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Biomedical subjects

G E Kempson

Publications and source records attributed to G E Kempson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

The short-term compressive properties of adult human articular cartilage.

An apparatus and test method were developed to determine the elastic stiffness and damping coefficient of human cartilage in compression. An underdamped, counterbalanced beam applied a sudden compressive force to a full-thickness cylindrical specimen of articular cartilage. The initial oscillatory response decayed to steady state creep after approximately 10 cycles of oscillation. The results were consistent with a Voigt phenomenological model with linear stiffness and damping terms. Standard dynamics analysis of the transient oscillatory response enabled the elastic stiffness to be determined from the frequency and the damping coefficient to be derived from the logarithmic decrement of the decay of the oscillations. The relationship between the mechanical properties and structure of cartilage was determined by treating specimens with two specific proteolytic enzymes. Digestion and removal of proteoglycans alone with cathepsin D caused the damping coefficient to decrease with no change in elastic stiffness. The action of leukocyte elastase on collagen caused a decrease in both damping coefficient and elastic stiffness. It was concluded that the collagen fibrils in cartilage largely control the elastic response while the viscous response is controlled largely by the hydrated proteoglycans. The effects of cartilage thickness was also examined and found to be inversely proportional to the elastic stiffness. It is suggested that this method could be used to uncouple elastic and viscous properties of other viscoelastic materials.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The effects of selective matrix degradation on the short-term compressive properties of adult human articular cartilage.

The effects of proteoglycan and collagen digestion on the transient response of human articular cartilage when tested in unconfined compression were determined. Small cylindrical specimens of cartilage, isolated from the femoral head of the hip joint and from the femoral condyles of the knee joint, were subjected to a suddenly applied compressive load using a test apparatus designed to yield a transient oscillatory response. From this response values of the elastic stiffness and the viscous damping coefficient were determined. Cathepsin D and cathepsin B1 were used to digest the proteoglycan in some specimens, while in other specimens leukocyte elastase was used to attack the non-helical terminal regions of the Type II tropocollagen molecules and possibly the Type IX collagen molecule and thereby disturb the integrity of the collagen mesh. The results showed that proteoglycan digestion alone reduced the viscous damping coefficient but it did not significantly alter the elastic stiffness as determined from the oscillatory response. In contrast, the action of elastase reduced both the damping coefficient and the elastic stiffness of the cartilage. The results demonstrated the role of proteoglycans in regulating fluid transport in cartilage and hence controlling the time-dependent viscous properties. The elastic stiffness was shown to be dependent on the integrity of the collagen fibre network and not on the proteoglycans.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Age-related changes in the tensile properties of human articular cartilage: a comparative study between the femoral head of the hip joint and the talus of the ankle joint.

Specimens of articular cartilage from the superficial and mid-depth zones of the human femoral head and the talus of the ankle joint were tested in tension in planes parallel to the articular surface and parallel to the predominant orientation of the superficial collagen fibrils. The tensile fracture stress of cartilage from both the superficial and mid-depth zones of the femoral head decreased considerably with age. The superficial zone decreased from 33 MPa at 7 years to 10 MPa by the age of 90 years, while the mid-depth zone decreased from 32 MPa at 7 years to 2 MPa by the age of 85 years. In contrast the fracture stress of both levels of cartilage from the talus of the ankle did not decrease significantly with increasing age. The tensile stiffness at 10 MPa of both the superficial and mid-depth zones of the femoral head decreased with age. That of the superficial zone decreased from 150 MPa at 7 years to 80 MPa at 90 years, while the mid-depth zone decreased from 60 MPa at 7 years to 10 MPa at 60 years. The stiffness of talar cartilage from the superficial zone decreased by 20%, while that of the mid-depth zone showed a slight increase in stiffness at 10 MPa with increasing age. There was no significant decrease in the tensile stiffness at 1 MPa with age for either the femoral head or talar cartilage. Based on the results of previous studies it is possible to conclude that the decrease in tensile properties seen in the femoral head results from a deterioration in the tensile properties of the network of collagen fibrils. It is suggested that progressive fatigue failure, perhaps with associated changes in the structure of cartilage due to altered chondrocyte metabolism, causes the reduction in tensile properties with age. The results offer a potential explanation for the observation that osteoarthritis commonly occurs in the hip and knee joints at an increasing incidence as age increases, while the condition only rarely occurs in the ankle joint except as a secondary event to trauma.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1982

Relationship between the tensile properties of articular cartilage from the human knee and age.

