Muscle
hideMuscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse") is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to produce force and cause motion. Muscles can cause either locomotion of the organism itself or movement of internal organs. Cardiac and smooth muscle contraction occurs without conscious thought and is necessary for survival. Examples are the contraction of the heart and peristalsis which pushes food through the digestive system. Voluntary contraction of the skeletal muscles is used to move the body and can be finely controlled. Examples are movements of the eye, or gross movements like the quadriceps muscle of the thigh. There are two broad types of voluntary muscle fibers: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers contract for long periods of time but with little force while fast twitch fibers contract quickly and powerfully but fatigue very rapidly.
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News tagged with muscle cells
Two cardiovascular proteins pose a double whammy in Alzheimer's
Biology /
Dec 21, 2008 |
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Researchers have found that two proteins which work in tandem in the brain's blood vessels present a double whammy in Alzheimer's disease. Not only do the proteins lessen blood flow in the brain, but they also reduce the ...
Heart cells on lab chip display 'nanosense' that guides behavior
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
16 hours ago |
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Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers, working with colleagues in Korea, have produced a laboratory chip with nanoscopic grooves and ridges capable of growing cardiac tissue that more closely resembles natural ...
Muscle cell infusion shown to strengthen sphincters in animals
Dec 04, 2009 |
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A new study shows that muscle cells grown in the lab can restore an intestine's ability to squeeze shut properly. The work, performed in dogs and rats, might ultimately help treat patients with conditions such as gastric ...
Systems biology approach provides insulin resistance insights
Nov 23, 2009 |
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Researchers from the University of California, San Diego recently offered the sharpest-yet picture of how core biochemical pathways in skeletal muscle cells and fat cells are altered in people who suffer from ...
Investigating muscle repair, scientists follow their noses
Nov 16, 2009 |
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When muscle cells need repair, they use odor-detecting tools found in the nose to start the process, researchers have discovered.
Researchers reverse pulmonary arterial hypertension in mouse models
Oct 25, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key protein that promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans and mice. This groundbreaking discovery has implications for ...
New strategy for mending broken hearts?
Oct 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- By mimicking the way embryonic stem cells develop into heart muscle in a lab, Duke University bioengineers believe they have taken an important first step toward growing a living "heart patch" ...
Major improvements made in engineering heart repair patches from stem cells (w/ Video)
Oct 07, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
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University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts.
Detached gecko tails dance to their own tune
Sep 09, 2009 |
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Geckos and other lizards have long been known for their incredible ability to shed their tails as a decoy for predators, but little is known about the movements and what controls the tail once it separates ...
Scientists create energy-burning brown fat in mice
Jul 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If ...
Tension in axons is essential for synaptic signaling, researchers report
Jul 20, 2009 |
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Every time a neuron sends a signal - to move a muscle or form a memory, for example - tiny membrane-bound compartments, called vesicles, dump neurotransmitters into the synapse between the cells. Researchers ...
MicroRNAs hold promise for treating diseases in blood vessels
Jul 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A newly discovered mechanism controls whether muscle cells in blood vessels hasten the development of both atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, according to an article published online ...
Human cardiac master stem cells identified
Jul 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified the earliest master human heart stem cell from human embryonic stem cells - ISL1+ progenitors - that ...
Extreme makeover: Scientists explore new way to change cell's identity
May 05, 2009 |
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Even cells aren't immune to peer pressure. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have now shown that skin cells can be coaxed to behave like muscle cells -- and muscle cells like skin cells -- solely by ...
Heart attacks: The tipping point
Apr 27, 2009 |
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Twenty percent of American deaths each year are caused by heart attack or angina, sometimes without any warning.
