Heike Jäger

Ulm University | UULM · Division of Neurophysiology

Fascial tissues form a ubiquitous network throughout the whole body, which is usually regarded as a passive contributor to biomechanical behavior. We aimed to answer the question, whether fascia may possess the capacity for cellular contraction which, in turn, could play an active role in musculoskeletal mechanics. Human and rat fascial specimens f...

In this pilot study we tested whether a low dose application of a mild diuretic substance such as eplerenone is beneficial in early stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy using ²³Na und ¹H imaging, myometry, and clinical testing versus the glucocorticoid gold standard. Two 7-years old patients with DMD were examined on a 3T MRI system. ¹H MRI and ²³...

Purpose: A comprehensive comparison between Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (Siemens Acuson S3000) and ElastPQ (Philips EPIQ 7) by means of spleen stiffness (SS) measurement. Standard values of spleen stiffness measured with pSWE until today have been generated solely by means of ARFI. In former studies, measurement of SS is recommended in the low...

Objectives: To investigate potential subject-related confounding factors for thyroid acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography. Methods and materials: A total of 194 subjects participated in the study. Results: The standard values in the right lobe were 2.52±0.35m/s (ventral half) and 2.43±0.40m/s (dorsal half). In the left lobe, ve...

Purpose A variety of elastographic techniques have been developed to facilitate the non-invasive assessment of tissue properties. The goal of the study was to examine the influence of gender, age, BMI, alcohol consumption, and smoking in healthy volunteers. Methods Of the 263 participants who met all the study inclusion criteria, 234 had successful...

To analyze the virtual touch tissue quantification (VTTQ) and virtual touch imaging quantification (VTIQ) techniques, and identify possible factors that may influence VTTQ and VTIQ measurements. One hundred and eighty-six (104 women/82 men) of 323 subjects met the inclusion criteria (age > 18 years, no history of chronic or gastrointestinal disease...

Problemstellung: Untersuchungen mittels Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI-VTIQ) fur die Schilddruse an groseren gesunden Kollektiven liegen bisher nur wenige vor. Insgesamt wurden 194 Probanden (53,6% Frauen, mittleres Alter 32,0 ± 13,4; 46,4% Manner, mittleres Alter 31,2 ± 13,3) untersucht. Nach Ausschluss aller Probanden mit chronischen Erkr...

Most manual therapists are familiar with the nociceptive and proprioceptive functions of fascial tissues. However, these tissues are also densely innervated by free nerve endings which serve an interoceptive function. These receptors project to the cortical insula, an area in the brain which in primates is more directly connected with the periphera...

Background/Aims: Small-conductance calcium-activated (SK) channels play an important role by controlling the after-hyperpolarization of excitable cells. The level of expression and density of these channels is an essential factor for controlling different cellular functions. Several studies showed a co-localization of KCa2.3 channels and Endophilin...

Malignant hyperthermia is a dreaded complication of general anaesthesia. Predisposed individuals can be identified using the standardised caffeine/halothane in-vitro contracture test on a surgically dissected skeletal muscle specimen. Skeletal muscle is composed of muscle fibres and interwoven fascial components. Several malignant hyperthermia-asso...

Die Wiederentdeckung der Faszien Biomechanische Eigenschaften der Faszien Nozizeption, Neuroplastizität und Schmerzmediatoren in Faszien Kollagenes Bindegewebe als Schmerzquelle Nervenkompressionssyndrome Ausblick Literatur

A proprioceptive as well as potential nociceptive capacity of fascia has been postulated. However, the current understanding of the sensory innervation of fascial tissues has been insufficient. A related literature review was performed. The majority of studies was performed in the last century, and these are of poor methodological quality. Recent p...

Fascia is composed of collagenous connective tissue surrounding and interpenetrating skeletal muscle, joints, organs, nerves, and vascular beds. Fascial tissue forms a whole-body, continuous three-dimensional viscoelastic matrix of structural support. The classical concept of its mere passive role in force transmission has recently been disproven....