The relationship between the tensile properties of articular cartilage and age has been investigated in vitro in the human knee joint. Specimens orientated parallel to the articular surface were excised from the superficial and deep zones of the femoral condyles of knee joints of persons in the age range from 8 to 91 years. The results showed that the tensile strength of the superficial zone increased with age to reach a maximum value in the third decade. Thereafter the strength decreased markedly with increasing age. The tensile strength of cartilage from the deep zone did not show an increase in the early years but decreased continuously with age. The tensile stiffness of the superficial layer at stresses of 5 MN/m2 and 10 MN/m2 increased to maximum values in the third decade and thereafter decreased with increasing age. The stiffness of the deep zone decreased continuously with age. It is suggested that these results reflect changes in the organisation of the collagen fibre mesh with age and possibly also changes in the collagen cross-links.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

The effects of leucocyte elastase on the mechanical properties of adult human articular cartilage in tension.

The effects of leucocyte elastase on the tensile properties of adult human articular cartilage were examined in detail in 99 specimens from hip, knee and ankle joints in the age range 16-83 years. The results showed that elastase reduced the tensile stiffness of cartilage, both at low stress and at fracture. The tensile strength of cartilage was also considerably reduced by the action of elastase. Biochemical analysis of the incubation media, and the specimens, revealed that 90%, or more, of the proteoglycan was released from the cartilage, whilst the release of collagen was negligible. Leucocyte elastase is known to degrade the non-helical terminal peptides of cartilage collagen molecules and thereby disrupt the main intermolecular cross-links in collagen fibrils. A previous study (Kempson, G.E., Tuke, M.A., Dingle, J.T., Barrett, A.J. and Horsfield, P.H. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 428, 741-760) showed the lack of effect of proteoglycan degradation alone on the tensile strength and stiffness of cartilage. The reduction in strength and stiffness recorded in the present study can, therefore, be attributed to the action of elastase on the collagen in cartilage and it emphasises the important of covalent intermolecular cross-links to the mechanical properties of collagen fibrils.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Which external fixation device?

Seven external fixation frames which are used for the treatment of fractures have been evaluated. The features of these devices are presented and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each are described.

Bone Nails↗
PubMed1981

The comparative stiffness of external fixation frames.

The stiffness of 6 external fixation frames was compared by measuring the deflection which occurred at an unstable fracture, created in a tibia in vitro. All tests were repeated with the frames applied to pins brazed into a steel tube, in order to eliminate any errors caused by variation in the quality of the bone under test. The results of these tests are presented and observations are made on some design features of the frames. It was found that the 2 most critical factors which determined the stiffness of a frame were the diameter and the number of pins used to transfix the bone. Other factors, such as the stiffness of the connecting bar, were of secondary importance.

Biomedical Engineering↗
PubMed1976

The effects of proteolytic enzymes on the mechanical properties of adult human articular cartilage.

The effects of the lysosomal proteinase cathepsin D on the mechanical properties of adult human articular cartilage were examined in detail in 7 joints within the age range 21 to 72 years. The results of a preliminary study on the effects of the lysosomal proteinase cathepsin B1 and clostridial collagenase on the mechanical properties of cartilage are also presented. Cartilage which had been incubated with either cathepsin D or cathepsin B1 showed increased deformation in uniaxial compression perpendicular to the articular surface. The enzyme-treated cartilage also showed decreased tensile stiffness at low values of stress. This effect was more pronounced in specimens from the deeper zone of cartilage than in specimens from the superficial zone. It was also more pronounced in specimens which were aligned perpendicular to the predominant alignment of the collagen fibres in the superficial zone than in specimens which were parallel to the collagen fibres. At higher stresses the tensile stiffness of the treated cartilage was not significantly different from that of the untreated tissue. The tensile fracture stress of the cartilage was also not significantly reduced by the action of cathepsin D. In contrast to the effects observed with the cathepsins, the preliminary results obtained by incubating cartilage for 24 h with clostridial collagenase showed that both the tensile stiffness and the fracture stress were considerably lower than the corresponding values for the untreated tissue. Biochemical analysis of the incubation media, and the specimens, revealed that a large proportion of the proteoglycans was released from the cartilage by each of the three enzymes. The proportion of the total collagen which was released from the cartilage was different for each enzyme: cathepsin D released between 0 and 1.5 per cent, cathepsin B1 released between 2.3 and 4.3 per cent and collagenase released between 5.3 and 27.8 per cent of the collagen after 24 h.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Engineering considerations in the design of an ankle joint.

A prothesis has been designed to replace the articulating surfaces of the human ankle joint. The prothesis is in two parts, each forming a segment of a right circular cylinder with a single axis of rotation. The concave tibial component is manufactured from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and the talar component is manufactured from medical grade stainless steel. It is likely, however, that the talar component will be commercially manufactured from cobalt chrome alloy (Vitallium or Vinertia). The two components are secured to the cancellous bone by polymethylmethacrylate bone cement and laboratory tests have indicated that the bond should be strong enough to withstand the loads encountered at the ankle joint in vivo. The tests have also shown that the stability and strength of the ankle are not seriously reduced by implantation of the prosthesis. Laboratory wear tests and clinical experience over the last two years encourage optimism over the long term performance of the prothesis.

Adult↗