Confined compression and torsion experiments on a pHEMA gel in various bath concentrations.

The constitutive behaviour of cartilaginous tissue is the result of complex interaction between electrical, chemical and mechanical forces. Electrostatic interactions between fixed charges and mobile ions are usually accounted for by means of Donnan osmotic pressure. Recent experimental data show, however, that the shear modulus of articular cartilage depends on ionic concentration even if the strain is kept constant.

Monitoring local cell viability in engineered tissues: a fast, quantitative, and nondestructive approach.

Assessment of cell viability is a key issue in monitoring in vitro engineered tissue constructs. In this study we describe a fully automated, quantitative, and nondestructive approach, which is particularly suitable for tissue engineering. The approach offers several advantages above existing methods.