High-resolution microCT analysis of sclerotic subchondral bone beneath bone-on-bone wear grooves in severe osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with sclerosis, a thickening of the subchondral bone plate, yet little is known about bone adaptations around full-thickness cartilage defects in severe knee OA, particularly beneath bone-on-bone wear grooves. This high-resolution micro-computed tomography (microCT) study aimed to quantify subchondral bone microstructure relative to cartilage defect location, distance from the joint space, and groove depth. Ten tibial plateaus with full-thickness cartilage defects were microCT-scanned to determine defect location and size.

Discriminatory Accuracy of Fracture Risk Assessment Tool in Asian Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: This review explores the discriminative ability of fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) in major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) and hip fracture (HF) risk prediction and the densitometric diagnosis of osteoporosis in Asian populations.

Methods: We systematically searched the EMBASE, Cochrane, and PubMed databases from the earliest indexing date to January 2024. Studies were included if FRAX was used to identify future osteoporotic fractures or a densitometric diagnosis of osteoporosis in an Asian population and reported the area under the curve (AUC) values.

Biomechanical Evaluation of Physical Examination Tests for Rotator Cuff Tears - A Computer Simulation Study.

Background: Numerous physical diagnostic shoulder tests have been established to determine the presence of rotator cuff tears and to identify the affected muscles. However, reported sensitivities and specificities of these tests vary strongly. The aim of this study was to identify diagnostic postures that are biomechanically most sensitive in identifying rotator cuff lesions and compensation mechanisms.

Toward low-friction and high-adhesion solutions: Emerging strategies for nanofibrous scaffolds in articular cartilage engineering.

Aging, trauma, pathology, and poor natural tissue regeneration are the leading causes of osteoarthritis (OA), an articular cartilage disease. Electrospun scaffolds have gained attention as potential matrices for the treatment of OA because of their high degree of ECM mimicry, which suits chondrocyte migration, adhesion, and proliferation. However, none of the products recently introduced in the market are nanofiber-based.

Developing a Screening Strategy to Identify Hepatotoxicity and Drug Interaction Potential of Botanicals.

Botanical supplements, herbal remedies, and plant-derived products are used globally. However, botanical dietary supplements are rarely subjected to robust safety testing unless there are adverse reports in post-market surveillance. Botanicals are complex and difficult to assess using current frameworks designed for single constituent substances (e.

Impact of Surgical Alignment, Bone Properties, Anterior-Posterior Translation, and Implant Design Factors on Fixation in Cementless Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty.

Micromotion exceeding 150 μm at the implant-bone interface may prevent bone formation and limit fixation after cementless knee arthroplasty. Understanding the critical parameters impacting micromotion is required for optimal implant design and clinical performance. However, few studies have focused on unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).

How accurately do finite element models predict the fall impact response of ex vivo specimens augmented by prophylactic intramedullary nailing?

Hip fracture prevention approaches like prophylactic augmentation devices have been proposed to strengthen the femur and prevent hip fracture in a fall scenario. The aim of this study was to validate the finite element model (FEM) of specimens augmented by prophylactic intramedullary nailing in a simulated sideways fall impact against ex vivo experimental data. A dynamic inertia-driven sideways fall simulator was used to test six cadaveric specimens (3 females, 3 males, age 63-83 years) prophylactically implanted with an intramedullary nailing system used to augment the femur.

medical device testing of anatomically and mechanically conforming patient-specific spinal fusion cages designed by full-scale topology optimisation.

A full-scale topology optimisation formulation has been developed to automate the design of cages used in instrumented transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The method incorporates the mechanical response of the adjacent bone structures in the optimisation process, yielding patient-specific spinal fusion cages that both anatomically and mechanically conform to the patient, effectively mitigating subsidence risk compared to generic, off-the-shelf cages and patient-specific devices. In this study, medical device testing on a cohort of seven patients was performed to investigate the effectiveness of the anatomically and mechanically conforming devices using titanium and PEEK implant materials.

Botanical-induced toxicity: Liver injury and botanical-drug interactions. A report on a society of Toxicology Annual Meeting symposium.

Botanical supplements and herbal products are widely used by consumers for various purported health benefits, and their popularity is increasing. Some of these natural products can have adverse effects on liver function and/or interact with prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Ensuring the safety of these readily available products is a crucial public health concern; however, not all regulatory authorities require premarket safety review and/or testing.

The effects of setup parameters on the measured kinetic output of cervical disc prostheses.

Mechanical testing machines are used to evaluate kinematics, kinetics, wear, and efficacy of spinal implants. The simulation of "physiological" spinal loading conditions necessitates the simultaneous use of multiple actuators. The challenge in achieving a desired loading profile lies in achieving close synchronization of these actuators.

Hip contact force pathways in total hip replacement differ between patients and activities of daily living.

One of the main causes of implant failure and revision surgery in total hip replacement (THR) is aseptic loosening often caused by the accumulation of wear debris arising between the contact surfaces of the acetabular cup and femoral head during activities of daily living (ADL's). However, limited information is available regarding the contact force pathways between these two surfaces during specific ADL's. In this study, through musculoskeletal modelling, we aimed to estimate the orientation of the hip contact force pathway on the acetabular cup.

Evaluation of Load on Cervical Disc Prosthesis by Imposing Complex Motion: Multiplanar Motion and Combined Rotational-Translational Motion.

