title: History of medicine

text: The rise of personalised medicine in the 21st century has generated the possibility to develop diagnosis and treatments based on the individual characteristics of a person, rather than through generic practices that defined 20th century medicine. Areas like DNA sequencing, genetic mapping, gene therapy, imaging protocols, proteomics, stem cell therapy, and wireless health monitoring devices are all rising innovations that can help medical professionals fine tune treatment to the individual.


title: History of medicine

text: Remote surgery is another recent development, with the transatlantic Lindbergh operation in 2001 as a groundbreaking example.


title: History of medicine

text: Racism has a long history in how medicine has evolved and established itself, both in terms of racism experience upon patients, professionals, and wider systematic violence within medical institutions and systems. See: medical racism in the United States, race and health, and scientific racism.


title: History of medicine

text: Women have always served as healers and midwives since ancient times. However, the professionalization of medicine forced them increasingly to the sidelines. As hospitals multiplied they relied in Europe on orders of Roman Catholic nun-nurses, and German Protestant and Anglican deaconesses in the early 19th century. They were trained in traditional methods of physical care that involved little knowledge of medicine.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American football coach. The head football coach at Liberty University through the 2022 season, Freeze has been hired to be the head coach for Auburn University in 2023.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: A successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeze coached Michael Oher and Greg Hardy. He subsequently was the head football coach at Lambuth University from 2008 to 2009, Arkansas State University in 2011, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2012 to 2016, and Liberty University from 2018 to 2022.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Under Freeze, the Ole Miss football program committed various recruiting and academic violations that figured in the NCAA's decision to expunge 27 of Freeze's wins and ban the team from post-season play for two years. After university officials attempted to paint Freeze's predecessor as the main culprit, they were sued for defamation and issued a public apology. The team's star quarterback and other players told NCAA officials that Freeze lied to them about the charges while he recruited them.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze resigned from Ole Miss after officials discovered that he had used a university cellphone to call escort services at least a dozen times over 33 months.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze graduated Senatobia High School in 1988, and then attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he lettered two years in junior college baseball. He became an NJCAA Academic All-American for the Rangers in the spring of 1990.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze then attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he tried out for the baseball team in the fall of 1990, hoping to make the roster for the spring of 1991. He was cut from the team. He graduated from Southern Miss in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in coaching and sports administration.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In 1992, Freeze joined the staff at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tennessee, as the football team's offensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Freeze also served as dean of students. In 1995, he was promoted to head coach. Freeze ran the no-huddle spread offense and led his team to the state championship twice, in 2002 and 2004, and the regional championship each year from 1995 to 1998 and in 2001 and 2002. He received Region 8-AA Coach of the Year honors five times and Associated Press Coach of the Year honors six times. In ten years at Briarcrest, Freeze was 94–30 as head coach (.785 winning percentage) and 126–37 overall. Freeze was depicted in and motion picture "The Blind Side", about one of his former players, offensive tackle Michael Oher.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: While at Briarcrest Christian School, Freeze also coached the girls basketball team from 1992 to 2004, and actually had more success in this role, with an overall record of 305–63 (.829 winning percentage), seven straight championship appearances, and four championships.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Following his dismissal from Ole Miss in 2017, some former students alleged that Freeze had engaged in inappropriate conduct with female students while at Briarcrest. Freeze has denied the allegations. Briarcrest officials said they were unaware of any sexual improprieties committed by Freeze during his tenure.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In 2005, the University of Mississippi hired Freeze as an assistant athletic director for football external affairs. The following season, he became the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, positions he held through 2007. After that season, he replaced head coach Ed Orgeron on an interim basis before the hiring of Houston Nutt. Freeze interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with Nutt, a position that eventually went to Kent Austin.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In January 2008, Lambuth University, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), named Freeze its head coach. In 2008, he led Lambuth to an 8–4 record and a first round loss in the NAIA playoffs, marking their first appearance in the playoffs since 2004 under then head coach Vic Wallace. He was considered for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's head coaching position following the 2008 season, but remained at Lambuth University for another season and compiled a 20–5 overall record, and defeating opponents 41–17 on average. In 2009, he led the Eagles to their best regular season record in school history with an unblemished 11–0 mark. Lambuth advanced to the second round of the NAIA playoffs for first time in 11 years—having won one game before suffering elimination to finish 12–1 as the sixth-ranked team in the NAIA.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In 2010, he joined the staff of head coach Steve Roberts at Arkansas State as offensive coordinator, joining the program after spending less than two months, during the 2009-2010 offseason, as offensive coordinator at San Jose State University.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: The Red Wolves finished 2010 with a 4–8 record, but their offensive rankings jumped from 95th in total offense and 90th in scoring offense in the NCAA Division I FBS to 43rd and 46th, respectively. The Red Wolves' offense broke nine school records including total plays (856), first downs (262), pass attempts (438), pass completions (266), completion percentage (.607), passing yards (3,057), passing yards per game (254.8), and passing touchdowns (23). The Red Wolves' offense averaged 403.4 yards per game, eclipsing over 300 yards all 12 times it took the field for the first time in the history of the program. A-State posted at least 400 yards of total offense in seven games during the 2010 campaign, the most ever as an NCAA FBS member, all in his first year as offensive coordinator. After the season, Roberts was fired and Freeze was promoted to head coach.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In 2011, his only season as head coach at Arkansas State, he led the Red Wolves to a 10–2 record and their first Sun Belt Conference title since 2005. The Red Wolves' offense averaged 447.8 ypg (28th nationally, 1st in Sun Belt Conference) including 293.6 ypg passing and 154.2 ypg rushing. Freeze left Arkansas State before Arkansas State's post-season appearance in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: On December 5, 2011, Freeze was announced as the 37th head coach of the University of Mississippi. During the press conference to introduce him as the head coach, Freeze said he wanted to "retire at Ole Miss." He was signed to a four-year contract with an annual salary of $1.5 million plus incentives up to $2.5 million. His salary was later reported to be $4.7 million, making him the highest-paid employee in the state of Mississippi.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In his first season at Ole Miss, Freeze led the Rebels to a 6–6 record in the regular season, including a 41–24 victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Eligible to play in a bowl game for the first time since 2009, Ole Miss played in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 5, 2013, defeating the University of Pittsburgh 38–17 to finish 7–6.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze received national attention on National Signing Day 2013 as Ole Miss brought in the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the country.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: During Freeze's third season at Ole Miss, he led the Rebels to a 7–0 start, the program's best start since the Johnny Vaught era. By October, they had risen as high as third in the nation, their highest ranking at that late stage in the season in almost half a century. They ultimately finished 9–3, only the third time since Vaught's tenure that Ole Miss has won that many games in the regular season. That netted them an appearance in the 2014 Peach Bowl: their first major bowl appearance since the 1970 Sugar Bowl, and the biggest since Vaught's tenure.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: On September 19, 2015, Freeze's Rebels beat Alabama, 43–37, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, making Freeze only the third SEC head coach, along with Les Miles and Steve Spurrier, to defeat a Nick Saban-coached team in back-to-back years. The victory catapulted the Rebels to No. 3 in the AP rankings. They went on to tally their second straight nine-win season, and garnered a berth in the 2016 Sugar Bowl, where they won 48–20 over Oklahoma State. They finished ninth in the AP Poll and 10th in the Coaches' Poll—their first top-10 finishes in a final poll since 1969. It was also only the Rebels' third 10-win season since the Vaught era.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In January 2016, the NCAA charged Ole Miss with numerous recruiting violations. An investigation turned up evidence that Ole Miss employees and boosters arranged numerous "impermissible benefits" for players, such as car loans and cash. At least one recruit was suspected of getting help on his college entrance exam. Ole Miss officials began calling reporters, telling them falsely that most of the alleged violations had taken place under Freeze's predecessor Houston Nutt.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: The investigation reopened soon after star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil admitted taking money from one of Freeze's assistants. In February 2017—three months after suffering its first losing season since the year Freeze arrived—Ole Miss withdrew from bowl consideration for the upcoming season. The move came on the same day that the NCAA sent an updated notice of allegations charging the Rebels with eight additional violations. Most seriously, it accused Freeze of not monitoring his assistants, and also accused Ole Miss of not properly controlling the program. The new allegations brought the total to 21: four under Nutt and 17 under Freeze.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze continued to recruit players during the investigation. Six Ole Miss players, including star quarterback Shea Patterson and future NFL players Van Jefferson and Tre Nixon, later said Freeze and other Ole Miss officials repeatedly lied to them during their recruitment about the severity of the pending charges. After the charges became public, these players sought to transfer to other schools; each requested and received a waiver to the NCAA rule that would have prevented them from playing for a year.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: On July 13, 2017, Nutt sued Ole Miss for defamation, contending that Freeze and school officials had "conspired to smear him" with false claims about the charges. On October 16, 2017, Ole Miss settled the lawsuit and issued a public apology to Nutt.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: As part of discovery for the lawsuit, Nutt's attorneys filed a freedom-of-information request for calls Freeze made on his university-issued cell phone during January 2016. While reviewing those records, Nutt's attorneys discovered a call to a number associated with a female escort service, and alerted Ole Miss officials about it. Freeze claimed it was a misdialed number. School officials investigated, and discovered what they later described as "a concerning pattern" of similar calls dating back to shortly after he arrived in Oxford: at least a dozen calls over 33 months, often made while Freeze was traveling on business trips using Ole Miss' private plane. On July 20, 2017, chancellor Jeff Vitter and athletic director Ross Bjork gave Freeze an ultimatum: resign or be fired for violating the morals clause of his contract. Freeze opted to resign; offensive coordinator Matt Luke was named interim coach.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In February 2019, the NCAA punished the Ole Miss football team for the recruiting and academic violations committed under both Nutt and Freeze. "The panel found the involved head coach [Freeze] failed to monitor the program, allowing his staff to knowingly commit a series of recruiting violations, submit false information on recruiting paperwork and not report known violations," an NCAA statement said. The punishments included a two-year postseason ban, three years of probation, and a four-year ban on some scholarships. As well, the NCAA forced Ole Miss to vacate 33 wins from 2010 to 2016. As a result, 27 of Freeze's wins were stripped from the books; only the 2015 season was unaffected. His record at Ole Miss is now officially 12–25; it was 39–25 on the field.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: On October 11, 2018, Freeze was offered a job as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football league; he turned it down.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In his first year with the team, the Liberty Flames played to a 7–5 record, qualified for bowl games for the first time in school history, and accepted an invitation to the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In 2020, the Flames finished with a 10–1 record, including a 15–14 loss to NC State. Freeze tested positive for COVID-19 on December 11, 2020. He returned in time to coach Liberty in the 2020 Cure Bowl, and beat Coastal Carolina. Freeze was rumored to be a candidate in several SEC coaching searches, including searches to replace South Carolina's Will Muschamp and Auburn's Gus Malzahn. He declined interest in any of these positions, saying, "I won't even entertain things of that nature at this point".


