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Nowadays, there is a growing need for using functionally graded materials (FGM) for using in bio-medical application. This need is prominent especially for the effect of gradient structures and in implant applications. To optimize both mechanical and biocompatibilities properties or change bio reactivity in each region, powder metallurgy technique is used in this study to fabricate titanium/hydroxyapatite (Ti/HAP) and other FGM implants with the concentration changed gradually in the longitudinal direction of cylindrical shapes. Concentration gradient was formed by packing dry powders into mold or sedimentation in solvent liquid processes. For the sintering process, three spark plasma sintering (SPS), high-frequency induction heating and electric furnace heating techniques were used to sinter the materials. During the fabrication of Ti/HAP FGMs and due to the stress relaxation in the implanted regions of bones, Brinell hardness decreased gradually from Ti part to HAP part. The results showed that the tissue reaction occurred gradiently in response to the graded structure of the FGM, which implies the possibility of controlling the tissue response through the gradient function of the FGM.

Since the discovery of Bioglass^® by Hench, bioactive glasses have been used in many medical applications, such as drug delivery systems, nonload-bearing implants, and bone cements because of their excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility. However, due to their poor mechanical properties, these glasses cannot be used in load-bearing applications, where the metallic alloys are still main materials. One useful approach to solving the mechanical limitations of bioactive glasses is to apply the glasses as the coating on mechanically tough substrates; it was also recognized early that bioactive glasses could be used as coatings for prosthetic metallic implants. In this paper, the mechanism, characterization, and current status of some methods of preparation for bioactive glass coating on implants are introduced. In the end, to get the homogeneous and compact coating with perfect bonding strength, some ideas of improving the performance of coatings are also presented.

The present work deals with the fabrication of forsterite–hydroxyapatite (FS–HA) hybrid coatings on stainless-steel 316L using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The stainless steel (SS 316L) as a metallic implant is widely used in hard tissue applications. The XRD studies have confirmed the crystalline behavior of synthesized FS powder with an average crystallite size of 54nm. The synthesized FS powder was mixed in different compositions (10, 20, 30wt.%) into HA for preparing PLD targets (pellets). The XRD of the prepared pellets by UTM has confirmed both phases of FS and HA. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of the coated samples depicted the successful deposition of composite powders on the substrates (SS 316L). The Ellipsometer was used to investigate the thickness of different substrates and it was found as 243, 251, 255, and 257nm for CP1, CP2, CP3, and CP4, respectively. The bioactivity of the coated substrates with different compositions (pure HA, 10%, 20%, 30%, and pure FS) was investigated by immersing the samples in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 14days. The same samples were then characterized by SEM which confirms the apatite layer formation that reflects the bioactivity. The addition of FS powder into HA will stimulate the apatite formation which enhances the bioactivity. The Raman Spectroscopy of coated samples reveals the successful deposition of different compositions of FS–HA nanocomposite. The peaks of Raman spectroscopy were corresponding to the XRD results of the pellets (different compositions of FS–HA). The antimicrobial activity of different compositions of FS–HA against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria also showed a significant zone of inhibition. The bioactivity and antimicrobial behavior of FS–HA along with successful deposition by PLD have shown better potential applications for biomedical implant coating.

Additive manufacturing (AM) of titanium (Ti) alloys has always fascinated researchers owing to its high strength to weight ratio, biocompatibility, and anticorrosive properties, making Ti alloy an ideal candidate for medical applications. The aim of this paper is to optimize the AM parameters, such as Laser Power (LP), Laser Scan Speed (LSS), and Hatch Space (HS), using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Grey Relational analysis (GRA) for mechanical and surface characteristics like hardness, surface roughness, and contact angle, of Ti6Al4V ELI considering medical implant applications. The input parameters are optimized to have optimum hardness, surface roughness and hydrophilicity required for medical implants.

