Matteo Caligaris, PhD

New York, New York, United States Contact Info
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Articles by Matteo

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Experience

  • Accumulus Synergy

Education

  • Columbia University in the City of New York

Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • Swim help

    ANFFASS

    - 3 years 1 month

    Provided swim instruction and support to individuals with mental and physical disabilities, facilitating their learning and development in aquatic skills.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Graphic

    Big brother

    Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

    - 11 months

    Education

    I mentor high school students, guiding and supporting them through various life challenges, while providing emotional support, academic help, and engagement in activities to build a trusting relationship. My role was to foster a positive outlook towards education and career possibilities, encouraging civic responsibility.

Publications

  • Investigation of the Frictional Response of Osteoarthritic Human Tibiofemoral Joints and the Potential Beneficial Tribological Effect of Healthy Synovial Fluid

    Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

    Objective
    This study tests the hypothesis that the natural progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in human joints leads to an increase in the friction coefficient. This hypothesis is based on the expectation that the wear observed in OA may be exacerbated by higher friction coefficients. A corollary hypothesis is that healthy synovial fluid (SF) may help mitigate the increase in the friction coefficient in diseased joints.

    Design
    The friction coefficient of human tibiofemoral joints…

    Objective
    This study tests the hypothesis that the natural progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in human joints leads to an increase in the friction coefficient. This hypothesis is based on the expectation that the wear observed in OA may be exacerbated by higher friction coefficients. A corollary hypothesis is that healthy synovial fluid (SF) may help mitigate the increase in the friction coefficient in diseased joints.

    Design
    The friction coefficient of human tibiofemoral joints with varying degrees of OA was measured in healthy bovine SF and physiological buffered saline (PBS). Two testing configurations were adopted, one that promotes sustained cartilage interstitial fluid pressurization to investigate the effectiveness of this mechanism with advancing OA, and another that allows interstitial fluid pressure to subside to investigate the effectiveness of boundary lubrication.

    Results
    Seven specimens were visually staged to be normal or mildly degenerated (stages≤2 on a scale of 1 to 4) and nine others had progressive degeneration (stages>2 and≤3). No statistical differences were found in the friction coefficient with increasing OA, whether in migrating or stationary contact area configurations; however, the friction coefficient was significantly lower in SF than PBS in both configurations.

    Conclusions
    The friction coefficient of human tibiofemoral cartilage does not necessarily increase with naturally increasing OA, for visual stages ranging from 1 to 3. This outcome may be explained by the fact that interstitial fluid pressurization is not necessarily defeated by advancing degeneration. This study also demonstrates that healthy SF decreases the friction coefficient of OA joints relative to PBS.

    Other authors
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  • Effects of Sustained Interstitial Fluid Pressurization Under Migrating Contact Area, and Boundary Lubrication by Synovial Fluid, on Cartilage Friction

    Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

    Objective
    This experimental study tests two hypotheses which address outstanding questions in cartilage lubrication: can the friction coefficient remain low under sustained physiological loading conditions? How effective is synovial fluid (SF) in the lubrication of articular cartilage? Based on theory, it is hypothesized that migrating contact areas can maintain elevated cartilage interstitial fluid pressurization, thus a low friction coefficient, indefinitely. It is also hypothesized that…

    Objective
    This experimental study tests two hypotheses which address outstanding questions in cartilage lubrication: can the friction coefficient remain low under sustained physiological loading conditions? How effective is synovial fluid (SF) in the lubrication of articular cartilage? Based on theory, it is hypothesized that migrating contact areas can maintain elevated cartilage interstitial fluid pressurization, thus a low friction coefficient, indefinitely. It is also hypothesized that the beneficial effects of SF stem from boundary lubrication rather than fluid-film lubrication.
    Design
    Five experiments were conducted on immature bovine femoro-tibial joints, to compare the frictional response under migrating vs stationary contact areas; the frictional response in SF vs saline; the role of sliding velocity and the role of congruence on the friction coefficient.
    Results
    Migrating contact area could maintain a low friction coefficient under sustained physiological conditions of loading for at least 1h. SF reduced the friction coefficient by a factor of ∼1.5 relative to saline. However, interstitial fluid pressurization was far more effective, reducing the friction coefficient by a factor of ∼60 relative to equilibrium (zero-pressure) conditions. It was confirmed that SF acts as a boundary lubricant.
    Conclusions
    These results emphasize the importance of interstitial fluid pressurization on the frictional response of cartilage. They imply that the mechanical integrity of cartilage must be maintained to produce low friction in articular joints. The more limited effectiveness of SF implies that intra-articular injections of lubricants in degenerated joints may have only limited effectiveness on their tribological properties.