title: Hugh Freeze

text: In January and July 2022, Freeze sent multiple unsolicited direct messages on Twitter to Chelsea Andrews, a former student at Liberty. Andrews, a sexual assault survivor, had sued Liberty over the handling of her case. She was also publicly critical of Liberty's decision to hire athletic director Ian McCaw, who had resigned from his previous job at Baylor University after the university sanctioned him for failing to identify and respond to a pattern of sexual violence by student-athletes. Freeze, in his messages to Andrews, defended McCaw and called him "the most Jesus like leader I have ever seen or been around." Five months later, he told ESPN he was sorry for sending the messages.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: On November 29, 2022, Auburn University announced that it had hired Freeze to be the 31st head coach of the Auburn Tigers football team. His six-year contract will pay him an average of $6.5 million a year, ESPN reported.


title: Hugh Freeze

text: Freeze and his wife Jill have three daughters; Ragan, Jordan, and Madison. Freeze has said he is a born-again Christian and has been outspoken about his faith throughout his coaching career. In 2018, the "Baptist Press" described him as "a regular speaker at churches and conferences whose Twitter account is filled with Christian references." After he was forced to resign from Ole Miss for his calls to escort services, "he faced scrutiny and criticism not only as a rising star in the coaching world, but as a high profile evangelical Christian, too," wrote the "Tennessean".


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: Yo soy Betty, la fea (English: I am Betty, the Ugly one), often referred to simply as Betty, la fea, is a Colombian telenovela written by Fernando Gaitán which was broadcast from 25 October 1999 to 8 May 2001 by RCN. More than a dozen versions of the telenovela have been made in other countries due to the popularity of the plot. American comedy-drama hit "Ugly Betty," Mexican telenovela "La fea más bella", South African comedy "uBettina Wethu," and Indian series "Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin" are all based on this Colombian telenovela.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: "Betty, la Fea" re-aired on Spanish-language U.S. network TeleFutura in January 2009. Eight years after the telenovela's original run, the highly anticipated return of the original version of "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea" delivered impressive ratings for the network, attracting over one million viewers, more than half a million of which were adults aged 18–49. In addition, the premiere episode doubled and in some cases nearly tripled its prior audience among all key demographics.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: "Betty, la fea" is one of the world's most acclaimed and popular television shows and is considered the most famous Latin American telenovela in history. It is the first telenovela to have been remade worldwide and has been regarded as bringing the telenovela to new levels of success.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: Taking place mainly in Bogotá, Colombia, "Betty La Fea" is essentially a Cinderella comedy about the rise of poor, ugly 'Betty' Pinzón and the fall of rich, handsome Armando Mendoza. Armando is a very incompetent playboy with a scheme to turn a huge profit as the new president of Eco Moda, a famous clothing manufacturing company. But his scheme is doomed for his faulty mathematics. Because Betty, his secretary (and economics wizard), is in love with him, she helps Armando deceive the board of directors as he loses money and brings the company to ruin. The story has three movements: 1) Armando's foolish destruction of Eco Moda, 2) Betty's flight from the disgrace and her vacation in Cartagena where she undergoes an emotional and physical transformation, and 3) Betty's return to Eco Moda, where she is installed as new president.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: One year after being released as a private channel, RCN had disastrous results against Caracol TV, so Carlos Ardila Lulle took direct control of the channel. The usual director and writer Fernando Gaitán was used, who prepared the telenovela, which would be low-budget; since it was shot in the industrial zone of Bogotá near the RCN studios where some scenes were also shot. The Pinzón Solano residence was filmed in a house in the Teusaquillo neighborhood of Bogotá.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: Natalia Ramírez originally cast for the lead role, but she lost to Ana María Orozco, but because of Ramírez's career she was given the role of Marcela Valencia.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: In 2001, "Yo soy Betty, la fea" won the New York Latin ACE Award for the Best Scenic Program ("Mejor programa escénico") and International Female Personality of the Year ("Figura internacional femenina del año") to Ana María Orozco, and, also in 2002, the TP de Oro for Best Soap Opera ("Mejor telenovela"), and the INTE Award for Best Soap Opera and Actress of the Year ("Actriz del año") to Ana María Orozco.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: "Betty la fea" was created, filmed, and produced in Colombia and originally aired on RCN and was released to air on Telemundo in 2000, and on TeleFutura nine years later, in the United States. Several similar programs were created in other countries, as well as its rebroadcast in other languages around the world. The success of "Yo soy Betty, la fea" led to its first sequel in 2002 with Univision's release of "Ecomoda". Some scenes from the first episode were filmed in Buenos Aires, and some scenes for the opening sequence were filmed in Miami, Florida.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: The phenomenal success of "Betty la fea" accounts for numerous adaptations and airings around the world. The story appeals to global audiences because it is centered around the life of an unattractive character rather than that of a typical attractive character.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: Spinoffs include an animated series called "Betty Toons", featuring Betty as a child with her friends. In the U.S., "Betty Toons" previously aired Saturday mornings on most affiliates of Telefutura (now UniMás), as part of the "Toonturama" block from 2006 to 2008.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: "Ugly Betty", the U.S. adaptation of Betty La Fea, aired on ABC from 2006 to 2010. The hour-long program was developed by Silvio Horta and co-produced by Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman. America Ferrera played the title role. The show has received a Golden Globe and Peabody Award.


