Biomedical subjects

V Kralj-Iglic

Publications and source records attributed to V Kralj-Iglic.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Peak contact stress in human hip during gait.

The contact stress in a human hip is not uniform and it changes with different body positions. The changing location of the peak contact stress during gait may indicate the predilection sites for further development of osteoarthritis in the hip. On the basis of laboratory measurements and by using mathematical models of forces and stresses in human hip we determined the points of the peak contact stress in successive phases of gait. Results show that the peak stress points are mostly located in the posterior-medial portion of the weight bearing area, which corresponds well to the clinical observations. It is also shown that in the pathological conditions of hip dysplasia the peak contact stress trajectory is located more laterally and anteriorly.

Gait↗

PubMed2000

Evaluation of biomechanical status of dysplastic human hips.

The evaluation of the biomechanical status of human hip joint was performed. Required parameters were assessed from standard antero-posterior rentgenographs and the value of contact stress on the weight bearing area is calculated. We analysed 45 dysplastic human hips and compared measured values to 81 healthy hips. The peak contact stress on the weight bearing area is considerably and statistically significantly higher in dysplastic hips compared to healthy hips. The Wiberg centre-edge angle is statistically significantly smaller in group of dysplastic hips compared to healthy hips.

Arthrography↗

PubMed1999

Liposomes composed of a double-chain cationic amphiphile (vectamidine) induce their own encapsulation into human erythrocytes.

Vectamidine is a liposome-forming double-chain cationic amphiphile. The present work was aimed to microscopically study the interactions of Vectamidine liposomes with the human erythrocyte plasma membrane. Vectamidine rapidly induced stomatocytic shapes. Attachment of Vectamidine liposomes to the erythrocyte induced a strong local invagination of the membrane. This frequently resulted in a complete encapsulation of the liposome. Liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine (neutral) or phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine (anionic) did not perturb the erythrocyte shape. Our results indicate that besides an attraction of Vectamidine liposomes to the plasma membrane, there is a preference of Vectamidine for the inner bilayer leaflet. We suggest that cationic amphiphiles may transfer from membrane-attached liposomes to the plasma membrane and then translocate to the inner bilayer leaflet where they induce a strong local inward bending of the plasma membrane resulting in an encapsulation of the liposome.

Amidines↗

PubMed1999

Torocyte membrane endovesicles induced by octaethyleneglycol dodecylether in human erythrocytes.

Endovesicles induced in human erythrocytes by octaethyleneglycol dodecylether (C12E8) were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy, using fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran as a nonspecific fluid marker. The endovesicles appeared to consist mainly of a ring-formed toroidal part joined with a central flat membrane segment. The torocyte contour length was several microm. There was usually one torocyte endovesicle per cell. The endovesicles seemed to be located near the cell surface. In sections of C12E8-treated erythrocytes transmission electron microscopy revealed the frequent occurrence of flat membrane structures with a bulby periphery, which apparently are cross sections of torocyte endovesicles. The possible physical mechanisms leading to the observed torocyte endovesicle shape are discussed. The torocyte endovesicles seem to be formed in a process in which an initially stomatocytic invagination loses volume while maintaining a large surface area. Because intercalation of C12E8 in the erythrocyte membrane induces inward membrane bending (stomatocytosis) we assume that C12E8 is preferentially located in the inner lipid layer of the erythrocyte membrane, i.e., in the outer lipid layer of the endovesicle membrane. It is suggested that local disturbances of the lipid molecules in the vicinity of the C12E8 molecules in the outer lipid layer of the endovesicle membrane form membrane inclusions with the effective shape of an inverted truncated cone. If the interaction between the inclusion and the membrane is weak, the membrane of such an endovesicle can be characterized by its negative spontaneous curvature, which may lead to a torocyte endovesicle shape with a small relative volume. Effects of a possible strong interaction between the C12E8-induced membrane inclusions and the membrane on the stability of the torocyte endovesicles are also indicated.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed1999

Mathematical modelling of stress in the hip during gait.

A mathematical model is developed for calculating the contact stress distribution in the hip for a known resultant hip force and characteristic geometrical parameters. Using a relatively simple single nonlinear algebraic equation, the model can be readily applied in clinical practice to estimate the stress distribution in the most frequent body positions of everyday activities. This is demonstrated by analyzing the data on the resultant hip force obtained from laboratory observations where a stance period of gait is considered.

