Investigations of micron and submicron wear features of diseased XXXX cartilage surfaces.

@entity1 @entity571
UNASSIGNED: @entity571 is a common disease. However, its causes and morphological features of diseased cartilage surfaces are not well understood. The purposes of this research were (a) to develop quantitative surface characterization techniques to study @entity1 cartilages at a micron and submicron scale and (b) to investigate distinctive changes in the surface morphologies and biomechanical properties of the cartilages in different @entity571 grades. Diseased cartilage samples collected from @entity571 @entity1 were prepared for image acquisition using two different techniques, that is, laser scanning microscopy at a micrometer scale and atomic force microscopy at a nanometer scale. Three-dimensional, digital images of @entity1 cartilages were processed and analyzed quantitatively. This study has demonstrated that high-quality three-dimensional images of @entity1 cartilage surfaces could be obtained in a hydrated condition using laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Based on the numerical data extracted from improved image quality and quantity, it has been found that @entity571 evolution can be identified by specific surface features at the micrometer scale, and these features are amplitude and functional property related. At the submicron level, the spatial features of the surfaces were revealed to differ between early and advanced @entity571 grades. The effective indentation moduli of @entity1 cartilages effectively revealed the cartilage deterioration. The imaging acquisition and numerical analysis methods established allow quantitative studies of distinctive changes in cartilage surface characteristics and better understanding of the cartilage degradation process.
