Arthritis & Rheumatism

Causes of osteoarthritis mapped in new biobank

Through molecular studies of knee tissue and advanced synchrotron radiation imaging techniques, researchers hope to gain new insights into the early development of osteoarthritis. The hope is to pave the way for new treatments.

Health

You sprained your ankle. Now what?

You step off a sidewalk curb, land wrong after shooting a basketball or stumble on uneven ground. Your ankle pops, twists or crunches, and now you're limping and sore. You may just have sprained your ankle.

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Cartilage

Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue existing within many joints. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix composed of collagen fibers, abundant ground substance rich in proteoglycan, and elastin fibers. Cartilage is classified in three types, elastic cartilage, hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage, which differ in the relative amounts of these three main components.

Cartilage is found in many areas in the body, including the articular surface of the bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs. Its mechanical properties are intermediate between bone and dense connective tissue like tendon.

Unlike other connective tissues, cartilage does not contain blood vessels. The chondrocytes are fed by diffusion, helped by the pumping action generated by compression of the articular cartilage or flexion of the elastic cartilage. Thus, compared to other connective tissues, cartilage grows and repairs more slowly.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA