Cz En

Cardiovascular system and artificial replacements

Research on tissues and body structures and biomaterials

Biomechanics of aging of elstic arteries

Project description:

Our attention is now increasingly aimed at aging effects in elastic arteries and in their biomechanics, pathobiomechanics and mechanobiology

Specifically longitudinal pretension, beared by elastin memAxial prestretch in human abdominal aorta - post mortem   

Above placed picture shows age-related decrease of axial prestretch. The latest results suggest a damage (degradataive processes) of elastine membranes to be responsible for this phenomenon. ATH = degree of athrosclerotic disease in abdominal aorta ( 0 = intact artery wall ... 4 = ruptured plaques).

L. Horny, T. Adamek, E. Gultova, R. Zitny, J. Vesely, H. Chlup and S. Konvickova (2011) Correlations between age, prestrain, diameter and atherosclerosis in the male abdominal aorta. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 4(8):2128-2132. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2011.07.011

Combined Arteriosclerotic Index CAI = Diameter/Prestretch (where Prestretch = In situ/Ex situ length of an artery) was found to be a succesfful age estimator when bodies of unknown identity are examined in forensic autopsy.  It is very simple and cheap method providing age estimation just in autopsy room, of course, when aorta or other elastic arteries are available. A confidance of a prediction is comparable or better than radiological examination.

L. Horny, T. Adamek, H. Chlup, R. Zitny (2012) Age estimation based on a combined arteriosclerotic index. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 126(2):321-326. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-011-0653-7

Mechanical response of arteries is significantly dependent on age. Above picture shows experimental data and model predictions for elongation test of cylindrical sample of human abdominal aorta. Constitutive equation was based on limiting chain extensibility model (Gent) with strain energy density function W = -mu*Jm/2*ln(1-(I1-3)/Jm). Limiting extensibility parameter Jm was found to be significantly correlated with age.

L. Horny, T. Adamek, R. Zitny (2013) Age-related changes in longitudinal prestress in human abdominal aorta. Archives of Applied Mechanics, in press. doi: 10.1007/s00419-012-0723-4


Horný L. (2012) How ageing is reflected by longitudinal pretension in abdominal aorta. Dissertation thesis, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering CTU in Prague.

doc. Ing. Lukáš Horný Ph.D.

Resesrchers:

Department of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Na Královských Vinohradech and Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague.  

Cooperation:

Literature:

L. Horny, T. Adamek, R. Zitny (2013) Age-related changes in longitudinal prestress in human abdominal aorta. Archives of Applied Mechanics, in press. doi: 10.1007/s00419-012-0723-4

L. Horny, T. Adamek, H. Chlup, R. Zitny (2012) Age estimation based on a combined arteriosclerotic index. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 126(2):321-326. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-011-0653-7

L. Horny, T. Adamek, J. Vesely, H. Chlup, R. Zitny and S. Konvickova (2012) Age-related distribution of longitudinal pre-strain in abdominal aorta with emphasis on forensic application. Forensic Science International, 214(1-3):18-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.07.007

L. Horny, T. Adamek, E. Gultova, R. Zitny, J. Vesely, H. Chlup and S. Konvickova (2011) Correlations between age, prestrain, diameter and atherosclerosis in the male abdominal aorta. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 4(8):2128-2132. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2011.07.011