Dynamic myoplasty combines muscle transfer with electrical stimulation to provide contractile function that augments or replaces impaired organ function. Dynamic cardiomyoplasty was the first clinical application in which a skeletal muscle, latissimus dorsi, was transferred and stimulated to provide cardiac assistance, a function different from its original one. The problem of early muscle fati...

Dalzellia gracilis, an enigmatic species of Podostemaceae, is characterized by the subcylindrical creeping roots and dorsiventral ribbonlike shoots borne on the roots. To reveal the phylogenetic relationships of D. gracilis, molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses were performed. A matK tree indicates that it is most likely sister to a clade of its congeners and Indotristicha ramosiss...

OBJECTIVE The adductor muscles are implicated in the pathogenesis of groin strain, but the proximal morphology of this muscle group is poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the detailed anatomy of the entheses and proximal musculotendinous junctions (MTJs) of adductor longus (AL), adductor brevis (AB) and gracilis. METHODS The adductors were dissected bilaterally in 10 ...

background and objectives: sarcopenia is explained as age-related reduction in muscle mass and performance. some of the most important risk factors for sarcopenia include age, malnutrition, and sedentary life style. the aim of this study was to investigate the association of food intake and physical activity with body composition, muscle strength and muscle function in post-menopausal women. ma...

Two fractions of sarcoplasmic reticulum, one light (LSR) and one heavy (HSR), were isolated from gracilis muscle of control and malignant hyperthermia (MH)-susceptible pigs. Part of the gracilis muscle biopsy was used to compare the contracture sensitivity of the muscle to the calcium-releasing effects of caffeine on isolated SR membranes. Gracilis muscle of MH pigs was more sensitive to the co...

PURPOSE A rectourethral fistula (RUF) is an uncommon complication resulting from surgery, radiation or trauma. Although various surgical procedures for the treatment of an RUF have been described, none has gained acceptance as the procedure of choice. The aim of this study was to review our experience with surgical management of RUF. METHODS The outcomes of 6 male patients (mean age, 51 years...

Plants use rapid movements to disperse seed, spores, or pollen and catch animal prey. Most rapid-release mechanisms only work once and, if repeatable, regaining the prerelease state is a slow and costly process. We present an encompassing mechanism for a rapid, repeatable, passive-dynamic motion used by a carnivorous pitcher plant to catch prey. Nepenthes gracilis uses the impact of rain drops ...

The mechanism of the vasodilator effect of procaine amide in dogs was investigated in isolated gracilis muscle and hindpaw perfused at constant flows with arterial blood. Inhibition of sympathetic ganglionic transmission contributed predominantly to the vasodilatation in muscle that accompanied intravenous administration of procaine amide (20 mg/kg). In contrast, comparable amounts of procaine ...

Gracilis muscle flap was used to treat a seven year old boy with a one year history of recurrent rectal prolapse. Initial perineal surgery in form of Thiersch stitch resulted into failure to control rectal prolapse and damage to anal sphincter. Graciloplasty corrected both problems.