title: Yo soy Betty, la fea

text: The original Colombian version of the show has been dubbed or subbed then broadcast in Greece (« ») India(Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin), Lithuania, Indonesia, Poland ("Brzydula"), Bulgaria, Romania ("Betty cea urâtă"), Malaysia, Hungary ("Betty, a csúnya lány"), Czech Republic ("Ošklivka Betty"), Italy ("Betty la cozza"), Switzerland, Georgia ("უშნო ბეტი"), Japan – under the title "Betty, Ai to uragiri no hishojitsu" ("Betty, The Secretarial Office of Love and Betrayal ", ベティ愛と裏切りの秘書室)–, Turkey, Philippines, and China. The show was also broadcast in virtually all of Latin America plus Spain, achieving record ratings in every single country, including those where Colombian soaps do not usually achieve high ratings, such as Brazil and Mexico. Later, the cast went on tour to meet fans throughout the continent.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Wild Tales () is a 2014 Spanish-language black comedy anthology film that was written and directed by the Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron. The film, which is a co-production between Argentina and Spain, is composed of six standalone shorts with a common theme of catharsis, violence and vengeance. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Ricardo Darín, Oscar Martínez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, and Darío Grandinetti. Because of Szifron's desire to work with Darín and Martínez, these actors were allowed to choose the role they wanted.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Four of the film's stories were partly based on Szifron's real-life experiences and were all planned either as thrillers or dramas. "Wild Tales" was co-produced by three Argentine studios, and Agustín's and Pedro Almodóvar's Spanish company El Deseo. The brothers joined Kramer & Sigman Films, Telefe Productions and Corner Contenidos after seeing Szifron's previous film "On Probation" (2005). "Wild Tales" was filmed in Argentina between April and May 2013, and cost US$3.3–4.5 million—70% of which came from Argentina and 30% from Spain.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Wild Tales" is based on Szifron's understanding of Western capitalist society as a cage, and depicts the moment at which some people become so frustrated by their surroundings they cannot behave in the socially expected manner. As such, he describes it as a film about the common human need for freedom against society's need to psychologically repress humans' animalistic features. The situations in the film are depicted in an absurdist way, which critics found reminiscent of Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel. The director believed its theme of man versus a system which may have the cards stacked against them would have universal appeal because of global wealth inequality.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: The film received critical acclaim, particularly for being a good example of an engaging anthology film, for its cast (mainly Rivas), humor, cinematography, and music. It won many accolades, including eight of ten Platino Awards, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Goya Award for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, and for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. "Wild Tales" is the most-seen Argentine film of all time and was a box-office record-holder in Argentina, grossing US$11.7–21.1 million there for a total of $30.6–44.1 million worldwide.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Wild Tales" is composed of six short segments: "Pasternak", "Las ratas" ("The Rats"), "El más fuerte" ("The Strongest"), "Bombita" ("Little Bomb"), "La propuesta" ("The Proposal"), and "Hasta que la muerte nos separe" ("Till Death Do Us Part"). In the American localisation, the third and fifth sections had their names changed to "Road to Hell" and "The Bill".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Two passengers on an airplane start a conversation and discover they both know a man named Gabriel Pasternak; the woman (María Marull), his ex-girlfriend, had sex with his only friend and the man (Darío Grandinetti), a music critic, savagely reviewed Pasternak's work. In fact, everyone on the flight is connected to Pasternak. A flight attendant reveals Pasternak is the plane's cabin chief and has locked himself inside the cockpit. Amid the panic, as Pasternak's former psychiatrist tries to reason with him, Pasternak crashes the airplane into his parents' house.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: At a highway restaurant, a waitress (Julieta Zylberberg) recognizes a loan shark (César Bordón) who had, years before, ruined her family and caused her father's untimely death. The cook (Rita Cortese) offers to mix rat poison into the man's food. The waitress refuses the offer but unbeknown to her, the cook adds the poison anyway. When the waitress finds out, she does not take the food away from the man. The loan shark's teenage son arrives and begins to share his father's meal. Worried the boy might eat the poison, the waitress tries to remove the plate; she throws food in the man's face and he attacks her. The cook kills the loan shark with a chef's knife. In the last scene, the loan shark's son is getting medical treatment from a responding ambulance while the waitress sits next to him. The cook is arrested and is driven away in a police car.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Diego (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is driving through a desert and tries to overtake a slower, older car that consistently blocks his path. When he finally passes, he insults the other driver, Mario (Walter Donado). Further up the road, Diego gets a flat tire while Mario catches up. Mario parks his car in front of Diego's, smashes Diego's windshield, and then defecates and urinates on it. When Mario is about to leave, Diego pushes him and his car into the river, and drives off. Fearing retribution, Diego returns to run down Mario but loses control and crashes into the river. Mario enters Diego's car and the men start to fight. Mario leaves Diego to be strangled by a seat belt; he then rips off a piece of his shirt, sets fire to it, and places it in the gas tank to incinerate the car, but Diego prevents him from escaping. As the car explodes, the tow truck driver called by Diego arrives. The police later discover the two men's charred bodies holding onto each other and mistake them for lovers who died in a crime of passion.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Simón Fischer (Ricardo Darín), a demolition expert, picks up a cake for his daughter's birthday party and discovers his car has been towed. He goes to the towed-car lot and explains there were no signs of a no-parking zone. He grudgingly pays the towing fee and misses his daughter's party. The next day, when Simón is refused a refund for the fee at the DMV, he attacks a glass partition and is arrested. The story makes the news and Simón's employer fires him, and his wife (Nancy Dupláa) seeks a divorce and sole custody of their daughter. After Fischer unsuccessfully applies for another job, he discovers his car has again been towed. He retrieves the car, packs it with explosives, and parks it in a tow zone. After it is towed again, he detonates the explosives, destroying the towing office with no casualties. Simón is imprisoned and becomes a local hero, earning the nickname "Bombita" ("Little bomb"), and calls on social media for his release. Simón's wife and daughter visit him in prison for his birthday, presenting him with a cake in the form of a tow truck.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: A teenager, driving his wealthy father's car, arrives home after running into a pregnant woman and driving away thereby committing a felony hit-and-run. On the local news, the woman and her child are reported dead, and her husband swears vengeance. The teenage driver's parents (Oscar Martínez and María Onetto) form a plan with his lawyer (Osmar Núñez) to use the parent's groundskeeper José (Germán de Silva) as a scapegoat in exchange for half a million dollars. The local prosecutor (Diego Velázquez), however, sees through the scheme. The lawyer negotiates to include the prosecutor in the deal for more money, but the guilty son says he wants to confess to the crowd that has gathered outside the house. Frustrated, the father calls off the deal, telling his son to confess. The lawyer renegotiates, still blaming José, but now for a lower price. As José is taken away by the police, the dead woman's husband repeatedly strikes him on the head with a hammer.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: At a Jewish wedding party, the bride Romina (Érica Rivas) discovers her groom Ariel (Diego Gentile) has had sex with one of the guests. Romina confronts Ariel as they dance in front of everyone, and in distress, Romina runs to the roof, where a kitchen worker comforts her. Ariel discovers Romina having sex with the worker; she tells Ariel she will sleep with every man who shows her interest, and will take everything Ariel owns if he tries to divorce her, or when he dies. The couple return to the party and continue the festivities. Romina pulls the woman with whom Ariel had sex onto the dance floor, spins her around, and slams her into a mirror. Romina orders the photographer to film Ariel and his mother weeping, declaring she will show the video at a future wedding. Ariel's mother attacks Romina but Ariel and Romina's father pull her off, and Romina collapses with emotion. Ariel approaches Romina and extends a hand. They dance, kiss, and begin to have sex as the guests leave.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: In 2007, director Damián Szifron took a break from directing and producing television series and focused on writing. He worked on three major projects at the same time; a science-fiction film series, a western, and a love story; Szifron was writing short stories to "let off steam" and eventually realized they were related. There were initially twelve to fifteen tales, out of which he chose the "wilder" ones. In a 2015 interview, Szifron explained that all the stories are based on real-life situations of people he has known or that Szifron went through himself. From that platform, he gave imagination free reign. In a more recent interview he tells of getting into an argument with another driver, and pulling over to write, immediately, the story that became ""El más fuerte"".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: At first, all of the stories were written to be independent and each of them could have been made into a film. Szifron thought the stories would have more impact when grouped so he decided to "reduce the conflicts to its minimum and find their climaxes". Often described as a black-humor film, Szifron stressed the stories were not planned as comedies but rather as a thriller or as a drama; according to Szifron, "they begin as dramas. The humor is a consequence of what these characters feel in a very dramatic situation." Ultimately, he thought neither comedy nor drama were appropriate labels, and decided "catastrophe movie" was the best term for it.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: All of the stories are very different; production designer Clara Notari said; "They have their own visual identity, as if each were a different movie, with its own spatial dimensions, colors, style, textures and set decoration". Despite this, Szifron said they "are vital organs of the same body" that sustain the film and "together [they] are more robust and make a larger universe". Because of this desire, Szifron abandoned an early pre-production idea of having each episode done in different cinematographic styles—the fifth story would be in black-and-white; the second would be filmed with anamorphic lenses and 35mm film, and the last would be made with video cameras. The director said the film's strength is not in the connection between the stories, and that "they are independent stories, with separate independent characters and conflicts". Szifron said this is because he was inspired by concept and jazz albums, and by the circus. For the albums, the tracks—although a unity—have their "own identity"; during a circus spectacle the different acts have value for different reasons but they are one whole. Szifron was also influenced by television anthology series "Amazing Stories", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone"; as well as the film "New York Stories" and the book "Nine Stories".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Wild Tales" is a co-production of the Argentine firms Kramer & Sigman Films, Telefe Productions and Corner Contenidos; and the Spanish company El Deseo, which is owned by Agustín and Pedro Almodóvar. The Almodóvars became interested in working with Szifron after watching his 2005 film "On Probation", saying they wanted to work with Szifron on his next project. With a budget of US$3.3–4.5 million—70% from Argentina and 30% from Spain—"Wild Tales" had an eight-week filming schedule in April and May 2013 at locations in Buenos Aires, Salta and Jujuy provinces. The third and final acts were the most expensive to film; the third act was filmed on the road that connects Salta and Cafayate because, according to Szifron, "the script required a desolate route with stunning scenery and degrees of sobriety" to have a contrast between the violence of the fight and the beauty of the environment. When filming concluded, there was enough material for "three different movies with different takes" so Szifron went through a six-to-seven-month editing process, which was done in his house.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Szifron considered each of the main cast members to be main-role actors who rarely star together in the same film. The director said it was possible to assemble these "very important actors" because they appreciated the screenplays and because filming for each segment only took ten days. Szifron already wanted to work with Darín and Martínez, who were given the opportunity to choose the role they wanted.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: According to Szifron, despite the film's common themes of catharsis, violence and vengeance, the stories are connected by "the fuzzy boundary that separates civilization from barbarism, the vertigo of losing your temper, and the undeniable pleasure of losing control". This is explored through the concept of human beings having animalistic features. Szifron considers the main difference between humans and animals is the capacity to restrain oneself, whereas non-human animals are guided by their instincts. Humans "have a fight or flee mechanism, but it comes with a very high cost. Most of us live with the frustration of having to repress oneself, but some people explode. This is a movie about those who explode". "Wild Tales" deals with aspects of daily life and "is a movie about the desire for freedom, and how this lack of freedom, and the rage and anguish it produces, can cause us to run off the rails". The characters' lives are also connected because they are "losing time in things they don't care about" and trying to keep up a socially-expected façade. Szifron said the film is "a reflection of millions of people who just waste their lives" because they do not do what they love within a system that is "not designed for the majority".