Acetabulum↗

PubMed1999

Cylindrical shapes of closed lipid bilayer structures correspond to an extreme area difference between the two monolayers of the bilayer.

The shapes of extreme area difference between the outer and the inner layer (deltaA) of the closed lipid bilayer structures at fixed membrane area (A) and fixed volume (V) are determined by stating and analytically solving a variational problem for axisymmetric shapes. It is shown that the spheres with at most two different radii and the cylinder are the solutions of this variational problem. The cylinder ended by a hemisphere on each end is the shape combined from these solutions and is therefore, itself the shape of the extreme deltaA at fixed V and A. The related cylindrical shapes of stearoyl-oleoyl-phosphocholine vesicles are shown.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed1998

Stability of spiculated red blood cells induced by intercalation of amphiphiles in cell membrane.

The stability of spiculated red blood cells, induced by intercalation of amphiphilic molecules into the cell membrane, is studied. It is assumed that the stable red blood cell shape corresponds to the minimum of its membrane elastic energy, which consists of the local and non-local bilayer bending energies and of the skeleton shear elastic energy. The cell, volume and the membrane area are kept constant. It is calculated that the number of spicules of the stable echinocytic shape is larger when the amphiphile concentration is higher, which is in agreement with experimental observations. Also, it is established that, in explaining the stability of the echinocytic shape of the red blood cell, it is necessary to include the membrane skeleton shear elasticity.

Detergents↗

PubMed1998

Amphiphile induced echinocyte-spheroechinocyte transformation of red blood cell shape.

A possible physical explanation of the echinocyte -spheroechinocyte red blood cell (RBC) shape transformation induced by the intercalation of amphiphilic molecules into the outer layer of the RBC plasma membrane bilayer is given. The stable RBC shape is determined by the minimization of the membrane elastic energy, consisting of the bilayer bending energy, the bilayer relative stretching energy and the skeleton shear elastic energy. It is shown that for a given relative cell volume the calculated number of echinocyte spicula increases while their size decreases as the number of the intercalated amphiphilic molecules in the outer layer of the cell membrane bilayer is increased, which is in agreement with experimental observations. Further, it is show that the equilibrium difference between the outer and the inner membrane leaflet areas of the stable RBC shapes increases if the amount of the intercalated amphiphiles is increased, thereby verifying theoretically the original bilayer couple hypothesis of Sheetz and Singer (1974) and Evans (1974).

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed1998

A possible physical mechanism of red blood cell vesiculation obtained by incubation at high pH.

The membrane of human red blood cells is essentially composed of two parts, the lipid bilayer and the membrane skeleton that interacts with the lipid bilayer. The normal resting shape of the red blood cells at physiological pH 7.4 is the discocyte. However, at alkaline pH approximately equal to 11 the shape of red blood cells is composed of a spherical parent cell and large spherical daughter vesicles. The daughter vesicles may be free or connected to the parent cell by a narrow neck. In this paper we show that the shapes of red blood cells at pH approximately equal to 11 correspond to some of the calculated shapes of a closed lipid bilayer having an extreme area difference between the outer and the inner monolayer. Therefore, it is suggested that the observed shapes of the red blood cells at pH approximately equal to 11 are a consequence of the abolishment of the skeleton bilayer interactions at this pH.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed1997

Increased incidence of arthrosis in women could be related to femoral and pelvic shape.

In this study various femoral and pelvic geometrical parameters important for hip joint contact stress were determined. The parameters were measured from standard anteroposterior radiographs of healthy adult subjects and analysed by using descriptive statistical procedures. Women proved to have a significantly smaller femoral head radius and larger distance between the inner acetabular rims than men, both features which lead to an increase of contact stress in the hip joint articular surface. Since too high, long-lasting contact stress is unfavourable regarding the development of arthrosis, we propose that these differences in the femoral and pelvic geometry could be one of the reasons for the increased incidence of arthrosis in women.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Shapes of bilayer vesicles with membrane embedded molecules.

