Current Basic And Pathological Approaches To The Function Of Muscle Cells And Tissues

This volume contains 17 short review articles classified into 3 parts. Part I consists of 7 articles dealing with basic aspects of contractile mechanism in skeletal and smooth muscle cells and also function of melanocytes having many properties common to those of smooth muscles. Part II and Part III contain articles dealing with pathological aspects of cardiac and smooth muscle cell functions, and dealing with factors influencing structure and function of cardiac and smooth muscle cells and tissues. The Editor believes that these articles are stimulating and informative for readers interested in basic, pathological and clinical aspects of muscle cells and tissues.

In order to complete tissue regeneration, various cells (neuronal, skeletal and smooth) interact coordinately with each other. This book, Muscle Cell and Tissue - Current Status of Research Field, deals with current progress and perspectives in a variety of topics on the skeletal and smooth muscle, stem cells, regeneration, disease or therapeutics. Novel applications for cell and tissue engineering including cell therapy, tissue models and disease pathology modeling are introduced. This book also deals with the differentiation/de-differentiation process of vascular smooth muscle cells in health and disease. Furthermore, natural products to reverse metabolic syndromes are descriptively reviewed. These chapters can be interesting for graduate students, teachers, physicians, executives and researchers in the field of molecular biology and regenerative medicine.

Every year workers' low-back, hand, and arm problems lead to time away from jobs and reduce the nation's economic productivity. The connection of these problems to workplace activities-from carrying boxes to lifting patients to pounding computer keyboards-is the subject of major disagreements among workers, employers, advocacy groups, and researchers. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace examines the scientific basis for connecting musculoskeletal disorders with the workplace, considering people, job tasks, and work environments. A multidisciplinary panel draws conclusions about the likelihood of causal links and the effectiveness of various intervention strategies. The panel also offers recommendations for what actions can be considered on the basis of current information and for closing information gaps. This book presents the latest information on the prevalence, incidence, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders and identifies factors that influence injury reporting. It reviews the broad scope of evidence: epidemiological studies of physical and psychosocial variables, basic biology, biomechanics, and physical and behavioral responses to stress. Given the magnitude of the problem-approximately 1 million people miss some work each year-and the current trends in workplace practices, this volume will be a must for advocates for workplace health, policy makers, employers, employees, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, and labor officials.

The loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength substantially impairs physical performance and quality of life. This book details some approaches to the treatment of muscle wasting. It also reviews novel applications against pulmonary arterial hypertension such as cell reprogramming and the use of anticancer drugs that induce programmed cell death. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the most prevalent cell types in blood vessels and serve critical regulatory roles. This publication also introduces mathematical models concerning the molecular mechanism and targets of cyclic guanosine 3'2,5'2-monophosphate (cGMP) in the contraction of VSMCs. This book will be of interest to professionals in clinical practice, medical and health care students, and researchers working in muscle-related fields of science.

The biological membranes of cellular organization enfold an important group of membrane proteins called the ATPases, which are not only versatile in maintaining chemical gradient and electrical potential across the membrane but also bring metabolites necessary for cell metabolism and drive out toxins, waste products and solutes that otherwise can curb cell functions. ATPases are distributed virtually in all live forms starting from unicellular to multicellular and also in viruses. There are different types of ATPases, which differ in function and structure and in the type of ions they transport. The three main types of the ion pump ATPase family are: (i) P-type ATPases that transport different ions across membranes and Ca2+ATPases belongs to this catagory (ii) F-type ATPase in mitochondria, chloroplasts and bacterial plasma membranes produce ATP using the proton gradient; and (iii) V-type ATPase catalyzes ATP hydrolysis to transport solutes and maintains acidic pH in organelles like lysosomes. Genetic defects in either of the ATPases cause several diseases and a number of researches have demonstrated the involvement of the members of ATPases in the cell pathology and diseases, thereby penetrating exciting new areas of our understanding. In this book, the authors summarize recent knowledge about the molecular mechanisms associated with Ca2+-ATPase, V-ATPase and F-ATPase in intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ transport, mitochondrial ATP synthase, vesicular H+ transport, and lysosomal pH regulation. This book thereby bridges the gap between fundamental research and biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The book provides an informative resource to improve ATPase research and modern therapeutic approaches toward different life threatening diseases that are associated with dysregulation of the ATPases.

The Vertebrate Pigmentary System: From pigment cells to Disorders provides readers with fundamental knowledge of the structural and functional aspects of vertebrate pigment cells - melanophores and melanocytes - from their origin to different stages of development to related diseases. Chapters of the book explain the specific regulatory receptors and markers, signaling pathways of skin melanocytes along with the diseases (hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation) in humans associated with their disruption. Concurrently, the etiologies of pigmentary disorders and the various therapeutic approaches for their treatment are presented in focused chapters of the book with updated information from recent publications. A summary of natural product based treatment for hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation rounds up the contents. This reference is a basic guide for medical students and dermatology residents, and a handy source of information for students, researchers, academicians in the field of pigment cell biology, pharmacology and cosmetology.