THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF CARTILAGE GROWTH

关节软骨的功能是在滑膜关节中承载和分配大的压缩载荷，并通过最小化摩擦力和减少磨损在润滑中起重要作用。 软骨在长骨的生长中起着至关重要的作用，并且存在许多破坏未成熟骨骼正常生长的因素，包括先天性疾病和创伤性损伤。 有一个虚拟的形式化或定量生长模型的应用程序来描述软骨发育的缺乏。 这个建议的具体目标是开发一个有关软骨的生长理论，并应用该理论使用从生长小鼠中收集的实验数据，试图模拟小鼠股骨头中软骨生长的运动学。 增长弹性理论将推广到任意数量的成分，并将包括适当的重塑方程。 将在来自生长小鼠的样品中进行体视学测量，以获得理论模型参数来描述关节软骨中的生长运动学。 拟议研究的长期目标是制定整个关节生长的模型，以研究和设计预防和治疗软骨异常的方法。

Articular cartilage functions to carry and distribute large compressive loads in synovial joints and serves an important role in lubrication by minimizing frictional forces and decreasing wear. Cartilage serves a crucial role in the growth of long bones and there exist numerous factors that disrupt normal growth in immature bones including congenital diseases and traumatic injuries. There is a virtual absence of the formalization or application of quantitative growth models to describe developing cartilage. The specific goals of this proposal are to develop a growth theory relevant to cartilage and to apply the theory using experimental data gathered from growing mice in an attempt to model the kinematics of cartilage growth in the mouse femoral head. A growth elasticity theory will be generalized to an arbitrary number of constituents and will include appropriate remodeling equations. Stereological measurements will be made in samples from growing mice to obtain theoretical model parameters to describe the growth kinematics in articular cartilage. A long-term goal of the proposed research is to formulate models of whole joint growth to study and design methods for the prevention and treatment of cartilage abnormalities.