The interdependence of the lateral distribution of molecules which are embedded in a membrane (such as integral membrane proteins) and the shape of a cell with no internal structure (such as phospholipid vesicles or mammalian erythrocytes) has been studied. The coupling of the lateral distribution of the molecules and the cell shape is introduced by considering that the energy of the membrane embedded molecule at a given site of the membrane depends on the curvature of the membrane at that site. Direct interactions between embedded molecules are not considered. A simple expression for the interaction of the membrane embedded molecule with the local membrane curvature is proposed. Starting from this interaction, the consistently related expressions for the free energy and for the distribution function of the embedded molecules are derived. The equilibrium cell shape and the corresponding lateral distribution of the membrane embedded molecules are determined by minimization of the membrane free energy which includes the free energy of the membrane embedded molecules and the membrane elastic energy. The resulting inhomogeneous distribution of the membrane embedded molecules affects the cell shape in a nontrivial manner. In particular, it is shown that the shape corresponding to the absolute energy minimum at given cell volume and membrane area may be elliptically non-axisymmetric, in contrast to the case of a laterally homogeneous membrane where it is axisymmetric.

Chemical Phenomena↗

PubMed1996

Determination of the femoral and pelvic geometrical parameters that are important for the hip joint contact stress: differences between female and male.

The difference between male and female femoral and pelvic geometry was studied by considering some geometrical parameters such as interhip distance, inclination of the crista iliaca, diameter of the femoral head and centre-edge angle of Wiberg. The values of these parameters were determined for 79 healthy female and 21 healthy male subjects. Standard anterior-posterior radiographs were used and processed by the computer-aided system. The results show some important sex differences in femoral and pelvic geometrical parameters which determine the hip joint contact stress.

Female↗

PubMed1995

Biomechanical study of various greater trochanter positions.

A mathematical model was used in order to evaluate the mechanical situation after lateral, medial, distal and proximal displacements of the greater trochanter. It was calculated that lateral displacement may considerably reduce the hip joint contact force, while medial displacement greatly increases it. The influence of proximalization and distalization is much less pronounced. It was further shown that, regarding the postoperative relative hip abductor muscle strength, lateral and distal displacements of the greater trochanter are favourable, while proximal and medial displacements are not.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

The existence of non-axisymmetric bilayer vesicle shapes predicted by the bilayer couple model.

The existence of non-axisymmetric shapes with minimal bending energy is proved by means of a mathematical model. A parametric model is used; the shapes considered have an elliptical top view whilst their front view contour is described using Cassini ovals. Taking into account the bilayer couple model, the minimization of the membrane bending energy is performed at a constant membrane area A, a constant enclosed volume V and a constant difference between the two membrane leaflet areas delta A. It is shown that for certain sets of A, V and delta A the non-axisymmetric shapes calculated with the use of the parametric model have lower energy than the corresponding axisymmetric shapes obtained by the exact solution of the general variational problem. As an exact solution of the general variational problem for non-axisymmetric shapes would yield even lower energy, this indicates the existence of non-axisymmetric shapes with minimal bending energy in a region of the V/delta A phase diagram.

Lipid Bilayers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) erythrocyte; morphology, ultrastructure, major plasma membrane proteins and phospholipids, and cytoskeletal organization.

The aim of this study was to characterize the erythrocyte of the lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis), a primitive vertebrate. The lamprey erythrocyte predominantly has a non-axisymmetric stomatocytelike shape. It has a nucleus and a haemoglobin-filled cytosol with a few organelles and vesicular structures. Surprisingly, there is no marginal band of microtubules. Sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Coomassie blue staining of isolated plasma membranes revealed a single band at the level of the human spectrin doublet. Major bands also occurred at approximately 175 kDa and comigrating with human erythrocyte actin (approximately 45 kDa). The presence of spectrin, actin and vimentin was shown by immunoblotting. Band 3 protein, the anion exchanger in higher vertebrates, seemed to be highly deficient or lacking, as was also the case with ankyrin. Confocal laser scanning microscopy combined with immunocytochemical methods showed spectrin, actin and vimentin mainly to be localized around the nucleus, from where actin- and vimentin-strands extended out into the cytoplasm. Actin also seemed to be present at the plasma membrane. Phospholipid analyses of plasma membrane preparations showed the presence of the same four major phospholipid groups as in the human erythrocyte, although with higher and lower amounts of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, respectively. The low fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated annexin V binding, as monitored by flow cytometry, indicated that phosphatidylserine is mainly confined to the inner membrane leaflet in the lamprey erythrocyte plasma membrane.

Animals↗