Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026838 (spasticity)
 6,471 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Infusion of phenol into peripheral nerves is used clinically to manage spasticity. It produces relief of symptoms by chemical denervation. We simulated the clinical procedure by bathing the lateral plantar nerve of rats in 7% phenol solution for 20 min. We studied the innervation of muscle spindles in the plantar lumbrical muscles of untreated rats and in rats 4 and 6 weeks after a single phenol block. Spindles were identified by the immunoreactivity of nuclear bag(1) fibers to slow tonic myosin (antibody ALD 19). The integrity of the sensory and motor reinnervation of spindles was evaluated using a monoclonal antibody specific for a high molecular weight neurofilament protein. Four weeks after phenol block, muscle spindles were difficult to find, as their immunoreactivity to antibody ALD 19 was reduced. In those spindles studied, most (>80%) were completely denervated. The remainder of which were innervated by afferents only. None received efferent (gamma) innervation. After 6 weeks, spindles were readily identified and nearly all (>90%) received recognizable afferent innervation. A much smaller number (38%) received gamma innervation. Phenol block thus results in a complete denervation of muscle spindles, followed by a fairly rapid sensory reinnervation. Reinnervation by gamma motor neurons is either incomplete or significantly delayed.
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PMID:Muscle spindle reinnervation following phenol block. 1086 33

Spasticity is one of the main causes of contracture, muscle weakness and subsequent functional incapacity. The passive static stretching can be included as having the purpose of increasing musculoskeletal flexibility, however, it also can influence the muscle torque. The objective is to verify the immediate effect of passive static stretching in the muscle strength of healthy and those who present spastic hemiparesis. There were assessed 20 subjects, 10 spastic hemiparetic (EG) and 10 healthy individuals (CG), including both sexes, aged between 22 and 78 years. The torque of extensor muscles of the knee was analyzed using isokinetic dynamometer. Results have shown that EG has less muscle torque compared to CG ( p < 0.01). In addition, EG presented a decrease in significance of muscle torque after stretching ( p < 0.05), however, it has not shown significant alteration in muscle torque of CG after performing the program that was prescribed. Immediately after the passive stretch, a significant torque decrease can be seen in hypertonic muscle; it is believed that this reduction may be associated with the physiological overlap between actin and myosin filaments and so preventing the muscle to develop a maximum contraction.
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PMID:Muscle torque of healthy individuals and individuals with spastic hemiparesis after passive static streching. 2715 2

Muscle spasticity after nervous system injuries and painful low back spasm affect more than 10% of global population. Current medications are of limited efficacy and cause neurological and cardiovascular side effects because they target upstream regulators of muscle contraction. Direct myosin inhibition could provide optimal muscle relaxation; however, targeting skeletal myosin is particularly challenging because of its similarity to the cardiac isoform. We identified a key residue difference between these myosin isoforms, located in the communication center of the functional regions, which allowed us to design a selective inhibitor, MPH-220. Mutagenic analysis and the atomic structure of MPH-220-bound skeletal muscle myosin confirmed the mechanism of specificity. Targeting skeletal muscle myosin by MPH-220 enabled muscle relaxation, in human and model systems, without cardiovascular side effects and improved spastic gait disorders after brain injury in a disease model. MPH-220 provides a potential nervous-system-independent option to treat spasticity and muscle stiffness.
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PMID:Single Residue Variation in Skeletal Muscle Myosin Enables Direct and Selective Drug Targeting for Spasticity and Muscle Stiffness. 3303 52