Biomedical subjects

M B Schaffler

Publications and source records attributed to M B Schaffler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Morphology of the dens. A quantitative study.

Morphometric studies of the dens of the second cervical vertebra were performed on a sample of one hundred twenty bones from the Hamann-Todd Collection. Data were collected on the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the dens, as well as the size of the dens relative to the centrum of C2. Relationships of dens dimensions to body size and sexual dimorphism were evaluated. In both longitudinal and transverse mean dimensions, the dens in males was slightly, but significantly larger (5-10%) than in females. The relative distributions of dens dimensions were consistently skewed toward the higher values in males and the lower values in females. Body height or weight were not significantly correlated with dens dimensions, and were therefore poor predictors of the size of the dens. Implications for screw fixation of fractures of the dens are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Quantitative internal dens morphology.

Recent work has demonstrated the highly variable and unpredictable external dimensions of the dens (odontoid process). No data have been available regarding internal dimensions. Quantitative computed tomography analysis of 120 axis vertebrae allowed nondestructive measurement of external and internal dens dimensions. The external computed tomography measurements correlated well with caliper-derived data. Minimum internal dens dimensions and cortical thicknesses in the sagittal and transverse planes are reported. Some axis vertebrae may not be amenable to internal fixation of type II dens fractures. Preoperative planning should include quantitative computed tomography analysis of the dens.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Adaptation of diaphyseal structure with aging and increased mechanical usage in the adult rat: a histomorphometrical and biomechanical study.

The experimental increase in mechanical usage or overloading of the left hindlimb was produced by immobilization of the contralateral hindlimb. The right hindlimb was placed in a flexed position against the body and was immobilized using an elastic bandage. Some control animals were sacrificed initially at time zero and increased mechanical usage and age-matched control animals were sacrificed after 2, 10, 18, and 26 weeks of treatment. All animals received double bone fluorochrome labeling prior to sacrifice. Cortical bone histomorphometry and cross-sectional moments of inertia were determined. Marrow cavity enlargement and total cross-sectional area expansion represented the age-related cortical bone changes. Increased mechanical usage enhanced periosteal bone modeling in the formation mode and dampened endocortical bone remodeling and bone modeling in the resorption mode (resorption drift) to create a slight positive bone balance. These observations are in general agreement with Frost's postulate for mechanical effects on bone modeling and remodeling (Frost, H.M. 1987b. Bone "mass" and the "mechanostat." A proposal. Anat. Rec. 219: 1-9). The maximum moment of inertia did not change significantly in either control or overloaded tibial shafts. The minimum and polar moment of inertias in overloaded bones increases over those of controls at 18 and 26 weeks of the experiment.

Adaptation, Biological↗

PubMed1990

Long-term fatigue behavior of compact bone at low strain magnitude and rate.

Fatigue behavior of compact bone at physiological strain ranges was examined in vitro. Standardized specimens of bovine compact bone were cyclically loaded in uniaxial tension of 0-1200 or 0-1500 microstrain for up to 13-37 million cycles to study the long-term fatigue properties. All specimens exhibited fatigue during the first several million cycles of loading, evidenced by a gradual decrease of specimen modulus during this initial loading period; mean modulus loss for all specimens was approximately 6%. After this initial stiffness loss, specimen modulus stabilized and did not change again for the duration of the loading. Osteonal bone specimens lost significantly more stiffness than primary bone specimens during the early loading history, but neither microstructural type progressed to fatigue failure. These data suggest that some fatigue of compact bone is a realistic expectation of the normal loading environment, but this fatigue does not progress to fatigue failure within a physiologically reasonable number of cycles when tested in vitro at strain magnitudes like those measured in living animals. Implications for fatigue/stress fractures in vivo are discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Accuracy of dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry of the lumbar spine: cadaver study.

Dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry (DRA) was used to measure the bone mineral content and area density of lumbar vertebrae (L2-L3) in 11 cadavers. These data were subsequently compared with measured ash content and density. Excellent correlation was obtained between bone mineral content measured with DRA and ash weight (r = .963, P less than .0001). The accuracy error in determining mineral content in lumbar vertebrae with DRA was about 9%. In addition, strong correlation was observed between bone mineral density measured with DRA and ash density (r = .881, P less than .0001).

