Background: Parthenogenesis is the production of an embryo from a female gamete in the absence of any contribution from a male gamete, with or without the eventual development into an adult. In vivo, mammalian parthenogenesis is a rare event. Parthenogenesis can be efficiently induced in vitro with a variety of mechanical, chemical, and electrical stimuli in several species. Hydrostatic pressur...

Because stretch-induced activation may be important in generating clinically relevant arrhythmias in the heart, we delineated the ability of different types of stretches to activate ventricular tissue. Geometrically simple sheets of frog ( Rana catesbeiana) ventricular tissue were mounted to allow stretches to be applied perpendicular to one edge. Every heart could be activated by a stretch pul...

The growth-promoting effect of mechanical stress on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has been implicated in the progress of vascular disease in hypertension. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) have been implicated in cellular responses, such as vascular remodeling, induced by mechanical stretch. However, it remains to be determined how mechanical stretch activates ERKs. The cytos...

Piezos are mechanically activated ion channels that function as sensors of touch and pressure in various cell types. However, the precise mechanism and structures mediating mechanical activation and subsequent inactivation have not yet been identified. Here we use magnetic nanoparticles as localized transducers of mechanical force in combination with pressure-clamp electrophysiology to identify...

Tools capable of imaging and perturbing mechanical signaling pathways with fine spatiotemporal resolution have been elusive, despite their importance in diverse cellular processes. The challenge in developing a mechanogenetic toolkit (i.e., selective and quantitative activation of genetically encoded mechanoreceptors) stems from the fact that many mechanically activated processes are localized ...

OBJECTIVE Activation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) occur in the venous neointima of vein grafts. VSMCs in a grafted vein are subjected to mechanical stretch; our goal is to understand the essential mechanical stretch-regulated signals that influence VSMCs during neointimal formation in vein grafts. METHODS AND RESULTS In cultured vein VSMCs, mechanical stretch indu...

The inflammatory response is a primary mechanism in the pathogenesis of ventilator-induced lung injury. Autophagy is an essential, homeostatic process by which cells break down their own components. We explored the role of autophagy in the mechanisms of mechanical ventilation-induced lung inflammatory injury. Mice were subjected to low (7 ml/kg) or high (28 ml/kg) tidal volume ventilation for 2...

Mechanical hyperalgesia is one distressing symptom of neuropathic pain which is explained by central sensitization of the nociceptive system. This sensitization can be induced experimentally with the heat/capsaicin sensitization model. The aim was to investigate and compare spinal and supraspinal activation patterns of identical mechanical stimulation before and after sensitization using functi...

22 The inflammatory response is a primary mechanism in the pathogenesis of ventilator-induced 23 lung injury. Autophagy is an essential, homeostatic process by which cells break down their own 24 components. We explored the role of autophagy in the mechanisms of mechanical ventilation25 induced lung inflammatory injury. Mice were subjected to low (7 ml/kg) or high (28 ml/kg) tidal 26 volume ven...

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity nanostructured SmFeO 3 ceramics obtained by mechanical activation in range 120-800 K has been studied. It shown that excess mechanically activated is due to: displacements iron and samarium ions with a change angle between FeO6 oxygen octahedra. Keywords: multiferroics, capacity, ferrite, Schottky ceramics, activation.