bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diminished vasomotor component of systemic arterial pressure signals and baroreflex in brain death
Authors: Kuo T. B. , Yien H. W. , Hseu S. S. , Yang C. C. , Lin Y. Y. , Lee L. C. , Chan S. H.
Published: December 2017

We compared the cardiovascular autonomic regulatory mechanisms between patients with brain death or under a persistent vegetative state and healthy volunteers, based on auto- and cross-spectral analysis of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and interpulse interval (PPI) signals. Brain-dead patients exhibited a significant reduction in the absolute and relative power of the low-frequency (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) component in both SBP and PPI spectra, along with appreciable decrease in the very low frequency (VLF; 0.004-0.04 Hz), LF, and high-frequency (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) power of the PPI signals. Patients in a persistent vegetative state exhibited a power of the VLF and LF component in the SBP spectrum that was comparable to that in healthy subjects, although a discernible reduction in the VLF, LF, and HF power of the PPI spectrum was manifested by the former group. Assessments with the magnitude of SBP-PPI transfer function and linear regression analysis of beat-to-beat fluctuations in SBP and PPI revealed a progressive decline in spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity from healthy subjects to patients in a persistent vegetative state or with brain death. We conclude that the vasomotor component of systemic arterial pressure signals and spontaneous baroreflex are highly correlated with the functional integrity of the brain stem.
K+ATP channels and adenosine are not necessary for coronary autoregulation
Authors: Stepp D. W. , Kroll K. , Feigl E. O.
Published: December 2017

Autoregulation is defined as the intrinsic ability of an organ to maintain constant flow in the face of changing perfusion pressure. The present study evaluated the role of several potential mediators of coronary autoregulation: interstitial adenosine, ATP-sensitive K+ (K+ATP) channels, and myocardial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions as reflected by coronary venous oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions. The left main coronary artery was cannulated, and blood was perfused at controlled pressures in closed-chest dogs. Interstitial adenosine concentration was estimated from arterial and venous adenosine concentrations with a previously described mathematical model. Autoregulation of coronary blood flow was observed between 100 and 60 mmHg. Glibenclamide, an inhibitor of K+ATP channels, reduced coronary blood flow by 19% at each perfusion pressure, but autoregulation was preserved. After stepwise reductions in coronary pressure to values > or = 70 mmHg, adenosine concentrations did not increase above basal levels. Adenosine concentration was elevated at 60 mmHg, suggesting a role for adenosine at the limit of coronary autoregulation. Adenosine is not required because glibenclamide, an inhibitor of adenosine-mediated vasodilation, did not reduce autoregulation or increase adenosine concentration. Coronary venous oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions were little changed during autoregulation before the inhibition of K+ATP channels and adenosine vasodilation with glibenclamide. However, coronary venous carbon dioxide tension rose progressively with decreasing coronary pressure after glibenclamide. The increase in carbon dioxide indirectly suggests that carbon dioxide-mediated vasodilation compensated for the loss of K+ATP-channel function. In summary, neither K+ATP channels nor adenosine is necessary to maintain coronary flow in the autoregulatory range of coronary arterial pressure from 100 to 60 mmHg.
Selective chronic regulation of GLUT1 and GLUT4 content by insulin, glucose, and lipid in rat cardiac muscle in vivo
Authors: Laybutt D. R. , Thompson A. L. , Cooney G. J. , Kraegen E. W.
Published: December 2017

The glucose transporter GLUT1 may play a more important role in cardiac than in skeletal muscle, but its regulation is unclear. During fasting, cardiac GLUT1 declines in the presence of low plasma insulin and glucose and high nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels, whereas GLUT4 is unchanged. We investigated insulin, glucose, and NEFA levels as regulatory factors of cardiac GLUT content in chronically cannulated rats. Fasting rats were infused for 24 h with saline or insulin (2 rates) while plasma glucose was equalized by a glucose clamp; final transporter content was compared with a fed control group. There was a close association of GLUT1 content with insulin (r2 = 0.83, P < 0.001), with GLUT1 varying over a threefold range, under equivalent fasting glycemic conditions (plasma glucose, 5.1 +/- 0.1 mM). Maintenance of fed insulin levels during fasting prevented the GLUT1 fall (P < 0.01), whereas hyperinsulinemia (117 +/- 10 mU/l) led to significant overexpression of GLUT1 (155 +/- 12% of control, P < 0.01). When high glucose (7.6 +/- 0.1 mM) or high NEFA (0.76 +/- 0.05 mM) levels accompanied the hyperinsulinemia, upregulation of GLUT1 was blocked. GLUT1 content correlated with an estimate of cardiac glucose clearance across the groups. Cardiac GLUT4 content, hexokinase, and acyl-CoA synthase activities were unaffected by fasting, insulin, or substrate manipulation. In conclusion, insulin preferentially upregulates GLUT1 (but not GLUT4) in a dose-dependent manner in cardiac muscle in vivo, and substrate supply modulates this response, since upregulation can be effectively blocked by increased glucose or lipid availability. Therefore, both insulin exposure and energy status of cardiac muscle may be important determinants of cardiac GLUT1 expression.
Endothelin-1 ameliorates contractile depression by lipopolysaccharide in cardiac myocytes
Authors: Yasuda S. , Lew W. Y.
Published: December 2017