This in vitro biomechanical study reports on a new implant, called an intravertebral expandable pillar (IVEP). The implant is aimed at restoring the height and strength of collapsed vertebra after fracture in an osteoporotic patient. The hypothesis is that the IVEP can effectively restore the body height of the compressed vertebra and provide proper stiffness for the collapsed vertebra. Although the reported complication rate of percutaneous vertebroplasty by injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is low, the sequelae are severe; other potential adverse effects of PMMA injection into the vertebral body include thermal necrosis of the surrounding tissue caused by a high polymerization temperature, and lack of long-term biocompatibility. We test the mechanical properties before and after fracture of 14 human cadaver lumbar vertebrae by a material testing system. The fractured vertebra was implanted with the IVEP, and its mechanical properties tested. The vertebral body height at each stage was evaluated by a digital caliper and radiographic films. After IVEP implantation, the vertebral body height restoration rate was 97.8%. The vertebral body height lost 12.7% after the same loading to create fracture. The vertebra lost half of its strength after compressed fracture, while IVEP implantation restored 86.4% of intact vertebra strength. The stiffness of intact vertebrae was significantly greater than that of untreated vertebrae after fracture and fractured vertebrae with IVEP treatment, while the stiffness of fractured vertebrae after IVEP treatment was significantly greater than that of untreated vertebrae after fracture. The bipedicularly implanted IVEP restores the initial height and strength of the vertebral body following an induced compression fracture, and could be used by a minimally invasive procedure to treat lumbar vertebra compression factures and avoid the disadvantage of using bone cement in vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty.

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Rough surface height distribution can be nonsymmetric, depending on the process of surface preparation. The prevalent processes for implant surface involve turning and milling, both resulting in surface height distributions of nonsymmetric nature. Asymmetry in a surface height distribution is manifested through a parameter known as skewness. Unlike Gaussian distribution, Weibull distribution permits characteristics such as skewness and kurtosis in data to be included in the mathematical description of a height distribution. This paper develops hip implant contact model based on Weibull distribution of surface heights. The elastic–plastic interaction of implant surfaces are considered as macroscopically spherical surfaces containing micron-scale roughness. Symmetric and asymmetric roughness height distribution are compared. The total contact force is related to the minimum mean surface separation of the contacting rough surfaces. The force is obtained using statistical integral function of the asperity heights over the possible region of interaction of the roughness of surfaces. Approximate equations are obtained that relate the contact force to the minimum mean surface separation explicitly. The approximate equations are used to derive hysteretic energy loss per load–unload sequence, contact frequency, and damping. It is shown that energy loss per cycle, contact frequency, and damping are lower for asymmetric surface roughness distribution.

Objective: In the present study, we investigate the biological performance of a calcium phosphate ceramics (CPC) bone substitute combined with poly-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV). Materials and Methods: A particulate CPC [45% beta-tricalcium phosphate ($\beta$-TCP) and 55% of dihydrated dicalcium phosphate (DCPD)] was incorporated into a biodegradable copolymer PHBV. Two series of the composite, 1 and 2, with CPC–PHBV weight ratios of (40%–60% and 60%–40%), respectively, were prepared using chloroform for dissolving the polymer and a pressure molding process for shaping the composite samples. After particle size analysis, the two composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). In a second step, a 10mm bony segmental defect created in the tibias of 20 New Zealand White Rabbits was filled randomly with either composite 1 for group 1 or composite 2 for group 2. There were 10 animals in each group. Clinical, radiological and histological assessments were then carried out to evaluate the biological properties of developed CPC–PHBV composites. Results: For both variants of the developed CPC–PHBV biocomposite, there was evidence of osseous consolidation within three months. An in vivo investigation revealed the biological properties of the biocomposite, namely, biocompatibility, bioactivity, biodegradability and osteoconductivity. The morphological characteristics, granule size and chemical composition, were indeed found to be favorable for osseous cell development. This study likewise showed lower mortality for the variant with weight ratio (40%CPC–60%PHBV). Conclusion: An in vivo investigation revealed that the new biomaterial composed of CPC and PHBV exhibits manifest osteoconductivity and bioactivity with better degradation kinetics than the CPC. Moreover, the variant with 40%CPC/60%PHBV appeared more resistant to infection than the 60%CPC/40%PHBV which is an indicator of biocompatibility.