Open Access
ARTICLE
S.J. Mousavi∗, M.H. Doweidar∗,†, M. Doblaré∗
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 1-25, 2013, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2013.010.001
Abstract Although there are several computational models that explain the trajectory that cells take during migration, till now little attention has been paid to the integration of the cell migration in a multi-signaling system. With that aim, a generalized model of cell migration and cell-cell interaction under multisignal environments is presented herein. In this work we investigate the spatio-temporal cell-cell interaction problem induced by mechano-chemo-thermotactic cues. It is assumed that formation of a new focal adhesion generates traction forces proportional to the stresses transmitted by the cell to the extracellular matrix. The cell velocity and polarization direction are calculated based on… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
G. Lasko∗, I. Schäfer∗, Z. Burghard†, J. Bill†, S. Schmauder∗, U. Weber∗, D. Galler‡
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 27-42, 2013, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2013.010.027
Abstract Owing to the apparent simple morphology and peculiar properties, nacre, an iridescent layer, coating of the inner part of mollusk shells, has attracted considerable attention of biologists, material scientists and engineers. The basic structural motif in nacre is the assembly of oriented plate-like aragonite crystals with a ’brick’ (CaCO3 crystals) and ’mortar’ (macromolecular components like proteins) organization. Many scientific researchers recognize that such structures are associated with the excellent mechanical properties of nacre and biomimetic strategies have been proposed to produce new layered nanocomposites. During the past years, increasing efforts have been devoted towards exploiting nacre’s structural design principle in… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Benjamin Castaneda∗, Juvenal Ormachea†, Paul Rodríguez‡, Kevin J. Parker§
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 43-65, 2013, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2013.010.043
Abstract Elasticity imaging can be understood as the intersection of the study of biomechanical properties, imaging sciences, and physics. It was mainly motivated by the fact that pathological tissue presents an increased stiffness when compared to surrounding normal tissue. In the last two decades, research on elasticity imaging has been an international and interdisciplinary pursuit aiming to map the viscoelastic properties of tissue in order to provide clinically useful information. As a result, several modalities of elasticity imaging, mostly based on ultrasound but also on magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherence tomography, have been proposed and applied to a number of… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Y. González∗, F. Nieto∗, M. Cerrolaza∗,†
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 67-84, 2013, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2013.010.067
Abstract It is a well-known fact that computational biomechanics and mechanobiology have deserved great attention by the numerical-methods community. Many efforts and works can be found in technical literature. This work deals with the modeling of nutrients and their effects on the behavior of intervertebral discs. The numerical modeling was carried out using the Boundary ELement Method (BEM) and an axisymmetric model of the disc. Concentration and production of lactate and oxygen are modeled with the BEM. Results agree well enough with those obtained using finite elements. The numerical efforts in the domain and boundary discretizations are minimized using the BEM.… More >