Therapeutic angiogenesis: a new treatment approach for ischemic heart disease--part I.

Angiogenesis is the biologic process of forming new blood vessels and is being investigated as an innovative therapeutic approach to help manage ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. Research studies have identified various angiogenic growth factors and progenitor cells that can enhance new blood vessel formation. Preclinical investigations in animal models have explored the potential use of growth factors with and without progenitor cells to treat myocardial ischemia.

A notch1 ectodomain construct inhibits endothelial notch signaling, tumor growth, and angiogenesis.

Notch signaling is required for vascular development and tumor angiogenesis. Although inhibition of the Notch ligand Delta-like 4 can restrict tumor growth and disrupt neovasculature, the effect of inhibiting Notch receptor function on angiogenesis has yet to be defined. In this study, we generated a soluble form of the Notch1 receptor (Notch1 decoy) and assessed its effect on angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: a systematic review.

According to conventional wisdom within the acupuncture community, acupuncture points and meridians are special conduits for electrical signals. This view gained popularity after anecdotal reports and clinical studies asserted that these anatomical structures are characterized by lower electrical impedance compared to adjacent controls. To ascertain whether evidence exists to support or refute this claim, we conducted a systematic review of studies directly evaluating the electrical characteristics of acupuncture structures and appropriate controls.

Electrical characterization of acupuncture points: technical issues and challenges.

Acupuncture points are frequently described as having distinct electrical properties. These properties include increased conductance, reduced impedance and resistance, increased capacitance, and elevated electrical potential compared to adjacent nonacupuncture points. Commercial electrodiagnostic devices have used this assertion as a means to localize and analyze acupuncture points for diagnostic purposes.

Two styles of acupuncture for treating painful diabetic neuropathy--a pilot randomised control trial.

In a pilot study, we evaluated the clinical and mechanistic effects of two styles of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Japanese acupuncture, for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy. Out of seven patients enrolled, three received Traditional Chinese acupuncture while four received Japanese style acupuncture. Treatments were delivered once a week for 10 weeks.

Neuromechanics: an integrative approach for understanding motor control.

Neuromechanics seeks to understand how muscles, sense organs, motor pattern generators, and brain interact to produce coordinated movement, not only in complex terrain but also when confronted with unexpected perturbations. Applications of neuromechanics include ameliorating human health problems (including prosthesis design and restoration of movement following brain or spinal cord injury), as well as the design, actuation and control of mobile robots. In animals, coordinated movement emerges from the interplay among descending output from the central nervous system, sensory input from body and environment, muscle dynamics, and the emergent dynamics of the whole animal.

Factors associated with herbal therapy use by adults in the United States.

Objective: To examine the patterns of herbal therapy use among adults in the United States and to describe factors associated with herb use.

Design: We examined the use of natural herbs from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). We analyzed factors associated with herb use and reasons for herb use with logistic regression.

Triangular fibrocartilage complex tears: a review.

Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears are a common source of ulnar sided wrist pain. Originally described by Palmer, in 1981, as a complex of several structures, our understanding of the anatomy and the function of the TFCC has been refined by histologic studies. The TFCC plays an important role in load bearing across the wrist as well as in distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) stabilization.

Wnt5a signaling induces proliferation and survival of endothelial cells in vitro and expression of MMP-1 and Tie-2.

Wnts are lipid-modified secreted glycoproteins that regulate diverse biological processes. We report that Wnt5a, which functions in noncanonical Wnt signaling, has activity on endothelial cells. Wnt5a is endogenously expressed in human primary endothelial cells and is expressed in murine vasculature at several sites in mouse embryos and tissues.

Animal models of migraine: looking at the component parts of a complex disorder.

Animal models of human disease have been extremely helpful both in advancing the understanding of brain disorders and in developing new therapeutic approaches. Models for studying headache mechanisms, particularly those directed at migraine, have been developed and exploited efficiently in the last decade, leading to better understanding of the potential mechanisms of the disorder and of the action for antimigraine treatments. Model systems employed have focused on the pain-producing cranial structures, the large vessels and dura mater, in order to provide reproducible physiological measures that could be subject to pharmacological exploration.

In situ muscle power differs without varying in vitro mechanical properties in two insect leg muscles innervated by the same motor neuron.

The mechanical behavior of muscle during locomotion is often predicted by its anatomy, kinematics, activation pattern and contractile properties. The neuromuscular design of the cockroach leg provides a model system to examine these assumptions, because a single motor neuron innervates two extensor muscles operating at a single joint. Comparisons of the in situ measurements under in vivo running conditions of muscle 178 to a previously examined muscle (179) demonstrate that the same inputs (e.

