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Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of... Aug 2023Large aortic aneurysm and acute and chronic aortic dissection are pathologies of the aorta requiring surgery. Recent advances in medical intervention have improved... (Review)
Review
Large aortic aneurysm and acute and chronic aortic dissection are pathologies of the aorta requiring surgery. Recent advances in medical intervention have improved patient outcomes; however, a clear understanding of the mechanisms leading to aortic failure and, hence, a better understanding of failure risk, is still missing. Biomechanical analysis of the aorta could provide insights into the development and progression of aortic abnormalities, giving clinicians a powerful tool in risk stratification. The complexity of the aortic system presents significant challenges for a biomechanical study and requires various approaches to analyse the aorta. To address this, here we present a holistic review of the biomechanical studies of the aorta by categorising articles into four broad approaches, namely theoretical, in vivo, experimental and combined investigations. Experimental studies that focus on identifying mechanical properties of the aortic tissue are also included. By reviewing the literature and discussing drawbacks, limitations and future challenges in each area, we hope to present a more complete picture of the state-of-the-art of aortic biomechanics to stimulate research on critical topics. Combining experimental modalities and computational approaches could lead to more comprehensive results in risk prediction for the aortic system.
Topics: Humans; Aorta; Aortic Aneurysm; Aortic Dissection; Biomechanical Phenomena
PubMed: 37320894
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.105922 -
Developmental Cell Jan 2021The most dangerous aspect of cancer lies in metastatic progression. Tumor cells will successfully form life-threatening metastases when they undergo sequential steps... (Review)
Review
The most dangerous aspect of cancer lies in metastatic progression. Tumor cells will successfully form life-threatening metastases when they undergo sequential steps along a journey from the primary tumor to distant organs. From a biomechanics standpoint, growth, invasion, intravasation, circulation, arrest/adhesion, and extravasation of tumor cells demand particular cell-mechanical properties in order to survive and complete the metastatic cascade. With metastatic cells usually being softer than their non-malignant counterparts, high deformability for both the cell and its nucleus is thought to offer a significant advantage for metastatic potential. However, it is still unclear whether there is a finely tuned but fixed mechanical state that accommodates all mechanical features required for survival throughout the cascade or whether tumor cells need to dynamically refine their properties and intracellular components at each new step encountered. Here, we review the various mechanical requirements successful cancer cells might need to fulfill along their journey and speculate on the possibility that they dynamically adapt their properties accordingly. The mechanical signature of a successful cancer cell might actually be its ability to adapt to the successive microenvironmental constraints along the different steps of the journey.
Topics: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cell Adhesion; Cell Movement; Humans; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasms
PubMed: 33238151
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.10.011 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022Physical exercise promotes healthy aging and is associated with greater functionality and quality of life. Muscle strength and power are established factors in the...
Physical exercise promotes healthy aging and is associated with greater functionality and quality of life. Muscle strength and power are established factors in the ability to perform daily tasks and live independently. Stiffness, for mechanical reasons, is another important constituent of running performance and locomotion. This study aims to analyze the impact of age and training status on one-legged hopping biomechanics and to evaluate whether age-related power decline can be reduced with regular physical exercise. Forty-three male subjects were recruited according to their suitability for one of four groups (young athletes, senior athletes, young controls and senior controls) according to their age (young between 21 and 35, vs. older between 59 and 75) and training status (competing athletes vs. non-physically active). The impact of age and training status on one-legged hopping biomechanics were evaluated using the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Significant differences among groups were found for hopping height ( < 0.05), ground contact time ( < 0.05), peak ground reaction force ( < 0.05) and peak power ( < 0.01). No differences among groups were found in ground-phase vertical displacement and vertical stiffness ( > 0.05). Young athletes and older non-physically active people achieved the best and worst performance, respectively. Interestingly, there were not any differences found between young non-physically active people and senior athletes, suggesting that chronic training can contribute to partly offset effects that are normally associated with aging.
Topics: Humans; Male; Biomechanical Phenomena; Quality of Life; Running; Muscle Strength; Locomotion
PubMed: 36294273
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013696 -
Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) Nov 2019The largest animals are baleen filter feeders that exploit large aggregations of small-bodied plankton. Although this feeding mechanism has evolved multiple times in... (Review)
Review
The largest animals are baleen filter feeders that exploit large aggregations of small-bodied plankton. Although this feeding mechanism has evolved multiple times in marine vertebrates, rorqual whales exhibit a distinct lunge filter feeding mode that requires extreme physiological adaptations-most of which remain poorly understood. Here, we review the biomechanics of the lunge feeding mechanism in rorqual whales that underlies their extraordinary foraging performance and gigantic body size.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Energy Metabolism; Feeding Behavior; Whales
PubMed: 31577171
DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00010.2019 -
Comptes Rendus Biologies Nov 2021Metastatic progression, which begins with the invasion and migration of tumor cells from a primary tumor, marks a major turning point in the evolution of cancer. Indeed,... (Review)
Review
Metastatic progression, which begins with the invasion and migration of tumor cells from a primary tumor, marks a major turning point in the evolution of cancer. Indeed, it eventually leads to the formation of secondary tumors, the metastases, which are very often responsible for the patient's death. Understanding the mechanisms controlling the different steps of this process, as well as those explaining the fundamental phenomenon of organotropism (i.e. the distribution of metastases in distant organs by a non-random and tumor-specific process), is essential to define new innovative therapeutic solutions. In this review paper, we will present how biomechanics is an essential element to this understanding, and will emphasize the importance of this orthogonal and promising angle of study as well as our laboratory's focus on the late stages of dissemination, arrest and extravasation of circulating cancer cells and factors secreted by the primary tumor such as extracellular vesicles.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Humans; Neoplasms
PubMed: 35786629
DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.62 -
Journal of Athletic Training Jul 2022Inadequate hip active range of motion (AROM) may stifle the energy flow through the kinematic chain and decrease pitching performance while increasing the risk for...
