PURPOSE Implement a laceration protocol of the rat lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and following-up its repair with ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), contractility tests and histology. METHODS Sixty-three male Wistar rats were distributed into two groups. One, with sub-groups GI, GII and GIII (n=12), each containing right LG lacerated (n=6), control and sham (n=3) animals. LG muscles in GI, GII and ...

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether PDE4D regulates basal cardiac contractility. Methods and Results: At 10 to 12 weeks of age, baseline cardiac contractility in PDE4D-deficient (PDE4D / ) mice was elevated mice in vivo and in Langendorff perfused hearts, whereas isolated PDE4D / cardiomyocytes showed increased whole-cell Ca transient amplitudes and SR Ca content but unch...

OBJECTIVES To assess the postoperative lower urinary tract function in patients undergoing pelvic organ prolapse surgery. METHODS A total of 24 women with advanced anterior vaginal wall prolapse underwent transvaginal repair using a polypropylene mesh. The preoperative, 1-week and 3-month postoperative evaluations were carried out by urodynamics. Maximal flow rate detrusor pressure at maximal...

Ligation of integrins with extracellular matrix molecules induces the clustering of actin and actin-binding proteins to focal adhesions, which serves to mechanically couple the matrix with the cytoskeleton. During wound healing and development, matrix deposition and remodeling may impart additional tensile forces that modulate integrin-mediated cell functions, including cell migration and proli...

Diseased myocardium from humans and experimental animal models shows heightened expression and activity of a specific subtype of phospholipase C (PLC), the splice variant PLCβ1b. Previous studies from our group showed that increasing PLCβ1b expression in adult mouse hearts by viral transduction was sufficient to cause sustained contractile dysfunction of rapid onset, which was maintained indefi...

The incidence of gallbladder illness increases with age, but the altered mechanisms leading to gallbladder dysfunction are poorly understood. Here we determine the age-related alterations in gallbladder contractility and the impact of melatonin treatment. Isometric tension changes in response to electrical field stimulation and to agonists were recorded from guinea pig gallbladder muscle strips...

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the viability of a muscle tissue, it is essential to measure the tissue's contractile performance as well as to control its structure. Accurate contractility data can aid in development of more effective and safer drugs. This can be accomplished with a robust in vitro contractility assay applicable to various types of muscle tissue. METHODS The devices developed in th...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a fundamental role in diabetic heart failure. The cardioprotective miRNA-133a (miR-133a) is downregulated, and contractility is decreased in diabetic hearts. Norepinephrine (NE) is a key catecholamine that stimulates contractility by activating β-adrenergic receptors (β-AR). NE is synthesized from tyrosine by the rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and tyros...