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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Biomechanical Investigation Of A Novel Ratcheting Arthrodesis Nail., Kristen Billiar, Jeremy Mccornick, Xinning Li, Douglas Weiss, John Wixted Oct 2010

Biomechanical Investigation Of A Novel Ratcheting Arthrodesis Nail., Kristen Billiar, Jeremy Mccornick, Xinning Li, Douglas Weiss, John Wixted

Kristen L. Billiar

Background: Knee or tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis is a salvage procedure, often with unacceptable rates of nonunion. Basic science of fracture healing suggests that compression across a fusion site may decrease nonunion. A novel ratcheting arthrodesis nail designed to improve dynamic compression is mechanically tested in comparison to existing nails. Methods: A novel ratcheting nail was designed and mechanically tested in comparison to a solid nail and a threaded nail using sawbones models (Pacific Research Laboratories, Inc.). Intramedullary nails (IM) were implanted with a load cell (Futek LTH 500) between fusion surfaces. Constructs were then placed into a servo-hydraulic test frame (Model …


Femur Flap For Tibial Reconstruction: Percent Circumference Required To Convey A Mechanical Advantage Over The Fibula, Kristen Billiar, Genevieve Broderick, Janice Lalikos, Matthew Chowaniec, Meghan Collins, Elias Wilson, Russell Babbitt, Julie O'Brien, Raymond Dunn Aug 2010

Femur Flap For Tibial Reconstruction: Percent Circumference Required To Convey A Mechanical Advantage Over The Fibula, Kristen Billiar, Genevieve Broderick, Janice Lalikos, Matthew Chowaniec, Meghan Collins, Elias Wilson, Russell Babbitt, Julie O'Brien, Raymond Dunn

Kristen L. Billiar

The fibula flap is commonly used to reconstruct the tibia. This has risk of postoperative fracture despite long-term non-weight bearing. A flap using noncircumferential distal femur is proposed. This study is to determine the circumference of femur required to produce greater strength than the fibular flap. Femurs and fibulas were harvested from eight cadavers. The structural strength of fibula and femur flaps was assessed using three-point bend. Compression testing was performed on osteotomized and whole femurs to assess donor site morbidity. The 35% flap (mean maximum force at fracture 869 N) was not significantly stronger than the fibula flap (626 …


Dynamic Failure Properties Of The Porcine Medial Collateral Ligament-Bone Complex For Predicting Injury In Automotive Collisions., Kristen Billiar, Louis Peck, Malcolm Ray Feb 2010

Dynamic Failure Properties Of The Porcine Medial Collateral Ligament-Bone Complex For Predicting Injury In Automotive Collisions., Kristen Billiar, Louis Peck, Malcolm Ray

Kristen L. Billiar

The goal of this study was to model the dynamic failure properties of ligaments and their attachment sites to facilitate the development of more realistic dynamic finite element models of the human lower extremities for use in automotive collision simulations. Porcine medial collateral ligaments were chosen as a test model due to their similarities in size and geometry with human ligaments. Each porcine medial collateral ligament-bone complex (n = 12) was held in a custom test fixture placed in a drop tower to apply an axial impulsive impact load, applying strain rates ranging from 0.005 s(-1) to 145 s(-1). The …


Quantitative Assessment Of Sample Stiffness And Sliding Friction From Force Curves In Atomic Force Microscopy, Nancy Burnham, Jon Pratt, Gordon Shaw, Lee Kumanchik Feb 2010

Quantitative Assessment Of Sample Stiffness And Sliding Friction From Force Curves In Atomic Force Microscopy, Nancy Burnham, Jon Pratt, Gordon Shaw, Lee Kumanchik

Nancy A. Burnham

It has long been recognized that the angular deflection of an atomic force microscope(AFM) cantilever under “normal” loading conditions can be profoundly influenced by the friction between the tip and the surface. It is shown here that a remarkably quantifiable hysteresis occurs in the slope of loading curves whenever the normal flexural stiffness of the AFM cantilever is greater than that of the sample. This situation arises naturally in cantilever-on-cantilever calibration, but also when trying to measure the stiffness of nanomechanical devices or test structures, or when probing any type of surface or structure that is much more compliant along …


A Review Of Autoimmune Diseases Associated With Cancer, Patricia Tai, Edward Yu, Kurian Joseph, Thomas Miale Dec 2009

A Review Of Autoimmune Diseases Associated With Cancer, Patricia Tai, Edward Yu, Kurian Joseph, Thomas Miale

Edward Yu

The focus of this review is on the relationships between autoimmune diseases and cancer from two closely related perspectives: 1.Those autoimmune diseases which are often associated with malignancies. 2.Those prevalent cancers which may increase the risks of developing autoimmune disorders. The review concludes with a brief discussion of some selected innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy.