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Bone dynamics informs bone mechanics
Author(s) -
Burr David B
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.178.4
Subject(s) - trabecular bone , bone remodeling , x ray microtomography , cortical bone , adaptation (eye) , biomedical engineering , crystallinity , anatomy , materials science , chemistry , biology , pathology , neuroscience , composite material , osteoporosis , medicine , radiology , genetics
Measuring features which reflect the dynamics of bone's remodeling processes, even without measuring remodeling rates directly, allows one to infer something about bone's mechanical properties and its adaptation to changing environments. Such inference extends beyond the amount of bone and its geometric distribution. Features of trabecular bone, such as thickness and number, can be estimated without fluorochrome markers and provide vital information about the effectiveness of trabecular bone in redistributing stresses to the cortical shell. Evidence of the number and depth of erosion surfaces can be used to estimate the rate of remodeling, but also provides information about stress concentrations on trabecular struts, and regions of likely microdamage accumulation. The morphology of damage accumulation itself can provide clues to the material properties of the collagen‐mineral composite; the morphology of damage changes with age, and also with alterations in mineral content/crystallinity and collagen cross‐linking. These features of bone can be estimated from preserved or fossilized specimens, and can be important in assessing the structural integrity of trabecular‐rich regions (eg, vertebrae, femoral neck). They can be measured stereologically or at high resolution with μCT, and can contribute to the interpretation of features of mechanical adaptation that are often not used for preserved bone.