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces cardiac depression by activating nitric oxide pathways to increase guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), a second messenger of nitric oxide. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) may interact with nitric oxide pathways. We hypothesized that ET-1 modulates LPS-induced contractile depression in cardiac myocytes. Adult rabbit cardiac myocytes exposed to LPS (10 ng/ml) developed decreased cell shortening after 6 h, with an increase in cardiac cGMP levels [606 +/- 36 (SE) fmol/mg protein] compared with control myocytes (360 +/- 26 fmol/mg protein, P < 0.05). LPS effects were completely blocked by coincubation with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (1 mM). Coincubation with ET-1 (10 nM) attenuated the contractile depression and increase in cGMP with LPS (482 +/- 28 fmol/mg protein, P < 0.05 vs. LPS alone). ET-1 alone did not alter cGMP levels (350 +/- 30 fmol/mg protein). ET-1 effects on contractile function were blocked by BQ-123 (10 microM), a selective ET-1 type A receptor antagonist. We conclude that ET-1 ameliorates LPS-induced contractile depression in cardiac myocytes by attenuating LPS effects on nitric oxide-cGMP pathways.
Inducible PDGF A-chain transcription in smooth muscle cells is mediated by Egr-1 displacement of Sp1 and Sp3
Authors: Silverman E. S. , Khachigian L. M. , Lindner V. , Williams A. J. , Collins T.
Published: December 2017

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A-chain is expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) in a variety of pathological settings. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) increases A-chain transcription and was used as a model agonist. Transient transfection analysis identified a region in the promoter that is required for inducibility, located between base pairs -71 and -55 from the transcription start site. This region contains overlapping recognition elements for members of the Sp and Egr families. Egr-1 transcript and protein increased after PMA treatment, whereas Sp1 and Sp3 levels remain unchanged. Egr-1 expression and PDGF A-chain promoter activity also increased in cells exposed to PDGF or mechanical injury. In vitro binding assays demonstrated that Egr-1, Sp1, and Sp3 can bind to this promoter region and that increasing Egr-1 can displace both Sp1 and Sp3. In an in vivo model of arterial injury, Egr-1 expression was induced concurrently with the expression of PDGF-A in SMC. Displacement of Sp1 and Sp3 by Egr-1 is correlated with inducible PDGF A-chain expression in the vessel wall.
Endothelial-mediated dilations of rat middle cerebral arteries by ATP and ADP
Authors: You J. , Johnson T. D. , Childres W. F. , Bryan R. M.
Published: December 2017

The hypothesis that ATP and ADP produce dilations of rat middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) by different mechanisms was tested. Vessel diameters were measured from pressurized, perfused MCAs after application of different agonists. The luminal administration of ATP and ADP elicited concentration-dependent dilations (35% maximum). Removal of endothelium abolished the dilation to intraluminal ATP and attenuated the dilation to intraluminal ADP. The dilations to ATP were abolished with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 microM), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, at ATP concentrations of 1 microM and below. However, at concentrations of 10 microM ATP and above, L-NAME had no effect on the response. The dilations to ADP were attenuated by L-NAME to the same degree as removal of endothelium. The mechanism for dilation by ATP was identical to that of UTP, a selective P2u purinoceptor agonist. The mechanism of dilation by ADP was similar to that of 2-methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate, a selective P2y purinoceptor agonist. We conclude that ATP and ADP elicit dilations of rat MCA by different mechanisms. ATP and ADP likely stimulate P2u and P2y purinoceptors, respectively.
Localized cAMP-dependent signaling mediates beta 2-adrenergic modulation of cardiac excitation-contraction coupling
Authors: Zhou Y. Y. , Cheng H. , Bogdanov K. Y. , Hohl C. , Altschuld R. , Lakatta E. G. , Xiao R. P.
Published: December 2017

Recent studies have shown that beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta 2-AR)-stimulated increases in the intracellular Ca2+ (Cai) transient and contraction in cardiac myocytes are dissociated from the increase in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) level and are not accompanied by an increase in phospholamban phosphorylation, an acceleration in relaxation, or a reduction in myofilament Ca2+ response. Thus we hypothesized that the beta 2-AR modulation of cardiac excitation-contraction (EC) coupling may be mediated by either a cAMP-independent mechanism or a compartmentalized cAMP pathway. To directly distinguish between these two possibilities, the responses of the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa), Cai transient, and contraction to beta 2-AR as well as to beta 1-AR stimulation were examined in rat ventricular myocytes in the presence or absence of specific inhibitory cAMP analogs, Rp diastereomers of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-cAMPS) and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (Rp-CPT-cAMPS). As expected, the positive inotropic effect induced by an adenylyl cyclase activator, forskolin (2 x 10(-7) M), or a beta 1-AR agonist, norepinephrine (5 x 10(-8) M) plus prazosin (10(-6) M), was completely blocked by Rp-CPT-cAMPS. More importantly, the responses of ICa, Cai transient, and contraction to beta 2-AR stimulation by zinterol (10(-5) M) or isoproterenol plus a selective beta 1-AR antagonist, CGP-20712A, were also entirely abolished by Rp-cAMPS (in the patch-pipette solution) or Rp-CPT-cAMPS (in the bath solution). In pertussis toxin-treated cells, although the response of cAMP was not altered, the beta 2-AR-stimulated increase in contraction amplitude was markedly enhanced and accompanied by a hastened relaxation, resulting in a tight association between cAMP and contraction. These results indicate that beta 2-AR modulation of cardiac excitation-contraction coupling requires cAMP. The dissociation of beta 2-AR-stimulated cAMP production and regulation of myofilament and sarcoplasmic reticulum functions is attributable to a functional compartmentation of the cAMP-dependent signaling due to an activation of beta 2-AR-coupled Gi and/or G(o).
Mechanism of atrioventricular nodal facilitation in rabbit heart: role of proximal AV node
Authors: Mazgalev Todor , Mowrey Kent , Efimov Igor , Fahy Gerard J. , Van Wagoner David , Cheng Yuanna , Tchou Patrick J.
Published: December 2017

