Two new studies by Prof. Jacob Klein and the members of the research group he heads, in the Department of Materials and Surfaces at the Weizmann Institute of Science, may allow researchers to better understand the joint pin, and it is possible that in the future it will be possible to develop treatment methods for problems arising from friction in these areas, especially degenerative arthritis , which is the most common form of arthritis
No artificial lubricant is able to satisfy the daily needs of the joints in our body. When we walk or run, the cartilage surfaces in the hip and knee joints slide over each other - over and over again, every day, for years. Two new studies by Prof. Jacob Klein and the members of the research group he heads, in the Department of Materials and Surfaces at the Weizmann Institute of Science, may allow researchers to better understand the joint pin, and it is possible that in the future it will be possible to develop treatment methods for problems arising from friction in these areas, especially degenerative arthritis , which is the most common form of arthritis.
"One of the reasons why the lubrication system in the joints has not been revealed until now," says Prof. Klein, "is because it is responsible for the formation of an extremely thin layer on the surface of the cartilage, and the characteristics of this layer are unknown." There are many substances in the joints, and in the past it has already become clear that some of them play different roles in the lubrication process. The three main molecules identified as lubricants are phospholipids, hyaluronan and lubricin. But over five decades of tests and experiments, no one has been able to prove that one of them is able to function independently as a lubricant, at the same level as the body's lubrication system.
Prof. Klein and the post-doctoral researcher Yasmin Tzaror put forward a new hypothesis in this context: the three molecules work together to lubricate the joints. In collaboration with Linyi Zo, a guest research student from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Ronit Goldberg, a senior intern from Prof. Klein's group, and Prof. Anthony Day from the University of Manchester, the scientists created a model of a lubrication system built from two substances (phospholipids and hyaluronans) placed between Two smooth surfaces made of the mineral mica (mica). On these surfaces they applied pressures that simulated the pressure created in the joints - to see how the two surfaces would manage to slide when under pressure.
Phospholipid molecules consist of two parts: two "water-repellent" tails on one side, and a "water-loving" head on the other. The head of the molecule attracts water molecules to it, as it has both a positive charge and a negative charge. The water molecules, H2O, also contain two types of charges: the oxygen contains a negative charge, while the hydrogen contains a positive charge. In this way, the water molecules form a kind of layer around the top of the molecule, called a "water shell", and it is this shell that is used for lubrication.
The results of these experiments showed that the combination of the two molecules, phospholipids and hyaluronan, acted, surprisingly, as a lubricant that approached the lubrication system of natural joints. The scientists believe that each of the molecules plays a different role in reducing the friction between the surfaces of the joints. "Although it is a structure made of water," says Prof. Klein, "it turns out that the water shell functions as an extremely strong structure, because it is, at the same time, incompressible under pressure, but also fluid when sliding. In other words, it is an excellent lubricant."
This study, and the second study carried out by the scientists (below), may help us better understand the complex lubrication system that strengthens the joints, which may help, in the future, in finding a treatment for osteoarthritis.
the viscosity level
In the second model developed by the members of Prof. Klein's group, it is the mucus shell on top of the phospholipids that ultimately reduces the friction. But how effective is this shell? One way to understand the lubrication mechanism is to check the viscosity of the liquid material - that is, what is its level of resistance to flow. Anyone who has ever changed engine oil in a car knows that correct measurement of the viscosity level is important for proper operation of the engine. The same is true when it comes to joints: if the liquid is not viscous enough (for example, like normal water), the material will not stay in the joints; If it is too viscous, like gelatin, the whole system will get stuck. In light of this, the advantage of the water shell lies in the fact that it is slightly more complex, since it remains in place with the help of charges that attract the water molecules. And yet, the question remains: Is it possible that the viscosity level of the day shell is just the right amount, and can this explain the lubrication mechanism?
To answer this question, Prof. Klein and the members of his group - postdoctoral researcher Liran Meh, research student Anastasia Gaisinski-Kipnis, and research colleague Dr. Nir Kempf - conducted another study, in which they tested the viscosity of the envelopes. The scientists created simple merium envelopes - positive ions surrounded by water molecules. Later, they trapped the day envelopes between two surfaces, and measured the level of viscosity by applying the pressure of sliding the surfaces against each other, at different speeds. Their findings showed that the liquid from which tire casings are composed is 200 times more water, approximately at the level of motor oil or maple syrup. This viscosity could explain the reduction in friction that the scientists saw in the second study.
3 תגובות
To the writer Andrea Yitzhar, and also to others,
This is the reason why it is not desirable and not recommended to rush to surgery and certainly not after consulting only one doctor. A famous doctor is not necessarily a good doctor, but a doctor who has been good at making good PR for himself, when he probably publishes only his successes but not his failures.
In addition, there are orthopedic surgeons who are captive to the decision that only surgery can help and this is not the case. Many times physical therapy or other complementary treatments, over a long period of time, can help much more.
Well, the time has come, because the main reason that until now this topic has not been studied, is that researchers do not like, to put it mildly, to deal with problems arising from old age.
Many studies prove all kinds of amazing facts.
All for the sake of science, promotion, advertising of professors, money, etc.
A day will come when the amazing celebrities will also take care of the sick.
Hundreds of knee surgeries are performed every day in Israel and who checks what happens to the patient after the fact??
Who checks whether he is in pain, returns to function and the ability to support a family, what happens to his mental health due to an unsuccessful operation?
And what when most of them end in failure?
Is there any research on the subject??
Does anyone know that a lawsuit against a doctor who performed an operation that is so important to the life of the person being operated on - cannot be filed because the patient signs an informed consent form before the operation, of course without exactly understanding that he is signing a form "It doesn't matter what happens to you, your knee, your family, the bank account And to your soul because you signed and even if you ate it I am the doctor who received a fortune from you, covered.
By the way, this is what happened about 3 years ago to my husband, to us.
We heard a lot about the successes of Dr. Horev from Ra'anana. who also works at Laniado Hospital where I work.
After a comprehensive examination, the doctor concluded that an operation must be performed, as soon as possible and in the best place according to him, Assuta, the soldier's barracks. The name of the holes, the technology and everything is more advanced and excellent, mainly because my husband was then 61 years old with a nice future, at least that's what we believed then.
Of course I will pay a huge fee. KofH reimbursed a large part of the expenses, not all or close to all.
He did not agree to perform the surgery in a government hospital.
And the operation is not correct, a new operation must be performed because the patella is not located, a failure from the first operation. Why this happened only Dr Horev knows.
Did he himself perform it as agreed in advance, I doubt that the removal of the stitches and the first tests after the operation were done by Dr. Yoav Yosofovitz.
There is no justice, no justice and no truth.
The only truth is that a 63-year-old man today lived without the ability to work, travel, do justice.
So any new research on the subject will be welcomed, but especially a face-to-face conversation, eye to eye and the successful words "I'm sorry I spoiled your life, at that moment I was thinking of something else, let's see what we can do".