During the past several years there has been a major advance in the development of biomedical materials and this has been progressed in the innovation of ceramic materials for skeletal repair and reconstruction. The materials within this class of medical implant are often referred to as "Bioceramics" and the expansion in their range of biomedical applications has been characterized by a significant increase in the number of patents and publications in the field and an ever increasing number of major international conferences and symposia. The present paper is giving the global trends of technology and markets for bioceramics, through analyzing the patents released during past 10 years. The perspective of bioceramics for the future will be also proposed on the development of biomaterials for biomedical application.

Gemcitabine, a cytidine analogues, is one of the most potent chemotherapeutic agent, but its clinical use in chemotherapy is limited to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer due to its very short half-life. Various methods have been developed to increase its in vivo bioavailability, including incorporation into liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles, and developing prodrugs that slowly convert to gemcitabine inside the body. We incorporated gemcitabine into a polyurethane film, and studied its in vitro release behavior with an aim to apply the gemcitabine-incorporated polyurethane film for stent covering that could help control the proliferation of malignant tumor around the stent in the gastrointestinal tract.

To improve the antioxidant efficiency of anthocyanin, fucoidan-anthocyanin nanocomplex has been investigated. The nanocomplex was fabricated by simple process in water phase to minimize loss of anthocyanin. In the nanocomplex, structure of anthocyanin was changed from flavylium cation to quinoidal base structure. Between 200 to 300 nm of spherical nanocomplex was observed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The nanocomplex has 10 fold lower critical assemble concentration (CAC) value (0.025 mg/ml) than free anthocyanin (0.25 mg/ml). The radical scavenging rate of anthocyanin against DPPH radicals and hydrogen peroxide were improved from 76% to 79% and from 20% to 60%, respectively. Finally, anticancer activity of anthocyanin was measured to estimate the in vitro radical scavenging activity. In the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) rich condition, the nanocomplex effectively reduced cancer cells viability (77%) to compared with free anthocyanin (121%). Therefore, we conclude that fucoidan-anthocyanin nanocomplex has a potential for use as a carrier for anthocyanin delivery. These nanocomplexes would prove useful application in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) is one of the most common starting materials of calcium phosphate-based ceramic bone cement. However, the ceramic bone cement has a critical drawback such as poor mechanical properties and slow setting time. In this study, the thermodynamically unstable tricalcium silicate ($C_3S$) was synthesized and introduced into TTCP-based bone cement to enhance the mechanical and setting properties of the bone cement. The cement properties and compressive strength of hardened TTCP-cement with the addition of $C_3S$ were examined in terms of the contents of $C_3S$ and hardener. First, TTCP and DCPD with $C_3S$ (0; 5; 10 wt%) were ball milled for 24 hrs and then dried at $60^{\circ}C$ for 1 day. The sample powder was mixed with the solution of a hardener ($Na_2HPO_4{\cdot}nH_2O$) with various concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0 mol/L). The hydration of TTCP and DCPD resulted in the precipitation of HA crystallites and is the major driving force of setting for the TTCP-based bone cements. The XRD peaks of the hardened cements were identified as a mainly HA. With the addition of $C_3S$, the cement showed a longer setting reaction time and lower setting temperature. However, the addition of hardener caused a higher setting temperature and faster setting time. The Vicat setting time decreased with the addition of hardener, but showed anomalous results with the $C_3S$ content. The incorporation of both hardener and $C_3S$ to cements would come with both the increase of mechanical strength and the reduction of setting time. However, the effect of $C_3S$ addition was not significant.

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of bone substitutes on repair of the large sized defect on the rabbit calvarium using BMP-7 gene engineered bone marrow stromal cells. Rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) were separated from iliac crest aspirates and expanded in culture and MSCs constructed the AdBMP7. Four critical-size cranial defects were created in the rabbits with removal of osteoinductive periosteum. In 3 experimental sites, bone substitutes which were calcium metaphosphate (CMP), hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA-collagen composite (HCC) was filled. AdBMP7 was mixed in all sites. The 2D and 3D CT imaging was performed after 2, 4 and 8 weeks. After 6, 8 and 10 weeks, cranial defects sites were examined by histology study. As the results analyzed by cross-tabulation, a statistically significant difference in bone resorption and formation was noted by CT imaging at 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-bone substitutes implantation of the cranial defects, but a statistically significant difference in bone formation was not noted at 8 weeks. More bone resorption and formation on both radiological and histological observation studies was in fact observed in the CMP site and there was statistically significant. As the results analyzed by multiple regression, the time interval after implantation, the usage of bone substitutes, especially CMP, and the rabbit weight are the main factors by priority of significance. Near-complete repair of large cranial defects can be achieved using bone substitutes mixed with AdBMP7. These results showed that the use of the bone substitute as well as the integration of the stem cell concept with gene medicine is necessary and bone substitutes are capable of shortening the period of osteogenesis.

Almost all the researches on synthetic oligopeptides had been carried out by the carrier-related method (pre-coating to the well before cell seeding) rather than the liquid-related method (releasing after cell seeding) until now. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the migratory behaviors of the osteoblast-like cells in each applied method. Synthetic oligopeptides derived from fibronectin were applied to the cell before and after seeding cells. The cells were fixed and stained each for 0, 6, 12 and 18 hours. After that, we investigated the cell's migratory behaviors by counting the number of the cells showing migratory behaviors, and calculating the space which these cells occupy. As with the liquidrelated method in comparison with the carrier-related method, the number of the cells was highly enhanced at 12 hours and the space which these cells occupy was highly enhanced at 12, 18 hours. Within the limit of this study, the fibrin binding oligopeptides in the liquid-related method may play a significant role in the bone regeneration and wound healing process during the early period by promoting the cell's migratory behaviors.

Cartilage is a tissue with unique functional properties that are very dependent on its extracellular matrix (ECM), with collagens and proteoglycans as its main constituents. Cartilage injuries are common, frequently lead to disability, and have a low intrinsic regenerative ability that may result from the avascular nature of cartilage, which prevents access to wound healing process. The clinical effectiveness of therapeutic application has been commonly tested in articular osteochondral defects, and a variety of reparative techniques have been used in an attempt to improve the self-regenerative capabilities of cartilage. Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds like hydrogel have become a major research focus for cell and drug delivery in tissue engineering. Presently, we investigated the regenerative potency of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with a chondrocyte/hydrogel composite scaffold in the repair of cartilage defects using an animal model. The efficacy of 3D culture on the proliferation and maturation of chondrocytes was assessed. The results provide valuable reference for the clinical application of a hydrogel scaffold for cartilage regeneration, as well as the use of autologous PRP to improve cellular proliferation and maturation of hyaline cartilage repair. However, the meniscal chondrocytes cultured with 10% PRP revealed down regulation of chondrogenic molecules indicating an increase of type I collagen and decrease of type II collagen relation with up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 3 as compared to the normal condition. Conclusively, these results suggested PRP could be diverse roles in regenerative medicine and cellular homeostatsis depending to characteristics of cells and tissues.