Mechanical stimuli play a significant role in the process of endochondral growth. Thus far, approaches to understand the endochondral mechanical growth rate have been limited to the use of approximated location and geometry of the growth plate. Furthermore, growth has been simulated based on the average deflection of the growth plate or of the femoral neck. It has also been reported in the literature that the growth plate lies parallel to one of the principal stresses acting on it, to reduce the shear between epiphysis and diaphysis. Hence the current study objectives were (1) to evaluate the significance of a subject-specific finite element model of the femur and growth plate compared to a simplified growth plate model and (2) to explore the different growth direction models to better understand proximal femoral growth mechanisms. A subject-specific finite element model of an able-bodied 7-year old child was developed. The muscle forces and hip contact force were computed for one gait cycle and applied to a finite element model to determine the specific growth rate. Proximal femoral growth was simulated for two different growth direction models: femoral neck deflection direction and principal stress direction. The principal stress direction model captured the expected tendency for decreasing the neck shaft angle and femoral anteversion for both growth plate models. The results of this study suggest that the subject-specific geometry and consideration of the principal stress direction as growth direction may be a more realistic approach for correct prediction of proximal femoral growth morphology.

Muscle and joint contact force influence stresses at the proximal growth plate of the femur and thus bone growth, affecting the neck shaft angle (NSA) and femoral anteversion (FA). This study aims to illustrate how different muscle groups’ activation during gait affects NSA and FA development in able-bodied children. Subject-specific femur models were developed for three able-bodied children (ages 6, 7, and 11 years) using magnetic resonance images. Contributions of different muscle groups—hip flexors, hip extensors, hip adductors, hip abductors, and knee extensors—to overall hip contact force were computed. Specific growth rate for the growth plate was computed, and the growth was simulated in the principal stress direction at each element in the growth front. The predicted growth indicated decreased NSA and FA (of about over a four-month period) for able-bodied children. Hip abductors contributed the most, and hip adductors, the least, to growth rate. All muscles groups contributed to a decrease in predicted NSA (0.01–0.04 and FA (0.004–), except hip extensors and hip adductors, which showed a tendency to increase the FA (0.004–). Understanding influences of different muscle groups on long bone growth tendency can help in treatment planning for growing children with affected gait.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10237-017-0925-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cancer remains to be a major global healthcare burden as 18.1 million new cases and 96 million death occurred 2018 on the basis of report from the international agency for research on cancer Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women causing the highest morbidity. Ipomoea carnea leaf extracts have been used as a chemotherapeutic agent due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor effect. The aim of the study is to evaluate the proapoptotic potential of Ipomoea carnea leaf extract on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). The proapoptotic potential of Ipomoea carnea leaf extract was assessed using an MTT assay. The cell morphological changes in Ipomoea carnea leaf extract-treated cells were observed under a phase-contrast microscope. The proapoptotic effect of Ipomoea carnea leaf extract was examined using DAPI staining. The MTT assay results showed a significant reduction in the viability of breast cancer cells after treatment with different concentrations of Ipomoea carnea leaf extract (5-80 µg/ml) for 24h. We observed the inhibitory concentration at 20 μg/ml. Morphological changes such as reduction in the number of cells, cell shrinkage, and cytoplasmic membrane blebbing indicate the hallmark features of apoptosis were observed in Ipomoea carnea leaf extract-treated cells. DAPI staining results showed that apoptotic nuclei are stained intensely, fragmented, and have condensation chromatin in treated cells. Therefore it can be concluded that Ipomoea carnea leaf extracts have a pro-apoptotic potential in the breast cell cancer lines (MCF-7). Keywords: Ipomoea carnea, Breast cancer, MCF-7, Apoptosis

A new class of thiazole based organogelator was synthesized and characterized by various techniques such as VT-NMR, IR, single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. The role of unusual H-bond interactions such as C-H … N and van der Waals interactions were probed as driving forces for physical gelation of various polar and non-polar solvents. A structure-property correlation between various derivatives of thiazole was explored for their gelation or non-gelation behaviour.

BackgroundIn children with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) maintaining a standing position can be difficult. The fundamental motor task of standing independently is achieved by an interaction between the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems. In CP, the motor disorders are commonly accompanied by sensory and perceptual disturbances. Our aims were to examine the influence of visual stimuli on standing posture in relation to standing ability.MethodsThree dimensional motion analysis with surface electromyography was recorded to describe body position, body movement, and muscle activity during three standing tasks: in a self-selected position, while blindfolded, and during an attention-demanding task. Participants were twenty-seven typically-developing (TD) children and 36 children with bilateral CP, of which 17 required support for standing (CP-SwS) and 19 stood without support (CP-SwoS).ResultsAll children with CP stood with a more flexed body position than the TD children, even more pronounced in the children in CP-SwS. While blindfolded, the CP-SwS group further flexed their hips and knees, and increased muscle activity in knee extensors. In contrast, the children in CP-SwoS maintained the same body position but increased calf muscle activity. During the attention-demanding task, the children in CP-SwoS stood with more still head and knee positions and with less muscle activity.ConclusionsVisual input was important for children with CP to maintain a standing position. Without visual input the children who required support dropped into a further crouched position. The somatosensory and vestibular systems alone could not provide enough information about the body position in space without visual cues as a reference frame. In the children who stood without support, an intensified visual stimulus enhanced the ability to maintain a quiet standing position. It may be that impairments in the sensory systems are major contributors to the difficulties to stand erect in children with CP.