Part Of Ejection Research Articles

Effects of pulling forces, osmotic pressure, condensing agents and viscosity on the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA ejection from bacteriophages to bacterial cells: a computational study

In this work, we report on simulations of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) ejection from bacteriophage ϕ29 into a bacterial cell. The ejection was studied with a coarse-grained model, in which viral dsDNA was represented by beads on a torsion-less string. The bacteriophage’s capsid and the bacterial cell were defined by sets of spherical constraints. To account for the effects of the viscous medium inside the bacterial cell, the simulations were carried out using a Langevin dynamics protocol. Our simplest simulations (involving constant viscosity and no external biasing forces) produced results compatible with the push–pull model of DNA ejection, with an ejection rate significantly higher in the first part of ejection than in the latter parts. Additionally, we performed more complicated simulations, in which we included additional factors such as external forces, osmotic pressure, condensing agents and ejection-dependent viscosity. The effects of these factors (independently and in combination) on the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA ejection were studied. We found that, in general, the dependence of ejection forces and ejection rates on the amount of DNA ejected becomes more complex if the ejection is modeled with a broader, more realistic set of parameters and influences (such as variation in the solvent’s viscosity and the application of an external force). However, certain combinations of factors and numerical parameters led to the opposition of some ejection-driving and ejection-inhibiting influences, ultimately causing an apparent simplification of the ejection profiles.

Late diastolic whoop in severe aortic regurgitation

Musical murmurs appear in systole as part of ejection or regurgitant murmurs and are often called “honks” or “whoops.” 1–3 Musical murmurs in diastole also have been described in aortic regurgitation (AR), in early to mid-diastole or throughout diastole. 4–6 This report describes a patient with a late diastolic whoop related to AR.

Free-wall shortening and relaxation during ejection in the canine right ventricle.

Relations between shortening, velocity of shortening, and relaxation of inflow and outflow segments of the right ventricular (RV) free wall (FW) were examined during ejection in 12 open-chest dogs after pharmacologic blockade by recording RV pressures, RVFW dimensions (piezoelectric crystals), and pulmonary blood flow. At heart rates of 113 +/0 8 (SD) beats/min, investigated segments remained isometric or even lengthened before the end of ejection. Tension-length data in the outflow tract converged at the time of peak systolic tension toward a common linear relation (average slope 65 +/- 10 cmH2O/mm, average intercept 5.9 +/- 0.9 mm), but markedly deviated from this line at the end of ejection. Consistent relations between peak tension and mean velocity of shortening were only observed during the first part of ejection. In addition the rate of segmental isometric relaxation, estimated from RV pressure fall was load dependent (e.g., +60% increase in relaxation rate when RVFW end-diastolic segment length increased from 12.9 +/- 0.8 to 13.5 +/- 0.8 mm). We conclude that under normal conditions, the tension-velocity-length relations of the RVFW are comparable to those of the left ventricle during the first part of ejection only. We also conclude that RV relaxation is load dependent and that a significant part of RV ejection occurs during RVFW relaxation.