Smooth in Biological News

Heart protein regulates blood vessel maintenance

... genes necessary for the quiescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs), which line blood vessels. Vascular smooth muscle cells undergo a process in diseases such ... Proteins) play a role in the maintenance of smooth muscle cells in the pulmonary artery. In this ...

Single gene defect can cause stroke, other artery diseases

... Center at Houston. The study, "Mutations in smooth Muscle Alpha-Actin (ACTA2) Cause Early Onset ... arteries become occluded. The main function of smooth muscle cells is to contract in response to the ... pathology from mutant aortas and analysis of smooth muscle cells removed from patients and grown in ...

High blood pressure takes big toll on small filtering units of the kidney

... the small vessel to stretch. That stretch prompts smooth muscle cells on the vessel wall to release ATP, a ... one, he says. Whether ATP really comes from smooth muscle cells is another. University of ... high pressures tugging the tethers connecting smooth muscle cells to others in the blood vessel wall ...

Protein identified that plays role in blood flow

... the role of specific proteins and the vascular smooth muscle cells that control the mechanical activity ... to particular proteins located on the surface of smooth muscle cells from the blood vessel wall. When force was applied to the proteins, the smooth muscle cells reacted, and constricted or ...

New paradigm for cell-specific gene delivery

... the group previously identified a region of a smooth muscle cell-specific promoter that was able to ... carrying this sequence uniquely in cultured smooth muscle cells but in no other cell type. In their ... gene transfer and expression specifically to smooth muscle cells. They have also developed a novel ...

New source of heart stem cells discovered

... of the heart: heart muscle cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and the endothelial cells lining ... epicardial cells are known to give rise to smooth muscle and endothelial cells during coronary ... only differentiated into cardiomyocytes, but also smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts ...

Ancient protein offers clues to killer condition

... discovery. Myosin 2s function is to make the smooth muscle in internal organs tense and relax ... Myosin molecules generate tension in smooth muscle by adhering to form a filament, which ... structure. This folded structure allows the smooth muscles to adjust to being different lengths so ...

Three Dimensional Visualization of Right Ventricle Provides Important Information for Treatment of Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot, According to a Study in The American Journal of Cardiology

... Model Created Using Piecewise smooth Subdivision Surface Provides Both Shape and ... in Seattle, Wash. The study used piecewise smooth subdivision reconstruction to create three ... much quicker." Researchers apply the piecewise smooth subdivision surface method by tracing heart ...

High blood pressure in older adults traced to gene's effects in blood vessels

... traced to a series of interactions within the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels that causes those ... of the human profilin 1 gene in the vascular smooth muscle cells and observed the changes to the ... because vascular disease originates in the smooth muscle cells, which have significant impact on ...

Life-threatening gene defect located by UT-Houston researchers

... aortic disease. The study, Mutations in smooth Muscle Alpha-Actin (ACTA2) Lead to Thoracic ... and Australia, led the team to a mutation in the smooth muscle cell alpha-actin (ACTA2), which affects ... Our results suggest that contraction of the smooth muscle cells in the aorta is important in keeping ...

Urban myth disproved: Fingerprints do not improve grip friction

... contact with the Perspex was always 33% less than if the fingerpads were smooth resulting in the maximum contact area. Fingerprints definitely don't ... in some circumstances. So if fingerprints don't tighten our grasp on smooth surfaces, what are they for? Ennos explains that our fingerprints may ...

Male impotence drugs may deserve a second look in women

... aspects. MCG researchers have shown part of that complexity may be the smooth muscle cells in the internal pudendal arteries of females communicate, agreeing to contract and relax, while male smooth muscle cells make independent decisions to just relax. They found one ...

New generation of orthopedic, dental and cardiovascular prostheses

... some cells stick better to these surfaces than they do to the traditional smooth ones," says Dr. Nanci. "This is already an improvement to the standard ... growth of unwanted cells and stimulated stem cells, relative to untreated smooth ones. In addition, expression of genes required for cell adhesion and ...

Tilting at wind farms

... so the power output of wind farms can be variable. Proposed measures to smooth these power fluctuations usually involve the installation of units of ... at times when wind speeds are too high for system stability. Technology to smooth the power supply and prevent blackouts due to the tripping of safety ...

Sticky questions tackled in gecko research

... that has been done has looked at how geckos can walk on glass and other smooth surfaces, but of course their feet evolved for moving over very different ... rough and unpredictable terrain poses quite different problems than does smooth and even ones. This calls for examining both the animals and the terrain ...

Toll of climate change on world food supply could be worse than thought

... more rapid problems remains largely unexplored. The projections show a smooth curve, but a smooth curve has never happened in human history, said Tubiello. Things happen ...

Stuff of stink bombs investigated for role in pregnancy

... been gathering over the last ten years that the gas hydrogen sulphide has a signalling role in the body. Hydrogen sulphide has been shown to relax smooth muscle in the body and it may have a role in inflammation." "For the past decade, I have studied the role of hydrogen sulphide in the female ...

Telomeres resemble DNA fragile sites

... fragile sites where DNA replication can stall and go awry. But what keeps our fragile telomeres from falling apart is a protein that ensures the smooth progression of DNA replication to the end of a chromosome. The research, led by Titia de Lange, head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and ...

New MRI technique could mean fewer breast biopsies in high-risk women

... lesion based on characteristics about its shape. For example, breaks or interruptions in a lesion can indicate a benign fibroadenoma. Lumps with smooth edges often are benign, while those with jagged edges can signal cancer. To generate the kind of crisp, three-dimensional images necessary for ...

