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Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) Aug 2023The introduction of carbon fiber plate footwear has led to performance benefits in runners. The mechanism for these changes in running economy includes altered...
The introduction of carbon fiber plate footwear has led to performance benefits in runners. The mechanism for these changes in running economy includes altered biomechanics of the foot and ankle. The association of this footwear with injuries has been a topic of debate clinically, but not described in the literature. In this Current Opinion article, illustrated by a case series of five navicular bone stress injuries in highly competitive running athletes, we discuss the development of running-related injuries in association with the use of carbon fiber plate footwear. While the performance benefits of this footwear are considerable, sports medicine providers should consider injuries possibly related to altered biomechanical demands affecting athletes who use carbon fiber plate footwear. Given the introduction of carbon fiber plate footwear into athletics and other endurance sports, strategies may be required to reduce risk of injury due to altered foot and ankle mechanics. This article is intended (1) to raise awareness on possible health concerns around the use of carbon fiber plate footwear, (2) to suggest a slow gradual transition from habitual to carbon fiber plate footwear, and (3) to foster medical research related to carbon fiber plate technology and injuries.
Topics: Humans; Carbon Fiber; Shoes; Lower Extremity; Sports Medicine; Ankle Joint; Biomechanical Phenomena
PubMed: 36780101
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01818-z -
Annual Review of Marine Science Jan 2024How do the morphologies of organisms affect their physical interactions with the environment and other organisms? My research in marine systems couples field studies of... (Review)
Review
How do the morphologies of organisms affect their physical interactions with the environment and other organisms? My research in marine systems couples field studies of the physical habitats, life history strategies, and ecological interactions of organisms with laboratory analyses of their biomechanics. Here, I review how we pursued answers to three questions about marine organisms: () how benthic organisms withstand and utilize the water moving around them, () how the interaction between swimming and turbulent ambient water flow affects where small organisms go, and () how hairy appendages catch food and odors. I also discuss the importance of different types of mentors, the roadblocks for women in science when I started my career, the challenges and delights of interdisciplinary research, and my quest to understand how I see the world as a dyslexic.
Topics: Humans; Female; Biomechanical Phenomena; Life History Traits; Swimming; Water
PubMed: 37669565
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-032223-014227 -
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Feb 2024Biomechanics plays a significant yet complex role in osteoarthritis (OA) onset and progression. Identifying alterations in biomechanical factors and their complex... (Review)
Review
Biomechanics plays a significant yet complex role in osteoarthritis (OA) onset and progression. Identifying alterations in biomechanical factors and their complex interactions is critical for gaining new insights into OA pathophysiology and identification of clearly defined and modifiable mechanical treatment targets. This review synthesized biomechanics studies from March 2022 to April 2023, from which three themes relating to human gait emerged: (1) new insights into the pathogenesis of OA using computational modeling and machine learning, (2) technology-enhanced biomechanical interventions for OA, and (3) out-of-lab biomechanical assessments of OA. We further highlighted future-focused areas which may continue to advance the field of biomechanics in OA, with a particular emphasis on exploiting technology to understand and treat biomechanical mechanisms of OA outside the laboratory. The breadth of studies included in this review highlights the complex role of biomechanics in OA and showcase numerous innovative and outstanding contributions to the field. Exciting cross-disciplinary efforts integrating computational modeling, mobile sensors, and machine learning methods show great promise for streamlining in vivo multi-scale biomechanics workflows and are expected to underpin future breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of biomechanics in OA.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Osteoarthritis; Gait; Machine Learning; Osteoarthritis, Knee
PubMed: 38043858
DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2023.11.015 -
Biology Open Aug 2023This review highlights the largely understudied behavior of gliding locomotion, which is exhibited by a diverse range of animals spanning vertebrates and invertebrates,... (Review)
Review
This review highlights the largely understudied behavior of gliding locomotion, which is exhibited by a diverse range of animals spanning vertebrates and invertebrates, in air and in water. The insights in the literature gained from January 2022 to December 2022 continue to challenge the previously held notion of gliding as a relatively simple form of locomotion. Using advances in field/lab data collection and computation, the highlighted studies cover gliding in animals including seabirds, flying lizards, flying snakes, geckos, dragonflies, damselflies, and dolphins. Altogether, these studies present gliding as a sophisticated behavior resulting from the interdependent aspects of morphology, sensing, environment, and likely selective pressures. This review uses these insights as inspiration to encourage researchers to revisit gliding locomotion, both in the animal's natural habitat and in the laboratory, and to investigate questions spanning gliding biomechanics, ecology, sensing, and the evolution of animal flight.
