Frédéric Pascon

Effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the healing of Achilles tendons of rats

Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) contains growth factors involved in the tissular healing process. The aim of the study was to determine if an injection of PRP could improve the healing of sectioned Achilles tendons of rats. After surgery, rats received an injection of PRP (n = 60) or a physiological solution (n = 60) in situ. After 5, 15, and 30 days, 20 rats of both groups were euthanized and 15 collected tendons were submitted to a biomechanical test using cryo‐jaws before performing transcriptomic analyses. Histological and biochemical analyses were performed on the five remaining tendons in each group. Tendons in the PRP group were more resistant to rupture at 15 and 30 days. The mechanical stress was significantly increased in tendons of the PRP group at day 30. Histological analysis showed a precocious deposition of fibrillar collagen at day 5 confirmed by a biochemical measurement. The expression of tenomodulin was significantly higher at day 5. The messenger RNA levels of type III collagen, matrix metalloproteinases 2, 3, and 9, were similar in the two groups at all time points, whereas type I collagen was significantly increased at day 30 in the PRP group. In conclusion, an injection of PRP in sectioned rat Achilles tendon influences the early phase of tendon healing and results in an ultimately stronger mechanical resistance.

Experimental verification of brain tissue incompressibility using digital image correlation

For decades, incompressibility has been a major assumption in the mechanical study of brain tissue. This assumption is based on the hydrated nature of the biological tissues and the incompressibility of fluids. In this paper, an experimental validation of this assumption using digital image correlation is presented. Unconfined compression tests, relaxation tests and cyclic tests were performed on cylindrical samples of swine brains at loading rates suitable for neurosurgical applications. Digital image correlation was used to evaluate the evolution of the volume ratio throughout the tests. The preparation of the samples is described and it is demonstrated that it causes no statistically significant change of their mechanical properties. The results indicate that the brain tissue incompressibility assumption is verified.

On the evaluation of the through thickness residual stresses distribution of cold formed profiles

The aim of this research is to evaluate the through thickness residual stresses distribution in the walls and in the corners of a cold‐formed open section made of a material presenting a non linear hardening behaviour. To get results as close as possible to the reality, the complete process is modeled, including coiling and uncoiling of the sheet before the cold bending of the corner itself. The elastic springback after flattening as well as after final shaping are also taken into account. In order to validate the model in predicting the residual stresses distribution, the presented results are confronted to experimental measurements and FE results collected from the literature.

Viscoelastic Modeling of Brain Tissue: A Fractional Calculus-Based Approach

In recent years, the mechanical study of the brain has become a major topic in the field of biomechanics. A global biomechanical model of the brain could find applications in neurosurgery and haptic device design. It would also be useful for car makers, who could then evaluate the possible trauma due to impact. Such a model requires the design of suitable constitutive laws for the different tissues that compose the brain (i.e. for white and for gray matters, among others).