The whistle and the rattle: the design of sound producing muscles.

Vertebrate sound producing muscles often operate at frequencies exceeding 100 Hz, making them the fastest vertebrate muscles. Like other vertebrate muscle, these sonic muscles are "synchronous," necessitating that calcium be released and resequestered by the sarcoplasmic reticulum during each contraction cycle. Thus to operate at such high frequencies, vertebrate sonic muscles require extreme adaptations. We have found that to generate the "boatwhistle" mating call (approximately 200 Hz), the swimbladder muscle fibers of toadfish have evolved (i) a large and very fast calcium transient, (ii) a fast crossbridge detachment rate, and (iii) probably a fast kinetic off-rate of Ca2+ from troponin. The fibers of the shaker muscle of rattlesnakes have independently evolved similar traits, permitting tail rattling at approximately 90 Hz.

Functional protection of dystrophic mouse (mdx) muscles after adenovirus-mediated transfer of a dystrophin minigene.

Fast skeletal muscles of mdx (X chromosome-linked muscular dystrophy) mice were injected after birth with a recombinant adenovirus containing a minidys- trophin gene, a 6.3-kbp cDNA coding for the N- and C-terminal ends of dystrophin. Adult muscles were challenged by forced lengthening during tetanic contractions. Stretch-induced mechanical and histological damages were much reduced in injected muscles, in direct proportion of the Miniber of fibers expressing minidystrophin. Damaged fibers were preferentially found among minidystrophin-negative regions. Minidystrostrophin confers an important functional and structural protection of limb muscles against high mechanical stress, even after a partial somatic gene transfer.

Dysfunction of respiratory muscles in critically ill patients on the intensive care unit.

Muscular weakness and muscle wasting may often be observed in critically ill patients on intensive care units (ICUs) and may present as failure to wean from mechanical ventilation. Importantly, mounting data demonstrate that mechanical ventilation itself may induce progressive dysfunction of the main respiratory muscle, i.e. the diaphragm. The respective condition was termed 'ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction' (VIDD) and should be distinguished from peripheral muscular weakness as observed in 'ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW)'. Interestingly, VIDD and ICU-AW may often be observed in critically ill patients with, e.g. severe sepsis or septic shock, and recent data demonstrate that the pathophysiology of these conditions may overlap. VIDD may mainly be characterized on a histopathological level as disuse muscular atrophy, and data demonstrate increased proteolysis and decreased protein synthesis as important underlying pathomechanisms. However, atrophy alone does not explain the observed loss of muscular force. When, e.g. isolated muscle strips are examined and force is normalized for cross-sectional fibre area, the loss is disproportionally larger than would be expected by atrophy alone. Nevertheless, although the exact molecular pathways for the induction of proteolytic systems remain incompletely understood, data now suggest that VIDD may also be triggered by mechanisms including decreased diaphragmatic blood flow or increased oxidative stress. Here we provide a concise review on the available literature on respiratory muscle weakness and VIDD in the critically ill. Potential underlying pathomechanisms will be discussed before the background of current diagnostic options. Furthermore, we will elucidate and speculate on potential novel future therapeutic avenues.

Anatomy improv'd and illustrated with regard to the uses thereof in designing : not only laid down from an examen of the bones and muscles of the human body, but also demonstrated and exemplified from the most celebrated antique statues in Rome : exhibited in a great number of copper plates, with all the figures in various views : intended originally for ye use of the Royal French Academy of Painting and Sculpture /

Re-engraved by Michael van der Gucht and others after the original edition published at Rome in 1691.

What the brain tells the muscles /

Mode of access: Internet.

Premier mémoire sur le traitement des déviations de l'épine par la section des muscles du dos; lu a l'Académie des sciences ... /

Mode of access: Internet.

Anatomical remembrancer or complete pocket anatomist : containing a concise description of the bones, ligaments, muscles, and viscera, the nerves ...

Mode of access: Internet.

The Dublin dissector, or manual of anatomy : comprissing a concise description of the bones, muscles, vessels, nerves and viscera, also the relative anatomy of the different regions of the human body.../

Mode of access: Internet.

Maladies des organes du mouvement : os, muscles, etc., en général /

Las h. de grab. son litogr.: "Emile Beau ad nat. lith.", "Imp. Lemercier"

Les lois du mouvement énergétique dans les muscles en contraction volontaire statique; nouvelle méthode pour l'étude des phénomènes physico-chimiques de la respiration ...

Thèse--Univ. de Paris.

Myo-graphie ou Description des muscles du corps humain /

Texto con caja.

Leçons cliniques sur les maladies de l'appareil locomoteur : (os, articulations, muscles) /

Includes bibliographical references.

The explanation of Albinus's anatomical figures of the human skeleton and muscles : with an historical account of the work /

Mode of access: Internet.

Miotomie humaine et canine, ou La maniere de dissequer les muscles de l'homme & des chiens; suivie d'une Miologie, ou Histoire abregee des muscles /

Mode of access: Internet.

Miotomie humaine et canine, ou La maniere de dissequer les muscles de l'homme & des chiens; suivie d'une Miologie, ou Histoire abregee des muscles /

Mode of access: Internet.