Beschreibung
The frontispiece, Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the embryo in the womb, was chosen as a starting point for this book. It was Leonardo who in his notebooks and drawings combined artistic composition and accurate recording of the anatomy of the human body. Leonardo studied human anatomy in order to execute artistic drawings. His aim was to clarify form and function of human organs including reproductive organs. He followed up his extensive research with graphic representa tion and thereby initiated record keeping as a basis of scientific investigation. His records, accurate three-dimensional drawings, allowed others to reproduce his find ings and to test for correctness. Results could be updated and refined. Only after these steps can abnormalities be ascertained and defined as pathology. Though Leonardo was both artist and scientist, it is assumed that his anatomic drawings were used to improve his art, and thus scientific endeavor was at the service of his art. Anatomy, the offspring of science and art, is an integration of the two and became an accepted branch of the natural sciences. Although art and science continued to interact throughout the Renaissance, art was often placed in the service of science. In the course of history that followed, art and science in creasingly followed separate ways.
Autorenporträt
Inhaltsangabe1. Ultrastructure and Calcium Stores in the Myometrium.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Myometrium.- 3. Smooth Muscle Ultrastructure.- 3.1. Sarcolemma.- 3.2. Contractile Apparatus.- 3.3. Intracellular Structures.- 4. Cellular Calcium Stores.- 4.1. Sarcoplasmic Reticulum.- 4.2. Mitochondria.- 4.3. Sarcolemma.- 5. Conclusions.- References.- 2. Uterine Metabolism and Energetics.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Myometrial Metabolism and Energetics: An Overview.- 2.1. Contraction.- 2.2. Metabolic Recovery.- 2.3. Kinetics, Thermodynamics, and Cellular Compartmentation.- 2.4. Summary.- 3. Methods-Past, Present, and Possible.- 3.1. Noninvasive Methods.- 3.2. Heat Production.- 3.3. Oxygen Consumption.- 3.4. Fluorescence.- 3.5. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.- 4. Bioenergetically Important Metabolites in the Uterus.- 4.1. Concentrations of Phosphorus Metabolites.- 4.2. Alterations during Pregnancy and Parturition.- 4.3. Intracellular pH in the Myometrium.- 4.4. Myometrial Free Magnesium.- 4.5. Hormonal Control of Phosphorus Metabolite Levels.- 4.6. Effects of Disease.- 5. In Vivo Control of Function and Metabolism in the Myometrium.- 5.1. Comparison of Phosphorus Metabolites of Myometrium and Striated Muscles.- 5.2. Creatine Kinase.- 5.3. Energetics of Contraction.- 5.4. Economy and Efficiency of Contraction.- 5.5. Metabolism.- 6. Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 3. Myosin Light Chain Phosphorylation in Uterine Smooth Muscle.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Myosin.- 2.1. Historical Notes.- 2.2. Structure and Function.- 2.3. Isolation of Myosin.- 2.4. Myosin-Actin Interaction.- 3. Phosphorylation-Dephosphorylation.- 4. Isoforms of the 20-kDa Light Chain.- 5. Quantitation of Light Chain Phosphorylation.- 6. Light Chain Phosphorylation in Uterine Smooth Muscle.- 6.1. Spontaneous Activity.- 6.2. Drug-Induced Contraction.- 6.3. Drug-Induced Relaxation.- 6.4. Stretch Activation.- 7. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 4. Thin Filament Control of Uterine Smooth Muscle.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Location of Thin Filaments in the Contractile Matrix.- 3. Protein Components of the Thin Filament.- 3.1. Actin.- 3.2. Tropomyosin.- 3.3. Caldesmon.- 3.4. Native Thin Filament.- 4. Function of the Thin Filaments in Uterine Muscle Contraction.- 4.1. Native Thin Filaments plus Myosin.- 4.2. Actin plus Myosin.- 4.3. Actin-Tropomyosin plus Myosin.- 4.4. Actin-Tropomyosin-Caldesmon plus Myosin.- 4.5. Actin-Tropomyosin-Caldesmon with Calmodulin plus Myosin.- 4.6. The Ca2+-Binding Component of Native Thin Filaments.- 5. A Consensus Model for the Ca2+ Regulatory Mechanism in Smooth Muscle Thin Filaments.- 6. Physiological Role for Ca2+ Regulation of Thin Filaments.- 7. Conclusion.- References.- 5. Calcium Control Mechanisms in the Myometrial Cell and the Role of the Phosphoinositide Cycle.- 1. From Excitation to Contraction.- 2. Calcium as Activator of Contraction.- 2.1. Intracellular Calcium.- 2.2. Sources of Calcium and Calcium Transport.- 3. Uterine Muscle-Specific Problems.- 3.1. Microsomal Preparations.- 3.2. Criteria for Purity.- 3.3. Specific Markers.- 3.4. Molecular Parameters.- 4. Calcium Pumps and Relaxation.- 4.1. Plasma Membrane.- 4.2. Sarcoplasmic Reticulum.- 5. Rise of Intracellular Calcium and Contraction.- 5.1. Calcium Entry from the Extracellular Fluid.- 5.2. Calcium Release Mechanisms from the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum.- 5.3. Hormonal Effects on Intracellular Calcium Storage.- 5.4. Inhibition of Calcium Efflux.- 6. Pharmacomechanical Coupling.- 7. The Phosphoinositide System and Release of Second Messengers.- 7.1. Occurrence, Structure, and Metabolism.- 7.2. Inhibitors of the Phosphoinositide Cycle.- 7.3. Biological Function of the Phosphoinositides.- 7.4. Other Inositol Phosphates.- 7.5. Diacylglycerol.- 7.6. The Regulatory Role of Guanine Nucleotides.- 8. Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 6. Calcium Channels: Role in Myometrial Contractility and Pharmacological Applications of Calcium Entry Blockers.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Calcium Channels.- 2.1. General Prope
Herstellerkennzeichnung:
Springer Verlag GmbH
Tiergartenstr. 17
69121 Heidelberg
DE
E-Mail: juergen.hartmann@springer.com
