http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Endothelial cells are stimulated by shear stress throughout the vasculature and respond with changes in gene expression and by morphological reorganization. Mechanical sensors of the cell are varied and include cell surface sensors that activate intracellular chemical signaling pathways. Here, possible mechanical sensors of the cell including reorganization of the cytoskeleton and the nucleus are discussed in relation to shear flow. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Endothelial cells (ECs) lining blood vessel walls respond to shear stress, a fluid mechanical force generated by flowing blood, and the EC responses play an important role in the homeostasis of the circulatory system. Abnormal EC responses to shear stress impair various vascular functions and lead to vascular diseases, including hypertension, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis. Bioengineering approaches in which cultured ECs are subjected to shear stress in fluid-dynamically designed flow-loading devices have been widely used to analyze EC responses at the cellular and molecular levels. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Mechanotransduction refers to the conversion of mechanical forces into biochemical or electrical signals that initiate structural and functional remodeling in cells and tissues. The heart is a kinetic organ whose form changes considerably during development and disease, requiring cardiac myocytes to be mechanically durable and capable of fusing a variety of environmental signals on different time scales. During physiological growth, myocytes adaptively remodel to mechanical loads. Pathological stimuli can induce maladaptive remodeling. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – The vascular endothelium is a dynamic cellular interface between the vessel wall and the bloodstream, where it regulates the physiological effects of humoral and biomechanical stimuli on vessel tone and remodeling. With respect to the latter hemodynamic stimulus, the endothelium is chronically exposed to mechanical forces in the form of cyclic circumferential strain, resulting from the pulsatile nature of blood flow, and shear stress. Read more »

http://www.matrixrepatterning.com – The current focus of medicine on molecular genetics ignores the physical basis of disease even though many of the problems that lead to pain and morbidity, and bring patients to the doctor's office, result from changes in tissue structure or mechanics. The main goal of this article is therefore to help integrate mechanics into our understanding of the molecular basis of disease. This article first reviews the key roles that physical forces, extracellular matrix and cell structure play in the control of normal development, as well as in the maintenance of tissue form and function. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Skeletal muscle is able not only to increase its mass as an adaptation to mechanical loading generated by and imposed upon muscle but also to regenerate after damage, via its intrinsic regulation of gene transcription. Both cellular processes, muscle regeneration and hypertrophy, are mediated by the activation, proliferation and differentiation of muscle satellite cells and appear to be modulated by the mitotic and myogenic activity of locally produced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which functions in an autocrine/paracrine mode. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Forces that are associated with blood flow are major determinants of vascular morphogenesis and physiology. Blood flow is crucial for blood vessel development during embryogenesis and for regulation of vessel diameter in adult life. It is also a key factor in atherosclerosis, which, despite the systemic nature of major risk factors, occurs mainly in regions of arteries that experience disturbances in fluid flow. Read more »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80 – Forces associated with blood flow are major determinants of vascular morphogenesis and physiology. Blood flow is crucial for blood vessel development during embryogenesis and for regulation of vessel diameter in adult life. It is also a key factor in atherosclerosis, which, despite the systemic nature of major risk factors, occurs mainly at regions of arteries that experience disturbances in fluid flow. Read more »

http://arjournals.annualreviews.org – The formation of an arterial aneurysm is believed to be a multifactorial and predominantly degenerative process, resulting from a complex interplay between biological processes in the arterial wall and the hemodynamic stimuli on the vessel's wall. Once an aneurysm forms, the repetitive pressure and shear stresses exerted by the blood flow on the weakened arterial wall generally, but not always, cause a gradual expansion. Read more »

http://jdr.sagepub.com – Orthodontic tooth movement is achieved by (re)modeling processes of the alveolar bone, which are triggered by changes in the stress/strain distribution in the periodontium. In the past, the finite element (FE) method has been used to describe the stressed situation within the periodontal ligament (PDL) and surrounding alveolar bone. The present study sought to determine the impact of the modeling process on the outcome from FE analyses and to relate these findings to the current theories on orthodontic tooth movement. Read more »