Physiological research
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Physiological research · Jan 2011
Neurogenic pulmonary edema induced by spinal cord injury in spontaneously hypertensive and Dahl salt hypertensive rats.
Neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE), which is induced by acute spinal cord compression (SCC) under the mild (1.5 %) isoflurane anesthesia, is highly dependent on baroreflex-mediated bradycardia because a deeper (3 %) isoflurane anesthesia or atropine pretreatment completely abolished bradycardia occurrence and NPE development in rats subjected to SCC. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether hypertension-associated impairment of baroreflex sensitivity might exert some protection against NPE development in hypertensive animals. ⋯ SCC elicited NPE in both hypertensive models irrespective of their baroreflex sensitivity. It is evident that a moderate impairment of baroreflex sensitivity, which was demonstrated in salt hypertensive Dahl rats, does not exert sufficient protective effects against NPE development.
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Physiological research · Jan 2011
Controlled Clinical TrialSildenafil is more selective pulmonary vasodilator than prostaglandin E1 in patients with pulmonary hypertension due to heart failure.
In some patients, heart failure (HF) is associated with increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). The magnitude and the reversibility of PVR elevation affect the HF management. Sildenafil has been recently recognized as potent PVR-lowering drug in HF. ⋯ Both drugs similarly reduced pulmonary artery mean and wedge pressures and increased cardiac index (+27 % and +28 %). Sildenafil led more often to transplant-acceptable PVR while causing smaller drop of mean systemic pressure than PGE(1). In conclusion, vasodilatatory effects of sildenafil in patients with heart failure are more pronounced in pulmonary than in systemic circulation.
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Physiological research · Jan 2011
Comparative StudyComparison of Doppler flow Tei-indexes with pulmonary artery thermodilution measurement of cardiac output in an experimental porcine model.
The objective of our study was to compare Doppler echocardiography imaging with pulmonary artery thermodilution measurement during mechanical ventilation. Total 78 piglets (6 weeks old, average weight 24 kg, under general anesthesia) were divided into 4 groups under different cardiac loading conditions (at rest, with increased left ventricular afterload, with increased right ventricular preload, and with increased afterload of both heart ventricles). At 60 and 120 min the animals were examined by echocardiography and simultaneously pulmonary artery thermodilution was used to measure cardiac output. ⋯ Correlation was found between values of right Tei-index of myocardial performance and changes in right ventricular preload (p<0.05) and afterload (p<0.01). Significant correlation was also found between left index values and changes of left ventricular preload (p<0.001), afterload (p<0.001), stroke volume (p<0.01), and cardiac output (p<0.01). In conclusion, echocardiographic examination and determination of the global performance selectively for the right and left ventricle can be recommended as a suitable non-invasive supplement to the whole set of methods used for monitoring of circulation and cardiac performance.
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Physiological research · Jan 2011
Comparative StudyRole of L-DOPA in spinal nociceptive reflex activity: higher sensitivity of Aδ versus C fibre-evoked nociceptive reflexes to L-DOPA.
The role of L-DOPA in spinal nociceptive reflex activity has been re-evaluated. In high spinal cats, with supraspinal loops being excluded, the onset of reflex facilitation induced by noxious radiant heat is delayed after injection of L-DOPA by 4 to 10 s, i.e. the early component of nociceptive reflex facilitation is blocked, while the late component persisted. Further investigations have shown that the early component of reflex facilitation induced by noxious radiant heat is mediated by Adelta-fibres and the late component by C-fibres. Therefore, it can be assumed that L-DOPA, like opioids, preferentially blocks the transmission in nociceptive reflex pathways from Adelta-fibres.
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Physiological research · Jan 2011
In situ assessment of the brain microcirculation in mechanically-ventilated rabbits using sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging.
Assessment of the cerebral microcirculation by on-line visualization has been impossible for a long time. Sidestream dark-field (SDF) imaging is a relatively new method allowing direct visualization of cerebral surface layer microcirculation using hand-held probe for direct contact with target tissue. The aim of this study was to elucidate the feasibility of studying the cerebral microcirculation in situ by SDF imaging and to assess the basic cerebral microcirculatory parameters in mechanically ventilated rabbits. ⋯ Clear high contrast SDF images were successfully obtained. Total small-vessel density was 14.6+/-1.8 mm/mm(2), total all-vessel density was 17.9+/-1.7 mm/mm(2), DeBacker score was 12.0+/-1.6 mm(-1) and microvascular flow index was 3.0+/-0.0. This method seems to be applicable in animal studies with possibility to use SDF imaging also intraoperatively, providing unique opportunity to study cerebral microcirculation during various experimental and clinical settings.