Electrophysiological characteristics of the aortic baroceptors

The presence in the left aortic nerve of rabbits of medullated and nonmedullated fibres with conduction velocities of 12--30 m/s and 0.9--1.2 m/s, respectively, was demonstrated. In experiments on the isolated aortic arch preparation the electrophysiological characteristics of the aortic baroceptors with the medullated and non-medullated fibres were studied by means of a selective block of conduction in these fibers. Baroceptors with the non-medullated fibers had a higher threshold pressure and a wider functional range.     

Morphological characteristics of the hair of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata fuscata): Length,diameter and shape in cross-section,and arrangement of the medulla

A morphological study was carried out on hairs of the Japanese monkey. The shapes in cross-section were circles or ellipses. The diameters of the hairs ranged from 13.5 to 92 μ, and the mean value in each monkey was between about 30 and 40 μ. The average value of the fibre index was approximately 90 in each monkey. The arrangement of the medulla was considered to be of the narrow medulla lattice type. Medullae were developed poorly or disappeared in hairs with a diameter of less than 30 μ. A correlation was noted between the hair thickness and presence of medulla: medullated hairs were thicker than non-medullated hairs. A tendency was found for thicker hairs to be of greater length. The hairs of the Japanese monkey could be divided broadly into two types: medullated hair and non-medullated hair. The medullated hairs could be regarded as guard hair-like hairs since they were thick and long, and the non-medullated hairs as underhair-like hairs since they were thin and short.     

Acidaemia reduces cardiac output and left ventricular contractility in conscious lambs

We studied the effects of HCI-induced metabolic acidaemia on cardiac output, contractile function, myocardial blood flow, and myocardial oxygen consumption in nine unanaesthetized newborn lambs. Through a left thoracotomy, catheters were placed in the aorta, left atrium and coronary sinus. A pressure transducer was placed in the left ventricle. Three to four days after surgery, we measured cardiac output, dP/dt, left ventricular end diastolic and aortic mean blood pressures, heart rate, aortic and coronary sinus blood oxygen contents, and left ventricular myocardial blood flow during a control period, during metabolic acidaemia, and after the aortic pH was restored to normal. We calculated systemic vascular resistance, myocardial oxygen consumption and left ventricular work. Acidaemia was associated with reduction in cardiac output, maximal dP/dt, and aortic mean blood pressure. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure and systemic vascular resistance increased, and heart rate did not change significantly. The reduction in myocardial blood flow and oxygen consumption was accompanied by fall in cardiac work. Cardiac output returned to control levels after the pH had been normalized but maximal dP/dt was incompletely restored. Myocardial blood flow and oxygen consumption increased beyond control levels. This study demonstrates that HCI-induced metabolic acidaemia in conscious newborn lambs is associated with a reduction in cardiac output which could have been mediated by the reduction in contractile function and/or the increase in systemic vascular resistance. The decreases in myocardial blood flow and oxygen consumption appear to reflect diminished cardiac work. The restoration of a normal cardiac output after normalization of the pH appears to have resulted from the increases in heart rate and left ventricular filling pressures in conjunction with an incomplete restoration of contractile function.     

Nerve conduction theory: Some mathematical consequences of Bernstein's model

The generally accepted permeability theory of nerve conduction is presented in mathematical form. The resulting velocity formula is found to agree well with data on squid giant axon, but predicts velocities considerably too high in the case ofNitella. The dependence of velocity on fiber diameter is discussed for both medullated and non-medullated nerve, it being shown theoretically that velocity is proportional to the square root of diameter for non-medullated and to the diameter for medullated nerve. The equations relating the shape of the action spike to the observed permeability changes are given but are not solved.     

刺激腓深神经对低血压或休克狗心血管活动的影响

实验在麻醉狗中进行。静脉内匀速注射硝普钠时,平均动脉压和左心室收缩压明显降低,左心室dp/dt_(max)、-dp/dt_(max)和心力环面积均明显减小。此时电刺激一侧腓深神经可使动脉血压和左心室收缩压明显升高,dp/dt_(max)和心力环面积也显著增加。停止刺激后,动脉血压和左心室收缩压逐渐回向刺激前的水平。停止注射硝普钠5～15分钟后,上述各项观察指标基本恢复到注药前的水平。在用大肠杆菌内毒素造成休克的狗中,电刺激一侧腓深神经,也能使平均动脉压和左心室收缩压升高,同时dp/dt_(max)、-dp/dt_(max)和肠系膜血管阻力明显增高,但肾血管阻力增加不明显。本实验结果与以往的实验资料一起表明,在用扩血管药造成低血压时,躯体神经刺激引起的升压效应似乎以心肌收缩力增加为主;而在内毒素休克时,躯体神经刺激可通过改善心肌收缩功能和增加内脏血管阻力而引起升压作用。     