This study examined a potential cellular basis for strain hardening of fascial tissues: an increase in stiffness induced by stretch and subsequent rest. Mice lumbodorsal fascia were isometrically stretched for 15 min followed by 30 min rest (n=16). An increase in stiffness was observed in the majority of samples, including the nonviable control sam...

Ca(2+) activated K(+) channels modulate the afterhyperpolarization in neurons. Using a variety of different techniques we obtained information about the function of N- and C-terminal parts of the Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel, SK3. By means of the yeast two hybrid technique we found an interaction between N-C and N-N- terminal parts of SK3. The str...

We have studied the interaction between the SK2 channel and different scorpion toxins in order to find similarity and differences to other K + channels. Beside apamin, ScTX is a high affinity blocker of the SK2 channel, whereas CTX is unable to block current through SK2. In order to prove that the ScTX affinity can be explained by the character of...

We have studied the interaction between the SK2 channel and different scorpion toxins in order to find similarity and differences to other K+ channels. Beside apamin, ScTX is a high affinity blocker of the SK2 channel, whereas CTX is unable to block current through SK2. In order to prove that the ScTX affinity can be explained by the character of t...

Ion channels are important in controlling cell cycle progression and proliferation in a variety of cell types. Using the whole-cell recording mode of the patch-clamp technique, functional ion channels were electrophysiologically characterized in PANC-1 (K-ras G12D (+/-), p53 R273C, Δp16), BxPC-3 (smad4-, p53 Y220C, Δp16), and MiaPaCa-2 [transformin...

The whole cell recording mode of the patch-clamp technique was used to study the effect of hypotonic NaCl or isotonic high-KCl solution on membrane currents in a human osteoblast-like cell line, C1. Both hypotonic NaCl or isotonic high-KCl solution activated Cl- channels expressed in these cells as described previously. The reversal potential of th...

In Xenopus laevis, several distinct K(+)-channels (xKv1.1, xKv1.2, xKv2,1, xKv2.2, xKv3.1) have been cloned, sequenced, and electrophysiologically characterized. K(+)-channels significantly shape neuronal excitability by setting the membrane potential, and latency and duration of action potentials. We identified a further Shaker homologue, xKv1.4,...

Using the whole-cell recording mode of the patch-clamp technique we studied the effects of removal of extracellular potassium, [K(+)](o), on a mammalian Shaker-related K(+) channel, hKv1.5. In the absence of [K(+)](o), current through hKv1.5 was similar to currents obtained in the presence of 4.5 mM [K(+)](o). This observation was not expected as e...

T cells express two different types of voltage-independent Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels with small (SK) and intermediate (IK) conductance that serve important roles in the activation of T lymphocytes. In contrast to the IK channels from T lymphocytes which are upregulated upon mitogen stimulation, SK channels of Jurkat T cells, a human leukemic T...

The antigenic determinants of mAbs against subunit a of the Escherichia coli ATP synthase were mapped by ELISA using overlapping synthetic decapeptides. For two of the mAbs the epitopes are E4NMTPQD10 (GDH 14-5C6) and V29DPQ32 (GDH 8-8B3). Binding of these mAbs to membrane vesicles of different orientation revealed that both epitopes are accessible...

1. Using the whole-cell recording mode we have characterized two non-conducting states in mammalian Shaker-related voltage-gated K+ channels induced by the removal of extracellular potassium, K+o. 2. In the absence of K+o, current through Kv1.4 was almost completely abolished due to the presence of a charged lysine residue at position 533 at the en...

In human T lymphocytes patch-clamp experiments have revealed the expression of two major subtypes of SK channels. In excitable cells these channel types play significant roles in shaping excitablility as well as firing patterns especially since their open probability is regulated by the intracellular second messenger Ca2+. In nonexcitable T cells,...