The fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering that mimic the extracellular matrix with bioactive and bactericidal properties could provide adequate conditions for regeneration of damaged bone. Electrospun ultrathin fiber covered with nano-hydroxyapatite is a favorable fibrous scaffold design. We developed a fast and reproducible strategy to produce polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) nanofibrous scaffolds with bactericidal and bioactive properties. Fibrous PVDF scaffolds were obtained first by the electrospinning method. Then, their surfaces were modified using oxygen plasma treatment followed by electrodeposition of nHAp. This process formed nanofibrous and superhydrophilic PVDF fibers (133.6 nm, fiber average diameter) covered with homogeneous nHAp (202.6 nm, average particle diameter) crystals. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry demonstrated the presence of calcium phosphate, indicating a Ca/P molar ratio of approximately 1.64. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy spectra identified β-phase of nHAp. Thermal analysis indicated a slight reduction in stability after nHAp electrodeposition. Bactericidal assays showed that nHAp exhibited 99.8% efficiency against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. The PVDF/Plasma and PVDF/nHAp groups had the highest cell viability, total protein, and alkaline phosphatase activity by 7 days after exposure of the scaffolds to MG63 cell culture. Therefore, the developed scaffolds are an exciting alternative for application in bone regeneration.

The bone regeneration and healing effect of formononetin was evaluated in a cortical bone defect model that predominantly heals by intramembranous ossification. For this study, female Balb/c mice were ovariectomised (OVx) and a drill-hole injury was generated in the midfemoral bones of all animals. Treatment with formononetin commenced the day after and continued for 21 d. Parathyroid hormone (PTH1–34) was used as a reference standard. Animals were killed at days 10 and 21. Femur bones were collected at the injury site for histomorphometry studies using microcomputed tomography (μCT) and confocal microscopy. RNA and protein were harvested from the region surrounding the drill-hole injury. For immunohistochemistry, 5 µm sections of decalcified femur bone adjoining the drill-hole site were cut. μCT analysis showed that formononetin promoted bone healing at days 10 and 21 and the healing effect observed was significantly better than in Ovx mice and equal to PTH treatment in many aspects. Formononetin also significantly enhanced bone regeneration as assessed by calcein-labelling studies. In addition, formononetin enhanced the expression of osteogenic markers at the injury site in a manner similar to PTH. Formononetin treatment also led to predominant runt-related transcription factor 2 and osteocalcin localisation at the injury site. These results support the potential of formononetin to be a bone-healing agent and are suggestive of its promising role in the fracture-repair process.

Inductive biomaterials are sought as alternatives to traditional materials used to treat bone defects. Traditional materials include autologous bone grafts that must be obtained surgically, and allografts that carry the risk of disease transmission and infection. Whereas the use of growth factors to stimulate bone growth has seen considerable advances, their efficacy is usually limited to supra-physiological doses with considerable side effects. On the other hand, certain biomaterials have an intrinsic ability to stimulate bone regeneration in lieu of growth factor use, and their use in repairing bone defects as well as improving the osteointegration of implants has been promising. These materials known as osteoinductive biomaterials include ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites of these materials. In this review, we examine the relevant properties of these different materials in their ability to induce bone formation.

Eighty-nine cases of attic type cholesteatoma were operated on during a three and a half-year period. Of these, eight cases were characterized by bony tissue proliferation at the aditus ad antrum or mastoid antrum. Sex, age, and hearing levels were not significant in these cases. Bony fixation of the incus and the malleus was seen in six cases. Bony tissue blocked further expansion of attic cholesteatoma at the aditus in four cases, narrowed the epithelial tract to the antrum in two cases, and completely separated the cholesteatoma into two cholesteatomas in two cases. Infectious stimuli, at an early stage of the disease, might stimulate such osteoplastic activity at the aditus. Axial CT scans give useful information regarding structure before surgery.