    Other authors
    • Gerard Ateshian
    See publication

  • Osmotic loading of spherical gels: a biomimetic study of hindered transport in the cell protoplasm

    Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

    Osmotic loading of cells has been used to investigate their physicochemical properties as well as their biosynthetic activities. The classical Kedem–Katchalsky framework for analyzing cell response to osmotic loading, which models the cell as a fluid-filled membrane, does not generally account for the possibility of partial volume recovery in response to loading with a permeating osmolyte, as observed in some experiments. The cell may be more accurately represented as a hydrated gel surrounded…

    Osmotic loading of cells has been used to investigate their physicochemical properties as well as their biosynthetic activities. The classical Kedem–Katchalsky framework for analyzing cell response to osmotic loading, which models the cell as a fluid-filled membrane, does not generally account for the possibility of partial volume recovery in response to loading with a permeating osmolyte, as observed in some experiments. The cell may be more accurately represented as a hydrated gel surrounded by a semi-permeable membrane, with the gel and membrane potentially exhibiting different properties. To help assess whether this more elaborate model of the cell is justified, this study investigates the response of spherical gels to osmotic loading, both from experiments and theory. The spherical gel is described using the framework of mixture theory. In the experimental component of the study alginate is used as the model gel, and is osmotically loaded with dextran solutions of various concentrations and molecular weight, to verify the predictions from the theoretical analysis. Results show that the mixture framework can accurately predict the transient and equilibrium response of alginate gels to osmotic loading with dextran solutions. It is found that the partition coefficient of dextran in alginate regulates the equilibrium volume response and can explain partial volume recovery based on passive transport mechanisms. The validation of this theoretical framework facilitates future investigations of the role of the protoplasm in the response of cells to osmotic loading.

    Other authors
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  • Removal of the superficial zone of bovine articular cartilage does not affect its frictional coefficient

    Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

    Objective
    To investigate the role of the superficial zone in regulating the frictional response of articular cartilage. This zone contains the superficial protein (SZP), a proteoglycan synthesized exclusively by superficial zone chondrocytes and implicated in reducing the friction coefficient of cartilage.

    Design
    Unconfined compression creep tests with sliding of cartilage against glass in saline were carried out on fresh bovine cylindrical plugs (∅6mm, n=35) obtained from 16…

    Objective
    To investigate the role of the superficial zone in regulating the frictional response of articular cartilage. This zone contains the superficial protein (SZP), a proteoglycan synthesized exclusively by superficial zone chondrocytes and implicated in reducing the friction coefficient of cartilage.

    Design
    Unconfined compression creep tests with sliding of cartilage against glass in saline were carried out on fresh bovine cylindrical plugs (∅6mm, n=35) obtained from 16 bovine shoulder joints (ages 1–3 months). In the first two experiments, friction tests were carried out before and after removal of the superficial zone (∼100μm), in a control and treatment group, using two different applied load magnitudes (4.4N and 22.2N). In the third experiment, friction tests were conducted on intact surfaces and the corresponding microtomed deep zone of the same specimen.

    Results
    In all tests the friction coefficient exhibited a transient response, increasing from a minimum value (μmin) to a near-equilibrium final value (μeq). No statistical change (P>0.5) was found in μmin before and after removal of the superficial zone in both experiments 1 and 2. However, μeq was observed to decrease significantly (P<0.001) after removal of the surface zone. Results from the third experiment confirm that μeq is even lower at the deep zone. Surface roughness measurements with atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed an increase in surface roughness after microtoming. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed the presence of SZP in intact specimens and its removal in microtomed specimens.

    Conclusions
    The topmost (∼100μm) superficial zone of articular cartilage does not have special properties which enhances its frictional response.

    Other authors
    See publication

Courses

  • EMPOWERED by SVPG

    -

  • INSPIRED by SVPG

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  • MINITAB Design of Experiment

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  • Managing Projects (2.25 credits from George Washington Uni)

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Honors & Awards

  • MAEU special recognition award

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  • Product Team Special Recognition

    -

  • Special Recognition 2016 Engineering

    Elsevier

Languages

  • English

    Full professional proficiency

  • Italian

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • French

    Professional working proficiency

  • Portuguese

    Limited working proficiency

  • German

    Elementary proficiency

Organizations

  • Toastmaster International

    Vice President of Education

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  • ORS Orthopedic Research Society

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  • ASME

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