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: The film is said to feature "political anger" and "political subversiveness", and, according to "La Capital", it has prompted debates about its "sociological and political side". Psychologist Diana Paulozky, in an interview for "La Voz del Interior", said "Wild Tales"' includes both visible and constrained violence, cynicism, moral hypocrisy, and denigration that may induce public turmoil. "La Capital" promoted a debate about the film with social security specialist Martín Appiolaza and sociologist Daniel Cholakian. Appiolaza said the film shows structural violence and specific violence towards school and work, and among couples, as well as types of discrimination. He concluded; "the theme of the film is the inequality that arouses violent reactions". Cholakian stated it depicts the violence that involves upper-middle-class, urban people, and that the main victims of social violence are the poorest people; "So the film is light years from reflecting the universality of that theme". Cholakian also refused to discuss violence in "Wild Tales" and dared to think Szifron would agree with him. Szifron said the film's themes of "government and corporate corruption and bureaucratic malfeasance ... have a universal resonance ... in a world where power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of wealthy and powerful individuals".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Several reviewers interpreted the film as a critique of 21st-century Argentinean daily life or "a backdrop of 20th century Argentine oppression". Szifron, however, said it could be set "in any other country and in any other period of time". He said the central theme is universal; "man versus a system that's designed against him, not to facilitate life, but to take things out of you". As such, it criticizes several problems and "frustrations of contemporary life", including government and corporate corruption, bureaucratic malfeasance, economic and social inequality, abuse of power, emotional and physical abuse, class and gender bias, social exigence of marriage, macho culture, and the need for revenge. It deals with money, power and elitism, and depicts people as selfish, disloyal and materialistic. In such a "social Darwinian world", the acts of vengeance are usually motivated by class or economic conflicts, beneath which is a desire to break free from what Szifron referred to as the "transparent cage" of Western capitalist and consumeristic society. The main issue, according to Szifron, "is the pleasure of reacting, the pleasure of reacting toward injustice". According to the film's producer Pedro Almodóvar, the film was not meant to support vigilantism: catharsis is only used to stimulate the action.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Film critics Chaz Ebert of "RogerEbert.com" and Steven Zeitchik of "Los Angeles Times" commented that the film focused on how "seemingly ordinary people" and "seemingly ordinary events" are involved in or become absurdist situations. James Rickman of "Paper" called "Wild Tales" "a "cri de coeur" against the personal and political barriers that block human curiosity". Claudia Puig of "USA Today" said it explores "the dark side of humanity and the dehumanization of society", while, according to Michael O'Sullivan of "The Washington Post", it is "a sharply observed case study in human nature". Eric Kohn of IndieWire said the last segment alters the film's overall meaning; "The bizarrely touching conclusion is a cynical take on the ups and downs of a relationship, hinting at the idea that even a mad world divided against itself thrives on the need for companionship". Ty Burr from "Boston Globe" concluded, "there is no lasting meaning, other than that people are funny, nasty animals when pushed to their limits".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Both in Europe and Latin America, film critics dubbed "Wild Tales"; "Characters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", alluding to Almodóvar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", which Almodóvar considered a fair comparison. According to Rooney, Almodóvar's influence is "there in the off-kilter humor, in the stylish visuals and bold use of music, and in the affection for ordinary people pushed to extraordinary extremes". Bob Mondello of NPR said the last segment "is weird, sexy and violent enough to make you think of the wild tales of director Pedro Almodóvar". Scott Feinberg of "The Hollywood Reporter" called "Wild Tales" a mix of Luis Buñuel, Rod Serling and Almodóvar; several other critics compared its style to that of Buñuel, especially its absurdism and the deterioration of normal life into savagery. Critics also noted similarities between "Wild Tales" and the works of Alfred Hitchcock, "Pulp Fiction", Steven Spielberg's "Duel", Michael Douglas-starring "Falling Down", "Tales from the Crypt", and Emir Kusturica. While "Pasternak" was often compared to "The Twilight Zone" because of its series of revelations, the third segment was often compared to a Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon, and was said to have slapstick touches and to be "Tarantino-esque". It was also labeled "a cross between Steven Spielberg's "Duel" and a violent Tom and Jerry cartoon" by Nashawaty, and "a combination of "Deliverance" and an R-rated Wile E. Coyote cartoon" by Liam Lacey of "The Globe and Mail".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Warner Bros. Pictures was the Argentine distributor of "Wild Tales". Juliana Rodríguez of "La Voz del Interior" described its marketing as a "huge operation" which included film posters, in the streets and in public buses, and billboard pieces ("s") featuring its characters. Warner Bros. screened the film's trailer at facilities and published previews, banners, clips, and photographs on social media. The film had its world premiere on 17 May 2014 at the Cannes Film Festival, which created much anticipation for its Argentine debut. Prior to the domestic release in late July and early August 2014, Szifron and the cast appeared on the Argentine television talk shows of Susana Giménez and Mirtha Legrand. A comment by Szifron on Mirtha Legrand's show attracted some controversy on Twitter and was officially denounced; Rodríguez said it generated involuntary publicity.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: The film's release was originally planned for 14 August but a strike by the trade union of theater workers caused Warner Bros. to postpone it. The film opened in Argentina on 21 August 2014. During its first weekend, it set the country's record for an opening with 450,000 tickets (approximately US$2.5 million). After 24 days, it had become the most-seen film of the year in Argentina with more than two million views in 275 cinemas. By September, it was estimated to have sold more than 2.4 million tickets. In the same month, it became the first domestic film to exceed 100 million pesos (US$12 million) at the box office. By the end of its theatrical run, "Wild Tales" had sold over 3.9 million tickets, making it the most-seen Argentine film of all time while also grossing US$11.7–21.1 million in Argentina. Sony Pictures Classics distributed "Wild Tales" in the United States, Canada, and Australia; Warner Bros. also distributed it in France and Spain. On 17 October 2014, it debuted in Spain, where it grossed over $4.3 million. "Wild Tales" was exhibited in about 30 countries, grossing over $3.1 million in the United States, $2.6 million in France, and over $1 million in Germany, Italy, and Brazil, for a worldwide gross of $30.6–44.1 million.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Wild Tales" was critically acclaimed. In Argentina, its appraisal by "Clarín" was "a phenomenal reception", and English-speaking reviewers were also favorable. On Rotten Tomatoes, based on 157 reviews, "Wild Tales" holds a 94% "fresh" rating and an average score of 8/10. The critical consensus says it is "Wickedly hilarious and delightfully deranged, "Wild Tales" is a subversive satire that doubles as a uniformly entertaining anthology film". Metacritic reports an average score of 77 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Praise was most often given to its narrative, cinematography, acting, screenplay, and the buildup to the climax. Occasional detractors said the film has a misanthropic or weak moral, a gimmicky intention, and predictable and repetitive stories.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Time" writer Richard Corliss compared "Wild Tales" to stories by Ambrose Bierce and Roald Dahl, calling it "the year's most fearlessly funny film", and naming it the ninth-best film of 2014. Five other critics placed it in their top 10 films of 2014, and five more did the same in 2015. Also in 2015, the Cuban Association of Film Press considered it the best film release in the country that year. In 2018, the BBC polled 209 film experts from 43 countries to name the 100 best foreign-language films; although "Wild Tales" did not make the main list, two critics placed it in their top 10s.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Elaine Teng of "The New Republic" and Nicholas Barber of "The Guardian" praised "Wild Tales" as a good example of an anthology film; Teng said it is "the rare anthology movie that transcends the limits of its form". O'Sullivan praised its tone and presentation, while Burr and Mar Diestro-Dópido of "Sight & Sound" praised its storytelling; Diestro-Dópido said each part makes up "a coherent, exuberant whole". "Clarín" critic Pablo O. Scholz said although each story's tone is different, Scholz stated the film keeps up a tension that grabs the public's attention. Similarly, Joe Morgenstern of "The Wall Street Journal" wrote "Wild Tales" makes "you never lose interest for a moment". Charles Solomon of the "Los Angeles Times" was critical of the film's pace, calling it "dreary". Robert Horton from "Seattle Weekly" criticized it for relying on twists, "a technique that doesn't quite disguise how in-your-face the lessons are", and called the film "a scattering of gotchas".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Jay Weissberg of "Variety" commented while "the overall enjoyment rarely flags", "not all the episodes are equally successful". He, Peter Howell of "Toronto Star" and O'Sullivan said "The Bill" felt displaced within the film; he said it has a "darker tone". O'Sullivan criticized the film's "mood of bitter cynicism" and according to Puig, it "borders on melodrama". "The Hollywood Reporter"s David Rooney considered it and "Bombita" have "a more sober tone" that the "delirious mayhem" of the opening three stories. Piug said the first segment is "a perfect starter" and Horton said the rest of the film "doesn't live up to the wicked curtain-raiser". Steven Rea of Philly.com considered it to the best segment along with the last one. While Jordan Hoffman of the "New York Daily News" called the last story "the most outrageous", Chris Nashawaty of "Entertainment Weekly" called "The Bill" the best segment, and David Edelstein of Vulture.com considered "Bombita" "the purest of all the tales, the one that distills the mad-as-hell vigilante". Nashawaty criticized "Road to Hell" because it "feel[s] like [a] cheeky one-joke setup in search of a second or third joke". Weissberg praised "Szifron's consummate skill at narration and setup, combined with inventive absurdity, makes it fresh and thoroughly entertaining".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: According to Rooney, the cast is consistent through the episodes; and said to be "superb" by Diestro-Dópido. Érica Rivas received particular praise for her "star-making performance", according to Bruce Ingram of "Chicago Sun-Times". While David Edelstein of Vulture.com said the cast is "incredibly credible given the characters' outlandish behavior," Horton was critical of the characterization, stating characters have "illogical behavior", mostly in the last segment. According to Richard Brody of "The New Yorker", "Wild Tales" "offers little in the way of context or characterization" and the "characters behave so rudely and crudely, there's no reason to care about what happens to them". O'Sullivan wrote; "The protagonists are exaggerated without being caricatures" and according to Hoffman, "All are funny because all feel true". Puig, Rea and Diestro-Dópido also said the characters are believable and relatable because most viewers would feel familiar with the situations and frustrations the characters experience.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: Ariston Anderson from "Filmmaker" commented "Wild Tales" is funny and "There is truly never a dull moment" in it. According to Weissberg, the humor is "subversive", managing "to be both psychologically astute and all-out outrageous". Diestro-Dópido said; "The humour of "Wild Tales" is pitch-black, its irony razor-sharp, its sarcasm painfully perverse and its unpredictability ludicrous, violent but also bitingly funny". Manohla Dargis from "The New York Times" compared the film's use of humor and coincidence to O. Henry's work, as did Nashawaty because of its "ironic twist endings". Praise was also directed towards Javier Juliá's cinematography; "visuals are flawless" said Weissberg, who praised both its special effects and its cinematography, whose "lean sense of irony... adds to the general pleasure". The reason it is a "good-looking film... crafted in high style" is, in Rooney's opinion, "lots of eye-catching touches from production designer Clara Notari and unconventional camera angles from cinematographer Javier Juliá". For Howell, Juliá "imparts a visual appreciation of the absurd that's somewhere between a Looney Tunes cartoon and Grand Guignol theatre". Rooney called the music by Gustavo Santaollala "a terrific spaghetti Western-flavored score". Weissberg said the soundtrack "fits the tone without pushing any wink-wink superiority".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "The New York Times" reported "Wild Tales" became "a genuine social phenomenon" and that some characters gained a cult status. The film inspired "I am Bombita" to become a catchphrase similar to "going postal" in the United States. Rivas, who appears in the last story, said she has been stopped in the street and asked several times to say "Film this for me, Nestor!".


