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Themed Issue Papers |
Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand
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Introduction |
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 Top Introduction References |
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Nearly all of the papers in this themed issue describe mathematical models of organs or organ systems based on biophysical equations solved on three-dimensional (3-D) finite element representations of the organ anatomy. The finite element method is a computational technique that is widely applied in the analysis of complex engineering structures but is equally applicable to modelling the complex anatomy of organ systems and the anisotropic, inhomogeneous and highly non-linear properties of biological tissues. The organ systems considered in this themed issue are the heart, the lungs, the digestive system and the musculo-skeletal system.
About the articles
Many of the papers have a clinical focus. Fernandez & Pandy (2006), for example, propose a framework for incorporating lower limb gait analysis data, ground reaction force data and EMG data into subject-specific models of walking based on solving the equations of continuum mechanics on models that incorporate the 3-D anatomy of the major muscle groups of the leg. The paper by Buist et al. (2006) links gastric slow wave activity on anatomically based models of the stomach to clinical measurements of the electromagnetic fields produced by these waves under conditions of cellular uncoupling induced by ischaemia.
Tawhai et al. (2006) consider structure–function relations in the pulmonary circulation within the context of a 3-D anatomical model of the lungs that was illustrated on the cover of the inaugural issue of the new Experimental Physiology launched in January 2004 (Crampin et al. 2004). The model predicts the patterns of perfusion in response to different lung orientiations under gravity loading for both normal and diseased conditions. A different approach to modelling the lung is taken by Cherniack & Longobardo (2006), who use a control theory model to examine the role of periodic breathing in understanding cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.
Another important theme of Experimental Physiology is integration via multiscale models; these are models that represent molecular events within the context of solving biophysical equations at the tissue level. Four examples of this in the March themed issue are the incorporation of models of ion channel electrophysiology in cardiac tissue simulations by Kohl et al. (2006; the role of mechanically sensitive ion channels), Trayanova (2006; mechanisms of defibrillation), Nash et al. (2006; action potential restitution properties of cardiac tissue) and Trew et al. (2006; the role of cardiac tissue structure in electrical wave propagation). The approach to modelling heart physiology with cell-level processes incorporated into the physical equations governing function at the tissue and whole organ level owes much to the pioneering cardiac ion channel modelling work by Denis Noble in the UK (Noble, 2002).
This themed issue on computational modelling applied to biological systems can be seen as representative of a major new direction in physiology that holds considerable promise for integrating experimental data at the protein, cell and tissue levels into whole organ function.
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References |
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TopIntroductionReferences |
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Cherniak NS & Longobardo GS (2006). Mathematical models of periodic breathing and their usefulness in understanding cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Exp Physiol 91, 295–305.
Crampin EJ, Halstead M, Hunter P, Nielsen P, Noble D, Smith N & Tawhai M (2004). Computational physiology and the physiome project. Exp Physiol 89, 1–26.
Fernandez JW & Pandy MG (2006). Integrating modelling and experiments to assess dynamic musculoskeletal function in humans. Exp Physiol 91, 371–382.
Kohl P, Bollensdorff C & Garny A (2006). Effects of mechanosensitive ion channels on ventricular electrophysiology: experimental and theoretical models. Exp Physiol 91, 307–321.
Nash MP, Bradley CP, Sutton PM, Clayton RH, Kallis P, Hayward MP, Paterson DJ & Taggart P (2006). Whole heart action potential duration restitution properties in cardiac patients: a combined clinical and modelling study. Exp Physiol 91, 339–354.
Noble D (2002). Modeling the heart: from genes to cells to the whole organ. Science 295, 1678–1682.
Tawhai MH, Burrowes KS & Hoffman EA (2006). Computational models of structure–function relationships in the pulmonary circulation and their validation. Exp Physiol 91, 285–293.
Trayanova N (2006). Defibrillation of the heart: insights into mechanisms from modelling studies. Exp Physiol 91, 323–337.
Trew ML, Trew Caldwell BJ, Sands GB, Hooks DA, Tai DC-S, Austin TM, LeGrice IJ, Pullan AJ & Smaill BH (2006). Cardiac electrophysiology and tissue structure: bridging the scale gap with a joint measurement and modelling paradigm. Exp Physiol 91, 355–370.
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