Penile erection is a complex and regulated process that involves the dilation of penile blood vessels, the relaxation of smooth muscle, increased intracavernosal blood flow, and veno-occlusive ...

A research group has uncovered important details about how platelet-activating factor (PAF)—a powerful molecule involved in inflammation and allergic reactions—triggers contractions in the smooth ...

A research group led by Dr. Keisuke Obara, Dr. Kento Yoshioka, and Professor Yoshio Tanaka from the Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, has ...

Maintenance of fecal continence requires a continuous or basal tone of the internal anal sphincter (IAS). Paradoxically, the basal tone results largely from high-frequency rhythmic contractions of the ...

The mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction is a process that relies on calcium signaling. However, the physiological role of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) through the ryanodine receptor ...