Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Elasticity ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Humans ; Liver ; physiology ; Male ; Middle Aged

As is well known, the zero stress state of an artery is brought by cutting a ring of the artery radically and then the ring segment springs open into a sector. The zero stress state is a foundation of strain analysis of an artery. There are two methods to measure the dimensions of a blood vessel in the zero stress state. First, it is a way to measure immediately an opening angle. Second, it is a method of assuming that a cut-open, stress-free specimen forms a circular sector and there are two edge angles. In this paper, we proposed a new method to measure the dimensions of an arterial wall in the zero stress state. The new method is to measure immediately the curve length of an arterial wall in zero stress state by computer image process (CIP). We used the curve lengths to define a standard circle for the strain analysis. We compared these three methods on descending thoracic aortas, common carotid arteries, and femoral arteries of white rabbits. Conclusions are: (1) the new method, that is the strain analysis method from the curve length, is the best method among the three methods of strain analysis; (2) the lengths of a ring segment (the length between D/2 and 2D) do not affect the dimensions of the zero stress state.
Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; physiology ; Arteries ; physiology ; Carotid Artery, Common ; physiology ; Elasticity ; Femoral Artery ; physiology ; Rabbits ; Stress, Mechanical ; Tensile Strength

OBJECTIVEReduced arterial elasticity is a hallmark of aging in healthy humans independently of diseases and endothelial-cell injury and dysfunction may be responsible for this fall in arterial elasticity. We hypothesized that circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in endothelial repair and that lack of EPCs contributes to impaired arterial elasticity.

METHODSA total of 56 healthy male volunteers were divided into young (n = 26) and elderly (n = 30) groups. Large and small artery elasticity indices were non-invasively assessed by using pulse wave analysis. Flow cytometer was used to count the number of circulating CD34(+) mononuclear cells (MNCs), which were isolated from peripheral blood by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, and then the cells were plated on fibronectin-coated culture dishes. EPCs were characterized as adherent cells double positive staining for DiI-acLDL uptake and lectin binding with using fluorescent microscope.

RESULTSC(1) (large artery elasticity index) and C(2) (small artery elasticity index) were significantly reduced in the elderly group compared with those in the young group (11.73 +/- 1.45 vs 16.89 +/- 1.69 ml/mm Hg x 10, P < 0.001; 8.40 +/- 1.45 vs 10.58 +/- 1.18 ml/mm Hg x 100, P < 0.001 respectively). In parallel, the number of circulating EPCs was significantly reduced in the elderly group compared with the young group (0.13 +/- 0.02 vs 0.17 +/- 0.04%, P < 0.05). The number of circulating EPCs correlated with C(1) large and C(2) small artery elasticity indices (r = 0.47, P < 0.01; r = 0.4, P < 0.01). Fluorescent microscope was used to identify EPCs, which were double positive staining for DiI-acLDL uptake and lectin binding.

CONCLUSIONThe present findings suggested that the fall in circulating EPCs with subsequently impaired endothelial-cell repair and function might contribute to reduced arterial elasticity in humans with aging. The decrease in circulating EPCs could serve as a surrogate biologic measure of vascular function and human age.

Adult ; Aged ; Aging ; physiology ; Arteries ; physiology ; Elasticity ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; physiology

To investigate the biomechanical behavior of human intestines. The tensile test human intestine was performed with the electronic tension machine in this paper. The results indicate that the exponential relationship for the stress-strain of the human intestine was obtained, and the exponential coefficient a of each segment of the intestine is almost the same although the constant C is different. It also shows that the relative rate of stretch length of each segment intestines is different in longitudinal and circumferential directions. And the incremental elastic modulus of colon is less than those of small intestine. It is considered that the colon can be more easily deformed. The experimental results provide the theoretic basis for research on intestinal endoscopic microrobot.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Colon, Transverse ; physiology ; Elasticity ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intestine, Small ; physiology ; Stress, Mechanical ; Tensile Strength

Any method that deforms the skin of the extremities may increase lymphatic flow rate, and may be applied to treat peripheral lymphedema. This study was undertaken to investigate whether or not elastic adhesive tape with passive exercise can increase lymph flow in the rabbit hind leg by effective and periodic skin deformation. Cannulation into a pre-popliteal afferent lymphatic vessel in the lower left leg of 22 male New Zealand White rabbits was performed under a stereomicroscope. After stabilization, lymph was collected at rest or during passive exercise with an electric motor at 60 r.p.m. for 15 minutes and was then measured. Lymph flow rate was calculated and expressed as g/hour. Increase of lymph flow rate due to taping was significant only for passive exercise (p=0.0317). The lymph flow rate increased linearly as the area of tape was increased (p=0.0011), and lymph flow rates were significantly different according to site (p=0.0017). Tape on the anterior aspect of the ankle caused salient deformation and tended to increase the lymph flow rate more so than tape on the dorsum of the foot (p=0.0831). Taping with elastic adhesive tape in passive exercise increased the lymph flow rate in the rabbit hind leg by deforming the skin, which suggests a novel therapeutic method in cases of peripheral lymphedema.
Animals ; *Bandages ; Elasticity ; Hindlimb/*physiology ; Lymph/*physiology ; Male ; Motion ; Rabbits ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

