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The paper presents the experimental results regarding the study of the chemical nature and the state of conservation of the metal filters used in the decoration of two textile garments (stihar and chess) of archaeological origin, recovered from the tomb of Metropolitan Gavriil Banulescu Bodoni, located in Căpriana monastery, monastic settlement from the medieval period in the Republic of Moldova. Textile and metallic yarns in the structure of liturgical garments were analyzed following a multi-technical, non-invasive approach, using optical microscopy, pXRF and FTIR to identify the type of yarn and their morphological characteristics, manufacturing techniques used for yarn production and metal composition / alloys. The major elements detected during the XRF analysis are gold, silver alone or combined, lead and copper. Gold is usually found as a surface coating film for silver wires and silver bands. All the wire threads studied are drawn, the surface of these threads either bears the characteristic striations from the draw plate or the signs of the rolling process. Silver-copper alloys were detected in the strips that were cut from a metal sheet, whether gilt at one side or not. All of the fabrics now appear more or less brownish or blackish due to the decomposition of the human remains, and maybe also the degradation of the natural dyestuffs used for the silks.

Background and Objectives: One's quality of life depends on overall health, and in particular, oral health, which has been and continues to become a public health issue through frequent manifestations in various forms, from simple oral stomatitis (inflammations of the oral cavity) to the complicated oral health pathologies requiring medical interventions and treatments (caries, pulp necrosis and periodontitis). The aim of this study focused on the preparation and evaluation of vitamins (vitamin A, B1 and B6) incorporated into several silicone-based lining materials as a new alternative to therapeutically loaded materials designed as oral cavity lining materials in prosthodontics. Materials and Methods: Silicone-based liners containing vitamins were prepared by mixing them in solution and becoming crosslinked, and then they were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to confirm the incorporation of the vitamins into the silicone network; scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evidence the morphology of the liner materials; dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) to evaluate their internal hydrophobicity, swelling in environments similar to biological fluids and mechanical test to demonstrate tensile strength; MTT to confirm their biocompatibility on normal cell cultures (fibroblast) and mucoadhesivity; and histopathological tests on porcine oral mucosa to highlight their potential utility as soft lining materials with improved efficiency. Results: FT-IR analysis confirmed the structural peculiarities of the prepared lining materials and the successful incorporation of vitamins into the silicone matrix. The surface roughness of the materials was lower than 0.2 μm, while in cross-section, the lining materials showed a compact morphology. It was found that the presence of vitamins induced a decrease in the main mechanical parameters (strength and elongation at break, Young's modulus) and hydrophobicity, which varied from one vitamin to another. A swelling degree higher than 8% was found in PBS 6.8 (artificial saliva) and water. Hydrolytic stability studies in an artificial saliva medium showed the release of low concentrations of silicone and vitamin fragments in the first 24 h, which increased the swelling behavior of the materials, diffusion and solubility of the vitamins. The microscopic images of fibroblast cells incubated with vitamin liners revealed very good biocompatibility. Also, the silicone liners incorporating the vitamins showed good mucoadhesive properties. The appearance of some pathological disorders with autolysis processes was more pronounced in the case of vitamin A liners. Conclusions: The addition of the vitamins was shown to have a beneficial effect that was mainly manifested as increased biocompatibility, hydrolytic stability and mucoadhesiveness with the mucosa of the oral cavity and less of an effect on the mechanical strength. The obtained lining materials showed good resistance in simulated biological media but caused a pronounced autolysis phenomenon, as revealed by histopathological examination, showing that these materials may have broad implications in the treatment of oral diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]