Reijo Lappalainen

Fibril reinforced poroelastic model predicts specifically mechanical behavior of normal, proteoglycan depleted and collagen degraded articular cartilage

Degradation of collagen network and proteoglycan (PG) macromolecules are signs of articular cartilage degeneration. These changes impair cartilage mechanical function. Effects of collagen degradation and PG depletion on the time-dependent mechanical behavior of cartilage are different. In this study, numerical analyses, which take the compression-tension nonlinearity of the tissue into account, were carried out using a fibril reinforced poroelastic finite element model. The study aimed at improving our understanding of the stress-relaxation behavior of normal and degenerated cartilage in unconfined compression. PG and collagen degradations were simulated by decreasing the Youngs modulus of the drained porous (nonfibrillar) matrix and the fibril network, respectively. Numerical analyses were compared to results from experimental tests with chondroitinase ABC (PG depletion) or collagenase (collagen degradation) digested samples. Fibril reinforced poroelastic model predicted the experimental behavior of cartilage after chondroitinase ABC digestion by a major decrease of the drained porous matrix modulus (-64+/-28%) and a minor decrease of the fibril network modulus (-11+/-9%). After collagenase digestion, in contrast, the numerical analyses predicted the experimental behavior of cartilage by a major decrease of the fibril network modulus (-69+/-5%) and a decrease of the drained porous matrix modulus (-44+/-18%). The reduction of the drained porous matrix modulus after collagenase digestion was consistent with the microscopically observed secondary PG loss from the tissue. The present results indicate that the fibril reinforced poroelastic model is able to predict specifically characteristic alterations in the stress-relaxation behavior of cartilage after enzymatic modifications of the tissue. We conclude that the compression-tension nonlinearity of the tissue is needed to capture realistically the mechanical behavior of normal and degenerated articular cartilage.

Benign response to particles of diamond and Sic: bone chamber studies of new joint replacement coating materials in rabbits

Wear particles from total joint replacements are thought to accelerate prosthetic loosening. Diamond coating may improve the smoothness and wear characteristics of the femoral head component of total hip replacements, and thus increase their longevity. The brittleness of a thin diamond coat may be overcome by using an SiC-whisker diamond composite. This study describes the reactions of regenerating bone tissue to phagocytosable particles of diamond and SiC, using implanted bone harvest chambers in rabbits. The particles were dispersed in hyaluronan and introduced into a canal transversing the implant. The tissue that entered the canal during the following 3 weeks was then harvested. In previous studies using this model, particles of high density polyethylene, bone cement and chromium-cobalt all caused an inflammatory reaction and a marked decrease in the amount of ingrown bone. In the present study, neither the diamond nor the SiC particles caused any decrease in bone formation. It appears that particles of diamond and SiC are comparatively harmless.

Speed of sound in normal and degenerated bovine articular cartilage

The unknown and variable speed of sound may impair accuracy of the acoustic measurement of cartilage properties. In this study, relationships between the speed of sound and cartilage composition, mechanical properties and degenerative state were studied in bovine knee and ankle cartilage (n = 62). Further, the effect of speed variation on the determination of cartilage thickness and stiffness with ultrasound (US) indentation was numerically simulated. The speed of sound was significantly (n = 32, p < 0.05) dependent on the cartilage water content (r = -0.800), uronic acid content (per wet weight, r = 0.886) and hydroxyproline content (per wet weight, r = 0.887, n = 28), Youngs modulus at equilibrium (r = 0.740), dynamic modulus (r = 0.905), and degenerative state (i.e., Mankin score) (r = -0.727). In addition to cartilage composition, mechanical and acoustic properties varied significantly between different anatomical locations. In US indentation, cartilage is indented with a US transducer. Deformation and thickness of tissue are calculated using a predefined speed of sound and used in determination of dynamic modulus. Based on the simulations, use of the mean speed of sound of 1627 m/s (whole material) induced a maximum error of 7.8% on cartilage thickness and of 6.2% on cartilage dynamic modulus, as determined with the US indentation technique (indenter diameter 3 mm). We believe that these errors are acceptable in clinical US indentation measurements.

Acid attack and cathepsin K in bone resorption around total hip replacement prosthesis.