The phenomenon of atrioventricular (AV) nodal “facilitation,” described in traditional “black box”-functional studies, implies enhanced AV nodal dromotropic function. We investigated the role of atrial prematurities in the modulation of the nodal cellular responses in the mechanism of AV nodal facilitation. Atrial and His (H) bundle electrograms and microelectrode recordings from proximal AV nodal cells were analyzed in 15 superfused rabbit AV node preparations. The pacing protocol consisted of 30 basic beats (S1; coupling interval S1-S1= 300 ms) followed by a facilitating prematurity (S2; coupling intervals S1-S2of 300, 200, 150, and 130 ms) followed by the test beat (S3; coupling interval S2-S3scanned in 5-ms steps). Conduction curves (S2-H2vs. S1-S2, S3-H3vs. S2-S3, and S3-H3vs. H2-S3) were constructed. Facilitation (i.e., shortening of S3-H3when S1-S2was shortened) was demonstrated in all preparations using the H2-S3( P < 0.001) but not the S2-S3format. Microelectrode recordings revealed a causal relationship between the improved proximal AV nodal cellular responses in facilitation and the prolonged S2-S3interval. There was no evidence for enhanced nodal dromotropic function directly resulting from the introduction of the facilitating beats. Thus facilitation is based on inherent cycle-length-dependent properties of the AV node during application of a complex pacing protocol and primarily reflects the uncontrolled modulation of the proximal cellular response.
Limb ischemia preconditions the heart against reperfusion tachyarrhythmia
Authors: Oxman Tatyana , Arad Michael , Klein Rodica , Avazov Natalie , Rabinowitz Babeth
Published: December 2017

We investigated the hypothesis that a cardioprotective, antiarrhythmic effect might be obtained by brief ischemia of a remote part of the body before ischemia of the heart. Regional ischemia (RI) was induced in isolated Langendorff-perfused rat hearts: group I, 30-min RI and reperfusion (control hearts; n = 18); group II, 5-min RI before 30-min RI (a reference group of “classic” ischemic preconditioning; n = 12); and group III, ischemic preconditioning with in vivo 10-min limb ischemia (LI) before 30-min RI in the perfused heart ( n = 20). A significant decrease in reperfusion arrhythmia was found in groups II and III compared with group I ( P < 0.02). Release of norepinephrine (NE) and prostacyclin was higher in hearts from animals pretreated with LI ( P < 0.05). Prostacyclin increased in all groups at minute 1 of reperfusion, but there was no correlation to the antiarrhythmic effect. NE increased at the beginning of reperfusion after 30 min of ischemia; this release was significantly diminished after preconditioning with LI ( P < 0.05). We further investigated the role of NE in preconditioning with LI using drug interventions. Pretreatment with exogenous NE protected against tachyarrhythmia. Reserpine given 24 h before LI partially abolished the antiarrhythmic effect of LI preconditioning. However, the α1-adrenoreceptor blocker prazosin did not prevent the effect of LI preconditioning on either ischemic or reperfusion tachyarrhythmia. Therefore, brief ischemia of an extremity protects against reperfusion tachyarrhythmia. One of the humoral mediators involved in this response appears to be NE; others remain to be identified.
Blood pressure and heart rate variability in early pregnancy in rats
Authors: Slangen Brigitte F. M. , Out Iris C. M. , Janssen Ben J. A. , Peeters Louis L. H.
Published: December 2017

Changes in the autonomic control of the circulation may contribute to the maternal hemodynamic adaptation to early pregnancy. To evaluate this, we studied mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in chronically instrumented, conscious rats in early ( days 4, 6, 8, and 10) and late ( day 18) pregnancy ( n = 8) and in nonpregnant rats ( n = 9). MAP and HR were recorded on a beat-to-beat basis and analyzed by spectral analysis. Spectral density power was calculated in low- (0.047–0.305 Hz), mid- (0.305–0.598 Hz), and high-frequency (0.598–1.494 Hz) bands, which contain oscillations that are among others related to myogenic-, sympathetic/vagal-, and vagal/respiration-related influences, respectively. In addition, baroreceptor reflex sensitivity was determined from spontaneous variations in MAP and HR by a sequential time series method and by calculating the transfer gain between MAP and HR in the midfrequency band. Mean values of HR and MAP did not differ between the two groups on day 4. In the pregnant group, MAP fell gradually over days, whereas HR had significantly increased only on day 18. Overall variability in MAP and HR (expressed as coefficients of variation) did not change during pregnancy. Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity did not differ between the groups and did not change with advancing pregnancy. Spontaneous oscillations of MAP and HR at low, mid, and high frequencies were not different between pregnant and nonpregnant rats on days 4 to 10. On day 18, spectral density power of MAP, but not of HR, in the high-frequency band had significantly increased in pregnant rats only, most likely reflecting the increased impact of breathing on MAP fluctuations. We conclude that, with the methods employed, we could not discern any changes in baroreflex sensitivity and MAP and HR variability in pregnancy. This would imply that changes in autonomic activity do not contribute appreciably to the hemodynamic adaptations in early rat pregnancy.
Synchronous and baroceptor-sensitive oscillations in skin microcirculation: evidence for central autonomic control
Authors: Bernardi Luciano , Hayoz Daniel , Wenzel René , Passino Claudio , Calciati Alessandro , Weber Roger , Noll Georg
Published: December 2017

