15502-m-pleumeekers

Figure 3. (A–E) Summary of mechanical (Ein, σ max , Eeq, t 1/2 ) and (F–I) biochemical parameters (DNA, sGAG, HYP and ELN) measured for ear cartilage. Harvesting location is significantly different for Ein, σ max , Eeq, t 1/2 , h, DNA and sGAG, as indicated by the tables adjacent to the graphs (* indicates p <0.05). The color coded maps display the average values measured in each ear region. Age groups are significantly different for h , sGAG and hydroxyproline ( p <0.05), see (E, G and H) . Samples for the child and middle-age adults age groups could only obtained from the CO and the SC regions. 35 EAR CARTILAGE CHARACTERISTICS 2