BACKGROUND The microstructural organization (collagen fiber alignment) of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which likely corresponds with its functional properties, has only been described qualitatively in the literature, to our knowledge. The goal of this study was to quantify the tensile mechanical and microstructural properties of the PCL and compare these qualities between the anterola...

Wounds and wound healing have always been one of the most important subjects that experimental researches were dedicated to. Simvastatin has been used for long as a common lipid lowering agent which was reported to have some pleiotropic effects such as antioxidation, anti-inflammation and immunomodulation. In this study we aimed to determine the effect of simvastatin on wound healing process in...

The aortic valve owes its strength and durability to a network of collagen fibers within the leaflets. However, the pattern of these fibers and their role in valve function is not well understood. We imaged and quantified the macroscopically visible pattern of collagen fibers in seven porcine aortic valves with particular attention to measuring this pattern in the unstrained leaflet. We then us...

wounds and wound healing have always been one of the most important subjects that experimental researches were dedicated to. simvastatin has been used for long as a common lipid lowering agent which was reported to have some pleiotropic effects such as antioxidation, anti-inflammation and immunomodulation. in this study we aimed to determine the effect of simvastatin on wound healing process in...

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of scientific information on the histologic changes associated with the clinical response to microdermabrasion. OBJECTIVE In this study we sought to evaluate those changes in the skin after microdermabrasion, using a porcine model. METHODS Using the left flank of an 8-week-old pig, we tattooed 4 areas with "A," "B," "C," and "D." Each of these areas was subdivi...

Collagen fibers are the main components of the extra cellular matrix and the primary contributors to the mechanical properties of tissues. Here we report a novel approach to measure the longitudinal component of the elastic moduli of biological fibers under conditions close to those found in vivo and apply it to type I collagen from rat tail tendon. This approach combines optical tweezers, atom...