To determine whether skin blood flow is local or takes part in general regulatory mechanisms, we recorded laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF; left and right index fingers), blood pressure, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), R-R interval, and respiration in 10 healthy volunteers and 3 subjects after sympathectomy. We evaluated 1) the synchronism of LDF fluctuations in two index fingers, 2) the relationship with autonomically mediated fluctuations in other signals, and 3) the LDF ability to respond to arterial baroreflex stimulation (by neck suction at frequencies from 0.02 to 0.20 Hz), using spectral analysis (autoregressive uni- and bivariate, time-variant algorithms). Synchronous LDF fluctuations were observed in the index fingers of healthy subjects but not in sympathectomized patients. LDF fluctuations were coherent with those obtained for blood pressure, MSNA, and R-R interval. LDF fluctuations were leading blood pressure in the low-frequency (LF; 0.1 Hz) band and lagging in the respiratory, high-frequency (HF; ∼0.25 Hz) band, suggesting passive “downstream” transmission only for HF and “upstream” transmission for LF from the microvessels. LDF fluctuations were responsive to sinusoidal neck suction up to 0.1 Hz, indicating response to sympathetic modulation. Skin blood flow thus reflects modifications determined by autonomic activity, detectable by frequency analysis of spontaneous fluctuations.
Modeling the myocardial dilution curve of a pure intravascular indicator
Authors: Lee J. S. , Karch J. , Jayaweera A. R. , Lindner J. R. , Lee L. P. , Skyba D. M. , Kaul S.
Published: December 2017

The dispersion and dilution of contrast medium through the myocardial vasculature is examined first with a serial model comprised of arterial, capillary, and venous components in series to determine their time-concentration curves (TCC) and the myocardial dilution curve (MDC). Analysis of general characteristics shows that the first moment of the MDC, adjusted for that of the aortic TCC and mean transit time (MTT) from the aorta to the first intramyocardial artery, is one-half the MTT of the myocardial vasculature and that the ratio of the area of the MDC and aortic TCC is the fractional myocardial blood volume (MBV). The use of known coronary vascular morphometry and a set of transport functions indicates that the temporal change in MDC is primarily controlled by the MTT. An analysis of several models with heterogeneous flow distributions justifies the procedures to calculate MTT and MBV from the measured MDC. Compared with previously described models, the present model is more general and provides a physical basis for the effects of flow dispersion and heterogeneity on the characteristics of the MDC.
Involvement of interleukin-1 receptor mechanisms in development of arterial hypotension in rat heatstroke
Authors: Lin M. T. , Liu H. H. , Yang Y. L.
Published: December 2017

Rats, under urethan anesthesia, were exposed to a high ambient temperature (42°C) to induce heatstroke and to assess the hemodynamic changes associated with heatstroke. Compared with normothermic controls, rats with heatstroke showed higher values of colonic temperature, heart rate, and plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1 but lower values of R wave amplitude, P-R and Q-T intervals, systolic wave amplitude, diastolic and dicrotic wave duration, mean arterial pressure, stroke volume, and cardiac output. Animals injected intravenously with an IL-1-receptor antagonist at the time of heatstroke induction were protected from some of the cardiovascular effects of heatstroke, such as depressed ventricular depolarization, decreased stroke volume, decreased cardiac output, and arterial hypotension. The hemodynamic changes associated with heatstroke could be mimicked by IL-1β administration. Other cardiovascular parameters such as total peripheral vascular resistance were unaffected by heatstroke induction or IL-1β treatment. The results indicate that a selective decline in stroke volume or ventricular depolarization resulting from increased plasma levels of IL-1 may be an important mechanism signaling arterial hypotension or circulatory failure in rat heatstroke.
Transesophageal echocardiography in rats using an intravascular ultrasound catheter
Authors: Lu Li , Ko Eitetsu , Schwartz Gregory G. , Chou Tony M.
Published: December 2017

In vivo assessment of cardiac structure and function in small animals is an important experimental goal, but currently available techniques have significant limitations. A commercially available intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) system was adapted to perform transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in rats. Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats (270–370 g) were anesthetized with intraperitoneal pentobarbital sodium. A 4.3-Fr, 30-MHz or an 8-Fr, 20-MHz IVUS catheter was inserted into the esophagus to obtain long-axis views of the aortic arch, short-axis views of the ascending aorta, and long-axis views of the pulmonary artery. A preshaped, 8-Fr, 20-MHz catheter was used to obtain short-axis images of the left ventricle (LV) at the midpapillary muscle level, which were used to measure LV diastolic and systolic dimensions (diameters) and to calculate LV mass and fractional shortening. Measurements by TEE were compared with those obtained by transthoracic echocardiography in 6 of 12 rats. Postmortem, the LV was weighed to determine actual LV mass. The correlation coefficients between TEE- and transthoracic echocardiography-calculated LV mass and actual LV mass were 0.94 and 0.88, respectively, and had a good agreement with actual LV mass. Inter- and intraobserver variability of TEE measurements was <10%. IVUS instrumentation may offer an alternative technique for the accurate, serial assessment of LV dimensions, mass, and systolic function and a means of imaging the great vessels in small laboratory animals.
Heterogeneity of L-type calcium current density in coronary smooth muscle
Authors: Bowles D. K. , Hu Q. , Laughlin M. H. , Sturek M.
Published: December 2017

