The influence of elastic properties on finite-element analysis was investigated using a finite-element model of a Macaca fascicularis skull. Four finite-element analyses were performed in which the model was assigned different sets of elastic properties. In analysis 1, elastic properties were modeled isotropically using published data obtained from human limb bones. Analyses 2-4 used data obtained from skulls of a closely allied species, M. mulatta, but varied as to how those data were incorporated into the model. In analysis 2, the model was assigned a single set of isotropic elastic properties. In analysis 3, each region within the model was assigned its own set of isotropic elastic properties. Finally, in analysis 4, each region received its own set of orthotropic elastic properties. Although a qualitative assessment indicates that the locations of strain concentrations across the model are broadly similar in all analyses, a quantitative assessment of strain indicates some differences between the analyses. When strain data from the finite-element analyses were compared to strain data derived from in vivo experiments, it was found that the model deformed most realistically using the orthotropic elastic properties employed in analysis 4. Results suggest that finite-element analyses can be adversely affected when elastic properties are modeled imprecisely, and that modelers should attempt to obtain elastic properties data about the species and skeletal elements that are the subjects of their analyses.

The African Plio-Pleistocene hominins known as australopiths evolved a distinctive craniofacial morphology that traditionally has been viewed as a dietary adaptation for feeding on either small, hard objects or on large volumes of food. A historically influential interpretation of this morphology hypothesizes that loads applied to the premolars during feeding had a profound influence on the evolution of australopith craniofacial form. Here, we test this hypothesis using finite element analysis in conjunction with comparative, imaging, and experimental methods. We find that the facial skeleton of the Australopithecus type species, A. africanus, is well suited to withstand premolar loads. However, we suggest that the mastication of either small objects or large volumes of food is unlikely to fully explain the evolution of facial form in this species. Rather, key aspects of australopith craniofacial morphology are more likely to be related to the ingestion and initial preparation of large, mechanically protected food objects like large nuts and seeds. These foods may have broadened the diet of these hominins, possibly by being critical resources that australopiths relied on during periods when their preferred dietary items were in short supply. Our analysis reconciles apparent discrepancies between dietary reconstructions based on biomechanics, tooth morphology, and dental microwear.evolution ͉ face ͉ finite element analysis ͉ hominin ͉ diet

The endocrine hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a powerful modulator of glucose and lipid metabolism and a promising drug for type 2 diabetes. Here we identify FGF21 as a potent regulator of skeletal homeostasis. Both genetic and pharmacologic FGF21 gain of function lead to a striking decrease in bone mass. In contrast, FGF21 loss of function leads to a reciprocal high-bone-mass phenotype. Mechanistically, FGF21 inhibits osteoblastogenesis and stimulates adipogenesis from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by potentiating the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ). Consequently, FGF21 deletion prevents the deleterious bone loss side effect of the PPAR-γ agonist rosiglitazone. Therefore, FGF21 is a critical rheostat for bone turnover and a key integrator of bone and energy metabolism. These results reveal that skeletal fragility may be an undesirable consequence of chronic FGF21 administration.B one is a dynamic tissue that constantly remodels by balancing osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. Under physiological conditions, formation and resorption are tightly coupled, thereby maintaining skeletal homeostasis. Under pathological conditions such as osteoporosis or bone metastasis of cancer, the simultaneously decreased formation and increased resorption lead to the uncoupling of remodeling and bone loss (1-3). Osteoblasts are differentiated from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which can also differentiate into adipocytes, depending on both extracellular milieu and intracellular signaling (4-8). In contrast, osteoclasts are differentiated from macrophage precursors in the hematopoietic lineage in response to the cytokine Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand (RANKL), depending on the ratio of RANKL to osteoprotegerin (OPG), a RANKL decoy receptor that inhibits osteoclast differentiation (9).Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an atypical member of the FGF family that functions as an endocrine hormone (10, 11). It is a powerful regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism. Physiologically, FGF21 expression is induced both in the liver by prolonged fasting through and in the white adipose tissue by feeding through PPAR-γ activation (15-18). Pharmacologically, administration of recombinant FGF21 protein to diabetic mice and rhesus monkeys strongly enhances insulin sensitivity, decreases plasma glucose and triglyceride, and reduces body weight (19)(20)(21)(22)(23). Hence, FGF21 is a potential drug for the treatment of obesity and diabetes that is currently in clinical trials. However, it is unknown whether FGF21 regulates bone mass. This question is clinically important in light of the already increased skeletal fragility in diabetic patients (24, 25) and the reported bone-loss side effects of the current antidiabetic thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs such as rosiglitazone, a synthetic PPAR-γ agonist (24,(26)(27)(28)(29)). Here we demonstrate that FGF21 is a potent negative regulator of bone, both physiologically and pharmacologically. ...

