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Fig. 2 | BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Fig. 2

From: Characterization of nano-structural and nano-mechanical properties of osteoarthritic subchondral bone

Fig. 2

TEM and SEAD imaging of thin unstained sections from the grade I OA and the grade IV OA subchondral bone plate in correlation to EDS analysis. (a) Characteristic fibril banding patterns were seen in the grade I OA subchondral bone plate. (b) The grade IV bone showed an electron dense region lacking a hierarchal structure (left rectangle) combined with a cross-banding pattern in the remaining regions (right rectangle). (c) High magnification of the selected area in image "a" shows faint bands (white arrows) which were perpendicular to the long axis of fibril (blue arrow). Clusters of linear features with a distinct profile (yellow arrow head) could be seen. (d) High magnification “non-structured” region. (e) High magnification of the fibril-banding pattern region in the grade IV bone showed fibrils with amorphous darker bands (white arrows) and the intensified electron dense spread to whole fibril along with its long axis (blue arrow) which exhibited non-hierarchical structure (black arrows). (f) SEAD pattern of the grade I OA bone, blue arrow indicates the c-axis orientation of carbonated HA within the tissue. (g) SEAD pattern shows weakened diffraction of high density region in the grade IV OA bone. (h) SEAD pattern shows weakened diffraction of cross-banding patterned region in the grade IV OA bone. (i) EDS spectra of the grade I OA bone. (j) EDS spectra of the high density region in the grade IV OA bone. (k) EDS spectra for the cross-banding patterned region in the grade IV OA bone. The images are representative of 5 different patient samples graded according to the disease severity

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