Heterogeneity of vascular responses to physiological and pharmacological stimuli has been demonstrated throughout the coronary circulation. Typically, this heterogeneity is based on vessel size. Although the cellular mechanisms for this heterogeneity are unknown, one plausible factor may be heterogeneous distribution of ion channels important in regulation of vascular tone. Because of the importance of voltage-gated Ca2+channels in regulation of vascular tone, we hypothesized that these channels would be unequally distributed throughout the coronary arterial bed. To test this hypothesis, voltage-gated Ca2+current was measured in smooth muscle from conduit arteries (>1.0 mm), small arteries (200–250 μm), and large arterioles (75–125 μm) of miniature swine using whole cell voltage-clamp techniques. With 2 mM Ca2+or 10 mM Ba2+as charge carrier, voltage-gated Ca2+current density was inversely related to arterial diameter, i.e., large arterioles > small arteries > conduit. Peak inward currents (10 mM Ba2+) were increased ∼2.5- and ∼1.5-fold in large arterioles and small arteries, respectively, compared with conduit arteries (−5.58 ± 0.53, −3.54 ± 0.34, and −2.26 ± 0.31 pA/pF, respectively). In physiological Ca2+(2 mM), small arteries demonstrated increased inward current at membrane potentials within the physiological range for vascular smooth muscle (as negative as −40 mV) compared with conduit arteries. In addition, cells from large arterioles showed a negative shift in the membrane potential for half-maximal activation compared with small and conduit arteries (−13.23 ± 0.88, −6.22 ± 1.35, and −8.62 ± 0.81 mV, respectively; P < 0.05). Voltage characteristics and dihydropyridine sensitivity identified this Ca2+current as predominantly L-type current in all arterial sizes. We conclude that L-type Ca2+current density is inversely related to arterial diameter within the coronary arterial vasculature. This heterogeneity of Ca2+current density may provide, in part, the basis for functional heterogeneity within the coronary circulation.
Autoactivity of A5 neurons: role of subthreshold oscillations and persistent Na+current
Authors: Huangfu Donghai , Guyenet Patrice G.
Published: December 2017

A5 noradrenergic neurons play a key role in autonomic regulation, nociception, and respiration. The purpose of the present experiments was to characterize some of the intrinsic properties of A5 cells in vitro. Whole cell recordings were obtained from 85 spinally projecting neurons of the ventrolateral pons of neonate rats. Immunohistochemistry showed that 60% of the ventrolateral pontine cells were noradrenergic. Eighty percent of A5 neurons were spontaneously active (0.1–5.5 spikes/s). Their discharge rate was unchanged by a mixture of synaptic blockers that eliminated postsynaptic potentials (PSPs). The nonnoradrenergic cells could not be distinguished from A5 cells on the basis of discharge rate, action potential duration, inward rectification, input resistance, or accommodation. A5 cells displayed subthreshold irregular oscillations of the membrane potential (main frequency component 0.5–2 Hz). These oscillations were unchanged in the presence of low external Ca2+-high Mg2+ and were very reduced by hyperpolarizing the cells below −65 mV. The oscillations were partially attenuated by 1 μM tetrodotoxin (TTX) and were eliminated by reducing external Na+ (27 mM). Stepping the membrane potential from −65 to −50 mV for 200 ms revealed the presence of a transient and a persistent inward current that were both blocked by 0.1 μM TTX or by extracellular Na+ reduction. In conclusion, most A5 neurons are spontaneously active in vitro. They display irregular subthreshold membrane potential oscillations generated by voltage-activated conductances that include a persistent TTX-sensitive Na+ current. Most of the activity of A5 cells appears due to intrinsic properties rather than to synaptic inputs.
Sinoaortic denervation prevents postexercise reductions in arterial pressure and cardiac sympathetic tonus
Authors: Chandler Margaret P. , Dicarlo Stephen E.
Published: December 2017

Arterial pressure, cardiac sympathetic tonus (ST), and heart rate (HR) are reduced after a single bout of dynamic exercise in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). To test if the arterial baroreflex is required for these postexercise responses, intact ( n = 9) and sinoaortic-denervated (SAD) rats ( n = 5) were chronically instrumented with an arterial catheter for the measurement of arterial pressure and HR and for the infusion of cardiac autonomic antagonists. Five days after instrumentation, cardiac ST and parasympathetic tonus (PT) were determined under two experimental conditions (no exercise and postexercise). SAD rats did not alter no-exercise cardiac ST (intact 47 ± 3 vs. SAD 50 ± 3 beats/min); however, no-exercise PT was reduced (intact −24 ± 2 vs. SAD −4 ± 4 beats/min, P < 0.05). Acute exercise reduced arterial pressure (postexertional hypotension, −20 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05), cardiac ST (no exercise 47 ± 3 vs. postexercise 24 ± 3 beats/min, P < 0.05), and PT (no exercise −24 ± 2 vs. postexercise −11 ± 2 beats/min, P < 0.05) in intact SHR. In contrast, SAD prevented postexercise reductions in arterial pressure and cardiac ST (no exercise 50 ± 3 vs. postexercise 59 ± 7 beats/min). Furthermore, SAD had no effect on postexercise PT (no exercise −4 ± 4 vs. postexercise −7 ± 4 beats/min). These results demonstrate that the arterial baroreflex is required for the reduction in arterial pressure and cardiac ST that occurs in SHR after a single bout of dynamic exercise.
Testosterone receptor blockade after trauma-hemorrhage improves cardiac and hepatic functions in males
Authors: Remmers Dierk E. , Wang Ping , Cioffi William G. , Bland Kirby I. , Chaudry Irshad H.
Published: December 2017

