wavelength Bench-Top Light Source for Biological Spectroscopy
by Joseph Holman, Mark Skidmore and Edwin Yates
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 78-89; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010008 - 27 Apr 2018
Viewed by 4842
Abstract
Since signal/noise ratios are proportional to the square root of the intensity, high intensity light sources are advantageous for many forms of UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy particularly with very low or high absorbance samples. We report the construction of a low-cost (≈ £6500 [...] Read more.
Since signal/noise ratios are proportional to the square root of the intensity, high intensity light sources are advantageous for many forms of UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy particularly with very low or high absorbance samples. We report the construction of a low-cost (≈ £6500 GBP, ca. 2016) bench-top spectrometer suitable for biological spectroscopy, which utilizes a hot plasma, generated with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1064 nm). The properties (reliability, intensity, and spectral profiles) of light generated with the plasma in different gaseous media (helium, neon, argon, and krypton) were investigated. Argon provided high intensity broadband light and was the most cost effective. The instrument was compared for spectral accuracy to a commercially available spectrometer (Thermo Scientific, GENESYS 10S) by measurement of the absorbance spectrum of the UV–Vis calibration standard holmium (III) oxide (4%, w/v) in perchloric acid (10%, w/v) and accurately replicated the results of the commercial spectrometer. This economical instrument can record consecutive absorbance spectra (between λ = 380 and 720 nm) for each laser pulse (6 Hz; ~160 ms/pulse), evinced by investigations into lysozyme aggregation in the presence of heparin. This instrument is suitable for use with lasers of a higher pulse power and repetition rates that would induce higher temperature plasmas. Higher temperature plasma sources offer increased signal to noise ratios due to the higher intensity emission generated. Full article
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1 pages, 1010 KiB  
Article
The Role of Magnetic Islands in Collisionless Driven Reconnection: A Kinetic Approach to Multi-Scale Phenomena
by Ritoku Horiuchi
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 68-77; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010007 - 21 Apr 2018
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3309
Abstract
The role of magnetic islands in collisionless driven reconnection has been investigated from the standpoint of a kinetic approach to multi-scale phenomena by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. There are two different types of the solutions in the evolution of the reconnection [...] Read more.
The role of magnetic islands in collisionless driven reconnection has been investigated from the standpoint of a kinetic approach to multi-scale phenomena by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. There are two different types of the solutions in the evolution of the reconnection system. One is a steady solution in which the system relaxes into a steady state, and no island is generated (the no-island case). The other is an intermittent solution in which the system does not reach a steady state, and magnetic islands are frequently generated in the current sheet (the multi-island case). It is found that the electromagnetic energy is more effectively transferred to the particle energy in the multi-island case compared with the no-island case. The transferred energy is stored inside the magnetic island in the form of the thermal energy through compressional heating, and is carried away together with the magnetic island from the reconnection region. These results suggest that the formation of a magnetic island chain may have a potential to bridge the energy gap between macroscopic and microscopic physics by widening the dissipation region and strengthening the energy dissipation rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Methods in Plasma Physics)
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7 pages, 1416 KiB  
Article
Microscopic Effect on Filamentary Coherent Structure Dynamics in Boundary Layer Plasmas
by Hiroki Hasegawa and Seiji Ishiguro
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 61-67; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010006 - 22 Mar 2018
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3468
Abstract
This study has demonstrated kinetic behaviors on the plasma filament propagation with the three-dimensional (3D) Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulation. When the ion-to-electron temperature ratio T i / T e is higher, the poloidal symmetry breaking in the filament propagation occurs. The poloidal symmetry breaking [...] Read more.
This study has demonstrated kinetic behaviors on the plasma filament propagation with the three-dimensional (3D) Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulation. When the ion-to-electron temperature ratio T i / T e is higher, the poloidal symmetry breaking in the filament propagation occurs. The poloidal symmetry breaking is thought to be induced by the unbalanced potential structure that arises from the effect of the gyro motion of plasma particles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiscale Methods in Plasma Physics)
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14 pages, 2995 KiB  
Review
Plasma Medicine: A Brief Introduction
by Mounir Laroussi
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 47-60; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010005 - 19 Feb 2018
Cited by 134 | Viewed by 20896
Abstract
This mini review is to introduce the readers of Plasma to the field of plasma medicine. This is a multidisciplinary field of research at the intersection of physics, engineering, biology and medicine. Plasma medicine is only about two decades old, but the research [...] Read more.