Normal bone remodeling and pathological bone destruction have been considered to be osteoclast‐driven. Osteoclasts are able to attach to bare bone surface and produce an acidic subcellular space. This leads to acid dissolution of hydroxyapatite, allowing cathepsin K to degrade the organic type I collagen‐rich osteoid matrix under the acidic condition prevailing in Howship lacunae. Using a sting pH electrode, the interface membrane around a loosened total hip replacement prosthesis was found to be acidic. Confocal laser scanning disclosed irregular demineralization of the bone surface in contact with the acidic interface. Cathepsin K, an acidic collagenolytic enzyme, was found in interface tissue macrophages/giant cells and pseudosynovial fluid. Tissue extracts contained high levels of cathepsin K messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein. These observations suggest the presence of an acid‐ and cathepsin K‐driven pathological mechanism of bone resorption, mediated not by osteoclasts in subosteoclastic space, but rather by the uncontrolled activity of macrophages in extracellular space.

Some relevant issues related to the use of amorphous diamond coatings for medical applications

Abstract Amorphous diamond (AD) films (sp3 bonding fraction 80%, thickness 200–1000 nm) have been deposited on CoCrMo alloy, stainless steel AISI316L, AISI420, Ti6A14V alloy and alumina test samples and hip and knee joints using pulsed plasma accelerator method. By using high-energy plasma beams and proper intermediate layers, AD coatings with a high adhesion were produced. We have shown that these coatings are biocompatible, causing no local tissue reactions and offer good tribological characteristics, e.g. against ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). In this study, we concentrate on three relevant issues related to the applicability of AD coatings: (a) high adhesion of the coating to the implant surface and high quality, (b) high-quality surface finish and (c) good corrosion resistance in biological fluids. It should be emphasised that the tribochemical conditions, e.g. in a hip joint, are very severe, and even the best materials (CoCrMo alloys) used at the moment are dissolved or worn out at least 0.02–0.06 mm in 10 years (mean linear wear rate). The results show that in all the combinations studied, AD coating was able to improve the wear and corrosion resistance compared to the uncoated materials. In the best cases, the wear rate was decreased by a factor of 30–600. However, typically special procedures such as sputtering, high deposition energies, filtering of plasma beam, intermediate layers or laminated structures were necessary to optimise the performance.

Biocompatibility of silicon carbide in colony formation test in vitro

Abstract We studied the possible use of silicon carbide (SiC) as a ceramic coating material of titanium-based total hip replacement (THR) implants. The idea is to prevent wear debris formation from the soft titanium surface. SiC is a hard and tightly bonding ceramic surface material, and because of these physical properties it is not easily degradable, as is the case with hydroxyapatite. Our previous in vivo and in vitro studies have indicated that SiC and hydroxyapatite are equally biocompatible regarding particle size for phagocytosis. The present cytotoxicity test using JCRB0603 cells showed that 5 μm SiC particles inhibited colony outgrowth by one-third (67% + 10% vs control), while SiC-coated pins did not cause any inhibition and acted similarly to uncoated titanium pins. The results support the hypothesis that SiC is a promising ceramic THR implant coating material.

Diamond coated total hip replacements.

Diamond has many superior, desired characteristics of implant materials such as low friction, high wear and corrosion resistance, and well bonding surface to bone. The potential of diamond for total hip replacement implants was studied in the form of amorphous diamond coatings on conventional metal implant materials. Amorphous diamond coatings (sp3 bonding fraction 80%, thickness 0.2 to 10 microns) were deposited on stainless steel AISI316L, Ti6A14V, and CoCrMo alloys using filtered pulsed plasma are discharge method. Superior attachment of coatings to the implant materials was achieved by using high energy plasma beams to deposit amorphous diamond and proper intermediate layers. Previously it was shown that these coatings are biocompatible causing no local tissue reactions. Tribologic studies using a pin on disk apparatus with coated or uncoated implant materials in 1 wt.% NaCl distilled water were performed. A simplified hip joint simulator was used for preliminary testing of metal on polyethylene and metal on metal artificial hip joints modified with amorphous diamond coating. The average coefficients of friction were typically in the range of 0.03 to 0.11 for amorphous diamond coated materials. In the case of metal on metal hip implants, the average friction during initial running in period was improved (coefficient of friction = 0.07) compared with the same metal on metal pair (coefficient of friction = 0.22) and sliding was significantly smoother. In pin on disk wear tests, the average wear factors obtained were 140.10(-6), 5.0.10(-6), and << 0.1.10(-6) mm3/Nm for the pairs of AISI316L, CoCrMo, and the same materials with amorphous diamond coating. The corrosion rates of these implant materials in 10 wt.% HCl solution were decreased by a factor of 10,000 to 15,000 and any damage of the coatings was not observed in 6 months. The results of the tests show that in all the combinations studied, amorphous diamond coating improved definitely the wear and corrosion resistance compared with the uncoated materials.