Although studies have shown that testosterone receptor blockade with flutamide after hemorrhage restores the depressed immune function, it remains unknown whether administration of flutamide following trauma and hemorrhage and resuscitation has any salutary effects on the depressed cardiovascular and hepatocellular functions. To study this, male rats underwent a laparotomy (representing trauma) and were then bled and maintained at a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg until the animals could not maintain this pressure. Ringer lactate was given to maintain a MAP of 40 mmHg until 40% of the maximal shed blood volume was returned in the form of Ringer lactate. The rats were then resuscitated with four times the shed blood volume in the form of Ringer lactate over 60 min. Flutamide (25 mg/kg) or an equal volume of the vehicle propanediol was injected subcutaneously 15 min before the end of resuscitation. Various in vivo heart performance parameters (e.g., maximal rate of the pressure increase or decrease), cardiac output, and hepatocellular function (i.e., the maximum velocity and the overall efficiency of indocyanine green clearance) were determined at 20 h after resuscitation. Additionally, hepatic microvascular blood flow (HMBF) was determined using a laser Doppler flowmeter. The results indicate that left ventricular performance, cardiac output, HMBF, and hepatocellular function decreased significantly at 20 h after the completion of trauma, hemorrhage, and resuscitation. Administration of the testosterone receptor blocker flutamide, however, significantly improved cardiac performance, HMBF, and hepatocellular function. Thus flutamide appears to be a novel and useful adjunct for improving cardiovascular and hepatocellular functions in males following trauma and hemorrhagic shock.
A role for the sarcoplasmic reticulum in Ca2+extrusion from rabbit inferior vena cava smooth muscle
Authors: Nazer Mark A. , Van Breemen Cornelis
Published: December 2017

Ca2+extrusion from rabbit inferior vena cava smooth muscle was studied using ratiometric fura 2 fluorimetry. Concomitant blockade of the plasma membrane Ca2+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase; PCMA), Na+-Ca2+exchanger, and sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) completely prevented the decline in intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) normally observed when Ca2+is removed from the extracellular space (ECS) after stimulated Ca2+influx. Blockade of the Na+-Ca2+exchanger by removal of external Na+reduced the rate of [Ca2+]idecline by 47%. Blockade of SERCA with cyclopiazonic acid reduced it by 23%, and this was not additive to the effects of Na+removal. Exposure to nominally Ca2+-free solution prevented the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from reloading only if the Na+-Ca2+exchanger was operational. Our results can be explained by an SR contribution to Ca2+extrusion in which SERCA is arranged in series with Na+-Ca2+exchange.
Redistribution of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine precedes reperfusion-induced apoptosis
Authors: Maulik Nilanjana , Kagan Valerian E. , Tyurin Vladimir A. , Das Dipak K.
Published: December 2017

Although cardiomyocyte death and infarction associated with ischemia-reperfusion are traditionally believed to be induced via necrosis, recent studies implicated apoptotic cell death in ischemic reperfused tissue. To examine whether myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury is mediated by apoptotic cell death, isolated perfused rat hearts were subjected to 15 and 30 min of ischemia as well as 15 min of ischemia followed by 30, 90, or 120 min of reperfusion. At the end of each experiment, hearts were processed for the evaluation of apoptosis and DNA laddering. Apoptosis was studied by visualizing the apoptotic cardiomyocytes by direct fluorescence detection of digoxigenin-labeled genomic DNA using APOPTAG in situ apoptosis detection kit. DNA laddering was evaluated by subjecting the DNA obtained from cardiomyocytes to 1.8% agarose gel electrophoresis and photographed under ultraviolet illumination. In addition, high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) of aminophospholipids labeled with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonate was performed to evaluate phospholipid topography in cardiomyocytes. The results of our study revealed apoptotic cells only in the 90- and 120-min reperfused hearts as demonstrated by the intense fluorescence of the immunostained digoxigenin-labeled genomic DNA when observed under fluorescence microscope. None of the ischemic hearts showed any evidence of apoptosis. These results corroborated with the findings of DNA fragmentation that showed increased ladders of DNA bands in the 120-min reperfused hearts, representing integer multiples of the internucleosomal DNA length (∼180 bp). Two-dimensional HPTLC of the phospholipids obtained from the cardiomyocytes and transbilayer organization of the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in the myocytes indicated translocation of both PE and PS from the inner leaflet to the outer leaflet of the membrane as early as after 20 min of ischemia. These results demonstrate that the redistribution of PS and PE precedes the apototic cell death and DNA fragmentation associated with the reperfusion of ischemic myocardium, suggesting that ischemia may trigger the signal for apoptosis although it becomes evident during reperfusion.
Mechanoenergetic studies in isolated mouse hearts
Authors: Kameyama Tomoki , Chen Zengyi , Bell Stephen P. , Fabian Judit , Lewinter Martin M.
Published: December 2017

We tested the feasibility of an isolated, balloon-in-ventricle, isovolumically contracting, crystalloid-perfused mouse heart preparation ( n = 10) for studies of cardiac mechanoenergetics using the end-systolic pressure-volume relation (ESPVR) and myocardial oxygen consumption (V˙o 2)-pressure-volume area (PVA) framework employed in larger species. The intraventricular balloon method was shown to be accurate for measurement of left ventricular volume, especially at relatively higher volumes. The ESPVR demonstrated contractility-dependent curvilinearity. Average slope of the ESPVR was 1,299 ± 369 (SD) mmHg ⋅ g ⋅ ml−1, with a volume intercept of 0.018 ± 0.006 ml. TheV˙o 2-PVA relation was well fitted by a straight line, with average slope andV˙o 2 intercept of 3.57 ± 1.31 × 10−5 ml O2 ⋅ mmHg−1 ⋅ ml−1and 0.92 ± 0.21 × 10−3 ml O2 ⋅ beat−1 ⋅ g−1, respectively. Decreasing perfusate Ca2+ concentration resulted in a decrease in the slope of the ESPVR, a decrease in theV˙o 2 intercept of theV˙o 2-PVA relation, but no significant change in its slope. Hearts from hypothyroid ( n = 8) mice demonstrated similar mechanoenergetic changes. We conclude that delineation of the ESPVR and the V˙o 2-PVA relation is feasible in the mouse heart. Our method should allow an assessment of cardiac mechanoenergetics as sophisticated as that previously possible only in larger hearts.
Letters to the Editor
Authors: Kaley Akos Koller gabor
Published: December 2017

