Evaluation of Shear Properties of Hydrogel: Thermoplastic Based Tissue Equivalents for Articular Cartilage

Composite constructs made from gelatin methylacrylamide (gelMA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) have been proven as promising materials to form tissue equivalents which can be used to alleviate the problems arising due to damage of articular cartilage. Despite exhibiting an increase of compressive stiffness (up to 54 - fold) by synergistic...

The Effect of Mechanical Strain on Non-enzymatic Cross-linking of Collagen type II Fibrils in Articular Cartilage

Investigations into mechanotransduction in connective tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) have demonstrated that collagen networks show cell-independent mechanosensitive behavior. It has been suggested that mechanical strain could lead to conformational changes in the molecular structure of collagen, thereby influencing the susceptibility to other...

Fib3-3 as a biomarker for osteoarthritis in a rat model with metabolic dysregulation

Objective: Fibulin-3 is a glycoprotein highly expressed in osteoarthritic cartilage and inhibits angiogenesis and chondrocyte differentiation. Recent studies have indicated that fibulin-3 has potential value as a biomarker in osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study is to examine the role of 3 fibulin-3 peptides (Fib3-1, Fib3-2, and Fib3...

Feasibility study to determine if microfracture surgery using water jet drilling is potentially safe for Talar chondral defects in a Caprine model

Objective: Surgical microfracture is considered a first-line treatment for talar osteochondral defects. However, current rigid awls and drills limit access to all locations in human joints and increase risk of heat necrosis of bone. Using a flexible water jet instrument to drill holes can improve the reachability of the defect without...

Non-enzymatic cross-linking of collagen type II fibrils is tuned via osmolality switch

An important aspect in cartilage ageing is accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) after exposure to sugars. Advanced glycation results in cross-links formation between the collagen fibrils in articular cartilage, hampering their flexibility and making cartilage more brittle. In the current study, we investigate whether...

Aging does not change the compressive stiffness of mandibular condylar cartilage in horses

Objective: Aging can cause an increase in the stiffness of hyaline cartilage as a consequence of increased protein crosslinks. By induction of crosslinking, a reduction in the diffusion of solutions into the hyaline cartilage has been observed. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the effects of aging on the biophysical and biochemical...

Induced hyperthermia in promoting cartilage regeneration

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints that reduces physical function and leads to chronic pain. It occurs mostly in persons from an age of 50 years of older and can be considered a disease of the aging population. Although there is no clear evidence of its effects, induced hyperthermia is sometimes prescribed to these patients...

Multi-physics computational models of articular cartilage for estimation of its mechanical and physical properties

Recent advances in the realm of computational modeling of complex multiphysics phenomena in articular cartilage enabled efficient and precise determination of articular cartilage properties. However, still accurate quantification of complicated indentation and diffusion processes tying closely with the inhomogeneity of articular cartilage...

A Novel Tool for the Detection of Osteochondral Defects in the Ankle Joint

Introduction. Ultrasound is known for cheap, fast and non-invasive diagnosis of numerous injuries. Sport-related injuries in the ankle joint and rehabilitation after surgical intervention are badly diagnosable using traditional ultrasound. Bones surrounding the surface of the articular cartilage blocks the ultrasound pulse and hides the talar...

Effects of Osmolarity on Osteoarthritic Human Articular Cartilage

Chondrocyte is the only cell type which constitutes the articular cartilage, is solely responsible for the turnover of extracellular matrix composed of proteoglycans, type II collagen and water. Chondrocytes experience a unique ionic/osmotic environment, which is attributable to the polyanionic proteoglycan, which carry a high fixed negative...

Joint unloading ankle brace to aid cartilage regeneration

Ankle injuries are one of the most common sports injuries that often lead to further complications such as cartilage defects. Recovery from these injuries can take a long time and a solution that could aid in the rehabilitation of these injuries is beneficial to the young and active patient group. The goal of this study is to design a device...

Effect of Bath Condition on the Diffusion of Contrast Agents Across Articular Cartilage

In the present study, the effect of concentration, osmolality and charge of x-ray contrast agents on their diffusion and equilibrium distribution across different zones of cartilage was investigated. Full-thickness cartilage discs (Ø = 8.5 mm, n = 3) were extracted from healthy equine femoral condyle (n = 2). The diffusion of four different...

Design of a mechanical loading device for studying the load dependent transport of solutes across articular cartilage in a micro-CT chamber

The present project focused on the design and development of a mechanical loading device that allows the convection studies in cartilage within a micro-CT chamber. A plastic-made device was designed and build in order to ensure the successful operation in the micro-CT. Besides that it allowed the monitoring of the tissue material properties by...