The deformation behavior and mechanical properties of articular chondrocytes are believed to play an important role in their response to mechanical loading of the extracellular matrix. This study utilized the micropipette aspiration test to measure the viscoelastic properties of chondrocytes isolated from macroscopically normal or end-stage osteoarthritic cartilage. A three-parameter standard l...

Cartilage exerts many functions in different tissues and parts of the body. Specific requirements presumably also account for a specific biochemical composition. In this study, we investigated the presence and distribution pattern of matrix components, in particular collagen types in the major human cartilages (hyaline, fibrous, and elastic cartilage) by histochemical and immunohistochemical me...

Despite the great demands for treating craniofacial injuries or abnormalities, effective treatments are currently lacking. One promising approach involves human elastic cartilage reconstruction using autologous stem/progenitor populations. Nevertheless, definitive evidence of the presence of stem cells in human auricular cartilage remains to be established. Here, we demonstrate that human auric...

BACKGROUND Tracheomalacia (TM) is a condition of excessive tracheal collapse during exhalation. Both acquired and congenital forms of TM are believed to result from morphological changes in cartilaginous, fibrous and/or smooth muscle tissues reducing airway mechanical properties to a degree that precipitates collapse. However, neither the specific amount of mechanical property reduction nor the...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The mechanical properties of normal auricular cartilage provide a benchmark against which to characterize changes in auricular structure/function due to genetic defects creating phenotypic abnormalities in collagen subtypes. Such properties also provide inputs/targets for auricular reconstruction scaffold design. Several studies report the biomechanical properties for sept...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS This study attempts to characterize the biomechanical properties of a PDS-cartilage composite graft for use in septorhinoplasty. STUDY DESIGN Experimental Study. METHODS This study used a PDS analog, porcine cartilage cut to 1 × 5 × 20 mm, and a mechanical testing platform to measure flexure of a composite graft. Samples were assessed in four groups based on variations...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Trauma, emergent tracheostomy, and prolonged intubation are common causes of severe deformation and narrowing of the trachea. Laser technology may be used to reshape tracheal cartilage using minimally invasive methods. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the dependence of tracheal cartilage shape change on temperature and laser dosimetry using heated sa...

The analytical solution for a transversely isotropic linear elastic layer bonded to a rigid foundation and indented by a rigid cylinder or sphere was developed. This solution follows procedures used by others to solve contact problems of linear anisotropic materials. The solution can be used to find the stress distribution and the displacement field in anisotropic layers like articular cartilag...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The trachea is essential to respiratory function and is a mechanically and biochemically complex composite tissue. Tissue-engineering approaches to treat tracheal diseases require detailed knowledge of the native mechanical and biochemical properties of the trachea. Although the porcine trachea represents an excellent preclinical model, relevant mechanical and biochemical ...