This mini review is to introduce the readers of Plasma to the field of plasma medicine. This is a multidisciplinary field of research at the intersection of physics, engineering, biology and medicine. Plasma medicine is only about two decades old, but the research community active in this emerging field has grown tremendously in the last few years. Today, research is being conducted on a number of applications including wound healing and cancer treatment. Although a lot of knowledge has been created and our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that play important roles in the interaction between low temperature plasma and biological cells and tissues has greatly expanded, much remains to be done to get a thorough and detailed picture of all the physical and biochemical processes that enter into play. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Medicine)
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2 pages, 171 KiB  
Editorial
Plasma: An International Open Access Journal for All of Plasma Science
by David A. Gates
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 45-46; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010004 - 12 Jan 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4373
Abstract
Plasma is an open access, cross-disciplinary scholarly journal of scientific studies related to all aspects of plasma science, such as plasma physics, plasma chemistry and space plasma[...] Full article
6658 KiB  
Article
Electrical, Thermal and Optical Parametric Study of Guided Ionization Waves Produced with a Compact μs-Pulsed DBD-Based Reactor
by Kristaq Gazeli, Le Thanh Doanh, Bernard Held and Franck Clément
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 23-44; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010003 - 25 Dec 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4531
Abstract
Atmospheric pressure guided ionization waves (GIWs) that are driven by ns/μs-pulsed high voltages, are promising tools in the biomedical field allowing for the effective production of reactive species and metastables without thermal damages of the specimens that are exposed. In most cases, plasma [...] Read more.
Atmospheric pressure guided ionization waves (GIWs) that are driven by ns/μs-pulsed high voltages, are promising tools in the biomedical field allowing for the effective production of reactive species and metastables without thermal damages of the specimens that are exposed. In most cases, plasma is produced in noble gases using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices of more-or-less sophisticated geometries. In this study, a compact low-cost DBD reactor of very simple geometry is presented. It is fed with pure helium and driven by positive μs-pulsed high voltage (amplitude: 4.5–8 kV, pulse width: 1–10 μs) of audio frequencies (5–20 kHz), while it operates consistently for long time periods in a wide range of conditions. The produced plasma exhibits propagation lengths up to 4 cm and rich chemical reactivity is established outside the reactor, depending on the device’s experimental parameters. Besides, the dielectric tube’s temperature during plasma operation is an important factor, which is linked to the plasma characteristics. This temperature and its variations are thoroughly investigated herein, along with GIWs electrical features versus the electrical parameters of the pulsed power supply. Accordingly, it is demonstrated that not all of the operational windows are adequate for thermal-free operation and suitable operating conditions of this system are proposed for diverse applications, such as biomedical (low gas temperature is a prerequisite) and surface treatments of solid materials (low temperatures are not required). Full article
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3263 KiB  
Article
Endothelialization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Treated in SO2 Plasma Determined by the Degree of Material Cytotoxicity
by Alenka Vesel, Nina Recek, Helena Motaln and Miran Mozetic
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 12-22; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010002 - 09 Dec 2017
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4120
Abstract
Improving the biocompatibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) vascular grafts is an important task for avoiding thrombus formation. Therefore, SO2 plasma at various treatment periods were used to modify PET surface properties by forming sulfate functional groups. These groups were shown to act [...] Read more.
Improving the biocompatibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) vascular grafts is an important task for avoiding thrombus formation. Therefore, SO2 plasma at various treatment periods were used to modify PET surface properties by forming sulfate functional groups. These groups were shown to act antithrombogenically, ensuring good hemocompatibility of the materials, although the biocompatibility of such materials still remains a mystery. For this reason, the adhesion and viability of HUVEC cells on SO2 plasma-modified PET surfaces were studied, and the possible toxicity of the tested material was determined using two different assays, MTT (metabolic activity assay) and SRB (in-vitro toxicology assay). Changes in chemical composition, morphology and wettability were determined as well. Improved endothelialization was observed for all plasma-treated samples, with the most optimal being the sample treated for 80 s, which can be explained by it having the best combination of surface functionalization, roughness and morphology. Furthermore, toxicity was observed to some extent on the sample treated for 160 s, indicating the lowest cell density among the plasma-treated samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed increased oxygen and sulfur content on the surface, which was independent on treatment time. Surface roughness of the plasma-treated samples increased, reaching its maximum after 80 s of treatment, and decreased thereafter. Full article
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4126 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Ampicillin Degradation by Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment with FE-DBD
by Joshua B. Smith, Isaac Adams and Hai-Feng Ji
Plasma 2018, 1(1), 1-11; https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma1010001 - 27 Oct 2017
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6323
Abstract
This research focused on determining the effectiveness of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma as an alternative to advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for antibiotic removal in solution. For this study, 20 mM (6.988 g/L) solutions of ampicillin were treated with a floating electrode dielectric barrier [...] Read more.
This research focused on determining the effectiveness of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma as an alternative to advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for antibiotic removal in solution. For this study, 20 mM (6.988 g/L) solutions of ampicillin were treated with a floating electrode dielectric barrier discharge (FE-DBD) plasma for varying treatment times. The treated solutions were analyzed primarily using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The preliminary product formed was Ampicillin Sulfoxide, however, many more species are formed as plasma treatment time is increased. Ampicillin was completely eliminated after five minutes of air-plasma treatment. The primary mechanism of ampicillin degradation by plasma treatment is investigated in this study. Full article
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