@inbook {17544, title = {The Meniscus: Basic science}, booktitle = {Meniscal Transplantation, ed. Verdonk R., Monllau J.C. and Espregueira-Mendes J.}, year = {2013}, month = {2013-05-16 00:00:00}, pages = {7-14}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {

The menisci are semilunar discs of fibrocartilaginous tissue which play critical roles\ 
in knee joint biomechanics [1]. Despite, it has been described in the past as nearly useless\ 
with perhaps some minor roles on joint nutrition and stabilization [2]. These complex\ 
structures are primarily composed of an interlacing network of collagen fibers\ 
(predominantly type I collagen) interposed with cells, and an extracellular matrix (ECM) of\ 
proteoglycans and glycoproteins.

}, keywords = {basic science, meniscus}, isbn = {978-3-642-38105-8}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-38106-5_2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-38106-5_2}, author = {Pereira, H. and Silva-Correia, J. and Oliveira, J. M. and Reis, R. L. and Espregueira-Mendes, J. D.} }