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: After the 2015 crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, BFI and Curzon cinemas modified their home cinema listings of "Wild Tales", stating there is a similarity between the fictional crash at the start of the film and the Germanwings crash.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: At the Cannes Film Festival, "Wild Tales" was selected to compete for the main prize, the Palme d'Or, and had a ten-minute standing ovation. The film's popularity rapidly grew according to "The Hollywood Reporter", becoming a fan favorite during its exhibitions at Telluride and Toronto film festivals. After its praised festival tour, the American talent agency William Morris Endeavor contacted Szifron and "Wild Tales" was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. The film received a record of 21 nominations at the Sur Awards, of which it won ten, including Best Film and Best Director.


title: Wild Tales (film)

text: "Wild Tales" won seven of the eleven awards for which it was nominated at the Silver Condor Awards. Of its nine nominations at the 29th Goya Awards, it won the Best Ibero-American Film. "Wild Tales" won eight of ten awards the second Platino Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film also won the award for the Best Non-English Language Film at the BAFTA Awards, the Best Ibero-American Film at the Ariel Awards, the Best Latin-American Film at the Forqué Awards; and the audience awards at the film festivals of Biarritz, San Sebastián, São Paulo, and Sarajevo. Rivas won four awards, the most of several cast members who were nominated for awards; and Martínez wontwo awards.


title: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

text: Perhaps the earliest version was written by George Wheler in his 1698 book "The Protestant Monastery", which reads:


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle, so-called because it has no sarcomeres and therefore no striations ("bands" or "stripes"). It is divided into two subgroups, single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit muscle, the whole bundle or sheet of smooth muscle cells contracts as a syncytium.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle is found in the walls of hollow organs, including the stomach, intestines, bladder and uterus; in the walls of passageways, such as blood, and lymph vessels, and in the tracts of the respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems. In the eyes, the ciliary muscles, a type of smooth muscle, dilate and contract the iris and alter the shape of the lens. In the skin, smooth muscle cells such as those of the arrector pili cause hair to stand erect in response to cold temperature or fear.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle is grouped into two types: single-unit smooth muscle, also known as visceral smooth muscle, and multiunit smooth muscle. Most smooth muscle is of the single-unit type, and is found in the walls of most internal organs (viscera); and lines blood vessels (except large elastic arteries), the urinary tract, and the digestive tract. It is not found in the heart which has cardiac muscle. In single-unit smooth muscle a single cell in a bundle is innervated by an autonomic nerve fiber (myogenic). An action potential can be propagated through neighbouring muscle cells due to the presence of many gap junctions between the cells. Due to this property, single-unit bundles form a syncytium that contracts in a coordinated fashion making the whole muscle contract or relax. (such as the uterine muscles during childbirth).


title: Smooth muscle

text: Single-unit visceral smooth muscle is myogenic; it can contract regularly without input from a motor neuron (as opposed to multiunit smooth muscle, which is neurogenic - that is, its contraction must be initiated by an autonomic nervous system neuron). A few of the cells in a given single unit may behave as pacemaker cells, generating rhythmic action potentials due to their intrinsic electrical activity. Because of its myogenic nature, single-unit smooth muscle is usually active, even when it's not receiving any neural stimulation. Multiunit smooth muscle is found in the trachea, the iris of the eye, and lining the large elastic arteries.


title: Smooth muscle

text: However, the terms single- and multi-unit smooth muscle represents an oversimplification. This is due to the fact that smooth muscles for the most part are controlled and influenced by a combination of different neural elements. In addition, it has been observed that most of the time there will be some cell to cell communication and activators/ inhibitors produced locally. This leads to a somewhat coordinated response even in multiunit smooth muscle.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle differs from skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle in terms of structure, function, regulation of contraction, and excitation-contraction coupling. However, smooth muscle tissue tends to demonstrate greater elasticity and function within a larger length-tension curve than striated muscle. This ability to stretch and still maintain contractility is important in organs like the intestines and urinary bladder. Smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract is activated by a composite of three types of cells – smooth muscle cells (SMCs), interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα) that are electrically coupled and work together as an SIP functional syncytium.


title: Smooth muscle

text: A smooth muscle cell is a spindle-shaped myocyte with a wide middle and tapering ends, and a single nucleus. Like striated muscle, smooth muscle can tense and relax. In the relaxed state, each cell is 30–200 micrometers in length, some thousands of times shorter than a skeletal muscle cell. There are no myofibrils present but much of the cytoplasm is taken up by the proteins of myosin and actin which together have the capability to contract.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Different combinations of heavy and light chains allow for up to hundreds of different types of myosin structures, but it is unlikely that more than a few such combinations are actually used or permitted within a specific smooth muscle bed. In the uterus, a shift in myosin expression has been hypothesized to avail for changes in the directions of uterine contractions that are seen during the menstrual cycle.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The thin filaments that are part of the contractile machinery are predominantly composed of alpha-actin and gamma-actin. Smooth muscle alpha-actin is the predominant isoform within smooth muscle. There is also a lot of actin (mainly beta-actin) that does not take part in contraction, but that polymerizes just below the plasma membrane in the presence of a contractile stimulant and may thereby assist in mechanical tension. Alpha-actin is also expressed as distinct genetic isoforms such as smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle specific isoforms of alpha-actin.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The ratio of actin to myosin is between 2:1 and 10:1 in smooth muscle. Conversely, from a mass ratio standpoint (as opposed to a molar ratio), myosin is the dominant protein in striated skeletal muscle with the actin to myosin ratio falling in the 1:2 to 1:3 range. A typical value for healthy young adults is 1:2.2.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle does not contain the protein troponin; instead calmodulin (which takes on the regulatory role in smooth muscle), caldesmon and calponin are significant proteins expressed within smooth muscle.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Also, all three of these proteins may have a role in inhibiting the ATPase activity of the myosin complex that otherwise provides energy to fuel muscle contraction.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The actin filaments are attached to dense bodies, which are analogous to the Z-discs in striated muscle sarcomeres. Dense bodies are rich in alpha-actinin (α-actinin), and also attach intermediate filaments (consisting largely of vimentin and desmin), and thereby appear to serve as anchors from which the thin filaments can exert force. Dense bodies also are associated with beta-actin, which is the type found in the cytoskeleton, suggesting that dense bodies may coordinate tensions from both the contractile machinery and the cytoskeleton. Dense bodies appear darker under an electron microscope, and so they are sometimes described as electron dense.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The intermediate filaments are connected to other intermediate filaments via dense bodies, which eventually are attached to adherens junctions (also called focal adhesions) in the cell membrane of the smooth muscle cell, called the sarcolemma. The adherens junctions consist of large number of proteins including alpha-actinin (α-actinin), vinculin and cytoskeletal actin. The adherens junctions are scattered around "dense bands" that are circumfering the smooth muscle cell in a rib-like pattern. The dense band (or dense plaques) areas alternate with regions of membrane containing numerous caveolae. When complexes of actin and myosin contract, force is transduced to the sarcolemma through intermediate filaments attaching to such dense bands.


title: Smooth muscle

text: During contraction, there is a spatial reorganization of the contractile machinery to optimize force development. part of this reorganization consists of vimentin being phosphorylated at Ser by a p21 activated kinase, resulting in some disassembly of vimentin polymers.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Also, the number of myosin filaments is dynamic between the relaxed and contracted state in some tissues as the ratio of actin to myosin changes, and the length and number of myosin filaments change.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Isolated single smooth muscle cells have been observed contracting in a spiral corkscrew fashion, and isolated permeabilized smooth muscle cells adhered to glass (so contractile proteins allowed to internally contract) demonstrate zones of contractile protein interactions along the long axis as the cell contracts.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle-containing tissue needs to be stretched often, so elasticity is an important attribute of smooth muscle. Smooth muscle cells may secrete a complex extracellular matrix containing collagen (predominantly types I and III), elastin, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans. Smooth muscle also has specific elastin and collagen receptors to interact with these proteins of the extracellular matrix. These fibers with their extracellular matrices contribute to the viscoelasticity of these tissues. For example, the great arteries are viscolelastic vessels that act like a Windkessel, propagating ventricular contraction and smoothing out the pulsatile flow, and the smooth muscle within the tunica media contributes to this property.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The sarcolemma also contains caveolae, which are microdomains of lipid rafts specialized to cell signaling events and ion channels. These invaginations in the sarcoplasm contain a host of receptors (prostacyclin, endothelin, serotonin, muscarinic receptors, adrenergic receptors), second messenger generators (adenylate cyclase, phospholipase C), G proteins (RhoA, G alpha), kinases (rho kinase-ROCK, protein kinase C, protein Kinase A), ion channels (L type calcium channels, ATP sensitive potassium channels, calcium sensitive potassium channels) in close proximity. The caveolae are often close to sarcoplasmic reticulum or mitochondria, and have been proposed to organize signaling molecules in the membrane.


title: Smooth muscle

text: A smooth muscle is excited by external stimuli, which causes contraction. Each step is further detailed below.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle may contract spontaneously (via ionic channel dynamics) or as in the gut special pacemakers cells interstitial cells of Cajal produce rhythmic contractions. Also, contraction, as well as relaxation, can be induced by a number of physiochemical agents (e.g., hormones, drugs, neurotransmitters – particularly from the autonomic nervous system).


