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In the past decade, biomimetic calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics have been considered as practicable grafts and biomaterial substitutes in repairing jaw bone defect after tumor resection or traffic accident. Nowadays, increasing incidence of biomedical material-associated infection has raised a concern when applying these materials. In this work, a new porous CaP scaffold with antibacterial coating was proposed. This biomimetic scaffold was composited with berberine (BBR), Ag nanoparticles (nAg), and silk fibroin (SF). The microstructures and phase composition of the scaffolds were analyzed. The cytocompatibility and osteogenic potential of the prepared samples were evaluated in vitro. The scaffolds held hierarchical structure: the first-level porous CaP ceramic with micron pores ranged from 250 to 600 µm; the second-level spongy-like structure with abundant capillary pores ranged from 500 nm to 10 µm; and the third-level structure was achieved by filling BBR, nAg, and SF gel coatings into the above porous structures. The experimental results showed that the antimicrobial capability of single BBR coating is inconspicuous. However, the introduction of nAg could significantly promote the antibacterial effect of scaffolds. At the same time, such scaffolds showed improved osteoinductivity. This new biomimetic CaP scaffold with antibacterial and osteoinductive properties may be a promising candidate for bone tissue engineering.

Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is the general material in dental area, with natural color, high toughness and strength. Recent years, small blocks of ZrO2 such as micro/nano powders have been studied and developed widely. Nano scale ZrO2, which show simproved mechanical characteristics and superior biocompatibility, are usually incorporated into different applications used in dentistry and tissue engineering. This review provides an overview of nano-ZrO2 materials and its applications in dentistry. The synthesis of nano-ZrO2 powders were mainly prepared by coprecipitation, hydrothermal method and sol-gel method. Then different applications of nano-ZrO2 biomaterials in dental ceramics, implants, radio pacifying agents, basement and tissue engineering fields were briefly introduced.

Infected mandibular defects pose a formidable challenge without an entirely satisfactory repair strategy. Here, a coaxial 3D printing scaffold comprising a shell loaded is dveloped with the antibiotic minocycline hydrochloride and a core wrapped with traditional Chinese medicine antler powers. This study is conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the scaffold in facilitating the repair of infected mandibular defects. In vitro investigations exhibit that this construct possesses a porous microstructure, exceptional mechanical properties, appropriate degradability, acceptable water absorption capacity, and satisfactory biocompatibility. Transcriptome analyses further reveal a notable upregulation of relevant genes and signaling pathways associated with cell activity, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis. In vivo rat (Φ = 5 mm) and rabbit (5 mm × 4 mm × 10 mm) mandibular defect models confirm the scaffold's ability to sequentially regulate bone healing by suppressing infection and inflammation, followed by promoting osteogenesis and angiogenesis. This advanced graft holds significant translational potential for infectious bone regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore the role and related mechanism of berberine in repairing bone destruction in apical periodontics (AP). Materials and Methods: AP was established in 14 of 21 male Wistar rats (four weeks of age; 70–80 g) for 3 weeks. The canals were cleaned and administered berberine (2 mg/ml; n = 7) or calcium hydroxide (100 mg/ml; control; n = 7), followed by glass ionomer cement sealing. After 3 weeks, specimen collection followed by micro‐computed tomography (μ‐CT) and histological staining was performed, including haematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining, tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase staining, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence histochemistry. Results: μ‐CT showed that AP lesion volume reduced in the berberine group. Histopathology showed that berberine decreased the activity and number of osteoclasts but increased the expression of proteins related to osteoblast differentiation, including alkaline phosphatase and osterix. The immune cell, T cell, dendritic cell and macrophage counts were significantly decreased in the berberine group. In the berberine group, the expression of extracellular matrix‐degraded proteases, metalloproteinases, was decreased; however, that of extracellular matrix‐stable proteases, lysyl oxidases, was increased. Conclusions: Berberine controlled the inflammatory response and regulated bone metabolism in AP by reducing metalloproteinase expression and increasing lysyl oxidases expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal budget of the standard integrated circuits (ICs) manufacturing process is one of the key considerations in the development of resistive random access memory (RRAM). To investigate the thermal budget effect on device performance, three types of HfOx-based RRAM devices with different top electrodes are subjected to postmetalization annealing (PMA) at 400 °C for more than three hours. Electrical results show that the initial amount of oxygen vacancies in the HfOx dielectric layer is strongly dependent on the electrode configuration. A device with sandwich-like (TiN/Ti/TiN) top electrode exhibits better performance in thermal stability, forming, switching uniformity, and endurance as compared to other devices with a single layer (TiN) or bi-layer (TiN/Ti) top electrode. This is mainly due to the proper engineering of the oxidation reaction at the metal–metal oxide interface. We believe that this work provides a valuable guideline in the design and optimization of RRAM electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]