This includes studies that redefine the role of immune cells and identify diverse functions of the cervical epithelia and hyaluronan in remodeling. New investigations proposing that infection-induced premature cervical remodeling is distinct from the normal process are presented. Recent advances in our understanding of term and preterm cervical remodeling provide new directions for investigation and compel investigators to reevaluate currently accepted models.”
“The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of subthreshold electrical stimulation on the force fluctuations

and motor-unit discharge variability during low-level, steady contraction of the plantar flexor muscles. Seven subjects performed a force-matching task of isometric plantar flexion at 5% of maximal voluntary contraction GDC-973 with and

without random electrical stimulation applied to the tibial nerve. During the task, the motor unit action potential was continuously recorded with fine-wire electrodes, and the inter-spike intervals of a single motor unit were calculated. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the force fluctuations and the inter-spike intervals of the motor unit discharge were significantly decreased by the intervention of subthreshold electrical stimulation, although there were no changes in the mean values. These results suggest that subthreshold stimulation reduced the motor-unit discharge LXH254 variability, which in turn, increased the steadiness of the force. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.”
“Increased dispersion Dolichyl-phosphate-mannose-protein mannosyltransferase of action potential duration across cardiac tissue has long been considered an important substrate for the development of most electrical arrhythmias. Although this dispersion has been studied previously

by characterizing the static intrinsic gradients in cellular electrophysiology and dynamical gradients generated by fast pacing, few studies have concentrated on dispersions generated solely by structural effects. Here we show how boundaries and geometry can produce spatially dependent changes in action potential duration (APD) in homogeneous and isotropic tissue, where all the cells have the same APD in the absence of diffusion. Electrotonic currents due to coupling within the tissue and at the tissue boundaries can generate dispersion, and the profile of this dispersion can change dramatically depending on tissue size and shape, action potential morphology, tissue dimensionality, and stimulus frequency and location. The dispersion generated by pure geometrical effects can be on the order of tens of milliseconds, enough under certain conditions to produce conduction blocks and initiate reentrant waves. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Pathogenic Yersinia strains evade the innate immune responses of the host by producing effector proteins ( Yersinia outer proteins [ Yops]), which are directly injected into mammalian cells by a type III secretion system ( TTSS).