Latest Skeletal muscle Stories
When cardiac or skeletal muscle is not receiving enough oxygen to meet metabolic demands, a person will experience pain, such as angina, chest pain during a heart attack, or leg pain during a vigorous sprint. This type of pain is called "ischemic" pain and is sensed in the body by receptors on sensory neurons. It has been suggested that lactic acid, which increases during muscle exertion under conditions where oxygen is low, is a potential mediator of ischemic pain via action at...
Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder reported Wednesday that certain types of stem cells transplanted into the leg muscles of mice prevented the loss of muscle function and mass that typically occurs with aging.The researchers injected the stem cells into the muscles of injured mice, and observed that the muscles grew back twice as large in just a few days, creating bulky mice with bulging muscles that remained strong and big for the rest of their lives.The findings could...
Researchers at Stanford University were able to use light to induce normal patterns of muscle contraction, in a study involving bioengineered mice whose nerve-cell surfaces are coated with special light-sensitive proteins.The new approach allows scientists to more accurately reproduce muscle firing order, making it a valuable research tool. The investigators, from Stanford's Schools of Medicine and of Engineering, also believe this technique could someday spawn practical applications, from...
Findings add new dimension to how memories are encoded, suggest new therapeutic targetsFunctioning much like gears in a machine, cellular motor proteins are critical to dynamic functions throughout the body, including muscle contraction, cell migration and cellular growth processes. Now, neuroscientists from UC Irvine and the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute report that motor proteins also play a critical role in the stabilization of long-term memories. The findings add an...
Scientists from Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences have in collaboration with colleagues at Harvard University discovered a novel molecular pathway which is activated in muscles during exercise. Skeletal muscles combust both lipids and carbohydrates during exercise. The carbohydrates consist of both glycogen stored in the muscles as well as glucose extracted from the blood. Being a major sink for glucose disposal, skeletal muscle represents an important model tissue for studying the...
Current gym dogma holds that to build muscle size you need to lift heavy weights. However, a new study conducted at McMaster University has shown that a similar degree of muscle building can be achieved by using lighter weights. The secret is to pump iron until you reach muscle fatigue.The findings are published in PLoS ONE http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012033"Rather than grunting and straining to lift heavy weights, you can grab something much...
There are major shifts underway in understanding the physiological mechanisms that control muscle contraction, a field that has been the focus of intense research for centuries. Last September, leading muscle researchers from around the world gathered to discuss new findings, insights, and current questions in the field as part of the 63rd Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists (SGP) on "Muscle in Health and Disease."Inspired by the SGP discussions, the latest...
BALTIMORE, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the best post-exercise recovery drinks could already be in your refrigerator, according to new research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference this week. In a series of four studies, researchers found that chocolate milk offered a recovery advantage to help repair and rebuild muscles, compared to specially designed carbohydrate sports drinks. Experts agree that the two-hour window after exercise is an important, yet often...
HSP10 (Heat Shock Protein), helps monitor and organize protein interactions in the body, and responds to environmental stresses, such as exercise and infection, by increasing its production inside cells. Researchers at Liverpool, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of California, found that excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria "“ 'organs' that act as energy generators in cells "“ can halt the body's ageing process by preserving muscle strength.HSP10 occurs...
Post-meal blood vessel expansion naturally occurs in young, not old, and restoration through drug therapy could dramatically improve strength and health of eldersWhy do people become physically weaker as they age? And is there any way to slow, stop, or even reverse this process, breaking the link between increasing age and frailty?In a paper published online May 19 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers present...
