Masanori Kobayashi, Myron Spector

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.6, No.4, pp. 217-228, 2009, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2009.006.217

Abstract In order to achieve successful wound repair by regenerative tissue engineering using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), it is important to understand the response of stem cells in the scaffold matrix to mechanical stress.
To investigate the clinical effects of mechanical stress on the behavior of cells in scaffolds, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were grown on a type-I collagen-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffold matrix for one week under cyclic stretching loading conditions.
The porous collagen-GAG scaffold matrix for skin wound repair was prepared, the harvested canine MSCs were seeded on the scaffold, and cultured under three kinds of cyclic… More >

Benjamin A. Coppola^*, Jeffrey H. Omens^∗,†

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.3, pp. 183-196, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.183

Abstract It is well known that systolic wall thickening in the inner half of the left ventricular (LV) wall is of greater magnitude than predicted by myofiber contraction alone. Previous studies have related the deformation of the LV wall to the orientation of the laminar architecture. Using this method, wall thickening can be interpreted as the sum of contributions due to extension, thickening, and shearing of the laminar sheets. We hypothesized that the thickening mechanics of the ventricular wall are determined by the structural organization of the underlying tissue, and may not be influenced by factors such as loading and activation… More >

G.V. Norton^*, J.C. Novarini^†

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 75-86, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.075

Abstract Ultrasonic imaging in medical applications involves propagation and scattering of acoustic waves within and by biological tissues that are intrinsically dispersive. Analytical approaches for modeling propagation and scattering in inhomogeneous media are difficult and often require extremely simplifying approximations in order to achieve a solution. To avoid such approximations, the direct numerical solution of the wave equation via the method of finite differences offers the most direct tool, which takes into account diffraction and refraction. It also allows for detailed modeling of the real anatomic structure and combination/layering of tissues. In all cases the correct inclusion of the dispersive properties… More >

Jianhua Zhou^∗, J. K. Chen^†, Yuwen Zhang^‡

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.1, pp. 27-40, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.027

Abstract A bioheat transfer approach is proposed to study thermal damage in biological tissues caused by laser radiation. The laser light propagation in the tissue is first solved by using a robust seven-flux model in cylindrical coordinate system. The resulting spatial distribution of the absorbed laser energy is incorporated into the bioheat transfer equation for solving temperature response. Thermal damage to the tissue is assessed by the extent of denatured protein using a rate process equation. It is found that for the tissue studied, a significant protein denaturation process would take place when temperature exceeds about 53oC. The effects of laser… More >

T.I. Zohdi¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.98, No.3, pp. 261-277, 2014, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2014.098.261

Abstract A widespread use of lasers is for the ablation of biological tissue, in particular for dermal applications involving the removal of cancerous tissue, skin spots, aged skin and wrinkles. For a laser to ablate tissue, the power intensity must be sufficiently high to induce vaporization/burning of the target material. However, if performed improperly, the process can cause excessive microscale thermal injuries to surrounding healthy tissue. This motivates the present work, which attempts to develop and assemble simple models for the primary heat transfer mechanisms that occur during the process. First, in order to qualitatively understand the system, the terms that… More >

R.A. Regueiro^1,2, B. Zhang², S.L. Wozniak³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.98, No.1, pp. 1-39, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2014.098.001

Abstract The paper presents three-dimensional, large deformation, coupled finite element analysis (FEA) of dynamic loading on soft biological tissues treated as biphasic (solid-fluid) porous media. An overview is presented of the biphasic solidfluid mixture theory at finite strain, including inertia terms. The solid skeleton is modeled as an isotropic, compressible, hyperelastic material. FEA simulations include: (1) compressive uniaxial strain loading on a column of lung parenchyma with either pore air or water fluid, (2) out-of-plane pressure loading on a thin slab of lung parenchyma with either pore air or water fluid, and (3) pressure loading on a 1/8th symmetry vertebral disc… More >

Jean-Philippe Jehl¹, Richard Kouitat Njiwa²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.102, No.5, pp. 345-358, 2014, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2014.102.345

Abstract Extended continuum mechanical approaches are now becoming increasingly popular for modeling various types of microstructured materials such as foams and porous solids. The potential advantages of the microcontinuum approach are currently being investigated in the field of biomechanical modeling. In this field, conducting a numerical investigation of the material response is evidently of paramount importance. This study sought to investigate the potential of the (constrained) microstretch modeling method. The problem’s field equations have been solved by applying a numerical approach combining the conventional isotropic boundary elements method with local radial point interpolation. Our resulting numerical examples demonstrated that the model… More >

R. Khanna^1,2, D. R. Katti¹, K. S. Katti¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.87, No.6, pp. 530-556, 2012, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2012.087.530

Abstract Here we report a new in situ nanoindentation technique developed to evaluate the composite mechanical behavior of cell-biomaterial construct under physiological conditions over the time scale of bone nodule generation. Using this technique, mechanical behavior of osteoblast cell-substrate interfaces on tissue engineered materials (chitosan-polygalacturonic acid-nanohydroxyapatite (CPH) films) is investigated. Mechanical behavior of cells in the elastic regime over the time scale of cell adhesion (1 day), proliferation (4 days), development (8 days) and maturation (22 days) of bone nodules is evaluated. Our results indicate that the elastic properties of flat cells are higher (indicating stiffer response, after 4 days, as… More >

K.W. Luczynski¹, A. Dejaco¹, O. Lahayne¹, J. Jaroszewicz², W.Swieszkowski², C. Hellmich¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.87, No.6, pp. 505-529, 2012, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2012.087.505

Abstract A 71 volume-% macroporous tissue engineering scaffold made of poly-l-lactide (PLLA) with 10 mass-% of pseudo-spherical tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) inclusions (exhibiting diameters in the range of several nanometers) was microCT-scanned. The corresponding stack of images was converted into regular Finite Element (FE) models consisting of around 100,000 to 1,000,000 finite elements. Therefore, the attenuation-related, voxel-specific grey values were converted into TCP-contents, and the latter, together with nanoindentation tests,entered a homogenization scheme of the Mori-Tanaka type, as to deliver voxel-specific (and hence, finite element-specific) elastic properties. These FE models were uniaxially loaded, giving access to the macroscopic Young's modulus of the… More >

G. Mattei^1,2, A. Tirella^1,2, A. Ahluwalia^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.87, No.6, pp. 483-504, 2012, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2012.087.483

Abstract Biological function is intricately linked with structure. Many biological structures are characterised by functional spatially distributed gradients in which each layer has one or more specific functions to perform. Reproducing such structures is challenging, and usually an experimental trial-and-error approach is used. In this paper we investigate how the gravitational sedimentation of discrete solid particles (secondary phase) within a primary fluid phase with a time-varying dynamic viscosity can be used for the realisation of stable and reproducible continuous functionally graded materials (FGMs). Computational models were used to simulate the distribution of a particle phase in a fluid domain. Firstly a… More >