scholarly journals Acoustic Monitoring of Joint Health

Author(s):  
Lucy Spain ◽  
David Cheneler

The joints of the human body, especially the knees, are continually exposed to varying loads as a person goes about their day. These loads may contribute to damage to tissues including cartilage and the development of degenerative medical conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA). The most commonly used method currently for classifying the severity of knee OA is the Kellgren and Lawrence system, whereby a grade (a KL score) from 0 to 4 is determined based on the radiographic evidence. However, radiography cannot directly depict cartilage damage, and there is low inter-observer precision with this method. As such, there has been a significant activity to find non-invasive and radiation-free methods to quantify OA, in order to facilitate the diagnosis and the appropriate course of medical action and to validate the development of therapies in a research or clinical setting. A number of different teams have noted that variation in knee joint sounds during different loading conditions may be indicative of structural changes within the knee potentially linked to OA. Here we will review the use of acoustic methods, such as acoustic Emission (AE) and vibroarthrography (VAG), developed for the monitoring of knee OA, with a focus on the issues surrounding data collection and analysis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7118
Author(s):  
Ermina Hadzic ◽  
Garth Blackler ◽  
Holly Dupuis ◽  
Stephen James Renaud ◽  
Christopher Thomas Appleton ◽  
...  

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a degenerative joint disease, leading to articular cartilage breakdown, osteophyte formation, and synovitis, caused by an initial joint trauma. Pro-inflammatory cytokines increase catabolic activity and may perpetuate inflammation following joint trauma. Interleukin-15 (IL-15), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is increased in OA patients, although its roles in PTOA pathophysiology are not well characterized. Here, we utilized Il15 deficient rats to examine the role of IL-15 in PTOA pathogenesis in an injury-induced model. OA was surgically induced in Il15 deficient Holtzman Sprague-Dawley rats and control wild-type rats to compare PTOA progression. Semi-quantitative scoring of the articular cartilage, subchondral bone, osteophyte size, and synovium was performed by two blinded observers. There was no significant difference between Il15 deficient rats and wild-type rats following PTOA-induction across articular cartilage damage, subchondral bone damage, and osteophyte scoring. Similarly, synovitis scoring across six parameters found no significant difference between genetic variants. Overall, IL-15 does not appear to play a key role in the development of structural changes in this surgically-induced rat model of PTOA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-521
Author(s):  
Subke Joerg ◽  
Krueger Sabine ◽  
Junker Heinz-Otto ◽  
Schwalbe Hans-Joachim ◽  
Franke Ralf-Peter ◽  
...  

AbstractClinical studies have shown that during standardized movements the Acoustic Emission (AE) from lesions in articular cartilage can be assessed. Specific lesions produce specific acoustic signals, therefore it is possible to evaluate the character of cartilage damage. Consequently it is possible to evaluate the condition of the joint cartilage in order to enhance therapy. Patients performed series of knee bends, first on a plane surface in order to assess the cartilage lesions. Then patients performed knee bends on boards simulating orthopaedic insoles by means of inner and outer edge elevations. Insoles aim at relieving the lesioned areas of cartilage from loads and strain. AEA monitoring reveals the effects of a shift of the zone of load transfer immediately and is an adequate tool for the diagnosis as well as the monitoring of therapeutic measures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2693
Author(s):  
Antimo Moretti ◽  
Marco Paoletta ◽  
Sara Liguori ◽  
Walter Ilardi ◽  
Francesco Snichelotto ◽  
...  

Background: Several pharmacological therapeutic approaches have been proposed to manage osteoarthritis (OA), including intra-articular (IA) injections. Although the discovery of clodronate, a bisphosphonate, dates back to the 1960s and the effects of its IA administration have been investigated for decades in animal models, mechanisms of action of this drug are not quite clear, particularly in OA. This scoping review is an overview of the biological as well as the clinical role of clodronic acid in OA. Method: A scoping review based on the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) model was performed to characterize the mechanisms of action of IA clodronate in OA and to evaluate its efficacy from a clinical point of view. Results: Several effects of clodronate have been observed in animal models of OA, including depletion of synovial lining cells that results in reduced production of chemokines (IL-1, TNF- α), growth factors (TGF-β, BMP 2/4), and metalloproteases (MMP 2/3/9); prevention of cartilage damage, synovial hyperplasia, and proteoglycans loss; reduction in joint inflammation, joint swelling, and osteophyte formation. From a clinical perspective, patients with knee OA treated with IA clodronate experienced improvements in pain and joint mobility. Conclusion: Clodronate appears to have different mechanisms of action interfering with the pathogenic processes contributing to OA development and progression. This intervention demonstrated positive effects for patients affected by knee OA.