Modulation of cardiovascular reflexes by arginine vasopressin

Arginine vasopressin (AVP), a potent vasoconstrictor, does not raise arterial pressure in normal humans or neurally intact animals, even during infusions that achieve pathophysiological plasma concentrations. It has been proposed that this is because AVP facilitates the baroreflex control of the circulation. We performed a series of investigations to test this hypothesis, and to determine sites at which AVP might act to augment the baroreflex. In anesthetized rabbits, vasopressin (36 pmol.kg-1.min-1) increased discharge from both medullated and nonmedullated single fibres from aortic baroreceptor nerves during elevations in aortic arch pressure. Similarly, vasopressin (36 pmol.kg-1.min-1) increased the response of left ventricular mechanoreceptor single fibre discharge to elevations of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. These observations suggest that sensitization of high and low pressure baroreceptors is one mechanism by which vasopressin may facilitate baroreflexes. In a further series of experiments in sinoaortic denervated anesthetized rabbits, vasopressin (18 pmol.kg-1.min-1) facilitated vagally mediated reflex inhibition of renal sympathetic nerve activity during volume expansion. In humans, AVP (0.37 pmol.kg-1.min-1) raised plasma AVP to an antidiuretic level (22 +/- 4 fmol/mL), but did not change blood pressure or the baroreflex control of heart rate or forearm vascular resistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Diabetic type of cardiomyopathy in food-restricted rats.

We have demonstrated that food restriction that is associated with weight loss can produce a type of cardiac dysfunction similar to that produced by diabetes. As in diabetic atria, the food-restricted atria had a 2-fold increase in contraction force, rate of force development, and rate of force decline compared with controls. Both food-restricted and diabetic atria could tolerate anoxia better than controls. The contractile function of the whole perfused heart from the food-restricted rat was reduced, as in the case of the diabetic heart. As the left ventricular volume was increased, the left ventricular developed pressure and the rate of rise and fall in pressure were significantly reduced in both food-restricted and diabetic hearts, compared with those of age- and weight-matched controls. The positive inotropic responses of atria and whole perfused heart to increasing concentrations of extracellular calcium were similarly altered in food-restricted and diabetic hearts. The possible molecular mechanisms of these findings and some of the differences observed between food-restricted and diabetic hearts are discussed.     

The effect of adrenomedullin,amylin fragment 8-37 and calcitonin gene-related peptide on contractile force,heart rate and coronary perfusion pressure in isolated rat hearts

The effect of human adrenomedullin, human amylin fragment 8-37 (amylin 8-37) and rat calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on contractile force, heart rate and coronary perfusion pressure has been investigated in the isolated perfused rat hearts. Adrenomedullin (2x10(-10), 2x10(-9) and 2x10(-8) M) produced a significant decrease in contractile force and perfusion pressure, but only the peptide caused a decline in heart rate at the highest dose. Amylin (10(-9), 10(-8) and 10(-7) M) significantly increased and then decreased contractile force. Two doses of amylin (10(-8) and 10(-7) M) induced a significant increase in heart rate, however amylin did not change perfusion pressure in all the doses used. Rat alpha CGRP (10(-8), 10(-7) and 10(-6) M) evoked a slight decline in contractile force following a significant increase in contractile force induced by the peptide. CGRP in all the doses raised heart rate and lowered perfusion pressure. Our results suggest that adrenomedullin has negative inotropic, negative chronotropic and coronary vasodilator actions. Amylin produces a biphasic inotropic effect and evokes a positive chronotropy. CGRP causes positive inotropic, positive chronotropic and vasodilatory effects in isolated rat hearts.     

不同海拔高度对健康成年男性心脏血流动力学和心电图的影响

目的:监测中国南极冰盖考察预选队员心血管系统随海拔增高的变化,探讨筛查低氧易感队员和急性高原病的防治。方法:用无创血流动力学监护仪和十二导联心电图机,在北京(40 m)、拉萨(3 650 m)、羊八井(4 300 m)对第25次和26次南极冰盖考察预选队员心血管功能进行连续动态性监测。结果:随着海拔的增高,心率、收缩压、舒张压、平均动脉压、外周血管阻力、外周血管阻力指数显著升高(P0.05),心输出量、心指数、搏出量、搏出指数、加速度指数、速度指数、左心射血时间显著降低(P0.05),预射血期呈降低趋势(P0.05)。结论:随着海拔的增高,预选队员的外周血管阻力显著升高,左心泵血和收缩功能减弱且与Q-TC间期呈负相关。     

