Ceramics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ceramics, including details on dentistry, restoration, benefits. | ||||||||
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Microbial response to environmental gradients in a ceramic-based diffusion system.Wolfaardt GM, Hendry MJ, Birkham T, Bressel A, Gardner MN, Sousa AJ, Korber DR, Pilaski M Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2K3. gwolfaar@ryerson.ca A solid, porous matrix was used to establish steady-state concentration profiles upon which microbial responses to concentration gradients of nutrients or antimicrobial agents could be quantified. This technique relies on the development of spatially defined concentration gradients across a ceramic plate resulting from the diffusion of solutes through the porous ceramic matrix. A two-dimensional, finite-element numerical transport model was used to predict the establishment of concentration profiles, after which concentration profiles of conservative tracers were quantified fluorometrically and chemically at the solid-liquid interface to verify the simulated profiles. Microbial growth responses to nutrient, hypochloride, and antimicrobial concentration gradients were then quantified using epifluorescent or scanning confocal laser microscopy. The observed microbial response verified the establishment and maintenance of stable concentration gradients along the solid-liquid interface. These results indicate the ceramic diffusion system has potential for the isolation of heterogeneous microbial communities as well as for testing the efficacy of antimicrobial agents. In addition, the durability of the solid matrix allowed long-term investigations, making this approach preferable to conventional gel-stabilized systems that are impeded by erosion as well as expansion or shrinkage of the gel. Published 2 April 2008 in Biotechnol Bioeng, 100(1): 141-9.
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