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Geert W. Schmid-Schönbein^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 83-96, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.083
Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that most cardiovascular diseases, tumors and other ailments are associated with an inflammatory cascade. The inflammation is accompanied by activation of cells in the circulation and fundamental changes in the mechanics of the microcirculation, expression of pro-inflammatory genes and downregulation of anti-inflammatory genes, attachment of leukocytes to the endothelium, elevated permeability of the endothelium, and many other events. The evidence has opened great opportunities for medicine to develop new anti-inflammatory interventions. But it also raises a fundamental question: What is the origin of inflammation? I will discuss a basic series of studies that was… More >

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1237

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Shaohua Chen^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 97-106, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.097
Abstract Recently, contact mechanics has been widely used to get some understanding of the biological adhesion mechanisms, such as cell-cell adhesion, insects' adhesion and locomotion. JKR theory is usually adopted as a basis, in which the interaction of molecules is considered in contrast to the classical Hertz solution. In this paper, two problems are summarized, which may give some insights to cells or bio-molecules sensitivity to environmental signals: (1) cell reorientation on a stretched substrate; (2) spontaneous detachment between cells or bio-molecules under the variation of environmental signals. The intention here is only to illustrate the… More >

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1236

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Hong Qian^*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 107-118, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.107
Abstract At the molecular and cellular level, mechanics and chemistry are two aspects of the same macromolecular system. We present a bottom-up approach to such systems based on Kramers' diffusion theory of chemical reactions, the theory of polymer dynamics, and the recently developed models for molecular motors. Using muscle as an example, we develop a viscoelastic theory of muscle in terms of an simple equation for single motor protein movement. Both A.V. Hill's contractile component and A.F. Huxley's equation of sliding-filament motion are shown to be special cases of the general viscoelastic theory of the active More >

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1230

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Gretchen J. McAuliffe^*, Jung Yun Chang^†, Raymond P. Glahn^‡, Michael L. Shuler^§
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 119-132, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.119
Abstract Microscale cell culture analogs (μCCAs) are used to study the metabolism and toxicity of a chemical or drug. These in vitro devices are physical replicas of physiologically based pharmacokinetic models that combine microfabrication and cell culture. The goal of this project is to add an independent GI tract μCCA to a multi-chamber chip μCCA representing the primary circulation. The GI tract μCCA consists of two chambers separated by a microporous membrane on which intestinal epithelial cells are cultured. Compounds of interest are pumped through the top chamber, allowing drug to be absorbed through the epithelial layer and circulated More >

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1483

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Lihai Zhang^*, Bruce S. Gardiner^*, David W. Smith^*, Peter Pivonka^*, Alan Grodzinsky^†
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 133-154, 2008, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2008.005.133
Abstract Cartilage maintains its integrity in a hostile mechanical environment. This task is made more difficult because cartilage has no blood supply, and so nutrients and growth factors need to be transported greater distances than normal to reach cells several millimetres from the cartilage surface. The chondrocytes embedded within the extracellular matrix (ECM) are essential for maintaining the mechanical integrity of the ECM, through a balance of degradation and synthesis of collagen and proteoglycans. A chondrocyte senses various chemical and mechanical signals in its local microenvironment, responding by appropriate adaption of the local ECM. Clearly a… More >

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