Salk researchers make fast strides towards understanding how our body controls walking
...ng's laboratory. Whether fish or fowl, the muscle contractions that allow us to move generally have certain rhythmic properties. It has been known for some time that a central pattern generator (CPG) specialized groups of neurons in the spinal cord functions as the control and command center for these rhythmic...Researchers now able to look deep into heart to view triggers of a heart's beat
...s below the surface of the heart where the cardiac contractions are initiated and propagated. "What exactly causes arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death remains an important question we hope to answer through our studies that make use of a combination of novel imaging approaches. Toward this end, these dyes have ...Climate change may threaten species of amphibians and reptiles in southwestern Europe
...ojected climate change could trigger massive range contractions among amphibian and reptile species in the southwe...worse. However, increases in aridity could trigger contractions in the distributions of nearly all species occurring in the southwest of Europe, including Portugal,...UF scientists reverse muscle contractions in mouse model of muscular dystrophy
...ve used gene therapy to eliminate disabling muscle contractions in a mouse model of the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. The inherited disorder, known as myotonic dystrophy, is found in one of every 8,000 people and causes skeletal muscles to lose the ability to relax once they contract. "...Researchers devise new tools to help pinpoint treatments for heart failure
...nd neurotransmitters to try to make the heart cell contractions return to normal strength. However, like an exhausted athlete being exhorted by a screaming coach to run faster, the beta-adrenergic receptor control system becomes unresponsive and the heart loses its ability to respond to changes in the body's dema...UC Davis researchers move biotechnology closer to replacing electronic pacemakers
...cemaker, generates cardiac rhythms for coordinated contractions and blood pumping. Malfunctions due to aging or diseases can lead to a range of potentially lethal arrhythmias, such as slow heart rates or rhythms called bradycardias. In the current study, the researchers delivered a gene encoding a bioengineered...Seals protect brain, conserve oxygen by turning off shivering response on icy dives
...is an involuntary response that consists of muscle contractions which produce warmth. Mammals and birds are physiologically programmed to shiver when body temperature drops below a certain "set-point." While breathing air, seals shiver just like other animals. But when they dive below the surface in frigid wate...Botulism study could lead to new vaccines and treatments to counter bioterrorist attacks
...m), lazy eye (strabismus), involuntary neck muscle contractions (cervical dystonia) and even symptoms of cerebral palsy.Botulinum neurotoxins have become powerful therapeutic tools in the treatment of neurological, ophthalmic and other disorders caused by abnormal, excessive or inappropriate muscle contractions, ...Biodesign Institute takes part in $14.4M NIH chemical defense grant
...h excretion of tears and saliva to powerful muscle contractions in the gut, heart and lungs. Consequently, nerve a...ralysis and death. The trigger behind the muscle contractions is a chemical messenger, acetylcholine, which communicates and transmits signals between nerves, and...Fruit flies may pave way to new treatments for age-related heart disease
...s with the KCNQ mutation exhibited prolonged heart contractions and irregular beats seen usually in older flies (and older people). To enable their study of the fly heart, the researchers created new methods to dissect the hearts, and quantify heart contractility and other functions by using a movie camera to cap...Improving outcomes in premature births
.... In previous studies of drugs to suppress labor contractions to allow the fetus more time to develop in utero, some drugs were able to delay delivery, but none improved the babys health outcome. This study is the first to show that the baby benefited from the therapy, especially those who are born very prematu...Exercise reverses aging in human skeletal muscle
...kly sessions ran an hour in length and involved 30 contractions of each muscle group involved, similar to training sessions available at most fitness centers. The strength test was based on knee flexion. The older participants, while generally active, had never participated in formal weight training said co-...When the villain becomes your friend: The strange tale of muscle lactate
...c acid and adrenaline on the processes that signal contractions in skeletal muscles. Using rat muscles, the study examined the combined effect of potassium ions, lactic acid and adrenaline on the electrical signalling system that serves to forward the activating signals from the brain to the muscle fibres where c...Land conversion and climate threaten land birds
...ing climate, a process that would lessen the range contractions they predict. While climate change will be the principal driver of range contractions at higher latitudes, their projections reveal that land conversion (e.g., deforestation, conversion ...St. Jude study solves mystery of mammalian ears
...ther, there is no connection between the hair cell contractions and how the cilia do their job. Instead, somatic motility, generated by prestin, is the key to the superior hearing of mammals. ...Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits
...at have undergone major copy number expansions and contractions in different primate lineages spanning approximate..., lineage-specific gene copy number expansions and contractions in humans may underlie traits such as endurance running, higher cognitive function, and susceptibili...