Assessment of Flexor carpi ulnaris function for tendon transfer surgery

Active and passive length-force curves of spastic flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscles were intra-operatively measured in 10 patients with cerebral palsy to study the variability in FCU muscle function. Maximum active FCU force was in general situated near the neutral position of the wrist and varied between 40 and 135 N. Passive forces varied between 1 and 8 N at maximum active force. The potential active excursion varied between 4 and 7 cm, while patients moved their wrists from flexion to extension along different parts of the active length-force curve. We measured a large inter-individual variety of spastic FCU muscle function in this group of patients. Thus, tailoring the surgical technique of tendon transfer to the specific needs of the desired function requires the assessment of muscle-specific data for each individual patient.     

Friction between human finger flexor tendons and pulleys at high loads

A method was developed to indirectly measure friction between the flexor tendons and pulleys of the middle and ring finger in vivo. An isokinetic movement device to determine maximum force of wrist flexion, interphalangeal joint flexion (rolling in and out) and isolated proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint flexion was built. Eccentric and concentric maximum force of these three different movements where gliding of the flexor tendon sheath was involved differently (least in wrist flexion) was measured and compared. Fifty-one hands in 26 male subjects were evaluated. The greatest difference between eccentric and concentric maximum force (29.9%) was found in flexion of the PIP joint. Differences in the rolling in and out movement (26.8%) and in wrist flexion (14.5%) were significantly smaller. The force of friction between flexor tendons and pulleys can be determined by the greater difference between eccentric and concentric maximum force provided by the same muscles in overcoming an external force during flexion of the interphalangeal joints and suggests the presence of a non-muscular force, such as friction. It constitutes of 9% of the eccentric flexion force in the PIP joint and therefore questions the low friction hypothesis at high loads.     

In vivo motion of the rectus femoris muscle after tendon transfer surgery

Rectus femoris transfer surgery is performed to convert the rectus femoris muscle from a knee extensor to a knee flexor. In this surgery, the distal tendon of the rectus femoris is detached from the patella and reattached to one of the knee flexor tendons. The outcomes of this procedure are variable, and it is not known if the surgery successfully converts the muscle to a knee flexor. We measured the motion of muscle tissue within the rectus femoris and vastus intermedius during knee extension in 10 unimpaired control subjects (10 limbs) and 6 subjects (10 limbs) after rectus femoris transfer using cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Displacements of the vastus intermedius during knee extension were similar between control and tendon transfer subjects. In the control subjects, the rectus femoris muscle consistently moved in the direction of the knee extensors and displaced more than the vastus intermedius. The rectus femoris also moved in the direction of the knee extensors in the tendon transfer subjects; however, the transferred rectus femoris displaced less than the vastus intermedius. These results suggest that the rectus femoris is not converted to a knee flexor after its distal tendon is transferred to the posterior side of the knee, but its capacity for knee extension is diminished by the surgery.     

Piezoelectricity in tendon and bone

We confirm that the electrical signals produced by samples of dried bone and tendon bent in the cantilever mode are d.c. square waves in response to step loading. The signals are similar to those produced by piezoelectric mineral crystals also tested, but with an important exception: the sign of the voltage reverses on end-for-end rotation of the mineral samples but does not change for bone and tendon. We deduce a theoretical expression for the expected signal using the standard theory of piezoelectricity and the contiuum theory of elasticity. The derived expression correctly describes the experimental results for the mineral samples but fails for bone and tendon.

We then extend the standard theory of piezoelectricity by including a term relating the polarization to the gradient of the stress via a tensor of rank four. This extension leads to agreement with experiment.     

The Effects of Silicone Fluid Additives and Silicone Elastomer Matrices on Barnacle Adhesion Strength

Barnacle adhesion strength was used to screen seventy-seven polydimethylsiloxane elastomeric coatings for fouling-release properties. The test coatings were designed to investigate the effect on barnacle adhesion strength of silicone fluid additive type, additive location, additive molecular weight, additive loading level, mixtures of additives, coating matrix type and coating fillers. The type of silicone fluid additive was the primary controlling factor in barnacle fouling-release. The type of silicone matrix in which the fluid resided was found to alter the effect on fouling-release. Two PDMS fluids, DMSC15 and DBE224, significantly reduced the adhesion strength of barnacles compared to unmodified elastomers. Optimum fouling-release performance was dependent on the interaction of fluid type and elastomeric matrix.     

有机硅橡胶固定化细胞进行的生物转化

有机硅橡胶固定化细胞进行的生物转化潘冰峰,戴学倩,冯青,李祖义（中国科学院上海有机化学研究所,２０００３２）关键词硅橡胶;白地霉;固定化细胞;生物转化近年来,有机化学领域的一个重要进展是用酶或微生物进行生物转化反应。其中研究和应用较多的是碳基还原,特...     