Ultrasound indentation of normal and spontaneously degenerated bovine articular cartilage

OBJECTIVE We have previously developed a handheld ultrasound indentation instrument for the diagnosis of cartilage degeneration. The instrument has been demonstrated to be capable of quantifying mechanical and acoustic properties of enzymatically degraded and normal bovine articular cartilage in vitro and in situ. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of the instrument to distinguish between normal and spontaneously degenerated (e.g., in osteoarthrosis) articular cartilage in vitro. DESIGN Thirty articular cartilage samples were prepared from the bovine lateral patellae: 19 patellae with different degenerative stages and 11 patellae with visually normal appearance. Cartilage thickness, stiffness (dynamic modulus) and ultrasound reflection from the cartilage surface were measured with the handheld instrument. Subsequently, biomechanical, histological and biochemical reference measurements were conducted. RESULTS Reproducibility of the measurements with the ultrasound indentation instrument was good. Standardized coefficient of variation was < or =6.1% for thickness, dynamic modulus and reflection coefficient. Linear correlation between the dynamic modulus, measured with the ultrasound indentation instrument, and the reference dynamic modulus was high (r=0.993, n=30, P<0.05). Ultrasound reflection coefficient, as determined from the cartilage surface, showed high linear correlations (typically r(2)>0.64, n=30, P<0.05) with the cartilage composition and histological or mechanical properties. The instrument was superior compared to visual evaluation in detecting tissue degeneration. CONCLUSION This study indicates that the ultrasound indentation technique and instrument may significantly improve the early diagnosis of cartilage degeneration. The results revealed that visual evaluation is insensitive for estimating the structural and mechanical properties of articular cartilage at the initial stages of degeneration.

Effects of intermediate zinc pulses on properties of TiN and NbN films deposited by atomic layer epitaxy

The reasons for the improvements gained by using intermediate zinc pulses in atomic layer epitaxy growth of TiN and NbN films were examined by a comprehensive characterization and comparison of films prepared from TiCl4 or NbCl5 and NH3 with and without zinc. The characterization techniques used comprise time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, nuclear resonance broadening, proton backscattering spectrometry, deuteron induced reactions, proton induced X-ray emission, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Hall effect and reflectance measurements. The effect of zinc was found to be manifold: both compositional and structural changes were observed. In the case of TiN the major improvement gained by using zinc was significantly decreased oxygen contamination whereas a marked increase of grain size was the dominant effect observed with NbN. A clear correlation between the compositional and structural changes and the improvements of the electrical properties was established.

Tribological characteristics of diamond-like films deposited with an arc-discharge method

Using an are-discharge method, we deposited a diamond-like carbon film 600 nm thick on hardened steel. Characterization of the film was carried out with Raman spectroscopy. In dry sliding wear and friction tests, with a hardened steel pin as a counterpart, we obtained a friction coefficient between 10000 and 20000 cycles, with the maximum value of 0.18. The value decreased to 0.12 after about 100000 cycles. We obtained a wear coefficient of 7 × 10−17 m3/mN. A transfer layer formed on the pin during sliding and probably had the dominating effect on the tribological behavior. We observed in nanoindentation measurements that the film softened in a wear track during the first 20000 cycles. Although fracture pits on the wear track occurred, fracture is not the dominant failure mechanism of these films. Degradation of good tribological properties was caused mainly by partial wear-through of the film after 370000 cycles and by a subsequent redeposition of the transfer film on the wear track during prolonged sliding.