Authors:

Sarah Marie Staller

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Research indicates that relationships exist between the gut microbiome, musculoskeletal biomechanics, and scoliosis. Gut microbiome alteration can impact hormone production, bone density, and nutrient absorption. Scoliotic curvature can cause asymmetrical spinal loading. These factors have been implicated in scoliosis progression. However, the specific interplay of mechanics and biological properties in spinal health remains unclear. Two separate yet complementary studies were considered to elucidate these relationships. The first study examined the impact of scoliosis severity on spinal loads and muscle activities. To accomplish this, a preexisting thoracolumbar musculoskeletal model was further developed to include coronal alignment. Patient X-rays were used to generate patient-specific models grouped by scoliosis severity: mild, moderate, and severe. Significant differences were detected among groups in maximum muscle activities, compressive forces, and anterior-posterior shear forces in orthostatic simulations, indicating that scoliosis severity influences biomechanics. The second study evaluated the impacts of gut microbiome disruption and subsequent intervention on spinal health in a healthy mice model. Mice were split into five groups: control, cessation, prebiotic, exercise, and prebiotic + exercise. Vertebrae and intervertebral discs will be characterized by morphometry, mechanics, histology, and biochemical content. It is hypothesized that differences among groups will be observed, and affected properties will provide insight into the gut-spine axis. Future work involves expanding the investigative approach to consider the influence of gut microbiome modulation within a scoliotic murine population. A holistic understanding of the association between gut health, biomechanics, and scoliosis can illuminate the mechanisms driving this disorder and guide the development of new treatments. Keywords: AnyBody Technology; Microcomputed Tomography; Coronal Alignment; Bone Mechanics; Musculoskeletal System

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Sarah Marie Staller