The following is the abstract of the article discussed in the subsequent letter:

McGahren, Eugene D., Kim A. Dora, David N. Damon, and Brian R. Duling. A test of the role of flow-dependent dilation in arteriolar responses to occlusion. Am. J. Physiol. 272 ( Heart Circ. Physiol. 41): H714–H721, 1997.—At an arteriolar bifurcation, occlusion of one of the branch arterioles has been reported to result in an increase in flow, shear stress, and vasodilation in the opposite unoccluded branch. This dilator response in the unoccluded branch, often referred to as the “parallel occlusion response,” has been cited as evidence that flow-dependent dilation is a primary regulator of arteriolar diameter in the microcirculation. It has not been previously noted that, during this maneuver, flow through the feed arteriole would be expected to decrease and logically should cause that vessel to constrict. We tested this prediction in vivo by measuring red blood cell (RBC) velocity and diameter changes in response to arteriolar occlusion in the microcirculatory beds of three preparations: the hamster cheek pouch, the hamster cremaster, and the rat cremaster. In all preparations, a vasodilation was observed in the feed arteriole, despite a decrease in both flow and calculated wall shear stress through this vessel. Unexpectedly, we found that dilation occurred in the unoccluded branch arterioles even in those cases in which RBC velocity and shear stress did not increase in the unoccluded branch arterioles. All values returned to the baseline level after the removal of occlusion. The magnitude of the dilation of the feed and branch arterioles varied between species and tissues, but feed and branch arterioles within a given preparation always responded in a similar way to each other. We conclude from our experiments that mechanisms other than flow-dependent dilation are involved in the vasodilation observed in the microcirculation during occlusion of an arteriolar branch.
Identification of spontaneous cardiac baroreflex episodes at different timescales in rats
Authors: Gustin Marie-Paule , Cerutti Catherine , Unterreiner Robert , Paultre Christian
Published: December 2017

To study spontaneous cardiac baroreflex at different timescales, a new method has been developed that identifies such episodes. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded beat to beat over 1 h in freely moving control ( n = 10) and acutely (1 day before study, n = 7) and chronically (2 wk before study, n = 10) sinoaortic-denervated (SAD) 12- to 14-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. These beat-to-beat time series were successively low-pass filtered seven times and resampled at different time intervals from 0.1 to 6.4 s, allowing different timescales to be scanned. With the use of the Z coefficient, the statistical relationship was estimated for the associations of inverse MAP and HR variations when these inverse MAP and HR variations occurred simultaneously or were time shifted. In control rats and for timescales ≥0.4 s, the highest Zcoefficient(0.38) was obtained when MAP variations preceded inverse HR variations by one sampling interval. The baroreflex origin of this link was demonstrated by its disappearance after acute SAD. In conclusion, this method enabled spontaneous baroreflex episodes to be identified for unusually long timescales without limiting the study to fast, linear, stationary, or oscillating phenomena.
Responses of carotid artery in mice deficient in expression of the gene for endothelial NO synthase
Authors: Faraci Frank M. , Sigmund Curt D. , Shesely Edward G. , Maeda Nobuyo , Heistad Donald D. ,   (With the Technical Assistance of Kristen Rummelhart)
Published: December 2017

We examined the hypotheses that responses to acetylcholine are impaired and responses to NO are enhanced in carotid artery from mice made deficient in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by gene targeting (eNOS-deficient mice). We also tested the hypothesis that deletion of one copy of the eNOS gene is sufficient to alter vascular responses. Vessels were studied in vitro from heterozygous (+/−) and homozygous (−/−) eNOS-deficient mice as well as wild-type [eNOS(+/+)] littermates. After precontraction with prostaglandin F2α, acetylcholine produced marked relaxation of carotid arteries in eNOS(+/+) mice, with impaired vasorelaxation in eNOS(+/−) mice. For example, 1 μM acetylcholine relaxed carotid arteries by 55 ± 5% (mean ± SE) in eNOS(+/−) mice ( n = 13) compared with 83 ± 3% in eNOS(+/+) mice ( n = 14, P < 0.001 vs. +/−). In contrast, acetylcholine caused no relaxation in carotid arteries from eNOS(−/−) mice ( P < 0.001 vs. +/+ and +/−). Relaxation of the carotid artery in response to nitroprusside [a nitric oxide (NO) donor] was enhanced ( P < 0.001) in eNOS-deficient mice. For example, in response to 10 nM nitroprusside, the carotid artery relaxed by 18 ± 2% in eNOS(+/+) mice ( n = 14), 33 ± 2% in eNOS(+/−) mice ( n = 13), and 47 ± 4% in eNOS(−/−) mice ( n = 5). Thus relaxation of the carotid artery is impaired with acetylcholine and enhanced with the NO donor nitroprusside in eNOS-deficient mice. Enhanced responses to NO may represent a compensatory response expressed in the absence of eNOS. The findings that vascular responses to acetylcholine and NO are altered in eNOS(+/−) mice compared with those observed in eNOS(+/+) mice suggest a “gene-dosing” effect.
Frequency response characteristics of sympathetically mediated vasomotor waves in humans
Authors: Stauss Harald M. , Anderson Erling A. , Haynes William G. , Kregel Kevin C.
Published: December 2017