According to the physiological characteristics of lumbar vertebrae in Chinese, we designed and made a lumbar vertebral fusion cage of titanium and then engaged in its biomechanical test. T12-S1 of lumbar vertebrae from 18 fresh dead bodies were used. We measured the stress relaxation and the creep effects of the normal group (T12-S1 of intact lumbar vertebrae), the control group 1(simulating operation of excising intervertebral disc and planting bone on the back route) and the control group 2(simulating operation of excising intervertebral disc and inserting fusion cage). The data and stress, strain-time curves under the condition of constant stress and strain were obtained. Regression analysis yielded the reduced stress relaxation and creep functions. Finally, we analyzed and discussed the effects of the operation of excising intervertebral disc and planting bone on the back route and the operation of excising intervertebral disc and inserting fusion cage on the stability of spine.
Elasticity ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; physiology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; physiology ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Titanium

There has been a lot of controversies on which layer the silastic implants should be inserted in the augmentation rhinoplasty, i.e. subperiosteal or deep subfascial. This study is to investigate the biomechanical properties of human nasal periosteum and deep fascia, including tensile strength, stress-strain and stress relaxation characters under uniaxial tension system. The periosteum is stronger in tensile strength than that of the fascia, but it is less elastic. Under a sudden increase of load, the periosteum relaxes far less than the fasia. Therefore, in view of biomechanics, the periosteum is thicker, tougher, stiffer and less relaxation than facia, thus has a better fixation effect.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Elasticity ; Fascia ; physiology ; Humans ; Nose ; anatomy & histology ; Periosteum ; physiology ; Stress, Mechanical ; Tensile Strength

The membrane viscoelasticity of erythrocyte taken from both normal subjects and patients with cor pulmonale during acute exacerbation was investigated using a micropipette aspiration technique. Experimental results were analysed with vogit viscoelaticity model based on pioneering theory of Chein et al. The results showed that the erythrocyte membrane elastic moduli ((6.970 +/- 1.050) x 10(-3) dyn/cm) and viscous coefficients ((0.936 +/- 0.242) x 10(-4) dyn x s/cm) of the cor pulmonale patients was significantly higher than those of the normal subjects ((5.203 +/- 1.051) X 10(-3) dyn/cm, (0.620 +/- 0.053) x 10(-4) dyn x s/cm). The membrane elastic moduli, viscous coefficients, rigidity of erythrocyte, and viscosity were all increased. It may be the important subcellular mechanism to cause the decrease of erythrocyte deformability and hyperviscosity of blood in these patients.
Blood Viscosity ; Elasticity ; Erythrocyte Deformability ; physiology ; Erythrocyte Membrane ; physiology ; Erythrocytes ; physiology ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Pulmonary Heart Disease ; blood

The tension moduls and compression modulus of Chinese tibia and femur of male in three different directions, namely axial, circumferential and radial directions, were tested in our experiments. The measured compression moduli are 5.8 +/- 0.34, 3.4 +/- 0.17, 2.1 +/- 0.18 GPa respectively for femur, and 6.1 +/- 0.36, 3.5 +/- 0.17, 2.1 +/- 0.18 GPa respectively for tibia; the measured tension moduli are 15.6 +/- 1.21, 9.8 +/- 0.73, 5.4 +/- 0.52 GPa respectively for femur, and 16.7 +/- 1.09, 10.3 +/- 0.70, 5.6 +/- 0.49 GPa respectively for tibia. The tension and compression ultimate strengths of femur and tibia were tested, too. The measured compression ultimate strengths are 150 +/- 9.3, 111 +/- 6.5, 110 +/- 7.1 MPa respectively for femur, and 191 +/- 12.3, 140 +/- 6.3, 123 +/- 8.3 MPa respectively for tibia; the measured tension ultimate strengths are 115 +/- 9.6, 82 +/- 6.8, 78 +/- 7.3 MPa respectively for femur, and 143 +/- 8.7, 110 +/- 8.3, 97 +/- 6.4 MPa respectively for tibia. Furthermore, the stress-relaxation experiments were conducted. The relation between loading and time during the experiments were obtained by the method of curve fitting. They meet the logarithm function: F = A * B(log t); A is the initial load, and B is the fitting material parameter. For femur, B is equal to 0.985; for tibia, B is equal to 0.987.
Anisotropy ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; China ; Elasticity ; Femur ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Biological ; Reference Values ; Tibia ; physiology ; Weight-Bearing ; physiology

We tested the mechanical properties of fiber layers in adult anulus fibrosus of lumbar interverbral disc 4,5. Aulus fibrosus of lumbar interverbral disc was delaminated by using microsurgical technique. 8 testing points were taken in each layer according to the fibers going and 5 testing specimens were taken from each testing point. The length was 15-20mm, the width 1-2mm, and the thickness 0. 1-0. 5mm. By using tension test,the relationship curves of stress and strain were tested, the fitting curves and equations were obtained, and then the elastic modulus, damage strain and damage stress were obtained. Therefore we knew the parameters and equations of mechanical properties of each testing point. We got the result that the elastic modulus of each testing point, along the radius from outside to inside, decreased with the increase of layers. The damage stress decreased linearly from outside to inside. The damage strains of the outside 9 layers increased slightly with the increase of layers, and the others were almost constants, i. e. 0.34 +/- 0.14. We get the conclusion that analus fibrosus of intervertebral disc has special mechanical properties corresponding with its functions, which is in a close relationship with lumbar vertebral diseases.
Adult ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Elasticity ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; physiology ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; physiology ; Male ; Stress, Mechanical ; Tensile Strength ; physiology