The effects of sympathetic stimulation and adenosine on coronary circulation and heart function in diabetes mellitus

The aim of the experiment was to clarify whether the altered coronary reactivity in diabetes mellitus might be caused by a general modification of the sympathetic responses. Six of 12 young mongrel dogs of both sexes were made diabetic with alloxan (560 mmol/kg). This amount of alloxan induced a clinically manifest diabetes, however the animals failed to develop ketosis. The remaining six dogs served as controls. The haemodynamic investigation was performed three months after the induction of diabetes. Under pentobarbital anaesthesia (133 mmol/kg) mean arterial blood pressure, blood flow in the left anterior descending coronary artery, myocardial contractile force of left ventricular wall and heart rate were recorded continuously and the conductivity of coronary arterial bed was calculated during electrical stimulation ( 8V , 1-2-4-8-20 s-1) of the cardiac plexus or during the intracoronary infusion of adenosine (30-60-120-240-480 nmol/kg/min). In alloxan-diabetic dogs electrical stimulation evoked vasoconstriction in the coronary arterial bed, while vasodilation was observed in metabolically healthy animals. The vasodilator effect of adenosine was significantly smaller in diabetic than in control dogs. On the other hand there were no differences either in the alterations of heart rate caused by adenosine or in those of myocardial contractile force induced by adenosine or electric stimulation between the two groups. It is concluded that general alteration of sympathetic responses is not, but rather a modified relation of the receptors to the vessel wall might be responsible for the altered vascular responses in diabetes.     

Circulatory effects of prolonged hypoxia before and during antihistamine.

Five chronically instrumented healthy dogs were exposed to a 5-day period of breathing 10% oxygen in a chamber. The response to hypoxia was found to be time dependent. During the first 24 h of hypoxia the circulatory response was characterized by increases in cardiac output, heart rate, pulmonary and systemic arterial blood pressures, and pulmonary vascular resistance. Systemic vascular resistance increased; left atrial pressure decreased. During the early part of hypoxia the animals became hypocapnic; the arterial blood pH rose significantly. During the rest of the hypoxic period cardiac output, heart rate, and arterial blood pH returned to the control values; pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures and pulmonary vascular resistance remained significantly elevated. Systemic vascular resistance rose; left atrial pressure remained below control. This response to hypoxia was not substantially modified when the experiment was repeated during the administration of the antihistamine promethazine, an H1-receptor blocking agent, in a dose which blocked the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to small doses of exogenous histamine. The circulatory response to acute hypoxia in five anesthetized dogs was not modified by intravenous administration of metiamide, an H2-receptor blocking agent.     

Inhibition of crossbridge function in the normal human heart by hypoxic endothelial superfusate.

Endothelial cells release diffusible substances which modulate myocardial function. Oxygen pressure is one important factor for stimulation and modulation of endothelial function. Here we investigated the effects of a superfusate obtained from hypoxic (pO(2) 40-50 mmHg) porcine endothelial cell culture on human myocardial crossbridge cycling rate. Isometric force development and the rate constant for tension development of demembranated multicellular fibers from the left myocardium of a normal human heart were determined from the low-tension rigor by photolytic release of ATP from caged-ATP. Incubation with hypoxic or normoxic superfusates did not change maximal isometric force development. However, rate constant of tension development of the normal human heart fibers significantly decreased to 43.3% upon incubation with the hypoxic but not normoxic endothelial cell superfusate.     

Diaphragm muscle fatigue resistance during postnatal development.

Changes in the contractile and fatigue properties of the cat diaphragm muscle were examined during the first 6 wk of postnatal development. Both twitch contraction time and half-relaxation time decreased progressively with age. Correspondingly, the force-frequency curve was shifted to the left early in development compared with adults. The ratio of peak twitch force to maximum tetanic force decreased with age. Fatigue resistance of the diaphragm was highest at birth and then progressively decreased with age. At birth, most diaphragm muscle fibers stained darkly for myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase after alkaline preincubation and thus would be classified histochemically as type II. During subsequent postnatal development, the proportion of type I fibers (lightly stained for adenosinetriphosphatase) increased while the number of type II fibers declined. At birth, type I fibers were larger than type II fibers. The size of both fiber types increased with age, but the increase in cross-sectional area was greater for type II fibers. On the basis of fiber type proportions and mean cross-sectional areas, type I fibers contributed 15% of total muscle mass at birth and 25% in adults. Thus postnatal changes in diaphragm contractile and fatigue properties cannot be attributed to changes in the relative contribution of histochemically classified type I and II fibers. However, the possibility that these developmental changes in diaphragm contractile and fatigue properties correlated with the varying contractile protein composition of muscle fibers was discussed.     

