NIAMS scientists find biochemical 'switch' directs muscle building
...emselves to becoming mature cells that form muscle fibers (myotubules). It has been known for some time that deacetylase prevents the skeletal muscle gene from being expressed, which inhibits myoblasts from forming muscle. The research team has found that under...Kin of people with heart disease have tangled clots
... at which the clot forms, and the thickness of the fibers was tested. Scanning electron microscopy, which helps visualize clot structure differences, was performed on selected samples. Under the microscope, the abnormal clots look like tightly tangled hair. By analyzing these components, the researchers ...Artificial liver trials show progress, as transplant candidates wait
...he body and into a plastic tube filled with hollow fibers made of a membrane that has been coated with albumin. On one side of the fiber's membrane is the blood; on the other, a dialysis solution containing more albumin. The toxins on the albumin in the patient's blood are attracted to the albumin on the me...Skin test may detect subarachnoid hemorrhage risk
...ron microscope to examine the collagen and elastic fibers of the skin. The team took skin biopsies from 21 patients with intracranial aneurysm (average age 44) without signs of connective tissue disorders. Seventeen of them had suffered a subarachnoid stroke. They found that seven patients had connec...Mutation in 'elastic' gene linked to early coronary heart disease
...hat it most likely plays a role in keeping elastic fibers healthy. The mutated ABCC6 gene causes pseudoxanth...0,000 people. PXE causes the breakdown of elastic fibers and tissues become hardened with calcium. Cardiovascular signs of PXE include premature coronary ar...Post-transplant nerve regrowth better with young hearts, quick surgery
...ning sign of coronary blockage. Sympathetic nerve fibers are severed during heart transplant surgery. Rein..., surgical dissection of the nerves requires nerve fibers to regrow along arteries to reach the new heart," Bengel says. "Extensive scar tissue along this pa...Muscle stem cells show promise against muscular dystrophy in mouse model
... of muscular dystrophy, numerous dystrophin muscle fibers developed, suggesting that transplanting these cells into dystrophic muscle could potentially help restore function for a time. The results may also signal that some of the major obstacles to muscle cell transplantation low cell survival rate,...U-M artificial lung showing promise, as need grows
... artificial implantable lung that uses tiny hollow fibers and the heart's own pumping power to oxygenate blo...pulmonary artery into the chamber, past the hollow fibers with tiny micropores that exchange oxygen from the air with carbon dioxide from the blood. The lack ...Diabetes drugs may help multiple sclerosis sufferers
...ance that insulates nerve fibers, along with nerve fibers themselves. "The causes of MS are not completely understood," Feinstein says. "However, it is known that activated lymphocytes in the bloodstream enter the brain, where they produce toxic substances that eventually cause damage to the myelin-forming ...Peptide promotes new growth in injured spinal cords
... inserted into the spinal canal. A number of nerve fibers did grow back and the rats were able to walk bette...rowth in older injuries because some damaged nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord just sit there," he said. "If we had some way to block these inhibitors...Study finds widespread sympathetic nerve damage in Parkinson's disease
...atever causes the loss of dopamine-producing nerve fibers in the brain also causes the loss of sympathetic n... nerve fiber loss in the heart suggests that these fibers gradually die back over time, Dr. Goldstein notes. However, more study is needed to determine what ...Clinical depression may have negative effect on periodontal treatment
...s bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth. When this happens, gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets that fill with plaque and even more infection. As the disease progresses, these pockets deepen even further, more gum tissue and ...Enzyme halts muscle waste in mouse models of most-common childhood muscular dystrophy
...otein called dystrophin, which helps anchor muscle fibers to the connective tissue surrounding them. Losing dystrophin is like losing the foundation of your house, Martin said. Without that foundation, the house falls apart. Without dystrophin, muscles affected by DMD become damaged and break. Martin dis...Study could lead to exercise-mimicking drug
...ed to different forms of exercise. Skeletal muscle fibers consist of two types -- "slow-twitch" muscle that can handle long-term, low-level loads, and "fast-twitch" muscle that responds to abrupt heavy loads. In remodeling, sudden heavy exercise such as weightlifting makes muscles larger while sustained exe...Body piercing may not be so cool after all
...s bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth) tongue piercing may cause other complications such as tongue swelling, difficulties with chewing, swallowing and speech, increase of saliva flow, localized tissue overgrowth and metal hypersensi...Penn finds atrial fibrilation cure eliminates need for pacemakers, medicine
...ter-based ablation procedure isolates the abnormal fibers that cause them. The Penn team has developed what it believes are the optimal recording strategies and pacing techniques for identifying the affected veins rapidly and confirming the effectiveness of the isolation procedure. "We've been working on t...Second patient with multiple sclerosis undergoes groundbreaking surgery at Yale
...erosis, the immune system attacks the brains nerve fibers and strips away the protective myelin sheath around nerve fibers in the spinal cord and brain. The resulting lesions make it difficult for the nerves to transmit mes...Brown researchers find new photoreceptor and visual system in the eye
...ct pipeline to the brain. The cells send out nerve fibers which travel within the optic nerve and connect with the clock region in the brain. We think this population of cells plays a role in setting the circadian clock and probably in a variety of other functions where all the brain needs to know is how br...New study confirms periodontal disease linked to heart disease
...s bacterial infections that destroy the attachment fibers and supporting bone that hold your teeth in your mouth. When this happens, gums separate from the teeth, forming pockets that fill with plaque and even more infection. As the disease progresses, these pockets deepen even further, more gum tissue and ...Spiral waves break hearts: Importance of communication between cardiac cells is demonstrated
...hrough cardiac tissue and cause the heart's muscle fibers to contract. In a healthy heart, these electrical impulses travel smoothly and unobstructed, like a water wave that ripples gently in a pond. However, for reasons that have not been perfectly understood, these waves can sometimes develop into troub...