Material properties and their variations in individual bone organs are important for understanding bone adaptation and quality at a tissue level, and are essential for accurate mechanical models. Yet material property variations have received little systematic study. Like all other material property studies in individual bone organs, studies of the human mandible are limited by a low number of both specimens and sampled regions. The aims of this study were to determine: 1) regional variability in mandibular material properties, 2) the effect of this variability on the modeling of mandibular function, and 3) the relationship of this variability to mandibular structure and function. We removed 31 samples on both facial and lingual cortices of 10 fresh adult dentate mandibles, measured cortical thickness and density, determined the directions of maximum stiffness with a pulse transmission ultrasonic technique, and calculated elastic properties from measured ultrasonic velocities. Results showed that each of these elastic properties in the dentate human mandible demonstrates unique regional variation. The direction of maximum stiffness was near parallel to the occlusal plane within the corpus. On the facial ramus, the direction of maximum stiffness was more vertically oriented. Several sites in the mandible did not show a consistent direction of maximum stiffness among specimens, although all specimens exhibited significant orthotropy. Mandibular cortical thickness varied significantly (P < 0.001) between sites, and decreased from 3.7 mm (SD = 0.9) anteriorly to 1.4 mm posteriorly (SD = 0.1). The cortical plate was also significantly thicker (P < 0.003) on the facial side than on the lingual side. Bone was 50-100% stiffer in the longitudinal direction (E(3), 20-30 GPa) than in the circumferential or tangential directions (E(2) or E(1); P < 0.001). The results suggest that material properties and directional variations have an important impact on mandibular mechanics. The accuracy of stresses calculated from strains and average material properties varies regionally, depending on variations in the direction of maximum stiffness and anisotropy. Stresses in some parts of the mandible can be more accurately calculated than in other regions. Limited evidence suggests that the orientations and anisotropies of cortical elastic properties correspond with features of cortical bone microstructure, although the relationship with functional stresses and strains is not clear.

Chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder (CKD‐MBD) is defined by abnormalities in mineral and hormone metabolism, bone histomorphometric changes, and/or the presence of soft‐tissue calcification. Emerging evidence suggests that features of CKD‐MBD may occur early in disease progression and are associated with changes in osteocyte function. To identify early changes in bone, we utilized the jck mouse, a genetic model of polycystic kidney disease that exhibits progressive renal disease. At 6 weeks of age, jck mice have normal renal function and no evidence of bone disease but exhibit continual decline in renal function and death by 20 weeks of age, when approximately 40% to 60% of them have vascular calcification. Temporal changes in serum parameters were identified in jck relative to wild‐type mice from 6 through 18 weeks of age and were subsequently shown to largely mirror serum changes commonly associated with clinical CKD‐MBD. Bone histomorphometry revealed progressive changes associated with increased osteoclast activity and elevated bone formation relative to wild‐type mice. To capture the early molecular and cellular events in the progression of CKD‐MBD we examined cell‐specific pathways associated with bone remodeling at the protein and/or gene expression level. Importantly, a steady increase in the number of cells expressing phosphor‐Ser33/37‐β‐catenin was observed both in mouse and human bones. Overall repression of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling within osteocytes occurred in conjunction with increased expression of Wnt antagonists (SOST and sFRP4) and genes associated with osteoclast activity, including receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL). The resulting increase in the RANKL/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio correlated with increased osteoclast activity. In late‐stage disease, an apparent repression of genes associated with osteoblast function was observed. These data confirm that jck mice develop progressive biochemical changes in CKD‐MBD and suggest that repression of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of renal osteodystrophy. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

SUMMARY Long-term usage of rosiglitazone, a synthetic PPARγ agonist, increases fracture rates among diabetic patients. PPARγ suppresses osteoblastogenesis while activating osteoclastogenesis, suggesting that rosiglitazone decreases bone formation while sustaining or increasing bone resorption. Using mouse models with genetically altered PPARγ, PGC1β or ERRα, here we show that PGC1β is required for the resorption-enhancing effects of rosiglitazone. PPARγ activation indirectly induces PGC1β expression by down-regulating β-catenin and derepressing c-jun. PGC1β in turn functions as a PPARγ coactivator to stimulate osteoclast differentiation. Complementarily, PPARγ also induces ERRα expression, which coordinates with PGC1β to enhance mitochondrial biogenesis and osteoclast function. ERRα knockout mice exhibit osteoclast defects, revealing ERRα as an important regulator of osteoclastogenesis. Strikingly, PGC1β deletion in osteoclasts confers complete resistance to rosiglitazone-induced bone loss. These findings identify PGC1β as an essential mediator for the PPARγ stimulation of osteoclastogenesis by targeting both PPARγ itself and ERRα, thus activating two distinct transcriptional programs.

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This article reviews the fundamental principles of the finite element method and the three basic steps (model creation, solution, and validation and interpretation) involved in using it to examine structural mechanics. Validation is a critical step in the analysis, without which researchers cannot evaluate the extent to which the model represents or is relevant to the real biological condition. We discuss the method's considerable potential as a tool to test biomechanical hypotheses, and major hurdles involved in doing so reliably, from the perspective of researchers interested in functional morphology and paleontology. We conclude with a case study to illustrate how researchers deal with many of the factors and assumptions involved in finite element analysis.