In a recent study, we demonstrated that transmission from peripheral sympathetic nerves to vascular smooth muscles is strongest in the frequency band from 0.2 to 0.5 Hz in conscious rats. In contrast, sympathetic modulation of vasomotor tone in humans is suggested to be reflected in the power spectrum of arterial blood pressure in a frequency range centered around ∼0.1 Hz. Therefore, we addressed whether frequency response characteristics of sympathetic transmission from peripheral sympathetic nerves to vascular smooth muscles in humans differ from those in rats. In 12 male subjects, skin-sympathetic fibers of the left median nerve were electrically stimulated via microneurography needles with stimulation frequencies ranging from 0.01 to 0.5 Hz. Simultaneously, blood flow in the innervated skin area at the palm of the ipsilateral hand was recorded by a laser-Doppler device. The skin blood flow in the same area of the contralateral hand was recorded as a control. Median nerve stimulation produced transient decreases in skin blood flow in the ipsilateral hand. At frequencies ranging from 0.025 to 0.10 Hz, median nerve stimulation evoked high-power peaks at the same frequencies in the skin blood flow power spectra of the ipsilateral but not of the contralateral hand. The greatest responses were found in the frequency range from 0.075 to 0.10 Hz. Therefore, these data indicate that the transmission from peripheral sympathetic nerves to cutaneous vascular smooth muscles in humans is slower than in rats. In addition, the frequency range believed to be most important in sympathetic modulation of vasomotor activity in humans corresponds to the frequency band of the greatest response of cutaneous vascular smooth muscle contraction to sympathetic nerve stimulation.
Hemodynamic effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibition before and after cardiac arrest in infant piglets
Authors: Schleien Charles L. , Kuluz John W. , Gelman Barry
Published: December 2017

Using infant piglets, we studied the effects of nonspecific inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase by N G-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; 3 mg/kg) on vascular pressures, regional blood flow, and cerebral metabolism before 8 min of cardiac arrest, during 6 min of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and at 10 and 60 min of reperfusion. We tested the hypotheses that nonspecific NO synthase inhibition 1) will attenuate early postreperfusion hyperemia while still allowing for successful resuscitation after cardiac arrest, 2) will allow for normalization of blood flow to the kidneys and intestines after cardiac arrest, and 3) will maintain cerebral metabolism in the face of altered cerebral blood flow after reperfusion. Before cardiac arrest, l-NAME increased vascular pressures and cardiac output and decreased blood flow to brain (by 18%), heart (by 36%), kidney (by 46%), and intestine (by 52%) compared with placebo. During CPR, myocardial flow was maintained in all groups to successfully resuscitate 24 of 28 animals [ P value not significant (NS)]. Significantly,l-NAME attenuated postresuscitation hyperemia in cerebellum, diencephalon, anterior cerebral, and anterior-middle watershed cortical brain regions and to the heart. Likewise, cerebral metabolic rates of glucose (CMRGluc) and of lactate production (CMRLac) were not elevated at 10 min of reperfusion. These cerebral blood flow and metabolic effects were reversed byl-arginine. Flows returned to baseline levels by 60 min of reperfusion. Kidney and intestinal flow, however, remained depressed throughout reperfusion in all three groups. Thus nonspecific inhibition of NO synthase did not adversely affect the rate of resuscitation from cardiac arrest while attenuating cerebral and myocardial hyperemia. Even though CMRGluc and CMRLac early after resuscitation were decreased, they were maintained at baseline levels. This may be clinically advantageous in protecting the brain and heart from the damaging effects of hyperemia, such as blood-brain barrier disruption.
In vivo murine left ventricular pressure-volume relations by miniaturized conductance micromanometry
Authors: Georgakopoulos Dimitrios , Mitzner Wayne A. , Chen Chen-Huan , Byrne Barry J. , Millar Huntly D. , Hare Joshua M. , Kass David A.
Published: December 2017

The mouse is the species of choice for creating genetically engineered models of human disease. To study detailed systolic and diastolic left ventricular (LV) chamber mechanics in mice in vivo, we developed a miniaturized conductance-manometer system. α-Chloralose-urethan-anesthetized animals were instrumented with a two-electrode pressure-volume catheter advanced via the LV apex to the aortic root. Custom electronics provided time-varying conductances related to cavity volume. Baseline hemodynamics were similar to values in conscious animals: 634 ± 14 beats/min, 112 ± 4 mmHg, 5.3 ± 0.8 mmHg, and 11,777 ± 732 mmHg/s for heart rate, end-systolic and end-diastolic pressures, and maximum first derivative of ventricular pressure with respect to time (dP/d t max), respectively. Catheter stroke volume during preload reduction by inferior vena caval occlusion correlated with that by ultrasound aortic flow probe ( r 2 = 0.98). This maneuver yielded end-systolic elastances of 79 ± 21 mmHg/μl, preload-recruitable stroke work of 82 ± 5.6 mmHg, and slope of dP/d t max-end-diastolic volume relation of 699 ± 100 mmHg ⋅ s−1 ⋅ μl−1, and these relations varied predictably with acute inotropic interventions. The control normalized time-varying elastance curve was similar to human data, further supporting comparable chamber mechanics between species. This novel approach should greatly help assess cardiovascular function in the blood-perfused murine heart.