Characterizing the elastic properties of tissues.
The quality of life of ageing populations is increasingly determined by age-related changes to the mechanical properties of numerous biological tissues. Degradation and mechanical failure of these tissues has a profound effect on human morbidity and mortality. Soft tissues have complex and intricate structures and, similar to engineering materials, their mechanical properties are controlled by their microstructure. Thus age-relate changes in mechanical behavior are determined by changes in the properties and relative quantities of microstructural tissue components. This review focuses on the cardiovascular system; it discusses the techniques used both in vivo and ex vivo to determine the age-related changes in the mechanical properties of arteries.
School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HS, UK.
Riaz
R
Akhtar
Michael J
MJ
Sherratt
J Kennedy
JK
Cruickshank
Brian
B
Derby