Construction of Customized Palatal Orthodontic Devices on Skeletal Anchorage Using Biomechanical Modeling

Orthodontic implants have been developed for the implementation of skeletal anchorage and are effectively used in the design of individual orthodontic devices. However, despite a significant amount of clinical research, the biomechanical aspects of the use of skeletal anchorage have not been adequately studied. The aim of this work was to numerically investigate the stress–strain state of the developed palatal orthodontic device supported by mini-implants. Four possible options for the placement of mini-implants in the bone were analyzed. The effect of a chewing load of 100 N on the bite plane was investigated. The study was carried out using biomechanical modeling based on the finite element method. The installation of the palatal orthodontic device fixed on mini-implants with an individual bite plane positioned on was simulated. The dependence of equivalent stresses and deformation changes on the number and location of the supporting mini-implants of the palatal orthodontic device was investigated. Two materials (titanium alloy and stainless steel) of the palatal orthodontic device were also investigated. The choice of a successful treatment option was based on the developed biomechanical criteria for assessing the surgical treatment success. Application of the criteria made it possible to estimate the stability and strength of fixation of each of the considered mini-implants installation options. As a result, options for the mini-implants optimal placement were identified (the first and the fourth which provide distributed front and side support of the device), as well as the preferred material (titanium alloy) for the manufacture of the palatal orthodontic device.

Experimental Determination of Corneal Elastic Constants and Their Use in Biomechanical Modeling

Corneal biomechanics aims to establish the physico-mathematical bases that allow for predicting the corneal response to physiological and pathological situations by creating models of tissue behavior. Determining the characteristic parameters of these models is a formidable challenge in the biomechanical modeling process. To contribute to corneal tissue characterization, an experimental set-up was designed, built and tested to study corneal behavior by applying changes in pressure. The elastic constants of porcine corneas were determined, and a Young’s modulus of 0.188 MPa and 26.22% hysteresis were obtained. A computational cornea model was developed to analyze the influence of different factors. Minor variations in the applied conditions were found for apical displacement and pachymetry, and the corneal behavior was reproduced. However, the optical power behavior was affected by variations in the applied conditions, and the experimentally obtained data could not be reproduced. Despite its importance, this parameter has not been analyzed in-depth by other studies, which shows that the quality of a biomechanical cornea model should not be evaluated only by apical displacement.

OpenColab Project: OpenSim in Google Colaboratory to Explore Biomechanics on the Web

We aim to demystify the development of neuro-biomechanical modeling in OpenSim with zero configuration, easy to share models while accessing to free GPUs on a web-based platform of Google Colaboratory. OpenSim is an open-source biomechanical package. OpenSim is used in a variety of applications and developed in C++; however, it is available for a wide range of users with bindings in MATLAB, Python, Jython and Java via OpenSim Application Programing Interface (API). OpenSim installation on a personal computer is well described by the developers but its implementation may still be time-consuming and challenging for the new users. Cloud-based computing is expanding in almost all engineering domains with zero configuration, though it is in its early stages within biomechanics community. In this study, we aim to access OpenSim functionality on the Google cloud platform. The methods can also be used in other cloud-based platforms. We installed OpenSim on the Google Colab via Anaconda cloud and named it OpenColab. To use OpenColab, one requires only a connection to the internet and a Gmail account. Moreover, such a platform enables the users to access vast libraries of machine learning available within free Google products e.g., TensorFlow. OpenColab takes advantage of zero configuration of cloud-based platforms even on a smart phone, provides access to free GPUs and enables users to share and reproduce modeling approaches for further validation. Finally, we performed inverse problem in biomechanics and compared OpenColab results with OpenSim GUI’s for validation. Step-by-step installation processes and examples can be found freely at: https://simtk.org/projects/opencolab.

The Application of Medical Imaging on Disabled Athletes in Winter Paralympic Games: A Systematic Review

Purpose: the purpose of this study was to summarize the application and effects of current medical imaging in sports for the disabled, to provide a feasible reference for future imaging medical services and biomechanical modeling for winter Paralympic athletes. Methods: An electronic search was conducted among Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases, using the following keywords, “Disability,” “Winter Olympics” and “Medical Imaging.” Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen all identified studies. Of the 374 identified studies, 10 studies were included. Results: Most studies have reported on the application of medical imaging technology in the diagnosis of disability (n =6) and only a few have focused on biomechanical modeling (n = 3) and disability classification (n = 1). However, only 3 studies were involved in winter Paralympic athletes. The results of this study indicate that medical imaging technology can effectively diagnose and prevent the occurrence of injuries in disabled athletes. Conclusion: It is important to use medical imaging to understand the injury mechanism of winter Paralympics athletes and to develop injury prevention strategies. However, only a few studies have focused on the application of medical imaging technology to the winter Paralympic. The results of this study can provide a feasible reference for the medical treatment and training of athletes in the Winter Paralympic Games.