Neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explants is a method of evaluating neurotrophic activity of growth factors. When complete medium containing collagen was supplemented with nerve growth factor (NGF) DRG outgrowth was observed after 18 h. In the absence of NGF and in the presence of collagen, the DRG outgrowth took place after 72 h. In wells not supplemented with collagen gel in ...

Background: Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, and as an extracellular matrix protein, has an important role in the fiber formation. This feature of the collagen renders  establishment of the structural skeleton in tissues. Regarding specific features associated with the collagen, such as, formation of the porous structure, permeability and hydrophilicity, it can also be use...

Background: Trigeminal schwannomas may originate from the root, the ganglion, or the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve. Trigeminal schwannomas are rare tumors that comprise of 0.2% of all intracranial tumors. Objective: To clarify the pattern of trigeminal schwannomas in relation with meninges for surgical considerations. Methods: We used 3 adults head cadaver specimens were used for ...

During wound healing of the skin, keratinocytes disassemble hemidesmosomes and reorganize their actin cytoskeletons in order to exert traction forces on and move directionally over the dermis. Nonetheless, the transmembrane hemidesmosome component collagen XVII (ColXVII) is found in actin-rich lamella, situated behind the lamellipodium. A set of actin bundles, along which ColXVII colocalizes wi...

Hearing, touch and proprioception are thought to involve direct activation of mechano-electrical transduction (MeT) channels. In Caenorhabditis elegans touch receptor neurons (TRNs), such channels contain two pore-forming subunits (MEC-4 and MEC-10) and two auxiliary subunits (MEC-2 and MEC-6). MEC-4 and MEC-10 belong to a large superfamily of ion channel proteins (DEG/ENaCs) that form nonvolta...

In uniaxial tensile experiments in vitro mechanical properties of the different parts of porcine aortic valves, i.e. the leaflets, the sinus wall and the aortic wall, have been dealt with. Tissue strips cut in different directions were investigated. The collagen bundles in the leaflets show a stiffening effect and cause a marked anisotropy: within the physiological range of strains the largest ...

collagen is the major protein component of cartilage, bone, skin and connective tissue and constitutes the major part of the extracellular matrix. collagen type i has complex structural hierarchy, which consists of treepolypeptide α-chains wound together in a rod-like helical structure. collagen is an important biomaterial, finding many applications in the field of tissue engineering. it has be...

patients with keratoconus constitute a large proportion of patients suffering from anterior segment disorders. as of this time, however, its pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated. a reduction in cross-link between collagen molecules has been observed in keratoconic eyes as compared to normal ones. present approaches only address refractive errors resulting from the abnormal abnormal corneal ...

Surgical repair of the anterior cruciate ligament is a fairly common necessity in knee injuries, usually with good to excellent outcomes. However a successful repair and return to activities for a subpopulation of patients, 10% to 30%, remain elusive. Additionally, some athletes have arthritic changes, even with ligament repair. These issues are likely multi-factorial in nature but the debate c...

SUMMARY Because a great majority of patients with chronic complete heart block have bilateral bundle-branch lesions, it becomes important to recognize earlier degrees of bilateral bundle-branch block. The H-V interval in the His bundle electrogram during unilateral bundle-branch block reflects the conduction primarily through the contralateral bundle branch, and thus the His bundle electrogram ...