Tissue injury regulates serotonin 1D receptor expression: implications for the control of migraine and inflammatory pain.

The anti-migraine action of "triptan" drugs involves the activation of serotonin subtype 1D (5-HT1D) receptors expressed on "pain-responsive" trigeminal primary afferents. In the central terminals of these nociceptors, the receptor is concentrated on peptidergic dense core vesicles (DCVs) and is notably absent from the plasma membrane. Based on this arrangement, we hypothesized that in the resting state the receptor is not available for binding by a triptan, but that noxious stimulation of these afferents could trigger vesicular release of DCVs, thus externalizing the receptor.

The clinical applications of a systems approach.

In the second of a two part series, Ahn and colleagues provide a practical discussion of how a systems approach will affect clinical medicine, using diabetes as an example.

The limits of reductionism in medicine: could systems biology offer an alternative?

In the first of a two part series, Ahn and colleagues discuss the reductionist approach pervading medicine and explain how a systems approach (as advocated by systems biology) may complement reductionism.

Complementary and alternative medical therapy use among Chinese and Vietnamese Americans: prevalence, associated factors, and effects of patient-clinician communication.

Objective: We examined the use of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies among Chinese and Vietnamese Americans who had limited proficiency with the English language and explore the association between patient-clinician discussions about CAM therapy use and patient assessments of quality of care.

Methods: We surveyed Chinese and Vietnamese Americans who visited 11 community health centers in 8 major cities throughout the United States.

Results: Of the 4410 patients surveyed, 3258 (74%) returned completed questionnaires.

Advancing acupuncture research.

Since the early 1970s, acupuncture has been the subject of multiple animal experiments and randomized clinical trials. Our understanding of acupuncture from both the clinical and mechanistic perspectives has, as a result, grown tremendously. Yet the final word on acupuncture as a therapy remains mixed, largely due to the contradictory nature of the evidence.

Electrical impedance along connective tissue planes associated with acupuncture meridians.

Background: Acupuncture points and meridians are commonly believed to possess unique electrical properties. The experimental support for this claim is limited given the technical and methodological shortcomings of prior studies. Recent studies indicate a correspondence between acupuncture meridians and connective tissue planes.

Exogenous nitric oxide reduces glucose transporters translocation and lactate production in ischemic myocardium in vivo.

Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits myocardial glucose transport and metabolism, although the underlying mechanism(s) and functional consequences of this effect are not clearly understood. We tested the hypothesis that NO inhibits the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and translocation of cardiac glucose transporters (GLUTs; GLUT-4) and reduces lactate production. Ischemia was induced in open-chest dogs by a 66% flow reduction in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD).

Use of complementary and alternative medical therapies among racial and ethnic minority adults: results from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey.

Purpose: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among ethnic minority populations is poorly understood. We sought to examine CAM use in Hispanics, non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Alternative Health Supplement to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), including information on 19 different CAM therapies used in the past 12 months.

Harmonic phase-dispersion microscope with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

Harmonic phase-dispersion microscopy (PDM) is a new imaging technique in which contrast is provided by differences in refractive index at two harmonically related wavelengths. We report a new configuration of the harmonic phase-dispersion microscope in a Mach-Zehnder geometry as an instrument for imaging biological samples. Several improvements on the earlier design are demonstrated, including a single-pass configuration and acousto-optic modulators for generating the heterodyne signals without mechanical arm scanning.

The gene for paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dyskinesia encodes an enzyme in a stress response pathway.

Paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD) is characterized by spontaneous hyperkinetic attacks that are precipitated by alcohol, coffee, stress and fatigue. We report mutations in the myofibrillogenesis regulator 1 (MR-1) gene causing PNKD in 50 individuals from eight families. The mutations cause changes (Ala to Val) in the N-terminal region of two MR-1 isoforms.

Purification and crystallization reveal two types of interactions of the fusion protein homotrimer of Semliki Forest virus.

The fusion proteins of the alphaviruses and flaviviruses have a similar native structure and convert to a highly stable homotrimer conformation during the fusion of the viral and target membranes. The properties of the alpha- and flavivirus fusion proteins distinguish them from the class I viral fusion proteins, such as influenza virus hemagglutinin, and establish them as the first members of the class II fusion proteins. Understanding how this new class carries out membrane fusion will require analysis of the structural basis for both the interaction of the protein subunits within the homotrimer and their interaction with the viral and target membranes.