(1) Background: The kinematic characteristics of disc prosthesis undergoing complex motion are not well understood. Therefore, examining complex motion may provide an improved understanding of the post-operative behavior of spinal implants. (2) Methods: The aim of this study was to develop kinematic tests that simulate multiplanar motion and combined rotational-translational motion in a disc prosthesis.

Anatomically and mechanically conforming patient-specific spinal fusion cages designed by full-scale topology optimization.

Cage subsidence after instrumented lumbar spinal fusion surgery remains a significant cause of treatment failure, specifically for posterior or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Recent advancements in computational techniques and additive manufacturing, have enabled the development of patient-specific implants and implant optimization to specific functional targets. This study aimed to introduce a novel full-scale topology optimization formulation that takes the structural response of the adjacent bone structures into account in the optimization process.

Unlocking the Potential of Clustering and Classification Approaches: Navigating Supervised and Unsupervised Chemical Similarity.

Background: The field of toxicology has witnessed substantial advancements in recent years, particularly with the adoption of new approach methodologies (NAMs) to understand and predict chemical toxicity. Class-based methods such as clustering and classification are key to NAMs development and application, aiding the understanding of hazard and risk concerns associated with groups of chemicals without additional laboratory work. Advances in computational chemistry, data generation and availability, and machine learning algorithms represent important opportunities for continued improvement of these techniques to optimize their utility for specific regulatory and research purposes.

Ambient PM temporal variation and source apportionment in Mbarara, Uganda.

Air pollution is the leading environmental cause of death globally, and most mortality occurs in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa. The African continent experiences some of the worst ambient air pollution in the world, yet there are relatively little African data characterizing ambient pollutant levels and source admixtures. In Uganda, ambient PM levels exceed international health standards.

An in vitro-in silico workflow for predicting renal clearance of PFAS.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have a wide range of elimination half-lives (days to years) in humans, thought to be in part due to variation in proximal tubule reabsorption. While human biomonitoring studies provide important data for some PFAS, renal clearance (CL) predictions for hundreds of PFAS in commerce requires experimental studies with in vitro models and physiologically-based in vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE). Options for studying renal proximal tubule pharmacokinetics include cultures of renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTECs) and/or microphysiological systems.

Effect of patient-specific scapular morphology on the glenohumeral joint force and shoulder muscle force equilibrium: a study of rotator cuff tear and osteoarthritis patients.

Osteoarthritis (OA) and rotator cuff tear (RCT) pathologies have distinct scapular morphologies that impact disease progression. Previous studies examined the correlation between scapular morphology and glenohumeral joint biomechanics through critical shoulder angle (CSA) variations. In abduction, higher CSAs, common in RCT patients, increase vertical shear force and rotator cuff activation, while lower CSAs, common in OA patients, are associated with higher compressive force.

Comprehensive assessment of global spinal sagittal alignment and related normal spinal loads in a healthy population.

Abnormal postoperative global sagittal alignment (GSA) is associated with an increased risk of mechanical complications after spinal surgery. Typical assessment of sagittal alignment relies on a few selected measures, disregarding global complexity and variability of the sagittal curvature. The normative range of spinal loads associated with GSA has not yet been considered in clinical evaluation.

Use of Tox21 screening data to profile PFAS bioactivities on nuclear receptors, cellular stress pathways, and cytochrome p450 enzymes.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals widely used in commercial products. PFAS are a global concern due to their persistence in the environment and extensive associations with adverse health outcomes. While legacy PFAS have been extensively studied, many non-legacy PFAS lack sufficient toxicity information.

Fabrication and characterization of sodium alginate-silicon nitride-PVA composite biomaterials with damping properties.

Silicon nitride is utilized clinically as a bioceramic for spinal fusion cages, owing to its high strength, osteoconductivity, and antibacterial effects. Nevertheless, silicon nitride exhibits suboptimal damping properties, a critical factor in mitigating traumatic bone injuries and fractures. In fact, there is a scarcity of spinal implants that simultaneously demonstrate proficient damping performance and support osteogenesis.

Effects of PFAS on human liver transporters: implications for health outcomes.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become internationally recognized over the past three decades as persistent organic pollutants used in the production of various consumer and industrial goods. Research efforts continue to gauge the risk that historically used, and newly produced, PFAS may cause to human health. Numerous studies report toxic effects of PFAS on the human liver as well as increased serum cholesterol levels in adults.

The influence of physical and spatial substrate characteristics on endothelial cells.

Cardiovascular diseases are a main cause of death worldwide, leading to a growing demand for medical devices to treat this patient group. Central to the engineering of such devices is a good understanding of the biology and physics of cell-surface interactions. In existing blood-contacting devices, such as vascular grafts, the interaction between blood, cells, and material is one of the main limiting factors for their long-term durability.

Refracture and mortality risk in the elderly with osteoporotic fractures: the AGES-Reykjavik study.

Unlabelled: There is imminent refracture risk in elderly individuals for up to six years, with a decline thereafter except in women below 75 who face a constant elevated risk. Elderly men with fractures face the highest mortality risk, particularly those with hip and vertebral fractures. Targeted monitoring and treatment strategies are recommended.

Engineering complex tissue-like microenvironments with biomaterials and biofabrication.

Advances in tissue engineering for both system modeling and organ regeneration depend on embracing and recapitulating the target tissue's functional and structural complexity. Microenvironmental features such as anisotropy, heterogeneity, and other biochemical and mechanical spatiotemporal cues are essential in regulating tissue development and function. Novel biofabrication strategies and innovative biomaterial design have emerged as promising tools to better reproduce such features.