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle in various regions of the vascular tree, the airway and lungs, kidneys and vagina is different in their expression of ionic channels, hormone receptors, cell-signaling pathways, and other proteins that determine function.


title: Smooth muscle

text: For instance, blood vessels in skin, gastrointestinal system, kidney and brain respond to norepinephrine and epinephrine (from sympathetic stimulation or the adrenal medulla) by producing vasoconstriction (this response is mediated through alpha-1 adrenergic receptors). However, blood vessels within skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle respond to these catecholamines producing vasodilation because they possess beta-adrenergic receptors. So there is a difference in the distribution of the various adrenergic receptors that explains the difference in why blood vessels from different areas respond to the same agent norepinephrine/epinephrine differently as well as differences due to varying amounts of these catecholamines that are released and sensitivities of various receptors to concentrations.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Generally, arterial smooth muscle responds to carbon dioxide by producing vasodilation, and responds to oxygen by producing vasoconstriction. Pulmonary blood vessels within the lung are unique as they vasodilate to high oxygen tension and vasoconstrict when it falls. Bronchiole, smooth muscle that line the airways of the lung, respond to high carbon dioxide producing vasodilation and vasoconstrict when carbon dioxide is low. These responses to carbon dioxide and oxygen by pulmonary blood vessels and bronchiole airway smooth muscle aid in matching perfusion and ventilation within the lungs. Further different smooth muscle tissues display extremes of abundant to little sarcoplasmic reticulum so excitation-contraction coupling varies with its dependence on intracellular or extracellular calcium.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Recent research indicates that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling is an important regulator of vascular smooth muscle contraction. When transmural pressure increases, sphingosine kinase 1 phosphorylates sphingosine to S1P, which binds to the S1P2 receptor in plasma membrane of cells. This leads to a transient increase in intracellular calcium, and activates Rac and Rhoa signaling pathways. Collectively, these serve to increase MLCK activity and decrease MLCP activity, promoting muscle contraction. This allows arterioles to increase resistance in response to increased blood pressure and thus maintain constant blood flow. The Rhoa and Rac portion of the signaling pathway provides a calcium-independent way to regulate resistance artery tone.


title: Smooth muscle

text: To maintain organ dimensions against force, cells are fastened to one another by adherens junctions. As a consequence, cells are mechanically coupled to one another such that contraction of one cell invokes some degree of contraction in an adjoining cell. Gap junctions couple adjacent cells chemically and electrically, facilitating the spread of chemicals (e.g., calcium) or action potentials between smooth muscle cells. Single unit smooth muscle displays numerous gap junctions and these tissues often organize into sheets or bundles which contract in bulk.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle contraction is caused by the sliding of myosin and actin filaments (a sliding filament mechanism) over each other. The energy for this to happen is provided by the hydrolysis of ATP. Myosin functions as an ATPase utilizing ATP to produce a molecular conformational change of part of the myosin and produces movement. Movement of the filaments over each other happens when the globular heads protruding from myosin filaments attach and interact with actin filaments to form crossbridges. The myosin heads tilt and drag along the actin filament a small distance (10–12 nm). The heads then release the actin filament and then changes angle to relocate to another site on the actin filament a further distance (10–12 nm) away. They can then re-bind to the actin molecule and drag it along further. This process is called crossbridge cycling and is the same for all muscles (see muscle contraction). Unlike cardiac and skeletal muscle, smooth muscle does not contain the calcium-binding protein troponin. Contraction is initiated by a calcium-regulated phosphorylation of myosin, rather than a calcium-activated troponin system.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Crossbridge cycling causes contraction of myosin and actin complexes, in turn causing increased tension along the entire chains of tensile structures, ultimately resulting in contraction of the entire smooth muscle tissue.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle may contract phasically with rapid contraction and relaxation, or tonically with slow and sustained contraction. The reproductive, digestive, respiratory, and urinary tracts, skin, eye, and vasculature all contain this tonic muscle type. This type of smooth muscle can maintain force for prolonged time with only little energy utilization. There are differences in the myosin heavy and light chains that also correlate with these differences in contractile patterns and kinetics of contraction between tonic and phasic smooth muscle.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Crossbridge cycling cannot occur until the myosin heads have been activated to allow crossbridges to form. When the light chains are phosphorylated, they become active and will allow contraction to occur. The enzyme that phosphorylates the light chains is called myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), also called MLC kinase. In order to control contraction, MLCK will work only when the muscle is stimulated to contract. Stimulation will increase the intracellular concentration of calcium ions. These bind to a molecule called calmodulin, and form a calcium-calmodulin complex. It is this complex that will bind to MLCK to activate it, allowing the chain of reactions for contraction to occur.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Activation consists of phosphorylation of a serine on position 19 (Ser19) on the MLC light chain, which causes a conformational change that increases the angle in the neck domain of the myosin heavy chain, which corresponds to the part of the cross-bridge cycle where the myosin head is unattached to the actin filament and relocates to another site on it. After attachment of the myosin head to the actin filament, this serine phosphorylation also activates the ATPase activity of the myosin head region to provide the energy to fuel the subsequent contraction. Phosphorylation of a threonine on position 18 (Thr18) on MLC20 is also possible and may further increase the ATPase activity of the myosin complex.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Phosphorylation of the MLC myosin light chains correlates well with the shortening velocity of smooth muscle. During this period there is a rapid burst of energy utilization as measured by oxygen consumption. Within a few minutes of initiation the calcium level markedly decrease, MLC myosin light chains phosphorylation decreases, and energy utilization decreases and the muscle can relax. Still, smooth muscle has the ability of sustained maintenance of force in this situation as well. This sustained phase has been attributed to certain myosin crossbridges, termed latch-bridges, that are cycling very slowly, notably slowing the progression to the cycle stage whereby dephosphorylated myosin detaches from the actin, thereby maintaining the force at low energy costs. This phenomenon is of great value especially for tonically active smooth muscle.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Isolated preparations of vascular and visceral smooth muscle contract with depolarizing high potassium balanced saline generating a certain amount of contractile force. The same preparation stimulated in normal balanced saline with an agonist such as endothelin or serotonin will generate more contractile force. This increase in force is termed calcium sensitization. The myosin light chain phosphatase is inhibited to increase the gain or sensitivity of myosin light chain kinase to calcium. There are number of cell signalling pathways believed to regulate this decrease in myosin light chain phosphatase: a RhoA-Rock kinase pathway, a Protein kinase C-Protein kinase C potentiation inhibitor protein 17 (CPI-17) pathway, telokin, and a Zip kinase pathway. Further Rock kinase and Zip kinase have been implicated to directly phosphorylate the 20kd myosin light chains.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Other cell signaling pathways and protein kinases (Protein kinase C, Rho kinase, Zip kinase, Focal adhesion kinases) have been implicated as well and actin polymerization dynamics plays a role in force maintenance. While myosin light chain phosphorylation correlates well with shortening velocity, other cell signaling pathways have been implicated in the development of force and maintenance of force. Notably the phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues on the focal adhesion adapter protein-paxillin by specific tyrosine kinases has been demonstrated to be essential to force development and maintenance. For example, cyclic nucleotides can relax arterial smooth muscle without reductions in crossbridge phosphorylation, a process termed force suppression. This process is mediated by the phosphorylation of the small heat shock protein, hsp20, and may prevent phosphorylated myosin heads from interacting with actin.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The phosphorylation of the light chains by MLCK is countered by a myosin light-chain phosphatase, which dephosphorylates the MLC myosin light chains and thereby inhibits contraction. Other signaling pathways have also been implicated in the regulation actin and myosin dynamics. In general, the relaxation of smooth muscle is by cell-signaling pathways that increase the myosin phosphatase activity, decrease the intracellular calcium levels, hyperpolarize the smooth muscle, and/or regulate actin and myosin muscle can be mediated by the endothelium-derived relaxing factor-nitric oxide, endothelial derived hyperpolarizing factor (either an endogenous cannabinoid, cytochrome P450 metabolite, or hydrogen peroxide), or prostacyclin (PGI2). Nitric oxide and PGI2 stimulate soluble guanylate cyclase and membrane bound adenylate cyclase, respectively. The cyclic nucleotides (cGMP and cAMP) produced by these cyclases activate Protein Kinase G and Protein Kinase A and phosphorylate a number of proteins. The phosphorylation events lead to a decrease in intracellular calcium (inhibit L type Calcium channels, inhibits IP3 receptor channels, stimulates sarcoplasmic reticulum Calcium pump ATPase), a decrease in the 20kd myosin light chain phosphorylation by altering calcium sensitization and increasing myosin light chain phosphatase activity, a stimulation of calcium sensitive potassium channels which hyperpolarize the cell, and the phosphorylation of amino acid residue serine 16 on the small heat shock protein (hsp20)by Protein Kinases A and G. The phosphorylation of hsp20 appears to alter actin and focal adhesion dynamics and actin-myosin interaction, and recent evidence indicates that hsp20 binding to 14-3-3 protein is involved in this process. An alternative hypothesis is that phosphorylated Hsp20 may also alter the affinity of phosphorylated myosin with actin and inhibit contractility by interfering with crossbridge formation. The endothelium derived hyperpolarizing factor stimulates calcium sensitive potassium channels and/or ATP sensitive potassium channels and stimulate potassium efflux which hyperpolarizes the cell and produces relaxation.


