Weekly Update in lieu of Recurring Meeting of Cleveland Clinic Core Team

Date: February 14, 2017

Provided by: Snehal Chokhandre

Ongoing Action Items:

• Ahmet
  • Review drafts of data manuscripts for submission.
• Snehal
  • Complete studies for tissue testing reproducibility.
  • Continue tissue testing of Open Knee(s) specimens.
• All
  • Continue segmentation of Open Knee(s) specimens.

Notes:

1. Tissue testing.
   • Snehal is currently testing rubber samples for repeatability to ensure the variations in tissue/sample behavior are mainly due to the tissue itself and not because of the experimental set up. The expectation is that rubber sample should demonstrate repeatable behavior.
   • She conducted 4 tests on a rubber sample. Sample was tested in unconfined compression, with ramp before and after 1000 preconditioning cycles, 30 min hold after each ramp, 15% max strain at 20%/s. These tests are done exactly like the 8 cartilage repeatability tests. Thickness was measured once. One hour no load between two tests conducted on the same day.
   • The first test indicates the sample was ~6% stiffer than the following tests. All the following tests are very repeatable. To assess whether this behavior will be similar in other rubber samples, two tests were conducted on a different sample from the same rubber sheet.
   • These tests also indicate that the sample is stiffer in the first test, although the loss

     of stiffness was not as pronounced as the first sample. (check ExperimentationTissueMechanics for results)

   • Snehal will complete the remaining 4 tests for the first rubber sample.
   • The repeatability of the rubber sample so far indicates that most of the variation in the repeatability tests for cartilage sample taken from a 78 yr old donor may be due to the tissue degeneration. The degenerated cartilage sample seemed to not recover after tests even when left unloaded overnight.
   • Once the rubber sample is tested, Snehal will resume cartilage unconfined compression test for the 78 yr old specimen.
   • The tests will be repeated in PBS this time instead of saline. PBS may help the sample to recover. Repeatability tests will be conducted both with and without the updated preconditioning.
   • Snehal will also check for and update any previous protocol evaluation attempts.
2. Data manuscripts.
   • No progress.
3. Segmentation.
   • No progress.
4. Other.
   • None noted.