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 1331-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Berdowski ◽  
S. Berdowska ◽  
F. Aubry

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of compressed expanded graphite (CEG) and their porous derivatives after impregnation, polymerization; and carbonization by the use of acoustic emission method (AE). The mechanical and structural characteristics of compressed expanded graphite and their three groups of porous composites after each technological process are presented and discussed. The measurements of acoustic emission parameters in these materials were carried out at wide range of frequency of the waves (0.1÷2.5 MHz). The changes of two of parameters: - AE pulses counts rate and spectrum distribution of AE waves - are presented in this paper. The analysis of the respective parameters AE also gives possibility to determine the micro- and macro structural changes of materials at different levels of technological processes. Applications of these materials as catalysts with high specific surface make them very interesting subject of study. Also compressed expanded graphite composite membranes prepared from furfuryl alcohol polymers are promising for gas separation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Ganekal

Retinal functional imager (RFI) is a unique non-invasive functional imaging system with novel capabilities for visualizing the retina. The objective of this review was to show the utility of non-invasive functional imaging in various disorders. Electronic literature search was carried out using the websites www.pubmed.gov and www.google.com. The search words were retinal functional imager and non-invasive retinal imaging used in combination. The articles published or translated into English were studied. The RFI directly measures hemodynamic parameters such as retinal blood-flow velocity, oximetric state, metabolic responses to photic activation and generates capillary perfusion maps (CPM) that provides retinal vasculature detail similar to flourescein angiography. All of these parameters stand in a direct relationship to the function and therefore the health of the retina, and are known to be degraded in the course of retinal diseases. Detecting changes in retinal function aid early diagnosis and treatment as functional changes often precede structural changes in many retinal disorders. Nepal J Ophthalmol 2013; 5(10): 250-257 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nepjoph.v5i2.8738


Materials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Marc Thiele ◽  
Stephan Pirskawetz

The fatigue process of concrete under compressive cyclic loading is still not completely explored. The corresponding damage processes within the material structure are especially not entirely investigated. The application of acoustic measurement methods enables a better insight into the processes of the fatigue in concrete. Normal strength concrete was investigated under compressive cyclic loading with regard to the fatigue process by using acoustic methods in combination with other nondestructive measurement methods. Acoustic emission and ultrasonic signal measurements were applied together with measurements of strains, elastic modulus, and static strength. It was possible to determine the anisotropic character of the fatigue damage caused by uniaxial loading based on the ultrasonic measurements. Furthermore, it was observed that the fatigue damage seems to consist not exclusively of load parallel oriented crack structures. Rather, crack structures perpendicular to the load as well as local compacting are likely components of the fatigue damage. Additionally, the ultrasonic velocity appears to be a good indicator for fatigue damage beside the elastic modulus. It can be concluded that acoustic methods allow an observation of the fatigue process in concrete and a better understanding, especially in combination with further measurement methods.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (562) ◽  
pp. eaba9481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Haberkamp ◽  
Tamás Oláh ◽  
Patrick Orth ◽  
Magali Cucchiarini ◽  
Henning Madry

Osteoarthritis (OA) is considerably affected by joint alignment. Here, we investigate the patterns of spatial osteochondral heterogeneity in patients with advanced varus knee OA together with clinical data. We report strong correlations of osteochondral parameters within individual topographical patterns, highlighting their fundamental and location-dependent interactions in OA. We further identify site-specific effects of varus malalignment on the lesser loaded compartment and, conversely, an unresponsive overloaded compartment. Last, we trace compensatory mechanisms to the overloaded subarticular spongiosa in patients with additional high body weight. We therefore propose to consider and to determine axial alignment in clinical trials when selecting the location to assess structural changes in OA. Together, these findings broaden the scientific basis of therapeutic load redistribution and weight loss in varus knee OA.


Rheumatology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawei Xu ◽  
Jan van der Voet ◽  
Nils M Hansson ◽  
Stefan Klein ◽  
Edwin H G Oei ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To assess the association between meniscal volume, its change over time and the development of knee OA after 30 months in overweight/obese women. Methods Data from the PRevention of knee Osteoarthritis in Overweight Females study were used. This cohort included 407 women with a BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2, free of OA-related symptoms. The primary outcome measure was incident OA after 30 months, defined by one out of the following criteria: medial or lateral joint space narrowing (JSN)  ≥ 1.0 mm, incident radiographic OA [Kellgren and Lawrence (K&L)  ≥ 2], or incident clinical OA. The secondary outcomes were either of these items separately. Menisci at both baseline and follow-up were automatically segmented to obtain meniscal volume and delta-volumes. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate associations between the volume measures and the outcomes. Results Medial and lateral baseline and delta-volumes were not significantly associated to the primary outcome. Lateral meniscal baseline volume was significantly associated to lateral JSN [odds ratio (OR) = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.99], while other measures were not. Medial and lateral baseline volume were positively associated to K&L incidence (OR = 1.32 and 1.22; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.50 and 1.03, 1.45, respectively), while medial and lateral delta-volume were negatively associated to K&L incidence (OR = 0.998 and 0.997; 95% CI: 0.997, 1.000 and 0.996, 0.999, respectively). None of the meniscal measures were significantly associated to incident clinical OA. Conclusion Larger baseline meniscal volume and the decrease of meniscal volume over time were associated to the development of structural OA after 30 months in overweight and obese women.


Author(s):  
Emily J. Miller ◽  
Rose F. Reimer ◽  
Tammy L. Haut Donahue ◽  
Kenton R. Kaufman

Mathematical models are non-invasive tools used for analyzing biomechanical conditions. Various models of the knee using the finite element analysis technique [1–6] and rigid body spring model (RBSM) [7] have been developed to predict pressure distribution in articulating joints, although the RBSM is considered the simplest of the modeling techniques, while still effectively predicting load distribution. These models can be used to study altered joint loading, which causes a degeneration of the articular cartilage, in order to gain an understanding of the etiology of osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study is to develop a subject-specific analytical knee model using the RBSM approach that incorporates subject-specific geometry, joint health, and loading patterns to predict tibiofemoral load distributions.


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