Effect of ultrasound on bone fracture healing:A computational bioregulatory model

peer reviewedBone healing is a complex biological procedure in which several cellular actions, directed by biochemical and mechanical signals, take place. Experimental studies have shown that ultrasound accelerates bone ossification and has a multiple influence on angiogenesis. In this study a mathematical model predicting bone healing under the presence of ultrasound is demonstrated. The primary objective is to account for the ultrasound effect on angiogenesis and more specifically on the transport of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Partial differential equations describing the spatiotemporal evolution of cells, growth factors, tissues and ultrasound acoustic pressure and velocity equations determining the development of the blood vessel network constitute the present model. The effect of the ultrasound characteristics on angiogenesis and bone healing is investigated by applying different boundary conditions of acoustic pressure at the periosteal region of the bone model, which correspond to different intensity values. The results made clear that ultrasound enhances angiogenesis mechanisms during bone healing. The proposed model could be regarded as a step towards the monitoring of the effect of ultrasound on bone regeneration. © 2018Action “Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers” of the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” (Action’s Beneficiary: General Secretariat for Research and Technology); Greek State (PE8-3347

Effect of ultrasound on bone fracture healing:A computational mechanobioregulatory model

Bone healing process is a complicated phenomenon regulated by biochemical and mechanical signals. Experimental studies have shown that ultrasound (US) accelerates bone ossification and has a multiple influence on cell differentiation and angiogenesis. In a recent work of the authors, a bioregulatory model for providing bone-healing predictions was addressed, taking into account for the first time the salutary effect of US on the involved angiogenesis. In the present work, a mechanobioregulatory model of bone solidification under the US presence incorporating also the mechanical environment on the regeneration process, which is known to affect cellular processes, is presented. An iterative procedure is adopted, where the finite element method is employed to compute the mechanical stimuli at the linear elastic phases of the poroelastic callus region and a coupled system of partial differential equations to simulate the enhancement by the US cell angiogenesis process and thus the oxygen concentration in the fractured area. Numerical simulations with and without the presence of US that illustrate the influence of progenitor cells' origin in the healing pattern and the healing rate and simultaneously demonstrate the salutary effect of US on bone repair are presented and discussed

Three-dimensional structural vibration analysis by the Dual Reciprocity BEM

International audienceThe dual reciprocity boundary element method (DR/BEM) is employed for the analysis of free and forced vibrations of three-dimensional elastic solids. Use of the elastostatic fundamental solution in the integral formulation of elastodynamics creates an inertial volume integral in addition to the boundary ones. This volume integral is transformed into a surface integral by invoking the reciprocal theorem. A general analytical method is described for the closed form determination of the particular solutions of the displacement and traction tensors corresponding to any radial basis function employed in the transformation process. The simple but effective 1+r radial basis function is used in the applications of this paper. Quadratic continuous and discontinuous 9-noded boundary elements are used in the analysis. Free vibrations are studied by solving the corresponding eigenvalue problem iteratively. Harmonic forced vibration problems are solved directly in the frequency domain. Transient forced vibration problems are solved by integrating the equations of motion stepwise with the aid of various algorithms. Interior collection points are also used for assessing the accuracy of the method. Two numerical examples involving free and forced vibrations of a sphere and a cube are presented in detail

Wave Dispersion and Attenuation on Human Femur Tissue

Cortical bone is a highly heterogeneous material at the microscale and has one of the most complex structures among materials. Application of elastic wave techniques to this material is thus very challenging. In such media the initial excitation energy goes into the formation of elastic waves of different modes. Due to “dispersion”, these modes tend to separate according to the velocities of the frequency components. This work demonstrates elastic wave measurements on human femur specimens. The aim of the study is to measure parameters like wave velocity, dispersion and attenuation by using broadband acoustic emission sensors. First, four sensors were placed at small intervals on the surface of the bone to record the response after pencil lead break excitations. Next, the results were compared to measurements on a bulk steel block which does not exhibit heterogeneity at the same wave lengths. It can be concluded that the microstructure of the tissue imposes a dispersive behavior for frequencies below 1 MHz and care should be taken for interpretation of the signals. Of particular interest are waveform parameters like the duration, rise time and average frequency, since in the next stage of research the bone specimens will be fractured with concurrent monitoring of acoustic emission

Fracture of Human Femur Tissue Monitored by Acoustic Emission Sensors

The study describes the acoustic emission (AE) activity during human femur tissue fracture. The specimens were fractured in a bending-torsion loading pattern with concurrent monitoring by two AE sensors. The number of recorded signals correlates well with the applied load providing the onset of micro-fracture at approximately one sixth of the maximum load. Furthermore, waveform frequency content and rise time are related to the different modes of fracture (bending of femur neck or torsion of diaphysis). The importance of the study lies mainly in two disciplines. One is that, although femurs are typically subjects of surgical repair in humans, detailed monitoring of the fracture with AE will enrich the understanding of the process in ways that cannot be achieved using only the mechanical data. Additionally, from the point of view of monitoring techniques, applying sensors used for engineering materials and interpreting the obtained data pose additional difficulties due to the uniqueness of the bone structure

Wave Dispersion and Attenuation on Human Femur Tissue

Cortical bone is a highly heterogeneous material at the microscale and has one of the most complex structures among materials. Application of elastic wave techniques to this material is thus very challenging. In such media the initial excitation energy goes into the formation of elastic waves of different modes. Due to “dispersion”, these modes tend to separate according to the velocities of the frequency components. This work demonstrates elastic wave measurements on human femur specimens. The aim of the study is to measure parameters like wave velocity, dispersion and attenuation by using broadband acoustic emission sensors. First, four sensors were placed at small intervals on the surface of the bone to record the response after pencil lead break excitations. Next, the results were compared to measurements on a bulk steel block which does not exhibit heterogeneity at the same wave lengths. It can be concluded that the microstructure of the tissue imposes a dispersive behavior for frequencies below 1 MHz and care should be taken for interpretation of the signals. Of particular interest are waveform parameters like the duration, rise time and average frequency, since in the next stage of research the bone specimens will be fractured with concurrent monitoring of acoustic emission

Gradient 3D Printed PLA Scaffolds on Biomedical Titanium: Mechanical Evaluation and Biocompatibility

The goal of the present investigation was to find a solution to crucial engineering aspects related to the elaboration of multi-layered tissue-biomimicking composites. 3D printing technology was used to manufacture single-layered and gradient multi-layered 3D porous scaffolds made of poly-lactic acid (PLA). The scaffolds manufacturing process was optimized after adjusting key printing parameters. The scaffolds with 60 μm side length (square-shaped pores) showed increased stiffness values comparing to the other specimens. A silicone adhesive has been further used to join biomedical titanium plates, and the PLA scaffolds; in addition, titania nanotubes (TNTs were produced on the titanium for improved adhesion. The titanium-PLA scaffold single lap joints were evaluated in micro-tensile testing. The electrochemical processing of the titanium surface resulted in a 248% increase of the ultimate strength in the overlap area for dry specimens and 40% increase for specimens immersed in simulated body fluid. Finally, the biocompatibility of the produced scaffolds was evaluated with primary cell populations obtained after isolation from bone residual tissue. The manufactured scaffolds present promising features for applications in orthopedic implantology and are worth further