Human patellar tendon stiffness is restored following graft harvest for anterior cruciate ligament surgery

Minimising post-operative donor site morbidity is an important consideration when selecting a graft for surgical reconstruction of the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). One of the most common procedures, the bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft involves removal of the central third from the tendon. However, it is unknown whether the mechanical properties of the donor site (patellar tendon) recover. The present study investigated the mechanical properties of the human patellar tendon in 12 males (mean±S.D. age: 37±14 years) who had undergone surgical reconstruction of the ACL using a BPTB graft between 1 and 10 years before the study (operated knee; OP). The uninjured contralateral knee served as a control (CTRL). Patellar tendon mechanical properties were assessed in vivo combining dynamometry with ultrasound imaging. Patellar tendon stiffness was calculated from the gradient of the tendon's force–elongation curve. Tendon stiffness was normalised to the tendon's dimensions to obtain the tendon's Young's modulus. Cross-sectional area (CSA) of OP patellar tendons was larger by 21% than CTRL tendons (P<0.01). Patellar tendon stiffness was not significantly different between OP and CTRL tendons, but the Young's modulus was lower by 24% in OP tendons (P<0.01). A compensatory enlargement of the patellar tendon CSA, presumably due to scar tissue formation, enabled a recovery of tendon stiffness in the OP tendons. The newly formed tendon tissue had inferior properties as indicated by the reduced tendon Young's modulus, but it increased to a level that enabled recovery of tendon stiffness.     

Photoconductivity in bone and tendon.

Ultraviolet light can be used to stimulate electrical current flow in bone and tendon. This stimulated photocurrent is directional. In tendon the photocurrent parallel to the fibrils is greater than the photocurrent perpendicular to the fibrils. In bone, the longitudinal photocurrent is less than the transverse photocurrent.     

Characterisation of proteoglycans and their catabolic products in tendon and explant cultures of tendon.

Tendons are collagenous tissues made of mainly Type I collagen and it has been shown that the major proteoglycans of tendons are decorin and versican. Little is still known about the catabolism of these proteoglycans in tendon. Therefore, the aim of the study was to characterise the proteoglycans including their catabolic products present in uncultured bovine tendon and in the explant cultures of tendon. In this study, the proteoglycans were extracted from the tensile region of deep flexor tendon and isolated by ion-exchange chromatography and after deglycosylation analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, Western blotting and amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. Based on amino acid sequence analysis, approximately 80% of the total proteoglycan core proteins in fresh tendon was decorin. Other species that were detected were biglycan and the large proteoglycans versican (splice variants V(0) and/or V(1)) and aggrecan. Approximately 35% of decorin present in the matrix showed carboxyl-terminal proteolytic processing at a number of specific sites. The analysis of small proteoglycans lost to the medium of tendon explants showed the presence of biglycan and decorin with the intact core protein as well as decorin fragments that contained the amino terminus of the core protein. In addition, two core protein peptides of decorin starting at residues K(171) and D(180) were observed in the matrix and one core protein with an amino-terminal sequence commencing at G(189) was isolated from the culture medium. The majority of the large proteoglycans present in the matrix of tendon were degraded and did not contain the G1 globular domain. Furthermore the aggrecan catabolites present in fresh tendon and lost to the medium of explants were derived from aggrecanase cleavage of the core protein at residues E(373)-A(374), E(1480)-G(1481) and E(1771)-A(1772). The analysis of versican catabolites (splice variants V(0) and/or V(1)) also showed evidence of degradation of the core protein by aggrecanase within the GAG-beta subdomain, as well as cleavage by other proteinase(s) within the GAG-alpha and GAG-beta subdomains of versican (variants V(0) and/or V(2)). Degradation products from the amino terminal region of type XII collagen were also detected in the matrix and medium of tendon explants. This work suggests a prominent role for aggrecanase enzymes in the degradation of aggrecan and to a lesser extent versican. Other unidentified proteinases are also involved in the degradation of versican and small leucine-rich proteoglycans.     

Inflammation and tendon healing

Tendons are extracellular matrix rich structures allowing the transmission of forces generated by skeletal muscles to bones in order to produce movements. Some intrinsic characteristics of tendons, namely hypovascularity and hypocellularity, may explain their slow rate of healing. A growing body of evidence suggests that the inflammatory process, essential for pathogen clearance and injury scavenging, may play opposite functions in tendon healing. For instance, inflammation can lead to degradation of intact collagen and to viable cell death, thereby increasing the functional deficit and recovery period. Paradoxically, many cellular and subcellular events occurring during the inflammatory response lead to the release of a plethora of growth factors that trigger the healing phase. Prostaglandins are implicated in the inflammatory process and may also contribute to the primary steps of tendon healing. Prolonged administration of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a common practice following musculoskeletal injuries. However, there is no clear consensus on the effect of NSAIDs on tendon healing. This review presents a contemporary vision of the inflammatory process following tendon injury and examines the roles of the constitutive and inducible COX-derived prostaglandins. The effect of COX inhibitors will be addressed and special attention will be taken to describe COX-independent effects of these pharmacological inhibitors. Together, this review is an attempt to guide readers toward a more conscientious use of NSAIDs following tendon injuries.