Contributions of hemodynamic monitoring to the treatment of chronic congestive heart failure.

Optimal therapy for congestive cardiac failure requires identification of correctable factors that aggravate it as well as an understanding of its etiology. Increased sympathetic nervous system activity, reduced renal blood flow, and cardiac hypertrophy and dilation are the main compensatory processes that occur in response to cardiac failure. Although they may be of initial benefit in supporting a reduced stroke volume, they may ultimately prove self-defeating. New drugs for the treatment of severe congestive heart failure include dopamine, which has a selective nonadrenergic dilator effect on the renal vascular bed, and dobutamine, which has potent inotropic effects, lowers the left ventricular filling pressure and does not increase the heart rate or the systemic vascular resistance. By reducing both the resistance to left ventricular ejection and the venous return to the right heart, vasodilators result in improved peripheral perfusion and reduced pulmonary congestion. Optimal therapy for refractory cardiac failure can be rationally determined by characterizing the hemodynamic profile through measurement of the mean arterial pressure, the left ventricular filling pressure, the cardiac output and the systemic vascular resistance. The specific therapy can then be effectively and safely delivered by a careful analysis of the dose-response relation as identified by hemodynamic monitoring.     

Effects of parathyroid hormone on the cardiovascular system

It has been well accepted that the bone and kidney are the principal organs of parathyroid hormone (PTH) actions, but there has been little work on the cardiovascular system. We evaluated the effect of PTH on the cardiovascular system of rats. In thiobutabarbital anesthetized rats, synthetic bovine parathyroid hormone, containing the amino acid (b-PTH 1-34) in dose of 0.1-10 micrograms/kg iv, caused dose related decrease in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). On the other hand, there were significantly increase in heart rate (HR) and left ventricular contractile force. With the doses of 10 micrograms/kg, PTH decreased the MAP from 104.3 to 55.5 mmHg, left ventricular pressure (LVP) 122.1 to 96.4 mmHg, left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) from 6.70 to 6.37 mmHg and LV dp/dt max 5,684 to 4,736 mmHg/sec. The HR, LV dp/dt/p and Vmax increase from 399.7 to 410.0 bpm, 95.5 to 108.4/sec, 98.2 to 107.4/sec, respectively. The propranolol, phentolamine, atropine and promethazine did not affect these actions of PTH. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that PTH has the directory vasodepressive action and the effect of augmentation of the left ventricular contractile force.     

Effects of enhanced ventricular filling on cardiac pump performance in exercising dogs

The extent to which the normal increase in stroke volume during exercise can be augmented by increasing preload by dextran infusion was studied in seven dogs. Each dog ran 3 min on a level treadmill at mild (3-4 mph), moderate (6-8 mph), and severe (9-13 mph) loads during the control study and immediately after 10% dextran 14 ml/kg iv. During severe exercise dextran-augmented stroke volume (+5.4 ml or 19% vs. exercise without dextran, P less than 0.01) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and pressure did not change heart rate, aortic pressure, or maximum derivative of left ventricular pressure but decreased systemic vascular resistance by 16%. Similar increases in stroke volume and preload after dextran occurred during mild and moderate exercise when arterial pressure and heart rate were unchanged or increased and systemic vascular resistance was decreased. Thus altering preload above those levels normally encountered during exercise is a potential mechanism to increase stroke volume and cardiac output.     

Role of alpha-adrenergic receptors in the intrinsic inotropic selectivity of dobutamine in anesthetized dogs

The inotropic selectivity of dobutamine was examined in pentobarbital-anesthetized, vagotomized dogs pretreated with a ganglion blocker. The purpose was to determine if, in the presence of hexamethonium and vagotomy, the inotropic selectivity of dobutamine could be attributed to an action of dobutamine on alpha-adrenoreceptors. Dose-response curves were determined for either isoproterenol or dobutamine 30 min after treatment with hexamethonium (20mg/kg). Analysis of heart rate versus right ventricular contractile force showed that dobutamine produced less tachycardia for a given increase in contractile force than isoproterenol; this was statistically significant when contractile force was increased by either 50 or 100%. In a separate series of experiments, dobutamine (8 micrograms . kg(1-) . min(-1)) was administered 20 min after propranolol (3 mg/kg). Under these conditions there was a slight increase in contractile force which represented 12% of the dobutamine response prior to propranolol administration. This increase in contractile force in the presence of propranolol was completely prevented by the addition of phentolamine (1 mg/kg). Consequently, in another series of experiments, dose-response curves for dobutamine were performed in the presence of hexamethonium before and 30 min after phentolamine alone (1 mg/kg) or vehicle. Phentolamine did not influence the effect of dobutamine on heart rate or contractile force, but prevented the increase in diastolic blood pressure caused by dobutamine. In addition, analysis of heart rate versus contractile force indicated that there were no statistically significant effects of phentolamine on the inotropic selectivity of dobutamine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The cardiac contractile function and hemodynamic control in rats after chronic adriamycin treatment

