Planck Wrap Up I

Planck adds to our understanding of equine fracture resistance, what?

#1 some actual recent research, which

#2 differs from typical equine vet school grant research asking questions in search of a subject. Planck is profusely documented, seems logical, understandable, assigns appropriate terminology, and, significantly for this blog, examines things at the nano scale from a "materials" point of view, an approach that seems fairly new even in human bone research.

#3 Due to Planck I am now understanding:

Type 1 Collagen Molecules (i.e. bone collagen as opposed to tendon-ligament collagen) are packed into collagen fibrils, that they "self arrange" leaving water gaps that will subsequently permit leaching of mineral salts into the nano spaces.

Simultaneously with mineralization inside the fibril, mineralization proceeds outside the fibril in terms of skin coating and extrafibrillar rings in the 1-2 nm spaces between the fibrils. As things proceed arrays of fibrils self arrange and also mineralize. Significance?

Planck seems to relate the amount and type of mineralization with strength of bone. The elastic properties of each of the nano components increases in strength as mineralization proceeds. Significantly, the more extra fibrillar mineral rings, the greater the strength of tissue.

Planck essentially fills in the question--is the amount and process of mineralization-ossification important in fracture resistance? I'd like to take one closer look next post by looking at how Planck reached their conclusions, and what we may take forward in terms of FR.

Training:

The horses have been off. At my age I seem to be proving other than an airborne ranger dying in the mud and trying to recall the last dry day at the farm. A couple of days in early November, I believe. My thoughts have been a little scattered as we are burying a relative this week. Hopefully some dam the torpedo's training will begin Saturday, although looks like rain every day to February.