reports have shown the antioxidant, hypotensive, hypolipidemic and vasodilatory effects of grape (vitis vinifera l.) seed extract. we have recently shown the relaxatory effect of grape leaf extract on rat uterus and reduction of frog heart rate and contractility. the aim of the present study was to investigate the relaxant effect of vitis vinifera leaf hydroalcoholic extract (vlhe) on rat thora...

We introduce and study a new containment relation in graphs – lift contractions. H is a lift contraction of G if H can be obtained from G by a sequence of edge lifts and edge contractions. We show that a graph contains every n-vertex graph as a lift contraction, if (1) its treewidth is large enough, or (2) its pathwidth is large enough and it is 2-connected, or (3) its order is large enough and...

Autonomic and somatic motor neurons that innervate the urinary bladder and urethra control the highly coordinated functions of the lower urinary tract, the storage, and the emptying of urine. ACh is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the bladder. Here, we aimed to determine whether PKA regulates neuronal ACh release and related nerve-evoked detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) contractions in t...

Skeletal muscles can be injured by lengthening contractions, when the muscles are stretched while activated. Lengthening contractions produce structural damage that leads to the degeneration and regeneration of damaged muscle fibers by mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated at the time of injury may initiate degenerative or regenerative processes...

The aim of this study was to determine the functional role of muscarinic receptor subtypes regulating gallbladder cholinergic contractions. Electrical field stimulation (EFS; 16 Hz) produced contractile responses of guinea pig gallbladder muscle strips in vitro that were inhibited by 1 μM tetrodotoxin (2 ± 2% of control) and 1 μM atropine (1 ± 1% of control), indicating activation of intrinsic ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate within- and between-days reliability of two normalization methods of surface electromyography (sEMG) recordings of the trapezius muscle. METHODS Nineteen women were allocated into 2 groups (healthy and with neck-shoulder pain). The sEMG was recorded in two sessions with 7 days in between sessions. The four portions of the trapezius muscle (the clavicular and acromial fib...

Galanin, a neuropeptide that is widely distributed in the esophageal nerves, is known to exert a neuromodulatory action in the gut. These studies examined the effect of galanin and galanin antagonists on esophageal peristalsis in anesthetized opossums in vivo. Intraluminal esophageal pressures were recorded at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter. Esophageal peristaltic con...

OBJECTIVES To understand the mechanisms underlying ejaculation dysfunction caused by α1A-adrenocetor (AR) antagonists, the effects of α1A-AR antagonists on the contractile responses of the seminal vesicle were investigated. METHODS Isolated seminal vesicles from guinea pigs were cannulated and pressurized, and the changes in the intraluminal pressure were recorded. Periodic applications of el...

Fatigability is highly task dependent wherein motor unit (MU) discharge rates and recruitment thresholds are affected differently depending on whether contractions are performed at maximal or submaximal intensities. Although much is described for isometric tasks, the behavior of MU properties during the production of maximal velocity dynamic contractions following submaximal fatiguing contracti...