Cartilage
hideCartilage 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.
For more information about Cartilage, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with cartilage
Scientists find cause of cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis
Jan 12, 2009 |
5 / 5 (10) |
1
The scientists describe their work in this week's Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, the team shows how the loss of the protein HMGB2, found in the surface layer of joint ...
Growing Cartilage from Stem Cells
Oct 20, 2009 |
2 / 5 (1) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Damaged knee joints might one day be repaired with cartilage grown from stem cells in a laboratory, based on research by Professor Kyriacos Athanasiou, chair of the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering ...
Hormone promises to keep joint injuries from causing long-term osteoarthritis
Sep 12, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
An existing osteoporosis drug is the first ever found to prevent cartilage loss from osteoarthritis following injury to a joint, and may also regenerate some cartilage that has been lost to osteoarthritis, according to an ...
New tissue scaffold regrows cartilage and bone
May 11, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT engineers and colleagues have built a new tissue scaffold that can stimulate bone and cartilage growth when transplanted into the knees and other joints.
Jellyfish protein helps regrow joint cartilage
Feb 07, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (11) |
0
Mucin, a protein extracted from Nomura's jellyfish, has proved highly effective in regrowing cartilage in joints, scientists in Japan claim.
Cartilage that repairs itself? New research reveals important clues
Jul 30, 2008 |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
0
A strain of mice with the natural ability to repair damaged cartilage may one day lead to significant improvements in treatment of human knee, shoulder and hip injuries.
Veterinarians using stem cells to treat animals
Aug 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- Lucy the Labradoodle scoots along the ground to grab a bone.
FDA: Arthritis drugs pose cancer risk to children
Medicine & Health / Medications
Aug 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
(AP) -- Federal regulators on Tuesday added stronger warnings to a group of best-selling drugs used to treat arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, saying they can increase the risk of cancer in children and adolescents.
How embryo movement stimulates joint formation
May 18, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A new study uncovers a molecular mechanism that explains why joints fail to develop in embryos with paralyzed limbs. The research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the journal Developmental Cell, answers a long ...
Non-wovens as scaffolds for artificial tissue
May 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- In future, cartilage, tendon and blood vessel tissue will be produced in the laboratory, with cells being grown on a porous frame, such as non-wovens. A new software program helps to characterize ...
Diseased cartilage harbors unique migratory progenitor cells
Apr 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
A new study finds previously unidentified fibrocartilage-forming progenitor cells in degenerating, diseased human cartilage, but not in cartilage from healthy joints. The research, published by Cell Press in the April 3rd ...
Mending meniscals in children, improving diagnosis and recovery
Nov 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
The meniscus is a rubber-like, crescent moon-shaped cartilage cushion that sits between the leg and thigh bone. Each knee has two menisci: one on the inside of the knee joint and one on the outside. In recent years, more ...
Bone formation from embryonic stem cells
Oct 22, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Jojanneke Jukes of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, has succeeded in growing bone tissue with the help of embryonic stem cells for the first time.
Moderate weight loss helps reduce risk of osteoarthritis in the knee
Oct 19, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Here’s another good reason to lose even a moderate amount of weight: it could reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis in your knees.
New study finds way to stop excessive bone growth following trauma or surgery
Sep 23, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A recent United States Army study found that excessive bone growth, also known as heterotopic ossificiation (HO), affects up to 70 percent of soldiers who are severely wounded during combat. A much smaller percentage of the ...
