Open Access

ARTICLE

Rami K Korhonen^∗,†, Sang-Kuy Han^‡, Walter Herzog^‡
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.3, pp. 125-134, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.125
Abstract Changes in the osmotic environment cause changes in volume of isolated cells and cells in tissue explants, and the osmotic environment becomes hypotonic in cartilage diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). However, it is not known how cells respond to a hypotonic osmotic challenge when situated in the fully intact articular cartilage.
A confocal laser scanning microscope was used to image chondrocytes of intact rabbit patellae in an isotonic (300 mOsm) and hypotonic (172 mOsm) immersion medium. Cell volumes were calculated before and 5, 15, 60, 120 and 240 minutes after the change in saline concentration. Local… More >

View

1766

Download

1166

Open Access

ARTICLE

R. M. Ardito Marretta^∗,†, G. Barbaraci^‡
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.3, pp. 135-164, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.135
Abstract Upon severe DNA damage, p21 acts in a dual mode; on the one hand, it inhibits the cyclin-CDK complex for arresting the G2/M transition and on the other hand, it indirectly becomes an apoptotic factor by activating - in sequence - the retinoblastoma protein, E2F1 and APAF1 expressions. But, in a cancer cells proliferation, the mechanisms of, and participants in, the apoptosis failure remain unclear. Since the p21/p53/Mdm2 proteins network normally involves a digital response in a cancer cell, through an original design of a cell signalling-protein simulator, we demonstrate,in silico, that apoptosis phase instability More >

View

1638

Download

1180

Open Access

ARTICLE

Guanbin Song^∗,†,‡, Qing Luo^*, Baiyao Xu^*, Yang Ju^†
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.3, pp. 165-174, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.165
Abstract It has been demonstrated that mechanical stimulation plays a vital role in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. However, little is known about the effects of mechanical stress on tendon/ligament development from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Here, using a custom-made cell-stretching device, we studied the effects of mechanical stretching on the cell morphology and mRNA expression of several key genes modulating tendon/ligament genesis. We demonstrate that bone-marrow-derived rat MSCs (rMSCs), when subjected to cyclic uniaxial stretching, express obvious detectable mRNAs for tenascin C and scleraxis, a unique maker of tendon/ligament formation, and significantly More >

View

1693

Download

1251

Open Access

ARTICLE

Chao EYS^∗, Volokh KY^†, Yoshida H^‡, Shiba N^§, Ide T^¶
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.7, No.3, pp. 175-192, 2010, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2010.007.175
Abstract This paper is written to honor Professor Y. C. Fung, the applied mechanician who has made seminal contributions in biomechanics. His work has generated great spin-off utility in the field of musculoskeletal biomechanics. Following the concept of the Rigid Body-Spring Model theory by T. Kawai (1978) for non-linear analysis of beam, plate, and shell structures and the soil-gravel mixture foundation, we have derived a generalized Discrete Element Analysis (DEA) method to determine human articular joint contact pressure, constraining ligament tension and bone-implant interface stresses. The basic formulation of DEA to solve linear problems is reviewed.… More >

View

1644

Download

1492