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Wei Huang^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 119-132, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.119
Abstract This work presents a tensorial description of the geometrical arrangement of the cellular molecules in the vascular endothelial cells. The geometrical arrangement of the molecules is the foundation of the mechanical properties of the molecular aggregates, which are the foundation of the physical behavior of the cells and tissues. For better studying the physical behavior of the cells and tissues, the geometrical arrangement of the cellular molecules has to be described quantitatively. In this paper, a second order molecular configuration tensor P_ij^g for fibrous protein in the cells is defined for quantitative measurement. Here, the subscripts i, j refer… More >

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836

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Muhammad H. Zaman^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 133-142, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.133
Abstract Tumor metastasis is the leading cause of nearly all cancer related deaths. While several experimental and computational studies have addressed individual stages of the complex metastasis process, a comprehensive systems-biology model that links various stages of metastasis has not been put forth as of yet. In this paper we discuss the formulation and application of such a model that utilizes basic principles of cell biology, physics and mechanics to study the migratory patterns of tumor cells as they move from the parent tumor site to the connective tissue via the basement membrane. The model is first of its kind in… More >

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837

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Anat Ratnovsky^∗,†, Matthew Mellema^*, Steven S. An^∗,‡, Jeffrey J. Fredberg^*, Stephanie A. Shore^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 143-158, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.143
Abstract Obesity is a risk factor for asthma. The purpose of this study was to determine whether metformin, an agent used in the treatment of an obesity-related condition (type II diabetes), might have therapeutic potential for modifying the effects of obesity on airway smooth muscle (ASM) function. Metformin acts via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular sensor of energy status. In cultured murine ASM cells, metformin (0.2--2 mM) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation induced by PDGF (10^-8 M) and serotonin (10^-4 M). Another AMPK activator, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-D-riboruranoside (AICAR), also inhibited PDGF-induced proliferation. Furthermore, cells treated with metformin or… More >

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893

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Dalin Tang^*, Chun Yang^†, Tal Geva^‡,§, Pedro J. del Nido^¶
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 159-176, 2007, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2007.004.159
Abstract A single-layer isotropic patient-specific right/left ventricle and patch (RV/LV/Patch) combination model with fluid-structure interactions (FSI) was introduced in our previous papers to evaluate and optimize human pulmonary valve replacement/insertion (PVR) surgical procedure and patch design. In this paper, an active anisotropic model with two-layer structure for ventricle wall and tissue fiber orientation was introduced to improve previous isotropic model for more accurate assessment of RV function and potential application in PVR surgery and patch design. A material-stiffening approach was used to model active heart contraction. The computational models were used to conduct ``virtual (computational)'' surgeries and test the hypothesis that… More >

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