[Quantitative analysis of a differentiation characteristic of hyaline cartilage in the aging process]. / Quantitative Analyse eines Differenzierungsmerkmals des hyalinen Knorpels im Alternsgang.

Changes in the distribution patterns of chondrocytes in the permanent hyaline cartilage were studied in order to analyze a process of differentiation quantitatively. Sections of 29 specimens of arytenoid cartilage and 42 specimens of Carina tracheae from newborn up to the age of 91 years were used. The chondrocytes were transferred via a mirror to paper, and the resulting patterns were analyzed. Various distribution functions were calculated. The most important one is the pair correlation function. The behavior of the differentiation is resembling in both organs. Especially in arytenoid cartilage there were found the following results: The clearest process of differentiation took place up to the 3rd decade of life. Initial hard core distribution is followed by soft core distribution up to the final of puberty. After the 2nd decade of life clustering was found. The grade of differentiation decreases in the 5th decade of life and later.

[Quantitative analysis of chondrocyte distribution patterns in hyaline cartilage tissue--a comparison of different models]. / Quantitative Analyse von Chondrocytenverteilungsmustern im hyalinen Knorpelgewebe--Vergleich verschiedener Modelle.

The purpose of our investigations were aging changes in hyaline cartilage of the trachea and of the larynx. 42 samples of carina tracheae and 29 samples of arytenoid cartilage were used in both organs from the newborn age up to the age of 91 a. We have examined patterns of cell distribution with the help of the computer programme "Dichte" ("density") using the following methods of stochastic geometry: product density, L function, and others. Product density allows for a reliable destination between a regular pattern of cells (hard-core distribution), a random pattern (soft-core distribution), and a typical clustering of chondrocytes. 2 examples of arytenoid cartilage have been selected to demonstrate the possibilities of interpretation of product density supported by the L function. Soft-core and in few cases hard-core distribution have been found both with the carina tracheae and the cartilago arytaenoidea in the 1st decade of life. Beginning with the 2nd decade of life, the typical clustering of chondrocytes have been confirmed with both organs.

[Quantitative detection of the differentiation processes of cartilage tissue]. / Zur quantitativen Erfassung eines Differenzierungsprozesses im Knorpelgewebe.

The onset of ageing during childhood and adolescence is accompanied by a variety of differentiation processes, whereas ageing later in life is characterized by dysdifferentiation. One of the subjects in the present discussion is the "Dysdifferentiation hypothesis of ageing". So far differentiation has been described only in qualitative terms. The paper uses the example of hyaline cartilage development (chondrogenesis) to show that a quantitative approach to differentiation is possible, which at the same time enables random-critical study. The method used for this is stochastic geometry.