title: Smooth muscle

text: In invertebrate smooth muscle, contraction is initiated with the binding of calcium directly to myosin and then rapidly cycling cross-bridges, generating force. Similar to the mechanism of vertebrate smooth muscle, there is a low calcium and low energy utilization catch phase. This sustained phase or catch phase has been attributed to a catch protein that has similarities to myosin light-chain kinase and the elastic protein-titin called twitchin. Clams and other bivalve mollusks use this catch phase of smooth muscle to keep their shell closed for prolonged periods with little energy usage.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Although the structure and function is basically the same in smooth muscle cells in different organs, their specific effects or end-functions differ.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The contractile function of vascular smooth muscle regulates the lumenal diameter of the small arteries-arterioles called resistance arteries, thereby contributing significantly to setting the level of blood pressure and blood flow to vascular beds. Smooth muscle contracts slowly and may maintain the contraction (tonically) for prolonged periods in blood vessels, bronchioles, and some sphincters. Activating arteriole smooth muscle can decrease the lumenal diameter 1/3 of resting so it drastically alters blood flow and resistance. Activation of aortic smooth muscle doesn't significantly alter the lumenal diameter but serves to increase the viscoelasticity of the vascular wall.


title: Smooth muscle

text: In the digestive tract, smooth muscle contracts in a rhythmic peristaltic fashion, rhythmically forcing foodstuffs through the digestive tract as the result of phasic contraction.


title: Smooth muscle

text: A non-contractile function is seen in specialized smooth muscle within the afferent arteriole of the juxtaglomerular apparatus, which secretes renin in response to osmotic and pressure changes, and also it is believed to secrete ATP in tubuloglomerular regulation of glomerular filtration rate. Renin in turn activates the renin–angiotensin system to regulate blood pressure.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The mechanism in which external factors stimulate growth and rearrangement is not yet fully understood. A number of growth factors and neurohumoral agents influence smooth muscle growth and differentiation. The Notch receptor and cell-signaling pathway have been demonstrated to be essential to vasculogenesis and the formation of arteries and veins. The proliferation is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is inhibited by nitric oxide.


title: Smooth muscle

text: The embryological origin of smooth muscle is usually of mesodermal origin, after the creation of muscle cells in a process known as myogenesis. However, the smooth muscle within the Aorta and Pulmonary arteries (the Great Arteries of the heart) is derived from ectomesenchyme of neural crest origin, although coronary artery smooth muscle is of mesodermal origin.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome is a genetic condition in which the body of a developing embryo does not create enough smooth muscle for the gastrointestinal system. This condition is fatal.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMA) can be a symptom of an auto-immune disorder, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, or lupus.