Topics: Animals; Odonata; Wings, Animal; Locomotion; Flight, Animal; Biomechanical Phenomena; Lizards
PubMed: 37581305
DOI: 10.1242/bio.059973 -
Biomedical Engineering Online May 2023Open-globe injury is a common cause of blindness clinically caused by blunt trauma, sharp injury, or shock waves, characterised by rupture of the cornea or sclera and... (Review)
Review
Open-globe injury is a common cause of blindness clinically caused by blunt trauma, sharp injury, or shock waves, characterised by rupture of the cornea or sclera and exposure of eye contents to the environment. It causes catastrophic damage to the globe, resulting in severe visual impairment and psychological trauma to the patient. Depending on the structure of the globe, the biomechanics causing ocular rupture can vary, and trauma to different parts of the globe can cause varying degrees of eye injury. The weak parts or parts of the eyeball in contact with foreign bodies rupture when biomechanics, such as external force, unit area impact energy, corneoscleral stress, and intraocular pressure exceed a certain value. Studying the biomechanics of open-globe injury and its influencing factors can provide a reference for eye-contact operations and the design of eye-protection devices. This review summarises the biomechanics of open-globe injury and the relevant factors.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Eye Injuries; Cornea; Tonometry, Ocular
PubMed: 37226242
DOI: 10.1186/s12938-023-01117-8 -
International Ophthalmology Mar 2024Corneal biomechanics is an emerging field and the interest into physical and biological interrelations in the anterior part of the eye has significantly increased during... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Corneal biomechanics is an emerging field and the interest into physical and biological interrelations in the anterior part of the eye has significantly increased during the past years. There are many factors that determine corneal biomechanics such as hormonal fluctuations, hydration and environmental factors. Other factors that can affect the corneas are the age, the intraocular pressure and the central corneal thickness. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the factors affecting corneal biomechanics and the recent advancements in non-destructive, in vivo measurement techniques for early detection and improved management of corneal diseases.
METHODS
Until recently, corneal biomechanics could not be directly assessed in humans and were instead inferred from geometrical cornea analysis and ex vivo biomechanical testing. The current research has made strides in studying and creating non-destructive and contactless techniques to measure the biomechanical properties of the cornea in vivo.
RESULTS
Research has indicated that altered corneal biomechanics contribute to diseases such as keratoconus and glaucoma. The identification of pathological corneas through the new measurement techniques is imperative for preventing postoperative complications.
CONCLUSIONS
Identification of pathological corneas is crucial for the prevention of postoperative complications. Therefore, a better understanding of corneal biomechanics will lead to earlier diagnosis of ectatic disorders, improve current refractive surgeries and allow for a better postoperative treatment.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cornea; Keratoconus; Intraocular Pressure; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 38478103
DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03057-1 -
Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics 2023Intermaxillary elastics are orthodontic resources widely used in various malocclusions. Their main advantages are low cost, easy insertion and removal by patients, and...
INTRODUCTION
Intermaxillary elastics are orthodontic resources widely used in various malocclusions. Their main advantages are low cost, easy insertion and removal by patients, and application versatility. As main disadvantages, we can highlight the need for cooperation from patients and the side effects normally present in treatments with this resource. Knowledge of the biomechanics involved in the use of intermaxillary elastics is essential to take full advantage of the desired effects and avoid unwanted effects in their use.
OBJECTIVE
Therefore, the objective of this article is to describe the anchorage preparation, connection methods, time and force of use, and side effects involved in the use of intermaxillary elastics for the treatment of anteroposterior, vertical and transverse problems. For that, clinical cases and biomechanics schemes will be presented, in which all these details will be described.
