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Functional Demands (functional + demand)
Selected AbstractsFibre-type composition of rabbit jaw muscles is related to their daily activityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2005T. van Wessel Abstract Skeletal muscles contain a mixture of fibres with different contractile properties, such as maximum force, contraction velocity and fatigability. Muscles adapt to altered functional demands, for example, by changing their fibre-type composition. This fibre-type composition can be changed by the frequency, duration and presumably the intensity of activation. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the spontaneous daily muscle activation and fibre-type composition in rabbit jaw muscles. Using radio-telemetry combined with electromyography, the daily activity of five jaw muscles was characterized in terms of the total duration of muscle activity (duty time) and the number of activity bursts. Fibre-type composition of the muscles was classified by analysing the myosin heavy chain content of the fibres. The amount of slow-type fibres was positively correlated to the duty time and the number of bursts only for activations exceeding 20,30% of the maximum activity per day. Furthermore, cross-sectional areas of the slow-type fibres were positively correlated to the duty time for activations exceeding 30% of the maximum activity. The present data indicate that the amount of activation above a threshold (> 30% peak activity) is important for determining the fibre-type composition and cross-sectional area of slow-type fibres of a muscle. Activation above this threshold occurred only around 2% of the time in the jaw muscles, suggesting that contractile properties of muscle fibres are maintained by a relatively small number of powerful contractions per day. [source] A COMPLEXITY DRAIN ON CELLS IN THE EVOLUTION OF MULTICELLULARITYEVOLUTION, Issue 3 2002Daniel W. McShea Abstract A hypothesis has been advanced recently predicting that, in evolution, as higher-level entities arise from associations of lower-level organisms, and as these entities acquire the ability to feed, reproduce, defend themselves, and so on, the lower-level organisms will tend to lose much of their internal complexity (McShea 2001a). In other words, in hierarchical transitions, there is a drain on numbers of part types at the lower level. One possible rationale is that the transfer of functional demands to the higher level renders many part types at the lower level useless, and thus their loss in evolution is favored by selection for economy. Here, a test is conducted at the cell level, comparing numbers of part types in free-living eukaryotic cells (protists) and the cells of metazoans and land plants. Differences are significant and consistent with the hypothesis, suggesting that tests at other hierarchical levels may be worthwhile. [source] Evolution and development of the primate limb skeletonEVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2002Chi-Hua Chiu Abstract The order Primates is composed of many closely related lineages, each having a relatively well established phylogeny supported by both the fossil record and molecular data.1 Primate evolution is characterized by a series of adaptive radiations beginning early in the Cenozoic era. Studies of these radiations have uncovered two major trends. One is that substantial amounts of morphological diversity have been produced over short periods of evolutionary time.2 The other is that consistent and repeated patterns (variational tendencies3) are detected. Taxa within clades, such as the strepsirrhines of Madagascar and the platyrrhines of the Neotropics, have diversified in body size, substrate preference, and diet.2, 4,6 The diversification of adaptive strategies within such clades is accompanied by repeated patterns of change in cheiridial proportions7, 8 (Fig. 1) and tooth-cusp morphology.9 There are obvious adaptive, natural-selection based explanations for these patterns. The hands and feet are in direct contact with a substrate, so their form would be expected to reflect substrate preference, whereas tooth shape is related directly to the functional demands of masticating foods having different mechanical properties. What remains unclear, however, is the role of developmental and genetic processes that underlie the evolutionary diversity of the primate body plan. Are variational tendencies a signature of constraints in developmental pathways? What is the genetic basis for similar morphological transformations among closely related species? These are a sampling of the types of questions we believe can be addressed by future research integrating evidence from paleontology, comparative morphology, and developmental genetics. [source] Endodontic and periodontal treatments of a geminated mandibular first premolarINTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002S. Aryanpour Abstract Aim, To describe a rare case of gemination involving a mandibular first premolar. Summary The complex morphology of geminated teeth renders their endodontic and periodontal management difficult. Root canal and periodontal treatments were performed on a geminated mandibular first premolar with three canals. Clinical examination showed two separated crowns with united roots. Radiographically, two distinct pulp chambers with two joined and a third independent canal were seen. Conventional root canal treatment resulted in complete healing of the apical lesion. However, the occurrence of a vertical fracture led to the extraction of the mesial segment. At the follow-up visit, the distal segment was clinically healthy and continued to satisfy functional demands. Key learning points ,Failure to diagnose the initial crack along a gemination groove resulted in further propagation and finally complete vertical fracture. ,Owing to the abnormal morphology of the crown and the complexity of the root canal system in geminated teeth, treatment protocols require special attention. ,For asymptomatic cases without aesthetic or orthodontic problems and without associated pathosis, routine review and careful maintenance are required. [source] The functional correlates of jaw-muscle fiber architecture in tree-gouging and nongouging callitrichid monkeysAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Andrea B. Taylor Abstract Common (Callithrix jacchus) and pygmy (Cebuella pygmaea) marmosets and cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) share broadly similar diets of fruits, insects, and tree exudates. Marmosets, however, differ from tamarins in actively gouging trees with their anterior dentition to elicit tree exudates flow. Tree gouging in common marmosets involves the generation of relatively wide jaw gapes, but not necessarily relatively large bite forces. We compared fiber architecture of the masseter and temporalis muscles in C. jacchus (N = 18), C. pygmaea (N = 5), and S. oedipus (N = 13). We tested the hypothesis that tree-gouging marmosets would exhibit relatively longer fibers and other architectural variables that facilitate muscle stretch. As an architectural trade-off between maximizing muscle excursion/contraction velocity and muscle force, we also tested the hypothesis that marmosets would exhibit relatively less pinnate fibers, smaller physiologic cross-sectional areas (PCSA), and lower priority indices (I) for force. As predicted, marmosets display relatively longer-fibered muscles, a higher ratio of fiber length to muscle mass, and a relatively greater potential excursion of the distal tendon attachments, all of which favor muscle stretch. Marmosets further display relatively smaller PCSAs and other features that reflect a reduced capacity for force generation. The longer fibers and attendant higher contraction velocities likely facilitate the production of relatively wide jaw gapes and the capacity to generate more power from their jaw muscles during gouging. The observed functional trade-off between muscle excursion/contraction velocity and muscle force suggests that primate jaw-muscle architecture reflects evolutionary changes related to jaw movements as one of a number of functional demands imposed on the masticatory apparatus. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Clinical Assessment and Surgical Implications of Anatomic Challenges in the Anterior MandibleCLINICAL IMPLANT DENTISTRY AND RELATED RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003Nuri Mraiwa BDS ABSTRACT Background: The anterior mandible is generally considered a rather safe surgical area, involving few risks of damage to vital anatomic structures. Nevertheless, both neurosensory disturbances and hemorrhages have been reported after implant surgery in that particular area. Purpose: With the increasing demand for oral implant placement, the anatomy of the anterior mandible should receive more attention. This review will focus on the anatomic peculiarities of the anterior mandible and the related clinical implications. Methods: The scientific evidence on the anatomic, histologic, physiologic, and clinical aspects of the neurovascularization of the anterior mandible will be reviewed. Results: Surgical complications may be attributed to the existence of a mandibular incisive canal with a true neurovascular supply. Potential risks may also be related to the presence of the lingual foramen and anatomic variations, such as an anterior looping of the mental nerve. Conclusions: Preoperative radiographic planning for oral implant placement in the anterior mandible should therefore not only consider all esthetic and functional demands but should also pay particular attention to the anatomic peculiarities of this region to avoid any neurovascular complications. [source] | |||||||||||||