title: Smooth muscle

text: Smooth muscle tumors are most commonly benign, and are then called leiomyomas. They can occur in any organ, but they usually occur in the uterus, small bowel, and esophagus. Malignant smooth muscle tumors are called leiomyosarcomas. Leiomyosarcomas are one of the more common types of soft-tissue sarcomas. Vascular smooth muscle tumors are very rare. They can be malignant or benign, and morbidity can be significant with either type. Intravascular leiomyomatosis is a benign neoplasm that extends through the veins; angioleiomyoma is a benign neoplasm of the extremities; vascular leiomyosarcomas is a malignant neoplasm that can be found in the inferior vena cava, pulmonary arteries and veins, and other peripheral vessels.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on May 15, 2021, and concluded on July 7, 2021, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second consecutive and third overall Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Montreal Canadiens four games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals. The playoffs were originally scheduled to begin a few days after the 2020–21 regular season, but they began four days prior to the end of the regular season after the Vancouver Canucks had eleven games postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The league returned to the traditional 16-team playoff format with all series being best-of-seven, after using a 24-team format in 2020 due to the regular season being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to cross-border travel restrictions imposed by the Government of Canada, the league temporarily realigned this season into four divisions with no conferences. Consequently, the first two rounds of the playoffs featured intra-divisional matchups, with the higher seeded teams receiving home-ice advantage in those rounds. In the Stanley Cup Semifinals, the four remaining teams (one from each division) were reseeded based on their regular season records. Both semifinal winners advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. After initially stating that the Campbell and Wales trophies would not be awarded this season, the league decided in June 2021 that the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights would play for the Campbell Bowl and the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning would play for the Wales Trophy.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: Although it was initially unknown whether the Canadian teams that qualified for the playoffs would be able to play in their home arenas after the Second Round, on June 6, it was announced that those teams would be allowed to play in their home arenas for the remainder of the playoffs. In order to complete the playoffs in Canada, the League applied for a cross-border travel exemption with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Prior to the announcement, there were some ideas of the Canadian team playing in a neutral NHL city in the US after the Second Round.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Colorado Avalanche made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Pittsburgh Penguins increased their postseason appearance streak to 15 seasons, the longest active streak in the four major North American professional sports. For the second year in a row and third time overall since 1996, all California-based teams, the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks, missed the playoffs. For the first time since 1966, every team that qualified for the playoffs was also in the previous year's postseason. With all of the Canadian-based NHL teams in one division, the format for this season ensured that there would be a Second Round series between two Canadian-based teams for the first time since 2002.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: For the first time since 1992, three of the previous year's semifinalists, the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights, returned to the round for a second consecutive season.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The top four teams in each of the four realigned divisions made the playoffs; this was the first time since 1993 that this format had been used.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top four teams in each division made the playoffs.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: In the First Round, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. In each round, home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. Teams advancing to the Stanley Cup Semifinals were re-seeded one through four based on regular season record.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Carolina Hurricanes finished first in the Central Division earning 80 points. Nashville finished as the fourth seed in the Central Division, earning 64 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Carolina won six of eight games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Hurricanes defeated the Predators in six games. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored twice in Game 1 to give Carolina a 5–2 victory. In Game 2, Alex Nedeljkovic made 32 saves for the Hurricanes in a 3–0 shutout victory. Back in Nashville for Game 3, Juuse Saros stopped 52 shots and Matt Duchene scored at 14:54 of double-overtime for the Predators to emerge victorious 5–4. In Game 4, Juuse Saros made 58 saves for the Predators, defeating the Hurricanes 3–2 in double-overtime on Luke Kunin's snap shot goal. The Hurricanes forced overtime in Game 5, and in the extra period, Jordan Staal scored during a 4-on-4 to defeat the Predators 3–2 and take a 3–2 series lead. In Game 6, the Hurricanes overcame a two-goal deficit to force overtime, where Sebastian Aho scored on a deflected shot to send Carolina to the Second Round.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Florida Panthers finished second in the Central Division with 79 points. The Tampa Bay Lightning earned 75 points to finish third in the Central Division. This was the first playoff meeting between these two rivals. Florida won five of eight games in this year's regular season series. This was also the first postseason match-up between two Florida-based professional sports teams since the National Football League's where the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Miami Dolphins.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Lightning defeated the Panthers in six games. Upon his return from hip surgery in Game 1, Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov scored twice and Brayden Point, on a breakaway attempt, scored with 1:14 left in the game to give the Lightning a 5–4 victory. In Game 2, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves for Tampa Bay as they defeated Florida 3–1 to take a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Panthers gave up five goals in the second period; however, after a goalie change, Florida forced overtime where Ryan Lomberg scored to end the game 6–5 for the Panthers. The goaltending woes of the Panthers continued in Game 4 when Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals on fourteen shots giving the Lightning a 3–1 series lead after a 6–2 rout. In Game 5, Florida opted to start rookie goaltender Spencer Knight whose 36 saves made dividends for the Panthers in a 4–1 victory and extending a sixth game. Vasilevskiy held the fort for the Lightning in Game 6, posting a 29–save shutout in a 4–0 victory, advancing his team to the Second Round.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Pittsburgh Penguins finished first in the East Division earning 77 points, winning the tiebreaker against Washington with 34 . The New York Islanders earned 71 points to finish fourth in the East Division. This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with New York winning four of the five previous series. They last met in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round, which New York won in a four-game sweep. Pittsburgh won six of eight games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Islanders defeated the Penguins in six games. In Game 1, with Semyon Varlamov out as goaltender for New York, Ilya Sorokin stepped in and made 39 saves for the Islanders, defeating Pittsburgh in overtime on Kyle Palmieri's goal. Tristan Jarry made 37 saves for the Penguins in Game 2 who emerged victorious by the score of 2–1. The Islanders attempted a rally in the third period of Game 3 after being down by two goals. The comeback was spoiled at 16:24 when Penguins forward Brandon Tanev scored to make it 5–4. The Islanders played defensively in Game 4 with Sorokin stopping 29 shots in a 4–1 victory, tying the series 2–2. In Game 5, heading into double-overtime, Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into the period for the Islanders to give his team a 3–2 series lead in a 3–2 victory. Brock Nelson scored twice and provided an assist in New York's Game 6 victory, advancing to the Second Round with a 5–3 triumph.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Washington Capitals finished second in the East Division with 77 points, losing the tiebreaker against Pittsburgh with 33 . The Boston Bruins earned 73 points to finish third in the East Division. This was the fourth playoff series between these two teams, with Washington winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Washington won in seven games, the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history where all seven games were decided by one goal. Washington won their round-robin game in the previous year's Stanley Cup Qualifiers 2–1. These teams split their eight-game regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Bruins defeated the Capitals in five games. In Game 1, with the teams tied at two a-piece after the third period, Capitals forward Nic Dowd scored at 4:41 of overtime to give Washington their first victory of the series. With Game 2 tied 3–3 and heading into overtime again, the Bruins' Brad Marchand scored 39 seconds into the first overtime period to tie the series 1–1. In Game 3, the two teams extended into overtime for the third consecutive game where Capitals's goalie Ilya Samsonov misplayed the puck behind the net and Bruins forward Craig Smith scored in double overtime to give Boston a 3–2 victory. David Pastrnak scored a goal and provided an assist in Boston's 4–1 victory of Game 4, taking a 3–1 series and a chance to advance in Game 5. In Game 5, captain Patrice Bergeron scored twice for the Bruins, ending the series with a 3–1 victory.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Toronto Maple Leafs finished first in the North Division earning 77 points. The Montreal Canadiens earned 59 points to finish fourth in the North Division. This was the sixteenth playoff meeting between these two rivals, with Montreal winning eight of the fifteen previous series. They last met in the 1979 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, which Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Toronto won seven of ten games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs in seven games after being down 3–1 in the series. In Game 1, Maple Leafs captain John Tavares got upended by Ben Chiarot; while falling to the ice, Canadiens forward Corey Perry attempted to jump over Tavares' head; however, Perry's knee clipped the Toronto captain in the head. Ultimately, Tavares required a stretcher to leave the ice and was transported to the hospital. After the game, Perry expressed sincere remorse for his actions stating "I don’t know what else to do there. I tried to jump. I know Johnny pretty well and just hope he’s OK." The Canadiens won the game 2–1 on Carey Price's 35 saves along with Paul Byron's shorthanded game-winning goal in the third period. In Game 2, Auston Matthews scored a goal and two assists in the Maple Leafs' 5–1 victory to tie the series 1–1. The victory was their first playoff win over Montreal since their 1967 Stanley Cup-clinching game. In Game 3, the Maple Leafs scored twice in the second period, and with Jack Campbell's 28-save performance, secured a 2–1 victory. Campbell continued his goaltending prowess into Game 4 with a 4–0 shutout victory, stopping all 32 shots he faced and granting the Maple Leafs a 3–1 series lead. In Game 5, the Canadiens grabbed a 3–0 lead in the second period, however, the Maple Leafs tied the game with 8:06 left in the third period to force overtime. In overtime, Toronto forward Alex Galchenyuk gave the puck away causing a 2-on-0 break for rookie Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, the latter of which scored to spoil the Maple Leafs comeback and forced a sixth game. The first two periods of Game 6 remained scoreless until the third period where Montreal scored two power-play goals. In the final nine minutes, Toronto evened the score to send it to overtime where Maple Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott gave the puck up to Paul Byron who passed it towards Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the game-winning goal at 15:15, tying the series 3–3 with a 3–2 victory. Canadiens goalie Carey Price made 30 saves in Game 7, defeating Toronto 3–1 and completing a 3–1 series comeback. With the victory, Montreal ties the NHL record for most series victories after being down 3–1 in a series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Edmonton Oilers finished second in the North Division with 72 points. The Winnipeg Jets earned 63 points to finish third in the North Division. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was also the first Stanley Cup playoff meeting between these two cities since the 1990 Smythe Division Semifinals. Edmonton won seven of nine games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Jets defeated the Oilers in their first four-game sweep in franchise history. In Game 1, Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves for the Jets, defeating the Oilers 4–1. Hellebuyck continued to his goaltending dominance in Game 2 as the Oilers poured off 38 shots and no goals in a 1–0 overtime shutout loss. In Game 3, the Oilers jumped out to a 4–1 lead in the third period; the Jets were able to tie the game less than ten minutes later, with all three goals coming in a span of just over three minutes to force overtime. In overtime, Nikolaj Ehlers, who had been injured up to this game, scored to complete the comeback and snatch a 3–0 series lead. With Game 4 headed into triple-overtime, the Jets ended the marathon with Kyle Connor's series-clinching goal at 6:52, sweeping the Oilers in four games upon a 4–3 victory.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Colorado Avalanche earned the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team with 82 points, winning the tiebreaker against the Vegas Golden Knights with 35 . St. Louis finished as the fourth seed in the West Division, earning 63 points. This was the second playoff series between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2001 Western Conference Final, which Colorado won in five games. Colorado won their round-robin game in the previous year's Stanley Cup Qualifiers 2–1. Colorado won five of eight games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Avalanche defeated the Blues in a four-game sweep. In Game 1, the Avalanche shot the puck 50 times throughout the game with Nathan MacKinnon potting two goals and an assist in a 4–1 victory. MacKinnon scored a hat-trick in Game 2 as the Avalanche defeated the Blues 6–3. During the game, Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri hit Blues defenceman Justin Faulk in the head. Kadri would be suspended for eight games for the hit, although he filed an appeal, the suspension was upheld on May 31. In Game 3, Avalanche defenceman Ryan Graves scored a goal and two assists and Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves to defeat the Blues 5–1 and take a commanding 3–0 series lead. In Game 4, the Avalanche offensively drained the Blues with 34 shots and, with two empty-net goals, Colorado defeated St. Louis 5–2 to advance to the Second Round.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Vegas Golden Knights finished second in the West Division with 82 points, losing the tiebreaker against Colorado with 30 . The Minnesota Wild earned 75 points to finish third in the West Division. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Minnesota won five of eight games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Golden Knights defeated the Wild in seven games after having a 3–1 series lead. Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made NHL history in Game 1, becoming the first goaltender to start at least one game during the playoffs in fifteen consecutive seasons. However, his team ended up losing the game in an overtime shutout via Wild goalie Cam Talbot's 42-save performance and Joel Eriksson Ek's goal. In Game 2, Alex Tuch scored twice for the Golden Knights, winning the match 3–1. In Game 3, the Golden Knights scored five straight after being down 2–0 in the first period en route to a 5–2 victory. Fleury shut out the Wild in Game 4, stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4–0 victory taking a 3–1 series lead. On the brink in Game 5, the Wild were minimized to 14 shots, however, they scored 4 times and turned away 38 shots to win 4–2 and extend the series to a sixth game. The Wild staved off elimination in Game 6, scoring three goals in the third period of Cam Talbot's 23-save shutout to win 3–0. In Game 7, Mattias Janmark scored a hat-trick for the Golden Knights, preventing the Wild from completing a 3–1 series comeback with a 6–2 rout.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. These teams split their eight-game regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Lightning defeated the Hurricanes in five games. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy backstopped Tampa Bay with 37 saves in Game 1, defeating the Hurricanes 2–1. In Game 2, Vasilevskiy continued his goaltending excellence with 31 saves, defeating the Hurricanes again by the score of 2–1. The Hurricanes opted to start Petr Mrazek in Game 3, which paid dividends as the goaltender made 35 saves in Carolina's 3–2 overtime victory with Jordan Staal scoring the game-winning goal. In Game 4, the Hurricanes and Lightning combined for eight goals in the second period, with Tampa Bay overcoming a two-goal deficit in that period and defeating Carolina 6–4 for a 3–1 series lead. Vasilevskiy made 29 saves in a 2–0 shutout victory in Game 5, advancing Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the second consecutive season.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning both previous series. They last met in the 1983 Prince of Wales Conference Final, which New York won in six games. New York won five of eight games in this year's regular season series.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: The Islanders defeated the Bruins in six games. In Game 1, David Pastrnak scored a hat trick to give the Bruins a 5–2 victory. Casey Cizikas evened the series for the Islanders in Game 2, scoring the overtime goal at 14:48 on a breakaway for New York and defeating Boston 4–3. In Game 3, the Bruins and Islanders played defensively until overtime was required. In overtime, Brad Marchand scored in the first overtime period to give Boston a 2–1 victory. Mathew Barzal scored the game-winning goal of Game 4, scoring with 6:57 left in the third period and adding an assist in a 4–1 victory, tying the series 2–2. In Game 5, the Islanders jumped to a 5–2 lead early in the third period, then held off the Bruins' potential comeback to win 5–4. Brock Nelson scored twice, including the series-winning goal, for the Islanders in Game 6 defeating the Bruins 6–2 and advancing to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.


title: 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs

text: This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was also the first Stanley Cup playoff meeting between these two cities since 1908, when the Montreal Wanderers retained the Stanley Cup by defeating the Winnipeg Maple Leafs. Winnipeg won six of nine games in this year's regular season series. This was the first Second Round series between two Canadian-based NHL teams since 2002.