Topics: Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Mechanical Phenomena; Malocclusion, Angle Class II; Malocclusion
PubMed: 37493850
DOI: 10.1590/2177-6709.28.3.e23spe3 -
Current Opinion in Neurobiology Oct 2023Vision is critical for the control of locomotion, but the underlying neural mechanisms by which visuomotor circuits contribute to the movement of the body through space... (Review)
Review
Vision is critical for the control of locomotion, but the underlying neural mechanisms by which visuomotor circuits contribute to the movement of the body through space are yet not well understood. Locomotion engages multiple control systems, forming distinct interacting "control levels" driven by the activity of distributed and overlapping circuits. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying locomotion control requires the consideration of all control levels and their necessary coordination. Due to their small size and the wide availability of experimental tools, Drosophila has become an important model system to study this coordination. Traditionally, insect locomotion has been divided into studying either the biomechanics and local control of limbs, or navigation and course control. However, recent developments in tracking techniques, and physiological and genetic tools in Drosophila have prompted researchers to examine multilevel control coordination in flight and walking.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Locomotion; Biomechanical Phenomena; Extremities; Models, Biological
PubMed: 37651855
DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102774 -
Journal of Biomechanics Aug 2023Motion analysis, as applied to evolutionary biomechanics, has experienced its own evolution over the last 50 years. Here we review how an ever-increasing fossil record,... (Review)
Review
Motion analysis, as applied to evolutionary biomechanics, has experienced its own evolution over the last 50 years. Here we review how an ever-increasing fossil record, together with continuing advancements in biomechanics techniques, have shaped our understanding of the origin of upright bipedal walking. The original, and long-established hypothesis held by Lamarck (1809), Darwin (1859) and Keith (1934), amongst others, maintained that bipedality originated in an arboreal context. However, the first field studies of gorilla and chimpanzees from the 1960's, highlighted their so-called 'knucklewalking' quadrupedalism, leading scientists to assume, semi-automatically, that knucklewalking must have been the precursor to bipedality. It would not be until the discovery of skeletons of early human relatives Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus prometheus, and the inclusion of methods of analysis from computer science, biomechanics, sports science and medicine, that the knucklewalking hypothesis would be most robustly challenged. Their short, but human-like lower limbs and human-like hand indicated that knucklewalking was not part of our ancestral locomotor repertoire. Rather, most current research in evolutionary biomechanics agrees it was a combination of climbing and bipedalism, both in an arboreal context, which facilitated upright, terrestrial, bipedal walking over short distances.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Biomechanical Phenomena; Walking; Pan troglodytes; Biological Evolution; Locomotion
PubMed: 37451208
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111701 -
American Journal of Ophthalmology Dec 2023To investigate the hereditability of corneal tomographic and biomechanical parameters in keratoconus (KC).
PURPOSE
To investigate the hereditability of corneal tomographic and biomechanical parameters in keratoconus (KC).
DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.
METHODS
This study was conducted at Qingdao Eye Hospital of Shandong First Medical University in Qingdao, China. Forty-four patients with KC and their biological parents (n = 88) were recruited as the study group. The control group consisted of 84 healthy adults with matched age and gender. Both eyes of each participant underwent clinical examinations, and 1 eye was selected for statistical analysis. Exclusion criteria were as follows: individuals with glaucoma, ocular surgery, systemic diseases known to affect the eyes, or poor cooperation during examination. Subjects were asked to discontinue soft contact lens (CL) wear for 2 weeks and rigid gas permeable CL wear for 4 weeks before ocular examination. All participants underwent a comprehensive assessment including Pentacam Scheimpflug tomography, Corvis ST, visual acuity, refraction examination, axial length, and slitlamp examination for both eyes. Individuals presenting with KC manifestations in at least 1 eye were classified as having KC. A total of 9 Pentacam indices including keratometry in the flat/steep meridian (K1/K2), maximal keratometry (Kmax), thinnest point pachymetry (TP), and maximum/average Ambrósio relational thickness (ARTmax/ARTave), anterior and posterior surfaces elevation of the cornea (Ef/Eb) and total deviation value (Final D), and 21 biomechanical indices were collected. Associations of these factors with KC were evaluated using multiple comparison and binary logistics regression analyses.
RESULTS
Two parents (2.27%) from 2 different families were diagnosed with KC. Parents of patients with KC had thinner corneas with altered corneal biomechanical parameters compared with healthy controls (P < .05). The combined tomographic and biomechanical index demonstrated the highest discriminatory power (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.785) and strong specificity (84.5%). Parental corneal tomographic and biomechanical index, Corvis biomechanical index, and TP were identified as the major influential factors for KC in their offspring by logistic regression analysis, with a 73.3% accuracy in identifying offspring with KC.
CONCLUSIONS
Parental corneal tomographic and biomechanical properties of patients with KC suggest a possible predisposition to KC. A combination of tomography and corneal biomechanics can be helpful in predicting the incidence rate of KC in the offspring of patients with subclinical KC.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Keratoconus; Prospective Studies; Corneal Topography; Corneal Pachymetry; Cornea; ROC Curve; Tomography; Parents; Biomechanical Phenomena
PubMed: 37567431
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2023.08.004