Cardiac contractile function and hemodynamic parameters of control and adriamycin-treated (2 mg/kg once a week for 10 weeks) rats were studied both in the anesthetized (hexenal, 20 mg/kg) and conscious state. Radiolabelled microspheres (diameter, 15 microns) were used to measure systemic and regional hemodynamics. No significant differences between the control and adriamycin-treated groups in cardiac contractile function, total peripheral resistance, and regional blood flow (except muscles) was found in anesthetized animals. In the conscious state, a significantly higher (+70%) total peripheral resistance combined with lower blood flow in the skin and spleen was observed in adriamycin-treated rats. The response of the heart rate to changes in the arterial pressure induced by nitroglycerin and phenylephrine injection was greatly diminished after adriamycin treatment. Isoprenaline (0.64 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) increased left ventricular contractile indices approximately twofold and heart rate by 30% in the control group, while in adriamycin-treated rats only minor changes in these parameters were observed. However, cardiac output rose by 36% and total peripheral resistance fell by 36% in these animals. Results show that prolonged adriamycin treatment leads to decreased inotropic response to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation and reduced baroreflex control. These changes occur in the stage preceding congestive heart failure.     

Dynamic myocardial contractile parameters from left ventricular pressure-volume measurements

A new dynamic model of left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume relationships in beating heart was developed by mathematically linking chamber pressure-volume dynamics with cardiac muscle force-length dynamics. The dynamic LV model accounted for >80% of the measured variation in pressure caused by small-amplitude volume perturbation in an otherwise isovolumically beating, isolated rat heart. The dynamic LV model produced good fits to pressure responses to volume perturbations, but there existed some systematic features in the residual errors of the fits. The issue was whether these residual errors would be damaging to an application where the dynamic LV model was used with LV pressure and volume measurements to estimate myocardial contractile parameters. Good agreement among myocardial parameters responsible for response magnitude was found between those derived by geometric transformations of parameters of the dynamic LV model estimated in beating heart and those found by direct measurement in constantly activated, isolated muscle fibers. Good agreement was also found among myocardial kinetic parameters estimated in each of the two preparations. Thus the small systematic residual errors from fitting the LV model to the dynamic pressure-volume measurements do not interfere with use of the dynamic LV model to estimate contractile parameters of myocardium. Dynamic contractile behavior of cardiac muscle can now be obtained from a beating heart by judicious application of the dynamic LV model to information-rich pressure and volume signals. This provides for the first time a bridge between the dynamics of cardiac muscle function and the dynamics of heart function and allows a beating heart to be used in studies where the relevance of myofilament contractile behavior to cardiovascular system function may be investigated.     

Myofibrillar responsiveness to cAMP,PKA, and caffeine in an animal model of heart failure

We investigated whether an alteration of myofilament calcium responsiveness and contractile activation may in part contribute to heart failure. A control group of Broad Breasted White turkey poults was given regular feed without additive, whereas the experimental group was given the control ration with 700 ppm of furazolidone at 1 week of age for 3 weeks (DCM). At 4 weeks of age, left ventricular trabeculae carneae were isolated from hearts and calcium-force relationships studied. No differences in calcium-activation between fibers from control or failing hearts were noted under standard experimental conditions. Also failing hearts demonstrated no significant shift in the population of troponin T isoforms but we did observe a significant 4-fold decrease in TnT content in failing hearts compared to non-failing hearts. Addition of caffeine, however, resulted in a greater leftward shift on the calcium axis in fibers from failing hearts. At pCa 6, caffeine increased force by 26+/-2.1% in control fibers and 44.5+/-8.7% in myopathic fibers. Cyclic AMP resulted in a greater rightward shift on the calcium axis in failing myocardium. In control muscles, the frequency of minimum stiffness (f(min)) was higher than in muscles from failing hearts. cAMP and caffeine both shifted f(min) to higher frequencies in control fibers whereas in fibers from failing hearts both caused a greater shift. These results lead us to conclude that heart failure exerts differential effects on cAMP and caffeine responsiveness. Our data suggest that changes at the level of the thin myofilaments may alter myofilament calcium responsiveness and contribute to the contractile dysfunction seen in heart failure.