Correspondence to Kenneth B. Campbell: [email protected] Stretch activation is an intrinsic length-sensing mechanism that allows muscle to function with an autonomous regulation that reduces reliance on extrinsic regulatory systems. This autonomous regulation is most dramatic in asynchronous insect fl ight muscle and gives rise to wing beat frequencies that exceed the frequency capacity o...

Recruitment of stretch-activated channels, one of the mechanisms of mechano-electric feedback, has been shown to influence the stability of scroll waves, the waves that underlie reentrant arrhythmias. However, a comprehensive study to examine the effects of recruitment of stretch-activated channels with different reversal potentials and conductances on scroll wave stability has not been underta...

We have studied whether activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is involved in stretch-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation and protein synthesis in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Cyclic stretch (1 Hz) induced a rapid (within 5 min) phosphorylation of ERK1/2, an effect that was time and strength dependent and inhibited by an EGFR...

1. The connexions between stretch receptors of the wings and motoneurones innervating flight muscles have been studied anatomically and physiologically. 2. Filling with cobaltous chloride shows that the single neurone of a forewing stretch receptor has a complex pattern of branches within the mesothoracic ganglion and branches which extend into the pro- and meta-thoracic ganglia. The single neu...

In the simplest model of channel mechanosensitivity, expanded states are favored by stretch. We showed previously that stretch accelerates voltage-dependent activation and slow inactivation in a Kv channel, but whether these transitions involve expansions is unknown. Thus, while voltage-gated channels are mechanosensitive, it is not clear whether the simplest model applies. For Kv pore opening ...

BACKGROUND Hypercapnia, with its associated acidosis (HCA), is a consequence of respiratory failure and is also seen in critically ill patients managed with conventional "protective" ventilation strategies. Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), a pivotal transcription factor, is activated in the setting of injury and repair and is central to innate immunity. We have previously established that HCA pr...

An imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines is a key factor in the lung injury of premature infants exposed to mechanical ventilation. Previous studies have shown that lung cells exposed to stretch produces reduced amounts of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The objective of these studies was to analyze the signaling mechanisms responsible for the decreased IL-10 ...

The objective of this study was to determine if surgical lengthening of the hamstrings and gastrocnemius/Achilles complex affects muscle tone in patients with cerebral palsy. The question was if the dynamic component of muscle length changes after orthopedic surgery. A retrospective study was performed on ambulatory children with cerebral palsy who underwent either hamstring lengthening or gast...

AIMS Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic modulation plays a pivotal role in atherothrombotic diseases. Thrombin generation at the surface of VSMCs and activation of integrin mechanotransduction pathways represent potential mechanisms. Here, we examine whether mechanical stretch increases thrombin generation on cultured rat aortic VSMCs. METHODS AND RESULTS The integrin α(v)β(3) anta...

BACKGROUND Stretch marks are a disfiguring skin condition of yet unknown etiology. OBJECTIVE We wanted to compare the functional disposition of dermal fibroblasts, derived from unaffected skin of patients with stretch marks and fibroblasts from normal age-matched subjects, and develop a test to predict predisposition to stretch mark development. METHODS Skin biopsies from normal subjects (N...