Kinetics of heart rate and catecholamines during exercise in humans The effect of heart denervation

To elucidate the role of factors other than the nervous system in heart rate (f _c) control during exercise, the kinetics off _c and plasma catecholamine concentrations were studied in ten heart transplant recipients during and after 10-min cycle ergometer exercise at 50 W. Thef _c did not increase at the beginning of the exercise for about 60 s. Then in the eight subjects who completed the exercise it increased following an exponential kinetic with a mean time constant of 210 (SEM 22) s. The two other subjects were exhausted after 5 and 8 min of exercise during whichf _c increased linearly. At the cessation of the exercise,f _c remained unchanged for about 50 s and then decreased exponentially with a time constant which was unchanged from that at the beginning of exercise. In the group of eight subjects plasma noradrenaline concentration ([NA]) increased after 30 s to a mean value above resting of 547 (SEM 124) pg · ml^–1, showing a tendency to a plateau, while adrenaline concentration ([A]) did not increase significantly. In the two subjects who became exhausted an almost linear increase in [NA] occurred up to about 1,300 pg · ml^–1 coupled with a significant increase in [A]. During recovery an immediate decrease in [NA] was observed towards resting values. The values of thef _c increase above resting levels determined at the time of blood collection were linearly related with [NA] increments both at the beginning and end of exercise with a similar slope, i.e. about 2.5 beats · min^–1 per 100 pg · ml^–1 of [NA] change. These findings would seem to suggest that in the absence of heart innervation the increase inf _c depends on plasma [NA].     

IUMS News International Union of Microbiological Societies Newsletter

IUMS NewsInternational Union of Microbiological Societies Newsletter     

IUMS News International Union of Microbiological Societies Newsletter

IUMS NewsInternational Union of Microbiological Societies Newsletter     

Skeletal muscle damage during tourniquet-induced ischaemia The initial step towards atrophy after orthopaedic surgery?

Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis muscle of patients who had undergone anterior cruciate ligament surgery under conditions of tourniquet-induced ischaemia were examined under the electron microscope at different periods of time up to 90 min of ischaemia. The severity of the alterations in ultrastructure appeared to depend on the period of ischaemia. The pathological changes consisted of accumulation of lysosomes, persistent intrafibre oedema, and some extracellular oedema. Signs of fibre necrosis were found after 90 min of ischaemia. Capillary ultrastructure was only altered with regard to some swelling of the endothelium and marked thickening of the basement membrane. It was concluded that skeletal muscle could be severely affected even during relatively short periods of ischaemia, which might facilitate the development of muscle atrophy during immobilization after orthopaedic surgery.     

Dispersal of adult female fig wasps 1. Arrivals and departures

Ficus burtt-davyi, like most other fig species (Ficus, Moraceae), is exclusively pollinated by its own unique species of fig wasp, in this caseElisabethiella baijnathi (Chalcidoidea, Agaonidae). Because fig crop development on any one tree is usually synchronised, the small and short-lived female wasps have to migrate and find other trees bearing figs which are at suitable stage of development for oviposition. However, the likelihood of successful location and subsequent arrival at a new host tree is dependent on distance and the effect of environmental factors such as wind and temperature. This study examines the relationship between ambient temperatures and the timing of fig wasps emergence from their natal figs and the commencement of their dispersal flight. The behaviour of the wasps arriving at figs which were ready to be pollinated was also examined. The female wasps did not appear to distinguish between the figs and other parts of the tree when in flight. However, after landing on the tree their search for figs was more directed as they visited more figs than leaves. Short-range recognition of figs appears to be by contact chemo-reception, but the wasps showed a preference for entering figs which did not already contain a female wasp.     

Hypoxia-induced fibre type transformation in rat hindlimb muscles Histochemical and electro-mechanical changes

Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats (21 days old) were randomly assigned into two experimental groups: sea level control (CONT) and hypobaric hypoxia (HYPO). The HYPO rats were kept in an hypobaric chamber maintaining a simulated altitude of 4000 m (61.1 kPa). After 10 weeks of treatment, the rat hindlimb muscles [soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL)] were subjected to histochemical and electro-mechanical analyses. Results indicated that compared to CONT the HYPO SOL muscle had a significantly greater relative distribution of fast-twitch-oxidative-glycolytic (FOG) fibres (28.9% SEM 2.0 vs 18.3% SEM 1.8, P less than 0.01) with a significant decrease in slow twitch oxidative fibre distribution (69.5% SEM 2.4 vs 82.9% SEM 3.1, P less than 0.01). Compared to CONT the HYPO EDL muscle also manifested a significant increase in FOG fibre distribution (51.6% SEM 0.8 vs 46.6% SEM 1.1, P less than 0.01), but this was accompanied by a significant decrease in fast twitch glucolytic fibres (44.3% SEM 0.9 vs 49.2% SEM 1.7, P less than 0.05). These histochemical fibre type transformations accompanied significant and expected changes in the electro-mechanical parameters tested in situ, e.g. maximal twitch force, maximal rate of force development, contraction time, half relaxation time, force: frequency curve, and fatigability. It was concluded that chronic hypobaric hypoxia could have a potent influence upon the phenotype expression of muscle fibres.