Abnormal biomechanical properties of the sacroiliac joints are believed to be related to low back and pelvic pain. Presently, physiotherapists judge the condition of the sacroiliac joints by function and provocation tests, and palpation. No objective measuring device is available. Research is ongoing to identify the biomechanical properties of the sacroiliac joints from the dynamic behaviour of...

Recent evidence suggest that exposure to volatile anesthetic agents causes a change in conductance through an undelineated potassium channel. With recently developed genetic and molecular techniques the Drosophila melanogaster (D.m.) genome can be manipulated to study the role that potassium ion channel function plays in anesthetic action. The IA potassium channel is encoded by the Shaker (Sh) ...

The musculo-skeletal response of athletes to various activities during training exercises has become a critical issue in order to optimize their performance and minimize injuries. However, dynamic and kinematic measures of an athlete's activity are generally limited by constraints in data collection and technology. Thus, the choice of reliable and accurate sensors is crucial for gathering data ...

Four subfamilies of voltage-gated K"*" channels {Shaker, Shal, Shab and Shaw) have been defined that are present in many species to regulate neuronal excitability. The well characterized simple leech nervous system is ideal to study the roles K+ channels have in regulating neuronal circuits. As a starting point for studies to examine the role of K+ channels in well defined leech circuitry, we r...

In ether-à-go-go (eag) K(+) channels, extracellular divalent cations bind to the resting voltage sensor and thereby slow activation. Two eag-specific acidic residues in S2 and S3b coordinate the bound ion. Residues located at analogous positions are approximately 4 A apart in the x-ray structure of a Kv1.2/Kv2.1 chimera crystallized in the absence of a membrane potential. It is unknown whether ...

This study investigates blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) short-term variability and spontaneous baroreflex functioning in adult borderline hypertensive rats and normotensive control animals kept on normal-salt diet. Arterial pulse pressure was recorded by radio telemetry. Systolic BP, diastolic BP and HR variabilities and baroreflex were assessed by spectral analysis and the sequence met...

An intermolecular Zn(2+)-binding site was identified in the structure of the T1 domain of the Shaw-type potassium channels (aKv3.1). T1 is a BTB/POZ-type domain responsible for the ordered assembly of voltage-gated potassium channels and interactions with other macromolecules. In this structure, a Zn(2+) ion was found to be coordinated between each of the four assembly interfaces of the T1 tetr...