First riser-drilling research operations undertaken

... about 1.0 knots, relatively slow for the current speed usually observed in the Kumano Basin. Yet, fairings are to be mounted onto to a riser pipe to smooth the hydrodynamic flow behind the riser pipe (to reduce riser drag) and suppress the vortex-induced vibration under high current conditions. The ...

How mitochondria get their membranes bent

... This release is available in German . Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells. Underneath their smooth surface they harbor an elaborately folded inner membrane. It holds a multitude of bottleneck like invaginations, which expand into elongated cavities ...

Nontoxic hull coating resists barnacles, may save ship owners millions

... in nature, where rough surfaces such as shark skin generally stay free of debris buildup. In contrast, other marine species, such as whales, have smooth skin but often carry barnacles as unwanted hitchhikers. ...

Sweden to host 1.3 billion Euro research center

... phase." He added: "Although final agreements on the funding of ESS have still to be negotiated, the decision on the siting of ESS will certainly smooth the way for those negotiations. European science is now much closer to having the world leading neutron source it deserves" Although the ...

Non-toxic hull coating resists barnacles, may save ship owners millions

... in nature, where rough surfaces such as shark skin generally stay free of debris buildup. In contrast, other marine species, such as whales, have smooth skin but often carry barnacles as unwanted hitchhikers. ...

Comprehensive genetic study paves way for new blood-pressure medicines

... with blood-pressure regulation, and in an area on chromosome 17q21 there is the phopholipase gene, PLCD3, which is important for signaling in smooth muscles. ...

Sensoring the World Wide Web

... different types of sensing devices, and a new standard to enable sensors to interact using the Web, in the W3C's XML format. "Together, they will smooth the way for large scale interoperation of sensors and sensor networks-an important step in enabling a world wide web of environmental sensors," Dr ...

GOCE's electric ion propulsion engine switched on

... electrons stripped away by an electric discharge generated from solar energy. The ions are ejected toward the rear, giving a very gentle, steady and smooth thrust. The electric ion propulsion system comprises two redundant thruster units mounted externally on the last panel of the satellite. The ...

UniPixel Announces Availability of Opcuity(TM) Finger Print Resistant Film Test Samples

... smudges while maintaining an optically clear view of the device display. The film also provides scratch protection, anti-glare and offers a silky smooth touch interface for device users' fingers. UniPixel has been working to perfect the production technique and to prove its compatibility with ...

Synthesizing the most natural of all skin creams

... Even after nine months soaking in the womb, a newborn's skin is smooth unlike an adult's in the bath. While occupying a watery, warm environment, the newborn manages to develop a skin fully equipped to protect it in a ...

Iowa Power Fund advances researcher’s long quest for efficient solar power

... nurture a technology in its infancy, how do we grow a mature technology? I'm hoping Iowa State can become a leader in this field and help make a smooth transition from our current technology." That current technology has been a booming business. The Solar Energy Industries Association based in ...

Will large amounts of soil carbon be released if grasslands are converted to energy crops?

... of no-till production systems to conserve the sequestered soil organic carbon (SOC). The effect of no-till conversion of land that had been in smooth bromegrass for 13 years to no-till corn production on soil organic carbon in eastern Nebraska was observed for 6 years by USDA scientists. The ...

New asthma research opposes current drug treatment, says UH prof

... the currently used beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonists (or stimulants). The beta-2 adrenoreceptor is a receptor found in many cells, including the smooth muscle lining the airways, and has long been a target for asthma drugs. However, a recent study shows the absence of asthma-like symptoms in a mouse ...

City of Newark first in nation using cars to power grid

... renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, become a larger fraction of our electric generation, energy storage will help grid operators smooth power output fluctuations. "Wind tends to blow stronger at night when the electric load is low," he said. "If electric vehicles charged at night ...

The quest for specific anti-inflammatory treatment

... do not generate prostaglandin, as does C1P and, thereby, do not produce any inflammation. The three analogues mentioned have been tested with smooth muscle cells, with macrophages and with cancerous lung cells. The best results were obtained with the second and third type of cell. These types have ...

Researchers create new class of fluorescent dyes to detect reactive oxygen species in vivo

... they tested the ability of hydro-Cy3, which has an emission wavelength of 560 nanometers, to detect reactive oxygen species production in the aortic smooth muscle cells of rats. They incubated the cells with hydro-Cy3 and angiotensin II, which is a stimulator of reactive oxygen species that is implicated ...

Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies

... body from the smallest capillaries to the largest arteries and even the heart itself. This layer separates the blood from the vessel walls and the smooth muscles whose contractions restrict and control blood flow. These muscle contractions are controlled by proteins called endothelins manufactured by ...

12 outstanding young scientists named as EMBO Young Investigators

... promising European young researchers at a critical stage of their scientific careers. Young group leaders receive a range of benefits designed to smooth the transition during the start up of their first independent research laboratories and as they develop reputations in the scientific community. EMBO ...

Study may explain exercise-induced fatigue in muscular dystrophies

... Kobayashi added. The enzyme nNOS makes a signaling molecule called nitric oxide, which stimulates production of a chemical called cGMP that causes smooth muscle around blood vessels to relax thereby increasing blood flow. This nitric oxide signaling pathway is turned off by phosphodiesterase (PDE), ...

Biophysical Society selects 2009 Distinguished Service, Emily M. Gray and Society Fellow recipients

... their interactions; Mark T. Nelson, University of Vermont, for his important contributions to explaining complex physiological processes in smooth muscle function; and Diane Papazian, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, for her contributions to the physiology and biophysics of ion ...

Natural and social sciences: ICSU embraces the need to work more closely together

... becoming the major global social scientific player alongside, and in collaboration with, ICSU in addressing key global challenges. But its not all smooth sailing. There are barriers that must be overcome: natural and social scientists speak different languages; many institutions are not equipped to ...