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Mechanical and morphological effects of strain rate on fatigue of compact bone.

Compact bone specimens were cyclically loaded in uniaxial tension for one million cycles; loading was performed at either of two physiological strain rates (0.01 s-1 or 0.03 s-1) and a physiological strain range (0-1200 microstrain). Microdamage in loaded and nonloaded control specimens was then assessed histomorphometrically. Fatigue, evidence by stiffness loss, was observed at both strain rates and was significantly greater in specimens loaded at the high experimental strain rate than in specimens loaded at the low strain rate. Morphologically, this fatigue corresponded to increased numbers of microcracks in the bone. These data show that fatigue and resultant microdamage are realistic expectations of cyclic loading within the physiological strain range. The rate at which strains are developed influences the fatigue behavior of compact bone, suggesting that cyclic loading at high physiological strain rates, characteristic of vigorous activities, is more damaging to compact bone than loading at lower physiological strain rates.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

The effects of altered strain environments on bone tissue kinetics.

This study defines the alteration in bone tissue kinetics responsible for the "adaptive remodeling" response to altered strain environments. Adult beagle dogs were separated into three experimental groups: ulnar osteotomy, ulnar osteotomy with fracture fixation plate spanning the gap and sham surgery. Four sets of double fluorochrome labels were administered. Prior to sacrifice at 1, 3, and 6 months, strains were measured through rosette strain gages on the cranial and caudal surfaces of the intact radius. Histomorphometric analysis indicated that the increased bone mass in response to elevated strain results from increased activation frequency of modeling with more sites undergoing formation processes than resorption processes on periosteal and endocortical surfaces. Increased remodeling activation did not lead to increased bone mass. There was no evidence that elevated strain changes the individual vigor of osteoclasts or osteoblasts, or that the sigma period was altered by elevated strain.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1989

Skeletal change in response to altered strain environments: is woven bone a response to elevated strain?

Studies demonstrate that geometric changes in bone architecture in response to altered mechanical strain occur through the formation of woven bone. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that these changes are partly the result of surgical manipulation rather than a true adaptive response to altered strain. Beagle dogs were subjected to either an ulnar osteotomy, an osteotomy with plate fixation, or sham operation. Strains on the radius were measured just prior to sacrifice 1, 3 or 6 months after surgery. Our results support the idea that woven bone can be a normal response to an abnormal strain environment if the mechanical challenge is intense enough; that elevated mechanical strains can cause the endocortical bone envelope to revert to a state of net formation; and that "adaptive remodeling" in adults in response to a change in mechanical strain may be a special case of modeling in which resorption is not required prior to formation at a particular skeletal site.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1988

Synovial membrane and cartilage changes in experimental osteoarthrosis.

The Hulth instability model was performed on 25 rabbit knee joints. Electron-microscopic, light-microscopic, and histomorphometric data demonstrated consistent chondrocyte alterations and cartilage destruction. The comparison between operated, sham, and control knees shows that surgical intervention without surgically induced instability is followed by changes in the synovial membrane and cartilage. The cartilage destruction is preceded by a synovial reaction, suggesting that the inflammatory response has an important role in the onset of cartilage damage in this model. The damage was more severe in the experimental knees, suggesting that mechanical instability is also a factor in cartilage destruction.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Composition of the cement line and its possible mechanical role as a local interface in human compact bone.

Human compact bone may be viewed as a fiber reinforced composite material in which the secondary osteons act as the fiber reinforcements. The cement line, which is the interface between the 'fibers' (osteons) and extraosteonal bone matrix, may impart important mechanical properties to compact bone. The nature of these properties is not known partly because the composition of the cement line is unknown. This analysis examines the constituents of the osteon cement line using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microprobe analysis to address its biomechanical functions as a local interface. The analysis suggests that the cement line is a region of reduced mineralization which may contain sulfated mucosubstances. This composition is consistent with the hypothesis that the cement line provides a relatively ductile interface with surrounding bone matrix, and that it provides the point specific stiffness differences, poor 'fiber'-matrix bonding and energy transfer qualities required to promote crack initiation but slow crack growth in compact bone.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Stiffness of compact bone: effects of porosity and density.