CONTEXT
Inadequate hip active range of motion (AROM) may stifle the energy flow through the kinematic chain and decrease pitching performance while increasing the risk for pitcher injury.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between hip AROM and pitching biomechanics during a fastball pitch in adolescent baseball pitchers.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.
SETTING
Biomechanics laboratory.
PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS
A sample of 21 adolescent male baseball pitchers (age = 16.1 ± 0.8 years, height = 183.9 ± 5.2 cm, mass = 77.9 ± 8.3 kg).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Bilateral hip external-rotation (ER), internal-rotation, flexion, abduction, and extension AROM were measured. Three-dimensional biomechanics were assessed as participants threw from an indoor pitching mound to a strike-zone net at regulation distance. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were used to determine relationships between hip AROM and biomechanical metrics.
RESULTS
Negative correlations were found at foot contact between back-hip ER AROM and torso-rotation angle (r = -0.468, P = .03), back-hip ER AROM and back-hip abduction angle (r = -0.474, P = .03), and back-hip abduction AROM and lead-hip abduction angle (r = -0.458, P = .04). Back-hip extension AROM was positively correlated with increased stride length (r = 0.446, P = .043). Lead-hip abduction AROM was also positively correlated with normalized elbow-varus torque (r = 0.464, P = .03).
CONCLUSIONS
We observed several relationships between hip AROM and biomechanical variables during the pitching motion. These findings support the influence that hip AROM can have on pitching biomechanics. Overall, greater movement at the hips allows the kinematic chain to work at maximal efficiency, increasing the pitch velocity potential.
Topics: Adolescent; Male; Humans; Baseball; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hip; Elbow Injuries
PubMed: 34543423
DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0103.21 -
Journal of Biomechanics Jan 2023The potential of biomechanics for improving human health and performance is well established in many parts of the world. However, across most of Africa, biomechanics...
The potential of biomechanics for improving human health and performance is well established in many parts of the world. However, across most of Africa, biomechanics remains relatively underdeveloped. The discussion around biomechanics in the continent has increased in recent times and young African scientists are pursuing career opportunities in biomechanics-related fields within Africa and in other parts of the world. New institutions and programmes that focus on biomechanics teaching and research are also starting up around the continent. The advent of the National Biomechanics Day event, formation of the first formal biomechanics society in South Africa, along with many collaborations with relevant stakeholder organizations around the world underpin the expansion of biomechanics in Africa. This article aims to summarize the current state and describe aspirations for the future of biomechanics in Africa.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Africa
PubMed: 36701961
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111456 -
Medical Engineering & Physics Oct 2019This editorial pays tribute to the work of Professor John P. Paul and his team at the University of Strathclyde in the 1960s and '70s, and subsequently by the...
This editorial pays tribute to the work of Professor John P. Paul and his team at the University of Strathclyde in the 1960s and '70s, and subsequently by the Strathclyde Rehabilitation Engineering Group, as featured in the journal Medical Engineering & Physics. It also includes a consideration of the nature of full biomechanical analysis of movement and how it can be mathematically modelled and physically recorded, the different approaches taken by Paul's and Winter's groups, respectively, and what a full biomechanical model should include in the future. The article also attempts to signpost the reader to future developments in the field, and how the techniques pioneered by Paul in the 1960s may influence Clinical Biomechanics and Rehabilitation in the years to come.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Engineering; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans
PubMed: 31554578
DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2019.08.009 -
Journal of Anatomy Aug 2020The mitral valve is a complex anatomical structure whose physiological functioning relies on the biomechanical properties and structural integrity of its components.... (Review)
Review
The mitral valve is a complex anatomical structure whose physiological functioning relies on the biomechanical properties and structural integrity of its components. Their compromise can lead to mitral valve dysfunction, associated with morbidity and mortality. Therefore, a review on the morphometry of the mitral valve is crucial, more specifically on the importance of valve dimensions and shape for its function. This review initially provides a brief background on the anatomy and physiology of the mitral valve, followed by an analysis of the morphological information available. A characterisation of mathematical descriptions of several parts of the valve is performed and the impact of different dimensions and shape changes in disease is then outlined. Finally, a section regarding future directions and recommendations for the use of morphometric information in clinical analysis of the mitral valve is presented.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Humans; Mitral Valve; Models, Anatomic
PubMed: 32242929
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13196 -
Current Biology : CB Jul 2022The skull of a woodpecker is hypothesized to serve as a shock absorber that minimizes the harmful deceleration of its brain upon impact into trees and has inspired the...
The skull of a woodpecker is hypothesized to serve as a shock absorber that minimizes the harmful deceleration of its brain upon impact into trees and has inspired the engineering of shock-absorbing materials and tools, such as helmets. However, this hypothesis remains paradoxical since any absorption or dissipation of the head's kinetic energy by the skull would likely impair the bird's hammering performance and is therefore unlikely to have evolved by natural selection. In vivo quantification of impact decelerations during pecking in three woodpecker species and biomechanical models now show that their cranial skeleton is used as a stiff hammer to enhance pecking performance, and not as a shock-absorbing system to protect the brain. Numerical simulations of the effect of braincase size and shape on intracranial pressure indicate that the woodpeckers' brains are still safe below the threshold of concussions known for primate brains. These results contradict the currently prevailing conception of the adaptive evolution of cranial function in one of nature's most spectacular behaviors. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Topics: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Birds; Brain; Head; Skull
PubMed: 35839762
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.052