Biotribology in Human Body

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2019) | Viewed by 23654

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that “Biotribology" is an emerging research sector and covers all aspects of tribology concerned with biological systems. In last few years, scientific attention has been focused on several topics connected, for example, to "joint tribology" with the aim to principally investigate hip, knee, and ankle joints, articular cartilage biomechanical behavior and modeling, innovative restorative materials of joints, and synovial lubrication, since synovial joints are key components of the human musculoskeletal system and can be viewed as a natural (complex) bearing lubricated by synovial fluid. In this research field, the studies are often approached by in-vivo and in-vitro experimental investigations, and in the last time by developing more and more accurate in-silico models. For this purpose, the compression and the modeling of tribological principles is fundamental, both for understanding the real behaviour of the investigated bio-systems, and also for the design of increasingly performing prostheses.

Others research directions on Biotribology focuses on dental tribology, devoted to the study of natural and implanted teeth, toothpaste, restorative material, as well as skin tribology, medical devices tribology, etc.

This Special Issue aims the latest advances in bio-tribological challenges in the human body with particular attention on the mathematical and numerical modeling necessary for in-silico tribological investigations. Contributions are welcome from both academic researchers and their industrial peers, dealing with the latest developments on this topic.
All kind of researches in this field are welcome, this Special Issue will cover principally the following topics:

  • Lubrication models of natural and artificial human synovial joints
  • Dynamic modeling of human motion
  • Surface metrology, contact mechanics, friction, lubrication and wear of artificial joints
  • Tribological behavior of biomaterials
  • Biological implants
  • Dental tribology
  • Ocular tribology
  • Mouth feel and taste perception in oral environment

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Ruggiero
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3846 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Wear on Tibial Inserts Made of UHMWPE, PEEK, and CFR-PEEK in Total Knee Arthroplasty Using Finite-Element Analysis
by Yong-Gon Koh, Jin-Ah Lee and Kyoung-Tak Kang
Lubricants 2019, 7(4), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7040030 - 1 Apr 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5020
Abstract
The wear of tibial inserts in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains a major limitation of longevity. However, wear tests are expensive and time-consuming. Computational wear prediction using a finite-element (FE) model followed by validation through comparison with experimental data is effective for assessing [...] Read more.
The wear of tibial inserts in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains a major limitation of longevity. However, wear tests are expensive and time-consuming. Computational wear prediction using a finite-element (FE) model followed by validation through comparison with experimental data is effective for assessing new prosthetic designs or materials prior to functional testing and surgical implementation. In this study, the kinematics, volumetric wear, and wear depth of tibial inserts made of different materials (ultrahigh-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR–PEEK)) in TKA were evaluated by employing FE models and analysis. The differences among the materials were evaluated using adaptive wear modeling to predict the wear depth, volumetric wear, and kinematics under a gait loading condition. The volumetric wear and wear depth of the CFR–PEEK decreased by 87.4% and 61.3%, respectively, compared with those of the UHMWPE, whereas the PEEK exhibited increased volumetric wear and wear depth. These results suggest that CFR–PEEK is a good alternative to UHMWPE as a promising and suitable material for tibial inserts used in TKA. However, orthopedic research should be performed to evaluate the threshold conditions and appropriate applications for the newly developed and introduced biomaterial. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotribology in Human Body)
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8 pages, 4092 KiB  
Article
Do Exostoses Correlate with Contact Disfunctions? A Case Study of a Maxillary Exostosis
by Maria Cristina Valigi and Silvia Logozzo
Lubricants 2019, 7(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7020015 - 13 Feb 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6566
Abstract
A maxillary exostosis is a benign overgrowth of bone that occurs on the outer or facial surface of the maxilla and is usually located near the premolar or molar teeth. This paper investigates the correlation between the presence and growth of jaw exostoses [...] Read more.
A maxillary exostosis is a benign overgrowth of bone that occurs on the outer or facial surface of the maxilla and is usually located near the premolar or molar teeth. This paper investigates the correlation between the presence and growth of jaw exostoses and the oral mechanics of contact. For this purpose, a case study of an upper jawbone exostosis of a female patient was considered. 3D models of the patient’s cranial bones were extracted from 2D computerized tomography (CT) data and were analyzed by proper software. A contact congruence evaluation based on the Winkler contact model was performed, and results were presented in terms of indentation maps and load distributions. Results were correlated with the theory of bone remodelling by Wolff. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotribology in Human Body)
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Review

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15 pages, 1136 KiB  
Review
An Overview on the Tribological Performance of Titanium Alloys with Surface Modifications for Biomedical Applications
by Sukhpreet Kaur, Khashayar Ghadirinejad and Reza H. Oskouei
Lubricants 2019, 7(8), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7080065 - 5 Aug 2019
Cited by 67 | Viewed by 6176
Abstract
The need for metallic biomaterials will always remain high with their growing demand in joint replacement in the aging population. This creates need for the market and researchers to focus on the development and advancement of the biometals. Desirable characteristics such as excellent [...] Read more.
The need for metallic biomaterials will always remain high with their growing demand in joint replacement in the aging population. This creates need for the market and researchers to focus on the development and advancement of the biometals. Desirable characteristics such as excellent biocompatibility, high strength, comparable elastic modulus with bones, good corrosion resistance, and high wear resistance are the significant issues to address for medical implants, particularly load-bearing orthopedic implants. The widespread use of titanium alloys in biomedical implants create a big demand to identify and assess the behavior and performance of these alloys when used in the human body. Being the most commonly used metal alloy in the fabrication of medical implants, mainly because of its good biocompatibility and corrosion resistance together with its high strength to weight ratio, the tribological behavior of these alloys have always been an important subject for study. Titanium alloys with improved wear resistance will of course enhance the longevity of implants in the body. In this paper, tribological performance of titanium alloys (medical grades) is reviewed. Various methods of surface modifications employed for titanium alloys are also discussed in the context of wear behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotribology in Human Body)
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15 pages, 3118 KiB  
Review
Tribology and Dentistry: A Commentary
by Antonio Lanza, Alessandro Ruggiero and Ludovico Sbordone
Lubricants 2019, 7(6), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7060052 - 20 Jun 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4144
Abstract
Since 1966 the term “tribology” has integrated different topics like friction, lubrication and wear. After a few years, interest in this type of phenomena rapidly spread out around the world of biology and medicine, determining a new research area defined as biotribology. This [...] Read more.
Since 1966 the term “tribology” has integrated different topics like friction, lubrication and wear. After a few years, interest in this type of phenomena rapidly spread out around the world of biology and medicine, determining a new research area defined as biotribology. This commentary is conceived within this framework with the aim of underlining the close link between tribology and dentistry regarding both physiological and restorative issues. The contact between teeth requires investigation into their tribological behavior focusing on the enamel wear process against natural teeth and/or artificial teeth, allowing us to obtain useful information on the tribological behavior of restorative materials. Thus, tested materials may be natural teeth, restorative materials (metal alloys, ceramics, composites) or both. This work aims to make a contribution to underlining the need for greater standardization of tribological experimental procedures as well as to obtaining more homogeneous and indicative results on the tested tribo systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotribology in Human Body)
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