Stiffness of compact bone is found to be highly and nonlinearly dependent on its porosity, its complement, bone volume fraction and apparent density. Elastic modulus decreases as a power (0.55) of increasing porosity and increases both as a power of increasing bone tissue volume (10.92) and increasing apparent density (7.4). These data indicate that small changes in the amount or density of compact bone tissue exert a more pronounced influence on its stiffness than would similar changes in trabecular bone.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Skeletal tissue responses to thermal injury: an experimental study.

Skeletal changes occurring secondary to burn injuries were studied in an experimental animal model for thermal injury. One hindlimb of female Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250g) was subjected to a standardized thermal injury; the other hindlimb was left untreated. Control animals received no experimental treatment. Effects on skeletal architecture were studied at the proximal tibial metaphysis and tibial diaphysis using static histomorphometry. Bone formation dynamics were studied from a series of bone fluorochrome labels administered before the experiment began, early (days 8, 9) postburn treatment (PBT) and late PBT (days 17, 18). Animals were sacrificed on day 21 PBT. In proximal tibial metaphyses of burn-treated limbs, trabecular bone area (TBA) and trabecular number in all regions except the primary spongiosa, were significantly reduced. TBA was also decreased, but not significantly in nontreated limbs. Longitudinal growth rate, growth plate thickness and growth cartilage cell production rate are greater in burn-treated than in nonburned and control bones. Burn-treated diaphyses showed extensive woven bone formation at periosteal surfaces, and corresponding increases of bone areas and periosteal perimeters. Endocortical surfaces showed only typical occasional resorption areas. No intracortical changes were observed. Mineral appositional rate (MAR) and bone formation rate (BFR) at endocortical surfaces were markedly depressed after thermal injury, significant changes were noted in both limbs of treated animals. Among burned limbs, the early PBT label was absent from all specimens, indicating a virtual shutdown of osteoblast activity and recruitment. Similarly in nonburned limb bone, the label was absent from 50% of the specimens; in those bones in which the label was present, label lengths, appositional and bone formation rates were significantly reduced relative to the control specimens. Comparison of average bone formation dynamics for the total PBT interval indicates that MAR and BFR in burned treated tibiae were reduced to approximately 25% of control values. MAR and BFR from the nonburned side of treated animals were significantly reduced as well, to about 55% of control values. These data indicate that the principal metaphyseal effects of thermal injury are stimulation of growth cartilage proliferation, and depression of ossification and osteoblast activity. In diaphyses, thermal injury causes extensive local periosteal woven bone proliferation and a dramatic depression of endosteal bone formation. The latter effect, while more severe locally, is also evident systemically.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

[Arthrotomy--a prearthrotic factor?].

UNLABELLED: Light-microscopic and electron microscopic findings of the synovial membrane and cartilage were compared, of rabbit knee joints on which arthrotomy and surgical induced instabilisation operation were performed. The joint opening was followed by an inflammation of the synovial membrane, and cartilage changes were similar in joints of arthrotomy and surgically induced instability. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To prevent joints from further damage after arthrotomy or arthroscopy, joints should be spared from weight bearing during the time of synovial inflammation.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Morphology of the osteonal cement line in human bone.

While current consensus suggests the absence of collagen in osteonal cement lines, the extent of cement line mineralization and the nature of the ground substance within the cement line are unclear. Samples of human radius were examined by using scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe, and histochemical techniques. X-ray intensities were used to compare the amount of calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur in cement lines with amounts in surrounding lamellar bone. The results indicate that cement lines contain significantly less calcium and phosphorus, but significantly more sulfur, than surrounding bone matrix. The Ca/P ratio of cement lines was significantly greater than that of lamellar bone, suggesting that the mineral in cement lines may not be in the form of mature hydroxyapatite. No selective staining of the cement lines could be demonstrated by using periodic acid-Schiff, Sudan black B, or alcian blue critical electrolyte concentration techniques.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Early vascular changes in rabbit subchondral bone after repetitive impulsive loading.

The sequence of vascular and bony changes that precedes experimental osteoarthrosis was observed in rabbits. The subchondral bone underlying the weight-bearing portion of the medial tibial condyle and the talocalcaneal joint were examined after two, three, and six weeks of 50-ms and 500-ms repetitive loading at 1 Hz for 40 minutes each day. Vascular alterations were evident in the subchondral bone of the talocalcaneal joint after three weeks of a 50-ms load regime. A 10% increase in bone mass and a significant increase in the number of small diameter vessels were observed after six weeks. No changes were observed in the tibial subchondral bone, consistent with the measured attenuation of load distal to this joint. No changes were observed in either tibial or calcaneal subchondral bone in the 500-ms load group. Impulsive loading promotes early vascular changes in subchondral bone, which are developed in response to both the magnitude and the rate of loading.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Comparison of joint degeneration models. Surgical instability and repetitive impulsive loading.

We used surgical instability and repetitive impulsive loading in rabbits to initiate degenerative changes in knee joints. Synovial membrane and cartilage samples were examined by light and electron microscopy. Early synovial inflammation at three days postoperatively preceded cartilage destruction in the instability model. Synovial inflammation was only apparent after eight weeks in the loading model and increased subsequently to cartilage destruction. Cartilage breakdown was focal and limited to the weight-bearing area. Comparison of the histological data of the two arthrosis models suggests that different inductive mechanisms may be involved in cartilage degeneration, but in both models the inflammatory changes appeared to be secondary to mechanical factors.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Effects of age and sex on the amount and distribution of mineral in Eskimo tibiae.

The bone mineral content (BMC), bone width, and cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI) of 141 Alaskan Eskimo tibias were measured using photon absorptiometry. The effects of age and sex on the bones' structural properties were studied. It was found that in women, BMC decreased by 50% between the third and sixth decades, but that of the males did not decline significantly with age. This was true of the CSMI as well, for bending in both the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) planes. This result is different than that in some other prehistoric native American populations, where tibia CSMI increases with age in both sexes. The CSMI values were significantly higher in men than in women. Also, in men the AP CSMI was 55% larger than the ML CSMI; in women this difference was only 25%, and declined with age. Since the tibia is preferentially loaded in the AP plane by locomotor activities, the platycnemic differences between the sexes may reflect sex-related differences in activity which become more pronounced with age. The non-destructive method for obtaining data on the cross-sectional geometry of dry bones which is described here may be useful in studying other archaeological collections.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Bone remodeling in response to in vivo fatigue microdamage.

It has been suggested that osteonal remodeling is triggered by bone microdamage. The validity of this theory rests on the assumption that loading within the physiological range will produce substantial microdamage with relatively few load cycles. The object of the first experiment was to determine threshold values required to consistently produce fatigue microdamage in vivo. The left forelimb of five groups of dogs, characterized by different strain levels and different numbers of load cycles, were loaded in three point bending. The number of microscopic fields which contained some microdamage was calculated as a percentage of the total number of fields. This experiment indicated that loads producing strains as low as 1500 microstrain on the radius and 1400 microstrain on the ulna for 10,000 cycles will produce significant bone microdamage. A second experiment was performed to verify this threshold and to determine whether microcracks are associated with the initiation of bone remodeling. Procedures in this experiment were the same as those in the first, except that all dogs were loaded in such a way as to produce strains on the radius of 1500 microstrain for 10,000 cycles, and the dogs were sacrificed 1-4 days after loading. The loaded limb demonstrated significantly more microdamage than the control limb (p = 0.03). Moreover, we observed 44 times as many microcracks in association with resorption spaces as expected by chance alone. These data support the hypothesis that fatigue microdamage is a significant factor in the initiation of intracortical bone remodeling.

Animals↗