Muscles are made to move. Extending and contraction promote biochemical pathways within muscle that maintain tissue health. When movement slows– when a broken limb is paralyzed in a cast, for instance, or in aging– unstimulated muscle wastes away.See “How Muscles Age, and How Exercise Can Slow It”Now, researchers at Harvard University have actually built a mechanical implant that triggers muscle contraction and might assist to slow this atrophy. Known as MAGENTA (mechanically active gel-elastomer-nitinol tissue adhesive), the speculative gadget prevents muscle wasting in animals, the team reports.Its an “interesting advance” for treating people for whom activity is not possible, such as extensive care clients, who can experience atrophy in as low as 24 hours, states Fabrisia Ambrosio, a stem cell biologist in physical medication and rehabilitation at Harvard University who was not involved in the study.The group also intends to scale up the device from a few millimeters to several centimeters to fit around human muscle.MAGENTAs core includes a spring made of nitinol, a shape-memory alloy that reduces when heated to a particular temperature. The metal is enclosed in a rectangular box made of flexible plastic, which provides insulation and resistance that lengthens the spring. A biocompatible glue welds the gadget directly onto the muscle tissue.The tool is developed to be surgically implanted and activated by an external battery, which intermittently releases an electrical current to cause brief cycles of contraction and relaxation. As the metal heats up, it shortens and triggers the muscle to contract with it. When the electrical power stops, the spring extends, unwinding the muscle fibers.When the researchers evaluated the gadget in a mouses hind leg, they discovered that it applied a similar force on the muscle to that achieved during workout. Next, they implanted it into the hind legs of mice and incapacitated the leg in a tiny cast for 2 weeks. While neglected mice and mice with an inactive version of the implant showed considerable muscle atrophy, rodents treated with MAGENTA experienced little losing in spite of being unable to move their leg. Analysis of the treated tissue revealed that the device triggers the very same biochemical pathways activated by motion, increasing the protein synthesis required to preserve muscle. An experimental device called MAGENTA (mechanically active gel-elastomer-nitinol tissue adhesive), consists of a super-sticky adhesive layer that connects it straight onto muscle tissue. A spring made from the shape-memory alloy nitinol reduces when it is heated up by an electrical existing, pulling on the attached muscle and forcing it to agreement. When the existing stops, the spring go back to its initial shape and the tissue unwinds. The gadget decreased muscle wasting in mice with a leg debilitated in a cast for 2 weeks. WEB
When motion slows– when a broken limb is paralyzed in a cast, for example, or in old age– unstimulated muscle wastes away.See “How Muscles Age, and How Exercise Can Slow It”Now, scientists at Harvard University have constructed a mechanical implant that triggers muscle contraction and could help to slow this atrophy. Understood as MAGENTA (mechanically active gel-elastomer-nitinol tissue adhesive), the speculative device prevents muscle squandering in animals, the team reports.Its an “amazing advance” for treating individuals for whom activity is not possible, such as intensive care patients, who can experience atrophy in as little as 24 hours, says Fabrisia Ambrosio, a stem cell biologist in physical medication and rehabilitation at Harvard University who was not involved in the study.The group likewise aims to scale up the gadget from a couple of millimeters to a number of centimeters to fit around human muscle.MAGENTAs core consists of a spring made of nitinol, a shape-memory alloy that reduces when heated to a specific temperature. When the electricity stops, the spring extends, relaxing the muscle fibers.When the scientists evaluated the gadget in a mouses hind leg, they discovered that it put in a similar force on the muscle to that accomplished during workout. An experimental gadget called MAGENTA (mechanically active gel-elastomer-nitinol tissue adhesive), consists of a super-sticky adhesive layer that connects it straight onto muscle tissue.
