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Biomaterials are widely used in clinical practice as bone graft substitutes for treating patients with bone defects. A molecular level understanding of the chemical processes at the interface between the biomaterial and the biological environment is crucial to succeed in tissue regeneration and to predict the treatment outcome. In this study, we used three different bone graft substitute materials (BioGlass 45S5 -synthetic, Bio-Oss -bovine derived and Algipore -derived from algae) which were incubated in an α-minimum essential medium (α-MEM) during 1, 3 and 7 days. Initial surface composition of the biomaterials and the chemistry of their solid-solution interface were monitored by XPS with a fast-frozen samples technique. The XPS analysis showed that the equilibrium at the solid-solution interface is reached within 24 h. The Na/Cl atomic ratio at equilibrium indicates a negatively charged surface for Bio-Oss. In contrast, the other two materials gained a positive surface charge, which resulted in pronounced adsorption of amino acids at the interface from the medium. The surface chemical reconstruction and charge generation mechanism responsible for this effect are discussed with regard to bulk composition of the materials and possible proliferation and differentiation cell patterns that could be expected at the interface.

Dissolution-precipitation reactions occur at the surface of Bio-Oss, and osteogenic responses are seen at the biological interface. The concentration of Bio-Oss is a key factor for the experimental in vitro results, and may also have implications for the clinic.

Objective: The present study assessed somatosensory changes related to trigeminal nerve damage using extensive evaluation tools and assessed the effect of such damage on the patients’ psychosocial status and quality of life compared with healthy participants. Methods: In 37 patients with intraorally or extraorally presenting trigeminal nerve damage diagnosed as painful or nonpainful posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy, psychophysical tests like quantitative sensory testing (QST) and qualitative sensory testing and the electrophysiological “nociceptive-specific” blink reflex were performed. The patients and 20 healthy participants completed a set of questionnaires assessing their psychosocial status and quality of life. Results: A loss or gain of somatosensory function was seen in at least 1 QST parameter in >88.9% of the patients. Patients in whom extraoral QST was performed showed an overall loss of somatosensory function, whereas intraoral QST showed a general gain of somatosensory function. Qualitative sensory testing identified a side-to-side difference in the tactile and pinprick stimulation in >77% of the patients. An abnormal “nociceptive-specific” blink reflex response was seen in 42.1% to 71.4% of patients dependent on the trigeminal branch stimulated, though comparisons with healthy reference values showed ambiguous results. Compared with the healthy participants, patients showed higher scores for pain catastrophizing, symptoms of depression and anxiety, limited jaw function, more somatic symptoms, and significantly impaired oral health-related quality of life (all P<0.038). Discussion: The results from the present study showed presence of varied somatosensory abnormalities when assessed using psychophysical and electrophysiological investigations and a significantly impaired psychosocial status.

Local administration of insulin from a titanium surface has been demonstrated to increase bone formation in non-diabetic rats. The authors hypothesized that insulin was released from the titanium surface and with preserved biological activity after the release. Thus, in the present in vitro study, human recombinant insulin was immobilized onto titanium discs, and the insulin release kinetics was evaluated using Electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay. Neutral Red uptake assay and mineralization assay were used to evaluate the biological effects of the released insulin on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. The results confirmed that insulin was released from titanium surfaces during a six-week period. Etching the disc prior to insulin coating, thickening of the insulin coating and incubation of the discs in serum-enriched cell culture medium increased the release. However, longer storage time decreased the release of insulin. Furthermore, the released insulin had retained its biological activity, as demonstrated by the significant increase in cell number and a stimulated mineralization process, upon exposure to released insulin. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1847-1854, 2017.