Systole heart beats—is cued by messages from the brain, reflecting the brain's responses to conditions of the body, such as pain, emotional stress, level of activity, and to ambient conditions including external temperature, time of day, etc. Electrical systole opens voltage-gated sodium, potassium and calcium channels in cells of myocardium tissue. Subsequently, a rise in intracellular calcium triggers the interaction of actin and myosin in the presence of ATP which generates mechanical force in the cells in the form of muscular contraction, or mechanical systole. The contractions generate intra-ventricular pressure, which is increased until it exceeds the external, residual pressures in
The Tale of the Body Thief again so that she wouldn't lose him. This could make "Tale of the Body Thief" the second of two "Vampire Chronicle" novels inspired by Rice's personal tragedies, the first being "Interview with the Vampire" (which is denied by Rice). Lestat's adjustment to his human body takes up a major portion of the book—after almost two centuries of being a vampire, he finds he has trouble with the basic human nuances of eating, defecating, and taking care of his body. One of the realizations made by Lestat is that he took his powers for granted for too long; only after his