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Bone cement consisting of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) powder and methylmethacrylate (MMA) liquid is used extensively for fixation of implants such as artificial hip joints with living bone. This type of cement, however, does not show direct bonding to the living body, and hence the fixation is liable to loosen over a long implantation period. Bioactive materials have received much attention because of their capability for bone-bonding, i.e., bioactivity, when implanted in bony defects. Osteoconduction of the bioactive materials is caused by formation of a bone-like apatite layer through a surface reaction between the material and surrounding body fluid. The apatite formation can be induced by a silanol (Sibond;OH) group formed on the materials as well as a dissolution of calcium ion (Ca(2+)) from the material. Incorporation of alkoxysilane and calcium chloride (CaCl(2)) may provide PMMA bone cement with bioactivity, because alkoxysilane gives Sibond;OH after hydrolysis, whereas CaCl(2) releases Ca(2+). In this study, we investigated the potential on bioactivity of the modified PMMA bone cement with alkoxysilane and calcium chloride. PMMA powder was mixed with various amounts of CaCl(2), and MMA liquid with various amounts of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). The mixed paste was immersed in a simulated body fluid (Kokubo solution) that has a similar concentration in inorganic constituents to human blood plasma. After soaking for various periods, apatite formation on the cement was examined. Apatite formation was observed by the addition of CaCl(2) with contents of 16 mass % and more. Incorporation of MPS accelerates the apatite formation. Setting time of the cement was significantly elongated after the addition of MPS, whereas compressive strength significantly decreased with increasing the contents of CaCl(2) and MPS. The hardened cement containing 20 mass % of CaCl(2) in the powder and 20 mass % of MPS in the liquid showed a tendency to be more osteoconductive to living bone after implantation in rabbit tibiae than the unmodified cement. These results indicate that bioactivity of the modified PMMA bone cement increases with increasing amounts of MPS and CaCl(2). Bioactive bone cement is successfully obtained when it contains appropriate concentrations of alkoxysilane and calcium chloride.

The NPS showed a significantly higher mechanical strength than the control screw in both pull-out tests and cyclic loading tests. The NPS showed more than adequate strength without cement leakage.

Research on the plutonium rock-like oxide (ROX) fuels and their once-through burning in light water reactors has been performed to establish an option for utilizing and disposing effectively the excess plutonium. The ROX fuel is a sort of the inert matrix fuels and consists of mineral-like compounds such as yttria stabilized zirconia, spinel and corundum. A particle-dispersed fuel was devised to reduce damage by heavy fission fragments. Some preliminary results on swelling, fractional gas release and microstructure change for five ROX fuels were obtained from the irradiation test and successive post-irradiation examinations. Inherent disadvantages of the Pu-ROX fuel cores could be improved by adding 238 U or 232 Th as resonant materials, and all improved cores showed a nearly the same characteristics as the conventional UO 2 core during transient conditions. The threshold enthalpy of the ROX fuel rod failure was found to be comparable to the fresh UO 2 rod by pulse-irradiation tests simulating reactivity initiated accident conditions.

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